Noah had never been happier for his lessons about small talk, entertaining dignitaries, and appearing like he was having a grand old time when he really just wanted to go home.
He carried the conversation almost single-handedly with Zara’s parents, who couldn’t seem to do much more than ask him a question and then wait for the answers.
How old are you?
How many siblings do you have?
Do you have a job?
Zara finally said, “Dad, stop grilling him.”
“I am not grilling him,” her father said. “I am getting to know him. It’s normal to ask questions.”
“So you have no job?” her mom asked, as if she didn’t believe him the first time.
“Well, I’m a prince,” he said. “My job is to volunteer around the country and serve the people.” With sudden realization, he realized why his father had been so resistant to letting Noah just slip away from Triguard.
No, they didn’t need Noah to volunteer in the country’s libraries. But if he left, what would the headlines say? There would be an assumed scandal, and the fact was, Noah’s service did keep the royal family in a good light.
So maybe his part in Triguard wasn’t completely useless. Every muscle in his body tensed, and he cut a glance in Zara’s direction. She hadn’t relaxed since they’d left the mansion, and Noah’s helplessness had his mood sinking fast.
He was going to call his dad tomorrow, and now he dreaded the task. The only way he could fathom that his dad would let him leave Triguard was if he told him the truth. And that meant outing Zara as his girlfriend, not the house sitter.
“Noah,” Zara said, half under her breath, nudging him at the same time.
“I’m sorry,” he said smoothly. “What did you say?”
She looked at him with those beautiful eyes, which looked a bit shiny. Glassy. Full of tears? “My dad asked how you’ll leave your country if your job is there.”
Noah opened his mouth to speak, the perfect answer always right at the tip of his tongue. But he wasn’t Damien or Louisa, and he simply sat there. He snapped his lips closed and smiled. “Well, people change jobs,” he finally said.
Two of Zara’s sisters, Myra and Sai, appeared, and her mom and dad slid out of the booth to make room for them. Myra reached for the lamb and lentils and said, “So, Krisha says you’re a prince.”
Noah smiled, but he felt like he was about to crack. “That’s right.”
“Tell us about that.” She looked genuinely interested, and thankfully, Zara came to life then, detailing the things he did, based on what he’d told her.
After they’d made it through meeting everyone and driving back up to the mansion in silence, Noah sat on the end of his bed, Boomer’s head in his lap. “And it didn’t go well,” he told the dog after relaying a few other low points of the evening.
He heaved a sigh and finished taking off the suit. With a fresh T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts on, Noah collapsed back onto the bed. “I don’t know, Boom. Maybe this is too hard.” He stared up at the ceiling, realizing that he and Zara hadn’t even cleared one roadblock on the highway toward a lasting relationship.
Her familial customs were so foreign to him. He hadn’t expected that they’d fall down and worship him, but he had hoped for a smile at least. Her sisters seemed okay with the relationship, but Zara’s parents had definitely been icy.
And he had no idea what to say to his father in the morning. As the minutes ticked by, Noah’s mind went round and round, trying to find a solution that he was beginning to think simply didn’t exist.
His phone rang before he’d gotten out of bed. He’d managed to fall asleep at some point in the night, and because he didn’t have to go down to Your Tidal Forever today, he’d set no alarm.
He saw the King calls on the screen, and was immediately awake. He sat up and swiped open the call. “Hey, Dad,” he said, his voice only slightly hoarse.
“Did I wake you?”
“I had a rough night.”
“Not sleeping again?” Of course, his father knew of Noah’s insomnia. Just because he was King didn’t mean he wasn’t also a good father.
“I….” He paused, the words right there in the back of his throat. He felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, and the only way back down to safe ground was to jump.
“I met my girlfriend’s family,” he said, his voice soft but strong. “And it didn’t go well.”
Silence poured through the line, and it was amazing to Noah how thick and dense it could feel from halfway around the world.
“So this is why you want to leave Triguard.” His father wasn’t asking, and Noah would be surprised if he hadn’t at least suspected that Noah had met someone in Getaway Bay.
