A Very Merry Princess
Page 23
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Cade knew he couldn’t, either. He had all the reasons and he was determined. In time, he would forget her. Only that hadn’t happened yet.
Cade headed for his office, then stopped when he recognized his sister’s car by the back of the house. He saw her sitting on the porch and went to join her.
“Hey,” she called as he approached. “How’s it going?”
He’d texted her after Bethany had left to let her know her friend was gone. Pallas’s response had been to say that she was around if he wanted to talk. Apparently she’d gotten tired of waiting for him.
“I’m good. How are you?”
She studied him for a second. “You’re going to be a jerk about her, aren’t you?”
“I see you’re getting right to the point.”
She waved a folder. “You’re my brother and I love you, so yes, I’m going to try to convince you not to be an idiot.”
“You have no idea what happened between me and her.”
“I know she’s in love with you and I’m pretty sure you feel the same way about her.”
No, he told himself. He didn’t love her. He refused. She’d lied and nothing else mattered.
Pallas waved a folder at him. “I thought you might retreat into strong-silent mode. It was always your way of dealing with stuff. When Mom got on your nerves, you went to the ranch. Before that, you’d hide out somewhere in the backyard. You don’t believe in confrontations. You walk away. Well, walking away this time is a big mistake, Cade, because if you take too long to figure out what she means to you, you could lose her forever.”
She opened the folder. “The internet is an amazing place. Nothing ever dies, it just gets harder to find.” She picked up a piece of paper. “When Bethany was fourteen, a friend wrote a blog about how Bethany had a crush on a guy at a neighboring boarding school. The supposed friend gets into details about how Bethany wanted him to kiss her at the school dance and he didn’t. The friend posted the story online and it went viral. Remember your first crush? Wouldn’t having the whole world know be special?”
Cade knew what Pallas was trying to do and he told himself he was immune. He just hoped he wasn’t lying.
She took out a second piece of paper. “This one is from a few years earlier. Some reporter got one of Bethany’s tutors to talk about her study habits, how she did on tests, what she liked to eat. Apparently our girl had trouble learning French. The tutor mocked her accent. This was published in a magazine. She was twelve.”
His stomach knotted and his hands curled into fists. He consciously relaxed. Not his problem, he told himself.
“Did she tell you about the college boyfriend?” Pallas asked. “The one who put naked pictures of her online and wrote about deflowering a princess?”
“She mentioned that,” he admitted, still feeling sick for her.
“Yeah, want to see the pictures? Because they’re right there for the whole world to look at. Forever.” Pallas glared at him. “No matter what she does or where she goes, those naked pictures live on. They’re great. She looks fabulous and technically her boobs and crotch don’t show, but wow, Cade. What would that be like? Want to see?”
He turned away. “No. I don’t.”
“You’re in the minority. Want to know how many times the pictures have been downloaded? Want to think about all the jackasses in the world staring at her naked eighteen year-old self? And that happened because she was stupid enough to trust a guy who said he loved her. But hey, why should that matter? She lied to you about who she is. Let’s hate her forever.”
With that Pallas rose. She slapped the folder against his chest, then kept on walking. He stayed where he was until she’d driven away, then he sank down on the porch steps and dropped the folder to the ground.
He didn’t want to feel sorry for Bethany. He didn’t want to understand what had happened to her. He wanted to wallow in his pain and blame her for everything. Then he wanted to forget he’d ever met her. Only... Only... That wasn’t going to happen. Not any of it. He couldn’t forget her, wouldn’t forgive her. Sure, she’d had some bad things happen, but so what? She should get over it. She shouldn’t have lied to him about—
He picked up the folder, then dropped it again. One of the pictures slipped out, showing part of a bare leg and hip. He closed his eyes as rage and revulsion swept through him. Who would do that? Who would betray someone he was supposed to care about for a check and five minutes of notoriety?
He grabbed the picture and studied it. Bethany looked so damned young and defenseless. She was asleep, half under the sheet. He wondered if the boyfriend had arranged her that way. The pose suggested more than it showed, but it was still a violation. She would still see it every time she closed her eyes.
