Sage

“Have I not taught you anything, boy?” my father yells as he slams the latest tabloid onto the coffee table.

I roll my eyes. “What now?”

I pick it up, thinking yet another person is trying to spread lies about Everly, but I’m shocked when I see something that almost brings me to my knees. Staring back at me is a picture of Everly and me on the boat, thankfully the images are blurry, but there’s no mistaking what’s going on by the way they carefully placed the blur right above my swim trunks wrapped around my ankles.

“Fuck,” I whisper more to myself as I drop my head in shame.

“Want to tell me what was going on there?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” I say, looking up to my father. “I was making love to my future wife.”

“That is not love. That is something you do with a two-bit whore,” he bites out.

I stand, anger running through my veins. “What did you say?”

“This”—he picks up the tabloid—“is not the actions of a princess or someone who will be queen one day.”

“Well it’s the actions of the woman I’m going to ask to marry me, so I guess they are the actions of someone who will be queen one day.”

“No, I will not let you make a mockery of this family.”

I clench my jaw and fist my hands at my side. “I’m just following your rules. You named her as fit, and now that I’ve actually fallen for her, you’re saying I can’t. Sorry, Pops, doesn't work that way,” I say as I turn to walk away.

“Yes, it does. You will do as I say, young man.” He reaches for my arm and stops me in my tracks.

“I am,” I bite out through clenched teeth.

“We will announce in two days that you will marry Marie, and you will stop seeing this girl.”

I yank my arm from his grip. “Oh yeah, watch me. It won’t be much of an announcement without me there.”

* * *

Everly

I walk out my door, heading to meet Jeannine for coffee and am surprised as hell when cameras and reporters bombard me with questions.

“Are you the next queen?” a man asks.

“Will you marry Prince Sage?” a woman questions.

“What about Marie?” another man tosses out before I can answer the previous two.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” a woman demands with an expression of disgust.

There are flashes all around, and I can barely get my bearings to walk the ten feet to my car. I hold up my hands, trying to block my face from photos before turning to run back inside.

Once I’m behind a closed door, I hear my phone ringing and see Sage calling.

“What’s going on?” I ask, confused.

“Why? What’s wrong?” His voice is laced with concern.

“There are cameras and people standing outside my house. They just verbally attacked me when I tried to walk to my car.”

“Fuck,” he says under his breath. “Everly, I’m so sorry. But yesterday, at the lake…”

My breath hitches. “What Sage?”

“Someone else was there. They got photos. I have no idea how. I thought we were alone.”

“We were alone.”

He sighs. “Obviously, we weren’t. Tabloids pay a lot for photos, especially ones like this. Dammit, I’m so stupid. I should have known this could happen.”

“Sage, don't. It’s not your fault.”

“But it is. I got you into this mess.”

I blow out a breath. “Oh well. Let them say what they want, at least this time it’s the truth.”

“You really think that?” he asks, almost in disbelief.

“Yeah, I do. Who cares if they have photos of us? Wouldn’t you rather it be with me than some random girl? At least you can explain me.”

He rasps out a laugh, and I can’t help but smile. “I knew you were perfect for me.”

“Right? Okay, now on to more important things. When do we leave for our trip?”

“Not for another day, but I’ll pick you up at six in the morning on Saturday. Unless I can just stay the night?” he questions, but his voice tells me he’s kidding.

“Ha! That would really please my mother and the paparazzi to no end, but no, let’s not make their day. This is about us, not them.”

“Probably a good idea. I’ve got to get going, sweetheart. See you then.”

I hang up and shut my curtains, deciding it’s best that I stay home and have Jeannine come over.

I dial Jeannine, and she answers on the second ring. “You slut!” she teases into the phone.

“Jeez, tell me how you really feel.” I laugh back.

“You fucked a prince! I’m super jealous right now. I want to be a slut, too.”

I choke on the water I tried to swallow. She’s always good for making me laugh, and lord knows, I need it right now.

“Spill it, girl. I want all the details.”

“Well, first you have to come here. I’m being held hostage by the photographers outside.”

“Yay! So maybe they will photograph me, and I’ll be known as the slut’s best friend! This will be my fifteen minutes of fame!”

“Just get your ass over here.” I hang up, shaking my head at her outrageous comments but unable to keep the smile off my lips.

Twenty minutes later, I hear her saying, “It’s Jeannine Dixon, J-E-A-N-N-I-N-E.”