“Yes,” Noah said.
“Noah.” He sounded tired, and Noah could just see his father rubbing his forehead the way he did when he was trying to find the right thing to say. He never did it in public, but Noah had the privilege of seeing the king behind closed doors.
Noah said nothing. He had no defense for himself. His reputation as the bad boy prince didn’t usually extend to women—until Katya. And then the press hadn’t been all that surprised. He supposed his father wasn’t either, and Noah didn’t know what to do with how deeply his dad’s disappointment cut him.
He’d once said, “I’m sorry I’m not Damien,” to his father when they were arguing. His father had frozen, and all the fight had left his body.
“I don’t want you to be Damien,” his dad had said. “But you better figure out who you are and be that person.”
Noah hadn’t known what he meant at the time. He thought he knew who he was.
“Well, are you going to say anything else?” his dad asked. “Who is she?”
Noah pressed his eyes closed. He was not ashamed of Zara. He wasn’t. But he also knew she was not the type of girl prince’s brought home.
“Her name’s Zara,” he said. “She’s a synchronized swimmer here on the island. She’s…nice. She’s normal, Dad.”
“Mm,” he said, making that humming noise that drove Noah up the wall. “Why didn’t meeting her parents go well?”
“They’re Indian,” Noah said. “Very traditional. She’s already broken ranks by not joining the family restaurant. It was just…awkward.”
“But you still like her?”
“Of course,” Noah said.
“And when can we meet Zara?”
“Oh, it’s too early for that,” Noah said with a chuckle. “We’ve only been seeing each other a few weeks.”
“A few weeks?” The sharpness in his dad’s voice sliced right through Noah’s eardrums. “You only left Venice a few weeks ago.”
“So it’s been less than that. I don’t know.”
“I thought you were laying low.”
“I was. I am.” Noah hated how he felt like a child who’d done something wrong. Again. This was why he just wanted a normal life. No titles. No castles. No security detail. No crowns.
“Then how did you meet her?”
Noah hesitated again. “Promise you won’t be angry?”
“Noah, you’re thirty-one-years-old. Even if I was angry, what can I do?”
“Well, I thought Mom would send Ivan or Vince over here to get me.”
“Oh, she’s mentioned it.”
Horror struck Noah right between the ribs. “She’s not going to do that, is she?”
“I’ve managed to make that plan B or C,” his dad said.
“What’s plan A?”
“To treat you like you know what you’re doing,” his dad said, as if it was the most obvious plan of all.
“Dad, I have no idea what I’m doing.” Noah didn’t want to admit it, but he felt freer after the words left his mouth.
“Well, then, it’s time to figure it out. Damien took a while too, but he’s getting there. Your sister is days away from being engaged. Your mother wants you here for that Noah. And I do agree with her on that.”
“Well, I can come for a party, sure,” Noah said. “It’s not like I’m never going to come to Triguard again. I just want…anonymity. And Getaway Bay is perfect for that.”
“Mm.”
Noah turned from the picturesque water beyond the glass in his bedroom. He paced over to the door and back. “Dad,” he finally said.
“Louisa’s engagement is on Wednesday,” he said. “Your mother and I expect you here. We can discuss Zara and everything else then.”
“Wednesday?” Noah echoed. “Dad, I don’t know if I—”
“It’s either you book your own ticket and be here by four p.m., or Ivan will come get you on Tuesday and escort you back.”
“Dad, Zara’s opening show is on Friday. I can’t miss it.”
“I don’t see why you would.”
But Noah nerves were vibrating. Even if he could fly out early on Thursday morning, he wouldn’t get back to Getaway Bay until Friday morning, what with the time difference. And a discussion with his mother and father had never gone less than an hour, and that was about which type of china the family should order for their heritage meal.
Something like Noah leaving the country and marrying a synchronized swimmer? That felt like an all-day session to him, and he’d most definitely miss Zara’s show then.
“Noah, I’m inclined to grant your request, but I need something from you. A couple of things, actually. I need you here for Louisa’s engagement announcement. And I need to know how you and Zara met.”