She should get over it. Had he really thought that? Was she supposed to get over something like this while he was allowed to whine about what had happened with Lynette? Yes, he’d learned a hard lesson, but so what? It had worked out in the end. He’d gotten a great job in Texas that he’d liked a whole lot better. He’d learned more, had a chance to have dinner with then Crown Prince Malik, which had led to him being able to buy Rida for basically pennies on the dollar. Yeah, that was a drag. At least no one had tried to destroy his life by exposing his most intimate acts on the internet.
She’d been what, eighteen? And a virgin until that night? Cade wanted to call King Malik and ask what he’d done, just to make sure it was enough. Because if the jerk who’d done that was still breathing and walking, it wasn’t.
Cade carefully put the picture into the folder, then stood and walked into the house. He’d been a fool. No, he’d been worse than a fool. He’d been cruel and insensitive and Bethany deserved a whole lot better than him.
Still, she’d said she loved him. If that was true, if he was so lucky that she’d offered her heart, then what was he still doing in California? It wasn’t every day a man met a woman like her. Given that he’d fallen completely and totally in love with her, being without her was wrong on every level.
There was only one thing for him to do—get his ass to El Bahar and grovel like the worm he was. Beg her to forgive him and ask for another chance. This time he wouldn’t blow it. This time he would do everything in his power to convince her that he was going to spend the rest of his life proving how much he loved her. He was going to take care of her and protect her and be impressed by her and hope it was enough. Because at the end of the day, he would be offering all that he had.
* * *
CADE HAD NEVER been to El Bahar before and didn’t know what to expect. The airport was large and modern. He went through customs easily, and then got a cab. It was only when the driver asked him where he wanted to go that he realized he still hadn’t come up with a plan.
He’d gotten the first flight he could out of LAX. That meant changing planes first in New York and then in Frankfurt. Including layovers, he’d already traveled more than twenty-six hours and he still didn’t know how he was supposed to get in touch with Bethany.
She’d disconnected the phone she’d used in Happily Inc. If she’d given Pallas her real number, his sister hadn’t bothered sharing the information with him, so he was on his own.
“Take me to the royal palace, please.”
Cade headed for his office, then stopped when he recognized his sister’s car by the back of the house. He saw her sitting on the porch and went to join her.
“Hey,” she called as he approached. “How’s it going?”
He’d texted her after Bethany had left to let her know her friend was gone. Pallas’s response had been to say that she was around if he wanted to talk. Apparently she’d gotten tired of waiting for him.
“I’m good. How are you?”
She studied him for a second. “You’re going to be a jerk about her, aren’t you?”
“I see you’re getting right to the point.”
She waved a folder. “You’re my brother and I love you, so yes, I’m going to try to convince you not to be an idiot.”
“You have no idea what happened between me and her.”
“I know she’s in love with you and I’m pretty sure you feel the same way about her.”
No, he told himself. He didn’t love her. He refused. She’d lied and nothing else mattered.
Pallas waved a folder at him. “I thought you might retreat into strong-silent mode. It was always your way of dealing with stuff. When Mom got on your nerves, you went to the ranch. Before that, you’d hide out somewhere in the backyard. You don’t believe in confrontations. You walk away. Well, walking away this time is a big mistake, Cade, because if you take too long to figure out what she means to you, you could lose her forever.”
She opened the folder. “The internet is an amazing place. Nothing ever dies, it just gets harder to find.” She picked up a piece of paper. “When Bethany was fourteen, a friend wrote a blog about how Bethany had a crush on a guy at a neighboring boarding school. The supposed friend gets into details about how Bethany wanted him to kiss her at the school dance and he didn’t. The friend posted the story online and it went viral. Remember your first crush? Wouldn’t having the whole world know be special?”
Cade knew what Pallas was trying to do and he told himself he was immune. He just hoped he wasn’t lying.
She took out a second piece of paper. “This one is from a few years earlier. Some reporter got one of Bethany’s tutors to talk about her study habits, how she did on tests, what she liked to eat. Apparently our girl had trouble learning French. The tutor mocked her accent. This was published in a magazine. She was twelve.”
