Riley Lawson returned to New York a broken version of herself after a failed whirlwind romance. Years later, she has put the past behind her and rebuilt herself into a successful event planner who is happily enjoying her fast-paced New York lifestyle. However, just because she’s put the past behind her, doesn’t mean it won’t come back to haunt her. When an unexpected letter turns up on her doorstep, she’s forced to face the people and feelings she ran away from all those years ago.
Part 1 - Life Goes On
Part 2 - Opening Pandora’s Box
Part 3 - Here We Go
Almost Series - TRR AU Story
Riley Lawson didn’t believe in second chances at love. But then why out of all the bars in all the cities in all the states in all of the country did he wind up walking into hers?
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
If Only Series - TRR AU Story
When Riley Lawson went to Las Vegas with a few of her girlfriends, she expected to come back with a few good stories, a few extra dollars, and at worst, a really bad hangover. She never imagined she’d be coming back with a husband.
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Chapter 1
“No,” Riley narrowed her eyes at Daniel. He looked as if he were getting ready to grovel. “No way in hell,” she reiterated. “Do you have any idea how many hours I’ve put in this week alone?” She shook her head in frustration. “I have a life, too, you know?”
“Please, Riley. You can have all my tips from the lunch rush … all my tips from tomorrow, too … in fact, I’ll stay all day tomorrow to cover your night shift,” he pleaded. “Just cover my shift for me tonight,” Daniel begged. He looked as if he were about to go down on his hands and knees and kiss her feet.
The last thing Riley wanted to do was pull a double shift. She had stayed after hours on Sunday to take care of a retirement party that didn’t know when it was time to call it quits.. She hadn’t gotten home until three o’clock in the morning and her shift started at eight the following morning. No amount of make up in the world could have helped her look less like a zombie. The overtime and tips were great, but she was getting just a bit too old to be functioning on only a couple of hours of sleep. If she stayed tonight, she knew very well that she’d end up with the same problem – way more work, an aching body, and a whole lot less sleep.
I’m not sure if The Royal Romance is even popular anymore. I’ve been away so long, there are sooooo many new stories to play, and I’m afraid I’m a bit out of the loop. I’m starting TRR over again in the game, and remember why I fell in love with the characters. It was such a good storyline and I’m enjoying playing it again.
Not sure if anyone still follows me on this thing, but I got the urge to write again and have been dabbling here and there with “Almost” and “Never Forgotten” as a starting point. Kind of fun to reread what I wrote before. <3 Here’s hoping replaying the story gets me typing more. <3
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story. Those belong to me. ;)
PAIRINGS: Riley (MC) x OC, Riley (MC) x Liam, Liam x Riley (MC) x OC, Olivia x Drake, Bertrand x Savannah, Maxwell x OC
SUMMARY: Riley Lawson returned to New York a broken version of herself after a failed whirlwind romance. Years later, she has put the past behind her and rebuilt herself into a successful event planner who is happily enjoying her fast-paced New York lifestyle. However, just because she’s put the past behind her, doesn’t mean it won’t come back to haunt her. When an unexpected letter turns up on her doorstep, she’s forced to face the people and feelings she ran away from all those years ago.
06/09/2020 - Part 3 is up! I hope you enjoy this revitalized version. As a FYI, as I post a new part of the revamped version, I will be taking down the old chapter. This is just so that people won’t get confused between the revamped version and the original version.
PART 3 - Here We Go
Please Come. The words stared back at me as I read the tiny slip of paper over and over again. He wanted me to come back. Apparently, he also wanted me to email him. I smirked. He knew of my aversion to telephone conversations. He probably figured I’d be more willing to email him than to actually pick up the phone and call him. Reading his email address, I couldn’t help but giggle softly. He was still as childish as ever. Of course he would still have the same ridiculous email address. He’s Maxwell. All the anxiety and apprehension that had been troubling me seemed to fade away. Then again, when Maxwell was involved, it always seemed to fade away.
“So, who’s getting married?” Andy asked, interrupting me from my thoughts. She tried to lean over to get a better glimpse of the invitation in my hands.
“Maxwell’s brother, Bertrand.” I smiled, scanning over the beautiful calligraphy. “Bertrand Beaumont, Duke of Ramsford cordially invites you to the celebration of his marriage to Lady Savannah Walker at the Beaumont Estate on Saturday, May 5th. Formal attire required. ” I recited the perfectly proper wording off of the invitation. “I would expect no less of the Duke of Ramsford.” I snorted.
