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@angelasscribbles
Welcome to my little corner of Tumblr. Come on in, grab a cup of coffee, and have a look around.
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Heir Apparent Chapter 16: Breaking News
Series: Heir Apparent.
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Drake x Riley, Liam x Riley (past)
Rating: R
Warnings: Mature themes
Word Count: 2,183
A/N: This is my submission for the @choicesprompts, it wasn't planned but once I started writing, I was like oh shit, here is the next chapter of Heir Apparent!
Find the prompt here
Everything else: Master List.
“Holy crap, we’re gonna be late!” Riley yelped when her eyes glanced up at the decorative wall clock. “Turn that off!” she ordered in a cross tone to her companion, who was still watching the streaming show.
“Late? For what?” The question was asked in a tone that was both confused and distracted.
“The THING!”
Her companion finally pulled his eyes away from the 60-inch screen, brows furrowed. “I know of no THING,” he protested.
She heaved a huge sigh of exasperation. “It’s on your calendar! Now, stop talking and start moving!” She gently slapped his forearm in light admonishment. “I’m done with the conversation now!”
She turned away to plump her pillows.
Her eyes widened in surprise when she felt arms wrap around her waist and pads of thumbs press into her hips. Her body was a feather as it was pulled back onto the bed.
“Sit back down!” her companion ordered.
The woman frowned at him before her eyes found the television screen again.
What the...? Is that …? WHAT is he doing?
“I’m sat!” Riley informed him as she plunked down onto the mattress next to him.
Drake had stopped the episode of Top Chef he’d been watching, and the news had come up on the regular cable channel it was now tuned to. Liam’s face was plastered all over the screen. But it wasn’t Liam giving a news conference like she had first thought. It was old footage of him accompanying a breaking story.
The scrawl across the bottom of the screen made her heart sink, “Oh, no.” She breathed out in a quiet panic, their dinner with the Valtorian council forgotten.
“I’m so sorry, babe.” Drake told her, his eyes full of concern as they traced her face.
“Turn it up please.”
“Are you sure?”
She simply nodded. He pointed the remote at the sixty inch flat screen and pushed the volume button.
“A confidential source tells us that Cordonia will soon have its heir despite the king’s relationship status as a confirmed bachelor.” The female reporter with short cropped brunette hair spoke to the camera.
“So how does that work?” The middle aged male anchor asked her.
“Well, there is some precedence in our history. The father of Queen Kenna’s children is unknown as she chose another woman as her life partner, but it never mattered because Kenna was the one who carried the Rys blood. It’s a little tricker when the male parent to the out of wedlock child is the one in the line of succession, but there is still plenty of precedence for it. There have been illegitimate children named as heir before when the monarch had no true born children. King Fabian, for example, his biological children were conceived with his mistress, not his wife. He simply had to claim and legitimize them. Unlike a hundred years ago, we now have DNA testing, so confirming paternity is really a simple matter and my source tells me that this testing has already been done. The child in question has allegedly been confirmed as the biological child of King Liam Rys.”
“Do we know who the alleged mother is?” The anchor asked.
Riley’s hand landed on Drake’s arm, her fingers pressing into him. He scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. This was exactly what they were hoping to avoid. They had wanted to make the announcement themselves, in order to better control the narrative. The last thing he wanted was to have his pregnant wife blindsided by a hoard of rabid reporters on a random Tuesday when she was trying to shop or attend a council meeting.
He had increased the number of guards on her detail. With Liam’s consent and full support, he had quickly thrown together a new guard until that basically amounted to a queen’s guard. They just didn’t call it that, because she wasn’t the queen. She was the duchess of Valtoria, and she was his wife, not Liam’s.
But she was still carrying the heir to the throne.
“No, Tomas, we don’t have confirmation on the mother yet, but rumors are circulating about several different women the king has been connected to in the past.”
“In the past?” The anchorman asked, “Is the king not connected to anyone right now?”
“If he is, he’s keeping it a secret.” The reporter answered, “King Liam has not been publicly linked to or seen with a woman since he broke his engagement to Madeleine Amaranth. We have reached out to the Countess of Fydelia for comment and she has issued an official statement that she is not pregnant with the king’s baby, or anyone else’s. The countess denies having ever had a physical relationship with the king.”
The camera cut back to the anchorman, “I remember at the time their engagement ended, there were rumors that the break was caused by the king’s feelings for another woman.”
“Yes, Tomas, those rumors were never substantiated, but the woman in question was Riley Brooks, Cordonia’s Every Woman and the current Duchess of Valtoria who married the king’s best friend, Drake Walker in a private, intimate ceremony earlier this year.”
Tomas raised his eyebrows as he insinuated things. “And is there any precedence for the king conceiving an heir with a woman who is married to another man?”
“Yes and no. King Tiberius, the great great grandfather of King Liam had three children with the married Duchess of Krona, Brinn Albright. But those children were never considered for succession because he had children with his wife as well. He never publicly acknowledged those children, and the Duke of Krona apparently turned a blind eye and raised them as his own. Subsequent DNA testing of descendants have since proven what was known as an open secret at court at the time.”
“Wow. Well, this is going to be history in the making if the mother is married to another man and king claims this alleged heir and inserts them into the line of succession.”
“Yes, Tomas, but it would also serve to strengthen his position by securing the Rys line and calm the pressure from factions that are clamoring for him to marry and produce an heir. If this information is true, then Cordonia has an heir, and the king will not be under pressure to marry any time soon.”
“Well thank you, Merina. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.” Tomas turned away from the screen with Merina on it and faced the camera, “and now all of Cordonia is wondering, who is the mystery woman carrying our future and why hasn’t the king made an official announcement? We’ll be back with Robert Somerson, political analyst, tenured professor of political science at Cordonia University and author of ‘Kings and Queens of Cordonia: A History’ for discussion and some possible answers, right after this break. Please stay with us.”
“Turn it off!” Riley said, barely contained emotion tainting her words.
Drake clicked the television off and took her fully into his arms. His hands ran down her back, stroked through her hair and glided over her shoulders as his mouth trailed through her hair, “It’s ok, baby, it’s ok. I’m here, I’m right here.”
They had known this day would come; they had just hoped for more time. At least the press hadn’t figured out that Riley was the pregnant woman in question, but they would. It was only a matter of time.
“I’m ok.” She wiped at her eyes before staring up into his, “I love you; you understand that right?”
He tightened his grasp around her body. “I do understand that Riley, I’m not running away again, I promise.”
“And I’m not leaving you for Liam, you know that too, right?”
“I know.” He hugged her even tighter. They had already been through hell, their marriage almost torn apart by insecurities, misunderstandings, and lack of communication. He wasn’t making any of those mistakes again.
“You have been nothing short of amazing through all of this and some days I don’t think I deserve you.” She told him.
“Whatever.” He scoffed, “I’m the one that doesn’t deserve you and the whole world knows it.”
“Do you think….should we call Liam?”
Drake sighed as he considered the question. “Not right now. Reporters will be circling him like the vultures they are. Let’s wait. If anyone catches wind that we called him right after that story broke, it could point them in your direction.”
“I think they already are.”
He shook his head, “Nah. You’re just one of several possibilities at this point.”
“It’s going to become obvious soon.” She told him.
His eyes slid down her body. She was right. She was already wearing looser clothes to accommodate her growing belly. It wouldn’t be long before the curve of her once flat stomach was noticeable to the public at large and not just to him. They had hoped to wait until after the baby was born to make an official announcement, but with the press already scenting blood in the water, Liam’s most recent ex walking around Cordonia with a baby bump was going to cause much more than a splash. It was going to set off a feeding frenzy.
And he still hadn’t told his mother or sister.
“We need get out ahead of this and make a statement before they figure it out on their own.” He told her, “But first we need to warn our friends and family because when they can’t get to us, they will fall on people like Hana and Max. Bertrand can handle himself with the press, but my sister needs a heads up and my mom-“
Riley nodded. Hana, Olivia and Max already knew but that was it. She was dreading having to explain the situation to her husband’s family, “Drake, I’m sorry, it’s my fault that-“
“Shhhhh. Don’t start that again. This is part and parcel of the royal lifestyle. The press will always be obsessed with every little thing you do. Your friends and family will always be fair game to them. Max, Bert, Hana, they understand this.”
Riley sniffed as tears threatened to spill down her face, “A lifestyle you never wanted.”
“What?” He drew back to look directly into her eyes, “I know I talk a lot of shit about the nobility, but I’m used to it too, and somehow all the people I love most are part of it. You, Liam, Leo, Savannah now that she’s a Beaumont. Hana. Hell, even Max, and don’t you dare tell him I said that!”
Laughter broke through her tears, “No promises, Walker. The fact that he made that list would send Max over the moon and you know it!”
“Yeah. That’s precisely why he can never know.” Drake chuckled as he wiped at the errant tear that escaped and trickled down her cheek.
“Ok.” Riley drew away from him and stood up, “We’ll get everyone together in the next day or two. Meanwhile, we still have to get to that council dinner I was trying to tell you about. Nothing can look amiss and we’re already late!”
“Ok, you’re right.” He stood and stretched, “But I still maintain that I had no prior knowledge of this thing, as you called it.”
“Yes, Drake, it’s on your calendar, I put it there myself!” She told him indignantly as she reached for his phone.
He let her pull it out of his pocket and watched as she scrolled through it. Her face lit up triumphantly as she opened his calendar app then immediately fell, her brows creasing as she scrolled back and forth through it. “What? Shit. No, no, I know I put it on here!”
“Are you sure you didn’t just think about putting it in there?” He laughed as he reached for his phone.
“Yeah, maybe.” She muttered sheepishly as she handed it back, “Fucking pregnancy brain!”
“It’s ok babe. I got it. I’ll call and let them know we’re running late while you go pee. I know you need to, and probably grab a snack to eat on the way as well.”
“I don’t need a snack on the way to dinner, Drake!” She said indignantly.
He gave her a look.
She flushed, “Fine, ok, I could use a granola bar. Shut up!”
He held his arms up as he laughed, “I didn’t say anything!”
He watched her scurrying around the room getting ready and he felt like his heart might explode. Despite everything that had happened, here they were, together, happy, in love.
He knew all hell was about to break loose, but he also knew that come what may, they could handle it. Because he could handle anything as long as he had her by his side and in his corner. He didn’t even care that she kept forgetting to inform him about council meetings until the last minute. He didn’t care that marrying her had made him a duke. All he cared about was that he was hers and she was his and they were happy.
Heir Apparent Chapter 15: Homecoming
Series: Heir Apparent.
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Drake x Riley, Liam x Riley (past)
Word Count: 1,776
Rating: R
Warnings: Mature themes, language, Depression, self-harm mentioned, I should tag as infidelity (even though it arguably wasn't, as she had her fiancée's permission for what happened in Vegas, but some people have gotten very upset with me about it, so I'm tagging it as such just to be on the safe side)
A/N: Yes, you guys, it's back! I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update. Other things got in the way, but I do have so many more ideas for this one.
A/N2: My original idea for this was just simply that it never made sense that Drake would agree for his child to be the heir. Under what other circumstances would Riley marry Drake but be mother to the heir? Well....if she were actually pregnant with the heir. The Vegas fling was the perfect vehicle to drive that. Since Drake gave permission for the fling, I didn't anticipate the trauma that ended up happening, but once I started writing, that's what happened. This story went to some much darker places than I ever imagined or planned. Hopefully they are back on solid ground now. We'll see. As I write by the seat of my pants, I often don't know what's coming any more than the readers do! 🤣
Everything else: Master List.
On the ride back to Valtoria, they kept sneaking glances at each other. As if they were both afraid the other was going to disappear. They drove mostly in silence, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one, like the ride to the palace had been. Both were lost in their own thoughts, the events of the last few days, the last few weeks, had been heavy, there was an overwhelming tiredness mingled with the relief. Now that the gripping fear of losing each other had abated, emotional exhaustion set in.
“I feel like I could sleep for a week.” Riley said. All she’d done in her time at the palace was toss and turn, fall into a fitful sleep, jerk awake, then fight the panic in her chest until she could fall into a restless sleep. Repeat, on loop. Nothing about those three days had been restful.
“Me too.” Drake had no idea how much sleep he’d gotten, but passed out drunk wasn’t exactly the same as restorative sleep. He didn’t sleep well without her next to him anyway. He snuck a quick glance at her as he reached for her hand, “There’s nothing stopping us from climbing into bed and doing exactly that.”
She smiled at him as she took his hand and tears pricked his eyes. He’d had no idea just how tight the vise around his heart had been until it loosened. There was the smile he’d fallen in love with, there was that light in her eyes, there was the expression of love shining from them. He had missed those things so much, had missed her. He’d missed those million little ways she showed she loved him, like the way he’d catch her staring at him from across the room or the way she cut his sandwiches into heart shapes. He grumbled about it. “I’m a grown ass man, Riley.” But secretly it made his stupid heart feel all warm and fuzzy. He squeezed her hand as he forced his attention back to the road.
With his attention fixed on driving, Riley was able to study his face. She leaned her head back against the headrest as she drank in the curve of his face, the way the setting sun filtered through his hair. She smiled at how he always kept his hands precisely at nine o’clock and three o’clock unless he needed a hand free for something. Like holding hers.
She gripped his hand like it was the only thing holding her above water. His touch calmed and soothed her; she hadn’t realized how much until it had been gone. Even when she had been afraid of losing him, even when she had been sunk in depression, even when she had barely responded to him, his presence had been comforting. His touch, brushing her hair out of her face or rubbing her back, had helped. Without him she’d been set adrift, anchorless. She never wanted to experience it again.
“Let’s do it then!” She smiled up at him.
He took his eyes off the road long enough to glance at her face, the dazzling smile he found there made all the unhappiness and uncertainty of the last few weeks just wash away. He drug his eyes reluctantly back to the road. His foot pressed down a little heavier on the gas pedal at the thought of cuddling up next to her in their bed, wrapping his arms around her and not having her pull away.
“Do you need anything before we head up to bed?” He asked her as they entered the house.
“Do we have any chocolate cake?” She asked hopefully.
“You want cake?” He asked in pleased surprise. Eating was definitely a good sign.
“I could eat some.” She admitted, “But really what I want is a bath. I haven’t had one in three days. Poor Liam, I hope he changes the sheets before he sleeps in his bed.”
“Yeah…” Drake pushed away the thought of Liam sleeping on sheets that smelled like his wife.
She caught the hesitancy in his tone, “Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-“
“You did nothing wrong, baby. Come on, I’m going to go draw you a bath then I’ll call down to the kitchen for some chocolate cake…chocolate lava cake, how about that?” Liam being in love with her was just a fact of life. There wasn’t much either of them could do about it. He didn’t see the point of talking about it.
Her face lit up, “Oh, yummmm! Yes, please! With milk!”
“You sure about that?”
She nodded emphatically, “I’m sure!”
“Ok, then.” They climbed up the stairs together and entered the bedroom. He closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply upon entering the room, the familiar smell washing over him. It was a unique mixture of her scent mixed with his own, with a faint whiff of Riley’s favorite fabric softener underlying them both. It smelled like home.
“I’ll…uh…go start you a bath while you pick out some clothes, ok?”
“You don’t have to do that you know.”
“I know. I want to.” He was determined to make sure she never doubted his commitment and devotion again.
When Riley entered the bathroom, she found the tub full of her favorite bubble bath, scented candles flickering on the counter and her favorite bath towel already placed in the warmer. “Wow, this is above and beyond.”
“You deserve above and beyond, Riley.” He told her, “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like you didn’t.”
“What?” She looked at him in surprise, “Of course you didn’t! I was the one pushing you away. It seems silly, now. Looking back, all you did was try to be there for me, cooking for me, trying to plan the nursery, you literally held my hair while I puked. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”
“Oh, whatever.” He scoffed, “You patched me up after a gunshot wound then refused to sleep all night so you could watch me breath.”
Her face went completely serious, “I’m not a doctor, Drake. I was afraid that if I fell asleep and you started bleeding again-“ the words choked off in a sob.
“Oh, hey, hey! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you!” He was across the room and at her side in two strides. He wrapped her up in his arms, “It’s ok, I survived, see? I’m right here!”
“Sorry.” She sniffed, “Hormones, I guess.” Or, recent events had stirred up those feelings of helplessness and panic when she’d thought she might lose him.
“Don’t apologize. You’re fine.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks, “You’re just tired and emotionally exhausted. I know the feeling. So, let’s just get you into the bath, ok?”
She nodded as he pulled Liam’s shirt over her head and tossed it into the hamper. His motives for getting her out of those clothes and into the bath might have been at least a little selfish on his part. He knew it was probably petty and stupid, but he didn’t like seeing her in Liam’s clothes.
She slipped into the bath and sighed as she stretched out in the extra large claw footed, cast iron tub. She tipped her head up to find Drake still standing there, “Are you just going to stare at me while I take a bath?”
“Uh…I’m kind of afraid to leave you alone. I don’t want you to fall asleep in the tub.” He admitted.
“You could come in here with me.” She suggested.
“Thought you’d never ask!” He grinned at her as he stripped his own clothes off and climbed into the tub behind her.
She scooted forward to give him room. Once he settled in, he pulled her back, so she was leaning against him. She picked up the bottle of shampoo, but he reached out and took it.
“Here, let me do that.” He squeezed some into his hand and rubbed it into her hair.
He worked the shampoo through her hair, fingers massaging her scalp. He felt her body go limp against his. “Hey, don’t fall asleep, ok?”
“Not.” She mumbled, “Just relaxed.”
“Uh-huh.” He poured water over her hair as he rinsed the soap out. “Hand me the conditioner please.”
She handed it over and he opened it, the familiar lavender scent hitting his nostrils as he poured a generous amount into his hand. He smoothed the conditioner into her hair then poured out a second handful. She had a lot of hair. He took his time, using his fingers to comb out any tangles and making sure every bit of hair was coated.
While Drake focused on her hair, Riley lathered soap onto a loofa and washed the front of her body, leaning forward and tossing it over her shoulder to Drake when she was done, “Do my back?”
He moved her hair, gathering the wet, heavy, freshly conditioned mass in his hands and placing it over one shoulder, out of his way. She shivered as his fingers brushed her bare shoulder. He ran the loofa over her back then used his hands to scoop water over her bare skin, rinsing it clean. “Lean back and I’ll rinse your hair.”
