Chapter 28
“Sir, Miss Morgen is on the phone for you. Should I patch her through?” A butler asked.
I was at my own home missing Alexandra when my ex rang me up, wanting to chat. It had been months and now I was engaged. She had no business calling. Struggling to resist, I agreed to take the call and waited to hear her sexy, husky voice on the other end of the line.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hello.” I tried formality.
“Well, I’m legally divorced now.”
“Congratulations?”
“Yes, indeed. I am free of the man who has made me miserable for years. Rikard, you know?—”
“Very little. Very little of you. And that is for the best.”
“Don’t you realise?—”
“Bridget, we aren’t together. I am engaged. I am living abroad—soon to move to Neandia permanently.”
“Are you? Because we could run away together. Wouldn’t you like that?”
It was so tempting. Even two months ago, I would have left forever. Now, I thought about my parents and their earned happiness. I thought about leaving my brother with an exploding box of kittens if I did that—the scandal that would haunt this court forever and a day. But mostly, I thought about breaking Alexandra’s heart in pieces. It hurt. I was sure if she knew I was speaking to my ex, she’d be upset.
“This is risky even—us talking.”
“Rick, I miss you.”
“Bridget, you must stop calling me, okay? Like… I don’t know how to put this. In my time of need, you hung up on me?—”
“My settlement was on the line!”
“Alexandra’s heart is on the line! She is a sweet, kind person who believes I am capable of being good deep down. I cannot hurt her, Bridget.”
I listened as she had a good belly laugh at my expense.
“Yes, poor little Alexandra. Baby Alexandra. I know you have no interest in her.”
“I do,” I said. “And we grow closer by the day.”
“Is she there then?”
“No. Official policy is the bride must stay separately. No concerns of impropriety.”
“So you aren’t fucking?”
I didn’t like her tone. No, we weren’t. I wished we were. I gathered so did Alexandra. I hated the idea of a few months more with celibacy but damn if I didn’t think it might be fun at that point. I wanted to unwrap her like a birthday present. God, the idea of it conjured up more than feelings these days. I never imagined I would find myself attracted to Alexandra, but she lived in my brain rent-free. Our time apart only hammered that home. I worried about her.
“Whether we are or aren’t isn’t your business, Bridge.”
“Hmm… well, since you’ve gone soft on me, I am done. This is your last chance. If you want?—”
“Bridget, I could blow up my life for you, yes, but I don’t want to. What I want is to try to have a redemption arc where I stop lashing out and hurting people. You deserve the same. Take the time to find someone who treats you well for once. Cherish that, okay?”
“What?”
“Just…” I wasn’t sure what to say. “Goodbye.”
I hung up.
I paced, wanting to scream. I was shaking. Torture was seeing her dangled in front of me. I knew she was no good, but I couldn’t help myself. I headed down to the garage. Hopping in my car, I drove like a madman through the streets.
I arrived at the palace and padded down the hall to find the person I longed to see. Press and parents be damned! I needed to do this.
“Rick… what are you doing here?”
Alexandra opened the door to her room in a dressing gown. It was not sexy, but I sensed maybe there was something sexy underneath it.
I pushed my way into her doorway, still reeling. The bed was unmade. She’d been cosied up with a book by the looks of it-— one with a half-naked cowboy on the cover. Interesting choice, but I couldn’t fault her for reading.
“I… I wanted to tell you that I missed you,” I said.
“You said that earlier,” Alexandra said. “Are you alright?”
“Alexandra, I want and need you in my life. We started this off on odd footing, but I need you now. You see good in me I do not. You believe in me when I have no hope in hell of doing anything right.”
“That’s not true.”
“I care about you, Lex. I just wanted you to know.”
“Okay, well, I care about you, too, but our hides will be tanned if?—”
“Oh, fuck them! Celeste cannot control us forever?—”
“Celeste can hurt me,” Alexandra’s voice was nervous.
“Alright, I won’t stay,” I agreed. “I want to, but I won’t.”
I opened the door to the hall and stepped across the threshold.
“I will be here for you—no one else—until you tell me otherwise,” I promised. “You and your sisters can trust in me. Now and forever. I’m here to help.”
Alexandra smiled broadly. I couldn’t help but want to kiss her. God, she looked so adorable! I leaned in, my lips grazing hers. She pulled me closer by the collar of my shirt. I dug in, pushing her against the door jam. We stood halfway in the threshold. I ran my hand down to cup her assA. As I did, she leaned harder into me. As I cupped her breast with my other hand, I was delighted to find it was surprisingly full. I wanted to bury my face in her tits before running her off to bed. She moaned. I wondered if getting her off counted against us.
That was until I heard a voice behind us.
“Dear brother, what are you doing here?”
I stopped, backing away.
“I was saying goodnight to Alexandra,” I said.
Alexandra nodded, as if in a trance.
“Well, you should be mindful. There are rules and you are about to break them. Goodnight, Your Majesty!”
He called as he crossed back to the wing Marie and he shared.
“Goodnight,” Alexandra called back politely.
“I should go,” I said, shaken back to reality.
I loathed it but he was right.
“Why do they live here but you don’t?”
“Mikkel doesn’t do well on his own,” I whispered. “And I think Marie needs Mamma to run interference.”
“What? Why?”
“He’s out there. And he and Marie don’t get on like us,” I said. “Believe it or not, we’re friends. They aren’t. It’s all a bit odd.”
She giggled. “We’re friends?”
“A bit,” I agreed.
Alexandra leaned back to give me a sweet kiss. “It will be okay. We are friends, yes. But I think we will have a lot more to be happy about. Let’s get home, get married, and do all the things we need to get to freedom.”