13. Cedrick
Iwatch Ellie chatting and laughing with some of my siblings, a huge smile spreading across my face. I love the way she gets along with literally everyone. It says a lot about her.
So far, the wedding reception has been amazing. It’s in my very own backyard, my private mansion standing tall behind us. We arrived, and everyone cheered. Some of my brothers gave some speeches, and now we’re all eating.
Ellie sits on my left, her plate now empty. In fact, everyone’s plates seem to be empty. I turn around, signaling to the band that’s been softly playing in the background. It’s time for everyone’s favorite part of the night, dancing.
I stand up, taking Ellie’s hand in mine. She stops talking and turns to look at me.
“Why don’t we all have a little fun?” I say loud enough for everyone to hear.
Ellie smiles and stands up. Everyone cheers, rising with her. We walk onto the dance floor together, quickly followed by everyone else.
“Did I mention how gorgeous you look tonight?” I can’t stop telling her.
She beams. “Once or twice, I think.”
“Well, it’s true.”
She shrugs. “I was provided with some very good makeup artists. They did a wonderful job.”
“Even if they didn’t, you’d look amazing. You could’ve shown up with a messy bun in your pajamas, and jaws would’ve dropped.”
“Oh, stop. We both know that’s not true.”
I pull her in close, my hand resting on the small of her back as we begin to dance.
“It’s very true, Ellie. I would never lie to you.”
Her eyes drop to my lips, and it makes me want nothing more than to pull her in and kiss her. But I hold back because, after all, this romance is for show. Even if my desire for her is becoming very real.
“You’re a very good dancer,” she remarks.
I spin her around, eliciting a few squeals from watching relatives.
“Yeah, it’s kind of a princely requirement. You’re not so bad, either.”
She rolls her eyes, but I can’t help but notice the way she subtly moves closer to me.
“My mother made me take a class when I was a kid, just like you. Except mine was not such a fond memory. She was worried that I wasn’t having enough fun, and she thought that would be the magic cure.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No, definitely not.” She laughs, her hazel eyes crinkling in the corners. “But I’ll always love her for trying.”
We dance until the song finishes, and I suggest we go get some drinks.
“I think that’s the best idea you’ve ever had,” Ellie remarks as we make a beeline. It would be rude not to partake in the specialty cocktails that the royal mixologist created just for us.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender asks.
“Do you have to ask?” I tell him with a winning smile. “Two glasses of the ‘RX love.’”
“I think you’ll love it.”
The bartender mixes the items in a shaker and presents us with two coupe glasses. We both take a sip almost immediately. Maybe we’re both a little on edge here.
It’s not that the reception isn’t fun. It’s been amazing, especially seeing Ellie fit in so well. But still, weddings are always stressful, even if it’s a more low-key one like this. Especially when it’s your own.
I spot the King walking towards us, and I set my glass on the bar counter. Ellie follows suit.
“You two appear to be enjoying yourselves,” my father says once he’s in front of us.
“We certainly are, Your Majesty. Thank you so much for everything.” Ellie does a graceful curtsy, and I’m glad she’s not holding her drink. I give a small bow.
“Anything for my daughter-in-law. You know, if you two wanted to do a little disappearing act, I’d be happy to cover for you,” he says, shooting me a wink.
I glance at Ellie, who’s beaming at my father.
“I think we’d both appreciate that,” I say, looking back at him. He smiles before walking away.
The best part about this whole thing taking place in my backyard? Leaving quickly will be almost too easy. As long as we don’t get caught in the act.
“What do you say?” I ask, nodding toward my house.
She smiles. “Let’s do it.”
“Okay, we’ll have to be quick. If one of my brothers sees us, they’ll probably try to flag us down.”
She nods and slips her hand in mine, squeezing tightly. We begin walking briskly, keeping our gaze on the door ahead of us. Thankfully, we reach it before anyone can stop us.
I open the door for us, and we walk through, coming face to face with one of my guards.
“Prince Vanecourt, are you retiring for the night?”
“Yes, I am.”
