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“The king visited the group home? How nice.”
“No, not that house.” I shake my head. “My mom’s house. Before she became sick. He visited several times, in fact.”
“But why?”
“I think my mother was one of the king’s … distractions.”
She blinks, no particular expression giving away any feeling one way or the other.
I hold her gaze, waiting for the dismissal, the scoffing.
“I’ve never said it out loud. But if it’s true, you’ll understand why I can’t accept a reward, least of all from the palace. He broke her heart and let her die when treatments could have saved her.”
More silence, yet not the awkward silence like before. “My gods, I’ve never said any of this out loud to anyone.”
Jo leans forward impossibly closer, her pale fingers a hair’s breadth away from mine where they lie on the table, my coffee now gone cold.
“I believe you,” she says. “And I completely understand.”
5
Jo
I blink, shock coursing through my veins. This is…unexpected.
My mind races. Is he pulling my leg? But no, I can see that he’s telling the truth. Or the truth as he sees it.
Jakob’s shoulders sag slightly, his gaze dropping to the table. “I understand if you want to end our meeting now. It’s a lot of drama to take in.”
I reach for him, my hand gently covering his. His hand is warm and rough, his skin bringing to mind thoughts that are wholly inappropriate for the moment we’re having.
“Jakob, none of this changes who you are to me.”
“Thank you,” he rasps.
“All families have a past, Jakob. I mean, you’ve met my father.”
He chuckles, quietly scornful at the mention of my dad.
Our fingers intertwine naturally. Jakob’s rough fingers soothe me, and I long to see the creations that he’s made with them.
“And one other thing. I might have accidentally stolen palace property while I was in the plaza that day. The princess dropped some jewelry when she fell. I found it, and I sold it so I could make the rent.”
“Oh. Wow.” Not judging…not judging.
“I didn’t know it was a ring that belonged to the palace when I found it. But I didn’t exactly try to figure out what it was or who it belonged to, either.”
A long moment passes, and I don’t let go of his hands. The deep shame on his face is totally unwarranted, in my opinion. “Oh, Jakob. Surely they don’t care that much about a little ring. I’m sure if you explain to the palace guards that you didn’t know what it was, it will all work out.”
He winces. There’s something else to this story, but he’s not telling it.
“I’m just not ready for the attention. You know how the news media is.”
I suppose I do understand, but still. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. But I certainly understand not wanting to be identified as the son of the king’s mistress. There have been rumored to be many mistresses, and the palace has in the past done a thorough job of ruining what left of their reputations.
“We all do what we have to do to pay the rent,” I say.
His wide-open blue gaze pricks at my heart as we share a comfortable silence, our hands still locked together. My heart flutters, and my skin itches to know what it’s like to be held by him.