She leaned back into his chest and closed her eyes, the warmth of the water around her and the soothing feel of his hands caressing her scalp combined to bring her to the brink of sleep, heaviness overtaking her drooping eyelids. She must have fallen asleep in the tub after all because the next thing she was aware of was being lifted in Drakes arms and deposited into a chair. “Mmmm, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, here.” A towel fresh out of the warmer wrapped around her as another moved across her body, gently drying her.
When she was dry, Drake gathered her in his arms again and carried her to bed, tucking her under the covers before climbing in next to her and pulling her close against his side.
“I never got my cake.” She mumbled into his chest.
A soft laugh rumbled through him, “You can have it for breakfast.”
Her eyes blinked open and fixed on his, “Drake?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“For bathing you?” He chuckled again.
“No. I mean, yes, but also….for loving me.”
His arms tightened around her, “Forever, baby, no matter what.”
“Same.” She sighed; her eyes fluttering closed as she lost the fight to stay awake.
Drake buried his nose in her hair and inhaled before kissing the top of her head. Then he held her close as the sound of her breathing lulled him into a contented sleep of his own.
Hinge: Homecoming Part 1
Series: Hinge.
Fandom: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir
Pairings: Drake x Riley x Liam
Word Count: 2,597
Rating: M
Warnings: Violence, medical emergency
A/N: So I've had an interaction between Drake and Riley in the safe house in my head for probably over a year now, since before I published my first TRR fic. But once I started writing this, I realized just how crap canon is around this.
First, there is no way her security detail just drops her at the safe house and leaves. They are not needed at the palace. They are assigned to her detail, not the general guard and leaving her would be an egregious dereliction of duty.
Second, any organization with the foresight to have safe house, has emergency medical personnel on standby as well. They just can't be as incompetent as PB made them out to be or the entire royal family would have been murdered years ago.
Third, no way MC can patch up a bullet wound with alcohol swabs and gauze. Come on now.
So....Riley and Drake are not going to be alone in that safe house, and this changes my original ideas. Also, it got longer than intended, so I had to split it into two parts.
DISCLAIMER: I know plenty of other people have written this night, the homecoming ball, the shooting, the safe house. This is my take on it, any similarities to anyone's version is purely unintentional and coincidental.
Everything else: Master List.
Riley was happy. Everything was going right for a change. The news of her engagement to Liam had been very well received, both in Cordonia and abroad. Engagement photos were scheduled, wedding planning was in full swing, and she’d already picked out the perfect wedding dress. Things couldn’t have been better.
She’d spent some alone time with both Drake and Liam earlier in the day and she was feeling satiated, content and cherished. Real happiness bubbled up in her chest and lodged there, refusing to budge.
She was standing next to one of her loves while watching the other on the stage. Liam was getting ready to announce her appointment as Duchess of Valtoria, making their engagement official and airtight. She felt Drake’s hand resting comfortingly on the small of her back, his nearness calming her nerves, soothing what little bit of stage fright remained. As she watched Liam’s eyes land on her, full of love and warmth, she felt like her heart might burst from happiness. He reached his hand toward her. She reached back.
One moment, all was right with her world. More than right. Shining, sparkling, the future laid out in front of her like the promised land stretching in the distance. Then in an instant, it was all snatched away, shattered, and everything she had, everything she loved was slipping through her fingertips.
The lights went out, plunging the ballroom in darkness. The sound of boots storming through the room combined with smatterings of shouts and gasps as guests were shoved and pushed aside.
When the lights came up, all she saw was a gun pointed straight at Liam. Her heart stopped; time slowed down. She screamed his name as she struggled to push her way through the crowd to get to him. She never saw the second gunman, never saw the gun pointed at her own head. She had no awareness of her own danger until she heard the gunshot and by then, Drake’s body had already crashed into hers, sending her sprawling to the floor as his body dropped its weight onto her.
Blood. There was blood everywhere. She was swimming in it, hot and sticky, smearing everywhere as she tried to sit up. Why couldn’t she move? Drake. Drake was on top of her, and he wasn’t moving.
“Drake? Drake? Drake!” Scalding tears fell down her face, the breath ripped from her body. The blood, it was his. No, no, no, oh God, please, no, the desperate prayer repeated in her head, on loop. Her focused narrowed to her frantic pleas to a god she wasn’t sure existed.
Then Drake was gone, and she was being hauled to her feet, as a voice shouted, “Move!”
Her head twisted around, frantically searching the stage, “Liam! Where-“
“Your Majesty…Lady Riley…Riley! Look at me!” The voice barely penetrated her senses as she was pulled along toward the exit.
She slowly turned her head toward the voice as the ringing in her ears started to subside, “Marco?”
“Yes, it’s me, it’s Marco. Alec has Liam, trust him, we have to go now! Drake needs medical attention!”
That got her attention, “Drake? Drake! Where is he?”
“This way!” Marco shouted and Riley followed him without another argument.
She found herself in the back of an unmarked black SUV, Drake was sitting up, but his head was lolled back against the leather upholstery, a young guard she didn’t recognize applying pressure to the wound. “Can you put pressure on this?” He yelled at her.
“Uh..ye…yes!” She replaced his hand on the makeshift tourniquet as the young guard dove out of the car and ran back toward the chaos. Marco slid into the seat the other guard had just vacated as Bruno jumped into the front passenger seat yelling, “Go! Go! Go!” to the driver.
“Where are we going?” The driver yelled back.
“Safe house A19!” Bruno responded.
Riley was startled away from staring into Drake’s face, silently willing him to live. Panic spiked through her, “What? No! He needs a hospital! Marco! He needs a hospital!”
“No, we can’t risk it, we’ll have a doctor meet us at the safe house.”
“What?” Nothing made sense.
“We have a cadre of trusted doctors on call for these situations.”
“But-“
Her objections went unheard as the SUV hurtled through the Cordonian night. Drake’s voice was weak and thready, barely above a whisper, “He’s right….”
“Drake! You need a hospital!” Panic laced her voice. She felt relief surge through her at the sound of his voice, but fear spiked right behind it as she registered the feebleness of it. His skin was too pale, his breathing too labored, blood was still seeping through the tourniquet. He can’t die, he can’t die, he can’t die, please God, he can’t die!
“S’ok…” He squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced in pain then he opened them again and found hers, “Not…sorry….they were…..aiming….” He grunted again then drew in a deep breath, “for you.”
“What?” Her eyes opened wide in shock.
He nodded, as his eyes searched hers, “You’re….ok?”
“I’m fine, Drake! You’re the one that got shot!” She was crying again.
“It’s ok….if I die….worth it…”
“You’re not going to die! You can’t die! Please, please, please, I love you, please, you can’t leave me!” Huge, shuddering sobs wracked her body, tears and snot streaked her face and she didn’t care, she didn’t notice. The entirety of her consciousness had narrowed to this one moment, to this one request, no, this one demand of the universe, of him: Live!
The bleeding had slowed down, but she didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Was it because she had successfully staunched the bleeding or because he was almost out of blood?
The car had barely rocked to a stop before the three guards were out of it, two of them pulling Drake from the backseat.
Drake’s body sagged between the other men as Marco and Bruno helped him from the car and into the small unassuming house.
Marco flipped the light switch, nothing. He looked over his shoulder at the guardsman that had driven them there, “Hey Wallace, go outside and find the breaker.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.” The man replied as he disappeared out the door.
“Where do you want him?” Bruno asked.
Why were they asking her? Riley’s head swiveled between them in confusion before it dawned on her. Liam wasn’t here, and Drake was barely conscious. They were looking to her for answers. For orders. Shit!
She scanned the house quickly then nodded toward the back, where an open door was visible in the dim light filtering through the windows, “Is that a bedroom?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Bruno answered her.
“In there then.” Riley walked with them, keeping pressure on the wound as the men moved him into the bedroom and lowered him carefully onto the bed. Bruno left the room to go keep watch out front while Marco hesitated in the doorway, his worried gaze falling on Drake.
Riley straddled him so she could use her body weight to keep pressure on his shoulder. “Where the fuck is that doctor?”
“On his way, Your Majesty, but I think there’s a first aid kit in the kitchen.” Marco answered.
“Well bring it to me!” She yelled, as if she were used to ordering soldiers around, but her fear had made her desperate.
“Drake! Drake! Wake up!” She begged.
A low moan came from the man below her, “Lemme sleep….”
“No, no, stay with me, please!”
The sound of banging cabinets and drawers filled the house, then Marco reappeared with the first aid kit just as the lights flickered on.
“What’s in it?” She asked.
“Uh…” Marco flipped it open and dug through it, “Band aids, alcohol swabs, some gauze, ace bandages-“
“Fuck, give me the-“
“The doctor’s here!” Bruno called out.
“Oh thank God!” The relief that washed through her was so strong, she thought she might pass out from it.
A young doctor entered the room, followed by a nurse carrying a medical bag. The doctor cut the shirt away from his shoulder and moved the tourniquet, “Good job stopping the bleeding, let’s clean this up and see what we’ve got.
Riley moved out the way as the medical professionals worked, but she refused to leave the room.
Marco tried, “Riley, come sit down, let me get you something to-“
“I’m not leaving him!” She snarled at him.
He nodded and stepped back, “Of course, I understand. I’ll be just outside the door if you need me.”
She watched as the doctor and nurse worked together to clean, exam and repair the wound.
“How bad is it?” She asked, “Is he…is he….”
“I’d say he’s the luckiest man in Cordonia!” The doctor said as hung a bag of blood from an IV pole. “If you’re going to take a bullet to the shoulder, this is how you do it. It went under the clavicle but above the scapula, and missed every major artery. He’s going to be fine, but there is a lot of tissue damage, and he suffered a good amount of blood loss.”
Riley gaped at him in astonishment, the IV pole had been in a closet, she’d watched the nurse pull it out, but where had the blood come from? “You just happened to have blood with you? Blood that matched Drake’s type?”
“When the call came in, they gave me a code that told me who it was. We have all guardsmen’s blood types on file, as well as members of the royal family, council members and anyone else we might be called on to treat.” He explained. “So yes, I brought blood with me. We are trained for this.”
“Who’s we?”
“Select doctors from all over the country. It’s top secret, we all have regular jobs, so no one knows, but we are always on call for the government. I’m surprised you haven’t been briefed on all this.”
“Well, I’ve only been queen in waiting for a few days. No one expected…. this.” She gestured weakly in Drake’s direction.
“Of course not. Rest assured that I reviewed Captain Walker’s full medical history on the way here, so I’d be aware of any issues, drug allergies, etc.”
“Well thank God for that! He’s really going to be ok?”
“He’ll need to get to the hospital as soon as possible, just to double check everything, but he’s stable. I’ve stitched him up and given him pain meds. Once he gets some blood volume back, he should feel a little better. He’s going to be sore as hell and a possibly a little loopy from the drugs, but I don’t see any reason for him not to make a full recovery.”
She had no words to express her gratitude, so she threw herself into the doctor’s arms, hugging him tight enough to squeeze the breath out of him. “Thank you seems so inadequate!”
The man hugged her back then told her, “No need for thanks. It’s literally my job, but you’re welcome. My name is Blake, this is my nurse, his name is Michail. We’re going to spend the night in one of the extra bedrooms, so we’ll be nearby if anything changes. We’ll monitor him throughout the night and hopefully things will be clear to transport him to the hospital tomorrow.”
“Ok, thank you again.”
Drake seemed to be sleeping peacefully and the nurse was still with him, so she slipped out to the living room to update Marco. After she’d done that, she asked about Liam.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I don’t know anything.”
“I told you, call me Riley. Can’t you call someone and find out? Something? Anything?”
“Liam’s team has gone radio silent, but don’t worry!” He warned as he saw the panic that flashed across her face, “It’s protocol. It’s so the enemy can’t monitor communications.”
“Is there anything you can tell me?”
He hesitated and she saw it. “What?” She demanded.
“It’s nothing, really-“
She surprised herself with the commanding note in her voice as she ordered him, “Don’t make me play the queen card, Marco. Tell me what you know!”
“Just that no other team has activated a trauma response unit, which most likely means that no one else was hurt.” He didn’t meet her eyes and she understood what he wasn’t saying. Liam didn’t need a doctor either because he hadn’t been hit, or because he was already dead. A chill of dread threaded its way down her spine.
“Where is he? Why isn’t he here?” She asked, more shrilly than she’d intended.
“Each security team has their own protocols, their own safe houses. For events just like this. It’s safer to scatter. And our objective was to save you, not Liam. Just like his team’s objective was to save him, not you.”
“Can’t you go back to the palace, check on things?”
“Absolutely not. We stay here until we get orders to the contrary. If I left you, I’d be deserting my post. My duty is to keep you safe, and to keep you here until I’m told otherwise.”
“But don’t you care about-“
“Of course I care, Riley. But again, my duty is to stay here and protect you!”
“So, you never deviate from orders, no matter what?” She asked bitterly.
“Technically taking time to save Captain Walker was a violation of our prime directive.”
She felt her stomach drop, “What?”
“You heard me.” He responded tightly, “My orders, my duty, my objective is to protect you, and only you, at any and all cost. I risked my job, and your life, taking time to pull a wounded man out of the middle of that melee.”
Her eyes filled up with tears, she vaguely wondered how it was possible she had any tears left, she’d already cried so much. “I’m sorry, Marco. I know you care. I’m just so scared. What if he…what if….”
Marco’s gaze softened and so did his voice, “Hey, I know. It’s ok. Tonight has been nothing but trauma for all of us, but at least some of us are trained for it. You’re not. Why don’t you go in there and try to get some sleep? I promise I’ll update you the moment I know anything.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Even if you have to wake me up?”
“Yes, the moment I know anything.”
Drake was still asleep when she went back into the bedroom. The nurse left saying he’d check back in about an hour and to call him if anything changed before then. Riley wandered into the master bath, startling when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, still in a formal ballgown, drenched in Drake’s blood, now dry and stiff.
She peeled off her clothes and stepped under the shower, letting steaming hot water cascade down her body, soothing her aching muscles, but doing nothing for her jangled nerves. Visions from the evening ran through her mind’s eyes. The sound of the gunshots, the screaming, the room as it plunged into darkness. The feel of Drake’s body as it hit hers, the sticky wetness of his blood as it coated them both. How pale he’d been in the back of the SUV. Liam’s face right before the lights went out, Liam with a gun pointed directly at his head. Drake telling her it was ok if he died. It was too much. And she still had no idea if Liam was alive or dead.
She leaned her head against the cool tile of the shower and cried.
Hinge: Rules of Procedure
Series: Hinge.
Fandom: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir
Pairings: Drake x Riley x Liam
Rating: Teen/Everyone
Warnings: none
Word count: 985
A/N: Complicated ended with them getting on the jet back to Cordonia, so that makes this chronologically the first chapter of Hinge, occurring their first full day home. The press conference is over but the royal council has questions, and concerns.
Everything else: Master List.
The press conference had gone amazingly well.
With Madeleine backing their version of events, media outlets and noble houses alike were scrambling to beg Riley’s forgiveness. She was cast in the papers as a victim of a baseless smear campaign.
The press had been a breeze to handle.
The royal council was another beast entirely. They were up in arms that Liam had announced an engagement without their consent or even knowledge.
“A royal engagement requires council approval, Liam, you know this!” Henrich Carlise, the Duke of Combaria was red in the face as he spluttered, “What was that we just witnessed? You announced an engagement without council approval, to the press just days after breaking your council approved engagement! What kind of message does that send?”
Riley glanced nervously at Liam, but he betrayed no trace of disquiet. His demeanor was calm and relaxed as he brushed the dust from the stage off his trouser leg.
It sent the message that the king of Cordonia answered to no one.
“Well?” Duke Carlisle demanded.
“First of all,” Liam straightened in his seat and faced the council, “I would remind you that I am your king and you would do well to address me accordingly.”
The duke paled a little but he stiffened his spine as he responded, “I’m aware of your title, Your Majesty, as I’m sure you are aware of-“
“What I am aware of is that the provision in our charter that requires me to be engaged to ascend the throne does not require me to stay engaged to keep it.”
Murmurs broke out amongst the council members.
“You may check the laws yourself, of course,” He continued, “but I can assure you, that is the case. I do not have to be married or engaged at all if I don’t want to be, and the charter only conveys the power of approval to the council for formal betrothals of a crown prince or princess, not a sitting king.”
The room erupted in protests. Liam raised a hand for quiet and the room fell silent, “Lord Rashad Faheem is here as my personal council and he can apprise you of the finer points of the law. You’re also free to have the royal attorneys look it over but it won’t change anything.”
He would know. He had spent every night for nearly a month pouring over the documents trying to find a way out of his engagement to Madeleine. And he had.
“I would also remind the council that each and every one of you serves at the pleasure of the king. You can be dismissed and replaced at my sole discretion.”
There were a few indignant murmurs but no one said a word out loud.
“Good!” Liam gloated, “Now that we have that settled, what’s next on the agenda?”
“Li-Your Majesty,” William Lancaster, the Duke of Glochester spoke, “There is the matter of the marriage contract. This isn’t a matter of council overreach, it’s a matter of state security! A marriage contract must be signed before any royal wedding can take place!”
Liam’s eyes slid to Riley. She gave him a small smile and a shrug. To the council, she stated, “I’ll sign whatever is needed. I’m not marrying him for his money.”
The duke nodded at her with an apologetic look, “It’s about more than just money my dear-“
Liam cleared his throat and gave the duke a pointed look.
The older man flushed, then addressed Riley more formally, “It’s about more than just money, Your Grace. It’s about power and politics and lines of succession.”
“That’s fine, Your Grace,” Riley smiled serenely, “I have no objections to a marriage contract.”
“Of course, she’ll have her own personal representation look everything over before signing anything,” Drake interjected.
“Why are you here?” a third member of the council asked in annoyance.
“He’s here at my behest,” Liam answered, “I have appointed Mr. Walker as Duchess Riley’s personal cultural attaché. His background as half American and half Cordonian gives him unique insights into how to help her best navigate any cultural landmines that she and I, being monocultural, might not see coming. I’m confident that his unique knowledge and insight into both her native culture and her adopted one will prove invaluable to her as she transitions into her new role as queen.”
A mixture of glances were shot at Drake, from resentful to respectful to surprised.
“Get used to me, gentlemen,” Drake told them, his face impassive, “I’ll be sitting in on any meetings that include the queen in waiting from now until such time she, or the king, deigns my services are no longer needed.”
Riley leaned into Drake to ask him in a whisper, “Why are they all old, white men? Shouldn’t the royal council be more reflective of the population it serves?”
Drake smirked and whispered back, “the royal council only serves itself. But that is something you might want to take up with Liam.”
