Page 43 of King of Lies
I open the box and see a pair of huge emerald cut emerald earrings with small diamonds at the top that look like little sprays of flowers holding onto the huge stones. I pause, remembering that Rhys asked me not to take off his necklace and earrings, but this is for an official portrait. I think he’ll understand. He must have signed off on this jewelry as well, so I carefully remove my jewelry and set them on the little table. I slip the emeralds in my ears and feel their heavy weight.
“Ready,” I say, rolling my shoulders back to prepare for the task ahead of me.
“One more thing,” she says with tears in her eyes, she hands me another velvet box. I snap it open and see a huge emerald ring that matches the earrings. It’s once again a large emerald cut emerald with smaller diamonds on either side like little flowers holding it up and the whole thing is set in platinum.
“Whoa,” I whisper.
“I’ve always wanted to see that,” my hair stylist says.
“It’s even more beautiful in person,” the other replies.
I move to slide it onto my right hand and the aide stops me by gently laying her hand on top of mine. “No, dear,” she whispers. “That’s your engagement ring.”
I freeze. An engagement ring. A huge one, at that. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that I would be marrying a man like Rhys, one I’ve come to love with my whole heart. I never would have expected or dreamed of a ring like this and I feel overwhelmed. Not because I’m living a real-life fairytale, but because it was not placed on my finger by my dream man on bended knee after professing his undying love. No, it was quietly handed to me by an employee after I was tricked into leaving my home, my family, my country in the middle of the night and then became engaged as part of a press blitz.
The worst part is, he didn’t even ask.
“Ma’am,” she calls out and I jump, realizing she means me. “Are you all right?”
“Of course,” I whisper and plaster a fake smile on my face. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“No reason.”
“We better get going,” I say, changing the subject. “I have a feeling Rhys doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“You would be right, ma’am.”
I put the ring on my finger and out of my mind and follow her to the door.
“Here,” the stylist says, handing me the palest of beige leather coats that buttons down the front and belts. “It’ll be cold in the gardens.”
“Thank you, again,” I whisper.
“Anything,” she says and bobs a small curtsy.
I nod my head and slide the jacket up my arms. It has a big rolled collar and belts around my waist.
The palace aide and Leo are waiting for me outside the door of my suite and I follow them through the halls and out to a patio that descends into sweeping stone steps and the most magical of gardens.
Rhys is at the bottom of the steps, typing something out on his phone and when he notices me, he looks up. The expression on his face is so carnal, so primal that I stumble in my tall heels.
“Oh my,” the palace aide mumbles to herself and Leo chuckles but doesn’t say anything else.
“Come here, Hen,” Rhys says.
“I don’t know if I should,” I blurt out.
“And why is that?”
“Because you look like you’re about to mess up my hair and lipstick and that will make Maeve here real mad because I’ve learned this morning, she likes her schedules and she loves her details and lists. If we mess that up, she might not like me anymore and I’m pretty sure we had a moment in my bedroom.”
Rhys blinks for a moment, his face clearing of anything blatantly sexual and he throws his head back and laughs. When he’s done, he looks at me and smiles and says, “I think you’re safe now.”
“Oh good,” I whisper before carefully descending the stone steps.
He holds out a hand to me and goes so far as to march up the last few steps to meet me, as if he can’t wait for me to get to the bottom and join him.
I place my hand in his and my other hand, the one with the ring, on his chest and smile up at him as he pulls me into his arms for an embrace.
