The Prince's Bride (Part 1) - J.J. McAvoy Page 0,102
my son-in-law?”
“Cause your son-in-law is hot and cold with me.”
“Now, you know how it feels.”
“Hey! You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am. That’s why I tell you the truth,” she shot back.
“And what is that truth?”
“You are an impulsive scaredy-cat.”
“I don’t like this truth.”
“But you know it, anyway. And Gale is getting to know it, too, which is good. It means he pays attention to you; he sees you. He’s giving you time to accept that you jumped into this marriage on impulse.”
“How do you know it was my idea?”
“Who else’s idea could it possibly be? As if you’d jump to get married at his request. Either way, I’m excited and happy. Tomorrow, go to the lake house.”
“The lake house? Why?”
“Odette...sometimes.” She sighed. “How much privacy can you both get in a penthouse with two other people. There is more space, and he can go around without worrying about people in the city finding out about him. It will do you both some good to stay way.”
“Right.”
“Now that you are a wife, I will give you some advice. Think of him and trust that he will think of you. Okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry about anything else. I will call Mr. Greensboro in the morning about the inheritance.”
“No—don’t!”
“What do you mean, don’t?
“I promised his brother we would all keep it a secret.”
“Why?”
“He asked, and I’d rather not go proclaiming to all the world, either. If we claim my inheritance, then Yvonne and Augusta will know, and once they do, the whole world will.”
“Do you know how long I’ve waited to gloat?”
“I am sure you can hold off for just a little bit longer.”
“Fine, I will hold back. But I will get in contact with Gale’s family. They will pay off a few of our debts in the meantime.”
“Mom, the whole reason they are here is that they need money.”
“So do we. If they are going to make us wait, they will have to pay for it. We will pay them back tenfold later. It’s fine. Don’t worry about all of this. Just enjoy your night, princess.”
I shook my head. “Goodnight, Mom.”
Tossing the phone onto my side table, I lay there, letting reality kick in. I had married a prince of a country that I couldn’t speak the language of or knew much about. And I did so on impulse after a few weeks of knowing him. Yes, I did it to get my fortune, but I also did it because I liked him. But how long was like going to carry us? What happened if all these feelings wore off? What if I went to his country and hated it? What if the people hated me?
Burying my head into my pillow, I tried to stop myself from thinking—again, it failed. How could I not think about the fact that I was about to become a royal?
Chapter 25
Pillows covered the floor, and there was a spread of food that filled the table completely. There was champagne and chocolate. There was even a gift box on the pillow. When I looked back at him, he was holding a single yellow bell-shaped flower.
“The third national flower of Ersovia is called the golden Stella d’Oro Daylily,” he explained, tucking it behind my ear. “The scientific name is Hemerocallis, which comes from the Greek hemera, meaning ‘day,’ plus kallos, meaning ‘beauty’ and symbolizes the morning star—the sun. It is the symbol of new life, valor, and justice—the perfect flower for you, Odette of Sunrise.”
I reached up to take the flower, twirling it between my fingers, trying to take in the effect of everything all at once.
“You don’t play fair, Gale,” I whispered, unable to look at him.
“I thought everyone knew. You do not play fair in love and war. And before you ask, yes, we are at war,” he replied, lifting my chin, forcing me to see the grin on his seemingly perfect face. “I am currently winning, but this war—”
“Hey!” I poked at his side, and he poked back, but instead of my side, as I had done to him, he got my left breast. My eyes widened, and he did his best not to laugh. “You—”
“Wait!” He held out his hands. “Before we fight, we should look at all my hard work.”
“Your hard work, or did you make Iskandar and Wolfgang do everything?” I questioned, eyeing him carefully.
“I helped!” he exclaimed seriously.
“Sure, you did, Your Highness.” I bowed my head to him.
“It is true, Your Highness.” He curtsied to me, and when he saw the