Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 66387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“Done,” I say immediately. “Where are the guys?”
“Sebastian already scooped them all up and took them fox hunting for the day,” Jenna says with a smile.
“Hunting?” I ask and frown at Fallon. “I don’t think Noah will be on board with that.”
“He’s from Montana,” Fallon replies with a shrug. “Hunting is a thing there. But if there are any injured birds, he can help.”
“Hello, everyone,” Eleanor says with a smile. “Catherine and I are here to take everyone to the spa for the day.”
Jenna gives Eleanor a high-five, surprising me. In the week that Jenna and Christian have been here, they’ve grown to really like Sebastian’s family. And, to my delight, the family seems to like them in return.
It’s been an awesome week.
“I could seriously use a massage after that flight,” Grace says. “I had no idea that a red-eye could be so exhausting. I thought I’d sleep on the plane.”
“No sleep?” I ask.
“Not even a little,” Willa says. “None of us slept. Well, except Max, who can sleep anywhere.”
“Well then, the spa is the perfect way to freshen up,” Catherine says with a kind smile. I haven’t spent much time with Catherine. She and Frederick took their children to another home in Scotland for a month, so they’ve been away from the palace most of the time I’ve been here.
“Shall we go?” Eleanor asks.
“Let’s go,” I say.
***
“So, basically, I could live in your closet,” Willa says much later after we’ve all been to the spa and back again. We decided to continue the party in my apartment.
“It’s the size of your house in Montana,” Fallon says, sipping her champagne. “You have more shoes than I’ve ever seen.”
“I spent weeks being fitted for all of these clothes,” I reply. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to stand in one place for hours at a time and not get stuck by pins?”
“We do,” Eleanor says with a laugh. “And it’s quite tedious.”
“It’s the worst,” Catherine agrees. “Tell us about your home in Montana.”
“It’s on the lake,” I begin and smile as I think about my little house. “I have a boat, and I love being out on the water.”
“It’s her happy place,” Fallon adds.
“But this isn’t a bad trade,” Grace says thoughtfully. “Also, I’m so happy I can drink champagne again.”
“You had a baby earlier this year, didn’t you?” Catherine asks. “I only know that because Sebastian is so close to Jacob, and he told us all the news.”
“It’s such a small world,” Hannah says.
“I did. And now I can finally celebrate things with my friends again with a glass of champagne or wine. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my daughter, but sometimes, a girl needs a drink.”
“I understand,” Catherine replies. She’s a beautiful woman with auburn hair and brown eyes. “I have two children myself.”
Grace and Catherine sit in the living room, talking all about babies and kids. Ellie and Jenna are trying on my shoes.
Willa and Hannah follow me to the kitchen, where I pull out platters of food from the fridge.
“None of this was here earlier,” I say in surprise.
“I had it brought in,” Ellie says. “Or I asked my assistant to have it brought in. I figured we would want to go somewhere private for some girl-time.”
“Thank you.”
A knock on the door surprises me. When I open it, Nick announces, “Her Majesty, the queen.”
We all immediately curtsy as she walks into the room. When the door is shut, she just smiles, looking around the space.
“Oh, isn’t this wonderful? May I please have a glass of champagne?”
The Queen of freaking England just crashed my bachelorette party.
“Of course.” I pour her a glass and pass it to her. Then, to my utter surprise, she takes my hand in hers and holds on tightly.
I haven’t had nearly enough alcohol for this.
Or maybe I’ve had too much. I’ll surely say the wrong thing.
“I know it hasn’t been easy,” she begins. “Trust me, I understand. Although I am British by birth, I was not born to an affluent family. It was all a culture shock to me when my husband asked me to marry him.
“I want to tell you that I think you’re lovely. And I also think that despite not being British, you are a good match for my son. He smiles easier since you’ve been here. He seems happy. And at the end of the day, that’s all a mother wants for her child.”
“Thank you.” For the first time since all of this started, I feel like an imposter. This woman thinks I’m madly in love with her son, but that’s not the case.
That’ll never be the case.
Of course, I care about him, and I like him very much. He makes me laugh, he makes me feel safe. What he does to me in bed should be illegal.