I open the door, grabbing her by the back of her shirt and yanking her inside where she takes a few seconds to calm the laughter falling from her lips.

“Are you happy with your fifteen minutes?”

“No actually.” She stands up straight, trying to act offended but barely holding back her smirk. “You came between me and my fame, and I only got five. Such a fame-blocker.”

I roll my eyes and walk to the back of the house where I don’t have to hear or see anyone at my door.

“So…stop making me wait. I want details.” She holds up her finger pointing it at me. “And don’t leave out anything.”

I shrug. “We had sex.”

“Well, duh. Everyone in the damn country knows that. Tell me”—she sits down close to me, leaning in with a shit-eating grin—“how was it?”

A smile slowly covers my face. “It was amazing. He”—I let out a long sigh—“he was perfect. I can’t believe I slept with him so fast, but everything about the entire thing just felt right, you know?”

“Aw! I’m so happy for you! So what’s going on?”

I sigh. “I have no idea. I’ve been reading all the reports online while I was waiting for you, and it all says he’s supposed to marry this Marie chick. But if that’s true, why was he with me?”

“Have you asked him?”

“No. I didn’t know he was still seeing her. I tuned it all out regarding him once I thought I was out of the running. Everything’s happened so fast. I didn’t even think about her.”

“And…?”

“I don’t know.” I turn to her, seeing if her reaction helps me in any way. “What do you think?”

“Well. I would hope that he’s not seeing her anymore.”

“They’re comparing me to Camilla from the British royal family scandals.”

“Ha! You’re the royal mistress who has sex on boats and leads the commoner life.” She hits my shoulder, but I don’t laugh back.

“That’s not funny.”

“Oh, come on. It is. Relax. He’s obviously into you. He would not go through all this trouble if he weren’t.”

“But wasn’t that the way Charles was with Camilla. Wasn’t there some stupid law or tradition that kept them apart? I read an article that King William said I was officially out of the running due to a technicality.”

“Yeah, that you’re a slut!” I glare her direction. “Seriously, Everly, I wouldn’t worry about it. You need to talk to him. Believe what he says, not what you read.”

“You’re right.” I pick up my phone and dial his number, which goes to voicemail. I hang up before I hear the beep, deciding to send a text rather than leave a message. Typing out a message, I’m surprised when one comes in from him.

I’m sorry I can’t talk right now. Can I call you in a little while?

I show Jeannine the message. She tilts her head in question but doesn’t respond. Trying not to second-guess things, I type back:

Sure.

Then I drop my phone and turn to my computer to see what else I can read about my life on the internet. Thoughts of where he is right now rack my brain. Is he with her? Am I really out of the running?

Letting out a sigh, I close my laptop, reading what everyone claims to be the truth is making my head hurt. I have no clue what to believe anymore.

* * *

Sage

“What have you done now?” my sister Mya asks when I enter the kitchen in the mansion her and her husband Roger share.

“Not you, too,” I breathe out.

I came here to escape my parents. Even though my sister plays their game, putting on the same fake façade, she’s always been on my side when it came to things regarding our parents.

“Hey. You know I’ll support you, but this may be a little much. Who is she?” She points to another article I haven’t seen that’s sitting open on her laptop.

“Her name is Everly—”

“Uncle Sage!” My nephew Tyler runs down the hall.

“Hey, buddy! What you got there?” I ask as he holds up a truck he has in his hand.

“Look! It’s a Monster Truck. I wanted to go to the show, but Mommy said we couldn’t be seen there, so she got me the toy instead.”

I glance up through my lashes to my sister. “Really?”

“Don't give me that face. You know we can’t be seen there. Dad would lose his mind.”

“And you’re okay with that? Neglecting your son’s desires because of an image you want to uphold?”

“Uncle Sage, what does neg-let mean?” Tyler tries to repeat my words.

“It means—”

“That it’s time for you to run along so I can talk to your uncle,” Mya states, picking her son up from my lap and standing him up before nudging him toward the backyard.

“My—”

“Don't, Sage. I’ve always been on your side when it comes to how you want to live your life, so don’t question the way I want to live mine or how I raise my son.”

I hold up my hands in surrender.

“Now, back to this girl. Everly, you said. Wasn’t she one on the list?”

“Yes, but Dad doesn’t like her.”

“Does that matter?”

I let out a sharp laugh. “It shouldn’t, but you know him.”

“But you do? Or rather, I should hope you do, or you and I need to have a completely different talk about how to treat women.”

