Every breath Paisley took tugged the knot in her stomach a little tighter. She stood in front of a deli down the block from the Reflection of Infinity premiere, night closing in around her, and Nicole and Aidan watching her warily.

“It’ll be okay,” Aidan said.

“I’m not nervous,” Paisley immediately snapped. “What would I have to be nervous about?”

Nicole and Aidan glanced at each other.

Paisley sighed. “Sorry. Okay, I am nervous. When he said we should meet beforehand, I thought he was being dramatic. But what if he’s not? What if something is seriously not right?”

“Like he’s invisible and has to walk around covered in clothes from head to toe just so he can buy a cup of coffee?” Aidan asked.

“Like he’s not who he says he is?” Nicole asked with a frown.

“That last one,” Paisley answered. “What if he’s twenty or thirty years older than me, and he’s hoping if I find out the truth in person I’ll forgive him for lying?”

“What if he’s in high school?” Aidan asked.

Paisley groaned. “Ugh. Please, don’t even go there.”

Nicole pulled her phone from her purse, her brow lowering as she peered at the screen. “I haven’t heard anything from the sitter.”

Aidan put his arm around her shoulders. “It’s fine, Nic. That means everything’s okay. Check the time. Silvi just had her bottle and is probably asleep by now.”

“Yeah,” Nicole mumbled, still sounding uncertain. She put her phone away and squinted at something across the street. “Hey, is that that prince guy? Crossing toward us.”

“Huh?” Paisley turned around. Twilight bathed the street, and she could make out faces, but she didn’t see anyone familiar.

“What prince guy?” Aidan asked.

Paisley’s stomach did a flip. “Oh, my goodness! He’s so cute.”

“I know,” Nicole breathed.

“Prince who?” Aidan pressed.

And then the man got closer… and yes, it was absolutely Prince Alessandro of Belmonte. He stepped onto the curb less than ten feet away from the three of them. Paisley held her breath, knowing staring wasn’t right but not being able to look away. She’d known the guy was incredibly attractive, but the photos hadn’t done him justice.

Each curve and angle of his face was perfection, like he’d been designed to be the man of every woman’s dreams. His features were strong and angular, but there was a slight softness to his lips and cheeks. He had on a black dress jacket over dark pants and a button-up, making the outfit the kind that could be worn almost anywhere.

Paisley savored the moment, knowing he was about to walk away forever. Except he didn’t. He paused near a lamp post and looked left and right. Then his gaze fell on the three of them.

His eyebrows rose. “Paisley?”

Paisley blinked. She’d had to have heard wrong. How did Prince Alessandro know her name?

“Uh,” she said.

Nicole poked Paisley in the side. “Is that him?” she hissed.

“And… Aidan Coleman,” Prince Alessandro said, reverence in his voice.

“Yeah,” Aidan admitted with a tight smile.

“It’s an honor.” Alessandro shook Hudson’s hand. “I used to have a poster of you in my dorm.”

“Oh, yeah?” Hudson grinned. “You don’t still have it, do you?”

Prince Alessandro laughed. “I wish I did. I would ask you to sign it.”

Paisley and Nicole looked at each other and Paisley’s vision swam. Hold on…

“You’re Alex?” Paisley asked.

“Yes, I am.” Prince Alessandro’s dark eyes settled on Paisley and she melted from the inside out.

“Oh. Um. W--wow.” Paisley cleared her throat. She knew she needed to say something else, but shock prevented her from finding any words.

“Prince Alessandro,” Nicole murmured.

He bowed his head to her. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Paisley shook her head, trying to clear its fog. “Sorry. These are my friends. I mean, I guess you know who Aidan is, but, uh, this is Nicole. Aidan’s wife… um, Alex.”

“Nice to meet you,” Nicole said, excitement bubbling under her words.

“You’re the guy Paisley is waiting for?” Aidan confirmed.

“Yes. That is me.”

A long moment passed where everyone just glanced around at each other. Paisley didn’t know what to do next and it seemed like no one else did either.

Aidan looked at his phone. “We should get going. The film will start soon.”

“Sounds good.” Nicole took Aidan’s hand and they led the way down the sidewalk.

Prince Alessandro, Alex, offered Paisley his arm and she slipped her hand through it. The act felt very formal, like they were headed to a ball.

“How far away is the theater?” Alex asked.

“Just down the street.” Paisley pointed. She licked her dry lips. “So… you’re uh… a prince.”

Immediately, she cringed. What was the matter with her?

“I am,” he agreed, his answer stilted.

Paisley glanced at him as they walked. “I’m sorry. That sounded stupid.”

“You were merely stating a fact.”

“Yeah, but I said it in an awkward way.”

“Paisley, this whole situation… is a tad awkward.” Alex slowed his walk some so that they were out of Nicole and Aidan’s hearing.

“I didn’t know. I mean—” Paisley shook her head.

“How could you? I didn’t want to tell you.”

“But—” She bit her lip. She’d been about to ask Why? But she could already guess. Fame, though it looked pretty sweet from the outside, wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Even Nicole and Lauren, as the wives of well-known men, had trouble maintaining privacy and normalcy.

