Prince with Benefits

Chapter Two

I was still having nightmares a month later—but not about the wedding.

I couldn't stop picturing Sam and Sonya in bed. It was painful, and it continued to anger me. I should have ended things a long time ago, but sometimes the routine overpowers the heart. I had let this happen by settling into something that didn't make me happy.

The thought of getting married and forming a family was there, but it wasn't my whole life's goal. When my parents divorced, I tried to understand what had happened between them, but my father buried himself in work, and my mother left and cut ties. I always thought they were in love, and if they couldn't make a marriage work, I wasn't sure anyone could. But then, Sam proposed to me and the thought of having a partner pushed me through the whole process. I was settling for something that didn't make me happy, and that was wrong of me.

A part of me wanted to blame my mother. Maybe she had a midlife crisis and decided to stop being a wife and a mother at the same time, or maybe... we just weren't enough for her. That's the thought that accompanied me every day since she left to go back to her homeland in England. Perhaps I wasn't good enough. Maybe Sam felt the same way, and I knew he wasn't right for me, despite his apparent perfection as a boyfriend.

He had tried to call me several times, but I never answered. There was nothing to talk about. It was obvious neither of us were into each other. I still couldn't face Sonya, though. I wasn't sure what I would do if she was in front of me. Especially if she dared to smirk at me again. That would make me flip, for sure, which was why I avoided meeting my father at his house. I couldn't tell him that his dear stepdaughter was a slut.

"Hey, penny for your thoughts?" My bed sank as Hugh, my best friend and all-around savior, sat beside me.

I met my friend's hazel eyes with a small smile on my face. "Have I thanked you for letting me stay with you?"

"Not enough. You should put up an altar for me. I have saved you from sure doom." I rolled my eyes as he grabbed my hand. "It's nothing, Em. If anything, Chris is enjoying your stay with all the cooking he's been doing lately."

Chris and Hugh had been dating for almost two years now. They were one of those too-hot-to-handle handsome couples and corny as hell.

"Well, thank you. Again."

"Seriously." He watched me with concern. "Are you okay? You've been in your room all day long today."

I gripped the blanket. "I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep well."

Hugh exhaled and placed a palm on my knee. "You need to come out of this funk, Em. You're no fun now."

I probably would have been offended if that had come from someone else. But this was Hugh, my best friend, and the most outspoken yet sincere person ever. I knew he could never sugarcoat anything. It was his best and worst asset.

I stared at my hands. "Yeah, I suck. I know. Sorry..."

"Oh, it's okay. I'm badass. It's hard to be around me and not compare yourself."

I raised an eyebrow, and he laughed. "The only good thing about you is your damn British accent and your eyes. The rest is just part of your imagination. But Chris is pretty awesome."

"What!" Hugh placed a hand over his chest. "I mean, he's hot but I'm way cooler than him."

"Right." I smiled. "Keep telling yourself that."

My smile faded and he stayed quiet as I gathered my thoughts. Biting my lip, I gazed out the window. The view of the garden outside brought a sense of calm and peace in me. "I'd be getting married in a week..."