16. Chapter 16
~LIAM~
W atching the change in Ellie over the past week has been an education.
I’m following behind her as she works the room of this state dinner. I stay a few feet away but remain close enough that I can hear conversations and can reach her within a millisecond if need be.
The likelihood is small, given the crazy amount of security in and around this place, but you never know. And that’s what I’m here for.
The carefree, relaxed woman I spent the past month with has slowly melted away, taking Ellie with it and leaving Princess Eleanor in its place.
She’s still kind and smart. Witty and sweet. But she’s different. Even the way she speaks is more polished. Her shoulders are stiff and pulled back. Her movements are measured. The smile on her gorgeous face is as fake as most of the breasts in this room.
I’m not sure what to make of it yet.
I feel disconnected from her. I haven’t spent much time with her. By the time I join her in her rooms at night, we’re both exhausted and fall into sleep together, only to wake up the next day and start the routine all over again. I check in with the security team, and she goes about her princess duties. I know she’s been in a frenzy, getting ready for her fundraiser next week.
Time is flying by.
Some of the people at this party are starting to leave, but the room is still full. Just as one person leaves Ellie, two other women show up. One, Gretchen, Ellie spoke to earlier. The other I haven’t seen before.
“Eleanor,” Gretchen says with a smile, “I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Vivienne.”
“Oh, we’ve met,” Ellie says and grins. “How are you, Vivienne?”
“Just splendid, thank you.”
The three standing together look like something out of a magazine. Ellie is stunning with her long, blond hair twisted up at the back of her head, the green dress molding to her like a second skin.
I’ll enjoy peeling it off her later.
Gretchen is taller, brunette, and has a beauty mark by her lip, Cindy Crawford style. Her dress is red, low-cut, and screams, look at me!
Vivienne has short, dark-blonde hair, and lots of curves outfitted in a simple black dress.
“So, Eleanor,” Gretchen begins, “Vivienne and I couldn’t help but notice that your bodyguard is quite attractive.”
“I believe the Americans would call him a snack ,” Vivienne adds with a giggle.
Jesus, I’m standing right fucking here. These women seem to think that anyone on the payroll is deaf and dumb.
I’m far from either.
“He’s handsome, yes,” Ellie says and nods.
“He’d really be the perfect one-night stand,” Gretchen continues. I have to fight to keep my face expressionless.
“Clearly, he’s not relationship material,” Vivienne agrees. “But, goodness, look at the way he fills out that tux.”
“Why wouldn’t he be relationship material?” Ellie asks and sets her empty champagne flute on a tray.
“Well, the reasons are fairly obvious,” Gretchen says.
“Explain them to me,” Ellie says. Her face is calm, but she’s gripping the back of a chair, her knuckles turning white.
“She only means that he’d be fun for a fling,” Vivienne says, speaking slowly as if Ellie is stupid.
I want to throw them both out of here.
“I know what she means,” Ellie replies, not looking away from Gretchen. She steps forward and gets within inches of Gretchen’s face. “You’re not a kind woman. I know you think you can come here, into my home, and judge me and everyone else here, and that no one will dare call you out on your pettiness.
“But I will. You’ve been baiting me all evening, and I’m done. Liam, this snack over here, is a kind and good man, and he doesn’t deserve to listen to whatever game you’re trying to play. You’re a guest in my home, Gretchen, not the other way around. And trust me when I say you won’t be invited again.”
“Ellie—”
“My name is Princess Eleanor,” Ellie replies coolly. “Good evening.”
Ellie nods once, and we walk away from the two flummoxed women. Ellie turns to say something to me, but I shake my head once.
“Later,” is all I say.
We have a lot to talk about later.
“My feet are killing me.” Ellie steps out of her heels and wiggles her toes. “Being in sandals for a month was heaven. I got used to not wearing these death traps.”
“They look sexy on you,” I reply as I loosen my tie. “Then again, you look gorgeous in just about anything.”
She offers me a tired smile. “I’m going to take a quick shower and wash this makeup off.”
Wash Princess Eleanor off.
I nod. “I’m going to sit out on the patio for a few minutes, get some fresh air.”
She frowns, and before she can say anything else, I take her shoulders in my hands and pull her up for a long, slow kiss.
“Go shower,” I whisper. “Then come see me outside.”
“All right.”
She walks away, reaching behind her to unzip that sexy-as-hell dress. I’d planned to peel it off her and have my way with her this evening, but I have too much on my mind.
I walk into Ellie’s kitchen and pour a glass of water, then open the French door that leads out to the private courtyard. I take a seat.
The sky is clear, but because of the light noise from London, there aren’t any stars that I can see. It’s a world away from Montana, that’s for sure.
And that’s just the sky.