“Oh, I will,” she smiled disarmingly at the room full of geriatric statesmen as her mind flipped through a Rolodex of younger dukes, like Maxwell, and duchesses like Olivia, and Kiara, and considered the addition of an advisory board made up of commoners.
“If that’s everything?” Liam stood, effectively ending the meeting, “We have the Homecoming Ball tomorrow night. We need to prepare for that.”
They would deal with marriage contracts, staff appointments, and getting Riley up to speed on the details of her new position later.
All he wanted to do for the rest of this day was get his fiancée alone in their quarters.
Tomorrow night he would announce her new position as Duchess of Valtoria, they would be presented at the ball together, as an official couple, for the first time, and the whole world would see how he felt about her.
He couldn’t wait.
The Homecoming Ball was going to be perfect.
Homecoming Part One
Homecoming Part Two
Mardi Gras Mayhem Chapter 11: The Golden Lantern
Series: Mardi Gras Mayhem (click the link to read each one in order!)
Fandom: TRR
Pairings: none, this is a guy’s weekend
Summary: The TRR lads celebrate Maxwell’s 21st birthday in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter Synopsis: The gang is reunited
Word Count: 3,589
Rating: MA
Warning: language, drunkenness, general chaos
This is part of a collaboration written for @choicesprompts March 2023 prompt.
Tariq bustled through the crowd, chatting and laughing with the customers. He was looking over his shoulder, still talking to a seated gentleman, when he bumped right into someone. He turned to apologize but froze as he came face to face with Bastien. He gulped as fear paralyzed him.
“Oh, sorry ma’am,” Bastien nodded as he moved around him and resumed his progress toward an out-of-the-way table near the back.
Tariq was stunned. Bastien had looked right at him and hadn’t recognized him. A sense of giddiness washed over him as he regained his ability to move and sashayed back toward the stage.
Meanwhile, having located a suitable table — one that was unoccupied, in the corner, and with good sight lines to all the exits — Bastien settled down to wait. He had his comms open, and the rest of his team stationed around the building, so there was no way they’d miss Leo.
Bastien heaved a breath.
…fucking Leo.
The Clown Prince of Cordonia was the biggest pain in the ass he’d ever had the misfortune of having to protect. Not even during his years in the military had he had to deal with so much consistent crap…
“Can I take your order, love?”
Bastien glanced up at the deep-voiced woman who’d appeared next to him, mulling his options.
Knowing Leo and his utter inability to keep track of time (especially since he’d ditched both his phone and his watch), Bastien knew he’d probably be there for a while. But he was still on duty. And that meant that alcohol was off-limits. Even though he could’ve murdered a bottle of liquor right then.
“Err…”
“Would you be interested in the house special?”
“What is it?”
“Cherry Sazerac.”
Bastien mulled it over.
Leo and Liam would either walk through that door before the end of the night drunk and laughing, or they wouldn’t, in which case he was a dead man walking. Either way, there was no point trying to while away the next however-many hours stone-cold sober as he waited for his fate to be determined.
“Fuck it. Bring me two.”
The waitress rewarded him with a wink. “Comin’ right up, sugar!”
But just as the server started to turn away, a commotion erupted at the other end of the room.
Bastien was on his feet in an instant, ready to jump into whatever was happening in case he had to rescue Leo from some pissed-off, jilted husband (wouldn’t be the first time)…
…but the next person through the door wasn’t Leo. Or, in fact, anything that Bastien was expecting.
Bertrand burst into the bar in a gold Elvis suit, sweaty and panting. He held his hand over his heart as his eyes swept the room.
Tariq stood proudly on the stage in the middle of a chorus line, Mystique on one side of him and Lulu on the other. He made direct eye contact with Bertrand and stumbled a little. But the Duke of Ramsford hadn’t seemed to have recognized him.
Bertrand paled visibly at the sight of the performers. Not again…! He shuddered as he wondered if it were possible to come down with PTSD as a result of this trip. He made a mental note to stay as physically far away from any and all performers as possible, just in case.
His eyes finally landed on Bastien. “Oh, thank Heavens!” he cried, throwing his hands up in the air in relief as he stumbled toward the Guard. “At last, a sight for sore eyes! Have y—?”
“What the fuck are you wearing?” demanded Bastien, eyeing the sparkly outfit dubiously as he grabbed a tumbler off the waitress’ serving platter as she arrived with his order.
The Beaumont’s eyes fell to his exposed chest in mortification. “I… umm… I may have unintentionally—“
The door suddenly opened again and Bastien’s attention jerked away from whatever convoluted explanation Bertrand was about to deliver.
But his hopes of potential salvation were once again dashed as instead of Leo, or even Liam (hell, even one prince out of two would be better than nothing at this point!) Rashad came through the door, dragging a very much worse-for-wear Drake.
Though before Bastien could even think about grabbing Rashad (Drake was going to be less than useless given the look of him) to interrogate him about Leo’s possible whereabouts, the Duke had already rushed over to intercept the pair.
“You there!” Bertrand called. “Have you seen my brother? I tried ringing him several times but— “
“Oh, hey, Beeeerrrrt!” Drake leered with a maniacal grin, wiggling a plastic shark in the older man’s face. “Have you met Jaaaaaw- Jona-Joana-—“ His brows furrowed together in concerted concentration. “…Jonathan?”
Bertrand tried — and failed — to divert the offending toy out of his personal space as he turned to Rashad. “What the devil is wrong with Mr. Walker?”
“Based on the way he smells, and the fact that I found him stumbling around out front, trying to find the doorknob on a window, I’d say he’s wasted,” Rashad offered.
“Good Lord…” exclaimed Bertrand, trying to visualize the sheer volume of alcohol that would’ve been required to trolley the normally iron-livered Drake.
“And no, I haven’t seen Max,” Rashad continued. “I was with Leo and Liam when—“
“When!” demanded Bastien, shoving himself in front of Bertrand. “When were you with Leo?”
“Back on the street when—“
“Hey, hey, heeeeey!” grinned Leo as he sauntered casually into the bar wearing a hot pink t-shirt that stopped just below his rib cage. “How are all you fine p—?”
“Where’s my brother?” Bertrand demanded without preamble, pushing his way past Drake, much to the latter’s disgruntlement.
Leo frowned. “Your—?”
Bastien stepped forward to backhand the miscreant royal. “You fucking ass!”
Rashad sucked in an audible gasp. “Did you just—?”
“He deserved it,” pronounced Bastien without a sliver of remorse.
“Jonathan needs to take a shit,” declared Drake dramatically.
“Shut up,” spat Bastien in disgust. Turning back to Leo, he said, “Do you have any idea h—?”
“First off, oww!” moaned Leo, rubbing the spot where Bastien’s knuckles had connected with his cheek. “Second, no, not recently. And third, what the fuck, man!”
“You broke protocol!” seethed Bastien. “If your father found out that y—“
“What do you mean, not recently?” cut in Bertrand, elbowing Bastien out of the way. “When did you last—?”
“Stop! Stop! Stop!” shouted Leo, shaking his hands in Bertrand and Bastien’s faces. “I can’t listen to two people yelling at me at the same time!”
“Ignore him!” huffed Bertrand, waving an unconcerned hand in Bastien’s general direction. “It’s Max we need to worry about!”
“Max…Max…” mused Leo. “Oh yeah, he peeled off with a conga line.”
“He…what?”
“A conga line. You know… like in—“
Bertrand grabbed Leo by the front of his hot pink shirt. “You let him wander off? Alone! He’s only twenty-one! He cannot fend for himself! You know he’s not a functioning adult!”
“What? Dude, relax!” Leo scoffed. “Don’t you remember the shit we got up to at twenty-one? Heck even when we were sixteen? Remember the time we—“
“It’s not the same thing!” protested Bertrand, shaking the hapless Rys like a ragdoll. “Maxwell—“
“—will… be… fine!” insisted Leo, slapping the Beaumont’s agitated hands off him. “Last I saw, he was having the time of his life!”
“I’m sure your brother is fine,” Bastien snapped as he pulled Leo away from Bertrand in order to yell at him some more himself. “Our real concern should be Liam! Where is he, Leo? He’s not like you, he doesn’t ditch his detail! Anything could’ve happened to him!”
Bastien was so worked up that he didn’t notice that his comm had fallen from his ear as he continued to berate Leo, so he never heard the update that Liam was on his way into the venue.
Bertrand turned back to Rashad to demand answers about Maxwell that the other man did not have. Rashad’s voice rose steadily in both pitch and volume as he tried in vain to ward off the verbal onslaught.
Meanwhile, Drake stood a little to the side of the group, swaying slightly. And so, he was the only one who noticed Liam enter.
“Heh, Liam,” he murmured to himself.
With a lopsided smile, he decided to intercept his best friend before anyone else could claim his attention. “Liam! Liam, look— look at — Jonathan,” Drake stammered while stumbling as quickly as he could to the prince.
By the time he reached Liam, he was leaning as if he were aboard a pirate ship, arms flailing to keep himself balanced. As soon as he was close enough, though, he threw an arm around his lifelong friend to balance himself. Liam grunted under the weight but smiled curiously all the same.
“Hello, Drake. You seem as though you’ve had a rather fun time.”
“Oh, yeah!” Drake agreed. “Barne— Barnabé was greeeeeat. After — ya know — after I knew he wasn’t ‘bout to —“ He hiccupped. “—murder me.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “That is fortunate news, indeed.”
“Mhmm,” nodded Drake sagely. His face suddenly lit up. “Hey! Meet Jonathan!”
Without warning, Liam found himself eye-to-eye with an opened-mouthed toy shark. Placing a gentle hand on the hand holding it, he pushed it a few inches away from his face to examine it. “Oh, that’s quite nice. Is it a Great White?”
Drake sucked in a shocked breath. “No-nobody’s asked that before!”
Liam’s attention was suddenly seized by the growing commotion going on at the corner table in the back of the room. His eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him.
On one side of the table, Bertrand and Rashad were yelling at each other as Rashad struggled to remove the duke’s hands from his person without outright smacking him. On the other side, Bastien, red in the face, was railing at Leo as Leo gazed over the Guard’s shoulder to smile flirtatiously at a woman at the next table who was watching the exchange with interest.
Liam sidestepped Drake and moved closer to the group as Bastien’s voice rose over everyone else’s.
“….irresponsible, selfish, pigheaded, entitled—!”
“Hey, Bas,” Liam interjected. “Everything okay?”
Bastien spun mid-sentence, relief, and fury evident in his voice. “Liam! Thank God you’re okay! But what — in the name of Joseph, Mary, and the sweet baby Jesus! — were you thinking?! I know your brother is a terrible influence—“
“Hey!” objected Leo, peeling his eyes momentarily away from the hottie at the neighboring table to defend himself.
“—but I expect more from you! Don’t you realize that you could’ve—“
Bastien was cut off as Bertrand pounced onto the newly arrived source of possible answers for his own interrogation. “Your Highness! Please tell me Max is with you!”
“No, but…isn’t that him?” Liam pointed to the door.
A group of five women and Max stumbled into the room. Two of them were helping him walk. A third looked around and yelled, “We’re looking for Bertrand Beaumont! Got something of yours here!”
The women tittered in amusement as the Elvis jumpsuit-clad man lurched toward them with his arms open. “Oh, thank the Lord above! Maxwell, you’re safe!”
“Hey, big brother!” Max laughed as Bertrand ripped him from the women’s grasp and drew him into an actual hug. “Wow, it really must be my birthday! Bertrand is being nice to me!”
“I…what? I’m always…well, I mean, you quite often…” Bertrand gave up and turned to the women. “You have my deepest appreciation for finding and returning him safely back to me!”
“None the worse for wear,” a fourth woman spoke up, “but a little inebriated.”
“Wow, I’ve never seen Max like this,” Liam said, watching the younger Beaumont bob to an imaginary — off-beat — tune in his head as he grinned at nothing in particular.
“Yeah, he’s as bad as Drake,” Rashad agreed.
“Let’s sober them up!” Bastien waved the waitress down for food and strong coffee.
“Bread!” Leo yelled after her. “Lots of bread!”
Everyone found a spot at the table. Coffee, water, and rolls were brought, orders were taken and things started to calm down.
Drake took the seat next to Max and placed Jonathan carefully on the tabletop. Max noticed the plastic shark and reached for it. “Oh, wow, you got me a birthday present, too!”
“You can’t have Jonathan!” Drake cried, snatching it away. “I earned this, Max!”
“Oh, but I just thought—“
“You have no idea what I’ve been through tonight… what we’ve been through!” Drake lamented clutching the shark tighter. “The things I’ve put in my mouth…” He dry heaved a little at the memory, then continued, “I almost died tonight!”
“You?” Leo pulled his attention from the brunette at the next table long enough to scoff loudly in Drake’s direction. “I was almost sacrificed for my royal blood!”
“What?” Bastien dropped the roll he’d been eating into his lap as his face paled.
“The old guy said if I didn’t eat the brain then a cyclops would eat my head…” Drake mumbled to himself.
“Wait…” Liam paused with a roll halfway to his mouth. “You put what in your mouth?”
“A shrimp head!” Drake exclaimed with loud exasperation. “A GIANT shrimp head! Or a really tiny lobster — aren’t you listening at all?”
“Meh,” snorted Leo. “I’ve had worse.”
Bastien dropped his face in his hands with an audible groan.
“Oh, by the way, Bert,” continued Leo conversationally, jabbing his half-eaten roll at the other end of the table. “Not that I’m questioning your lifestyle choices or anything, but what the actual fuck are you wearing?”
Bertrand flushed as every pair of eyes around the table suddenly swiveled onto him. “Yes, well… This certainly is not my usual choice of attire, but what happened was—“
“You forgot your clothes at Heartbreak Hotel?” quipped Drake.
“What?” frowned Bertrand. “I was nowhere near—“
“She left you Crying in the Chapel, huh?” Leo snickered.
“Pardon me–”
“Surprised you aren’t wearing your Blue Suede Shoes,” Drake continued.
“They’re back home, actually…”
“In the Ghetto,” Leo smirked.
“No,” frowned Bertrand. “Ramsford. Which you know perfectly well—“
“—is through the Burning Ring of Fire.”
Leo smacked Drake over the back of the head. “Epic fail, Walker!”
“Oi!” came the offended yelp. “Not cool, man!”
“That’s Johnny Cash, not Elvis you idiot!”
“I’m still drunk man,” Drake grumbled rubbing the back of his head.
Bertrand turned to his brother in exasperation. “Is there some unspoken subtext I’m missing here…?”
“Apart from the fact that you’re a real Hound Dog?” asked Max with a straight face as he nabbed another roll.
“Never mind,” grumbled Bertrand under his breath as Leo gave Max an air high-five from across the table.
Despite having his entire friend group seated across from the stage he was currently dancing on, Tariq was feeling more confident than ever. Nobody recognized him! As a new song began, he decided it was time to move into the audience again to work the crowd. Next to his friends’ table, he spotted a group of older gentlemen and wanted to see if he could earn some more tips. Sure he didn’t need money, but it was thrilling all the same.
As he sashayed past his friends, a lone voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Oh, hey Tariq.”
Maxwell, chewing a mouthful of bread, just casually acknowledged his presence. Tariq turned toward him, mouth agape.
Max held up his hand for a high-five. “Lookin’ good!”
Everyone at the table stopped talking and turned toward Tariq, aka Miss Manolo, skeptically.
“That’s not Tariq,” Drake scoffed, but his mouth rose into a cocky grin as he made eye contact with Tariq. “That is a beautiful woman.”
Tariq raised his eyebrows in surprise, unsure of whether to be weirded out or flattered that Drake thought he was attractive.
“No, I totally agree, that is a beautiful woman,” Maxwell said, taking another bite of his roll. “But it’s also Tariq.”
The whole group looked at Tariq in confusion and he began to sweat. He couldn’t lie. As soon as they heard him speak, they’d know it was him anyway. It was time to come clean. “Yes...” he said quietly. “Yes, it’s me.”
Bertrand gasped, Rashad grinned, and Drake grew deathly pale before he quickly busied himself with taking a bite of his roll and looking studiously away.
“It seems as if we each had quite an adventure tonight!” Liam said with a chuckle.
“Wow!” Leo looked Tariq up and down thoughtfully. “Dude, you look smokin’! Hey, I bet I’d look good in drag...”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake...” Bastien sighed, dropping his head into his hands. Leo in full makeup would be the perfect disguise if he ever wanted to give him the slip. Like the prince needed more ideas. Bastien made a mental note to have the team photoshop a picture of Leo in drag in case he ever needed it for future reference.
Bertrand cleared his throat as he looked around the table. “Well, at least we are all here now, right?”
Everyone at the table looked around and agreed.
“Then let's get this party started!” Max whooped.
A man none of them had ever seen before walked by the table and yelled out, “Hey, yo, Ricky, what’s up?”
Rashad waved back. “Hey, Frank!” Then went back to buttering his roll.
The various conversations stopped as all eyes turned to him in question.
He glanced up and around the table. “What? I had an adventure tonight too!”
“Well, tell us about it!” Liam insisted.
As Rashad launched into his story, Bastien quietly slid the box he’d acquired from Bubba in front of Bertrand. “For your brother.”
Bertrand raised a brow as he cracked the box open. Taking a peek inside, his eyes widened as he laid eyes on the king cake nestled inside.
The braided sweet pastry had yellow, green, blue, and pink icing slathered liberally over it, and looked like something a unicorn would’ve barfed up. It even had liberal amounts of little star-shaped sprinkles dotted on top.
If ever there was a Maxwell cake, this was it.
Lifting his gaze back up to Bastien, he gave the Guard a grateful nod. ‘Thank you,” he mouthed, eyes shining with uncommon emotion.
Bastien clapped the duke on the shoulder.
Tariq took a seat with his friends as one by one, each member told the story of their night, placing their treasures in the center of the table. The Zulu coconut for Max, the Mardi Gras King crown for Rashad, the karaoke trophy for Liam, and the plastic shark (placed there very begrudgingly) for Drake. Leo, Bertrand, and Tariq were all wearing the souvenirs of their respective adventures. The pink Most Likely to Get Pregnant shirt, the gold lamé Elvis suit, and the crystal slingback Manolo pumps.
Bastien went last, glaring at Leo as he told the story of the wild goose chase he’d been subjected to, ending the recounting by unceremoniously plonking the little white phone down in the center of the table. He left out the part about the cake because that was Maxwell’s gift. Let the lad believe it had been purchased expressly for his birthday.
“You found my phone?” Leo cried in delight.
“What about mine?” Liam asked hopefully.
