Chapter 9

9

ISAAC

This can't be happening. "No fucking way."

"I understand?—"

"No, you don't." I jab his chest. "Every time she comes back, it's temporary. When she leaves, Simon is devastated all over again. I'm not fucking doing that to my son. And the legal fees—" I stop before I say too much. Dashing at the tears, I scream in frustration. "I don't care what she has or what she tells them. I don't."

"Isaac…"

The tone in his voice, as if I'm being unreasonable, beats like a drum in my head, getting louder and louder. Did he really think I'd be okay with this? I shake my head repeatedly, rejecting whatever he's about to say before he says it. I'm seething with anger. Anger at Jane for fucking everything up. Again. Anger at Adrian for thinking this is at all okay. And anger at myself for even imagining this could work.

Forget the prince. Forget the fairy tale. I need to get Simon and go. As I move forward to knock on the partition, Adrian grabs my hand. "At least hear her out."

"Like hell, I will." I jerk my hand away. "What are you afraid of, Adrian? Is your reputation that important? They have a picture of you kissing my palm. That's it. I get that you don't want to be seen with a common?—"

"Isaac." His sharp tone stops me. I've never seen him angry. Not that we've spent much time together, which is what makes the entire situation ridiculous. "You're not—that's not it." He grabs my shoulders and turns me so I'm facing him. His eyes burn into me. "You think I care if anyone knows I'm…interested in a single dad in America? I'll announce it to the world. But think, Isaac. What does that look like for you? I'm used to the attention. You're not. The press at your house. At your work. Both of them. At Simon's school. His daycare. Never giving you a moment's peace."

I told myself it could never work. But I hadn't believed that. The reality? I put my son in the spotlight just by being with Adrian. Prince Adrian. And for the moment, I let that overwhelm my worry about Simon. About Jane. I allowed myself to feel my feelings. This thing between us can never work. And Adrian doesn't want to even try. But I shake that thought off. He's just worried about me. About Simon. Right? "Okay, yeah. I get it."

I hate the pitying look on his face. He shakes his head. "You don't get it, Isaac. She and this reporter can spin it however they want. You're keeping a devoted mother from her son."

"That's—" I rub my eyes. "That's not true. At all."

His grip tightens on my other arm. Not hard. More like he's trying to get my attention. "They won't care. Once the media gets ahold of it—" Releasing me, he turns away. "I messed up everything. I'm so sorry."

In a way, he did, but I'm not sure I'd change anything. "No. This is all on Jane." I thread our fingers together.

His thumb brushes over my skin. "I don't regret meeting either of you. That makes me a selfish person, I know?—"

"Stop, please stop." I cup his face, and he leans into my touch. "I don't regret meeting you either. But I don't know what to do. I need to protect Simon."

"We should meet with her. See what she knows. What she wants."

Just that word has me calmer. We. He isn't deserting me. Not that he should go with me to meet Jane, but he's willing. I nod, and he rests his forehead against mine.

"How do you want to proceed? I'll do anything I can to make this easier."

A buzz from my phone interrupts us. I glance at the screen. Zye. And the small bit of text I can see is about my prince charming. I let out a wet laugh. "Anything?" I grin at Adrian. Then I call Zye. I should have done this already. But now I need all the backup I can get.

"Zye—"

"Are you home already? How was it? Did you get a kiss, at least?"

"Zye, stop. I have something important to tell you."

My eyes wander to Adrian. God, he's so gorgeous and sweet. How is Zye going to take this news? The silence on the other end of the line catches my attention. "Zye?"

"Are you quitting?"

"What? No. Why would I quit?" I push back my fears, not even sure what I'm afraid of. "I want you to meet my…" Prince? No. "Guy."

Zye squeals, and I pull the phone away to save my eardrums. Adrian is grinning ear to ear, and I have soft, squishy feelings about it. "Seriously?" Zye says so loudly that I'm sure Adrian can hear it. "Your prince charming?"

My body feels light, like I'm floating. How can I feel happy and miserable at the same time? "Something like that."

"Can I bring Miles to this meet and greet?" he asks in a lower voice. Is Miles right there?

I laugh, shaking my head. "Yes, of course." Adrian scrunches his brows in question, and I squeeze his hand. "Bring Miles."

I call in sick the next day, which I'm sure fuels speculation, but I don't care. Nothing is more important than figuring this out and keeping my son safe. Simon did not want to go to daycare, but I promised to make it up to him. School is still a week and a half away. And I'd made plans last week for us to spend time together before it all starts again. We just need to get past this bump in the road.

