Page 74 of Matched with the Grumpy Secret Prince

Her brows crease, like she’s trying to read between the lines.

I step forward, exhaling slowly. “Seven years ago, I left the castle because I couldn’t handle what came with my title. And a month ago, I—” I run a hand over my jaw, guilt twisting in my gut. “I did the same thing to you.”

Her lips part slightly, but she doesn’t say anything.

“I kissed you, and then I left. I didn’t explain. I didn’t give you anything but silence, and that’s on me.” My throat tightens. “I thought disappearing would make it easier, but all it did was make me realize how much I—” I pause, shaking my head. “How much I needed to come back.”

She looks away, her arms crossed, her breath uneven. “Graham?—”

“I’m sorry,” I cut in, my voice thick with regret. “I’m sorry for all of it. For not telling you who I was. For making you think you didn’t mean enough to me to stay.” I step closer, my fingers itching to touch her, to prove I’m here now. “Because the truth is, Sophie, I’ve never cared about anything the way I care about you.”

Her breath catches.

For a moment, it’s just us, standing in my doorway, the weight of everything unsaid pressing down on us.

Then—she moves.

Before I can process it, she steps forward, gripping the front of my shirt, and pulls me into a kiss.

A kiss that feels like relief and frustration and everything in between.

I groan against her lips, my hands sliding to her waist, holding her tighter like I’m afraid she might disappear.

“Sophie,” I whisper between kisses, apologizing again and again against her skin, against her lips. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She pulls back slightly, her eyes stormy but softer now. “Ethan and Riley’s wedding is in two days.”

I nod, my forehead still resting against hers. “I know.”

A small smirk plays on her lips. “Think you can handle a Bardstown wedding, Your Highness?”

I let out a breathy laugh, shaking my head. “Not alone.”

She tilts her head slightly, studying me, before she says, softly but with certainty?—

“Then let’s go together.”

I've stayed indoors for the past two days, letting the chaos settle.

Not that it ever fully does.

Since the news broke, my phone hasn’t stopped buzzing—calls, messages, reporters trying to get a statement. But none of that matters to me. The only people I’ve cared to speak to are my parents and Isaac, who haven’t stopped checking in on me.

I never thought I’d be the son who kept in touch. But here I am, talking to them constantly, hearing my mother’s gentle reassurances, my father’s measured words, and Isaac’s teasing jabs about how I managed to keep my identity a secret for so long.

But today—today is different.

Today, I’m going out.

It’s the morning of Ethan and Riley’s wedding, and as I adjust the cufflinks on my tuxedo, I glance at myself in the mirror. The man staring back at me is still Graham—the same man who’s built a life in Bardstown, loves working with his hands, and finds peace in the simplest things.

But now, the world knows the other part of me, too.

Prince Graham Alexander.

And for the first time, I’m learning how to be both.

I grab my car keys and step outside, the crisp morning air hitting me as I slide into my truck and head toward Mia’s house.

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