LukeThe thought made me shiver. We were that much closer to solidifying our relationship within the kingdom. I could see our future right around the corner, where everyone would be happy. Abir could be with Alda and stay out of the spotlight as king, and I could hold that position while standing next to the woman of my dreams.I headed back to my chambers. It was a strange thing not to have any specific plans that day. I had cleared much of my schedule for the trip to England—mostly wanting to keep the council at bay when it came to a decision about Sophia and me. They carried on with their duties while I set my plans in stone to convince them that I was the best choice for king and whomever I chose to spend the rest of my life with was no business of theirs.Inside my chambers, the bed was already made up and the surfaces polished. Sophia’s phone and mine sat side by side on my desk, the servants having moved them there so they wouldn’t get lost. Sophia didn’t need her phone, but I
SophiaThe marble countertop pressed against the small of my back as I watched Luke walk away and leave me alone with his mother. On any other day, her presence in the room would be cause for alarm, but after the conversation between the two of them the day before, Luke left us, knowing that his mother wasn’t about to berate me about my background or being with her eldest son.At least, I hoped that wasn’t her plan. I hadn’t had enough coffee that morning to put up a proper fight about my background, though why should I be expected to?With a shaky hand, I placed my mug down on the counter and plastered a smile on my face. “Where would you like to go, Gia?”“Every morning, I enjoy taking a stroll around the grounds. It clears my head for the day. I wanted you to accompany me.”I nodded. “Okay.”She tucked her hands under the folds of her dress and turned around, facing the doorway that Luke had just walked through.I scurried to her side as she led the way for our morning stroll. Sinc
SophiaGia indicated a nearby bench and invited me to sit with her.I sat, and the muscles in my legs twitched. I wished we could have kept walking; it was helping to keep my nerves from overwhelming me. I clasped my hands in my lap and tried to act as calmly as possible.“I dreamed of being a journalist my entire life. But after meeting Luke, things came up at work, and I wasn’t going to move forward in that career.”“So, it was time for a change?” Gia asked.“It was,” I said. “I never would have left if it weren’t for Luke.”“Why is that?” Her eyebrows drew together, and I could already hear the phrase “gold digger” in her mind.“He supported me and my career, but in a way, I was always looking for more. That more turned out to be Luke.”“So, you quit your job for him?” Gia asked.“Not exactly,” I said, treading carefully. I was never the type of person to do something because someone told me to do it. In fact, I was quite the opposite. “I interviewed and got another job with a diff
LukeAfter the conversation with Maddox, I was more than excited to tell Sophia the big news. I hoped it wouldn’t scare her, but if she felt the same way I did, there was no reason we had to wait any longer to be man and wife. It would take a lot of planning and money, but I had enough staff and money at my fingertips to give Sophia all she wanted and needed when it came to her wedding day.I didn’t care much about the day, other than spending every second of it with her.I thought about how the council would handle it when we returned to the palace as man and wife. They would probably flip out and threaten my seat on the throne again. While I wanted nothing more than to marry Sophia, I had to be smart about all of this. I couldn’t get a wedding arranged any sooner than Saturday, so there was time between now and then to settle things with the council. In a perfect world, I would want them to accept Sophia and me. Then we could have our wedding without any baggage on our shoulders.Wa
SophiaOur evening together was one of my favorite nights with Luke. While we’d gone to the most expensive and luxurious restaurants and hotels in the world, I was still that Southern girl who loved to kick back with her man and spend the night with just him.As if the servants were already aware of Luke’s plan, they’d arrived in the room quickly with all the necessary things to turn the balcony into a private dining experience. The table was small and just big enough for our food, offering comfort and intimacy that a meal in the dining room never could.I felt bad for skipping out on dinner with Gia right after we’d started to get along, but once Luke informed her of our plan to get married that weekend, I hoped she would forgive us, knowing that we had wanted to spend one night alone with the secret. I honestly wanted her to fill that mother-shaped gap in my heart.The next morning, my hands shook as we walked out of Luke’s bedroom for breakfast. While we hadn’t stayed up all night
SophiaAbir reached over and touched Gia’s hand. Gia turned to him.“I just wanted to make sure you haven’t taken ill,” Abir said.Gia swatted at him. “The two of you. You have no faith in me. After losing Erol, I’ve concluded that I’m not willing to lose any more men in my life. Traditions are important, but you two, and you, Sophia, are much more important to me.” Her eyes met mine, and her smile had returned. “All I ask is that I can help with the arrangements. It’s the least I can do for you both.”“Of course,” Luke said, taking my hand in his. He moved our hands to the surface of the table.It was the first time that Luke and I were so close in front of his mother without her scowling at me. I wondered what the hell someone had put into her tea that morning because I wanted some of it. I was seeing a damn miracle unfold in front of me. I’d never seen her be so agreeable about anything in the time I’d known her. And by the slack-jawed expression on Luke’s face, it appeared that ne
LukeSince Sophia wanted Matt to trek across the world to the palace, I had to give up my private plane for him. He was the only other significant person in Sophia’s life, and I wanted to be sure he would be on time for the wedding.Which was why I had to put Maddox on a commercial flight to Qatar and why I waited for him at the terminal so that he could tell me how much he hated me in person.After he berated me, I could ask for any last-minute advice about the meeting that I was about to have with the council.With Mother’s acceptance of the quick union between Sophia and me, I didn’t feel right about moving forward without informing them that I fully intended to marry Sophia while keeping my position as the king.While I knew they weren’t going to give up without a fight, I had to hold my ground. They would never respect me if I gave up under their wishes, and I wouldn’t respect myself. Sophia and I were meant for each other. We were meant for the kingdom.Thinking about all the po
LukeIn our years as friends and business partners, Qatar was one place that I kept sacred to me. Sophia was the first person that broke that rule, and it was only a matter of time before I did the same for Maddox. I hoped he didn’t have hard feelings about it, but if he had, he didn’t show any emotion either way.“Mate,” Maddox said as the car moved past the main gate and up toward the palace. “You’ve been holding back on me.”“I have?” I asked.He shoved my arm. “This is a palace! Like, a real palace.”“I am a king,” I said, chuckling.“I have a pretty wild imagination, but nothing that could have created this in my mind. I’m blown away. Thank god I have a seatbelt on.”“I’m glad you like it,” I said.“Like it? I think I’m going to move in. It looks like you have plenty of room.”“That, I do,” I said. Growing up in the palace, it was easy enough to hide from my parents. That was until the servants were employed to find me. They outnumbered my family by a lot, so I could never hide f