attend the royal wedding the morning after the cocktail party—if I was ready to come out to the world by that point in time. It was sooner than he wanted, he explained, but he didn’t want me to miss being a part of such a big event for his family. He wanted to share this day with me by this side. Of course, I said yes, determined to sort out the concerns about clothing later.
Once I agreed that I would go, Xander asked if ahead of the royal wedding, I would meet his parents at Buckingham Palace. He also asked if he could go to Wales to meet mine. Nobody outside of the squad knows about us, but since Xander is determined to have me as a guest to the wedding, our families and closest friends should know ahead of the event. We aren’t going to hide at the reception, and word will leak out at that point.
From that day on, I will be known to the world as the girlfriend of Prince Alexander of Wales.
My God.
I still can’t get my head around what is about to happen. How my life is going to end as I know it.
Starting with a dinner with the king and queen at Buckingham Palace next week.
Buckingham Palace.
While that’s daunting enough, there’s another layer to it, one that makes my blood go cold when I think about it.
I’ll go into that meeting knowing Queen Antonia will be out to get rid of me.
My chest constricts. Xander told me his father is excited to meet me. But his mother? He said not to worry about what his mother says or does because he doesn’t “bloody well care” what she thinks.
Which, of course, means she already despises me.
Christ, this is like an episode of EastEnders.
But today is not a time to dwell on my real-life saga. I’m here to help Bella, and our mission to help her shine is about to begin.
Luckily, when I called Bella and pleaded with her to come shopping with me this Saturday, she didn’t hesitate, although I know the idea makes her uncomfortable. But it tells me a lot about who she is—Bella didn’t think for a second about her discomfort, but rather about helping me with mine, even if it meant doing something she dreads with all her heart. She told me she’d be happy to accompany me.
She has a good heart, I think, staring at the red-brick, Tudor-style palace in front of me, waiting for her to appear. And hopefully, today she will leave feeling a bit more comfortable in the beautiful skin she’s in.
Suddenly, I see her, walking towards us with her chin tucked down. I wrinkle my nose as I study her. Even though there are no paparazzi here, it’s like she instinctively tries to hide even though she doesn’t have to. She’s dressed in baggy jeans and a flowy, navy tunic top that looks like it’s two sizes too big for her.
“Her clothes are too big,” Amelia says, and I see her wince in the rearview mirror. “It’s not doing her any favours.”
“Bella’s clothing reflects how she feels about herself,” Jillian adds. “But that ends today.”
“Do you think we can convince her otherwise?” I ask.
“Of course,” Jillian says easily. “She hasn’t had us in her corner before. By the end of this shopping excursion, we’ll have her armed with dresses that fit her body and give her confidence. I also took the liberty of looking online for more shops in the area, and I think it’s time Bella has some new everyday outfits, too, if you ladies have time for more shopping.”
“Ooh, I’m so on board with that!” Amelia says excitedly.
I bite my lip. I was prepared not to buy anything at the dress shop, but now I have to keep up my whole charade of not buying clothes for an entire day? Xander kept telling me I could have whatever I wanted—at least I know I didn’t dream that in a drunken stupor, as he has repeated it to me several times—but I told him that no, I didn’t want him paying for anything.
“Speaking of shopping, I have something for you, Poppy,” Jillian says, unzipping her handbag. Just as Bella’s passenger door is opened and she takes the seat next to me, Jillian hands me an envelope.
Confused, I take the envelope from her. And the second I see the handwriting on it, my pulse leaps.
It’s Xander’s.
I flip the envelope open, and sure enough, it’s his official