Page 59 of His Royal Request

Liza smacked her husband’s arm. “She’s a grown woman, Mark. Thank you for your offer, but we trust you.”

Mark didn’t seem entirely convinced, with his brows knit together, but he didn’t argue.

“The Queen recommended that I stay for a little while after the wedding to let things blow over,” Charlie said, “so I won’t be continuing on my trip longer than I planned.”

“That’s fine,” Liza said. “Just keep up posted with your plans.”

I nodded. “I’ll make sure her itinerary is sent to you so you can keep track.”

Charlie looked at me. “I have an itinerary.”

I smiled. “As of this morning you do.”

Liza and her father laughed at her surprised expression.

“Hold on, Charlie. I just heard someone pull into our drive.” Her dad jumped up and moved out of view.

I felt her tense next to me.

“It’s Channel Four. Their van is parked in front of the house.”

Liza’s face grew concerned. “I think they figured you out, sweetheart.”

Charlie nodded. “They work fast.”

I pulled out my phone and texted my assistant. We’d have to contact their local police and have security set up. “I’m working on getting them removed now. I’ll have a reservation made at a local hotel. Once I have the details arranged, I’ll send it over. I’m so sorry this has happened.”

Liza waved her free hand. “You can’t control what you’re born into, hon. We’ll be just fine.”

Mark came back to the screen. “You don’t need to get a hotel room. We can get one ourselves.”

These were good people, just like their daughter. They weren’t looking for handouts or taking advantage of the situation. It made me want to help them even more. “Just look out for some information soon.”

They agreed and Charlie said goodbye before hanging up. “I can’t believe they found my address that fast.”

I put my arm around her shoulder and squeezed her against me. “It’s their job.”

“So, what does this mean for us?”

“We’ll have a lot of eyes on us tonight and all day tomorrow. Just smile and be yourself. That’s worked wonderfully for you so far.”

She smiled but still looked worried.

“What’s wrong?”

She sighed and gazed into my eyes. “Our relationship might not be so fake anymore but I still feel like a fraud.”

“Why would you say that?”

Her brows furrowed. “Aiden, you’re a prince. I’m a regular American girl.”

“Didn’t Liza just say you can’t control what you’re born into? I can’t control the fact my dad’s the king any more than you can. None of that matters to me, but my life doesn’t change by all this. Yours does.”

She nodded. “I can’t lie and say I don’t wish things were simpler, but you’re right. We can only focus on what we can control. I’m not ready for this to end. I’m not ready to give up on us.”

“That’s all I need to know.” I leaned forward and kissed her gently. When I pulled back, she was smiling. “Let’s go see what they’ve figured out.”

We went up the stairs to the ground floor and through the art gallery to my dad’s study. As I expected Cian and some of his staff were together talking.