I’ve been staying with Ellie in her apartment since we arrived. I had a talk with Charles, the head of security for the royal family, and he reluctantly allowed it. As far as I know, he hasn’t told anyone else.
And I know Ellie hasn’t said anything to her family yet, even Callum.
I promised her when we arrived last week that we would have a talk, but there hasn’t been a free moment for it.
That ends tonight.
We need to chat.
I’ve just finished my water and started to relax when Ellie walks through the doorway, looking clean and fresh in her little yoga shorts and orange tank top.
For a moment, I swore we were still in Montana.
It makes my gut tighten, and my heart ache.
I hold out my hand for hers and tug her into my lap, where she curls up and presses her face to my neck, breathing deeply.
“You smell good,” I whisper before pressing a kiss to her damp hair.
“I needed to wash all of that off,” she admits softly.
“Did you have a good time?”
“No.” It’s a short, simple answer. “I shouldn’t have said those things to Gretchen.”
“Which time?”
She shrugs a shoulder. “Both times. She just makes me so angry. Last year, she attended Nina’s bridal shower and announced to her table of so-called friends, loud enough for Nina to hear, of course, that Sebastian would be back in her bed before long. She’s a horrible person, and I hate that she’s always at these events where she can spit at everyone.”
“Why is she always invited?”
“She’s related to someone somehow and has Lady before her name. I honestly don’t know much about her because I’ve always steered clear of her. I don’t trust her.”
She sits up and looks me in the eyes.
“And I need to apologize to you.”
“Why?” I brush her hair over her shoulder and draw light circles on her chin with my thumb. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I should have defended you more. I should have just told them that we are together, and I should have given her more of my wrath for implying that you’re not good enough to be with me. But I don’t trust them, Liam. At all. They’re not good women, and they’re not my friends, and it’s none of their bloody business. Besides, I haven’t even told my family about you.”
“El, they’re not wrong.” She scowls, and I shake my head. “I’m not good enough for you.”
“That’s absolutely preposterous.”
“Is it?” I kiss her cheek and then set her on her feet so I can stand and pace the patio. “You’re Princess Eleanor Wakefield, and I’m Liam, former soldier and messed-up dude from Montana. I don’t fit in this world, Ellie. Not as anything but your employee.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” she replies, propping her hands on her hips. “You’re a wonderful man, and you’re everything I want, Liam. I’ve been meaning to talk to my parents about you, but time has passed so quickly this week. But that stops now. I’m happy to shout how much I love you from the rooftops right this minute.”
She takes my hand and tries to drag me behind her, but I stay rooted where I am, uttterly shell-shocked by her words.
“You what?”
“I’m going to shout it from the rooftops.”
“The other part.”
She narrows her eyes and then steps closer to me, dragging her hand down my chest.
“Did you think that we could go through everything we’ve been through these past few weeks and I wouldn’t fall desperately in love with you?”
“El—”
“You have quickly become the best part of my life, Liam. I know it’s not going to be easy, and there are more pieces to this puzzle than there would be for most people, but we can make it work. Because I’ve come alive since I met you, and I can’t imagine my life without you. You can fit in here, or anywhere , as long as we stick together.”
“I don’t deserve you, Eleanor.” I pull her against me and kiss her hard. This is the woman I fell for, this open, quick-to-smile, fun-loving person that has become a part of me. “I love you, too.”
Her face lights up, and I feel like the luckiest man in the fucking universe.
“We can go tell my parents right now,” she offers.
“Your dad’s already had one heart attack, let’s not wake him and give him another.”
She laughs but smacks me on the arm.
“That’s not funny. He won’t have a heart attack. But if you hurt me, he could have you killed. You should know that now before we tell them.”
I nod, enjoying the hell out of her for the first time since we got here. “Duly noted. It’s a good thing I know how to take care of myself.”
She grins and moans when I sink into her lips, nibbling and devouring her the way I’ve wanted to all evening.
I pick her up in my arms, take her inside, and once the door is shut and locked, I carry her to the large, king-sized bed in her opulent bedroom and set her on the mattress.
This is my Ellie.
Mine.
I plant my knee on the bed and crawl over her, urging her to lay beneath me. My hands glide up her arms, and with her hands pinned over her head, I drag the tip of my tongue over her skin from the dip in her cleavage, up between her collarbones, to her neck and her mouth.
“You smell fucking amazing,” I whisper.
“What do I smell like?”
“Mine.” I kiss her chin. “You smell like mine, Eleanor.”
I’ve never been in a situation where I had to sit in a room alone with a woman’s father to answer questions before.
Let’s be honest, I’ve never let it get that far with anyone. If a woman started making noises about introducing me to her family, well, that was when it was time to cut and run.
I suppose it only makes sense that my first time for this sort of thing would be with one of the most powerful men in the freaking world.
