Page 34 of Fake Dating the Prince

“And as much as your father loves us, as much as he’s part of our lives, he will never experience the stress that comes with being a country’s figurehead.”

It felt dishonest to agree to that—Flip’s dad experienced plenty of stress related to being a member of the royal family, doubly so because his skin color made him a prime target. And every trial he and his mother went through, his father was there to lighten their burdens. But perhaps his mother had a point. “Being prince consort has its own pitfalls.”

“I’ve done well in teaching you diplomacy.” His mother smiled at him and reached for his hand. “Flip. You are my son, and I am so proud of the man you’ve become. I know that one day you will be a kind, compassionate, strong king.”

His throat swelled with emotion, and he swallowed. Before he could answer, his mother went on.

“I have no doubt that whatever happens, you will be beloved by your people, and you will do right by them, and the country will be better for your guidance. I have never worried over your prudence or your judgment or your fairness in matters of state.” She squeezed his hand. “But ever since you were a boy, I have worried over your happiness.”

Flip swallowed the lump in his throat. “Mom—”

She raised her hand. “Let me finish. I know that Miles hurt you deeply, though you tried so hard not to let it show. I know that since then, you have been meticulous in choosing partners who would be suitable, respectable members of the royal family, partners whose qualifications no one could criticize. But sweetheart, let me ask you something. Do you think your father and I are happy?”

Disoriented by the direction the conversation had taken, Flip blinked. “Of course.” His parents rarely fought, and most of their disagreements fell into the category of “playful.”

“Do you imagine that foremost among his qualifications was ‘suitable in the eyes of the tabloid press’?”

That brought Flip up short. “No, of course not.”

His mother raised an articulate eyebrow, and Flip knew he was about to be crushed under the weight of motherly logic. “And yet you made it a qualification when you searched for a love of your own—to your detriment, I think. So you can imagine my joy when I realized you had set that expectation aside.” She paused. “Youhaveset it aside, haven’t you?”

Oh. That was what she was getting at. Flip squirmed. “I don’t know. It’s—our relationship is so new. I didn’t intend for it to get so serious so quickly. I….”

She was smiling, which brought Flip up short. “What?”

“Nothing, sweetheart.” She let go of his hand, cupped his face for a moment, and shook her head. “Only that you remind me of myself thirty-some years ago, trying to make myself believe I was moving too fast when I knew exactly what I wanted.”

Flip’s throat went dry. “Mom?”

“People conveniently forget, you know, when they tell the story of how your father swept me off my feet—which he did. But people forget I was already queen then. Your father was hardly going to propose marriage.”

She paused to let this sink in.

The penny dropped. “Youproposed?”

Her lips curled into a satisfied smile that might have looked smug on someone with a less regal bearing. “Now, Flip, I know I’ve taught you about making assumptions based on gender.”

“Gender nothing!” he said. “I never thoughtyou’dbe so impulsive!” Such a move seemed completely out of character. “Why have I never heard this story?”

“You never asked. But maybe you should have. You know no one proposes to royalty unless they’re royal themselves.” His mother shook her head. “And believe me, it wasn’t impulsive. Sweetheart, I’m a smart woman prone to some amount of introspection. I knew your father was the one for me, and I acted. And all these years later, I don’t have a single regret.”

He felt as though the earth had shifted on its axis.

Would he have behaved differently if he’d understood why he’d effectively been sabotaging every adult relationship he’d ever had? If he’d understood that he hadn’t needed to? Perhaps he’d cost himself a chance at happiness somewhere along the way.

Perhaps, a very insistent voice in his head told him, he had cost himself a chance at happiness with Brayden already, simply because he’d treated their acquaintance as a convenient sham relationship from the start. But then again, even more terrifying, maybe hehadn’truined everything. After all, he still had a little over two weeks before Brayden had to go home. If his father could convince his mother they were meant to be in just three weeks, why not Flip?

“I can see I’ve given you something to think about,” his mother said, a trace of laughter in her voice.

“I… yes,” Flip admitted. “Thank you. I think.”

His mother shooed him away. “Good. Now go get your man.”

A VISITto the diamond mine had been on Brayden’s Maybe list, but once the opportunity came up to visit it with the nation’s crown prince and get behind-the-scenes access, it jumped up several spots and landed firmly on his Must-see list instead. Especially since, though Clara was lovely, Brayden would go nuts if he spent another day lazing around the palace. What did spare royals do all the time, anyway? Surely they couldn’t all be knitting.

Monday morning, instead of lazing around in bed until Flip left and then meandering to the gym and then tracking down Clara for some company, he got up when Flip did and ordered them breakfast—still odd but becoming worryingly less so by the day. He ate while Flip showered, and then they switched places.

Of course, everything became just slightly more complicated when Brayden realized that he’d have to dress with the assumption that he’d be in the public eye. People would critique his clothing. A telephoto lens might notice that bit of stubble Brayden hadn’t quite managed to shave off.

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