Zara was a goddess on her wedding day. Even when competing with a cathedral that was centuries old, she was a presence and she swept people off their feet in her own ballroom. The cape that she wore for the ceremony had been the perfect blend of power and softness, shaped into a breastplate of sorts, it was robust and strong, but still lacy and feminine. The cape was removed for the reception, but I was sure her simple, streamline dress would be talked about just as much.

The first dance was beautiful. She shimmered under the gentle lighting, moving in perfect sync with Jasper who was undoubtedly dashing in his tuxedo. As much as I wanted to stare at her dress or the crown tucked into her bed of curls, it was hard not to be drawn to the couple. If I could look past all of the men with medals, the women with ridiculous titles, it would almost see like this was a backyard wedding for two people who were very much in love.

But this was certainly not a backyard wedding that most girls dreamed of. Hell, it wasn't even a golf course wedding. I was sipping on the world's finest champagne, standing next to a flower arrangement that cost more than my car. When supper came, I was sure it was going to be the finest cuts of beef, freshly caught fish, and vegetables that had been harvested yesterday. After meeting the head chef, food was what I was most excited for.

If I made it to supper.

"You look like you're hiding," Dex whispered beside me, his voice barely audible over the magical sounds of the orchestra.

Leave it to him to seek me out when I wanted to curl up and die. "Great opener. I would recommend starting with telling a girl she looks good first."

His eyes swept over me then, slow and casual. I took a moment to do the same to him. He had been right, the last time he had worn a suit had been high school grad. Seeing him in the grey pinstripe with a bold pattern tie and shining shoes was something I wanted to remember.

"You look great," he affirmed. "So now why are you hiding? Or is this all part of your role?"

I didn't bother to answer him. My time was running out. The first dance came to an end. Zara took a step away from her husband, their hands dropping. With grace that could only be taught and practiced, she curtseyed, dipping her head to put that diamond and sapphire tiara on full display. When she rose, I swore she was blushing, but the moment moved to Jasper who took one of her hands before bowing deeply. I had never considered my cousin to be a romantic, but this moment proved me wrong.

And maybe he would be so happy, so filled with love, that he wouldn't notice my blunder. Or better yet, maybe it wouldn't have been reported to him.

I was a fool for even considering something like that. Jasper rose, all broad grins and twinkling eyes. A second song started. Dallas stepped in looking as dapper as ever in his little tux and the queen was occupied with a dance that would make everyone else's heart melt.

But it only gave Jasper a moment to sneak away. And come right for me.

I debated bending over behind the towering flower arrangement and vomiting right then or alternatively, jumping out the nearest window and hoping for an injury severe enough to prevent this meeting from happening.

"Congrats man," Dex announced. I knew he was trying to be genuine, but his voice was tense and robotic.

Jasper didn't even blink. "London, come with me."

I didn't have to be told twice and since I had opted to not cause injury to myself, I knew my next best option was to remain quiet and take this with all the grace I could muster. Keeping my chin up, I zigged and zagged through the crowd behind him, pausing when he was interrupted by someone clapping him on the shoulder or wishing the couple well. It only prolonged my suffering. We made it out of the grand ballroom, into a secluded hallway that made our footsteps echo and finally into a small office where Jasper slammed the door behind me.

Pretending to be casual, I cocked a hip against the massive desk, thinking that it was probably made from some rare wood and older than me.

"Want to tell me what happened?" he prompted.

I smoothed a hand down my emerald gown. "Not particularly."

He folded his beefy arms over his chest and I suddenly became aware of just how huge this man was. He must have been over six four. I doubted he could weigh less than two hundred pounds. He could snap me like a twig, and right now, it looked like he wanted to.

"You frisked a senator," he stated.

"It was hardly a frisk. Just a finger around the waistband and—"

"London," he snapped, moving to scrape a hand through his hair. He must have had a flash back to his morning and all the products that were keeping him together because he dropped his hand back down and sighed. "You can call it what you want, but you crossed a line. You leapt over a big bold line."

"I was doing what you asked!" I protested.

"I asked you to keep us safe and make everyone feel welcome. Not an either-or situation," he snarled.

"I did my best. I thought he might have had a gun! And what the hell was I supposed to do if he did." I gestured to the satin covering my body, revealing every curve and bump, the thin shoulder straps barely holding anything up. "It's not like I could put any weapons under this thing to help if something bad did happen. Everyone needed to be cleared at the door!"