“It sounds so stuffy.” Andy crinkled her nose. “Are all of Cordonia’s people like that?”
“Well, if you met Bertrand, you’d understand,” I chuckled. “He’s all about all things prim, proper, and respectable. He’s a traditionalist through and through.”
“He sounds like a bore,” Andy said, shaking her head. “So, are all of them like that? That Maxwell guy you mentioned?” Andy pressed on.
I shook my head, thinking about Maxwell and Drake. “Not everyone.” I smirked. “The groom’s brother, Maxwell, he’s anything but boring. If anything, he keeps everyone on their toes with his crazy antics,” I laugh to myself thinking of his break-dance moves and the countless Beaumont bashes. “The bride’s brother, Drake, he’s as common as they come, and he is probably the most down to earth fellow in all of court. He really looked out for me while I was there. He was such a genuinely decent guy. Court is hard for commoners.”
I bit on my lower lip recalling all of the hardships that I had encountered at court. “Most nobles only care about titles and wealth. Drake had neither, so it made him an outsider.” I frowned a little. “Just like me.”
“Well, I’m happy you had someone who knew what you were going through while you were there. Court seems like a pretty lonely place.” Andy said decisively. She paused for a moment before continuing. “That being said, maybe you should think about going.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
Andy reasoned, “You know …time heals all wounds and all that jazz. It might be good for you to go back and get some closure.”
“I have closure,” I said in exasperation. “I just figured out how to move on with my life . . . I don’t need to go stirring things up again,” I said firmly.
“Hear me out for a second,” Andy said.
I suddenly couldn’t breathe again. I looked at Andy as I paced around the living room. I suddenly felt betrayed. I had just spilt my heart out to her . . . telling her how tough court had been . . . how broken I became . . . and after all that she still thought it was a good idea for me to go back there?
“They obviously want you to come back. You say you have closure, but what about them? Maybe they need closure, too. From the sounds of it, even though you keep saying this is all in your past, it’s still having a pretty big effect on you. I’ve never seen you like this. We’ve been roommates for over a year now, and you have been a pillar of strength. But Ri, I’m starting to see some cracks in that pillar,” she said softly.
”What are you talking about?” I questioned angrily.
“You get this invitation and suddenly all hell breaks loose. Sweetie, you’re a hot mess right now. And if you get like this over a simple wedding invitation, Lord only knows how you were when you first came back to New York.” Andy gently continued. “You are not doing okay, Ri. Something is obviously bothering you and I think you need to go back there and figure it out.”
I shook my head like a maniac. “No way,” I said as I quickened my pace walking around the living room. “Are you insane? I haven’t seen any of these people in two years. TWO YEARS. Plus, I left pretty much telling everyone not to talk to me ever again. I think my exact words were to forget I ever existed,” I cried as I started to wave my hands back and forth frantically.
“Riley,” Andy started to say.
“No. You don’t get to talk anymore. You need to listen.” I said firmly. “How am I supposed to go anyway? It’s all the way in Europe … in like three weeks! Not to mention there’s all these pre-wedding festivities listed here that request the pleasure of my attendance. It’s going to be galas and parties and rubbing elbows with all the people that tried to ruin me,” I rambled. “I just can’t jet off to Cordonia on a whim. I have a job. I have the Mitchell grand opening to worry about. Paul just got back from Boston, I doubt he’d even be able to be my plus one, and I’m certainly not going alone. I just can’t drop everything and pretend I don’t have responsibilities. I did that once before and it bit me in the ass.”
Andy sat on the couch staring up blankly at me. I couldn’t blame her. I had never flown off the handle like this before. I watched as she stood up and grabbed me by the shoulders, pulling me into a hug.
“Calm down, okay? I’m sorry,” she said softly. “Obviously, this place . . . these people did a number on you, and I was wrong to push. I know this is hard, and it’s probably something you never thought you’d have to deal with, but from everything you just said, you are clearly not over everything that went down way back when. Don’t you owe it to yourself to officially close this chapter of your life?”
I blinked rapidly, processing her words. “It has been closed for two years,” I whispered angrily. “What are you a psych major now?” I muttered. I closed my eyes, kicking myself for taking my frustrations out on Andy. I know she didn’t deserve it. She had only been trying to help.
