“I don’t suppose—” I stopped, wondering if it would be too weird for him.

“What?” He grabbed my hand again.

“I have a charity auction to go to later this week. Would you like to go with me?” I held my breath while I waited for him to answer.

“Is this the kind of thing where I need to wear a suit?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Black tie.” I bit my lip.

“So, a tuxedo.” He narrowed his eyes. “Would I be your date or just going the same place you were?”

“My date.” I smiled and was rewarded with one of his own.

“Then for you I will wear a tux.”

Standing on my tiptoes I pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you then.”

Letting go of his hand, I walked over to where Mark and Jameson stood waiting. “Thanks for letting me fish with you.”

“Any time.” David’s grin was fast.

“Later.” I took a few steps backward.

“Later.” His eyes stayed on me while I moved, but I had to turn around and walk the right way or I risked tripping on a tree root.

I started jogging as soon as I turned around. It wasn’t that I thought Jameson or Mark would give me a hard time, it was just that I didn’t want to share my afternoon with anyone else. I wanted to relish in what I’d done with David; to stay in that moment for as long as possible.

EIGHTEEN

I LOOKED THROUGH THE jewelry room and frowned. I wanted something that was elegant, but not over the top. Of course, anything I picked would be over the top according to Sam. She was such a tomboy when it came to clothes and accessories. If Chadwick didn’t keep her in line she would probably wear jeans and boots to all of her meetings.

Thinking of boots made me wonder what David would look like tonight. He hadn’t worn a tuxedo at the wedding, but he was tonight for me. I had a feeling that was a much bigger deal than he had let on while we stood at the lake.

I settled on a pair of diamond drop earrings and a bracelet that Alex had given me for my eighteenth birthday. I’d skip the necklace so it wouldn’t compete with the neckline of the dress. The dress itself was a soft, petal pink that flowed behind me as I walked. The tiny cap sleeves barely sat on my shoulders and were covered in crystals. I hadn’t worn this dress yet, because of the amount of cle**age it displayed, but tonight was a date, and I was going to wear something date worthy. It wasn’t an outrageous amount of breast, but enough that I questioned it while appearing somewhere as Princess Catherine. But, damn it, if David was going to wear a tux, I could take the risk of wearing something that showed a little more skin.

I put on the bracelet and checked my hair in the mirror to make sure nothing had fallen or come loose before I left my room. I could hear Selene talking to someone in her room so I knocked instead of just walking in.

“Come in.” Her voice was steady and it made my heart sing to know she had recovered so much in the few days that she had been home.

“How are you feeling?” I walked in and sat down on the edge of her bed.

“I’m fine! Fine. Too bad these women won’t let me out of bed.” She sighed dramatically and I laughed.

“Oh hush. Stop giving them such a hard time!” I smiled at the two nurses in apology. “She’s usually much better behaved.”

“She’s fine, Your Highness.” The older nurse smiled. “And she’s not getting past me. I know it still hurts her to walk around more than a trip to the bathroom.”

“Call me Catherine, please.”

“Ha! See, I can’t even use the bathroom on my own.”

“Rotten.” I poked her leg. “You don’t want to fall and hurt yourself any more.”

“This is just payback for when you had your tonsils removed.” Selene smiled. “Do you remember that?”

“I demanded ice cream for every meal for a month.” I laughed.

“Exactly. You went on an eating strike and would cry when I tried to give you soup.” She shook her head. “So, if I’m not an easy patient, it’s because I learned from you.”

“Ouch, that hurts, Selene.” I laughed before turning to look at the nurses. “Would you mind giving us a few minutes? I promise to not let her do jumping jacks.”

“Yes, ma’am.” They left and pulled the door shut behind them.

“You look lovely.” Selene smiled.

“Thank you.” I preened.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that dress before.”

“You told me I should stop being so careful, so I figured I’d show a little boob tonight.” I winked at her.

“Is it for anyone in particular?” She narrowed her eyes.

“David is coming as my date tonight.”

“Ah, I see.” She cocked her head to the side. “And how much of your boobs has he seen already?”

“Selene!” I stared at her, shocked, while she cackled.

“Don’t play coy. You’ve practically been whistling while walking around the house. Something has happened.”

“I’m not sure I like this side of you. It’s so . . . so . . . weird!” I laughed.

“Get used to it. I don’t think it’s going away when I get off this medicine. Especially if you cut back on my hours.” She mock-glared at me. “Which we still need to talk about.”

“How is Tabitha doing? She seems to have everything in hand. Even with all of the extra media attention lately.” I fiddled with one of my earrings that felt loose.