London

I was living off my savings and sleeping in a motel room.

It wasn’t nice, but I didn’t need nice right now.

I hadn’t bothered to find an apartment yet. I hadn’t even bothered to find a job. I’d never been this lazy in my life, but it was hard for me to get out of bed. I only ate when my stomach wouldn’t stop growling and I felt light-headed. There was a deli just next door, so I walked there to get a sandwich.

I’d been watching a lot of daytime TV, most soap operas. Every time a couple broke up, I thought of Crewe and shed my own tears. I constantly checked my phone to see if he texted or called me and I just happened not to hear it.

But he never did.

I tried to convince myself this was for the best. He deserved someone better than me. But those words did little to make me feel better. Honestly, I loved him so much that I wanted him to myself.

Did that make me a terrible person?

I’d never hated someone before, but I truly hated Ariel. If she weren’t so close to Crewe, I would have told her to fuck off then gave her a black eye. She had a lot of nerve pulling the stunt she did. When I disliked her before, at least I respected her. But now I just thought she was a manipulative bitch who controlled Crewe like a puppet with invisible strings. The only family I had was Joseph, and I knew Ariel was all Crewe had. If it weren’t for that fact, things would have turned out completely differently.

A knock sounded on the door.

I was lying in a bed that had only been made once, with the light from the TV shining on the wall. It was nearly nine in the evening, so I assumed it wasn’t housekeeping. I felt perfectly safe in New York, but I wasn’t naïve either.

I crept to the door and looked through the peephole.

I knew I was losing my mind when I saw a man who looked just like Crewe on the other side. With the same five-o’clock shadow, the same mocha brown eyes, and the same powerful shoulders.

Maybe this was a dream.

“Lovely,” he spoke through the door. “It’s me.”

I inhaled a sharp breath before my hands began to shake. I tried to get the latch off the door, but I couldn’t slide it through the metal. My movements were too jerky because I couldn’t keep my body still. “One second…I’m trying to get the lock.” I finally slid it over and unlocked the handle. When I pulled the door open, the cold air rushed inside, bringing the smell of frost from winter.

I hadn’t even thought about changing. I was in sweatpants and his old shirt with a messy bun planted on the top of my head. I looked terrible, but I was so excited to see him that I didn’t think twice before opening the door.

I’d been thinking about him nonstop, and now that he was here, I didn’t think. I said the dumbest thing. “Can I get you some water?”

Crewe stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

“I mean…sorry. I just can’t believe you’re here. I… Why are you here?”

His hands went to my waist, and he moved in close to me. “Ariel told me the truth. Now I’m here to take you home.”

“She did…?” She put me through all that misery just to come clean about it?

He nodded. “You’ll never see her again. She’s gone.”

“Really?” I whispered, tears springing to my eyes.

“Yeah. And I apologize in advance for this…I didn’t want to ask you this in a run-down hotel in Manhattan, but since you already know…” He pulled the ring from his pocket and slipped it on my left ring finger. “Please say yes. I don’t want anything to come between us again. I’ve already lost you twice, and I can’t do it again.”

I eyed the beautiful ring with a red stone in the middle with tears in my eyes. It was unlike any other ring I’d ever seen. Without question, I knew it was special. I knew it wasn’t a ring he simply picked up at the store.

“It was my mother’s,” he explained. “And my grandmother’s before that…”

“I’m so honored.”

“Then do me the honor of saying yes.” He grabbed my wrist and placed his hand over my chest. “Say yes.”

“Yes.” A new wave of tears spilled down my face. “Yes.”

He cupped my face and kissed me like he never had before. A combination of hard and soft, his lips moved with mine with desperation. He slowly backed me farther into the room, his fingers sliding into my hair then down my shoulders. My tears stuck to his cheeks, but that didn’t slow him down. He wiped one drop away with the pad of his thumb before he broke the kiss. “You wanna spend the night here or head back home?”

New York wasn’t home to me. This hotel was just a room stuffed with my misery. Scotland was the only place I wanted to be, the home away from home that became permanent. I wanted to be exactly where I belonged—not stuck here for a minute longer. “Let’s go home.”

It was nice to be home again.

I’d only been gone for a week, but it felt like a lifetime. Misery was suffocating, a blanket of sadness that nearly smothered me. I couldn’t do anything but exist. I wasn’t sure when I would have finally left that hotel room and found an apartment and a job. Probably a while.

My belongings were returned to the room I shared with Crewe, but now that we planned to spend our lives together, everything felt different—in a good way. I loved my ring, and it made me feel special knowing his mother had worn it as well.