“Andy, I’m sorry. I’ve just … lost my damn mind.” I grabbed the invitation and threw it on the coffee table, staring at it as if that alone would will it away somehow. “You’re right . . . I’ve worked so hard to forget about Cordonia and the people I met there, that I never really took the time to really sort everything out. But I’m in a good place now, and I’d hate for all the progress I’ve made in moving on to get thrown out the window,” I exhaled deeply.
“Well, what do you want to do?” Andy asked. “What does your gut say?”
“To throw that thing in the trash and forget it even got delivered.” I said firmly, even though I knew that was impossible. That invitation had seared itself into my brain. There was no way I could forget about it now.
Andy snorted, clearly thinking my plan was ridiculous.
“I told you, ignorance is bliss.” My phone dinged with a text message from Paul. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Look, I gotta go. Paul just got into a cab and he’s on his way to Russo’s.” I explained. “I love you for worrying about me, but I’m fine. Okay?”
She looked at me in disbelief.
“All right, I’m not fine, but I will be,” I said with certainty.
“Go touch up your make up,” Andy relented. “You’re a blubbering mess, and I don’t want you to not look good for your date with Paul,” she said. “Although, you could meet him dressed in a paper bag and he’d probably compliment your creativity,” she added with a little bit of an eye roll.
I couldn’t help but chuckle a little as I headed to the bathroom. My waterproof mascara had served its purpose, and I only had a few smudges of make up here and there. I rushed to clean myself up as quickly as I could. I didn’t want to keep Paul waiting for too long, especially after he travelled home early just to see me. As I rushed out the door, I could hear Andy yelling after me.
“Don’t forget to think about what I said!”
I couldn’t help but cringe. She was never going to shut up about that damn invitation.
Once on the street, I hit the pavement running as quickly as I could. The thing about New York was that everyone got everywhere by walking, catching the subway, or taking a cab. I was fortunate enough to live in a pretty central area that allowed me to have access to some great restaurants and a plethora of stores. Russo’s was only a few short blocks away. If I hauled ass, I’d get there in ten minutes.
As I walk-ran toward the restaurant, I couldn’t help but let Andy’s words eat away at me a bit. I should have been ecstatic about seeing Paul, but now, I had the burden of Andy’s words and the stupid invitation weighing heavily on my mind. Was Andy right? Should I make an effort to go? But then, what if he was there? Who was I kidding, of course he’d be there. It was impossible for him to not attend Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding. Could I handle seeing him face to face after all this time? Could I even pretend that what we had between each other meant nothing? I tried to push the thoughts aside as Russo’s came into view. I wasn’t going to worry about it anymore. I had made my decision – I wasn’t going to go. I had Paul to think about. And my job. I couldn’t just drop everything to go jet setting to the Mediterranean. New York was my life now., and Cordonia was just a really bad memory. The invitation was getting trashed as soon as I got home.
I entered the restaurant as I attempted to quickly smooth the wayward strands of hair sticking up from my fast-paced walk. I spotted Paul sitting in our booth. We had come to Russo’s on our first date, and instantly fell in love with everything about the little corner restaurant. Back then, the waiter was kind enough to seat us at the booth in the quietest area with the best view. In the dozens of times we had come back here since, Paul would request the same table each time. We liked to joke that we had exclusive rights to the table since we had probably sat there more than anyone else. I know it was silly, but Paul loved the sentimentality of it all, and I’ll admit, it held some pretty fond memories for me as well. It was where Paul had first started to piece the shattered parts of my heart back together.
My eyes met Paul as I approached closer to the booth. Paul, as always, was meticulously dressed. He was wearing a perfectly, tailored navy suit. His tie was a matching He had impeccable style. As he got up to greet me, he pulled a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers from behind his back. As if my heart could swoon any more. I smiled brightly and leaned in to kiss him softly on the cheek. I didn’t deserve him. He wrapped me in a warm embrace and I melted into him, letting the tension of the afternoon fade away.
“I’ve missed you.” He murmured in my ear. “Wildflowers for my wildflower,” he said as he handed me the gorgeous bouquet.
“You sir, are too much. You just get back from your business trip, and you’re bringing me flowers?” I shook my head smiling. “I’ve missed you too. I’m so sorry I’m late,” I apologized as I squeezed myself into the booth. “Andy and I got into a bit of a fight before I came here, and it just kind of set things back a bit,” I exhaled heavily.
“That doesn’t sound too promising. What happened?” He asked in concern.