“Sorry, no, but,” Bastien reached into his pocket and produced the Patek Philippe watch, and passed it to Liam.
“Oh, thank you, Bas!” Liam’s face lit up as he strapped it back on his wrist, “I thought I’d never see this again!”
Bastien softened a little at Liam’s obvious gratitude. But only a little.
“Who are your friends, Miss Manolo?” Mystique ran her fingernail across her ruby lips as she approached the group. “They are quite handsome.”
“I'll say!” Rosy leaned onto the table, running her gloved hand over Bastien’s arm. “Just gorgeous.”
Bastien cleared his throat and his cheeks pinkened. “Oh.. well, uh, thank you.. miss.”
“We’re here for the best party ever!!” Max chimed in enthusiastically.
Liam took Rosy’s hand in greeting. “Tariq, er, Miss Manolo is our friend from Cordonia. We came to celebrate Maxwell’s 21st birthday during Mardi Gras.”
Rosy clapped her hands together. “Your birthday! We have a special tradition when someone chooses to celebrate their birthday at the Golden Lantern! Especially when that person is friends with one of our own.” She nudged Tariq.
“I’ll gather the girls,” Mystique rushed backstage.
A few minutes later, a grinning Maxwell, decked out in feather boas, sat in a chair on stage surrounded by six dazzling drag queens, including Tariq. “Attention Golden Lantern customers! We have a very special birthday in the house tonight!”
They each took turns singing a line of “Happy birthday to you” alternating pecking him on the cheek. Max was absolutely beaming, and his friends all clapped and cheered.
Rosy pulled him to his feet and wrapped an arm around him. “And now we’re going to let the birthday boy choose a song and show us his dance moves!”
Maxwell gasped so loudly that he nearly choked. “D-dance moves?! On stage?! With several drag queens?! This is the best day of my life!!”
As Dancing Queen by Abba blasted over the speakers, Maxwell brought out all of his best moves on stage and patrons of the Golden Lantern sang and danced along.
The day may have descended into mayhem, but it truly became a night to remember.
Mardi Gras Mayhem : Chapter 10 - Tariq
Series: Mardi Gras Mayhem (click to read each one in order!)
Fandom: TRR
Pairings: none, this is a guy’s weekend
Summary: The TRR lads celebrate Maxwell’s 21st birthday in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter Synopsis: Tariq stumbles into a whole new world and undergoes an unexpected transformation.
Word Count: 1,990
Rating: MA
Warning: language, sexual innuendo
This is part of a collaboration written for @choicesprompts March 2023 prompt.
Chapter 10 - Tariq
Although he was initially surprised to be invited to Maxwell’s 21st birthday party in New Orleans, Tariq was excited. He may not have much time for friends these days, what with secretly getting his degree in fashion designing, but he still enjoyed the company of his old friends. Although the clothing Maxwell chose left much to be desired. As much as it pained him, he reluctantly put on the bright purple mardi gras suit made of the most ghastly polyester blend he had ever encountered, and the t-shirt bearing the words ‘Thick thighs, Mardi Gras vibes’.
Tariq was certain that he didn’t have ‘thick thighs’ but he knew better than to argue with an overenthusiastic Lord Beaumont. At least he could wear his best footwear and maintain some sort of fashionable appearance despite the clown suit.
Tariq stayed toward the back of the group as they made their way down the colorful streets, his eyes wide as they took in the most over the top drunken bacchanalia he had ever witnessed. Suddenly he was bumped quite forcefully into a woman wearing a mesh crop top, causing his hand to graze her breast. He gasped in horror, “Oh, my.. I apologize, my lady!”
The woman steadied herself with a hand on his shoulder, “Whoa there!” Thinking he was about to be slapped, Tariq raised his arms defensively, but the woman only laughed. “If you wanted a feel, cutie, all you had to do was ask!”
Tariq felt his face turn scarlet as he stammered, “a.. a f-feel?”
The woman and her whole group of friends laughed at him as they walked away, and Tariq turned to Neville wide eyed. “Where are we?!”
Neville turned his nose up and dusted off his jacket which was equally as hideous and colorful as the rest of the groups. “I told you coming to this ghastly city was a bad idea. We could be having tea with the Earl of Descoti right now, but no!” Neville poked his finger into Tariq’s shoulder. “You had to be sentimental over our old ‘friendships’ and go along with this tasteless frivolity.”
“Right,” Tariq sighed. It hadn’t been truly difficult to convince Neville to accept Maxwell’s invitation once he heard that the princes would be in attendance. Neville never missed an opportunity to suck up to the royal family.
Tariq winced as he stepped over a mysterious puddle, not wanting to ruin his favorite Italian leather oxford shoes. “Well, we should at least attempt to enjoy ourselves while we’re here.. Make the most of it.”
Neville scoffed, “As difficult as that will be in the presence of low-born, common-.” He sneered at a couple who was sitting on the curb counting their beads. “-scum.”
Tariq had had enough of Neville. That pretentious asshole was bound to be punched in the face by someone on this trip and Tariq didn’t want to be associated with him. It was no secret that he wasn’t fond of Neville.. Hell, he didn’t know a soul who was.
Tariq jogged ahead a bit and caught up to Maxwell who was grinning like a kid in a candy store. “So are you enjoying your birthday so far?”
Max slung an arm around Tariq, “Hell ya, baby! This is gonna be the best night ever! And I’m so glad you decided to come with us!”
Tariq felt a warmth growing inside his chest. Maxwell was actually happy to have him there? He didn’t just invite him as an obligation? “I’m.. glad I came too,” Tariq smiled.
Just then a stampede of people charged through the middle of their group! Tariq jumped back, trying and failing to avoid the bare breasts which were more or less thrust into his face. “Oh dear.. Pardon me.. Oh my..” He was pushed out of the way and by the time the herd dispersed he found himself down the street without a familiar face in sight. “Oh no.. oh no no no..” He frantically scanned the area around him but through the hundreds of faces he saw, not one belonged to his friends.
Don't panic. He took out his phone and dialed each of his friends.. No answer from Maxwell, Liam, Leo, Drake, Rashad, or Bertrand.. His finger hovered over Nevilles number, but Tariq shook his head and pocketed the phone instead. He’d rather be alone than with Neville.
He walked along for a bit, trying to find somewhere safe to sit for a while and wait. Surely after a while his party would notice he was gone and call him back. He heard loud cheering from a building ahead and smiled as he realized where he was- right across the street from The Golden Lantern! He had somehow made it to their rendezvous location! Sure, he was a few hours early, but at least he could sit and wait somewhere where he knew they’d find him.
The inside of the bar was just as colorful and festive as the streets of the parade. Tariq slipped into the only empty table across from a stage. There he settled in, preparing for a long, long wait. A waitress with a shimmering red dress and a tall updo made her way over to his table with a grin.
“What can I get you to drink, sugar?”
Tariq chuckled nervously. Everyone here was so forward and he didn’t know how to handle it. “I, uh.. I’m not sure.”
She sat down at his table and batted her long eyelashes at him. “Are you alone tonight?”
“Well.. my friends are supposed to meet me here later. So I’m just waiting for them.”
She gave him a long, intense look that caused Tariq to blush and look away. “Sorry for staring,” the waitress chuckled deeply. “Your bone structure is just.. stunning.”
Tariq met her gaze with a shy smile. “It is?”
“Of course! Have you ever thought of performing?”
“Performing?”
She looked around and called another waitress over. “Rosy! Get over here!”
Rosy flounced over in a purple sequined dress placing her hands on her hips. “What is it, Coco?”
Tariq eyed Rosy’s silver high heeled shoes in awe. He cleared his throat, “I’m sorry, but are those this season’s Manolo crystal ankle slingback pumps?”
Rosy and Coco’s jaws dropped simultaneously, and the latter spoke. “I knew this boy had something special about him! Not only is he stunningly gorgeous, but he also knows fashion!?”
Tariq had never been more confused and flattered in his life. “Well.. I am actually working on a fashion degree and I have a certain affinity for designer shoes, so-”
“You treasure!” Rosy pulled Tariq up, clasping his cheeks in her gloved hands. “We have to get you backstage! He needs to meet Mystique!”
As he was escorted away from the safety of his table and led through a door labeled ‘employees only’, he found himself in a sea of sparkling dresses on hangers, feather boas, high heeled shoes, wigs, and vanities well stocked with various shades of makeup. He felt like he was backstage at a fashion show. It was beautiful.
“Ladies! Get out here!” Coco called out and several half dressed women emerged into the room.
“Oh dear! I’m so sorry!” Tariq covered his eyes and spun around, mortified. He had witnessed more nudity on this trip than he had ever seen in his life!
“What do we have here?” A deep voice asked curiously and Tariq lowered his hands. When he looked at the person in front of him he saw a six foot tall woman with broad shoulders, makeup, a wig cap, and a gold dress. To the left of them, a man was changing out of a button up shirt and into a rainbow halter top.
For the first time since he arrived, Tariq noticed how tall the waitresses on either side of him were. The more he looked around, the more he realized how tall everyone in the dressing room was.
“Oh dear,” Rosy chuckled. “I think he just now figured it out!”
Tariq looked around, feeling embarrassed by his naivety. "This is a.. a..”
“A drag show, honey!” Coco laughed.
The others chuckled and Tariq couldn’t help but join them. “Oh my.. I’m sorry I didn’t realize! You’re all just so stunning and gorgeous and-” He stopped and blushed. It wasn’t like him to give compliments and speak so freely.
“Well you are a charmer. And that accent!” A lady in a blue feather crown stepped forward.
“Mystique, we found this little cutie at a table alone. He knows his fashion and I think he would be the perfect stand in for Honey Bee tonight.”
Mystique gently took hold of Tariqs chin and tilted his head side to side before breaking into a wide sparkling grin. “I think you’re right.”
____________________________________________________________
Before Tariq even realized what was happening, he found himself seated in front of a vanity mirror. The drag queens showered him with makeup and compliments alike, and he couldn’t bring himself to protest. He had never thought about dressing in drag before, but he didn’t hate it. In fact, once he saw himself in the mirror.. He liked it.
He looked gorgeous! His eyebrows were on fleek, his lips were plump, his cheekbones were higher than the Eiffel Tower, his jawline could cut glass! When Mystique placed the long auburn wig on his head and helped him into the floral mini dress, he felt like a new person! He had never felt confidence like he did in that very moment and he couldn't help but tear up.
Mystique grabbed a tissue and quickly blotted his eyes. “Don't cry honey! You’ll ruin your makeup!”
“Sorry,” Tariq sniffled. “I just..”
“It’s ok,” she smiled. “I understand. You’re divine! Now you need a stage name..”
________________________________________________
Tariq stood just offstage with Mystique and Lulu on either side of him, preparing to go out into the spotlight. What was he even doing? Tonight felt like a dream, but he had never felt more alive. The upbeat, pop music started and the announcer spoke into the microphone. “This one is for all the ladies out there who just wanna have fun!”
Tariq tried to calm his breathing. He only had an hour prior to get made over, practice dancing in heels, and rehearse a short routine! He didn't want to get out there and make a fool of himself!
The announcer spoke again, “Put your hands together for Mystique, Little Lulu, and our newcomer, Miss Manolo!”
The three of them filed onto the stage and Tariq froze. There were dozens of patrons in the bar cheering and clapping for them. Mystique leaned in and whispered in his ear, “you got this girl! Work those Manolos!”
Tariq felt a thrill go through him and suddenly he was transformed from mild mannered Lord Tariq to the audacious Miss Manolo. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun blasted over the speakers and he completely owned that stage! Working his hips, he spun, shimmied, and even did a bit of twerking. This was the most fun he had ever had in his entire life. Maxwell was right- this had been the best night ever!
Oh no.. Maxwell and the rest of his friends! He suddenly remembered they were all supposed to meet at this location very soon. He needed to get backstage and change before they saw him!
But then again..
There was no way they’d recognize him. And the other ladies had worked so hard to get him ready for the show. And damn it all, he was having FUN for once in his life! No, he wasn’t done enjoying this. He followed Mystique and Lulu as they made their way off stage and into the crowd. Tariq was surprised to find gentlemen and ladies alike thrusting dollar bills at him. They really liked him! He continued to dance and work the crowd without a care in the world.
In Your Room Chapter 11: Oh Mother
Series: In Your Room
Fandom: TRR
Pairings: Leo x Drake
Rating: PG
Warnings for this chapter: A couple of F-bombs, that's it
Song Inspiration for the series: In Your Room by The Bangles
Word Count: 1,163
My other stuff: Master List.
The woman’s voice trembled as she asked tentatively, “You remember me?”
“Yes…” her image was etched into his memory. Her face had a few more lines in it now, but it was still the face from his earliest memories, as well as the face in the well worn photo of her he carried in his wallet. But it wasn’t just her appearance. The lilt in her voice and the faint scent of jasmine that wafted to him on the breeze pulled him back through the years to the palace nursery, bedtime stories and hugs that could make the worst booboos better and the scariest dreams fade into oblivion. Until one day she had just been gone and nothing had been truly okay since. Not until Drake’s love had started to heal him.
His heart began to race, and the roar of his own blood was deafening in his ears. “What are you doing here?” he choked out.
“I…I just wanted to see you…” tears welled up in the woman’s eyes, “I didn’t mean to disrupt your wedding! I’m so sorry!”
“This is your mother?” Bianca’s mouth fell open.
“Yeah,” Leo nodded, his mouth dry. So many emotions fell through him in that moment. Joy, loss, pain, anger, sadness, curiosity, wonder, amazement. He asked the one question that he’d wanted to ask for over twenty years, “Where have you been?”
“I…” she sniffed as she glanced at the people surrounding them, “Can we go somewhere more private?”
“Come on, let’s all go into the house,” Bianca directed as she patted Leo gently on the shoulder.
Leo responded to her touch, and her directions, turning and making his way into the house without question. Bianca whipped her phone out and sent a text to her son. On the way into the house, she sent a server to bring iced tea to the living room.
By the time the tea made it to them, so had Drake. He rounded the corner in a panic, “What’s wrong?”
Bianca intercepted him, “Drake, this is Leo’s mother.”
“What?” He froze in place, gaping at the scene in front of him.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Leo laughed, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Drake Walker at a loss for words before.”
“Sorry!” Drake shook himself out of it and hurried to take a seat next to his almost husband. He took Leo’s hand in his own. His copper eyes traced Leo’s face with concern, “Are you okay?”
“Mm, hm,” Leo nodded as he wiped a tear from his cheek, “Just in shock a little I guess.” Turning to the woman seated across from him, he said, “I never thought I’d see you again. I’d given up hope.”
Helena dropped her head into her hands and started to cry.
Bianca moved to the couch next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” Helena lifted her head to give Bianca a grateful look, “I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry! Today isn’t about me!”
“No, it’s not,” Drake affirmed, “So why did you pick today, of all days, to show up?”
“I just wanted to see my baby boy get married. I wanted to make sure he…” she hiccupped a little through her sobs, “…was happy…”
“I am happy,” Leo assured her, “but I would have been a lot happier a long time ago if I’d had a mother.”
“I know…I’m sorry….your father…he wouldn’t…he said I couldn’t…he…”
The anger whooshed out of him as Leo stared at her, horrified, “Constantine wouldn’t let you see me, would he?”
She shook her head no.
“That fucker! I knew it!” Leo was on his feet, pacing.
“Yeah…but…” Drake looked back and forth between them, “Leos been an adult for a while now. Why didn’t reach out sooner?”
“I tired! When he was at college a few times, but the guards wouldn’t let me through! I sent letters but I…I’m guessing you never got them?”
“All my mail was screened…”
“And your personal number was unpublished.” Drake finished for him.
“I was in the crowd in Paris when you gave that speech about climate change,” she smiled proudly through her tears, “You were so passionate about it!”
“You were there?” Leo felt tears pool in his own eyes again, but for an entirely different reason.
She had followed his career. She had tried to contact him. She had never forgotten him nor abandoned him willingly. And he should have known. He should have looked for her. It was just one more thing his father had taken from him.
As if reading his mind, Drake’s voice cut through his self-recrimination, “You didn’t know, Leo.”
“Of course, I was there!” Helena nodded, “I wanted to be there for so much more, Leo! I never wanted to leave you behind! I made a mistake! I didn’t realize that when I decided to leave Constantine that he would keep you from me! I really thought we would split custody and-“
Leo was suddenly across the room and in her arms. Bianca moved off the couch to give them room as they clung to each other and cried together.
Bianca pulled Drake to the side, “I’ll go let the guests know the wedding will start late. I think they need a minute.”
“Yeah, thanks, mom,” Drake brushed a kiss on her cheek before turning his attention back to Leo, “I’m staying in case he needs me.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, son.”
Leo and his mother spent the next twenty minutes trying to catch up on all the missing years.
“Hey, babe,” Drake finally interjected, “Should we reschedule the wedding?”
“What?” Leo looked up, startled, “Why?”
“Um…” Drake’s eyes traced from Leo to Helena and back again, “So you can deal with this.”
“I didn’t mean to derail your wedding!” she protested, “I just wanted to be here!”
The press had reported his engagement to another man three months ago, but the man had been unidentified and Leo’s location unknown. Drake’s name had been leaked two weeks ago. She’d hired a private detective who had delivered the address of the ranch and the date of the wedding yesterday.
She hadn’t known if he’d want to see her. She thought she could slip in and watch from the back. She hadn’t counted on security at the gate.
“You’re fine,” Leo grinned at her, “I’m glad you’re here. It makes this day even more perfect!” His father was never keeping them apart again. “Please stay after so we can talk some more?”
“I’d like nothing more!” she agreed.
Leo stood and pulled Drake into his body with a smirk, “You’re not getting out of this that easy, Walker! We’re getting hitched!”
Surprised laughter bubbled out of Drake, “Hitched? Did you just say hitched?”
“Yeah…I’m a real Texan now, boy! Yee Haw! Let’s go get hitched!”
Drake swatted Leo on the backside as he followed him out of the room, “Try and fucking stop me!”
In Your Room Chapter 10: Let's Get Married
Series: In Your Room
Fandom: TRR
Pairings: Leo x Drake
Rating: Pretty G
Warnings for this chapter: none
Song Inspiration for the series: In Your Room by The Bangles
Word Count: 1,773
A/N: So one night a bunch of us were playing around with the incorrect quote generator and I promised @whatwouldvalerydo that if I ever wrote this proposal, I would tag them so here we are and here it is!
This hits two of the themes for the @choicespride pride month prompts: Marriage and Royalty and the @choicesficwriterscreations Pride bingo space for Family, and @choicesjunechallenge for Proposal.