“You thought I wouldn’t like you for you,” Paisley said. “That if I found out who you were, I would want to hang out with you just because you’re a prince and don’t have to wait in line at clubs.”

A half-smile slipped across his face, and Paisley’s knees shook. Somehow, she managed to maintain her strength and kept putting one foot in front of the other. Her heels wobbled, though. They definitely wobbled.

“How did you know I don’t have to wait in line at clubs?” He smirked.

“A good guess,” she answered sarcastically.

His smile dimmed. “It was more than that.”

Paisley wanted to ask what he meant, but shouting drowned out any more possibility for a conversation. They’d reached the theater and throngs of fans and photographers packed the sidewalk. Maybe Paisley imagined it, but she thought she felt Alex’s arm tense.

Nicole waved at Paisley and Alex over her shoulder. “This way.”

At the end of the building’s front, a guard stood next to an inconspicuous, black door. At the sight of the four of them, he nodded in acknowledgment and hastily opened the door. As everyone in the street was busy laser-focusing on the red carpet, no one noticed the four newcomers slip discreetly inside.

They found themselves in a hallway decorated with dark blue carpet and framed movie posters.

Aidan slowed his walk and turned to face Alex and Paisley. “I hope you don’t mind that. It’s easier to come in that way.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Alex said. “I certainly find it the preferred method.”

In the few clips Paisley had seen of him on television, she hadn’t taken note of his accent, but it was hard to miss now. Though she’d been to Europe multiple times, Paisley had never visited Belmonte. Apparently, going off of Alex’s voice, the accent there sounded most like a cross between Italian and European Spanish.

Alex noticed her looking at him and smiled. Paisley’s cheeks warmed and she looked away, but caught eyes with Nicole, who had a knowing look on her face.

A woman wearing a lanyard came forward. “Good evening. I'm Theresa and I'll show you to your seats.”

Theresa's eyes widened the slightest bit at the sight of Alex, but she kept her cool and led the four down the hallway and into the theater. Paisley’s heart sped up and she scanned the seats. No Noah and Lauren. They were probably still out on the red carpet taking photos and giving interviews.

She did, however, recognize a handful of actors.

“You all right?” Alex chuckled.

Paisley looked over and realized she clutched his arm. “Yeah.” She dropped her hold. “Absolutely.”

They followed Aidan and Nicole to their seats.

“I guess you do this all the time,” Paisley whispered.

“What, premieres?” Alex asked.

“Yes.”

He shrugged. “I have been to a few.”

Paisley got the sense ‘a few’ meant many more than he wanted to admit.

They settled into their seats, Aidan next to Nicole, Paisley next to her, and Alex at the end. People chattered softly, and though they were in a movie theater the mood was completely different than at any screening Paisley had been to. With heavy curtains drawn away from the screen and sconces providing soft lighting, it felt more like they were about to see a play than a movie.

“You look beautiful,” Alex said. “That is a lovely dress.”

Paisley bit back a smile and looked down at her cream-colored, knee-length dress. “You look nice too. Although, I… uh… you’ve looked good in every photo I’ve ever seen of you.”

Paisley cringed. She was usually so good at talking to people. She did it all day long at work. But this was different, wasn’t it? This wasn’t a student sharing chili fries and beers with friends or a banker stopping in for a quick sandwich while he worked on his phone his whole lunch break.

This was Prince Alessandro. His family ruled a city-state. Thanks to him, a group of kids had just been saved from a flooded cave. How were you supposed to converse with someone on that level?

“Paisley.”

She sharply looked at Alex. His brows were knitted, his face uncertain.

“If you don’t want me to be here,” he said softly, “I will leave, and with no hard feelings.”

“What?” Paisley frowned.

He lifted a shoulder and continued to talk in a voice so low she could hardly hear it. “I told you we should meet up before the screening so that you might decide whether you still wanted me to attend with you or not. The offer still stands. The choice is yours.”

“I don’t want you to leave.” Something pinched in Paisley’s stomach. “Alex, I hate that you ever thought I might not want to go somewhere with you.”

He blinked fast, his dark lashes so long they almost swept his cheekbones. “Do you remember what you told me weeks ago? That your two best friends are married to celebrities and that you do not wish to have anyone else in your life who’s famous?”

Paisley glanced over at Nicole and Aidan, whose heads were bowed in conversation. From what she could tell, they hadn’t heard a bit of what she and Alex spoke about.

“I do remember that now,” Paisley said softly.

He nodded once, his dark eyes fastened on her. An expansive feeling entered Paisley’s chest, and for a moment she forgot how to breathe.

“I don’t want you to go,” she said. “Okay, so you’re a prince. You’re also the cool friend I’ve been chatting with for months, and it’s that last thing that matters.”

Alex inspected her face. “Truly?”

“Yes,” Paisley said in a cracked whisper. “You can’t leave.”

“I can’t?” He grinned playfully.

“I mean, I’ll be disappointed if you do.”

“I’m staying then.” He winked at her.

Just in time for the ending of the conversation, the lights dimmed. Paisley leaned back in her chair and faced forward. She had waited for this movie for months, but now she didn’t know if she would be able to focus for even a minute of it.