I shrugged. “It’s not important. I mean, things aren’t exactly resolved, but they will be when I get home,” I waved him off. “We can talk about it later. Right now, I just want to spend time with you and eat some amazing Italian food.” I looked for the menu, but found that it wasn’t on the table. My eyes shot to Paul, “Did you order already?”
He nodded. “I just got you your usual. Although, I probably didn’t even have to order. Reggie knows our order by heart already.”
“True.” I smiled warmly at him. See? Perfect. He knew absolutely everything about me. “What did I do to deserve you?”
He grabbed my hands from across the table. “Oh, nothing special. You were just your endearing self.”
And just like that, all was right in the world again. I looked down at our joined hands and realized how happy I truly was. Why would I give all of this up for more heartbreak?
“So, how was Boston?” I asked, as I pulled a slice of bread from the basket.
“Terrible.” He growled. “I wish I never had see that city again. Well … not so much the city, just most of the people ithere. Plus, there have been so many headaches with the McCullough merger. It’s a nightmare. Truly. No one wants to budge. Looks like we’re going to have to meet a few more times before we come to even some semblance of a deal.”
“That’s too bad. Hopefully the merger resolves quickly so that you don’t have to take too many flights back to deal with things.” I could see the dark circles under his eyes and felt terrible. All of the traveling back and forth was taking a toll on him, and even though he would never admit it, I’m sure it would probably be easier to just stay in Boston until everything was resolved, but he flew back and forth so that he could spend time with me.
“One can only hope.” He agreed. “I’m probably going to fly out there at the end of the month again. He rubbed circles around my hand as he held it. “But anyway, enough about McCullough. I’ve got my best girl in front of me, and that’s all that matters now.” He looked at me longingly. “So ah … while we wait for our meals, I was hoping we could talk about something. If you recall during our earlier conversation, there’s been something on my mind and I just can’t wait to talk about it.”
I sat up a bit straighter in the booth. “Of course. What was it that you wanted to discuss? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, of course.” He smiled brightly. “Everything’s perfect. It’s just while I was in Boston I did some thinking. I missed you every day. The texts and Facetime sessions were great, but it wasn’t the same as having you by my side.” He reached up to stroke my cheek, and I felt myself instantly flush over his gentle caresses. “And every night I went to bed, I wished for you to be right there next to me, and then it had me thinking that maybe it’s time to take the next step.”
“The next step?” I looked at him a bit confused. “What next step?” I asked.
“Of our relationship.” Paul broadly smiled.
I licked my lips nervously. Next step? As in marriage? My eyes widened a bit, and I could feel my leg bouncing nervously under the table. Well, this escalated quickly. Marriage wasn’t even something I thought was on the table. At least not right now.
“Oh?” I asked, my voice a bit hoarse from being caught off guard with his suggestion. “But don’t you like where things are at right now? I mean, we’re pretty happy, right?”
“Well, of course.” Paul exclaimed. "Things are going well. Really well. I love you, Riley, and I know you aren’t ready to say it yet, and you don’t need to … but we’ve been together for eight months now, and I know that you’re it for me.”
I felt my mouth dry out. Oh crap, he IS talking about marriage. Oh my God. I felt the heat from my anxiety rising up my neck. I quickly let go of Paul’s hands and reached for my glass of water. I took a large gulp. “But we’ve only been together for eight months … how could you possibly know …” I trailed off, my face becoming hotter and hotter by the second. There was no way I was ready for marriage. Holy crap, I was so in like with Paul. A lot. I could even love him. Someday. Down the line. When my heart wasn’t damaged. He was funny and sweet and sensitive . . . but marriage?
“I’m not proposing or anything, Riley. I just think that we should start seriously thinking about moving in together.”
“Whew,” I exhaled a loud breath that I hadn’t realized I had been holding in. As much as I cared about Paul, and enjoyed our time together . . . I hadn’t given any thought to a long-term future with him. I loved spending time with him, and I loved our long conversations . . . but I didn’t know if I was IN love with him. At least not yet. And moving in with him? God, that’s like a major step toward lifelong commitment. Isn’t that the sort of thing you did after being together for a couple years? “Moving in together?” With everything that I had been dealt today, this was just the cherry on the sundae.
“Well, yeah. I’m not getting any younger Riley. I’m 39. I know I work a lot, and I’m on business trips more than I am at home, but I want a life with you.” He reached for my hands again, gently rubbing my fingers. I could feel my hands relax against his. “I think moving in together will give us a whole new perspective on our relationship – it’ll bring us closer together.”
