When it came to Sophia, Mother always had a way of ruining any good moments. I was on the verge of kissing Sophia—really kissing her—when we were interrupted by Mother’s nosiness.

I was still reeling from Sophia traveling so far to see me. Hearing her mirror the same feelings I had for her had lifted some of the weight off my shoulders. I wasn’t sure why she showed up in person when she could have easily called me, but I didn’t regret her decision. Her by my side was where she belonged.

At least, that was what I thought.

Mother, on the other hand, had other ideas.

In a way, I wished Sophia would have announced her arrival. At the very least, I could have warned her that Mother specifically told me she wasn’t invited. As my girlfriend and guest, my opinion about Sophia overruled hers.

I didn’t suspect that Mother would cause any issues with Sophia while Father was sick, but I could never be sure with her. She might very well use Father’s illness as a way to push Sophia away. Like hell was I going to let that happen. Sophia would never be out of my sight again for as long as I could help it. She slipped out of my hands once before; I wasn’t going to let it happen again. Not without a fight.

With her returning to me and admitting her feelings, I saw no reason for her to leave anytime soon.

“Give me a moment,” I said to Sophia before kissing her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “I should have called.”

“It’s fine,” I reassured her. “I want you here.”

Mother crossed her arms over her chest, and I knew I had the upper hand. I would have to going into this conversation.

“Then I’m not going anywhere,” Sophia said with a devilish grin.

I wished I could close the distance between us, but it was highly inappropriate and not the best time with mother scowling at us.

On my way over to Mother, it was hard to sort through the mixed emotions within me. I was devastated to know that Father only had a short time to live, but having Sophia with me made it a little easier to bear. Seeing Mother still holding onto her hatred for Sophia—well, the idea of her—added some anger into the mix. If I chose to become king, I couldn’t let Mother feel as if she had any power over my decisions. If Father couldn’t keep her in line, then I would.

“I cannot believe you deliberately disobeyed my request,” Mother said loudly enough for Sophia to hear.

I walked toward the interior of the palace, forcing Mother to follow me if she wanted to have a civilized discussion. Not that anything she had to say about Sophia would be civilized, but at least Sophia wouldn’t have to be subjected to Mother’s remarks about her. Sophia already knew that Mother didn’t approve, but that didn’t mean she had to listen to Mother’s verbal abuse.

“I didn’t disobey you,” I said. “I made a mistake. I didn’t inform Sophia of what was happening. She called Maddox, frantic when she couldn’t reach me. He told her about Father, and she came right away.”

Playing up Sophia’s emotions was easy. I had imagined her returning to me so many times. With the ruse still in play, Sophia would go along with anything I said and vice versa. We were in this together.

“She came here on her own?” Mother asked.

“Yes,” I said. “That’s what people in love do for each other.”

“Don’t go into this again,” Mother said, throwing a hard look in Sophia’s direction. “She’s using you. Now that she knows your Father is sick, she’s pushing herself into your life to get a title.”

“I would appreciate if you gave my girlfriend the respect she deserves,” I said through my teeth. Sophia had wanted an article for her newspaper about me. That was her initial motivation. She didn’t want a title, but it was something I would have to discuss with her at some point. I didn’t ever want her out of my life, but I couldn’t very well become a king and not bring her along with me.

“You need to show your Mother some respect,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “She is not welcome in my home.”

“This is our home,” I said. “I don’t have time for any drama in my life right now. Father is the focus, not you. So Sophia will stay in the palace, and you will be nothing but kind to her.”

Mother sighed. “I don’t have to be anything to her. Once this little infatuation goes away, then you will tell me that I was right.”

“I will tell you no such thing,” I said, lowering my voice. She’d gone too far now. “Sophia is extremely important to me. She’s going to stay in the palace for as long as I wish. It would be in your best interests to make an effort.”

Mother’s eyes bulged out of her head, and I knew I had gotten the message across. She never spoke to Father in that way, and she would have to learn to afford me the same courtesy, especially when it came to who I chose as my queen.

Without waiting for a response from her, I went back outside to fetch Sophia. She had her back turned toward me. I guessed she was giving Mother and me some privacy, though I knew from the tension in her shoulders that she’d heard some of it.

She whirled around when I arrived by her side. “Luke, I can stay in a hotel. It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal,” I said. “I want you with me.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “You should be with family right now.”