Zye is in his office when I get there, grinning and twirling in excitement. Miles shakes his head. "Sorry, Isaac," he says with his country-boy accent, even though he now lives in the KC metro area. You can take the boy out of the country, as the saying goes. But looking at the two, Miles in a well-worn T-shirt and jeans and Zye in a floral short-sleeve button-down and white chinos, you'd never guess that Zye is the one with the vegetable garden and chickens. "I tried to get him to be cool about this."

"I'm cool." He glares at Miles. "This is me cool."

"Uh-huh."

Zye has a typical office with a couch, several chairs, and even a small table. He has a computer off to the side so he can focus on the couples. And pictures of chickens on the wall.

Adrian and Reginald are in the lobby waiting for my signal. I need to prepare Zye. But how? "When you meet him, don't freak out."

Zye waves his hand. "Why would I freak out?" His eyes widen. "Do I know him? Oh my God. It is Christy? I thought—never mind. He closed the restaurant down last night. Mrs. Weppler told me no one was allowed in. Was that you?"

She's the town librarian and a busybody. "Yes. At the restaurant. But no. Not Christy, Jesus, Zye."

"Is it a mob boss?—"

"Sweetheart," Miles says, placing a hand on the back of his neck, "take a breath and let the man talk."

"All this secrecy is freaking me out. But I'm calm." He takes a deep breath as if to prove it. "So, where's your guy?"

I press my hand against my heart to keep it from leaping out of my chest as I open the door leading to the lobby and wave them in. Reginald enters first. Probably a safety thing.

Zye's eyes dart between Reginald and me, his brows rising. "Um, Isaac?"

The weirdness of it all is too much. Reginald is at least twenty years older than me. Does Zye really think…but maybe he thinks I want a Daddy? I giggle. Zye's eyes widen, probably because I never giggle. "No, it's not—just give him a minute."

Reginald glances around the room and then nods for Adrian to enter. Dramatic much?

"He has his own bodyguard?" Miles asks in a low voice, though not low enough.

Adrian enters the room, head high, looking elegant and princely. A quick bite of his lip reveals his nervousness. He's so damn cute. I turn to my friends, who are staring at Adrian and then me.

"He looks like that prince you're always drooling over," Miles says, and Zye elbows him.

"Is this a joke?" Zye waves a hand between the two of us.

"What?"

"I tell you to find a prince of your own and you bring me Prince Adrian? Is this a joke?"

"Zye," Adrian says, taking a step toward him. "I understand this must be confusing?—"

He's cut off by a gasp from my boss, who is acting all sorts of weird. "It's really him." He turns to me. "He knows my name." Then he twirls in a circle and points at Adrian. "You were supposed to get married last weekend, and now you're here with Isaac, who doesn't even care about anything remotely royal. This is a prank. Are you making fun of me for being obsessed with royal weddings?"

"Definitely not—" Adrian begins, but this time, I cut him off.

"Yes. I called up the prince of Lutiana and said, ‘Hey, Adrian, my dude, let's prank my friend.' That's exactly it." I'm pissed now, and I'm not even sure why. "It couldn't be that I met him at Burger King, and we had a…" God, I'm not sure how to describe it.

"Connection. We had a connection." He shoots me a quick smile and turns back to Zye. "I understand everyone being upset about the wedding, but that's between Jasella and myself."

"That poor girl."

Adrian snorts at this. "She's fine. We really don't have time for your suspicions. Is this unusual? Yes. But Isaac is the best person I know. He's good and sweet…" His eyes are on me, and I can't look away.

"I know how good and sweet he is," Zye says, his sassy voice getting louder. "He's my friend. You've known him for less than two weeks. What connection could you possibly have?"

"Oh my fucking God, Zye. Stop?—"

But Adrian must take his words as a challenge. He rests a hand on my nape and pulls me into a scorching kiss. Holy hell. I get lost in the feel of his mouth on mine. The taste of his lips. I sigh, wanting more. He pulls away too soon. "Now that we have that settled," he says, sounding breathless, "tell Zye what's going on."

His lips are red and slightly wet from our kisses. His eyes are an indescribable green color. Emerald? "Zye who?"

He grins, showing his dimples. Is it wrong to want to lick them? He's so handsome. Adrian turns my head so I'm looking at my friend and boss. Right, Zye.

"We're convinced." Miles crosses his arms and gives Zye a look. "Right, sweetheart?"

Zye fans himself and nods. "Yes. Convinced. And I owe Simon an apology. Do we need the whiteboard?"

"Probably."

Adrian looks confused. "Apology?"

Zye grabs the whiteboard from behind the desk. "Simon told me all about Prince Adrian and even drew me a picture."

"No. He drew me a picture."

Zye stops, markers in hand, and stares at Adrian. Is this going to be a thing? After a second, his shoulders relax. "Yes. The picture was for you. Now, tell us what's going on and why I'm just now hearing about it."