Brief summary so far for anyone new to this series: Leo Rys, the crown prince of Cordonia gives into long repressed desires when a dare is thrown down. He becomes more and more involved with his younger brother's best friend until feelings can no longer be hidden. But his father isn't about to let the heir to the throne come out publicly and convinces Drake that if he loves Leo, he'll leave him. Drake leaves, but a heartbroken Leo abdicates the throne for love and follows him all the way to Texas.
My other stuff: Master List.
The Jaguar Hills Ranch was decked out in wedding finery. Fall colors adorned everything. Pumpkins and bales of hay were scattered strategically around the open clearing behind the main house. Lanterns were strung from the sprawling back porch to the open-air barn that was itself filled with decorated tables, an open bar and a dance floor. Twinkle lights twined in the branches of all the trees bordering the clearing. A massive arch made of orange and white flowers was centered in the clearing.
For the first time in his adult life, Leo was happy.
He had abdicated the throne and upped sticks, leaving behind not just the crown but the weight of his father’s judgements.
“You want to abdicate the throne so you can be with Drake?” Liam sounded far too happy about the news.
Leo didn’t think he was getting it, “Yes, but-“
“No buts! That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time, Leo! You both deserve to be happy and-“
“Yeah, but Liam, listen!” Leo grunted in frustration, “That means all of the responsibly gets dumped in your lap!”
Liam paused for a long moment, the smile fading from his face as he contemplated that. “That’s true….but you’ll be free to be with the person you love, Leo. And I’ve had all the same training you have. I can do it. I’m ready.”
Liam looked so goddamn resolute Leo wanted to cry, “I love you for that, but have you truly thought about how this will change your life?”
A bright smile broke out across his brother’s face, “Not that much, to be honest. I was always going to play a huge role in your cabinet. This just means I’ll have a bigger role in Cordonia’s future, but other than that, nothing really changes for me.”
“Dad will expect you to pick a wife at the next social season,” Leo blew out a breath as his fingers fidgeted with his ear, “Are you ready for marriage?”
The smile on Liam’s face grew ever bigger, “Can I show you something?”
“Sure.”
Liam produced a ring box from his pocket and opened it, thrusting it toward Leo, “It was mom’s. I’m going to ask Riley to marry me! I was going to ask her anyway, so this changes nothing.”
“Wow!” Leo’s mouth fell open as he took the ring and stared down at it, “You’re really serious huh?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Liam asked, retrieving the box and closing it, “She’s amazing and I’d be a fool not to recognize that.”
“Shouldn’t you talk to her about if she’s willing to be queen?”
“We’ve talked about it.” Liam told him as he returned the crushed velvet box to his jacket pocket, “theoretically of course. Me being the spare has always carried the possibility that I could be thrust into your shoes. While I certainly hoped nothing bad ever happened to you, I always knew the person I married would have to be okay with the existence of that possibility.”
Leo stared at his younger brother in shock as a disbelieving laugh spilled out of him, “How the hell did you get so to be so goddamned mature and so much more emotionally aware than your older brother?”
Liam shrugged, “Maybe because I wasn’t forced to hide who I really am my entire life. It’s not right, the way dad has treated you.”
Leo felt tears well up in his eyes, “You’re really okay with this?”
“Are you kidding? My brother and my best friend being happy together? I am more than okay with it!”
Leo pulled his younger sibling into a tight embrace as he whispered, “Thank you!”
Leo’s eyes scanned the crowd of their loved ones. Friends and family. Everyone was there.
Well, almost everyone.
Not that he’d expected his father or his stepmother to attend. Constantine was still angry with him for…well, all of it. The abdication, the engagement to Drake, which the tabloids had picked up on. Even in America, the doings of a self-deposed prince were still fodder for the gossip mill.
The public at large couldn’t get enough of it.
His actions were reviled in the most repressive regimes and by the conservative half of his home country but celebrated by the rest of the world.
His adopted home, America, had been mostly welcoming, segments of it even rejoicing over the choices he had made for love. Love. His chest tightened as he glanced across the clearing at the man that would be his husband in less than an hour.
Drake’s family was gathered in the great room, laughing over a game of charades. Even after months of living with them, Leo was still amazed at the easy, comfortable way they interacted with each other. It was nothing like the way he had been raised. Being there was healing. Being accepted for who he was, and as a part of their family, was a balm to his troubled soul.
As the night wound down, he was seized with an impulse. Something he had been agonizing over suddenly seemed obvious and easy.
“Hey, babe,” he grabbed Drake by the hand as the other man walked passed him.
“Yeah?”
Leo smiled, impressed with his own inspiration, “I have a riddle for you.”
“Okay…”
“Do you want to know what your gay name is?”
“My gay name?”
“Yeah, your gay name!”
Drake shook his head with a laugh, “Are you drunk?”
“No. Yes. Maybe a little, but come on. Don’t you want to know?”
“Okay, I’ll play along,” Drake turned to him expectantly, “What is my gay name?”
“Well…it’s your first name…”
“Right….” Drake started to turn away, but Leo pulled him back. When Drake turned back to him, Leo slid down to one knee. Drake’s eyes widened, “What are you doing?”
“Your first name, and my last name….”
“What?”
“Or I don’t know….I could take your name?” After all, his last name was synonymous with his father, homophobia and bad parenting whereas the Walker family had welcomed him with open arms.
“Leo, are you serious?”
“I told you the day I got here that I wanted to marry you! Didn’t you believe me?”
“Yeah, but….I didn’t think…I mean….are you sure?” A hint of uncertainty flitted through Drake’s eyes. Leo knew he still harbored some idea that he hadn’t been worth abdicating the throne for. He was wrong. Being loved by Drake was worth everything.
Leo sprang to his feet, “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life! Stop doubting yourself! You’re amazing, and everyone knows it but you! Now, are you going to give me an answer or are you going to leave me hanging?”
“Goddamn it, Leo!” Drake wiped at his eyes, “You’re going to make me cry! Again! Of fucking course I’ll marry you!”
Leo was happy. He didn’t miss his father, or his stepmother’s presence. His brother and sister-in-law were there for him. His best friend, Olivia, was there along with her now live in girlfriend, Hana.
But still. There was something…someone missing.
He sighed as he watched Bianca fuss with Drake’s tie.
Leo had been deprived of a loving mother not once, but twice in his young life. He barley remembered Helena; he’d been so young when she’d left. Eleanor had been kind and loving and treated him no differently than she had Liam. She had considered him her son too, in more than just name and Leo had been happy again, for a while. Her death had been as hard on him as it had on his brother.
Bianca made her way over to Leo next, “Well, I came to help you with your tie, but I see you don’t need it.”
Leo gave her a dimpled smile, “Side effect of being a prince I suppose. Dressing well is literally in the job description. I could tie a tie before I could tie my shoes.”
Bianca reached up and pinched his cheeks, “I love that smile!” She’d sure seen a lot of it since he’d been at the ranch.
And not just his. She shot a quick glance at her son who was beaming with joy as he laughed with his sister and a group of his childhood friends. She’d never seen him so happy, and she was grateful for it. She couldn’t doubt Leo’s love for him, he’d given up a throne and a crown to be with him. Not only that, but he’d come to the ranch ready to pitch in and work. She couldn’t imagine anyone better to have as a son-in-law.
Leo caught her hand in his with a rare earnestness in his eyes, “Thank you, Bianca. For everything.”
“You’re welcome, Leo,” she shook her head with a smile, “But you’ve given as much to this family as it has to you. I’m not pushing, and you don’t have to if you’re not comfortable with it, but you can call me mom if you want.”
A lump rose up in his throat. He absolutely wanted to. Before he could respond, a commotion at the gate drew his attention. Security was arguing with a woman. A woman who looked dressed to attend a wedding. “What the hell?” His eyes tracked from the gate to Bianca to Drake then back again.
Drake was on the other side of the clearing, oblivious to the ruckus going on as his sister tried unsuccessfully to fix his hair. He swiped at her hand and knocked the brush to the ground. Leo could hear Savanah’s frustrated yelp from where he was standing.
“Let’s go find out,” Bianca headed toward the gate and Leo strode after her. Bianca had welcomed him into her home and her family. She had treated him as another child. He was not about to let her deal with whatever was happening at the gate without backup. It was probably just an overzealous reporter, but still.
They closed the distance quickly.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the guard was pushing the woman back toward the gate, “it’s by invitation only.”
“How did you let a reporter get past the main gate?” Bianca demanded.
“Sorry, Mrs. Walker, she just-“
“I’m not a reporter!”
Something about that voice struck a chord deep inside Leo. He froze as he tried to get a look at her. “Stop! Let her go!”
The bodyguard looked to Bianca for confirmation. When she nodded, he released the woman. The guard stepped away leaving him an unobstructed view of a tall, middle-aged, blond-haired woman with the same ocean blue eyes he saw in the mirror every morning.
A multitude of emotions hit him in the chest all at once, “Mom?”
Unexpected Memes
Series: Unexpected
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Riley x Maxwell
Rating: I don't usually rate memes but one of these might be a little NSFW so be warned.
Mood Board Credit: @harleybeaumont
Just a few things that reminded me of my favorite dysfunctional couple:
Riley (although, Max already does this):
Riley to Max: (and now I have to write this, preferably in a public place where they could be caught at any moment)
Both of them:
She did get on a plane with him after knowing him less than a day:
Things I feel like this Riley would certainly do:
(Penelope and Adelaide better watch their backs is all I'm saying):
And my favorite:
Unexpected Extra
Again, thanks goes to @harleybeaumont for finding this!
Tagging under the cut
@nestledonthaveone @gkittylove99 @karahalloway @texaskitten30 @tessa-liam
@kachrisberry @fangirling12566 @belencha77 @lovingchoices14 @twinkle-320
@21-wishes @secretaryunpaid @lunaseasblog @princessleac1 @bebepac
@emersyn-in-cordonia @walkerdrakewalker @73geenalove @tornbetween2loves @sillydg
@pinklipsandmasonjars @savannahdix @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @3pawandme
@queen-arabella-of-cordonia @tinkie1973 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @jared2612 @mainstreetreader
@amandablink @harleybeaumont @xpandass420x @ladyangel70 @twinkleallnight
@dcbbw @indiacater @queenmiarys @phoenixrising0308 @gabesmommie1130
@bascmve01
Bad Romance Disney Adventure Chapter 4: Jace
Miniseries: Bad Romance Disney Adventure
Main Series: Bad Romance
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings for series: Riley x Liam, Liam x Max, Riley x Max, Riley x Drake, Riley x Leo (past)
Rating: MA
Warnings for this chapter: Language mostly, a very brief depiction of childbirth.
Word Count: 2,147
A/N: I know I said so in the last chapter, but I want to thank @queen-arabella-of-cordonia again for this ask, because I am having too much fun with it!
A/N 2: Once again, it all got away from me so there will be one more chapter (I know I said that in the last chapter and the one before that, but this time, I really think there's only one more chapter worth of stuff!)
My other stuff: Master List.
“You did it, baby!” Drake grinned at her as he kissed the top of her head.
“You were amazing, love.” Liam told her.
“Of course, she was amazing, she’s always amazing.” Max scoffed.
“Damn I could use a cheeseburger right now.” Riley said shakily.
“I wanna see! I wanna see! Let me see the baby!” Ellie shoved her way past Max.
“What’s wrong with Uncle Leo?” Xander asked as he crawled out from underneath the bench at the same time Liam lowered himself onto it and pulled Riley down next to him, adjusting her so she was leaning back on his chest.
Everyone glanced up at Leo who was still staring at the scene in front of him with a dazed expression, jaw slack, eyes a little glazed.
Liam chuckled softly as he told Drake, “Well, that should cure him of being inappropriate with my wife.”
“Right?” Drake smirked, “The mystery is ruined.”
Max was the only sympathetic one, “You ok over there Leo?”
“That…”
“It’s ok, bro, you’ve never seen a woman give birth before.”
“That was….”
“Messy? Traumatic? Not sexy?” Max offered.
Leo turned an astonished face to Max as he exclaimed, “That was the most bad ass goddamned thing I’ve ever witnessed in my entire my fucking life! That woman is remarkable! She just pushed out an entire fucking human being and then sat up and asked for a cheeseburger! A cheeseburger! That’s hardcore!”
“Wait.” Liam looked confused and a little alarmed, “You’re not grossed out? Turned off?”
“Are you kidding me, Li? I have never wanted her more! You were right, I flirt with her because she keeps telling me no, it’s a challenge, and I love a good challenge! Also, I’m mostly just doing it to annoy you and piss off Drake. But now? Now I might actually be in love! None of you fuckers deserve her, you all know that, right?”
“Just fucking great.” Drake gritted out.
“Uh…. Not to interrupt, whatever this is,” Jason interjected, “But we’re going to need something to wrap him in.”
Liam and Drake still had their hands full with Riley. Max shot a look at Leo, his eyes dipping to the other’s man chest.
“Really?” Leo sighed then handed Jax to Max as he pulled the rainbow colored tie dyed Mickey Mouse shirt that Riley had bought him over his head and handed it to Jason. “It was too tight anyway.”
“That was on purpose.” Riley grunted as she delivered the placenta.
“Really?” Leo asked in delight as the faint sound of a siren in the distance pierced the air.
Jason wrapped the baby in Leo’s t-shirt and handed him to his mother. “I’m good with delayed cord clamping, but if that ambulance doesn’t get here within the next five to ten minutes, I’ll have to use a shoelace or something to tie it off and I don’t know how the hell we’ll sterilize-“
“Here.” Drake thrust a flask at him.
Jason blinked in confusion, “What’s this?”
“Whiskey.”
“You can’t bring alcohol into Disneyland!”
“That’s Drake Walker you’re talking to.” Max informed him, “He brings his own whiskey everywhere!”
“Ok then….”
Riley cradled her son to her breast where he immediately began rooting around. She helped him latch on as she gazed down into his tiny face.
She watched him as he nursed, his little mouth moving as he gazed up at her with wonder in his eyes that only a soul new to the world has. Suddenly her breath caught, “Oh! We were wrong about the due date!”
“Or he was a little early, love.” Liam told her soothingly.
She shook her head, “I don’t think so.”
Leo leaned over to get a good look at the newest member of the Rys family. “Uh, Li...I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm pretty sure this one isn't yours either...”
“Shut up, Leo.” Liam snapped, “What were you saying about the due date, love?”
Riley looked from her son to her husband as she told him, “I know we were wrong about the due date, because we wrong about the date of conception.”
“How do you know that?” Drake asked.
“What do you mean?” Liam spoke at the same time as Drake.
“Yeah, Ri, what do you mean?” Max prompted her.
“I mean…” She paused for dramatic effect then turned her head to look at Max, “I didn’t conceive on the trip to Geneva with Liam like I thought. I conceived two weeks before that, on our secret hilltop near the airport, with you, Max.”
“What?” Max’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.
“Look at those eyes.” Riley cooed down at the little one in her arms as he released her nipple with a contented sigh. Fresh from heaven and perfect in every way. Ten little fingers, ten little toes and a ridiculous amount of hair.
“Those are the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen in my life.” Liam confirmed as he gazed down at the squirming baby boy in his wife’s arms. “Can I hold him now?”
Riley passed the t-shirt wrapped newborn over, “As if we needed any more proof that he’s Max’s.”
It was true. His eyes were a bright, deep, cobalt blue. His hair was jet black but that didn’t mean anything. All of Riley’s babies had been born with hair just like that. It would lighten to whatever shade it was going to be by three or four months of age. They all had. But even without the blue eyes, his paternity was obvious to her. His little nose, his lips, even his forehead were an almost exact replica of Max’s. How a forehead could look distinct and familiar Riley didn’t understand. Yet, it did.
“He’s mine?” Max felt a sense of wonder stir in his chest as he struggled to swallow the lump that was suddenly in his throat, “Can I hold him now?”
“Of course.” Liam said, placing the tiny bundle into Max’s arms, then discreetly wiping tears from his eyes.
“Hey, congratulations, buddy.” Drake said as he clapped Max on the shoulder, “Welcome to the club.”
“Are you crying, Max?” Riley asked as the wailing of the siren grew louder, closer.
“Yes, I am! This is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me! I mean, next to you loving me.” He answered her.
“Ah, Max. I love you too.”
Max looked up from the bundle snuggled in his arms, his face wet with tears, and found Liam’s eyes, “You’re not mad?”
Liam was taken aback, “Mad? How could I be mad? This amazing, perfect, beautiful child is a combination of the two people I love most in the world! This is the greatest surprise ever!”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I remember how overwhelming it was when Ellie was born, this little person that was half me and half the woman I love. I never thought I’d get to experience that with the man I love but…here he is, half you and half her and it’s just as fucking amazing!”
“Ah, Li, don’t cry or I’m gonna start again!”
Drake took a turn holding the baby as Liam and Max embraced, laughing, crying, wiping the tears from each other’s cheeks, exchanging soft kisses and ecstatic smiles.
“Can we talk about getting me a cheeseburger now?” Riley asked, but Liam, Drake and Max were too busy cooing over the baby to hear her.
The ambulance pulled up with lights still flashing but they had thankfully turned the siren off.
“Thank God you’re here.” Jason said, “I didn’t have anything sterile to clamp or cut the cord with, so I haven’t done either one.”
The paramedics quickly assessed both mother and child, loaded Riley onto a gurney and clamped the cord. “Who’s the father?” The older paramedic asked.
Everyone looked at Liam who smiled and nudged Max forward.
“Oh, uh…that would be me!” Max raised his hand.
The paramedic held out a pair of sterile scissors and asked, “Would you like to do the honors?”
An enthusiastic smile lit up his face, “Yes, yes I would!”
As Max cut the cord, Liam asked, “What are we going to name him?” The names he and Riley had discussed no longer seemed appropriate. This child definitely wasn’t a Fabian or a Ulysses, maybe more of a Percival.
Riley grinned up at their tour guide and said, “I think we have to name him Jason. What do you think, Max?”
“I like it! We can call him Jace for short!” Max nodded in agreement, then looked over at their guide, “if that’s alright with you, of course.”
“I’d be honored, but you don’t have to-“
“Nonsense!” Riley waved him off, “It’s settled, “Jason Percival Embry Beaumont Rys.”
“What’s the Embry for?” Drake asked, already aware that Percival was Max’s middle name.
“Do you really want to know?” Riley smirked at him.
Drake blinked at her in confusion, “Why wouldn’t I want to know?”
“It means hill.” Liam supplied, “Literally, flat topped hill.”