I sighed deeply. “That’s a big step. A very big step.” I had missed him terribly while he was in Boston. I missed snuggling with him, and talking to him . . . but moving in together meant being with one another all the time. What if it ruined what we had?
“It is, but I think it’s the right one.” I could tell that Paul sensed my hesitation, so I tried smile a bit, but it probably came out as more of a grimace.
Paul frowned at me. “Is it because you haven’t said you love me yet? Is that why you’re holding back? Because I don’t care about that. I told you that I’m not in a rush for you to say it. I don’t know what happened before. I know you don’t like to talk about your past relationships, but I want you to know that I’m not like those other guys. I will wait for as long as it takes. I’m not going to give up on you. I’m not going to give up on us.”
My heart flip flopped once more, and I could feel my eyes water as he spoke. I will wait for as long as it takes. After everything that happened today, I found myself thinking about him once again. He had said those very same words to me two years ago, except, he didn’t really mean it. I was almost certain that Paul did.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Paul reached in his jacket pocket and handed me his handkerchief. “No tears. This is supposed to be something exciting.” He smiled. “I thought you’d be excited about it, too.”
I reached for his handkerchief gratefully and dabbed at my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Paul. I’m just overwhelmed,” I said between sniffles. “I’m not freaking out about the whole moving in together thing,” I paused. “Well, maybe I am just a little. I just . . . I’ve had a rough day,” I sighed.
He stood up and scooted into the same side of the booth with me. “The fight with Andy?” He asked in concern. “When I spoke with you this morning, you were having a great day off,” he added. “Everything okay at work?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and inhaled deeply. “It’s not work,” I paused once more. “The thing with Andy . . . it was a fight over a letter I got today in the mail from an old friend. I’ve been invited to a wedding.”
“And that’s what you’re freaking out about?” He said slowly, puzzled as to how that would make me so upset.
“In a way, yes.” I nodded. “Remember when we first started dating, I told you that I was still getting over something … well someone.”
He nodded. “It was some sort of fling you had before moving back to New York right?”
I contemplated his choice of word. Fling. It was so much more than just a fling for me. It meant everything to me, but maybe that’s exactly how he saw it. A fling with an American who got swept up in the grand romantic notion of love. A fling. The word still stung though.
“Something like that,” I sighed, suddenly feeling very uneasy. “There’s a lot more to the story than I actually told you.” I cringed at the thought of having to relive everything that I had just told Andy just an hour ago. I cleared my throat and started to recollect everything – the moment I met him, the journey to Cordonia, falling in love with him, the heartbreak . . . all of it was finally laid out on the table for him to see – the good, the bad – the heartbreaking. All the secrets I harbored from him for the last eight months came spilling out. As I spoke, his eyes never left mine. I didn’t cry this time. Perhaps I was all cried out . . . or maybe just numb. He didn’t speak or interrupt or even ask questions. He just held my hand and squeezed when it seemed like I couldn’t get the right words out. I tried my best to keep a brave face so that he knew that I was fine. I wondered if he could see through the façade.
After I was finished, there was an uncomfortable silence that lingered between the two of us. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or upset or confused. He was just staring at his hands, seemingly processing everything I had just told him, until a soft chuckle escaped from his lips.
“Well, suddenly I feel very inadequate.” Paul deadpanned quietly.
“Huh?” I said in confusion.
“I mean, when your girlfriend tells you that she used to date a Prince … wait I’m sorry … a King … and almost married him, it kind of puts corporate lawyer on the lower end of the spectrum in the dating pool,” he snorted.
I looked at him, mouth agape. That wasn’t the reaction that I had anticipated. I had expected yelling, or worse, him breaking up with me. “What?” I asked again, still not comprehending how he could be so calm and relaxed about all of this.
“I mean it’s kind of hard to show up with flowers when you used to be with a guy that could have given you a whole kingdom.” He smirked a little. He was clearly joking, trying to make me feel better about everything.
I shook my head, lightly slapping him on the arm. “Not funny,” I murmured, even though I was having a hard time stifling my own laughter now.
“It was two years ago, and honestly, from what I can see, there’s no competition.” I said honestly. “It didn’t work out between me and him, and now that there’s been a lot of distance, I realize now that it probably never would have worked out between us. I always felt like I wasn’t enough for him.”
