He informed the guards he was turning in for the night and made his way up the stairs to his room. He had not expected Olivia’s friend and Edric to enjoy each other’s company so much, but Olivia hadn’t seemed to mind. He was pretty sure the two of them were still talking in the courtyard somewhere, which meant he wouldn’t have to watch that man steal the woman he loved.
No, you just have to watch her watch you deal with Gigi until she goes home, you dimwit.
Quincy paused before going to his rooms. He wanted to go to Olivia and talk to her, see if there was a way to figure out how to make this work, but his dad was happy with his decision. Parliament was happy, and his crown was secure. He was trapped.
Sleep wasn’t going to happen any time soon, so he wandered out onto the balcony and stared up at the stars. His thoughts turned to his first night on the beach with Olivia and how she’d felt beneath him. Warm and soft in all the right places, giving herself over to him completely. He’d fallen in love with her that night and every day since. His chest ached, and he longed for a bottle of wine to soothe his bitterness. He did all of this for his people, and he wondered for one horrible moment if they deserved his sacrifice.
The sound of a chair scraping against stone made him turn in time to see Olivia hurrying back through her balcony doors. On instinct, he went to the other railing, ready to climb over, but she closed them and his heart shattered. This was it. This was his new life.
There was no more Olivia in it for him. Nothing except a crown and the fake love he would give to his new wife.
Chapter 16
The morning of the wedding, everyone bustled around the palace, preparing. The ceremony would take place on the beach, and the reception, of course, would be held in the grand ballroom. Olivia had been in her mom’s room with Helen and all their ladies to get ready since seven that morning.
“You’re going to be gorgeous,” Helen told Melinda as she admired the wedding gown. “This is absolutely stunning!”
“You’ll have to take lots of photos for your mom. I wish she had been able to come, too.”
“After she sees these pics, she’ll hate my dad for making her go on that family reunion trip of his,” she said as she pulled out her cell and started taking pics of everything. “Olivia, you need more coffee or what?”
The last few days leading up to the wedding had been the hardest. Olivia had told her mom she was returning to Nebraska the day after the wedding. There were things she had to take care of. Her mom understood but hoped she’d come back over her fall break so she could visit. Olivia had promised she would, but the trip would be impossible. By then, she’d be nearly six months pregnant and a blimp—a bit difficult to hide a pregnant belly like that.
It was the final day, the final act, and she would see Quincy for the last time. She’d avoided him whenever possible and only spoke to him if he asked her a question at dinner. Every time she heard his laugh, it hurt. When she saw Gigi touch him… that was even worse. She’d hidden away in her room, working on her paintings and listening to Helen gush over Edric.
The two had hit it off, and Edric was already working on getting a visa so he could visit over their winter break. Olivia was happy for her friend and made sure she knew it. The only person she wasn’t happy with was herself.
“No,” she finally said. “I’m fine, just hungry.”
“We just ate an hour ago,” Melinda said.
“Well, I didn’t eat much then,” she said quickly and put a bright smile on her face. “It’s your big day. I’m excited, is all.”
Melinda took her daughter’s hands as her ladies moved with her, trying to curl her hair. “I’m glad you are. I was worried all last night that I was doing something stupid again.”
“Mom, you’ve never done anything stupid. I just want you to be happy.”
“I am—very, very happy,” she said and hugged her daughter close. “Now, you have to start getting ready, too. The ceremony starts in a couple of hours, and we have to pose for pictures first.”
Allete hurried over and pointed Olivia to her dress and a low platform for her to stand on. The dress had been fitted a few weeks ago, but when Olivia stepped into it and Allete tried to zip it up, she muttered curses under her breath in French.
“What’s wrong… Did it rip?”
“No,” she said and tugged on it. Olivia gasped as she tried to suck it in, but it didn’t help. Allete leaned in close and whispered, “I think you maybe have gained a little weight, miss.”
Olivia blanched. She hadn’t even thought of that. “Are you sure it won’t go up?”
“What’s wrong?” Melinda asked from across the room. “It doesn’t fit?”
“Just snug. I must’ve gained some weight. Too much wine, I guess,” Olivia said as she tried to wave away her mom’s worry. “We’ll get it to zip, don’t worry.”
Allete frowned, but she raised her brow and told Olivia to take a deep breath and hold it. With Helen helping to pull the dress together, the two managed to get it zipped up. Olivia let out the breath and gasped. How much weight had she gained?
“Can you breathe?”