Page 71 of A Royal Arrangement
Rosalie jumped out of bed and hurried toward him. “Are you okay?” She reached out and placed her hand on his arm.
“I’m fine,” he said, unable to meet her gaze. “Thank you for staying last night. We should get ready for breakfast. I’ll meet you there?”
She nodded, and Colin was across the room before she could say anything.
Rosalie walked back to her bedroom and changed into a sage-green sundress. She dabbed a little bit of concealer under her eyes, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and brushed her teeth before slowly making the walk to the dining room.
She really hoped last night was going to be a turning point in her relationship with Colin. He had asked her to stay. That meant something, right? But then, this morning, he’d seemed a little bit distant again. Was it because he felt like they were moving too quickly? Or was it that he didn’t actually wantherand had just wanted comfort last night?
Either way, this was the side of him she didn’t know how to handle. With a steadying breath, she rounded the corner and walked into the dining room. Addie and Colin were both already sitting in their usual spots.
She quickly took her seat, and the servers brought out dome-covered plates and set the dishes in front of them. All together, they lifted the domes, revealing plates with a cinnamon roll, an omelet, and a few strips of bacon.
Rosalie’s mouth watered from the sweet cinnamon smell of her favorite pastry mixed with the savory, hickory smell of the bacon.
“These are your favwit, wight, Wosie?” Addie picked up her own cinnamon roll and took a bite out of it, frosting forming a ring around her mouth.
“Addie, where are your manners?” Colin grumbled.
“Probably wherever I left mine.” Rosalie took a giant bite out of her pastry, intentionally smearing some of the cream cheese frosting on her nose.
Addie giggled, pointing at her. “You have fwosting on your nose.”
Rosalie reached up and rubbed it into her cheeks. “What? I have what, where?”
The little girl’s laugh was contagious, and Rosalie couldn’t help but join in. She could’ve sworn she even heard Colin covering up a laugh. When their laughter had subsided, Rosalie used her linen napkin to wipe the frosting from her face.
“How are you enjoying your breakfast, Colin?” she asked.
“Fine,” he mumbled.
“I see we’re back to one-word answers.” She swirled the straw in her iced coffee around. “Do I need to find a piece of lobster to fling at you again?”
Colin didn’t respond, but she saw his cheek twitch at her words, like he was trying to fight back a smile.
Rosalie and Colin were quiet as they ate the rest of their meal, listening to Addie ramble on about Mr. Sprinkles and his imaginary unicorn friends.
Out of nowhere, Addie asked, “Can I call Wosie Mommy now?”
Colin sputtered, and it turned into a gasping cough as he choked on a sip of orange juice. A palace server darted forward, offering him a napkin and a cup of water. “I’m fine,” he told them when he finally stopped coughing. “Justwent down the wrong pipe.” Turning back to his daughter, he asked, “Why would you ask that, princess?”
“I came to your woom this mowning to tell you I want you to come to a tea pawty today with me and Mr. Spwinkles and saw Wosie in bed with you. I thought that was what mommies and daddies did.”
Colin got up and walked over to Addie, kneeling beside her chair. “You know how you sometimes have nightmares?” She nodded and he continued. “I had a nightmare last night, and Rosalie came and helped me fall back to sleep. That was all.”
That was all. I was right. Colin doesn’t actually want me. He just wanted to feel comforted last night.
She thought of the way he’d held her close to him and how it had made her feel. Her embarrassment ran deep into her bones. She wished she was a turtle so she could withdraw into her cozy shell and hide from him and the rest of the world.
Rosalie mumbled a lame excuse as she pushed up from the table. She turned on her heels and ran down the hallway to the palace’s entrance. When she opened the door, a gust of wind caught it, making it fly out of her hand. There was a torrential downpour going on outside, but right now that seemed like the better option than staying in there and listening to Colin break her heart piece by piece.
She paused only for a moment before jogging out into the storm.
I can’t believe I read into everything. I won’t make the same mistake again. Colin definitely doesn’t have romantic feelings for me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Colin