I blow out a breath, square my shoulders, and walk into the king’s office.
“You asked to see me, Your Majesty.”
He looks up from the papers he’s reading and nods. “I did. Come, sit. Shut the door.”
I do as I’m asked and sit across from the king.
I don’t think I was this nervous when I was in the middle of gunfire in the Middle East.
For a long moment, Ellie’s father doesn’t say anything at all. He watches me with narrowed eyes the same color as his daughter’s.
A lesser man would squirm.
Lucky for me, I’ve been in interrogation situations with the enemy and didn’t crack under the pressure.
The king isn’t my enemy. And he doesn’t have a bullwhip in one hand, ready to crack it across my bare back.
That’s a story I didn’t tell Ellie. Someday, maybe.
“I had a conversation with my daughter this morning,” he finally begins and sits back in his chair. “Eleanor is my only daughter, my youngest child, and perhaps the most headstrong of the bunch.”
I smile softly. Yes, she is that.
“I was surprised that you didn’t join her when she came to speak to her mother and me about her relationship with you.”
“I wanted to,” I say immediately. “In fact, I would have preferred it, but she wanted to talk with you privately.”
He nods. “Headstrong,” he says again. “It seems you’ve gotten tangled up in a relationship with my daughter.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
He raises a brow. “How would you phrase it then, Mr. Cunningham?”
“I’ve fallen in love with an incredible woman,” I reply honestly. “For many reasons.”
“Is her lineage one of them?”
“That’s insulting.”
“To whom?”
“To her.” I lean forward. “Ellie isn’t a woman who puts up with leaches. It’s why she hasn’t been interested in any of the men that have been paraded in front of her in the past. Because they didn’t want her , the wonderful woman behind the Crown. They only wanted the prestige that comes with marrying into the royal family. And trust me when I tell you, they didn’t hide that fact from her.”
He scowls, and I keep talking.
“I don’t want or need anything from you except your daughter. Just as she is. And if that means that I can’t be employed by you any longer, that’s fine with me, too.”
He rubs his fingers over his lips. “Being part of this family is complicated. Inconvenient. And, sometimes, insulting. Once this reaches the press, you’ll be hounded daily. Your life will no longer be private. Any skeletons in your closet won’t just be sniffed out, they’ll be put on display, on news shows and magazines. Every person you’ve ever been involved with, every bad decision you’ve ever made will come to light. If you’re not ready for that, you should go back to Montana now. You won’t lose your job.”
I stand and walk to a window, looking out across the gardens below. Ellie’s out there with her sisters-in-law, playing with her niece and nephew.
She’s laughing, lifting a little girl in her arms.
With my back to her father, I start to tell him about my past in the Army, the things I saw, and the horrible acts I committed, including my time as a POW and how I murdered every single one of those men to get the fuck out of there.
I don’t watch my language. I don’t make it pretty or easy for him to hear.
When I finish the story, I turn to find him watching me, listening raptly.
“You see, we both have a decision to make,” I say finally. “Because this is who she loves, sir.”
“Have you told Eleanor all of this?”
“Most of it.” I swallow hard. “I haven’t told her about the POW camp yet.”
He licks his lips. “Are you saying that I have to decide if I want the likes of you, with your difficult past, to be with my daughter?”
I don’t say anything, I just stand here solemnly, watching him.
“You haven’t a legion of ex-wives with a horde of children that you’ve left behind. You haven’t been involved in drugs, or debt, or?—”
“I’ve killed people.”
“Civilians?”
I feel my jaw tic. “No.”
“Son, you were at war. Men die in war. And it sounds to me like you did what you had to do to survive.”
I nod once.
“So, we’re back where we started,” he continues. “ You need to think about all of this, and make a decision about being a part of Eleanor’s life.”
I frown.
The king sighs and stands to join me. He braces a hand on my shoulder. “You’re an honorable man, Liam. You haven’t said anything that would make me think that Ellie’s chosen poorly. If you’re happy with my daughter, and more importantly, you make her happy, that’s all I need.”
I swallow hard, relieved that, after everything I just told him, he’s willing to accept me.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I want all of my children to be happy. They surprise me, and sometimes, we have to adjust our expectations. I’m not an unyielding man. In fact, and don’t let it get out, but I am simply that: a man. I love my daughter.”
“And she loves you. She’s been worried about you.”
“She’s a good girl,” he says with a satisfied smile. “And a smart one, at that. If you weren’t a good man, she wouldn’t love you. And she certainly wouldn’t fight for you. And you should know, she did just that this morning.”
I swallow hard. “Thank you, sir.”
He nods and pats my shoulder one last time. I leave the king’s office.
Do I love Ellie? Yes, with my whole damn heart. But can I live with the princess?
That’s the question.