Crewe didn’t go to work like he normally would have. He took time off to be with me, to make up for the time we lost. It was only a week, but for both of us, it felt like an eternity. There wasn’t much talking involved, just a lot of sex.

He didn’t mention Ariel.

I didn’t either.

We managed to stay in bed all day, having our meals left by the door while we were wrapped up in the sheets. The only time we left was to eat and shower. The rest of the time, our naked bodies were wrapped together.

Crewe placed my left hand on his chest and ran his finger over the red ruby in the center of my engagement ring. “It looks great on you.”

“I think we go pretty well together, actually.”

“You’re right.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of my knuckles. “So, when do you want to get married?”

“I don’t care. Don’t you have to have a royal ceremony and all that stuff?”

He shrugged. “I’m supposed to. I probably should…but I don’t want to.”

“What would you like to do?”

“Something with just the two of us. Maybe a few witnesses.”

“Like on Fair Isle?” I asked with a smile.

He smiled back. “That sounds perfect, actually. It’ll be a little cold, but if the sun is out, it’ll be beautiful.”

“That sounds nice to me. Maybe we could have our own ceremony then do the big royal thing later?”

“That sounds fair. Let’s do that.”

“Perfect.” I cuddled into his side and wrapped my arm around his waist. “You sure you want to marry a peasant?”

“Absolutely.”

“That means I’ll be a duchess?”

“Yep.”

“That’s kinda weird…”

“Not really. All you have to do is look pretty. It’s the easiest job in the world.”

“You’re oversimplifying it.”

“Oh, and fuck your husband every chance you get. Forgot that one.”

I pressed a kiss to his chest. “That doesn’t sound so bad. I’d do that even if he weren’t my husband.”

“Good answer.”

As much as I enjoyed him spending time with me, I knew he couldn’t neglect his business forever, especially since Ariel was no longer around to help him with anything. “Are you sure you don’t need to get back to work?”

“Trying to get rid of me already?” he asked with a smile.

“No. I just don’t want to make your life more complicated.”

“Maybe I like complicated. I did ask you to marry me.”

“Hey.” I gave him a playful slap.

“You should let Joseph know what’s going on. I’m sure he’s curious.”

“Why would he be curious?” Last time he knew, I was in New York. My phone was in my bag somewhere because I forgot about it the second Crewe whisked me into his arms. The battery probably had died by now.

“Well…he called me and told me why you left.”

“He did?” My natural response was to be furious, but seeing how things worked out, I guess it didn’t matter.

“Ariel was in the process of telling me herself, so I would have found out anyway. He’d probably like to know you’re here.”

It was a sweet thing for Joseph to do, considering the fact that he didn’t like Crewe. I guess that was the best blessing I was going to get. “I’ll call him later.”

Crewe sat up in bed and looked at the clock. “I should probably get in the shower. Unless you’d like to join me?”

I loved to see that hot and naked body under the warm water any day. “I would, but I should probably call my brother.”

“You can always take a peek some other time.” He winked then fished his phone out of his pocket. He tossed it on the bed beside me before he walked into the bathroom.

When I called Joseph, I barely heard it ring once before he answered. “Crewe?”

“Actually, it’s me.”

“London?” he asked excitedly. “Looks like my message went a long way. I called you a few times, but it kept going straight to voice mail. I assumed you just didn’t feel like talking.”

“No, my phone died. Crewe and I have been busy…”

Joseph ignored the awkward thing I’d just said. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy again. I almost didn’t say anything, but I’m grateful I did. You’re probably pissed at me, but I don’t care.”

“Actually, Ariel was in the process of telling him when you called, so I can’t be mad.”

“She told him?” he asked in surprise. “So the bitch has a heart, after all…”

“Or some form of one.”

“Crewe fired her?”

“Yeah. I haven’t heard anything about her.”

“Good. She got what’s coming to her.”

I eyed my beautiful engagement ring, pregnant with ancient history. Duchesses had worn it before me. Even the Queen of Scotland probably wore it centuries ago. “So…Crewe asked me to marry him.”

“He did?” Joseph blurted. “Oh, shit. Did you say yes?”

“What do you think I said, dumbass? No?”

“Damn. Well…I’m happy for you. I can’t believe that guy is gonna be my brother-in-law. Weird.”

“It doesn’t have to be weird if you both make an effort.”

Joseph was quiet for a long time. “He’s got a lot of resources and a great reputation. So I guess I can make it work.”