I laugh under my breath. “I do. I promise. She’s different. She never even wanted to be in the running.”

“Is that why Dad doesn't like her?”

“That and a few other things. She’s definitely not up to royal standards.” I sit up straight like I’m straightening my tie and speaking like a distinguished old man.

“So that’s why you like her?”

“Not the only reason. She’s genuine. She’s real. She volunteers at an orphanage and is going to Malawi with me tomorrow.”

Her eyes open wide. “She actually wants to go with you?”

“Yup. I’m telling you. She might just be perfect for me.” I pop a grape in my mouth from my nephew’s plate.

“But what about this Marie woman Mom won’t shut up about?”

“That’s who they want me to marry, but Mya, she’s awful. She actually said she was okay with me being in love with someone else while I was married to her.”

She shuts the fridge and turns in surprise. “She did not!”

“Yup. She said as long as I kept it behind closed doors she wouldn’t care.”

“And Mom likes her?”

“She puts on a good show. When I tried to let her down easy, she came back talking all this nonsense about how we would be married one day. Basically, if I wanted to or not.”

“Then what’s your plan?”

“I plan to marry Everly.”

“And how will you be able to pull that off without Dad’s approval? Especially after this?” She tosses a magazine in my direction.

“Not sure yet.”

I pick it up to see our boat scene plastered across the front as well as her picture. Just seeing her beautiful face fills me with hope for the future. Here I thought being forced to marry would be the death of me, but now the thought of marrying her brings me life.

“Uh oh, Sage,” Mya says, picking up her phone. “Dad’s calling.”

“Don’t tell him I’m here.” I wave my hands at her.

“Hello, Father,” she answers.

I wait for any glimpse of what he’s saying, but her facial expression stays stagnant.

“No, I’m sorry. I haven’t seen him.” She glares her anger at me for having to lie.

I mouth, “Thank you.”

She turns her back to me before saying, “Okay, if I see him, I’ll let him know.”

“Let me know what?” I ask when she hangs up and faces me again.

“Marie is there, and they need you to discuss what the official statement will be about the lake pictures.”

I run my fingers through my hair. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Wish I was. It’s time to face the music.”

My head falls back as I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess.

* * *

I enter my father’s study only to see Marie there with her parents by her side. The expression her father gives me turns my stomach. I have to remind myself that I owe this woman nothing. I’ve been completely honest with her.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” her dad spits out.

Anger instantly gets the best of me. “How dare you talk to your future king that way.”

That shut him up and put him in his place. Quickly. I think that’s the first time I’ve used my status to my advantage like that.

“They still deserve an explanation, son,” Dad states, rage barely boiling over.

“I don’t need to explain myself. I was making love to my future wife. It’s unfortunate that someone captured our private moment, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.”

“Your future wife?” Marie’s mom says in surprise.

“Yes. I’m sorry ma’am, sir”—I turn my attention to Marie’s father—“I told Marie that I want to marry someone else.”

Dad stands up angrily, knocking his chair over. “And I told you, Everly was not an option.”

“Sage,” Marie speaks up. “We’ve already spoken about this. I’m okay with what’s unfolding here. I wish you would have kept it behind closed doors like I asked you to, but now that it’s out in the open, we need to discuss it to stop the rumors before they barrel out of control.”

“Yes, son. Listen to Marie. She has a good head on those shoulders and will do this family proud.”

“Proud? That makes you proud? Knowing that I’m not in love with who you want to make my wife, and she’s okay if I have the person I truly want to be with on the side?” I stand, running my fingers through my hair and begin pacing back and forth. “Why am I the only person who doesn’t think this is acceptable?”

Marie stands to place her hand on my arm in an attempt to calm me. “I’ll do my best to make you happy, Sage, but I understand if your heart is elsewhere at the moment. It will pass, and once we have a few babies, we won’t have time for a relationship anyway, so none of this will matter in the long run.”

My jaw drops open. Shock over what just fell from her mouth is not what I’m experiencing. It’s pure disgust. Why someone would ever want a life of lies and betrayal just to make everything appear wonderful on the outside will never make sense to me.

I turn to my mom. Thankfully, her face matches my feelings, but she keeps her opinions to herself. I dart my eyes between everyone in the room and without saying a word, I turn to stalk out. Their logic repulses me, and frankly, it’s not worth my time. I have a woman I need to make mine before my dad does something I can’t undo.