The day for the royal wedding had finally arrived. The St. James Cathedral was bustling with tons of people. In the thick of it, Max watched the wedding planner put the final touches on the aisle runner and bouquets of flowers that lined the center walkway. She was fussing to make sure all the decorations were centered correctly and lined up the way she planned.

“Don’t forget that the series of candelabras on each side need to be tilted so the guests can still see everything,” the blonde woman stated, pushing a loose wisp of hair out of her face. “Everything needs to be perfect. This is a royal wedding after all.”

Max wondered if his own wedding would be this chaotic. Then remembering that because he was Crown Prince, and it was his job to display his wedding for his whole country (and world), it would be even worse than all of this.

A quick glance at his watch confirmed they were just over an hour away from show time. Max hurried out of the ceremony area, knowing they would seat guests shortly. It was time for him to check in on Richard anyway.

Max found his best friend in the groom’s room, where he was nervously pacing back and forth. “Are you okay?” Max asked with concern.

“I’m fine. I want to get married already, and this is taking bloody forever,” Richard’s British accent from growing up abroad came out when he got upset.

“I understand but be patient. It’s almost time,” Max said, coming up to Richard, and putting his hands on either side of his shoulders. “Just take a deep breath and focus on the fact that in less than an hour you will be married to the woman of your dreams.”

“Or, on the other hand, you could reflect on the fact you’ll be tied down to the same woman for the rest of your life,” Benji stated snidely. “Are you ready for that?”

“Be quiet,” Max demanded, glaring at Benji. “We don’t need you trying to tease him right now. Can’t you see he’s nervous enough?”

Benji shrugged. “I was just trying to make a joke.”

“It wasn’t funny,” Richard corrected, “And Max is right, I sure don’t need that type of help. Why don’t you find something else to do?”

He must have known he had overstepped, because Benji shrunk away without another word. Max figured he would probably go bother the bridesmaids, but as long as he wasn’t bothering Richard, Max didn’t much care what Benji did.

“Let me look at your bow tie,” Max said, straightening it by slightly pulling on both sides. “There you go. You look great.”

Richard looked every bit the royal groom in his custom white tuxedo. Though Max had fixed his cousin’s outer appearance, it didn’t seem to help calm his spirits. Wanting to help him, Max offered, “Do you want me to say a quick prayer?”

Richard stopped pacing and raised his eyebrows in shock. “Never did I think I would hear those words come from your lips.”

“What can I say, I’m a changed man,” Max explained with a roll of his shoulders. “So, what do you say?”

“I would welcome it,” Richard said, closing his eyes.

Max closed his own eyes before he prayed. “Dear Lord, right now we come to You and ask that You bless this special day. Help my cousin to put everything in Your hands and trust that You will help everything go smoothly.”

“Thanks, cousin, I appreciate your support,” Richard stated as he opened his eyes and smiled. “You always know how to keep me calm.”

“That’s what family is for. And for the record, it’s not me, it’s God. I’ve realized the more I pray, the better off I am.”

A little while later, the wedding planner knocked on the door, telling them it was time to enter the ceremony area. They made their way in to the crowded venue where over a thousand guests were seated to watch the royal wedding.

“You got this,” Max whispered reassuringly to Richard as they took their spots at the front of the room under the massive arch adorned with pastel flowers and ribbon.

A few moments later, the orchestra played, quieting the crowd and turning everyone’s attention towards the back as they stood to their feet. The doors opened to reveal Margo standing in a white satin gown with a long train and a beautiful tiara that glistened against her golden hair. She also had a veil draped over her face that flowed out and around her. 

Behind her stood her two bridesmaids, four flower girls, two page boys and Lily, her Maid of Honor. The rest of the bridal party was wearing cream-colored outfits.

As they made their way down the aisle, Max knew he should be focused on the bride, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from drifting to Lily. She looked like perfection in her gown, and Max could only imagine how much more beautiful she would look on their own day down the road.

The ceremony passed quickly, with the traditional vows, rings, and prayers. By the end, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, as it was clear that Margo and Richard truly loved each other.

The bridal party, along with the royal family, exited the cathedral and prepared to go by carriages to the wedding reception at the Rivera Club. Hordes of people were out for the event, waving and cheering on the royal family. Max was grateful there were no hecklers in the crowd, and the day could go by in peace.

As they rode through the streets waving to everyone, Max leaned over and whispered to Lily. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she whispered back. “You look handsome as well.”

“I can’t wait to dance with you at the royal ball.”

“I know, I’ve been looking forward to it myself. Margo and I have worked so hard on everything. I hope you think we did a good job.”

“If you helped, it will amaze everyone,” he said with admiration. “Everything you do is phenomenal.”

They arrived at the club, climbed out of the carriage, and made their way inside for the reception.

The reception passed by like a blur. Before Lily knew what was happening, the toasts, the meal, and the cake cutting had already taken place.

“They really look happy,” Lily stated as the bride and groom took to the dance floor for their first dance.