His stomach knotted and his hands curled into fists. He consciously relaxed. Not his problem, he told himself.
“Did she tell you about the college boyfriend?” Pallas asked. “The one who put naked pictures of her online and wrote about deflowering a princess?”
“She mentioned that,” he admitted, still feeling sick for her.
“Yeah, want to see the pictures? Because they’re right there for the whole world to look at. Forever.” Pallas glared at him. “No matter what she does or where she goes, those naked pictures live on. They’re great. She looks fabulous and technically her boobs and crotch don’t show, but wow, Cade. What would that be like? Want to see?”
He turned away. “No. I don’t.”
“You’re in the minority. Want to know how many times the pictures have been downloaded? Want to think about all the jackasses in the world staring at her naked eighteen year-old self? And that happened because she was stupid enough to trust a guy who said he loved her. But hey, why should that matter? She lied to you about who she is. Let’s hate her forever.”
With that Pallas rose. She slapped the folder against his chest, then kept on walking. He stayed where he was until she’d driven away, then he sank down on the porch steps and dropped the folder to the ground.
He didn’t want to feel sorry for Bethany. He didn’t want to understand what had happened to her. He wanted to wallow in his pain and blame her for everything. Then he wanted to forget he’d ever met her. Only... Only... That wasn’t going to happen. Not any of it. He couldn’t forget her, wouldn’t forgive her. Sure, she’d had some bad things happen, but so what? She should get over it. She shouldn’t have lied to him about—
He picked up the folder, then dropped it again. One of the pictures slipped out, showing part of a bare leg and hip. He closed his eyes as rage and revulsion swept through him. Who would do that? Who would betray someone he was supposed to care about for a check and five minutes of notoriety?
He grabbed the picture and studied it. Bethany looked so damned young and defenseless. She was asleep, half under the sheet. He wondered if the boyfriend had arranged her that way. The pose suggested more than it showed, but it was still a violation. She would still see it every time she closed her eyes.
She should get over it. Had he really thought that? Was she supposed to get over something like this while he was allowed to whine about what had happened with Lynette? Yes, he’d learned a hard lesson, but so what? It had worked out in the end. He’d gotten a great job in Texas that he’d liked a whole lot better. He’d learned more, had a chance to have dinner with then Crown Prince Malik, which had led to him being able to buy Rida for basically pennies on the dollar. Yeah, that was a drag. At least no one had tried to destroy his life by exposing his most intimate acts on the internet.
She’d been what, eighteen? And a virgin until that night? Cade wanted to call King Malik and ask what he’d done, just to make sure it was enough. Because if the jerk who’d done that was still breathing and walking, it wasn’t.
Cade carefully put the picture into the folder, then stood and walked into the house. He’d been a fool. No, he’d been worse than a fool. He’d been cruel and insensitive and Bethany deserved a whole lot better than him.
Still, she’d said she loved him. If that was true, if he was so lucky that she’d offered her heart, then what was he still doing in California? It wasn’t every day a man met a woman like her. Given that he’d fallen completely and totally in love with her, being without her was wrong on every level.
There was only one thing for him to do—get his ass to El Bahar and grovel like the worm he was. Beg her to forgive him and ask for another chance. This time he wouldn’t blow it. This time he would do everything in his power to convince her that he was going to spend the rest of his life proving how much he loved her. He was going to take care of her and protect her and be impressed by her and hope it was enough. Because at the end of the day, he would be offering all that he had.
* * *
CADE HAD NEVER been to El Bahar before and didn’t know what to expect. The airport was large and modern. He went through customs easily, and then got a cab. It was only when the driver asked him where he wanted to go that he realized he still hadn’t come up with a plan.
He’d gotten the first flight he could out of LAX. That meant changing planes first in New York and then in Frankfurt. Including layovers, he’d already traveled more than twenty-six hours and he still didn’t know how he was supposed to get in touch with Bethany.
She’d disconnected the phone she’d used in Happily Inc. If she’d given Pallas her real number, his sister hadn’t bothered sharing the information with him, so he was on his own.
“Take me to the royal palace, please.”
