“I will win.”
“I can’t see that happening. From where I’m sitting, there is only one win. You really fall in love with Mia and then somehow convince her it’s for real. But what are the odds of that? Oooh, you’d have to go against Daddy and marry a commoner. I don’t think you have the balls for it.”
His blood ran cold. “If you were a man, I would call you out.”
“Swords at dawn? I’m all a-tremble.”
“You will not speak to me this way.”
“How, exactly, are you going to stop me? This isn’t Calandria and you can’t throw me in the tower. Or is it a dungeon? I can never keep that straight.”
“I will win, Brenna. I will defeat you all.”
“Not even in seven lifetimes.” She stood and walked to the door. “The funny thing is, I’m kind of glad you stopped by.”
As if he believed that. “Why?”
“Because I’m not angry with you anymore. I actually feel sorry for you. You’re so busy chasing after the moon, which you’ll never get, that you can’t see the beauty in the moonlight. You hide behind duty and privilege. There’s a real world out there, Rafael. You should try leaving the titanium credit card at home and experience how the rest of us live. You might find what you’ve been missing.”
David was being force-fed by the Grands. Mia grinned when she saw him and rushed to his side.
“Do you need rescuing?” she asked as he stood and hugged her.
“Apparently. I’m in danger of exploding.”
“A man on his own,” Grandma Tessa said. “I know you don’t eat right.”
“You can’t make up for it in one meal,” he protested.
“We try,” Grammy M told him.
He released Mia and patted his stomach. “I’m going to take Mia for a walk. When I get back, you can ply me with desserts.”
“I made a tiramisu just yesterday,” Tessa said.
“I have fresh blueberry cobbler,” Grammy M offered.
David had spent enough time at the house to know the right answer.
“I look forward to both,” he said, then grabbed Mia’s hand. “Get me out of here,” he whispered.
She laughed and led the way outside.
The afternoon was warm and sunny, as often happened in August. They strolled to a shady tree, then plopped down on the grass.
“Where’s Danny?” David asked. “With his dad?”
“Not without me around to supervise. He’s at school this afternoon. His preschool class is doing a play and this is their final practice. I almost stayed, but I get so nervous watching him.” She smiled. “I don’t know how I’ll get through the performance.”
“You and Rafael are still at odds?”
“What do you think?”
“That you’re stubborn and you won’t forgive him easily.”
That surprised her. “You think I should?”
“You’re going to have to eventually. He’s Danny’s father.”
“He’s an asshole.”
“That doesn’t change the whole father part.”
She stared at him. “You don’t think what he did was so horrible.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to. I can see it on your face. What is all this? Guys sticking together?” She couldn’t believe it. This was David. She trusted him.
“Mia, I’m not on his side. What he did was inexcusable. I’m simply pointing out that he’s Danny’s father and nothing is going to change that. You can try to keep Danny from Calandria all you want, but eventually you’re going to have to let him go for a visit.”
“No way. There’s a law that says once he’s on Calandrian soil, only a royal parent can say if he’s allowed to leave. I would have no rights at all.”
“Laws can be changed. You can make that a condition of his visiting.” David put his arm around her. “Don’t shoot the messenger. You know I’m telling the truth. The reason you’re going to have to give in sooner than you’d like has nothing to do with Rafael and everything to do with Danny.”
She pouted. “You’re saying he’ll want to visit Calandria.”
“If you were him, wouldn’t you want to?”
She couldn’t even imagine her reaction if her mother had come to her when she was ten or twelve and told her she was a princess of some country. There was nothing that would have kept her away from visiting. Not even her mother’s tears.
“So I should talk to Rafael about changing the law,” she muttered. “I did before, but sarcastically. You’re saying I should do it for real.”
“I would use it as leverage now, before Danny starts making decisions on his own.” David touched her chin. “I agree. Rafael is an ass. He acted badly and you shouldn’t trust him. But you also have to be realistic about the situation.”
She stared into his eyes. “You’re the only sensible male in my whole romantic life and we broke up. Why is that?”
“We realized we weren’t in love.”
“If I’d known how much I was going to screw up every other relationship, I would have tried harder.”
“You don’t mean that.”
She sighed and leaned against him. “I want to, but I know we weren’t destined to be each other’s great love. Still, I can dream about what if…”
“We wouldn’t have made it a year,” he told her.
“Stop being so damn practical. Did I say the word dream? Can’t you go with that?”
“Sure.”
She closed her eyes, but instead of a pretend future with David, she saw Rafael’s face and remembered what it had been like to make love with him.
Instantly her body began melting from the inside out, which really pissed her off. How could she still want the man? Did he have to become a serial killer before her hormonal self let go?
“I want to talk about you,” she said. “I need the distraction.”
“Not exactly the level of interest required to get me to spill my guts,” he told her.
She smiled. “You know I’m interested. How are things with Amber?”
When he didn’t answer, she glanced at him and was surprised to find him staring off into the distance.
“David?”
He leaned his head back against the tree. “I don’t know. The same, I guess. Maybe worse.”
“Worse? Worse as in Amber still isn’t convinced we’re not an item?”
“Something like that. Imagine if she could see us now.”
Mia considered their position, sitting close together, David’s arm around her. “Okay, it might look bad, but there’s nothing between us. You won’t even let me fantasize about what could have been.”
She’d been hoping for a smile. Instead he shook his head. “What if she doesn’t love me?”
There was stark pain in his voice. Mia shifted until she faced him.
“She loves you. She adores you. Women who don’t care about guys generally don’t marry them.”
“What if it isn’t enough? She has to get over this, Mia. We can’t spend our entire married life fighting about you.” He smiled. “You’re not all that.”
“You’ve been talking to Grandma Tessa, haven’t you?” she muttered as she considered the problem. “How much of this is about me and how much of it is a manifestation of Amber’s insecurities?”
“I’m a guy. I haven’t a clue.”
“Maybe we should ask Francesca.”
“Maybe we should keep it between the two of us,” he said. “I don’t want this being talked about at dinner. That would humiliate Amber.”
“Good point.” Mia knew her sister would keep a secret, but she didn’t want to stress David out any more than he was.
“I have to know if it’s just nerves,” he said, “or something more serious.”
“I agree. So bring her out and we’ll prove there’s nothing romantic between us.”