Chapter 0167

It gets a little awkward in the close quarters of the limousine, but Jesse does a good job of breaking the awkwardness by pouring more champagne – god, mom really made sure we were stocked – and pointing out all of the landmarks that we pass on the way to the palace to Ben and Daphne,

keeping us all laughing with his commentary.

Rafe, when we got in the car, sat me deliberately on his right with Daphne on my other side, very carefully ensuring that I wasn’t sitting next to either of my mates, I think trying to be fair to both of them. But as we draw close to the palace, Rafe turns to Jackson on his left and raises an eyebrow. “You ready for this?” he murmurs, smirking a little.

“Absolutely not,” Jackson returns, deadpan. But then he smiles at my brother, and moves his eyes to me, and his smile deepens. “But we’ll get through it, right?”

“That’s the spirit,” Rafe says, laughing and clinking his glass against. Jackson’s before taking a sip.

Jackson just glances down at his champagne with distaste.

“What,” I say, leaning further over Rafe with a grin, unable to help it. “You don’t like it?”

“What is it?” he asks, baffled, holding his glass up to stare at the pale

bubbly liquid.

champagne!” I say,

his eyes to me like I’m crazy if I think he knows what that means, which makes me laugh more. Jesse, having caught the

stocked back here.

don’t know,” Jackson murmurs, peering over my head with surprise and a little delight at

a draft and handing it

going to have his champagne,” Luca calls, and I turn my head to him with surprise to see him

pass it down to Luca, who empties it into his own half- full flute. “No sense in wasting five–hundred–dollar champagne,” he murmurs, lifting his glass to me in a toast with a wink before taking a sip.

five hundred dollars?” Jackson gasps, almost dropping his glass

“Listen, if you’re that shocked about the champagne,

a moment he smiles too, shaking his head and taking it

least right now it is.

other side, Daphne’s leg bounces

I whisper, resting my hand on her

her voice high and too breezy. “Just…about to meet the king and the queen. Just

then I tap the bottom of her glass. “Bottom’s up.

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