“Yeah, because he was conceived on a hill!” Max chirped out.
Drake nodded as he turned his head to the side and scratched the back of his neck, “You were right, babe, I didn’t need to know.”
Riley tried again, “Could one of you get me a cheeseburger?”
But none of them were listening. As the paramedics expanded the gurney, dropping the wheels down, Liam, Max and Drake fell into an argument.
Liam started spitting orders, using his king voice, “I’ll ride with her in the ambulance, you guys follow behind and meet us at the hospital.”
“That’s a negative. I’m going with her.” Drake said in his best military commander voice.
“They said only one of us can ride in the ambulance, Drake, and I’m her husband!”
“Yes, and I’m her head of security!”
“It’s my baby!”
As they bickered among themselves, Riley looked around for some help. Her eyes landed on Leo, who looked like he was still a little in shock. A calculating smile turned the corners of her mouth up as she called out, “Leo, honey, sweetheart, baby doll, lover…” She emphasized the last word, infusing her voice with copious amounts of sultriness.
Leo’s head snapped up as the last of the daze that had clouded his eye’s receded. He hurried to her side, briefly glancing at the others before turning his attention back to her as he took one of her hands in both of his, “Yes, my kick ass warrior queen?”
“You’re coming to the hospital, aren’t you?” She batted her eyelashes at him.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. She usually rebuffed his advances and ignored his attentions. “Do you want me there?”
“Oh yes, I would very much like it if you were there.” She murmured demurely, as she gazed up at him from under fluttering lashes.
He sucked in a surprised, and pleased breath, “Then of course I’ll be there!”
“Would you do something for me?” She asked as she walked her fingers up his exposed chest.
“Anything!” He scooted closer to her, clasping her hand and laying it over his heart.
“Stop somewhere on the way there and smuggle me in a cheeseburger with some chili cheese fries and a vanilla shake!”
Leo hesitated for a bare moment, “You just gave birth. Are you supposed to-“
Riley reached out to caress his cheek with her free hand, “Please, jellybean, for me?”
“Yes, of course, I’ll bring you anything you want!” He agreed as the gurney was lifted into the back of the ambulance. “I’ll be on my way as soon as I get another shirt!”
“Oh, and tell those idiots I said Max is riding in the ambulance with me, it’s his baby!”
“On it!” Leo gave her a thumbs up as the paramedics climbed in the back with her. Then he turned back to the other three men, “Hey losers, Riley said Max is riding with her.”
“Yes!” Max did a triumphant little jump and ran to the ambulance without so much as a backwards glance at the other two men.
Liam sighed, “Fine, let’s get back to the SUV. Leo, what are you doing?”
Leo had his phone out, “Calling an Uber. You guys go ahead, I have to go get another shirt then I have a stop to make on the way, I’ll see you at the hospital.”
“Fine.” Liam waved at him dismissively then started gathering up the children.
“Does he have to meet us at the hospital?” Drake grumbled.
Liam shot him a sidelong glance as he doubled checked for the diaper bag and counted kids, “You’re not really jealous of him, are you?”
Drake shook his head, “’Course not. He just annoys the hell out of me.”
“Pretty sure that’s why he does it.” Liam grinned.
“I’m aware.” Drake grunted with a roll of his eyes, “Now let’s get to the fucking hospital.”
Bad Romance Disney Adventure Chapter 3: Oh, Baby!
Miniseries: Bad Romance Disney Adventure
Main Series: Bad Romance
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings for series: Riley x Liam, Liam x Max, Riley x Max, Riley x Drake, Riley x Leo (past)
Rating: MA
Warnings for this chapter: Language, Depiction of childbirth.
Word Count: 2,390
A/N: This was originally supposed to be a three-shot, but here we are. It got away from me again, and now there will be one more chapter. (Ok, it was supposed to be a drabble in the first place, then it turned into a three-shot in the second place so I guess we've arrived at the third place)
A/N 2: This was inspired by an ask from @queen-arabella-of-cordonia and will be completed in the next chapter.
My other stuff: Master List.
Riley was tired. She’d been on her feet most of the day and she hadn’t even been able to ride half the things she’d wanted to because she was too pregnant. She was seriously thinking about leaving early and letting the guys deal with the kids. She didn’t want them to have to miss out, that’s why she hadn’t complained. Her feet hurt, her back hurt and the damn Braxton Hicks contractions kept getting worse. Almost as if they weren’t the irregular in frequency, less intense contractions that are the body’s way of preparing for labor and that usually go away with a position change.
But she was only thirty-seven weeks pregnant, and all her other babies had waited until thirty-nine weeks, except Jax who had to make a damn entrance or something, waiting until week forty-one. The contractions had to be Braxton Hicks, she was sure of it.
She paid for her purchases and let Max carry the bag as Drake carried a tired, cranky, absolutely missed his nap Jax. She listened to Max and Liam discuss where to eat for dinner as they walked.
“We may have to stop for snacks before then,” Max said, “Xander is starving.”
“Of course he is,” Liam replied, “his stomach is empty now!”
Drake chortled at the reminder, “Kid’s got excellent aim though.”
The group met Jason outside the bathrooms near Calypso Pool. “Where is he?” Riley asked.
Jason pointed and opened his mouth to answer but before he could even speak, Liam took the bag from Max, “I’ll take them to him, you stay put, love, you really should sit.”
Riley started to protest, but Drake forestalled that, “He’s right, babe, you’re hugely pregnant and you look tired. You should sit down, get off your feet for a minute.”
Riley gave him a doubtful look, “You and Liam just don’t want me near Leo and it’s silly because you know you have nothing to worry about, right? Especially in my condition! Even if I wanted him, which I don’t, by the way, but even if I did, I’m in no mood and no condition to be-“
“Ri, come on. He’s just asking you to rest for a minute, because you’ve been on your feet all day and because, as you just pointed out, you’re eight and half months pregnant!” Max cajoled, “We’re just worried about you; we just want to take care of you. I know you don’t need us to, you make it look so easy, you’re so pretty and you’re glowing, but we want to! So, come sit, for us? Just for a little bit? Please?”
Riley sighed as she waddled over to a nearby bench and let Max help lower her onto it. She was tired, and achy, but she wasn’t going to admit it.
Drake shook his head as he grumbled quietly to himself, “I don’t get it. Isn’t that exactly what I just said? But she listens to Max!”
“Nu uh.” Came a small voice.
Drake looked down at Ellie, “What?”
“You didn’t say the same thing, at all, tata.” She informed him.
“How was it different?”
“You said she was huge and looked tired. Poppa told her she was pretty, and he wanted to take care of her.” Ellie nodded sagely.
“I…..” Drake stared at her with his mouth open. She was right though, wasn’t she? How clueless was he that both Max and the eight year old understood how this worked better than he did? He blew out a frustrated sigh. His bluntness was not always a good thing.
While Drake was distracted with the kids, Riley let herself grimace at the pain as another contraction ripped through her body. She gritted her teeth as she breathed through it. She couldn’t lie to herself anymore. The contractions were real, and labor had started.
“Are you ok, Ri?” Max asked in concern.
Riley panted out, “It’s time.”
“It is?” Max blinked down at his phone screen, “No, our monorail ride isn’t scheduled for another twenty minutes.”
“Max!” Riley’s voice was a little shrill, it held notes of annoyance and exasperation that were usually reserved for Drake or Liam. He was the good boyfriend. His head snapped up in confusion, trying to figure out what he’d done wrong.
“Ri? What’s wrong little blossom?”
Riley gritted her teeth and pushed out a long breath before responding, “Contractions, Max, I’m having contractions!”
“You’re…what? Drake! Get over here!”
Drake hurried over to the bench, dragging all three kids with him. “What is it, Beaumont? Is she ok?”
“She’s having contractions!”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know!”
Drake turned to Riley and demanded, “How long?”
“I mean, I don’t know! I’ve been having them off and on all day.”
A cry of frustrated disbelief escaped him, “All day? Why the hell didn’t you say something?”
“They were Braxton Hicks! Meaningless! I have at least two weeks to go!”
Drake bit back the reply that was on the tip of his tongue, now was not the time to argue about her intractable stubbornness. Instead, he asked the more pertinent question, “How long have you been having this particular set?”
“About an hour.”
“What?” His hands flew to his head, where he pulled at his own hair, this woman was going to be the death of him, “Why didn’t you tell one of us!”
“I didn’t want to spoil everyone’s fun! It’s fine. I had contractions off and on for two days before I gave birth with both Ellie and Xander, remember?”
“Yes, and I also remember that your labor with Jax was three hours from start to finish. Do you remember that?”
“Right, but what are the odds-“ The sentence cut off as she pitched forward, grabbing her stomach and letting out a pained yelp.
“Drake! She’s in labor!” Max’s voice was laced with panic.
“Yeah, no shit!”
“We have to get her to the first aid tent!”
“First aid tent? She doesn’t need a fucking Mickey Mouse band-aid Max! She needs a goddamned hospital!” Drake spat as he pulled out his phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“911 to get a fucking ambulance, what do you think?”
“Why are you calling 911? What’s happening?” Liam sounded panicked as he pushed his way through Drake and Max to get to Riley.
Leo was right behind him, but Drake’s free arm shot out and clotheslined him before he could get to her. “Not the time, Rys!”
Leo fell backwards and landed on his ass on the pavement.
“I was just trying to help!” Leo protested from his spot on the ground as he rubbed the front of his neck in annoyance.
“Did he just say she’s in labor?” Jason asked Max.
“Yeah, I wanted to take her to the first aid tent but-“
“I’m not going anywhere, Max!” Riley yelled at him, “I’m in fucking labor and I. Am. Not. Moving!”
Jason pulled out his walkie talkie and started shouting into it.
“I’ve already called 911.” Drake told him.
“That’s good, but we have our own paramedics.” Jason explained.
“You do?”
“Yes, because they can get here quicker.”
“That’s…impressive actually.”
“Yes, well….”
“What?”
“Apparently someone had a heart attack on one of the other attractions and our paramedics are tied up at the moment.”
“Where is that ambulance?” Liam yelled as Riley squeezed his hand hard enough to cut off circulation. He didn’t dare complain about it though.
“This is bullshit!” Riley gesticulated, “I should still have at least two more weeks!”
Liam shook his head, “No, remember, Dr. Russo told you that an estimated due date is just that, estimated and you didn’t remember when your last period was so we couldn’t date by that-“
“I can’t help it if I’m irregular Liam!”
“I know, love, I’m not blaming you-”
“Well, it sure sounds like you are! Aaahhgghhh!” She gripped his hand even harder.
Liam was sure his fingers were broken but he gritted his teeth as he reminded her, “Also, you didn’t get a sonogram until well into the second trimester, and the doctor said those are much less accurate for dating-“
If looks could kill Liam would have died, been resurrected and died again as Riley’s eyes boiled with rage, “I can’t help it that royal duties kept me too tied up for a sonogram, Liam, you’re the one who wanted me to be fucking queen, remember?”
Jason blinked, “Queen? What’s she-“
Max slapped him on the back with a nervous laugh, “Oh, ha ha ha, just a little inside joke!”
Drake looked up as a wall formed around them. Mickey, Mini, Pluto, Elsa, Dumbo, several of the dwarves, and Donald Duck had formed a barrier between them and onlookers.
“It’s for your privacy.” Jason explained.
“Not like that big dog!” Xander pointed at Pluto.
Ellie turned to look where her brother was pointing. Pluto put his hands over his face then turned and ran away.
There was a scuffle as men tried to push their way through the barricade. Drake craned his neck to see who it was then told Jason, “They need to let those men through!”
“But, sir, we’re trying to protect her privacy-“
“I understand that, but those men are part of her security detail.”
“Security….who are you people? Your name’s not really Smith, is it?”
“I told you that was a lame alias, Liam!” Riley screamed at him.
The security team was let through, then the characters closed ranks again. The guardsmen formed a ring within the already existent ring, and both sets of people faced outwards, the security team scanning the crowd for threats, their backs to the royal family for privacy.
“What’s happening to mommy?” Xander started to cry.
“She’s having the baby, dummy.” Ellie told him.
“Here, Leo, be actually useful for once.” Drake said as he transferred a sleeping Jax from his arms to Leo’s so he could make his way to Riley’s side while Max comforted Xander.
Drake took her other hand in his, “Look at me babe, breath, like we learned from the doctor, remember?”
Her eyes fixed on his and she nodded as she mimicked the breaths he demonstrated for her.
“Excuse me, but, may I help?” Jason asked as he approached.
Drake gave him a fleeting look, “You’re not a doctor, so I don’t know what you think-“
“No, I’m not. Not yet anyway, but I am a med student at UCLA.”
“What?” Liam felt relief surge through him, “Then yes, yes! By all means!”
“Um…we’re going to need to remove her pants so I can check on things.”
She wasn’t letting go of either Liam or Drake’s hands so neither she nor they could pull her pants down.
“Max! Get over here!” Drake yelled.
“Coming!” He called out as he shoved Ellie and Xander toward Leo, “Stay with Uncle Leo, ok?”
Liam and Drake lifted her just enough for Max to remove all clothing from her lower body.
“I don’t suppose anyone has gloves on hand?” Jason asked doubtfully.
“Oh, yes, actually!” Max quickly pulled a pair of surgical gloves from the diaper bag. In response to Jason’s incredulous stare, Max explained, “For the extra messy diaper changes.”
“Ok.” Jason shrugged, taking the gloves and slipping them on, “Cool!”
After a quick examination he said, “I’m pretty sure she’s fully dilated and effaced.”
“Pretty sure?” Liam questioned.
“Yes, pretty sure, I told you I’m a med student, not a doctor yet!”
“Dilated and effaced? What’s that mean?” Leo asked.
“It means the baby’s coming now!” Riley yelled at him, why was he so annoying? Why were they all so annoying? “Shit! Fuck! I hate you all! None of you are ever touching me again!” She started to slide off the bench.
“Get her off the bench but hold her up, in a squatting position.” Jason instructed. “That’s the easiest position for delivery and the least painful.”
“Then why do they have women lay down on their backs in hospitals?” Liam asked in perplexment.
“That’s a good question, ain’t it?” Jason replied dismissively. He had other things to focus on.
Liam and Drake pulled her upright, then Drake told her, “Look at me, baby, we’re going to squat down now, hold onto both of us and don’t let go, ok?”
She just nodded as her eyes locked on his. They slowly sank toward the ground into a crouch as Max moved directly in front her, “Look at me now, Ri, ok? Just use me as your focal point, like we talked about, remember?”
She nodded as her fingers sank into both Liam and Drake’s shoulders.
Somewhere behind them Leo had lost control of the kids, Jax was awake and crying, Xander had crawled under the bench Riley had just vacated to hide from Pluto. Ellie was explaining to Elsa how babies were made.
“You can rest in between contractions.” Jason told her.
“Fuck you!” Riley panted, “There is no…uuuggghhh….in between…..gaahhhh!”
“Are you pushing?” Jason asked in alarm, this was information he needed to know.
She just gritted her teeth and bore down harder.
“She’s pushing.” Drake verified.
“The baby is crowning!” Jason informed them, “I can see the head!”
All three men spoke at once.
“You’re doing great baby!” Drake kissed the back of her hand.
“It’s almost over, love!” Liam gave her a quick kiss on the temple.
“You got this, Ri!” Max leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
Ellie was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, “Baby! Baby! I want to hold the baby!”
Xander had gone quite and wide eyed from his spot under the bench, thumb in his mouth, attention glued on his mother. Even Leo was silent for the first time all day. Not a single smart assed remark left his lips as he watched Riley squatting on the ground at Disneyland, pushing out a baby while he rocked Jax in his arms, patting the child’s back and swaying softly side to side.
“The head is out!” Jason announced, “You’re almost done, Riley, one more push, make it a good one!”
Riley sank her fingers into Liam and Drake’s shoulders hard enough to bruise as a low, guttural sound ripped out of her, but neither man flinched away.
In the next instant, Jason had the baby in his hands, “Congratulations you guys! It’s a boy!”
Heir Apparent Chapter 14: Reunited
Series: Heir Apparent.
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Drake x Riley, Liam x Riley (past)
Rating: R
Warnings: Mature themes, language, Depression, self-harm mentioned
Everything else: Master List.
Drake sprinted down the hallway and into the bedroom. She didn’t move, didn’t look toward the door to see who it was, and his heart felt like it was gripped in a vise. She had given up hope that he was coming back. He was never going to forgive himself for hurting her like this. Or maybe she was asleep. A movement in the corner of the room drew his eye.
Maxwell sat in a chair in the corner, head lolled back. He startled awake when he heard Drake come in the room. He glanced over at Riley, then back to Drake. He lifted his hand in silent greeting, stood up, stretched then nodded at Drake before he walked out the door, closing it behind him to give them a little privacy.
Drake made his way over to the bed and sat down on the edge; her back was to him. “Riley? Baby?” His voice soft in the stillness of the room. He was hesitant, not sure what reaction to expect. If she didn’t forgive him, he wouldn’t blame her.
She sat up and whirled around at the sound of his voice, “Drake? You came back!” Then she flung herself into his arms, giant, shuddering sobs exploding out of her.
“Of course, I came back. I love you; I love you more than life baby and I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry that I made you think I wasn’t coming back!” He felt hot, sorrowful tears pool in his own eyes and start to slide down his cheeks.
She pulled back to look up into his face, her hands came up and wiped at his tears, “Why are you crying? Everything that went wrong was my fault!”
He shook his head, “How can you say that? I didn’t realize that you were struggling, I misinterpreted everything, I left you alone when you needed me! Can you forgive me, baby? I know I don’t deserve it but-“
She laughed through her tears, “I don’t know what you’re talking about Drake. There’s nothing to forgive!”
“But I left, I walked out when-“
“You came back, you came back!” She threw herself onto him again, her arms going around him and squeezing tight, as if she never planned to let go.
“I’ll always come back to you.” He murmured into her hair, “I told you that as long as you want me by your side, that’s where I’ll be.”
“Even though the baby is Liam’s?” She asked with a quiver in her voice.
This time he was the one who pulled back so he could gaze into her eyes, “The baby….this baby…” he placed a hand lovingly on her stomach, “This is your baby, this is our baby. I know Liam is the biological father and we’ll figure all that out, but Riley, how could I ever not love this child? He or she is part of you, and I love you, I love you so much it fucking hurts! Like, there’s so much love in my heart, sometimes I think it might explode from loving you.”
To emphasis his point, he lowered his head, pulled up the hem of her shirt and gently brushed a kiss across her stomach, then he laid his head on it and closed his eyes as his tears fell on her soft skin. “I promise that I will love this child with my whole heart, and I’ll be the best dad I know how to be.”
