AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If you think it’s best.” Maisy sounded so disheartened that Xander felt another stab of guilt for the mess he’d gotten them into.
“It’ll just be for a few days, a week or two tops.” Maisy’s father put his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll work everything out. I’m sure Niko will come to his senses in an hour or two about what a wonderful girl he has.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
No one asked Xander if he was okay with pretending to be Niko on his honeymoon, but he supposed he deserved that. He had decided to take his brother’s place without consulting any of them, after all.
“Okay. It’s settled, then.” Queen Karina clapped her hands. “You two, out to the jet. We’ll be in touch.”
Just like that, Xander and Maisy were shepherded out of the room. Xander’s head was spinning. In the space of less than an hour he’d gone from being a single and relatively carefree bachelor to a married man about to spend who knew how long with a woman who clearly hated him. This was going to be a complete disaster.
Xander just hoped that he could pull a week off as Niko and get Maisy to forgive him without causing any more difficulties for any of them. He just wasn’t so sure that would be possible — especially after the unexpected connection he’d felt during the ceremony.
Xander was pretty sure he was in for a world of trouble.
CHAPTER 6
MAISY
Maisy felt like her whole world was spinning. This morning, she’d been so sure she knew what would happen today, on her wedding day, yet nothing had turned out as she’d expected. And now, somehow, she was married to the wrong brother. And not just the wrong brother — a known playboy whose romantic exploits appeared in national and international papers almost as much as trade agreements or government reports.
Worse, she was still going on the planned honeymoon, but with the wrong guy. Until their parents could figure out a way forward, Maisy would have to pretend that Xander was Niko, and that she was very much in love with him. The thought of faking a honeymoon with a man who’d just betrayed her trust in the biggest way possible was unimaginable.
Yet that was what their parents had decided, and Maisy didn’t see another way forward.
“Maise?” As they were shepherded into the hallway, Lily pushed off the wall she’d been leaning on and leaped into their path. When Maisy didn’t stop, she fell into step beside her and linked her arm through her sister’s.
“Hi, Lil.”
“What’s going on?” Lily’s voice was low and worried. “Everyone disappeared right after the ceremony, and when I went to follow, Mom and Dad told me to wait outside. Is something wrong?”
“Um…” Maisy usually avoided lying to her sister — or anyone she cared about — at all costs, but she couldn’t exactly spill the secret of the switch right here in the corridor. “I’ll call you when we arrive in Kanalea and tell you all about it.”
“Okay…” Lily looked worried. “But Maisy, can’t you tell me something? Is everything okay?”
“Everything will be okay.” Maisy’s voice sounded more confident than she felt. “And I promise I’ll tell you everything the minute I can.”
“If you say so…” Lily still looked worried, but Maisy didn’t have time to comfort her or confide in her, because at that moment they stepped through the palace’s double doors and into the sunshine outside. Maisy blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. Ahead of them was a long, red carpet and on either side stood what must have been hundreds of people. They held signs that read “Maisy and Niko 4ever!” and “Congratulations to the prince and princess!” and “Happy Honeymoon!” At the end of the carpet was the tarmac, where a private jet waited to fly the newly married couple to their honeymoon on Kanalea.
“Maisy.” Maisy turned to the familiar voice and saw Xander standing beside her. He looked as stunned as she felt, but as she watched, he rearranged his face into a polite smile. In that moment, he could have easily passed for Niko.
“What?” Maisy’s tone was harsh — she couldn’t exactly make polite conversation with this man after what he’d done.
“If we’re going to keep up the ruse, we need to hold hands and walk together.” His voice was low. When Maisy looked down, he was holding out his hand to her.
Maisy took a breath. She didn’t want to hold Xander’s hand or smile and wave to the crowd, but there was no other option. Reluctantly, she released Lily’s arm and slipped her hand into Xander’s. Surprisingly, his hand felt very different from Niko’s — it was slightly rougher, but not unpleasantly so, and he curled his fingers around hers differently.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Together, they stepped onto the carpet. Cheers rose from the crowd, and Maisy raised her hand and began to wave. The cheers increased, then increased again as Xander raised his own hand. They descended the stairs into the thick of the crowd. Hands reached out from behind the small barrier that demarcated the carpet, and Maisy slowed and reached out, brushing her palm across them. A little girl perched on her father’s shoulders waved enthusiastically to Maisy, and she paused to smile at the child.
“You’re a natural,” Xander said in a low voice.
“I’ve been training for this for years,” Maisy reminded him. When she glanced at Xander, she saw that he was looking deeply uncomfortable. Good. If he was going to make wild decisions involving marrying her, he should suffer a little bit in front of a crowd.
Then Maisy sighed internally. His discomfort could give them both away.
“Smile,” she whispered.