I looked down at the table remembering the engagement tour, how he proudly walked around with Madeline on his arm. I remembered the public interviews and newspaper articles about what a loving couple they were . . . while in the background, he was sneaking off to meet me on secret late night rendezvous. Just as Cordonia was my dirty little secret . . . I was his. It all felt so contrived. He wanted the best of both worlds. He kept promising me that things would work out . . . the truth would eventually come out. He kept asking me to be patient. For our sake. He kept telling me to be patient, to give it time. Then, suddenly time ran out.
Paul’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Hey . . . if he didn’t think you were enough for him, that’s his problem. Not yours. He’s the one that gave up the most amazing woman I have ever met. His loss, is most certainly my gain,” he assured me. I blushed and murmured a quiet thank you.
“So . . . you mentioned something about a wedding?” Paul said, quickly changing the subject.
“Yup.” I nodded. “Maxwell left me an email address to contact him at. I’m assuming to give him my RSVP. Andy thinks I should go.”
Paul was quiet for a second, mulling over my words. “Do you want to go?”
“No . . . for obvious reasons. I don’t really want to dredge everything back up,” I shrugged. “I know . . . I know maybe it will bring me closure,” I rolled my eyes.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he shook his head. “It might be nice of you to visit with the people you’re still friendly with,” he admitted. “But I’m not sure if it’s worth you getting hurt in the process,” he said honestly.
“Thank you,” I said. “That’s exactly what I was trying to explain to Andy,” I explained.
“Andy really wants you to go huh?” He reasoned. “That’s what’s making this harder on you.”
“Well, yeah.” I nodded. “You know how Andy is, she wiggled her way into my conscience and had me second guessing everything.” I sighed. “I just don’t want to see him.”
“Sounds like you have a lot of thinking to do.” Paul said simply.
I shook my head. “I made up my mind, I’m not gonna go. Anyway, it’s in like three weeks . . . and I’d have to be there for like two weeks,” I scoffed. “Totally not possible with the Mitchell event coming up,” I said.
“When is the wedding?” Paul asked.
“May 5th,” I replied.
“Well, I’d like to say that if you changed your mind I’d go with you, but I’m heading back to Boston at the end of this month, and I’d probably be stuck there well into the middle of May,” he said as he looked at his schedule on his phone.
“See? One more reason for me not to go,” I affirmed.
“You know I would go with you in a heartbeat, baby,” he said.
I nodded. “I know you would,” I said honestly. “God, why are we even still talking about this? I’m not going to go. It’s crazy that I even considered it. Why should I drop everything for a few weeks to go to a wedding for someone I haven’t even talked to in two years,” I said shaking my head. “I should listen to my gut. Maybe I’ll just send them like a nice punchbowl set or something . . .” I shrugged.
He nodded. “I support you in whatever decision you make, sweetheart.”
“Thank you,” I smiled earnestly. “I appreciate how much you care about me and want the best for me. I’m so lucky.”
“We’re both lucky,” he said. “Maybe I’m lucky enough that you’ll say you’ll move in with me?” He pressed. “Will you at least think about it? I know there’s a lot going on right now, but just think about it.”
I forced a smile. "Of course, I’ll think about it,” I squeezed his hands in encouragement. “I just have so much on my plate right now, and like you said, you’re going to be going back to Boston at the end of the month,” I reasoned.
“I was actually hoping to have you moved in before I left,” he said sheepishly.
“Wow . . . um . . . that’s really fast,” I said quickly. “I just . . . wow,” I said again. “There’s so many factors to consider . . . I mean, you want me to move into your apartment? I mean, babe, it’s amazing. The view is spectacular and there’s so much space. I can pretty much fit my whole apartment in your bedroom . . . but it’s also so far away from my office. The commute is going to kill me. Plus what about Andy?” I asked. “I can’t leave her high and dry without a roommate. How will she afford the rent? I’d be such a crappy friend if I just up and left her to fend for herself,” I exclaimed. I saw Paul’s face drop and zipped my lips. I was rambling. I squeezed his hands tightly. “I’m sorry. I’m not thinking clearly right now,” I shot him a half-smile. “I promise that I will give it some serious thought,” I assured him.
He tried his best to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Of course, that’s fair.” He smiled again, this time, it was a bit brighter. “Looks like the food’s coming.”
I took a deep breath, thankful for the distraction. At least the moving in conversation was put on hold for right now.