Her hand ran through his hair and caressed his face as her tears shifted from sad and scared to happy and joyous ones. “Really? You don’t hate me because the baby isn’t yours?”
He lifted his head and sat back up. He placed a hand under her chin and tipped her head up as he told her, “I could never hate you for any reason. And regardless of DNA, this baby is mine, because you’re mine, and I’m yours, and we, all three of us, we’re a family.”
Riley closed her eyes and whispered, “I’ve been so scared that you were going to leave me.”
A strangled laugh escaped him, “I’ve been scared of the same thing. When you stopped talking to me, when you wouldn’t make plans for the future with me, I thought….well, I thought you’d changed your mind about us-“
Riley shook her head vigorously from side to side, “Never! I love you Drake! I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life! I shut you out because I was scared, and I didn’t make plans all those times you tried to ask about cribs or nursery themes because…because I couldn’t face planning for a future that might not have you in it.”
His brow furrowed in confusion, “But baby, I told you, after you had that first bad dream, that I wasn’t going anywhere, no matter what.”
“I know, but I don’t know…I thought….I mean, that’s easy to say….”
And she could have already been struggling with depression, even then, that could have clouded her thinking. And could he even blame her for letting her own insecurities get in the way of what she should have known to be true? He had done the exact same thing.
“Baby, it’s ok. Listen. The doctor thinks you might be clinically depressed. We can talk to her about it, but that easily could have caused you to feel that way, no matter what I said. I didn’t see it….I should have seen it, maybe then I could have-“
She shook her head again, “No! None of this is your fault Drake! I-“
“Yes, it is, baby.” He said softly as he took her hand and brought it to his mouth. “I should have realized something was off, and I never, no matter what, should have walked out after we got the test results!” He pulled her into his chest again and dropped kisses on top of her head.
Her voice was muffled in his chest as she asked, “Why did you?”
“Because I’m a fucking idiot. I saw Liam holding you and I thought…I thought that’s what you wanted, who you wanted-“
“Why would you think-“
“Because I’m an idiot, ok? Just…” There was no way he was going to tell her it was because she had pushed him away, that would sound like he was blaming her, and she was already hurting enough, already blaming herself enough. And it wasn’t her fault.
He rocked her and stroked her hair as he told her, “All that matters now is that I make you understand that I’m not leaving you. I’m never leaving you! I promise I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you trust that again.”
“You’re wonderful and amazing and I don’t deserve you, not after what I did, and this baby deserves a better mother and-“
He pulled back and stared down into her face in consternation, “Is that what you think?”
She nodded and dropped her eyes to her lap.
“Let me tell you what I think. No, what I know!” He tipped her head back up, “You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met in my life. You’ve already survived shit that would have broken most people. What happened in Vegas is something that just…happened, ok? It was one drunken night, and it does not, and will not, define us or our future. And this baby is the luckiest kid in the world because you are going to be an amazing mother. Just the fact that you already care so much proves that.”
There was a soft knock at the door and Hana popped her head in. “Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to see if-“ She paused and her face broke out in a huge smile, “Riley! You’re sitting up!”
“Hey, Hana.” Riley gave her a smile.
“AAAAAHHHH!!! You’re talking! And smiling!” Hana ran over to the bed and flung herself onto it, throwing her arms around Riley, knocking her out of Drakes embrace.
Riley laughed, “Yeah. Sorry for scaring everyone.”
“Shut up. No one cares about that! We just care about you! And look at you! I knew it! I knew that’s all you needed!” She turned and threw her arms around Drake. “Thank you! Thank you for making her happy again!”
Drake laughed softly as he returned the hug, “Does this mean you forgive me for being the stupidest man ever born?”
“As long as you can keep that smile on her face? Then yeah!” She hopped off the bed, “Ok, I’m going to go tell everyone that she’s up and talking and smiling!”
Hana practically skipped to the door, “Oh! Can I get you something to eat? Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.” Riley agreed, “What is there?”
“Um…the kitchen has salmon. I can have them send up some salmon and asparagus, you like that right? And it’s good for the baby!”
“That sounds good, Hana. Thanks.”
“Wait!” Drake stopped her, “That’s fine, but could you have them send soup too? Just in case she doesn’t eat the salmon? Something broth based, nothing dairy based. And dry toast. Always add dry toast and saltines crackers because she can usually eat those even when she can’t eat anything else. And in addition to a cup of tea, have them send water and some ginger ale if they have it. Ginger ale is good for the nausea.”
Hana repeated it back to him, “Broth based soup, dry toast, crackers, tea, water, ginger ale, got it!” She paused again at the door and turned back to him, “Hey Drake?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re really good at this. She’s lucky to have you, when you’re not being stupid.”
That drew a faint smile from him, “Thanks Hana.”
He turned back to Riley and took her arms in his hands. He brought first one arm up, then the other, to lay gentle kissed along the gauze bandages wrapping her forearms. There were tears in his eyes as he looked at her and whispered, “You hurt yourself because of me.”
She pulled her arms away and crossed them over her chest as she looked away, “It’s fine, I’m fine.”
He reached out pulled one of her arms back, “You’re not. And now that I see it, I can’t unsee it. I can’t ignore this. We’re going to talk to Dr. Russo about getting a referral to therapist that can help you, help us, ok? Please baby?”
Her eyes were drawn up to his face at the pleading she heard in his voice. She held his eyes for a moment then nodded quickly.
He let out a sigh of relief. “Good.”
There was another knock on the door. “Can we come in?” Maxwell called through the door.
Drake’s eyes went to Riley’s in question. She nodded and he yelled back, “Yeah, come on in.”
Maxwell, Olivia, Hana and Liam all filed into the room; Dr. Russo followed behind them.
“The food will be up soon.” Hana informed them.
“You sure it’s ok for us all to come in?” Liam asked tentatively.
“It’s your room, Li.” Drake responded drily.
“Be that as it may, after the events of the last three days and a strong talking to from some people I respect very much…” his eyes slid over to Dr. Russo, “I have realized that I need to work on respecting boundaries and, uh,” his eyes slid over to Olivia, “staying in my lane.”
Drake bit out a surprised laugh, “Are you even capable of that, Li?”
Liam grinned at him, “Guess we’re going to find out.” The smile faded into a more resolved expression, “I never want to see her like that again. I think we can both work on improving our behavior. Especially considering….”
“That the baby is yours? It’s ok, you can say it. I’m not going to freak out or run away. Not again.” He stood and faced the rest of the group, “I want to apologize to all of you. And thank you for being there for her while I was busy being an idiot. And thank Liv and Hana for coming to drag me out of my stupidity.”
“I told you, I did it for her, not you.” Olivia told him coolly, then she looked away, fidgeted and looked back at him, “But you’re welcome. I’m glad you came to your senses. It’s clear how much you two love each other. Don’t smile at me, you’re still a dumbass.”
Drake tried to smother the smile as he turned and said, “Dr. Russo, we’d like a referral to a therapist.”
“That’s a good call, Drake. And I already have a colleague in mind that I think will be perfect for you.” She handed him a card.
“I’m ok now, though.” Riley spoke up, “Now that Drake is back-“
“That may be the case.” Dr. Russo said, “It’s possible that it was situational depression, which resolves when the situation that caused it resolves. But it’s also possible that its pregnancy induced depression, which affects roughly seven to fourteen percent of pregnant women. Right now, your body is flooded with feel good hormones because you just made up with your husband. But I would be remiss as a doctor if I didn’t warn you that your symptoms might reappear once those wear off. I strongly recommend that you follow up with my colleague, or someone else of your choosing. But don’t ignore this.”
Riley’s eyes flicked from the doctor, to Drake, then around the room at the concerned faces of her friends, “Ok, I won’t, I promise, we’ll make the appointment.”
“Excellent! In addition to therapy for Riley, I strongly suggest that you look into some family counseling for all three of you.”
Liam’s head swiveled around to her, “Family counseling? but we aren’t-“
“You are.” She told him, “Through this baby, you are family and co-parenting, blended families, can be stressful under the best of circumstances. You three are going to have to do it under a spotlight. Look at the stress it’s already caused you all. Please, consider it.”
Liam nodded then looked at Drake.
“Whatever we need to do, we’ll do.” Drake said with a decisive nod.
“Yeah, that actually sounds good.” Riley replied. Being able to talk openly and honestly with each other might not just relieve her stress, but might start to repair the relationship between Drake and Liam.
The food came and she ate most of the salmon and asparagus along with half the bowl of soup. She had more of an appetite than she’d had in weeks.
“Wow, you ate a lot!” Drake smiled at her, “Maybe the morning sickness is getting better? You are moving into the second trimester now.”
Riley gave him a bright smile, “I love how you track all that.” She turned to everyone else and told them, “He can tell you how big the baby is at any given week-“
“Size of a passion fruit right now-“
“How much he or she weighs-“
“About half an ounce.”
“And what’s going on with development.”
“The baby can open and close their fingers now.” Drake beamed at her as he flexed his fingers to give them a visual.
“Wow, that’s….that’s great.” Liam said with forced cheerfulness.
Drake shot him a look and Liam gave him a shrug. Right. Baby steps.
“Well, I can’t wait until we feel the baby kick!” Maxwell blurted out.
“Oh, that will be so fun!” Hana exclaimed.
“Thrilling.” Olivia intoned as she checked her nails for chips.
“Speaking of the baby,” Liam started.
Drake gave him a warning look and Liam waved him off, “I promise, I’m not pushing. Merely an offer. Riley, if you and Drake are ok with it, I would like to propose that you switch your primary medical care to Dr. Russo. For security and privacy reasons. She can collaborate with your OB for the prenatal care. No pressure, and you don’t have to make the switch right now. Just think about it. She’s an excellent doctor and she’s been my primary care physician since I was a child. Drake’s too.”
Drake looked at Liam thoughtfully for a moment then turned to Riley, “He’s right. When the news breaks, you’ll have the paps camped outside your doctor’s office. Dr. Russo can see you here at the palace, or even come to Valtoria. If there’s anything you need that’s outside her expertise, we can have the OB also travel to us. Cuts down on security risks and keeps all your medical records, and the baby’s, stored here at the palace, under the Guard’s digital security.”
“Ok. That sounds logical. I’m fine with that. I could have my records-“
“We’ll wait on transferring any records. That might trigger a leak. Some clerk in a file room sees that your records are being transferred to the doctor whose practice is exclusively members of the royal family-“
“But you said she’s your doctor too-“
Drake nodded, “I’m considered a member of the royal family by virtue of having been raised by Constantine and Regina after my father’s death.”
“But wouldn’t that make Riley a member of the royal family too, then? By extension?” Maxwell asked.
“Max, I never thought I’d say this, but you might be a genius!” Drake told him.
“It would make sense that Drake would want his wife’s medical care under the same doctor as his own.” Liam said, “And Drake?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not just a member of the royal family because my parents raised you for part of your childhood. Despite everything-“ Liam paused to get his emotions under control, “No matter what else has happened, you’re still my brother.”
“I feel the same way, Li.”
Olivia rolled her eyes, “Oh, get a room you two.”
“It was sweet!” Hana told her.
“Now hug it out!” Maxwell ordered, then taking in their expressions, “Too far? Yeah, ok, not there yet.”
“Thank you, guys, all of you, for everything.” Riley said, “But would it be rude to say that I’m ready to go home, take a shower, change into my own clothes and sleep in my own bed?”
Drake’s eyes traveled over her body, taking in her attire. At some point, someone had at least coaxed her into changing out of the clothes she’d had on when they arrived at the palace. She was now clad in Liam’s Cordonian University t-shirt and a pair of definitely too big for her sweatpants. Probably also Liam’s.
Hana and Maxwell spoke at the same time, “No, not rude at all.” “Totally understandable.”
“Come on baby,” Drake said as he offered her his hand, “Let’s go home.”
Heir Apparent Chapter 13: Heartsick
Series: Heir Apparent.
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Drake x Riley, Liam x Riley (past)
Rating: R
A/N: When Hana uses the word "pissed" in this chapter, she's using the European meaning (drunk) not the American meaning (angry).
Warnings for series in general: Mature themes, language
Trigger warnings for this chapter: character suffering with clinical depression, mentions self harming behavior
Everything else: Master List.
Drake burst through the door of Liam’s private sitting room, “Where is she?” He demanded.
“Fucking finally! So nice of you to join us.” Liam greeted him.
“Where is she?” Drake ignored him.
“In the bedroom but-“
His head snapped toward Liam, “She’s in your bedroom?”
“Yeah, Drake. She is. I’ve been sleeping on the couch. You cannot think I would take advantage of her in this condition!” Liam sounded deeply offended.
Drake headed for the bedroom, but Liam stepped in his way.
“Get out of my way Li, I swear-“
“Drake, listen!”
“I said get out of my way!”
Drake tried to go around him again, Liam placed an open palm on Drake’s chest and shoved him back, hard.
“What the fuck, Li? I thought you wanted me to come back, why are you trying to keep me from-“
“If you’d shut up and listen! The doctors in with her right now!”
Drake froze. “Is she ok?”
Liam laughed but it was a bitter sound, “Define ok. She hasn’t been ok since you walked out on her.” His voice held a hard edge.
“I didn’t-“
“You didn’t walk out that door, that one, right there?” Liam turned and pointed at the sitting room door, “We imagined that?”
“I mean, yeah, I did, but-“
“And you didn’t stay gone for three fucking days? Until I sent Olivia to drag your ass back here?”
“Yeah, but-“
“And you didn’t ignore my calls and texts for three days? Max’s? Hana’s? Riley’s?”
“No, I didn’t!”
“You didn’t?” Liam asked incredulously.
“I mean, I did, but not on purpose-“
Liam stepped in closer, their bodies inches apart and in a low, dangerous voice said, “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kick your ass right now.”
For one heartbeat Drake glowered at him, his hands balled into fists then all the anger whooshed right out of him as he replied, “I can’t. You’re right, I was a dick. I saw her in your arms, and I made assumptions about what she wanted. I walked out and I got so shit faced drunk that apparently, I lost two fucking days, never checked my phone and didn’t hear you when you knocked on the door. I wasn’t trying to ignore you, or her, and I didn’t realize it had been three days. None of that minimizes the pain I caused her. So, if you want to hit me, hit me. I won’t even punch back.”
Liam blinked, “You’ve been drunk this whole time?”
“Not that I’m defending him, but he did seem shocked to find out he’d been there three days.” Olivia supplied.
“Yeah, he was pretty pissed.” Hana said, “And the phone was in his car where he would have never heard it ring.”
Liam stepped back and sighed. “Ok, that actually makes me feel a little better. I thought you were purposefully ignoring the situation. But Drake, she was in my arms because I caught her as she was falling.”
“What?” He blinked slowly, letting that sink in.
“Her knees buckled out from under her. I saw her start to fall, you didn’t. I just reacted, I caught her before she hit the ground. When she finally calmed down enough to look up and realize it was me and not you holding her, all hell broke loose.” Liam looked away, wincing a little at the memory.
“Fuck.” He swore softly.
“I told you you were the stupidest man ever born.” Hana said, but she said it a lot more gently than she had the first time.
“Ok, I know I’m late to the game here, but it seems to me like you need to stop assuming things and actually talk to your wife.” Olivia told him.
“Yeah. If she’ll talk to me.” He muttered.
“Drake, she was fucking destroyed when she thought you had abandoned her and weren’t coming back.” Liam told him, “It was awful, you have no idea-“
Drake let out a snort of derision, “Oh the fuck I don’t! This, Liam! This is what you did to her when you ignored her after you let her be drug out of the coronation ball!”
“I did that to protect her!”
“I know that’s what you thought, but you didn’t see what it did to her, Li, I did!”
Liam glared at his best friend for a moment then nodded his head, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. But unlike me, you still have a chance to make this right with her.”
“I fucking hope so.” Drake replied.
“I know so. She’s not blaming you; she’s blaming herself.” Liam informed him.
“I-that…that doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“It wasn’t meant to.”
Dr. Russo walked out, “Drake! I’m so glad you’re back! I have some questions I need to ask you.”
“Is she ok? How is she?” He asked in concern.
“Well, I’m afraid she might have clinical depression.”
“What?” He felt all the air rush out of his lungs.
“I tried to answer the questions, but I didn’t know most, or any really, of the answers.” Liam said.
“Yeah, ok, I’ll answer whatever you need me to. Why do you think she’s depressed?”
“Please, come, let’s sit.” Dr. Russo instructed. Drake took a seat on the couch, across from the chair the doctor took.
“Her current mood is clearly depressed. She isn’t talking, or eating. And I know she’s been under some stress from the situation surrounding the pregnancy. I’d like to ask you some questions about her behaviors and activities over the last few weeks.”
Drake nodded, “Sure. Go ahead.”
“Has she felt anxious or irritable?” Dr. Russo asked.
“Sometimes, maybe, I don’t know.” He twisted in his seat uncomfortably. He knew his answer wasn’t helpful and he wanted to be helpful.
Dr. Russo nodded, made a mark on the paper in front her then continued, “Has she displayed a loss of ability to focus, shortened attention span, has she been having trouble remembering things, concentrating or making decisions?”
Drake blew out a breath, “Maybe….she hasn’t wanted to make any decisions lately.”
“What do you mean? Can you elaborate?” the doctor inquired.
“I just mean….she won’t pick out a crib or a car seat, things like that.” He spread his hands out in front him as he shook his head.
“Ok.” She checked something on the paper again, “Has she shown a loss of interest or enjoyment in things she usually likes, like hobbies and interests?”
Drake thought for a moment, “Maybe? I’m not sure.”
She could tell he was getting frustrated at his own lack of definitive answers, so she tried to reassure him “It’s ok, just answer as best you can. What about sleep? Not being able to sleep well at night, or sleeping more than usual?”
“She’s been restless at night, nightmares, lots of waking up. I chalked that up to pregnancy hormones.” He looked up and around the room at his friends for verification. Not that any of them had any experience with pregnancy, but that’s what all the books had said.
“What about changes in appetite, eating more or less than she usually does, loss of appetite?” Dr. Russo continued to write on the paper as she looked up at him and back down at her clipboard.
“Well, yeah, she barely eats, but that’s from the morning sickness, right?” Again, he looked around at his friends for some kind of indication that he hadn’t just completely missed something.
“Maybe.” She responded.
“She’s barely eaten anything in the three days she’s been here.” Liam supplied, putting a hand on Drake’s shoulder and giving it a sympathetic squeeze.