“I am,” I assured her.

She quirked her lips but didn’t argue with me further.

I offered my hand to her, and she took it. I didn’t realize how much I missed holding her hand. It was the most intimate we’d been in the time we’d known each other. There was no reason for us to make out in front of my parents, but I had a feeling that she wouldn’t mind doing it if I asked her. I would never overstep, but I would if Mother and Father insisted on making sure that Sophia and I were a genuine couple.

Surprisingly, no one other than Mother questioned our relationship. It was mostly because she wanted me with anyone other than Sophia since she wasn’t someone that Mother picked out specifically for me. Even if I found a beautiful Middle Eastern woman on my own, I doubted Mother would show approval, which was why I didn’t care much for her feelings on the subject. She could stew all she wanted. I was happy, and I intended to stay that way.

Besides, we had more to worry about than who I was going to marry.

We walked down the halls of the palace hand-in-hand while I pulled Sophia’s suitcase along beside me. It was light, as if Sophia hadn’t expected to stay a while.

I hoped she would. Even if she ran out of clothes, I had enough money to purchase her an entirely new wardrobe if that was necessary. I knew that would be a red flag for Mother, so I would hold off on that plan for now.

“I feel like it’s been months since we were here,” Sophia said.

“I know what you mean,” I said. All of the worrying I had done over the last week made the time drag on. I could have counted the seconds that Sophia was out of my life. While I wanted to go into a little more detail about what she’d been up to, at the same time, I didn’t care. She was here with me, and that was all that mattered.

As we headed down the hallway toward the guestroom she’d had over the weekend, a spark of an idea came to mind. For the most part, we weren’t pretending about our relationship anymore. While we needed to have an actual discussion about it, the only time we were alone was during meals and outings. Since Mother was sure to accompany us to our meals to make it as uncomfortable as possible and I didn’t plan on leaving the palace anytime soon, I wanted Sophia to stay with me.

There was no specific rule against it. I had given her a private room out of respect for my parents and so Sophia could have time to herself.

Not anymore. I wanted her with me. We were going to do this the right way if we were going to do it at all.

“Where are we going?” Sophia asked, glancing at the room where she stayed before.

I tugged her alongside me. “You’re not staying there.”

“Oh, is the room being cleaned?”

I smirked. “Something like that.”

Over the years, Mother didn’t change anything about my childhood room. In her mind, I was probably the six-year-old kid that she adopted. But in the few times I visited, I consulted with the interior decorators and updated my room from a teenager’s space to something more in my style.

It was a good thing that I did because when I opened the door for Sophia, the look on her face was priceless.

Seeing my room through her eyes was like seeing it for the first time. I opted for more modern furniture, but the room still held the elegance in the light fixtures and the trim around the windows and doors.

“Is this your room?” Sophia asked.

“It is,” I said.

“Where are you going to stay?”

“Here,” I said.

“With me?”

“Is that a problem?” I asked.

She hesitated with one foot over the threshold. “I don’t know. I was under the impression that we were supposed to stay in separate rooms.”

“Do you want to be in a different room?” I asked her, hoping that her response was a resounding no, but I wanted her to be comfortable. “I can arrange that for you.”

She shook her head. “Your mom doesn’t approve of me. Is this going to upset her even more?”

“She’s going to have to deal with it,” I said, pulling her into the room. I kicked the door closed and brought her close to me. Her head tilted back, and I softly caressed her cheek with the back of my hand. Her skin was so soft. “This is my decision.”

She shivered in my arms. “There’s something different about you, Luke. I can’t quite put my finger on it.” She touched my chin and played with the stubble there.

“Do you like me like this?” I asked her. I would do anything to keep her. If that involved growing a beard and sticking up to my mother, then so be it.

“I do,” she said. “But as you said, it’s your decision.”

I smiled and that urge to kiss her returned.

She was the one to break away from me first. “I think we should see how your father is doing.”

I nodded. As much as I wanted to talk about Sophia and me, or take us to another level, Father’s health was the most important thing at the moment. I had plenty of time to spend with Sophia after I announced her arrival. With her staying in my chambers, I had the entire night to be with her. The thought of what we would do clung to the front of my mind. Even though I tried to clear it, my imagination ran wild at sleeping next to her and being that close without any prying eyes nearby.

In a situation where I wanted time to stand still, I couldn’t wait for the day to end.