Page 50 of The King's Fake Bride

Amy won’t have to go through losing me either.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the crown is a curse in some ways more than others.

Amy shines so bright that I’m sure the council will do nothing but drain her energy and light. I don’t want them to ruin her.

I grab a helmet and hold it out to her. “Here, put this on.”

She takes the helmet and slides it over her head. I stand in front of her, adjusting the strap to the proper tightness before flipping up her visor.

Her eyes sparkle with amusement. “I don’t think this is a side of you I get to see much anymore.”

Guilt stabs me in the chest. “Work has been awful, and it seems like the policies are getting harder to push through. After the wedding, we’ll have a bit of a honeymoon though.”

“Actually, there’s something I have to do a few days before the wedding.”

I press the button to open the garage door before putting my own helmet on and turning on the comms between both. “What’s that?”

“I have to fly back to New Jersey for Gabby’s wedding. I’m her maid of honor, and I have to be there for her. It’s bad enough that I missed the bachelorette.”

Tensing, I nod and get on the bike, waiting for her to get on behind me. “Give Daphne the flight details, and she’ll inform the pilot.”

“I don’t need a private plane.”

“I think you should take it. You’ll fly comfortably, and you don’t have to worry about who else is on the plane.” I gun the engine to life as her arms wrap tight around my waist.

Amy hums, but she doesn’t say anything, nestling tighter behind me as we rip out of the garage and down the road to town.

The front gates swing open as we near them, security nodding to us and a black car appearing behind us.

The team will stay far enough back that it’ll feel like we’re alone, but I’m still not going to be able to shake the knowledge that we’re being followed.

We enter the town, and I park the bike near Beatriz’s café, popping in long enough to wave at her before leading Amy to the next street over and down about two blocks.

“Where are we going?” she asks, looking around at the other shops and restaurants in the area. “The florist said they would be done with the arrangements the day before the wedding.”

“We’re not going to see the florist. I had something else in mind.” I stop in front of a little building with a “for lease” sign hanging in the window.

Amy looks at me, her eyebrows pulling together and her mouth pinching into a thin line. “Are you going to be leasing a space in town?”

I punch the code into the key box hanging from the handle, opening it up and taking out the key.

There’s a dull thud as it twists in the lock before the paned glass door swings open, showing off white oak floors and a counter painted the same color as the ocean.

Amy walks in, her mouth dropping as she looks up at the white ceiling with the exposed beams that match the floor. “Xander, what is this place?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess we should look around and find out.”

She goes over to a window that links the main area to the industrial kitchen in the back. “This looks like it could be a bakery, but that still doesn’t explain what we’re doing here.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I smirk as she rolls her eyes and pushes her way through the white swinging door to the kitchen.

Her excited squeal echoes through the empty building before she pops her head back out. “You have to come in here. Everything is top of the line, and whoever had this kitchen loved it.”

I follow her through the door, glancing at the white and blue tiles on the floor and the glossy white walls. “What do you think of the place?”

“It’s gorgeous, but if you think this is going to be my bakery, you must’ve lost your mind. There’s no way this building is going to be on the market in two years. Someone is going to see this and snatch it up right away.”

“I thought that too, which was why I thought I should bring you here and show you the place today.”

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