Dr. Russo nodded and made a note of it. “Any weight loss?”
“She lost two pounds, but the doctor said it was normal in early pregnancy if morning sickness is bad, which it has been.” He shifted in the seat again, his foot started tapping the floor with barely contained anxiety.
“Hmmm, ok, has she been feeling weak or exhausted, displayed a lack of energy or been feeling tired all the time?”
“Yeah, but I thought it was because of the baby. Fatigue is a pregnancy symptom, right?” He asked with a fair amount of distress as he drug a hand through his hair. Had he completely missed everything?
Dr. Russo nodded, “Yes, it is. Has she been having dramatic mood swings?”
Drake barked out a laugh, “You could say that! But I thought it was from the pregnancy hormones!”
“Has she been having headaches, stomach problems or other aches and pains that don’t go away?” Dr. Russo peered at him over the top of the clipboard as she asked the question.
“Yeah, headaches, but again, we were told headaches were common symptoms of pregnancy. These all sound like pregnancy symptoms!” He exploded out of his seat and started pacing. Fuck! He had missed everything!
“They are. Many symptoms overlap, this is why depression during pregnancy is often missed.” Dr. Russo reassured him. “Have you noticed her crying without any specific cause?”
“All the time! I just assumed it was because of our, uh, situation, but I already told her I would raise the baby no matter what, so I didn’t understand why she was still so upset about it. But I couldn’t think of what else it could be. I tried to talk to her, but she always brushed me off or pretended she hadn’t been crying! Shit!” He dropped back into his seat and looked up at Liam with tears in his eyes. I missed all the signs!
“That brings me to the next question, has she had any feelings of overwhelming guilt?”
Drake blanched a little. His shoulders slumped, “Yeah. Because of the baby….I just thought it was the normal amount of guilt, considering….”
“Has she had feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy?”
“I….I don’t know….how would I know that? She stopped talking to me.” His voice broke a little, he was on the verge of tears himself.
“Withdrawing from friends and family is another symptom of depression. Do you feel like she’s been doing that?”
“Shit! Yes. I didn’t realize that’s what it was-“
“What about the future? You mentioned she won’t pick out furniture for the baby. Loss of hope for the future is another symptom of depression. Do you feel like she has stopped being hopeful about or planning for the future?”
Realization swept over him, “That’s why she won’t talk to me about the baby!”
“What do you mean?” Dr. Russo asked.
“I mean, I keep trying to plan a future with her and she won’t participate! I have an empty room ready to be turned into a nursery and I can’t even get her input on what color to paint it!” He sounded anguished.
Dr. Russo sat the clipboard in her lap and reached over to give his hand a reassuring pat, “Don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s very easy and common for loved ones to miss the signs-“
“But don’t you see? I thought she was pushing me away because she was rejecting me! Because she changed her mind! I thought that if the baby was Liam’s, she would want- Shit, I am an idiot and I abandoned her when she needed me most!” He was on his feet again, “I have to get in there, I have to let her know that I’m here!”
“Of course. Just one more question.” She didn’t want to cause him anymore distress, but she had to ask, “Has she been having any thoughts about death, self-harm, suicide?”
Drake stopped dead in his tracks and the blood drained from his face, “God, I hope not.”
“The other day when she clawed her own arms; was that the first time you’ve seen her self-harm, or has she done it before?”
“No, I’ve never seen her do anything like that before!” He still couldn’t believe she had done it then. Because of him. He had to get to her. He spun on his heel and headed for the bedroom and this time, no one tried to stop him.
Complicated Play List
Series: Complicated
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Liam x Riley, Drake x Riley
My other stuff: Master List.
Love Hurts by Nazareth
Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield
Run to You by Bryan Adams
Elaborate Lives by Adam Pascal and Heather Headley
Let It Be Me by The Evererly Brothers
My Best Friend's Girl by The Cars
Sometimes When We Touch by Rod Stewart
It Might Be You by Stephen Bishop
Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon
Torn Between Two Lovers by Mary MacGregor
Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross
Why Does It Have To Be (Right or Wrong) by Restless Heart
Say You, Say Me by Lionel Richie
Just What I Needed by The Cars
Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John
Emerald Eyes by The Orion Experience
(I've Had) The Time Of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
Complicated Part 38: Homeward Bound
Series: Complicated
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Liam x Riley, Drake x Riley
Rating: M
Warnings: Language, adult themes
Word count: 2,973
A/N: Here we are, at the final chapter. It snuck up on me! I started writing this chapter and suddenly realized I'm at the end of this story. Of course, their story continues in Hinge. In fact, I'm already about 1k words into a chapter of Hinge about the night of the Homecoming Ball/the safe house.
List of OC's in this story.
My other stuff: Master List.
“What is this?” Madeleine asked suspiciously as she eyed the other people seated around the conference table in the hotel conference room.
She hadn’t seen or spoken to Liam since the night before when he’d broken their engagement and thrown her out of his room. She was hoping he’d come to his senses. He had summoned her to the conference room where she was now seated around an oblong highly polished mahogany table with Liam, Rashad, the royal press secretary Katerina Trakas, and a woman she didn’t recognized who was introduced only as Audrey.
“We’re here to go over the details of the joint statement we’ll be releasing later today announcing the dissolution of our engagement.” Liam told her calmly.
She felt anger and anxiety surge through her followed by something that stunned her: relief. She felt relieved. Like a weight had just been lifted from her shoulders. Liam would marry Riley and there would be no more princes for her father to try and marry her off to. Still. There was her public image to consider. “And why would I cooperate with whatever story you’ve concocted to tell the gullible masses?”
“I assume you’ve read the article?” Liam asked her.
“Yes.” She nodded curtly.
“It gives you an out.” Audrey spoke up, “I suggest you take it. If you go along with the narrative, you are painted as practically a saint. You stepped up to help out a dear friend and to aid a couple whose love was being thwarted by powers outside of their control. And you did it all for king and country.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll look vindictive, like a woman spurned…again.”
Katerina spoke up, “We’ll add a blurb about you donating proceeds from the sale of your engagement ring and wedding band to a charity that helps victims of sexual assault, give your halo a real good shine. This is a perfect opportunity for you to build some good will with the public.”
“And you need it.” Audrey told her, shoving a paper under her nose, “We did a little poll and your approval rating is not very great right now. You’re seen as a crown chaser, indifferent to the common people, toxic to your employees and fake in your interactions with the press.”
“I….shit.” Madeleine studied the graphic.
Rashad addressed the group, “From a legal standpoint, Liam has fulfilled the requirements needed to claim the crown. Breaking the engagement won’t change that.”
Madeleine looked up from the paper, she had one last card to play, “The marriage contract-“
“Was never signed by Liam, or filed.” Rashad replied.
Madeleine’s head snapped around to glare at Liam, “You bastard! You planned this from the beginning!”
Liam sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, “Madeleine, you’ve always known that I didn’t want to marry you. Besides, don’t you want to be free to pursue someone more, I don’t know, your actual type?”
She shot daggers at him for a few more moments before her face crumbled in resignation, “Fine. Draft whatever you want, and I’ll sign off on it as long as I come out smelling like a goddamned mother fucking rose!”
“Excellent!” Liam crowed, “We’ll issue the statement this afternoon and I’ll attend the UN Gala tonight, alone. Feel free to take the jet back home early if you like. Alec can see to the details.”
It didn’t matter to him if she left early or stayed and went back with everyone else as originally scheduled. He’d already sent for the back up jet. It was smaller, but just as luxurious and more importantly, private. He was not subjecting Riley to a transatlantic flight with the snippy, petty, backstabbing ladies of the court.
He knew that once their engagement was announced those same ladies would be tripping over themselves to get in her good graces, as they should. As far as he was concerned, everyone that had been mean and hateful to her should suffer for it, but he knew she wouldn’t make them. It was one of the reasons he loved her, she really was kind, generous and forgiving.
He felt profound relief swirl through him as he left the conference room. The charade he had started on the night of his coronation was finally over.
Two days later, NYPD headquarters…..
“Riley!”
She turned at the sound of her name and laughed as she found herself swept up into Liam’s arms. “Liam! We’re in public! Anyone could see us!”
“Let them!” He grinned down at her, “I’m a free man now, didn’t you see the news? I can kiss whoever the hell I want!”
“Ok then!” She smiled back as his lips found hers, pressing into them with an urgency born of days apart and the stress and anxiety he’d felt during those hours when he didn’t know what had happened to her.
“Ok lover boy,” Drake clapped him on the back, “We’re still trying to avoid reporters, remember? Let’s get inside the building at least, ok man?”
“Right. Sorry.” He didn’t look or sound sorry as his gaze stayed locked on Riley with unadorned adoration.
“Liam, you remember my grandfather?”
“Certainly. Sorry, where are my manners?” Liam finally drug his eyes away from Riley as he grabbed Franklin’s hand and shook it enthusiastically, “I can’t thank you enough for getting them out of there!”
“No need to thank me, Your Majesty, I was just helping out my grandson.”
“Please, sir, call me Liam like you did when I was a child, or it’ll be weird.”
Franklin grinned, “Ok, Liam. But then you call me Franklin.”
“Thank you, Franklin!”
Introductions were made quickly as the group entered the building. Drake, Riley and Franklin had brought Logan and Ellie with them, as well as a criminal lawyer Franklin had retained to represent Logan. Liam had Rashad with him to help navigate any legal technicalities that might arise.
They were ushed into a conference room filled with several law enforcement officers, the NYPD chief of police, an assistant director of the FBI, and an assistant attorney general. Twenty minutes later, they exited the room with Logan in possession of an immunity agreement.
“Sir, I can’t thank you enough-“ Logan was gushing.
“If you want to thank me son, do it by not wasting this chance you were just given. Get your life together and keep it that way.” Franklin replied gruffly.
“Yes, sir, I will, sir.”
“Let’s go get your car out of impound.” The lawyer said.
“Hey, kid!” Drake stopped him, handing him a card with his number on it, “Give me a call if you want a job.”
“Doing what?” Logan looked at him in astonishment.
Drake smirked back, “Driving.”
“What? Really?” Logan stared at him with wide eyes, trying to decide if he was kidding.
“Really. We could use someone with your talent. You’d have to relocate to Cordonia but the crown would cover those expenses. Think about it, talk it over with your girl, get back to me.”
“I….I don’t know what to say.” Logan looked like he might cry.
“Ah, come on kid. Enough of that. Go get your car, and call me later tonight, ok? We’ll discuss details. You don’t have to commit to anything, just let me tell you about the job.”
“Ok, boss!” Logan grinned at him as they parted ways. Logan turned down a hallway to the right and left the building with Ellie and the lawyer while the rest of the group went down the hallway to the left.
“I have to go with Rashad to sign some paperwork to get your phone and com back, as well as the items Riley left behind in the store.” Liam told them, “We’ll be right back, shouldn’t take too long.”
Liam and Rashad approached the main desk while Riley, Drake and Franklin turned into the sitting area to wait.
An older man holding a cup of coffee in his hand stepped away from the counter where the coffee pot was located, his face tightening as his glare fell on Drake, “Well, well, well, look who’s here. Did they finally find you and arrest you? Where the hell is my daughter?”
“I’m not your daughters keeper Detective Wheeler,” Drake responded tightly, “And what would they be arresting me for?”
“You assaulted me!”
“No, I did not.”
“No?”
“No. If I’d wanted to hurt you, you’d be in the ICU sucking your dinner through a straw right now.”
“That right?” The older man sat the foam cup down as he stepped in closer and lifted his gaze challengingly to Drake’s eyes.
Drake’s arms crossed over his chest as he held the other man’s gaze, “That’s right.”
“Ok, that’s enough!” Franklin stepped between the two of them.
“Who are you?” Detective Wheeler demanded, “His lawyer?”
“No, I’m Senator Franklin Throckmorton, his grandfather. And you are?”
“Huh.” The detective snorted, “No wonder he’s not under arrest! Pulling strings for him?”
“No.” Franklin replied evenly, “He’s not under arrest because you didn’t have a warrant for your illegal entry and attempted kidnapping-“
Anger flared through the detective’s eyes, “She’s my daughter and we had a warrant-“
Drake cut him off, “The FBI had a warrant for Logan, you had nothing and were outside your jurisdiction. Furthermore, Ellie is an adult who clearly did not want to go with you.”
“You still assaulted a police officer!”
“I didn’t,” Drake shrugged, “but even if I had, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” Riley answered him, “That Drake has diplomatic immunity due to his post with the Cordonian government.”
“Seriously?” He turned to stare at her in disbelief.
“Seriously.” Riley nodded.
“This is bullshit!” The older man spun to leave.
Drake called out, “Look, Officer Wheeler. I don’t know you, but I do know a thing or two about generational family trauma. You want to fix things with your daughter? Stop trying to control her and start listening to her.”
The detective turned back toward him as he snorted in derision, “With all due respect, you don’t know what you’re talking about. The only thing wrong with my daughter is that degenerate she’s-“
“Logan isn’t a bad kid,” Drake interrupted him, “he’s just had a rough start in life, and made a few bad decisions that set him on a path that was almost impossible to get off of. But he did get off of it. He got his GED, did you know that? He’s been working at a coffee shop for the love of God, when he could still be out stealing cars. And I know I just met him, but he sure as hell seems to love your daughter and I don’t think he’d do anything to hurt her.”
Drake’s eyes flicked over to Franklin then back as he finished, “Plus, she’s an adult. You can’t stop her from being with whoever she wants. What if they get married and have kids? This rift between you, this vendetta against Logan will impact your relationship not just with your daughter, but your grandchildren as well. Have you ever thought about that?”
The other man stared at him for a moment then turned and left without another word.
Franklin took a step toward him, “Drake…”
“Not now.” Drake brushed him off.
Franklin’s eyes went to Riley’s. She gave him an apologetic smile as she rubbed his arm, “Give him a little space. He’ll come around, eventually.”
Franklin nodded, “I hope you’re right.”
Liam and Rashad returned with the items the FBI had seized and the group made their way outside. Drake and Riley were returning to the hotel with Liam, Franklin would be heading back to Virginia.
“Riley, it was so nice to meet you.” Franklin told her, extending his hand, “I’m not sure I understand this arrangement you three have, completely, but I know they do things differently in Cordonia and I can’t deny the positive effect you have on my grandson. I hope the two of you will come visit again next time you’re in the states.”
Riley glanced at his hand, then threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, “Of course we will! Thank you so much for everything!”
He visibly startled then returned the hug with a small chuckle, “I see why he loves you. Be careful, ok? You’re about to be queen, someone will always be scheming against you.”
“I know, I will, and I have Drake watching my back, so I feel pretty good about my chances.” She grinned at him.
Franklin laughed in response, then said his goodbyes to Liam and Rashad before turning to Drake, “I heard what you said to the detective in there, son, and you’re right. I damaged my relationship with you before you were even born, and I regret it. Jackson was a good man, I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. I just didn’t want my baby girl moving to a foreign country, giving her heart to a man in a high risk profession. I may have been wrong, but it was out of a place of love. You’ll understand someday when you have children of your own.”
Drake shook his head wondering if Franklin even realized that the second half of what he’d just said negated the first half. But it was something. “I hope I’ve learned from other people’s example’s not to try to live my children’s lives for them. Not that I plan to have any. But I appreciate the thought. I know it’s not easy for you to admit when you’re wrong.”
They shook hands then hugged awkwardly before Drake ducked into the back of the car.
Two days later, onboard the second Cordonian royal jet.....
The next few days had been a whirlwind, they'd spent a long afternoon and evening relaxing at Coney Island, the outing had been Max’s idea. It was technically closed for the season, but Liam had been able to rent the whole park out, declaring they needed to celebrate. Everyone that had helped them in their journey had been invited. Max and Bertrand had been there along with Rashad, Cassie, Hana, and Callie. Even Olivia came. Alec and Marco had been there as guests, given the day off to celebrate and enjoy the victory they’d help create. Drake had invited Ellie and Logan, with Liam’s enthusiastic support.
Logan had agreed to take the job Drake offered him. Ellie had a passport already, but Logan did not. Rashad had offered to help expedite that, as he was staying behind in the states for a few weeks anyway on Sloane Enterprises business. Logan and Ellie would wrap up their lives in New York while waiting for his papers to come in, say goodbye to friends, pack up their apartment, and put in their notices at their respective jobs. All they had to do for the FBI to allow them to leave was promise to return to the states for the trails they were slated to testify in. Drake had sighed and bitched about it, but in the end, he had agreed to ship the Devore to Cordonia.
Logan had talked Liam into purchasing several Devore GTs for the royal fleet. “If you want speed and dependability, this is the way to go.”
Their last night in New York, Liam had taken Riley to the statue of liberty and proposed properly.
“As if you even have to ask.” She told him.
“I told you in Paris that I wanted to this correctly when the time was right. So….” He slid to one knee and held the ring up to her, “Riley Beth Campbell, queen of my heart, I have longed to say these four words for a very, very long time…will you marry me?”
“Yes, Liam, yes! A million times yes!”
The large, pear cut diamond sparkled on her left hand as she gazed out the plane window. They were on their way home, somewhere over the Atlantic. Max had heard from Bertrand and Drake had spoken to Savannah. He was over the moon thrilled that his sister was moving back home. Although Bertrand had offered her a room at Ramsford, Savannah had opted to return to her rooms at the palace, choosing to take things slow with Bertrand, afraid he was only pursuing her because of Bartie. “I want to be wanted for me, not my ability to produce heirs.” She’d told her brother on the phone.
Riley had thanked Justin for his hard work and let him know that his services were no longer needed now that her goal had been accomplished. Her image was rehabilitated, the public was clamoring for an engagement announcement and she was suddenly a media darling again.
They would arrive home at ten p.m. local time, a press conference was scheduled for the next day, in the afternoon to give them a chance to sleep in and recover from the jet lag. They would announce their engagement to an adoring public, Constantine was controlled, Bastien was under surveillance, everything was finally going their way.
A homecoming ball was planned for several days after their arrival. Riley’s things had already been transported by servants from Ramsford back to the palace, but not to her old room. Her clothes had been placed in Liam’s quarters. The life Liam had promised her was waiting on the other side of the ocean. They were finally able to be together, out in the open and nothing was ever going to come between them again.
She relaxed between the two men she loved, who loved her, leaning her head on Liam’s shoulder as her hand slipped into Drake’s, contentment spilling through every pore of her body. The gentle motion of the plane lulled her to sleep as it flew on through the cloudless sky, toward their future.
*********
Complicated may be over, but their story continues in Hinge.