"That man is bordering ancient. If he had the strength to shoot a gun, it would probably hurt him the most. You pulled aside a guest with no reasonable cause and disregarded my team when they told you that he was not a threat."

"They're just security," I snapped.

That was the wrong thing to say apparently. Jasper's eyes blazed and he jerked his head back as if I had spat on him. "I trained each and every one of those guards. They are more suited to this position than you are. I gave you a chance to maybe have someone consider you for something, anything. I did it as a favor to your mother. And you come in here acting all high and mighty and you insult my team. Maybe that's your problem, kid, you can't believe that anyone on this planet is more capable than you."

I reeled back as if he slapped me. A real agent would have known how to defend themselves in that moment or would have shut up a long time ago. But I just stood there, mouth open, staring at my cousin. He was right. Of course, he was right. And it made tears flood to my eyes.

He met my gaze evenly, completely unaffected. "I'm going back to my wedding. You are nothing more than a guest for the rest of the night. If I hear anything from my team, I will personally drag you onto a plane and fly you back to Canada." He stormed out of there without another word and I knew that anyone who saw him two seconds later would think he was having the best night of his life, that he was filled with joy.

The same could not be said for me.

I took a moment to collect myself. Trembling fingers raked through my dark hair and dabbed at my eyes, making sure my makeup was untouched. After a few deep breaths, I forced myself to way back down that hallway and back into the ballroom that was so full of life and so full of happiness. I felt so out of place all of the sudden, but I would not allow myself to be a coward and hide back in my room without showing my face again.

All I wanted was to go to Dex, to have him toss an arm around my shoulders and tell me that everything would be fine. But when he came into view, so did Zara. The queen was smiling at him, sipping on champagne. I was close enough that I could make out snippets of their conversation.

"I was surprised when my drivers said that you got away from them," she said.

Dex rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardness pouring out him. "Yeah, I race at home. Not professionally or anything, but just for fun. When I saw people tailing us I kind of freaked out."

I plucked two flutes off a passing tray and down both without a thought, still straining my ears.

"I'm impressed. You show come meet my race team tomorrow. I can't say I know anything about racing, but if you're interested, you can drive our Porsche around the track."

My flutes were discarded on another passing tray and I ambled just a little bit closer.

"Oh, I'd love that, but I don't want to be any trouble. I imagine the day after your wedding is going to be hectic."

"Please," the queen sighed, waving a hand. "I have been cooped up for weeks planning this wedding. A day talking about cars would be refreshing." Then, her eyes met mine, spotting the dress that she had picked out for me. "Oh, London, I was wondering where you went. Come, tell me what you really think of my dress and try our cocktail. Anushka worked with a local mixologist and made a cilantro and cherry mojito."

Zara's expression was nothing but pure joy and I squeezed in beside Dex, picking up the bright pink cocktail. It was impossible to know if Jasper had revealed the truth to her or if she simply didn't know. As a royal, I knew that she had been raised to be impassive always. Still, I sipped the drink – which was deadly – and told her that I loved her gown and that her dance with Dallas had been precious, even though I hadn't seen it. While we chatted, we both drank more, dabbling with Jasper's drink – a maple bacon sour. By the time she was snatched away by an excited woman, I was feeling a little warmth in my belly.

"Is everything okay?" Dex whispered, lowering his mouth so it was beside my ear.

"Everything is fine. Looks like the queen has a soft spot for you, though."

I didn't look at him, but I knew he was running his eyes over me, trying to hear what I was keeping silent. "You know, if it was just the two of us, I would pin you down and make you tell me," he threatened.

Suddenly, that was all I wanted. I had tried my best, I had been scolded, and I had put on a brave face for a few minutes. Jasper said I was to be nothing more than a guest. Guests could do whatever they wanted. I grabbed a bottle of expensive red wine off the table. Dexter raised an eyebrow, but followed suit, grabbing two glass bottles filled with Jasper's favorite craft beer that was probably brewed with glacier water and gold.

I walked out of that ballroom knowing he would follow me. 

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Mine was a cold one here in Alberta, had to spend most of the time indoors, but it was still good.

For those of you who don't know, the bonus chapter to TGWTME is free on Amazon today only. It is called Under Fire and I personally think it shows an interesting side to Miles and Declan!

Question of the Day: What song do you listen to on repeat?