“Awkward is one word for it.” Max narrowed his eyes. “Annoying is another.”

“Well, that’s one way of looking at it.” She backed away from the door. “I’m going to go. And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what I saw. Not a soul. Except for Sam. Who will probably tell Alex. You know how they are. Yak, yak. No secrets.”

“Get out of here.” Max kicked the door shut, but we could still hear her laughing as she walked down the hall.

I turned to look at Max with wide eyes before busting out laughing. Max studied me with an amused expression. Running my hands through my hair, I took a deep breath.

“Are you upset?” His eyes watched me carefully.

“No.” I shook my head. “You asked me what I wanted earlier.”

“Yes.” He touched my cheek and my eyes fluttered shut briefly.

“I want to keep spending time with you. I want you to go fishing with Marty. I want to frame that picture you drew of me so I can always remember that I was the one that soothed you when you were upset.” I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. “And that’s a problem. Because I want there to be something between us. But what I want in life doesn’t add up for you. I want to sing on stage, on Broadway. I want to make people feel something, and that is the last thing you want.”

Reaching down, he grabbed my hand and pulled it up to his lips. “That’s not something you need to worry about right now.”

My heart stuttered in my chest. I wanted that to be true. “Good, because I have a lot of other things to worry about.”

“No you don’t.” He tugged me against his chest.

“Tomorrow is sort of scary.” I looked up at him, and my voice cracked. “I don’t know what to expect.”

“Whatever comes, I’ll be there with you.” His green eyes stared down into mine. “You won’t be alone.”

It had been a long time since I’d been willing to depend on someone else, to count on anyone else. In the last few years I’d been the person Granddad had leaned on; I’d reminded him to take his medicine, made sure the staff was getting him to his appointments. All of that from London while being a single mom and going to school. Thank God I hadn’t had to work a job too.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Then let’s go eat.”

He kept his fingers laced with mine as we walked through the house. Despite Cathy warning us to hurry up, we were the first people in the dining room. It was odd to sit at this huge, empty table full of food while everyone else finished what they were doing. It wasn’t that the silence was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t stop mulling over how things would end with Max. A mutual parting of ways? Slowly drifting apart? A fight? Would he wait until I was back to singing to decide it just didn’t work?

“Wash your hands!” Samantha’s voice carried down the hallway. It was followed by stampeding feet and the slam of a door.

I winced. “I hope he didn’t break anything.”

“This house has survived countless children. I’m sure it can handle Marty.” Max chuckled, but his face took on a serious cast. “You look worried.”

“Did you hear my child stampeding through your house? You should be worried.” I tried to shrug it off. Hopefully Marty hadn’t done much damage. I had enough to worry about.

“I told you not to worry about tomorrow.” He rested his hand on top of mine.

“I’m trying.” I smiled at him, a little relieved that he assumed it was about the will.

He kept his hand on mine, even as everyone filled into the room talking animatedly. No one blinked an eye at us, not even Marty. He was too busy describing the birds he had seen.

“It was huge. Like half the size of me!” He held his hand up from the floor to demonstrate.

“They let you hold a bird that big?” I looked over his head at Alex.

“She’s a sweetheart,” Alex assured me. “Wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“And I fed her a whole rat!” Marty tugged on my arm.

I leveled my gaze on the heir to the throne. “Not a fly, huh?”

“Rats are different.” He cringed.

“He was actually really great with the birds.” Sam reached out and touched my arm. “Very calm and patient.”

“Thank you for letting him go with you.”

“He livens the place up. You should bring him around more often.” Sam threw me a sly smile. “We’d always be happy to babysit.”

“Um, I’m not a baby.” Marty pursed his lips.

“Excuse me, kid sit.” Sam ruffled his hair.

“Actually, are you busy tomorrow?” Max asked as he pulled a seat out for me.

“I’ve got to go to Rousseau tomorrow. Did you need me to watch Marty?” She smiled at my son.

“I can call our nanny. Don’t worry about it.” I shook my head. “We’ve disrupted your schedules enough already.”

“I wouldn’t mind. He can keep me company while I take care of a few things.” Sam smiled at me. “Really. It would be no trouble.”

“Please, Mom?” Marty grabbed my arm.

Sending my rambunctious six-year-old with a busy, pregnant princess didn’t seem like the best idea. I looked at Max and then back at Marty.

“She’ll have Chadwick with her. It’s not like she would be chasing him around.” Max shrugged.