6. Maisy
Maisy felt like her whole world was spinning. This morning, she’d been so sure she knew what would happen today, on her wedding day, yet nothing had turned out as she’d expected. And now, somehow, she was married to the wrong brother. And not just the wrong brother — a known playboy whose romantic exploits appeared in national and international papers almost as much as trade agreements or government reports.
Worse, she was still going on the planned honeymoon, but with the wrong guy. Until their parents could figure out a way forward, Maisy would have to pretend that Xander was Niko, and that she was very much in love with him. The thought of faking a honeymoon with a man who’d just betrayed her trust in the biggest way possible was unimaginable.
Yet that was what their parents had decided, and Maisy didn’t see another way forward.
“Maise?” As they were shepherded into the hallway, Lily pushed off the wall she’d been leaning on and leaped into their path. When Maisy didn’t stop, she fell into step beside her and linked her arm through her sister’s.
“Hi, Lil.”
“What’s going on?” Lily’s voice was low and worried. “Everyone disappeared right after the ceremony, and when I went to follow, Mom and Dad told me to wait outside. Is something wrong?”
“Um…” Maisy usually avoided lying to her sister — or anyone she cared about — at all costs, but she couldn’t exactly spill the secret of the switch right here in the corridor. “I’ll call you when we arrive in Kanalea and tell you all about it.”
“Okay…” Lily looked worried. “But Maisy, can’t you tell me something? Is everything okay?”
“Everything will be okay.” Maisy’s voice sounded more confident than she felt. “And I promise I’ll tell you everything the minute I can.”
“If you say so…” Lily still looked worried, but Maisy didn’t have time to comfort her or confide in her, because at that moment they stepped through the palace’s double doors and into the sunshine outside. Maisy blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. Ahead of them was a long, red carpet and on either side stood what must have been hundreds of people. They held signs that read “Maisy and Niko 4ever!” and “Congratulations to the prince and princess!” and “Happy Honeymoon!” At the end of the carpet was the tarmac, where a private jet waited to fly the newly married couple to their honeymoon on Kanalea.
“Maisy.” Maisy turned to the familiar voice and saw Xander standing beside her. He looked as stunned as she felt, but as she watched, he rearranged his face into a polite smile. In that moment, he could have easily passed for Niko.
“What?” Maisy’s tone was harsh — she couldn’t exactly make polite conversation with this man after what he’d done.
“If we’re going to keep up the ruse, we need to hold hands and walk together.” His voice was low. When Maisy looked down, he was holding out his hand to her.
Maisy took a breath. She didn’t want to hold Xander’s hand or smile and wave to the crowd, but there was no other option. Reluctantly, she released Lily’s arm and slipped her hand into Xander’s. Surprisingly, his hand felt very different from Niko’s — it was slightly rougher, but not unpleasantly so, and he curled his fingers around hers differently.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Together, they stepped onto the carpet. Cheers rose from the crowd, and Maisy raised her hand and began to wave. The cheers increased, then increased again as Xander raised his own hand. They descended the stairs into the thick of the crowd. Hands reached out from behind the small barrier that demarcated the carpet, and Maisy slowed and reached out, brushing her palm across them. A little girl perched on her father’s shoulders waved enthusiastically to Maisy, and she paused to smile at the child.
“You’re a natural,” Xander said in a low voice.
“I’ve been training for this for years,” Maisy reminded him. When she glanced at Xander, she saw that he was looking deeply uncomfortable. Good. If he was going to make wild decisions involving marrying her, he should suffer a little bit in front of a crowd.
Then Maisy sighed internally. His discomfort could give them both away.
“Smile,” she whispered.
“Right.” Xander regained his polite smile, once again looking eerily like Niko, and they continued to the jet. On the steps leading into the plane, they paused and turned back to the crowd for a few posed photos. Luckily, Xander seemed to know the poses she and Niko had rehearsed, because it went smoothly. Finally, they stepped into the plane, and the flight attendant closed the doors behind them.
Immediately, Maisy dropped Xander’s hand like it was a snake and stalked to one of the chairs. She sank into it and buckled the belt over her wedding dress, which now felt silly and too bulky instead of magical and royal as it had before.
“Maisy.” Xander hurried across the plane and sat in the seat across the aisle from her. “I am so sorry. I really had no idea the marriage would be legally binding or that things would turn out this way.”
“Sir, please buckle your seat belt,” the attendant said.
“Right, sorry.” Xander quickly pulled his belt across his lap. “Maisy, please. I know you’re furious, and you have every right to be, but?—”
“I don’t want to hear this.” Maisy shook her head. “Not right now. It’s enough that I have to spend the next… I don’t know how long… with you. I don’t want to hear your excuses, too.”
“I understand.” Xander sat back in his seat. “Although we probably will have to talk at some point.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” To underscore her point, Maisy withdrew the small bag she’d packed for the flight. From it, she took her headphones, which she put into her ears. Then, she pressed play on the first song that came up on her phone. Immediately, the sweet tones of one of her favorite love songs began, drowning out everything else. For good measure, Maisy also pulled out a magazine and opened it on her lap.