The rest of the dinner flew by without further mention of either of the bombshells of the night. We fell into a comfortable conversation about a few of the upcoming parties I was planning, as we finished our dinners. As we settled the bill, Paul led me out into the street, swept me into his arms, and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. I couldn’t help but smile as butterflies floated freely in my stomach.
“Raincheck on movie night?” he asked, looking back at me with tired eyes. “I didn’t get much sleep last night with with the excitement of coming back early,” he explained.
“Oh my gosh, don’t be silly. We can definitely do movie night next week,” I assured him. “You go home and get some rest. I’m sure all that travel is catching up with you.”
He placed a soft kiss on my head and squeezed me tightly. “Want to split a cab home though?” he asked.
“Nah, it’s such a beautiful evening, I think I’ll walk,” I motioned around me.
“Alright, beautiful.” He pulled me closer to him, tipping my chin up as he kissed me gently.
“Goodnight,” I murmured against his lips, falling into his embrace one more.
He softly ran his fingers through my hair. “Until next time, sweetheart,” he replied as he walked down the street to hail a cab home.
I spent the rest of the walk back to my apartment mulling over Paul’s words. Sounds like you have a lot of thinking to do. I started to have second thoughts about my decision. I mean, no one would really miss me if I didn’t go right? Then again, Maxwell went through all the trouble of tracking me down . . . shouldn’t I put all my fears and worries aside and do this for Bertrand? It’s only a couple of weeks. I could survive that surely? Maxwell and Bertrand were like the brothers I never had . . . and never really wanted, but that was beside the point. When they took me in, I suddenly had a family again. And for a while, it felt wonderful to belong somewhere. Should I go as a thank you? I mean, I was there when he reconnected with Savannah . . . I had helped him through the shock of finding her again and learning about Bartie. I’d watched as Bertrand came back to life. It’d be amazing to see them finally get their happily ever after.
And what of Maxwell? Sweet Maxwell who was hoping beyond hope that he’d be able to reach out to me and bring me back to them. That hope never faded after all. He apparently couldn’t … or wouldn’t move on. The invitation and email address made that clear. It would be wonderful to see Maxwell again. I actually kind of, sort of missed him. I feel bad about how things ended and how I treated him when I came back to New York. He didn’t deserve that.
But what if I went to Cordonia . . . would I be forced to see him? Them together? I don’t think I could stomach seeing Madeline’s conniving face. What if they had a family now? Could I pretend to be okay when the man who I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with had moved on?
What if I lost myself again? What if I got caught up in the whirlwind of court? I can’t go through another round of rumors and whispers from the other nobles. Was my scandal ever resolved? Did they ever get the truth out of Tariq? Or was I still the court slut who slept around to get ahead?
I’m doing it again. I’m spiraling and I need to stop. These unsavory thoughts were going to do me in. This just proves that I can’t go back there. I’ll end up breaking down. Maybe this time it will be worse.
When I got back to my apartment, I saw that the living room lights had been turned off, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was not ready to go for round two with Andy tonight. It looked like Andy had called it quits for tonight and went to go hibernate in her bedroom. I threw my keys on the kitchen counter, and glanced at the coffee table. The invitation mocked me from where I had thrown it earlier. I ambled over to the table, picked up the invitation and tossed it into the kitchen trash. That was that. It was done. Now all I needed to do was email Maxwell with my regrets and ask where I can send a gift so that I could put this whole nightmare behind me.
I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of wine, and poured myself a generous amount in my favorite glass. I plopped back onto the couch, pulled out my laptop and got to work. How hard could this be? Exchange a few niceties, thank him for thinking of me, and tell him I can’t make it. Easy peasy.
As I logged into my email account and clicked on the new message button, I found myself stuck. How do you start an email to someone you haven’t spoken to in two years? I took a sip of my wine pondering how I would start and what I would say, then began typing quickly.
Dear Maxwell,
Hi, it’s been a while. Got the invite. I can’t make it. Would love to send a gift though.
I frowned. That was terrible. It sounded like I didn’t even care. I sighed, gulping down some of my wine and crossing my legs on the couch. I tried to type again.
Dear Maxwell,
I’m so sorry that I haven’t kept in touch. Things were hard when I came back to New York, so I thought a clean break would have been better.
Oh my gosh, that’s totally off point. I paused, thinking again, pouring a bit more wine into my almost empty glass.
Dear Maxwell,
How long has it been? Two years? Wow time sure flies.
