Page 137 of Scarred Crown

As soon as the doctor leaves, I make my excuses to Kafil and Bahati and meet my driver out front again. We zip to the palace, and my stomach flutters with excitement and a hint of unease.

The car has barely come to a stop before I’m ducking out the door and almost skipping to the front entrance. Maybe Nick won’t want to see me, but I need him to admit we’re not a lost cause, that we can make things work, even if we still have our issues.

I’m almost through the main entrance when Alex calls out to me. The temptation to ignore him and keep going is incredibly strong.

“He’s not here,” he calls after me when I don’t slow my pace. “And I know you’re not staying there right now.”

I whirl around. “Did you leak the referendum?”

“Yes,” Alex admits, his voice tight. “I couldn’t talk sense into Father. He wasn’t going to tell them. So, I forced his hand.”

“And dropped a bomb in mine.” I huff. “A little warning would have been nice.”

“You asked me to get King George to tell them. I got King George to tell them.” Alex shrugs. “I could have told you Nick wouldn’t take it well no matter who dropped the truth in his lap. You could have told him, and he still would have raged about you not telling him earlier. If you told him in Tanzania, he would have been pissed you weren’t loyal to Dad. That’s Nick. Sensitive, hard to please, Nick.”

“Neither of you reads each other very well.” I shake my head.

“Or maybe you don’t read either of us well,” Alex suggests.

I suck my teeth and cross my arms. “Where is Nick?”

“Not sure. But not here.” Alex comes closer.

I let out a sigh and mull over my options. Wait for him. Leave and hope he seeks me out later.

“I made some inquiries into your wedding in Las Vegas.”

“What?” I ask, unable to hide my surprise. “Why?”

“Call it curiosity.” Alex crosses his arms. “Did you know there’s no State of Nevada marriage license for you and Nick?”

I can feel the color drain from my face, and I press my fingers into my forehead, lightheaded. “What?”

“Despite the tattoos,” Alex says with a nod at my hand. “You and Nick aren’t legally married.”

Holy shit.

The one thing I’ve been counting on while Nick and I sort out our relationship is that we’re married. The fancy royal wedding was a bonus, not a necessity. If we’re not really married, what will that mean for us?

Nicholas

Instead of going back to my own suite of rooms at the end of our various public commitments today, I went to Brice’s wing. The truth is my wing of the house is a stark reminder of what I had with Jules just two days ago. Every nook, cranny, and piece of furniture has a memory of her attached to it. I want to embrace it all or burn it all to the ground. There’re no half-measures in my thinking.

“Take a drink.” Brice pours two more shots.

“You can’t keep asking me the same question.” I tip back the shot.

“Actually, I can. It’s not in the rules anywhere that I can’t keep asking the question until you answer.” Brice draws a card and smirks.

I draw a card and curse. This is my third two. We’ve only drawn six cards. When we turn them around to face each other, Brice chuckles.

“You going to drink now, or do you want me to ask the question first?”

“Don’t ask the same fucking question. It’s obnoxious and counter to the whole game.”

“When are you going to take your wife back?” All hint of teasing drops off his face.

I take the shot and glare at him.