20. “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” - Taylor Swift #3
My heart has turned into a hunk of concrete in my chest, unsure what to believe or hope for. My first instinct is to doubt Henry on every count. He’s betrayed me so many times that I’d have to rewire my neural pathways to accept his confession as truth now.
But as resistant as I am to believing him, I have to admit that there’s a tiny echo of truth to what he said.
There were signs when we were kids, signs that he felt the same way I did, that we had a future together.
It’s why I felt the courage to confess my own feelings in the first place.
I still have the memories of him reaching for my hand, brushing my hair from my face, telling me I was beautiful and that he couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.
But I have to assume it was all just a game to him. Let’s see how hard I can make Celia fall when I yank the rug out from under her.
I don’t know what his endgame is this time. He has certainly done his part to protect me, so he must not want me dead. Maybe he just gets sadistic pleasure from watching me suffer a heartbreak he’s caused.
The sky has grown dark enough that I can see my reflection in the glass. I look pale and tired, which I suppose is understandable given my present circumstances.
Henry and I were supposed to do this together. In being jointly crowned, we were meant to help each other with the myriad of issues monarchs deal with. Instead I’m left on my own and somehow supposed to come up with a solution to this whole mess.
My mind wanders to Henry’s plans. They’re actually pretty solid.
If his projections are correct, his suggested changes would enable us to keep all five hundred people employed by the royal household without raising taxes.
There’s no guarantee his ideas will work, but they’re better than anything I’ve come up with.
The only problem is that enacting them will require trusting him. I’m not sure I can do that. I’m all too aware of the devastation he’s capable of wreaking on my heart. What if he does the same to this country?
Even as I have the thought, I dismiss it.
Because no matter how much of a player Henry is, he does care about Wesbourne.
That has always been evident, in spite of his recent relocation to England.
He knows business, and he’s familiar with the royal household.
I definitely can’t trust him with my heart, but I think I can trust him with my country.
He’s at the dining table in the great room wearing those ridiculously sexy glasses. I shut off the part of me that wants to turn into a pile of goo. The documents he had in the library are spread out on the table, and there’s a sandwich sitting next to him, but it appears untouched.
He hasn’t spotted me yet, hidden as I am in the dark hallway, so I stay here for a bit, watching him study the pages in front of him with a frown. He scribbles a note, then sticks the pen between his teeth as he shuffles them around.
I’m about to join him when Davies comes around the corner from the foyer followed by his son, Tyson. Henry drops the pen and smiles as they approach. Their conversation is too quiet for me to hear, but Henry says something to the boy, who grins.
Curiosity drags me out of the shadows in time to hear Henry tell him, “Sick gear, man.”
Tyson lights up like a glow stick.
“Don’t forget to wear that retainer. You don’t want to end up with a smile like mine,” Henry adds, which is ridiculous considering the effect his oral wattage has on people.
“Yes, sir,” Tyson says.
There’s a dripping in my chest, and I realize it’s my heart melting like an icicle in the sun. Who knew Henry had a soft spot for kids?
I’m close enough now that they notice me. All three bow in deference as I approach.
“Davies,” I say. “How are you?”
“Very good, Your Majesty.”
“Tyson was doing homework in my office,” Henry says.
“And how are the braces?” I ask Tyson.
He gives me an open-mouthed grin.
I return his smile. “Navy and lime. Told you they’re a winning combination.”
He and his father take their leave, and the air prickles as Henry and I are left alone. “You’re good with kids,” I tell him.
He looks at me like he’s trying to find the hidden barb in my words. “Can’t wait to have my own someday,” he finally says after giving up on discovering any malice.
I mask my surprise. I can’t imagine Henry having children.
That would require settling down, another thing I can’t reconcile with the image of him in my head.
I rest my hands on the back of one of the chairs, facing him and trying not to be done in by those glasses.
“I wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have lashed out.
Apparently I’m still a little sensitive on the topic. ”
He cocks his head and clicks his pen several times. “If anyone should apologize, it’s me. I shouldn’t have expected to earn your trust back so quickly.”
“Baby steps, right?”
The corner of his mouth pulls up. “Yeah. Baby steps.”
I wave at the papers on the table. “Can we start here?”
“With the estate plans?”
I nod. “I think they’re great. I want to put them into action.”