Esme gives me a concerned look, as does Creed, but I subtly shake my head, wordlessly telling them I’m fine and not to press the issue. That’s the thing no one warns you about when you have MS. Everyday occurrences you never thought twice about now make you question its cause. Like muscle weakness, dizziness, loss of balance and coordination… All things I’ve experienced more and more of lately.
Once I’m more confident in my balance, I lead Nora around the room to say our goodbyes.
“You good?” Esme asks when I reach her.
“I’m good.”
“Okay.” She gives me a quick once-over, then wraps Nora in her embrace. “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. And like I always tell Anderson, don’t let the man get you down.” She winks.
“Thanks, Esme. Tonight was exactly what I needed.”
“Then we’ll all have to do it again sometime soon.”
“I’d like that.”
Once we finish saying our goodbyes, we follow Creed into the foyer where another guard waits. He has a similar build to Creed, although slightly shorter, his skin paler, his bright red hair shaved into a crew cut.
“Your Highness.” He bows his head.
“Kylian,” I respond.
“Lieutenant O’Kelly has been assigned to guard Ms. Tremblay,” Creed explains.
“A guard?” Nora presses, glancing between Creed and me. “Is that necessary?”
“It is.” I turn toward her, taking her hands in mine. “It goes without saying there’s quite a bit about this lifestyle I disagree with. But when it comes to your safety and protection, no amount of guards is too many. So far, you’ve only had a taste of what’s to come. The airport was controlled. As was the press conference earlier. This isn’t. There are entire websites devoted to reporting on the royal family’s movements in the hopes of snapping candid photos. Among other things.”
“Other things?” she asks.
“There have been kidnapping attempts on Her Highness,” Creed says stoically, nodding toward the dining room where the lively conversation continues. “Every single member of the royal family is a high-priced target. And I have no doubt there may be threats to you now, as well. That you also have a price tag on your head. It’s why you’ll always have a guard at your side whenever in public, regardless of any lack of perceived threat. Why you’ll soon go through a training class to learn how to conduct yourself if you’re ever kidnapped and held hostage.”
“Held hostage?” Nora squeaks out.
“It’s standard procedure,” I assure her, squeezing her hand. “We’ve all been through it and have never needed to use what we learned because the Royal Guard is the best at what they do.”
I steal a glance out the front windows, crowds of people swarming the sidewalks and streets. The only barricade between them and us right now is the Royal Guard blocking the stairwell.
Local police attempt to move people along. This is private property and they’re currently trespassing. The threat of arrest never seems to dissuade them, though. In fact, some view getting arrested as a badge of honor. The best course of action is to give them what they came here for — a candid shot as we leave and get into the car. Then they’ll continue on with their existence until the next time. And the next. And the next.
“Ready?” Creed asks, looking between us.
Nora draws in a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, her head held high. If this scenario has her on edge, she doesn’t let it show, still the picture of confidence. Like she was born to be a star.
“Ready,” she states.
I nod at Creed. He presses a finger to his earpiece. “We’re coming out.”
The instant he opens the door, flashes blind us as we make our way out of the building and toward the SUV parked a few feet away. But those few feet may as well be miles for all the slurs I hear being flung at Nora.
“You’re no Grace Kelly.”
“He’ll come to his senses.”
“No one wants you here, so just go home, you American skank.”
It takes every ounce of willpower I have to not whirl around and give a piece of my mind to the assembly of mean girls I recognize from several of my public events. All college-aged girls who follow my every movement to the point of obsession.
When we finally reach the car, I glance at Nora. Her expression cracks slightly as more derogatory statements are thrown at her without a single care for the fact that she’s a living, breathing human with feelings. Then again, the second I introduced her to this world, she ceased to be human in their eyes. She’s their future princess, a thing put on display for them to criticize as they see fit.
I quickly help her into the SUV before jumping in behind her. The instant the door slams closed, the guard behind the wheel, Lieutenant Montgomery, drives the car down the street at a slow pace, the police helping to disperse the crowd.
It’s not until we’re a mile away that either of us seems to relax, Nora letting out a long breath.
“You okay?” I give her hand a squeeze.
She nods. “‘If you can paint, I can walk,’” she answers in a shaky voice, quoting the last line from a movie that has a special place in our hearts — An Affair to Remember.
During our journey along Route 66, we’d often fall asleep watching that movie together. At first, we were drawn to the similarities between the storyline and our lives — two people meeting on a journey who fell in love with each other. But after our journey ended, it held a deeper meaning. That despite the obstacles we face, we’ll get through them together. Like Terry McKay tells Nicki Ferrante when he realizes why she didn’t show up to meet him at the top of the Empire State Building… “If you can paint, I can walk.” It’s become an unspoken promise between Nora and me, our vow that no matter what, we won’t give up on each other. On our love.
“If you can paint, I can walk,” I repeat, brushing my lips against her knuckles.
A thick silence descends on the car as the city disappears behind us, our surroundings becoming more residential. When we’re about to turn onto the driveway leading up to my residence, Nora finally speaks again.
“It won’t always be like this, will it?”
I open my mouth, unsure how to respond. I could lie to her, tell her this kind of thing doesn’t happen often, but it does. I have a feeling it will only get worse in the coming weeks. Nora’s fresh meat, and the masses are like a pack of wolves that hasn’t had a meal in ages.
Instead of feeding her any lies, I bring her hand to my lips and kiss the ring I gave her. “I’m sorry.”
It’s the best I can offer right now.
Chapter Fourteen
Nora
“Did you hear what I just said?” a woman’s condescending voice cuts through as I struggle to keep pace with everything my PR team has thrown at me in the past several hours, giving what can only be described as a crash course in learning how to act like a royal.
If I thought I’d ease into my new role as the crown prince’s fiancée, I was mistaken. Instead of sleeping in this morning, I was woken up before the sun and informed I needed to be at the palace at nine. I barely got to see Anderson for more than a few minutes during breakfast, which Lieutenant Colonel Bridge dominated, running through his packed schedule for the day. Then Lieutenant O’Kelly whisked me away for my day full of meetings with the palace’s PR team.