Page 47 of Cooper

I smile. “Thank you. That’s the plan, though it’s sometimes hard to put into practice.”

“Just remember you’re not doing anything wrong. And it’s okay to be happy. We only get one turn around the wheel of life—make the most of it.”

“Do you?” I ask softly. “I mean, you had the most amazing career and then you just walked away… I’m sorry if that’s too personal.”

“Not at all. And yes, I had a pretty awesome career. Money. Success. Things most people only dream of. But without love, the kind Erik and I have, I was hollow inside, just going through the motions. So it was a no-brainer to give that up when I realized not only was he still alive, but he still loved me. Had never stopped loving me even though he watched me from afar when he was purportedly dead.”

“Watched you marry another man.”

“And have his children.”

“That must have been so very difficult.”

“I’ll tell you something very private and intimate, and I hope you won’t repeat it.”

“Never.” I turn to her curiously.

“Erik remained faithful to me for nearly eleven years. The entire time I thought he was dead.”

“He…” My voice trails as what that means sinks in. “Holy shit. He didn’t…” I would typically never ask a question about my king’s sex life, but this is different. And she brought it up.

“Nope.”

“But he was married, wasn’t he?”

“It was a marriage in name only, something the CIA arranged to help conceal his identity. He never consummated that marriage. He said it was different for him because while I believed he was dead, he knew I was alive. For me to have moved on, married someone else, had his children, made sense. I was still in my early twenties when Erik faked his death. But for him, he felt that was his penance for betraying me the way that he did. It was to protect me, but it was a lie and a betrayal nonetheless.”

My heart momentarily breaks for them, and I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for both of them.

“So when I found out he was alive, once I got past the hurt and anger, there was no way we wouldn’t be together, no matter what I had to give up. And I don’t regret anything.”

“Do you think Cooper would have regrets if I asked him to stay here with me?”

“Only you can answer that, but in my gut, I don’t think he would regret staying here with you, assuming things continue to go well. It’s not like we couldn’t find him a job, whether it’s here at the palace or somewhere else.”

A thousand possibilities flit through my brain, but I quickly tamp them down.

Cooper is a marine.

He says he’s not sure what he wants to do next, but he’s not leaving the marines. He might be a little hesitant to recommit after what happened in Iraq, but once he’s healed and back to a hundred percent, he’ll be ready to get back to the action. His unit. His men. He’s not going to leave all of that for me. For a country that means nothing to him.

It’s a wonderful fantasy but not a realistic one.

Unless he could become a Royal Protector.

There’s danger and action and a sense of purpose in that.

Maybe that would be the kind of lure that would keep him here.

But that also would mean leaving the marines, his country, and his life.

Why would he do that for me?

Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for that.

SEVENTEEN

Cooper

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