“I’m sure he feels the same.”

“So, when’s the wedding?”

“We’ll have a small ceremony soon. Then we’ll have the big royal one in about a year.”

“Do I have to go to the big royal one?” he asked with a groan.

“No. But there’ll probably be a lot of beautiful women there…”

“Ooh…maybe I’ll go after all.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll let you know when we do the small ceremony. It’ll be in Fair Isle.”

“I’ll definitely make it to that. I’m gonna give you away, right?”

I smiled. “I assumed so.”

“Alright. I’ll get my finest suit. And I’ll even be nice to you all day.”

“Whoa, that’s a serious wedding gift.”

“Yep. A one-time thing.”

I chuckled. “Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later.”

“What are you guys gonna do about Ariel?”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s just gone? Like off the map?”

“Sounds like Crewe fired her.”

“You said they were really close, so I guess I’m surprised.”

Crewe had been in a good mood since he picked me up in New York. It didn’t seem like he missed her, not like before. But her actions probably erased any affection he had for her.

“I’m not saying what she did was okay—by any means. I’ll always think she’s a cunt. But I saw the way Crewe was protective of her. She’s really important to him. You betrayed him, I shot him…maybe she should get a second chance too.”

After what she did, I wasn’t so inclined. But I shouldn’t lose sight to why I went to New York in the first place. I wanted Ariel to be in his life. She was what Joseph was to me. Without her, all Crewe had was me. I tried to make it work with Ariel, but she refused to meet me halfway. That said, my prejudice shouldn’t stop me from doing what was best for Crewe. “I’ve never heard you be so wise.”

“I’m not just a pretty face.”

I chuckled. “We have very different definitions of pretty.”

“Are you gonna do anything about her?”

“I don’t know…I’ll think about it.”

“Well, let me know what happens. It’s unfortunate she’s a lesbian because she’s pretty sexy.”

“Don’t be gross, Joseph.”

“I’m wise and gross. Deal with it.” He hung up.

I opened Crewe’s contacts and saw Ariel at the top of his favorites list. She was by far the person he called the most. He hadn’t deleted her from his phone book, so she wasn’t completely wiped from his existence.

I pressed the number and held the phone to my ear.

It rang four times before she answered. With her voice so weak, I hardly recognized her when she spoke. “Crewe?”

“Actually, it’s London.” I felt a wave of anger once our conversation was engaged. She’d caused me a lot of unnecessary pain. For an instant, I forgot why I was even bothering to do this.

“Oh…”

I sat on the phone in silence, unable to form words. I chewed on my inner cheek and cleared the anger from my blood. “I’m back in Scotland. Crewe asked me to marry him.”

“Congratulations…” She still sounded frail. “I know you don’t believe me and that’s perfectly fine, but I’m sorry for everything. I shouldn’t have overstepped my boundaries. I shouldn’t have done any of the things I did. Please take care of Crewe. He’s a good man.”

I shouldn’t pity her, but I did. “Crewe told me you told him the truth.”

“He went through a hard time when you left. Got blood poisoning from drinking too much. Lost his way…it was bad. I realized I made a terrible mistake, and I had to make it right. But telling him the truth doesn’t erase what I did. I understand that.”

When I pictured Crewe drinking himself into a coma, I wanted to burst into tears. When we were face-to-face, he took my departure calmly. But I should have known how disturbed he would have been once I was gone.

“Thank you for giving me the chance to apologize,” she said. “I’ll let you go now.”

“Wait, Ariel.”

“Yes?”

No one would judge me if I never spoke to her again. No one would think less of me if I let Crewe lose her. But I didn’t want Crewe to lose someone he cared so much about because of me. If I’d never come into the picture, none of this would have happened. “Can you come to the castle today? I want the three of us to talk.”

“London, he doesn’t want to see me. I accept that.”

“I’ve never wanted him to lose you. I know you’re important to him, even now. There’s no reason it can’t be the three of us. You were always loyal to him until I came around. I want the two of you to have that relationship again.”

Ariel was quiet.

“Can you come to the castle?”

“I want to work it out with Crewe more than anything, but I don’t think I can watch him kick me out again. It broke my heart enough the first time.”

“We have to try. Crewe is stubborn, but if you give him enough time, he’ll come around.”

“I can be there in twenty minutes.”

“Perfect. I’ll tell Dunbar to put you in the office, and I’ll come down with Crewe.”

She sighed over the phone. “I hope this goes well, but my expectations are low.”

“My expectations are high.”