The Royal (Game of Chance) by Susan Stoker

Author:Susan Stoker [Stoker, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Montlake
Published: 2023-08-07T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“What do you think the girls are doing?” JJ asked.

Cal had lit the firepit in his backyard, and they were all sitting around enjoying the chilly air. They’d each had a beer or two earlier but had switched to water so they’d be sober enough to drive later.

Now, it wasn’t lost on him that JJ was probably asking because he was interested in one woman in particular.

“They probably fell asleep,” Chappy said with a chuckle. “Carlise has been exhausted recently, stressing about the ceremony, even though I’ve purposely tried to make it as low key as possible, so she wouldn’t worry. But . . .” His words trailed off.

Cal couldn’t help but compare tomorrow’s ceremony with some of his own family weddings in the past. Because of who they were, his family planned weddings that were expected to be traditional, huge, expensive shindigs. He’d always shied away from that kind of attention, even before he was a POW. And when he tried to picture June wearing an elaborate dress with a twenty-foot train and long veil in front of a thousand guests in an extremely old church in Liechtenstein . . . he just couldn’t do it. She’d hate it. Would be paralyzed with nerves. And he couldn’t blame her. His parents weren’t exactly the simple mom and dad next door.

But if he broke with tradition and didn’t have the paparazzi-filled ceremony that his countrymen and women seemed to love, maybe he could still find a compromise. Give June something that would make her feel like the princess she’d become but that wouldn’t completely freak her out.

He couldn’t deny that he’d love to show June off. Let the people of his country see how amazing she was. He also couldn’t help but think about his own situation. The need to show his countrymen and women that he’d risen above everything he’d endured. Prove that he’d come a long way from the tortured man seen in those awful video clips the terrorists had shared with the world.

It took a moment for the content of his daydreams to actually sink in. When it did, when he realized he was actually planning his and June’s fictitious wedding, he sighed deeply, suddenly overcome with sorrow.

“Cal? What do you think?”

He jerked and realized he’d completely zoned out of the conversation going on around him. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. What do I think about what?”

His three friends laughed.

“Never mind. More importantly, what were you thinking about? Or should I say who?” Chappy asked with a smile.

Cal normally wasn’t one to discuss his feelings, but he didn’t mind talking to his mates a bit. He was actually relieved to unload some of his confusing thoughts about June. “She’s driving me crazy,” he admitted.

“You need us to come up with a reason why she can’t stay anymore?” JJ asked. “Because we will. Just say the word, and she’ll be out of here.”

“No!” Cal practically shouted. Then he took a deep breath. “No. I don’t want her gone. That’s the problem.

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