Page 18 of Awaiting

“Andshedoesn’t likeme. She has an ex she’s thinking about going back to,” Alex reminded. “I’m not trying to convince a woman to feel something for me when she doesn’t. I already have a hard enough time distinguishing the women who like me for me from the ones who like me for the title.”

“What happened?” Alice asked, concern in her tone.

“My mother happened.”

“Again?”

“Always,” Alex replied. “There’s this woman here that my mother thinks is good for me. Mind you, she doesn’t think she’sperfectfor me. She’s been divorced and has two kids of her own who wouldn’t be able to inherit after me, obviously, so it’s not ideal, but at this point, I think my mother would take a titled divorcée with two kids over me being single for another year.”

“Doyoueven like her?”

“She’s nice. She’s pretty. She also seems to find me attractive, so there’s that. She wanted to have sex on our second date.”

“Did you?”

“No, I managed to push it off.”

“Doesn’t sound like you like herthatmuch, then,” Alice noted.

“Alice, my mother thinks that just because she and my father tolerate and sort of accept me being gay that she gets a pass for whatever she says to me about my love life. It’s as if she thinks that because they’re still keeping me in the line of succession, she can push me in certain directions. This is the third woman she’s put in my line of sight this year, and she asks for updates. I think she actually expects me to just give up looking for who I really want and accept my fate. One day, there will be a wedding to a woman like Teresa – or maybe itwillbe Teresa – and she and I will like each other enough to make it look good for the cameras. I’ll become Queen. She’ll become my Consort. One of us will have a child that can actually inherit, and I’ll give her kids honorary titles to make them feel better. Then, I’ll find someone to sleep with, whom I actuallywantto sleep with, and she’ll do the same. We won’t share a bedroom and will only see each other for meals and events.”

“That sounds awful and not at all like you,” Alice replied.

“It’snotme, but she’s starting to wear me down. You got lucky, Alice. You didn’t grow up in this. I’ve had women tell me upfront that they think I’m sexy, ask me to sleep with them, then spend the next twenty minutes asking me what it’s like to live in a palace. And those are the good ones, by the way, because at least I know what they’re really interested in. There are the ones who pretend they’re interested inme. At university, there was a woman who I really fell for. She was sweet and seemed to be falling for me, too. Then, I found out her uncle was a reporter and had asked her to get close to me.”

“Oh, Alex…”

“Poor little Princess, I know,” Alex said on a sigh. “I’m just getting tired of the whole dance. I date someone I’m interested in, and it doesn’t work. My mother decides to send someone over to talk to me at an event. We go on a date or two. I’m not interested. I tell my mother, and she tells me to accept my fate and settle down already. It’s this carousel we find ourselves on that won’t stop until she gets her way.”

“Or, untilyoudo,” Alice suggested. “Come to Kleinland, Alex. It doesn’t have to be about Bexley. You seem like you could use some friend time. Tor and Julia are growing like crazy. You should spend time with them at this age. They’re growing up right before my eyes. I swear, I go to sleep, and there’s something they can’t do, and, in the morning, they can now. It’s pretty amazing. You can just come here tobehere. You don’t have to worry about Bex.”

Alex stared at her jam-packed schedule on her computer.

“Things are stepping up for me, Alice. My father’s not getting any younger. He’s fine, but they’re starting to ask me to fill in for him in certain areas more and more to prepare me for when he’s gone.”

“You can skip a few Queen-training sessions. You deserve this, Alex.”

“She needs help?” Alex asked.

“She’s stubborn and resisting, but yes.”

“And it would involve physical labor?”

“Not just that.” Alice laughed. “She needs help setting up the office, and for whatever reason, she seems determined to do it on her own.”

“And you expect me to be able to do something about that?”

“If anyone can get through to her, it’s you. You’re just as stubborn, if not more, than she is,” Alice replied.

“Hey, I resemble that remark,” Alex teased, smiling to herself. “I have to talk to Lawrence to see if he can cover some things for me.”

“Do you think he will?”

“I don’t know. He’s got a wife and kids already, but as the spare, he has far fewer responsibilities. However, if I don’t have kids, he’ll be up next, and… well, anything can happen to any of us at any time, so he needs to be just as ready until I get my life together. I can try to spin it.”

“Let me know. Her students show up on Monday, so the whole physical labor part will be done by then, but if you really like my best friend, you should know that she likes a woman who can wear a tool belt.”

“She does not,” Alex said, laughing.

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