“They do,” Max agreed. “And by the way, you and Margo did a terrific job with everything. Everyone will talk about this wedding for years to come.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Lily stated with pleasure. “I was really nervous.”

“There’s only one problem.”

“What’s that? What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “The problem is you’re going to have a hard time topping this wedding with our own by year’s end.”

Lily let out a laugh, causing several heads to turn towards them. Quickly, she placed her gloved hand over her face to muffle the sound. “Stop it. You’re going to get me into trouble,” she whispered against his ear.

“Oh, you should probably get used to that,” he whispered back, his breath tickling the skin of her cheek.

“Not surprising,” she said in a hushed tone, “but somehow I think I will love the type of trouble you get me into.”

Taking her hand, he pulled her towards the exit. “Let’s sneak out for a few minutes. No one will miss us while all eyes are on the bride and groom.”

Once outside and in a dark hallway, Max pushed Lily against the wall. He leaned towards her, then pressed his lips against hers, searing her mouth with a red-hot kiss.

Though she liked kissing Max, she knew the dance wouldn’t last forever. Gently, she placed her hands on his chest and said, “We should get back.”

Max nodded, stepping back with a regretful look. “Not that I want to, but you’re probably right.” Glancing down the hall he added, “I need to go to the restroom first. Are you all right heading back in on your own?”

“Of course. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Lily said, placing a peck on his cheek before heading back into the ballroom.

She was about halfway back to the dance floor when Joseph stopped her.

“Can we speak privately for a moment?” he asked, the look of admiration shining from his eyes.

“I don’t think that would be wise. Anything you would like to say to me, you can do it in the open.”

The admiration disappeared and was replaced with one of anger. “I’m guessing your refusal to be alone with me has to do with your new relationship with the Crown Prince.”

“Not that I owe you any explanation, but yes, the prince and I are involved.”

“What does that mean? How serious is it?”

Lily folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes. “I really don’t feel comfortable talking about this with you.”

“I thought you were different than the other women who throw themselves at royalty around here, but I watched you leave with the prince a few minutes ago. Now, you’ve come back alone with your hair out of place and a missing earring,” he said gesturing towards her.

“What I do, and who I do it with, is no concern of yours. The way you’re acting confirms I made the right decision by keeping you strictly as a friend, but you can rest assured, that’s over now too.”

Turning on her heel, Lily rushed back the way she came. She rubbed her ear lobes and realized she must have dropped one of her earrings in the hallway when she was with Max. They were on loan from a jeweler and worth a small ransom. She had to find it before someone else did.

Lily headed back down the hall and looked for her earring on the floor where she had just been with Max. From down the way, she could hear him speaking to someone. At first, she didn’t pay attention, until she heard him say one name. “Starla.”

“How did you get in here?” Lily heard Max ask the other woman.

“I’m Starla Stone, Max, I can get in anywhere I want. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a while, but that guy you’re always with—Patrick I think his name is—told me to stop calling. I think he blocked my number and hasn’t been giving you my emails.”

Lily inched along the wall until she could see them, but remained out of sight. She knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but Max was her fiancé and she needed to know what was going on.

“Maybe you should take the hint,” Max stated with irritation audible in his voice. “He’s doing that because I’ve moved on.”

“I think you want to, and you’re trying to replace me, but you can’t. I saw the news reports about you and that vapid skank. It’s why I came. I thought you should know before you get too serious with her, I’m pregnant. And before you ask, yes it’s yours.”

“Do you know how many royals have claims of babies every year? This isn’t a new trick you’ve come up with,” Max accused.

“I thought you might say that. It’s why I brought this,” Starla stated, pushing a piece of paper towards him. 

“What’s this?” he asked in confusion.

“It’s a sonogram, Max. In other words, a picture of our baby. If you look at the due date in the corner, it shows when I got pregnant. It was when we were together.”

Lily tried not to gasp. The news made her heart lurch with a flurry of mixed emotions. What was she going to do? She loved Max, but she couldn’t ask him to pick her over his baby. A royal baby would mean he had to marry Starla in order to avoid a scandal. And since Lily and Max hadn’t officially announced their engagement, the king and queen could quietly demand they end it without anyone knowing. This baby meant her life with Max was over.

“I can’t believe this,” Max muttered under his breath. “What am I going to do?”

“I’ll tell you what you’ll do. You’re going to put me up in that swanky palace of yours until the baby comes, or I’ll go public with my pregnancy and how you jilted me.”

“That’s not how it happened, Starla. I didn’t know you were pregnant.”

“But the press doesn’t know that. Who do you think they are going to believe, a pregnant woman or a known playboy?”

“Fine, Starla, you can stay at the palace, but just until we figure all of this out.”

“That’s fine, Max. You’ll come around to the idea of being a daddy and parenting with me soon enough.”

Heartbroken, Lily didn’t wait to hear anything else. She rushed down the hall and fled into a dark corner of the ballroom to hide. Once the wedding events were over, she would quietly leave Triola forever.