Was it childish and petty to give Xander the silent treatment? Probably. But it sure felt good to ignore him. Maybe later she’d be ready to talk. Maybe not. But Maisy knew that right now she deserved a few hours of peace and quiet.
As the plane shot down the runway and lifted lightly into the air, Maisy gazed out the window at the Aenicean islands below. The irony of flying from one island nation to another for her honeymoon wasn’t lost on her, but Maisy had been looking forward to a week on the Pacific island of Kanalea. She’d never been, and it was supposed to be gorgeous. Of course, all that was ruined now, too.
When the plane reached cruising altitude, she extracted herself from her seat, grabbed her bag, and headed to the plane’s bathroom. She’d packed a change of clothes for the flight, thank goodness. Maisy carefully unpinned her hair and removed the tiara, feeling a weight lift as she did so. Then she washed most of the makeup off her face with a wet cloth. Finally, she reached for the zipper of her wedding dress. She reached… and reached… and twisted her arms into various different positions to try to get the top of the zipper, but nothing worked. Even in the relatively large bathroom, there was nothing she could do to get the dress off.
Oh, no. Only now did Maisy realize she’d only put the dress on and taken it off with help. She was now facing a very long flight wearing a very uncomfortable dress. Unless she could get the flight attendant to help…
Maisy opened the door and peeked into the cabin of the plane. Xander was sitting in his chair, looking quizzically at the reading materials Niko must have packed, which looked like some thick government treatise. The flight attendant was nowhere to be found.
Maisy very much didn’t want to ask for Xander’s help, but she couldn’t fly like this, either. She wasn’t sure she could even eat or use the restroom in this dress.
“Xander!” she hissed. Xander started and looked around. Then he turned to her.
“Maisy?”
“I need your help.”
“Interesting. I thought you weren’t speaking to me.” He raised his eyebrows at her.
“I wasn’t, but now I need your help. Come on!” Maisy was feeling more and more like a petulant child, but there was nothing to be done about it.
“I don’t know…”
“Xander!”
“Okay, okay. I’m coming.” He got up and crossed to the back of the plane, then stopped outside the bathroom. “What’s going on?”
“It’s, um, my dress.” Maisy felt her face heat up. “I can’t undo the zipper.”
“Oh. Oh! Right. Well, let me try.” Xander seemed surprisingly flustered for someone who was meant to be such a ladies’ man.
“But just to be clear, this doesn’t mean you’re forgiven.” Maisy gave Xander a stern look. He saluted her.
“Aye, aye. I will remain in the doghouse until further notice. Now, turn around.”
Maisy opened the door to the bathroom the rest of the way and stepped out. Then she turned her back to Xander and lifted her hair. A moment later, she felt his fingertips brush her upper back as he grasped the zipper, which he slowly slid down. Shivers spun down her spine at his touch. Maisy felt cool air on her back as the dress opened. Quickly, she turned back around, holding up the front of the dress with her hands.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” Xander still looked a little flustered. Maisy backed hurriedly into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, all the while holding up the dress. This day just kept going badly.
And worse, despite her intense anger at Xander, Maisy had felt a little flutter of butterflies when his fingers brushed her back. Maisy knew it was just because of the intensity of the moment — it wasn’t often that men saw her partially naked, and it wasn’t often that she was in such a highly charged situation. It didn’t have anything to do with Xander himself, or with his annoying smile or his frustrating little jokes.
No, Maisy didn’t like Xander. Not at all. And even if she’d ever had a soft spot for him, it would be gone now, after what he’d done.
She hurriedly let her dress fall to the ground and stepped out of it. Then she changed into the outfit she’d picked out for the plane — a simple pair of green shorts with a tie around the waist and a white top, with a gray hoodie in case she got cold. It was the opposite of what a princess should wear, but it was nice to feel like herself again.
When Maisy re-emerged into the cabin, Xander was looking at the treatise as though it was the latest popular mystery novel. Good. She wasn’t ready to hear more of his apologies or more of his teasing.
Maisy sank into her seat and put her headphones back in. At least she was much more comfortable now. Even though the tension between her and Xander could probably be cut with a pair of those big parade scissors.
After a while, Maisy felt herself beginning to doze. She must have been more tired than she’d thought, because the next thing she knew they were descending. With a yawn and a stretch, she turned to the window and saw the gorgeous cerulean waters of the Pacific rising up to meet them. Far below was the island of Kanalea, looking as verdantly green as an emerald. As they drew closer, Maisy could make out white sandy beaches and collections of small bungalows, along with the sprawl of Kanalea’s capital.
It was a tropical paradise — and if everything weren’t such a mess, Maisy would have been beyond excited at the coming vacation. Yet knowing she’d be there with Xander, the beautiful island looked more like a prison than a honeymoon destination. At least she could call Lily as soon as she landed. The thought of talking everything over with her sister made her feel a little better. Although Lily was younger and a hopeless romantic, she was very clever and understanding. Surely, with Lily’s help, Maisy could come up with a strategy for how to get through this.
Maisy took a deep breath and steeled herself. These next few days were going to be some of the most challenging of her life. She just needed to try to get through this without too much more damage to herself or her family — or too much time spent with Xander, which could be equally disastrous.
She just hoped she could do it.