“The King wanted me to let you know that he arranged for the staff to prepare the room for you, specially.”
“He came into my house? I swear…”
“It’s hard to say no to the King when he asks.”
We follow the guard up the stairs, and I help Ellie with the heavy train of her dress. I reach for the doorknob, pushing the door open.
The staff member deposits the bottle of champagne, glasses, and chocolate-covered strawberries in his arms, nods politely, and congratulates us before walking away.
Inside, the room is filled with rose petals everywhere – on the floor, on the bed, on nearly every surface. There are candles, and my sheets are now replaced with silk ones.
“He’s really outdone himself. I wasn’t expecting this at all.”
“We don’t have to stay in here together if you don’t want,” she says, her voice getting soft.
I turn to her, noting how she bites her lip anxiously.
“Nonsense. I’d love to spend the night in here with you. Unless you don’t want to, of course.”
“No, I do! It’d be a shame to waste all of this.”
“I agree. Especially this champagne. Would you like a glass?”
“I’d love one. I didn’t really get to finish my cocktail before your father approached us.”
I pour her a glass and hand it to her. Her eyes are bright, almost gold right now. She takes a sip before setting it down and crossing the room.
“Oh my goodness, it’s a record player!”
“You like record players?”
“I love them! And look, there’s already a record set up!”
I take my own sip of wine as she fiddles with it and music begins filling the room.
“Do you think this was your father’s doing?”
“Absolutely. No detail goes unnoticed. And he likes taking an active role in his sons’ love lives as you know.”
“Right. He’s the reason we’re here, I suppose. No?” She spins around, dancing to the music, and it’s impossible not to join in.
I set down my glass and start dancing my way toward her. She throws her head back, laughing at my silly moves.
“He is, but that isn’t why we’re here. He couldn’t have made us do anything we didn’t want to do.”
I look her in the eyes as I say this, grabbing her by the waist and picking her up, spinning her around in a circle.
She laughs again, a little breathier this time, but her eyes are serious as I set her back down.
“You’re right, he couldn’t.”
She attempts to spin me, but with our five-inch height difference, it just looks ridiculous. She begins spinning around with her arms stretched out, closing her eyes and losing herself in the music. She looks happy, and it makes me even happier just to see that.
This is the most carefree I’ve ever seen her in the short time I’ve known her as an adult. Maybe it’s just the wine, but I’m choosing to believe that isn’t all there is to it. I’m choosing to believe that it’s more.
I join her, making a fool of myself with moves that would make even the worst dancer cringe. But it makes her laugh, and I’ll do anything to hear that sound over and over again.
Ellie starts moving toward me, but she seems to trip over her dress and begins to fall forward. I stick my arms out and catch her just before she hits the floor, but my own balance is not that great after all that dancing, so we both end up falling. Luckily, the bed is right next to us, breaking what would’ve been a devastating crash.
“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry! I swear I’m not that drunk, I’m just clumsy.”
“It’s okay. You’re fine. You’re in a dress that weighs about twenty pounds, after all.”
The two of us take the moment to get a much-needed break, catching our breath as we lie on our backs in the bed. After a couple minutes, I turn toward her.
“Tonight was amazing, Ellie.”
She stares at me, but her eyes are not on mine. They’re trained on my mouth, and I’m not even sure she realizes it.
I feel my chest heat up, like my heart is on fire. My hand moves before I can stop it, reaching out and brushing the hair off of her face.
Finally, she makes eye contact, an almost glazed look in her eyes. I feel myself moving, but it isn’t until my lips touch hers that I fully realize it.
The taste of her hits me in an instant, and it’s hard to hold myself back. Especially with the way she’s kissing me. Her lips move with mine in sync. She reaches out and wraps her hand around the back of my neck, pulling me closer.
By the time that I pull away, we’re out of breath once more. I try to ignore the fact that it was the best kiss I’ve ever had in my entire life, because that’s not what this is supposed to be. But when the words come out of her mouth, I know I won’t be able to hold myself back.
“I want you, Cedrick.”