Royal's Wedding Secret Read Online Free
Author: Sophia Lynn
with thunderous applause. The girl sitting next to him lost all pretense of disdain and gasped, putting her hands together with enthusiasm.
"That's my mama!" she whispered to him, but he had come to that conclusion himself.
Philip was certain that Marnie's talk was fascinating. There were certainly enough members of the audience that were impressed. However, he could barely hear what she was saying over the tumult of thought in his own mind. He thought about how quickly he and Marnie had broken things off, and he thought about how the little girl sitting next to him looked. There were coincidences in life, he thought, but he wasn't sure he believed in them. The evidence was there, and he was not leaving this evening until he got to the bottom of this.
After Marnie's talk, the people got up to mill around before she started signing. The little girl darted through the crowd to wrap herself around her mother's hip. Marnie grinned, delighted to see her daughter, and she rested her hand on her daughter's dark head as she continued talking to the people around her.
Philip positioned himself close to the end of the line, his book clutched hard in his hand. As the line progressed at what felt like a snail's pace, he tried to focus and calm himself. There was nothing to be gained by flying off the handle.
He was startled when a bookstore employee offered him a Post-it Note.
"What's this?" he asked with a frown.
"Oh, just write your name on it," the employee told him. "It tells Ms. Drake who to sign the book to. It keeps it simpler than having every one tell her up front. Write down who you want the book signed to, and stick it to the inside of the cover."
Philip hesitated for a moment, scrawled a single word on the Post-it, and shut it into the book. He kept his mind as calm and level as he could.
However, when he got to the front of the line finally, he could see that Marnie looked exhausted. She smiled at him without seeing him at all, and when she took the book from him, he could see that her hands were shaking.
"Thanks for supporting my work," she said as cheerfully as she could, "I really appreciate …"
She glanced down at the Post-it Note, and her pale face went even paler. She didn't say the word that was written on the note, but he saw her mouth it.
Daddy ?
She looked up at him, finally seeing him. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting. Perhaps she would be guilty, or perhaps she would be furious. Maybe she would dress him down then and there, or perhaps she would ice over. Instead, she looked around, and then scrawled something in the book. She handed it back to him with all the smooth élan of a practiced spy.
"Thanks for reading," she said, and it was only because he had once known her so well that he could tell that her smile was utterly false.
He waited until he got out of line to open the book, and as he read it, he frowned.
Come meet me at DiMartino's down the street in an hour. I will tell you what you need to know.
It was signed Marnie Drake, and for a moment, he ran his thumb over her signature as if he were touching her deliciously full lower lip.
Whatever he had been expecting this evening, it was not this, but once again, that was just like Marnie had always been.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, he smiled.
*
The moment the signing ended, Marnie raced back to where Cassie was sitting with Victoria in the back. Cassie, who was along for moral support since she could get Marnie's signature whenever she wanted it, was showing the dark-haired little girl how to fold a paper crane from scraps of notebook paper.
"… and see, when you open it up like that, the wings flap!" Cassie glanced up at Marnie, raising an eyebrow.
"Did someone get fresh on the signing floor? Do we need to have management ban someone for life again?"
"No, nothing like that, but Cassie, please, please could you take Victoria back to your place? I'll come get her before midnight, I swear, but I really need help
"That's my mama!" she whispered to him, but he had come to that conclusion himself.
Philip was certain that Marnie's talk was fascinating. There were certainly enough members of the audience that were impressed. However, he could barely hear what she was saying over the tumult of thought in his own mind. He thought about how quickly he and Marnie had broken things off, and he thought about how the little girl sitting next to him looked. There were coincidences in life, he thought, but he wasn't sure he believed in them. The evidence was there, and he was not leaving this evening until he got to the bottom of this.
After Marnie's talk, the people got up to mill around before she started signing. The little girl darted through the crowd to wrap herself around her mother's hip. Marnie grinned, delighted to see her daughter, and she rested her hand on her daughter's dark head as she continued talking to the people around her.
Philip positioned himself close to the end of the line, his book clutched hard in his hand. As the line progressed at what felt like a snail's pace, he tried to focus and calm himself. There was nothing to be gained by flying off the handle.
He was startled when a bookstore employee offered him a Post-it Note.
"What's this?" he asked with a frown.
"Oh, just write your name on it," the employee told him. "It tells Ms. Drake who to sign the book to. It keeps it simpler than having every one tell her up front. Write down who you want the book signed to, and stick it to the inside of the cover."
Philip hesitated for a moment, scrawled a single word on the Post-it, and shut it into the book. He kept his mind as calm and level as he could.
However, when he got to the front of the line finally, he could see that Marnie looked exhausted. She smiled at him without seeing him at all, and when she took the book from him, he could see that her hands were shaking.
"Thanks for supporting my work," she said as cheerfully as she could, "I really appreciate …"
She glanced down at the Post-it Note, and her pale face went even paler. She didn't say the word that was written on the note, but he saw her mouth it.
Daddy ?
She looked up at him, finally seeing him. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting. Perhaps she would be guilty, or perhaps she would be furious. Maybe she would dress him down then and there, or perhaps she would ice over. Instead, she looked around, and then scrawled something in the book. She handed it back to him with all the smooth élan of a practiced spy.
"Thanks for reading," she said, and it was only because he had once known her so well that he could tell that her smile was utterly false.
He waited until he got out of line to open the book, and as he read it, he frowned.
Come meet me at DiMartino's down the street in an hour. I will tell you what you need to know.
It was signed Marnie Drake, and for a moment, he ran his thumb over her signature as if he were touching her deliciously full lower lip.
Whatever he had been expecting this evening, it was not this, but once again, that was just like Marnie had always been.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, he smiled.
*
The moment the signing ended, Marnie raced back to where Cassie was sitting with Victoria in the back. Cassie, who was along for moral support since she could get Marnie's signature whenever she wanted it, was showing the dark-haired little girl how to fold a paper crane from scraps of notebook paper.
"… and see, when you open it up like that, the wings flap!" Cassie glanced up at Marnie, raising an eyebrow.
"Did someone get fresh on the signing floor? Do we need to have management ban someone for life again?"
"No, nothing like that, but Cassie, please, please could you take Victoria back to your place? I'll come get her before midnight, I swear, but I really need help
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