7. Nick #2
“I told him that Aiden works in Nashville. Not my fault that he can’t keep up,” she tosses back with a mischievous grin.
After apologizing for my inadvertent gaffe, I grapple for a safer topic. “What is it that you do for work, Hayes?”
I’m curious to hear his answer. Based on appearance alone, I have no idea what type of job Hayes might hold.
His hair is shaggy, and he has several tattoos peeking out from underneath the sleeves of his t-shirt.
He’s not exactly unprofessional looking, but if I had to guess, he probably works in some type of blue-collar job.
Construction, maybe? However, the Rolex on his wrist and his very posh looking girlfriend confound me.
Hayes is quite the contradiction. Perhaps he owns a construction company.
The corner of Hayes’ lip quirks up in a lopsided smile as he replies, “I’m the lead singer of the country band Outlaw, and Aiden is one of the record execs at our label.”
“Oh, bloody hell,” I mutter aloud this time, running my fingers through my hair as Hayes, Jane, and even Aiden share a laugh at my expense. “I apologize, mate.”
“Hey, man, no harm, no foul,” Hayes says. “Music, like any other type of art, is subjective. What appeals to one may not appeal to another. No offense taken for having your opinion, especially with that accent. I can’t imagine that country music is too popular across the pond.”
After a few more minutes of painful small talk, I return to the bar to grab another drink to drown away my humiliation.
Throughout our conversation, Aiden barely spoke, but he watched me carefully, with calculating eyes, the entire time.
Given how close he and Willa are, it makes sense that he’d be my toughest critic.
Willa flits around from guest to guest, but she always returns to my side.
I appreciate her attentiveness and her ability to juggle her roles as the party's hostess and my date so effortlessly.
When she comes to check on me again, as I talk with Johann and Maggie, Willa leans into my side and whispers, “Forgive me?”
Furrowing my brow, I make her squirm for a minute before nodding.
“Good.” Willa grins as she links her arm through mine. “I couldn’t resist. The look on your face was priceless.”
She’s glowing tonight. Her eyes sparkle with joy and her cheeks are rosy with merriment. Her smile is contagious, and I return it freely.
With my hand, I caress the nape of her neck, as feelings simmer in the air. While we don’t directly address the undercurrent of attraction sizzling between us, we don’t deny it either. And I find myself inching closer and closer to an open declaration.
“You are stunning,” I murmur as her gaze connects with mine. Her eyes flare and her cheeks darken at my words, and she lowers her head, abashed.
A moment later, my attention is pulled away from Willa when Ryan, Willa's eldest brother, taps on his wine glass.
“Thank you for joining my family to celebrate my parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary tonight.
Throughout my life, my parents have provided us with a model for successful relationships and they’ve set the bar high.
Some might say too high, since only one of us is married,” Ryan quips as people chuckle.
"But hey, at least Willa brought a date tonight. "
I glance at Willa to see her smiling even as she groans dramatically.
She watches her big brother command the room as he sings the praises of his parents, sprinkling his speech with funny stories and anecdotes.
Sliding my arm over Willa’s shoulders, she settles comfortably into my side.
Ryan speaks of his love for his parents and their love for one another.
It’s touching and poignant and it makes me miss my father.
It also makes me wonder what it would have been like to grow up in a family like the Radford clan. To grow up in a house full of love and warmth. To grow up with two parents who truly loved each other.
I once asked Willa what kind of life she wished to live.
It's a familiar question; one I often ask myself in the middle of the night when insomnia hits.
If I had been born into a different family, what would my life look like today?
If I wasn't a prince, what would I have become?
Would I have studied to be a lawyer or an engineer?
Would my personality have developed differently if I'd been raised in a normal family?
But it's a futile endeavor. From my conception, my future has been dictated for me—what schools to attend, what subjects to study, what hobbies to pursue, with whom I should associate. Nothing was left to chance. I was born a prince, and I will remain a prince until the day I die.
It sounds very poor little rich boy to complain, but a gilded cage is still a cage.
When Ryan wraps up his comments, Henry and his wife, Lily, step forward. They share a delighted look before Henry remarks cryptically, "We debated back and forth for months about your anniversary present, but then, God stepped in and delivered us a blessing."
Confused as hell, I wait for further explanation, which I receive when Henry whoops, “We’re having a baby! Lily is thirteen weeks pregnant! Mum and Dad, you're going to be grandparents!"
Willa's grip on her champagne flute loosens and the glass falls from her fingers, shattering on the stone floor.