I ignore the last part and, with Adrian's help, fill them in on the story. The reporter. The picture—which has Zye holding his fist over his mouth with swoony eyes—and Jane's request.

"No way, Isaac. You can't let her do this." Zye's jaw clenches as he taps his foot. He's been through all of it with us. Our wedding, which Zye planned. It was one of his first jobs…he was still in high school at the time. Then Simon being born and things falling apart after that. Jane trying to unalive herself. Multiple rehabs. It broke me to see Jane go through all that and not be able to help. I know Zye felt the same.

They were close friends, so I completely understand his frustration. His fear. I live with it every day.

Adrian takes my hand and leads me to the couch. I'm too wound up to sit, but I let him pull me down beside him. "It's not that simple," Adrian says, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I lean into his warmth. Zye opens his mouth and Adrian raises his hand. "It's hard to imagine how intrusive—suffocating—the media attention and the public eye can be unless you live it." He explains his concerns.

Miles nods. "My best friend, Cher, struggles with it. Not like a prince, I'm sure, but she's never able to do anything without fans wanting selfies with her or her autograph or people just waiting for her to mess up." He gets quiet after that. Is he thinking about Cher's viral non-wedding and his part in it?

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Reginald says, a slight blush on his face. I almost forgot he was there. And have I ever seen him embarrassed? Or anything less than put together? No. I have not. "Did you say you were friends with Cher?"

I laugh. "Not that Cher."

"Cher Webber?" he clarifies.

My mouth drops open. Reginald's definitely blushing now, and Adrian smiles fondly at him. "Reggie is a huge fan. He's even tried to get me to watch her videos." His smile drops and, almost as one, his and Reginald's eyes widen. They stare at Zye and then Miles and back.

"You're the wedding planner?" Reginald asks, then purses his lips together.

"Yes, but—it wasn't—" Zye stops and glances helplessly at Miles.

"So you get it then?" Adrian leans forward, and I miss the feel of his arm around me. "The media attention?"

"They mostly stalked Cher, but we did have some reporters here."

"And it was awful." The press outside the shop. The calls. Many people wanting to try Cher's Will Your Wedding Stick TikTok challenge. But some calls were from people screaming at us for ruining Cher's life or just calling Zye and Miles homophobic names. All the weirdos came out. And that was just a taste. They didn't know me or Simon.

"So you're going to meet with Jane?" Zye asks. At my nod, he says, "I want to be there. You shouldn't go alone."

"He won't be alone. I'll be with him."

Zye shakes his head. "Your—Prince Adrian, that's not a good idea. You're confirming everything. It gives her more leverage."

"I concur," Reginald says, returning to his chair in the corner of the room. "It's too risky, Your Highness."

"I don't care. This is my fault?—"

I squeeze Adrian's arm and kiss his cheek. "It's really not."

He gives me a grateful smile. Did he really think I blamed him? "Thank you for saying that. But it isn't up for debate, Isaac. I'm going with you."

We hammer out the plan. Miles volunteers to watch Simon. Adrian calls the reporter to arrange the meeting. It's no surprise that she wants the reporter with her, but it still makes me uneasy. This entire thing could go horribly wrong.

When we prepare to leave, I hug my friend. "Thank you, Zye."

"Are you kidding? You're my bestie, Isaac. My…Cher." He glances over at Miles and back to me. "I'd do anything for you and Simon. Anything."

My eyes water and I blink back tears. No getting all weepy. I clear my throat. "How's the non-wedding party doing? Are they still in Vegas?"

"Cher left yesterday. Her agent had arranged meetings. I'm not sure about the rest. I haven't heard from Rainn."

Rainn is Zye's brother and was the surprise groom in Cher's non-wedding. The entire wedding party, except for Miles, went to Vegas. Including the best man, Mac. Rainn's best friend since childhood. They've been scarce on details since they left.

"Have you called him?"

"We've texted." He waves his hand dismissively. "All I get from him are one-word texts. I'm not—" He shakes his head. And he doesn't have to say the words. He still isn't over his mother dropping him and his brother off with their respective dads ten years ago to go on a cruise and never returning. He isn't over not hearing a word from his brother in all that time until he showed up as Cher's secret groom. Zye refuses to beg Rainn to stay in his life.

I thought things were better, but that wound may never heal.

Miles puts his hand on his back and Zye leans into it. I wasn't a Miles fan at first, but I'm glad Zye has him. A touch on my arm gets my attention. Adrian smiles and threads our fingers together. I'm not alone. A rush of emotion hits me and the tears from before threaten to fall. I lean into him, enjoying the warmth and strength of his body. I have support. Physically and emotionally.

I'll need it to get through a meeting with Jane.