Page 15 of Royally Matched
As she watched Max engage with the kids, she found herself smiling at how sweet he was with them. She hadn’t expected to see this side of him, and a small piece of her heart thawed towards him.
After several minutes of recording him with the children, Lily quietly slipped away. She didn’t want to ruin their time together and figured it would be better to head back to the reception.
“Where have you been?” her mother asked with irritation as Lily reentered the lobby.
“I visited the restroom,” Lily stated defensively. “I know you would like to have me under your thumb all the time, but I am a grown woman.”
“Then act like it,” her mother hissed. “Keep an eye on your fiancé.”
Lily knew exactly where Max was, but she also knew her mother would happily interrupt the time for her own agenda. Not wanting to do that to Max, Lily stated, “I’m sure he’ll be back at any moment.”
The rest of the royal family, along with the nobility in attendance, came together for photos. Max came rushing from down the hallway, tucking in his shirt with a frazzled look on his face.
As he approached the group, Lily overheard the king whisper to Max, “Please tell me your state of attire doesn’t mean you were doing something you shouldn’t have been.”
“You would think that,” Max stated with resentment, “but your assumption is wrong.”
Before Max could explain further, the photographer arranged everyone for the photos.
After a dozen or so pictures were taken, Lily was finally free to stop smiling for the camera. She never realized her cheeks could hurt so much.
Her mother was gesturing with her eyes for Lily to join Max. Realizing she could no longer avoid it, Lily resolved to do her mother’s biding.
“Good afternoon, your Royal Highness,” Lily stated with a hesitant smile.
“Good afternoon, Lady Liliana,” Max said in return. “I’m surprised to see you here today.”
“Believe me, it wasn’t my idea,” Lily assured him. “I was summoned to attend by the king and told by my parents to obey.”
“Sounds about right,” Max stated with a small chuckle. “I was under the same mandate.”
“It seems itwill be the way of things for the foreseeable future.”
Max nodded. “I suppose we should resign ourselves to it.”
The photographer who was wandering around the reception taking candid pictures, asked them to turn to face him. Both of them did, and the photographer snapped away.
“I’m guessing we should get used to that,” Lily stated with distaste.
“You’re not really used to it, but it’s an everyday occurrence for me,” Max pointed out. “I’ll do my best to make it as painless as possible for you.” Noticing the king was gesturing for Max to come over, he said, “If you will excuse me, Lady Liliana. It seems the king is in need of me.”
As Lily watched Max walk away, she wondered if she was seeing a new side to Max, one that reminded her of the boy she fell in love with back in high school but had been buried so far down she had thought it had been a mirage. Could it be possible that Max was a good guy pretending to be a bad one?
