Tangled Games (Dating Games #5) - T.K. Leigh Page 0,10
a spare. Two kids in case one…” He gives me a knowing look. “You have a backup. My grandmother, being the overachiever she is, had four spares.”
“Makes it sound like kids are commodities. Not living, breathing humans.”
“Welcome to my world, Nora.” He smiles, but it oozes with sarcasm. “I don’t remember much about my Uncle Theodore. I was young when he died. Only eight.”
“What happened?”
“He and his family went to Switzerland for a skiing holiday one Christmas. An unexpected avalanche came over them. Killed him, his wife, and their four children, along with several other guests and ski guides.”
I cover my mouth with my hand, shaking my head. “Oh, my god.”
“It made headlines back then, but considering you were probably only two or three at the time, I doubt you remember it. Needless to say, it affected the entire family. Hell, the country. In the blink of an eye, not only did the heir apparent perish, but so did the second, third, fourth, and fifth in line to the crown. Until that point, I was content with the fact I’d never be king. That I’d never come remotely close to being king. I got to have a normal childhood, unlike my older cousin, who had to go through all this extra tutoring to learn about our government and the monarchy. To learn how to rule. Then it all changed.”
He swallows hard, a pensive look crossing his face. “This will probably come out as extremely insensitive, but when I heard the news, I cried. Not for my cousins or aunt or uncle. But because I saw their deaths as mine, too.”
“Anders…,” I sigh.
“You’ll hear the word ‘duty’ being tossed around a lot in the coming weeks. After the accident, I had it thrown at me from every direction. Their bodies were still warm when I was ripped out of my old school in the country and placed in a new one in London where I’d learn how to be an effective leader, in addition to everything else expected of me. It all happened so quickly. One day, I was just a kid most people barely recognized. The next, my face was all over the media as the future king. From seventh in line to second.” His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. “And within a month, I went from second in line to heir apparent.”
I close my eyes, my heart breaking for the boy he once was. It sounds crazy, considering the picture popular fiction paints of royalty. But I can see the truth plastered all over Anderson’s face. This life isn’t as charmed as everyone believes.
“I’m not telling you this because I want your sympathy. I’ve made peace with the circumstances that led to this point in my life. I’m telling you this because I know how it feels to be an outsider. Maybe not to the extent you’re considered an outsider, but I can relate. The first eight years of my life, I was…normal, apart from my grandfather being king. I went to a normal school. Had normal friends. Played normal sports. Then all that changed. The entire country’s attention seemed to be focused on my father and me. And, to a lesser degree, my sister, as well as the rest of my cousins. Granted, it’s not the same thing as what you’ll go through as you get adjusted, but—”
“You’re right.”
Cupping his cheek, I brush my thumb against the smooth skin. It makes me miss his usual scruff. Something else I’ll have to get used to. Anderson’s made his distaste for the rules regarding his appearance quite clear.
“It isn’t the same. You had this life thrust upon you. You had no choice but to acclimate.” I crane my mouth closer to his. “But I do, Anderson. And despite knowing it won’t be easy, that there will be quite a few people who don’t like the idea of their future king marrying someone like me, I still choose this.” My lips skim his. “Still choose you.”
He digs his fingers into my hair, pulling me closer. Or as close as possible with an armrest separating us. The plane jostles as the wheels hit the ground, but neither of us breaks away. He swipes his tongue against my lips, and I open for him, not caring who might see us. That doesn’t matter, not when I’ll have to share Anderson with the rest of the world in a matter of seconds. For now, I’ll take every last heartbeat he’ll give me.