Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 61160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“Did you come here to play semantics with me?” I asked. “If so, go back to London.”
“I meant to call before coming here.”
“It would’ve saved you the time.” I pulled the car keys from my pocket. “You should leave now.”
“Your stepmother has been out of sorts for weeks, Tyler.” His eyes were puffy and red. “She feels awful about what she said to you, about the rift it’s caused between us.”
“The rift between us has existed for years. She only made it clearer that it’ll never be repaired.”
“You know what?” He stepped closer, his jaw clenched. “That’s the one thing I’ve always hated about you, son.”
“It’s only one thing?”
“There’s several, but this one is at the top of my list.”
“Do I need to print out the directions to the exit for you? It’s literally the same way you came, so—”
“You’re just like your mother,” he said. “Foolish enough to believe that your life is your own, and silly enough to try and do something about it.”
I blinked, wondering if he could hear how ridiculous he sounded.
“She told me she felt trapped all the time,” he said. “That she didn’t like people photographing her every moment, writing about her life as if she was an object, but…” He paused for several moments. “I loved and still love everything about it.”
I said nothing.
“I kept trying to convince her she was delusional about being miserable as a royal.” He looked into my eyes. “Ungrateful, even. It’s honestly my fault she was miserable; I never even tried to make adjustments for her… I should’ve made them for you long ago.”
I crossed my arms. I’d never heard him apologize for anything in life, and I refused to believe that he was heading anywhere near that conclusion.
“I can’t take back the things I’ve done or said, and just because I’ve always been happy with my position in the royal family, it didn’t mean you had to be happy with yours. I understand why you left, but our rift aside, I don’t want to lose you. The rest of the family doesn’t either. I’m sorry.”
I stared at him, ready to say, “Apology unaccepted,” but he pulled a small box from his breast pocket and handed it to me.
“This is the real ring I gave to your mother when I proposed,” he said. “She wore a different one for the press because she wanted to keep something for herself, her own slice of privacy, perhaps.”
I flipped the box open, seeing a massive princess-cut diamond with tiny pink diamonds along its band. I stared at it, seeing how similar it was to the one I’d purchased for Chloe weeks ago.
“I’m sure Priscilla or Charlie will appreciate this.”
“It’s not for them to have,” he said. “You mother made me promise I would give it to you whenever you were ready to marry. She was very adamant about that.”
I ran my finger along the band several times before shutting the box.
“After all I’ve done, you have no reason to want me in your life, but I have every reason to fight for you being a part of mine,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I can to show you I mean it, and I’ll find a way to make up for things. The rest of the family, too.”
“Rest of the family?”
“They’re here on the plane, but they don’t want to get off unless you’re willing to speak to them.”
“There’s only one person I want to talk to right now.”
“Chloe?”
“Clearly.”
“I can tell you where she’ll be at noon tomorrow,” he said.
“Via a lucky guess?”
“A former invitation…”
Can’t Let You Go*
Chloe
Seattle, Washington
33 weeks & 4 days pregnant
Beautifully wrapped boxes, puffy cream cupcakes, and elegant blue balloons filled Kristin’s penthouse suite. She and Madison had worked with Dillon to get me here without the press noticing, and I was fighting back tears the entire time.
I wasn’t sure if it was from the raging hormones I could no longer control or the hole in my heart, courtesy of Tyler.
There were so many nights when I wanted nothing more than to roll over and lay my head against his chest, listen to him tell me about what “odd” thing he was getting used to in the States, or feel him making love to me until the early hours of the morning.
“It’s okay, Chloe.” Kristin rubbed my back. “We don’t have to do this today. We can leave everything as is and you can come back and open gifts when you’re ready.”
“I’m fine.” I managed. “Hand me the first one.”
She hesitated, but grabbed a small silk one from the window ledge.
I took my time tugging at the matching bow and sighed when the fabric fell away.
A picture frame of Tyler and me walking in Seattle’s rain several weeks ago. A note from his sister.
I am so sorry, Chloe. I wish you and Tyler nothing but the best, and I’d love to apologize in person and congratulate you on a new member of the Carrington family.