ZANDER was wiped out. His ego had taken a beating with that slap from Andi, and for some reason it left him feeling oddly insecure about himself, something he’d never experienced in his life. He’d returned home practically licking his wounded pride.
“Why are you wandering around with such a hangdog look on your face?” Adrian said over breakfast in the palace.
“Adrian! Be nice,” his fiancée Emma said to him, patting him on the leg. “No sense in making him feel worse when he obviously looks like he feels awful already.”
Zanders eyes grew large. “I look awful?”
He pulled out his phone and opened the mirror app, then started tugging on the underside of his eyelids, inspecting his bloodshot eyeballs. Granted, they didn’t look perfect, but that had more to do with the extended partying in which he’d partaken all day Sunday. He gave himself a quick slap across each cheek to perk his skin up a bit, but that only reminded him of his unfortunate Saturday-night episode.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Emma said, blushing with embarrassment. She was new to the family and still trying to figure out her place, all while she undertook planning a wedding and overseeing the renovations in the palace apartments she and Adrian would occupy. Zander held up a hand, indicating he took no offense by her comment.
“My God, Alexander, what have you done now?”
All heads turned to see Zander and Adrian’s mother, Queen Ariana, and father, Prince Enrico, enter the room.
Zander buried his head in his hand and groaned.
“Well?” his mother said, prodding.
“Well what, Mother?” he said. “Have you not gotten your progress report from Lorenzo about my weekend behavior? About my having to be bailed out of jail?”
“Jail?” His mother’s voice elevated.
Zander shot two air pistols with his fingers at his mother. “Gotcha,” he said, grinning broadly.
“Alexander,” his mother said, shaking her head with a growl of annoyance before leaning over to kiss his cheek and brush hair from his eyes. “Congratulations on staying out of trouble.”
“Thanks, Mother dearest. You know I aspire to great heights. And, as always, I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
“You know what I mean, Zander.”
“Your mother loves you just the way you are,” his father piped in, scruffing Zander’s hair.
“By that you mean irresponsible, impulsive, and prone to unacceptable behavior?” Zander said.
“Somebody took a gloomy pill for breakfast,” his mother said.
“It’s quite curious,” Adrian said, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I feel like I’m having flashbacks. Or is it déjà vu? Whatever it is, I haven’t seen Zander this glum-looking since—”
“Since Lady Alicia dumped him after he told her he loved her.”
Zander looked over his shoulder to see his sister Isabella enter the room, then sit down.
“Oh, so now we’re going to drag her into this?” Zander said. “What is this, Beat Up Zander Day? I wish I’d known so I could have stayed in Rome and avoided the abuse.”
Isabella smiled, her sapphire eyes sparkling. She tucked her long, wavy dark hair behind her ears. “Are you kidding? I love talking about Alicia. I could say her name all day long. Alicia. Alicia. Alicia. Alicia. Alicia.”
Zander plugged his ears.
Adrian looked at Emma and nodded at his infantile siblings, and she promptly burst out laughing.
“We need to explain this to the newest family member,” Adrian said, grabbing Emma’s hand and kissing it. “You see, Zander was away at boarding school, and Alicia was the headmaster’s daughter. Alicia had a habit of latching on to a guy just long enough to stir up the old libido.” He winked at his brother jokingly. “And then she’d just drop him. It got bad enough that people started calling her Malicia, because her intentions seemed so bad from the start.”
“But why would she do that to Zander?” Emma said. “He’s too sweet for that.” She batted her eyelashes, clearly trying to butter up her future brother-in-law after that “awful” comment earlier.
“I knew I liked this one,” Zander said to Adrian, pointing his thumb toward Emma. “Finally I have an ally in the family.”
“Oh, pishposh. You know I’ve always been your biggest fan,” Isabella said. “It’s why I love to say her name. Alicia. Alicia. Alicia. To remind you that you’re better than her. You don’t need some half-wit female like her in your life.”
“Precisely,” Adrian said. “When you can have a fulfilling one like Emma here.”
Emma shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“Here, here,” Ariana said, tilting her glass of blood orange juice to toast her son’s future bride. “Just like your father said, Zander. We love you for who you are. Don’t change a thing. Except maybe that propensity to end up in the tabloids after having done something that could embarrass the crown.”
“One time, I get naked. One time! Must we rehash that again? Things just got a little out of control.”
His mother shook her head. “No, they were not out of control. You were stark-naked in a very public swimming pool, doing God knows what with a gaggle of equally naked women. Americans, of all people.” She nodded to Emma and said, “Not that there’s anything wrong with Americans, dear. But seriously, Alexander, can you imagine how mortifying that is for your father and me to contend with?”
“It’s not like I’m the heir to the throne or anything,” he said. “I’m supposed to be the bad boy. The black sheep. Get my wild on.”
“Any more of that and you’ll see what getting your wild on really is,” Enrico said with a laugh. “You, son, have put my youthful pranks to shame. If I had to do it over again, I’d seek out your advice about how to do it in style.” He gave his son a wink, and Ariana playfully smacked Enrico’s arm, then gave her husband a peck on the cheek.
“Just another normal breakfast at the palace,” Zander said to Emma. “Welcome to the insane asylum.”
“Not so fast with the segue, Z,” Adrian said. “I was pointing out a few minutes ago that I’ve not seen you in this sullen state since that day. Which is amazing, really, when you think about it, that you haven’t had your heart broken by a female since you were all of what, seventeen years of age?”
“Eighteen, thank you.”
“So who is she?” Adrian said.
“Who is who?”
“The bird who’s got you all moonstruck.”
Zander laughed. “Oh, that’s a good one. Nice try Ade. But I’m not gonna bite. There is no woman out there who’s broken my heart, so you can all call off the puppies and kittens you were going to bring in to cheer me up. I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“Well, darling, perhaps you should go upstairs for a little nap and start your day after you’re more rested.”
“And when you’re ready to tell us who she is, we’ll be waiting,” Adrian said, winking as his sister gave him a fist bump in solidarity.
Zander shook his head. Damned siblings are always the first to know.