Nope. Now I’m not even addressing the elephant in the room. I sighed, a bit stumped about what to say. I stared at the laptop’s screen, at a loss for words. This hadn’t seemed so hard in my head. I sighed again, and tried to type something else.
Dear Maxwell,
I got your invitation to Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding. First of all, I’m so happy for them. Happy for all of you. But I can’t come back. I’m so flattered that you thought to invite me after all this time, but my heart
I stopped typing, hit the delete button, and started again, drinking just a bit more wine than before.
Dear Maxwell,
I received a beautiful invitation in the mail announcing Bertrand and Savannah’s upcoming marriage. It will be a beautiful day . . . that I won’t be attending.
I crinkled my nose. That’s a bit too harsh. I stabbed the delete button once more, took another gulp of my wine and started again.
Dear Maxwell,
House Beaumont must be knee deep in wedding planning, and I can only imagine how busy things must be for all of you. Thank you for thinking of me and wanting me to be a part of such a special occasion. I’ll admit that I was more than a little surprised when I saw the invitation. I am so happy that you thought to include me in their special day, but for reasons of which I’m sure you’re aware, I am unable to attend.
I read and reread the paragraph, and deleted it once again. God, why am I spazzing out about this? Why can’t I just say no, with regrets and be done with it?
As I went to pour myself another glass of wine, I realized that the bottle was now completely empty. In the course of the last hour, I had drained an entire bottle of wine by myself. I bit my lip. This wasn’t a job for wine anyway. I needed something harder. I stood up and headed over to the liquor cabinet, sifting through the various bottles until my hand landed on an unopened bottle of whiskey. I pulled the bottle down, grabbed a glass, and poured the amber liquid in generously. Whiskey certainly wouldn’t solve any of my problems, but I would happily indulge in something that might numb me for a while. As I sipped from the glass, I could already feel the smooth liquor working to calm my nerves. With the liquid courage entering my system, I started to type once more.
Dear Maxwell,
Hey, it’s Riley. I know it’s been a while, but I am reaching out to you because I received your invitation to Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding. Let me first start off by saying that I am so happy for them! They truly deserve a happily ever after, and am so happy to hear that they are joining their lives together. That being said, I am unfortunately unable to attend. I run my own business now, and can’t really be away for an extended period of time. I hope you understand. Please let me know if they are registered anywhere as I would happy to send along a gift in celebration of their nuptials. Please send my regards to all of them, and I hope you are doing well.
Sincerely,
Riley
My eyes started to get heavy, probably from all the alcohol I had consumed. I pushed my laptop to the side, intending to send the message tomorrow morning after I had a chance to read through it once more. As I felt sleep begin to take me, I snuggled up closer into the couch as my eyes fell heavily closed.
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06/08/2020 - Ahhh here it is! A long awaited updated. I’m always so busy, but with summer starting and some much needed vacation days on the horizon, I’m updating everything. If Only & TTS will be coming along shortly. :)
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Chapter 7
It didn’t take long for Riley to jump into action when Liam agreed to her offer to see the Statue of Liberty. She started to text furiously on her phone, and when she wasn’t getting a response quick enough, she resorted to actually calling up the friends she knew would still be up at that hour. After all, she lived in the city that never slept, and a good chunk of her friends were in line with that mentality. At first it seemed like she wouldn’t have any luck making her plan happen, but eventually one of her friends pulled through. Matt Dennison had owed her a favor from ages ago. She had never expected to actually stake a claim on said favor, but here she was at some god awful hour staring at the boy that had stolen (and ultimately broken) her heart eight years ago, and all she wanted to do was make his dream come true. So, desperate times called for desperate measures and she had absolutely no qualms about waking Matt up from his beauty sleep.
Matt was a frequent patron of the bar, and he and Riley had struck up a bit of a friendship. He was a lot nicer than a lot of the regulars, because he never tried to make any sort of pass at her. That in and of itself had won him a bunch of brownie points. One night last October, an out of towner had come into the bar already reeking of alcohol. Daniel had refused to serve him the three tequila shots he had ordered because he couldn’t bring himself to serve the guy any more alcohol when he had already stumbled into the bar clearly intoxicated. The out of towner didn’t take too kindly to being told no and started to scuffle with another patron, sucker-punching the guy in the stomach for no apparent reason. Seeing this, Matt tried to intervene. His Good Samaritan behavior landed him with a black eye and a set of handcuffs. It didn’t matter who did what, when the cops had shown up; everyone got taken in, leaving Matt in a very serious bind. He had no money to post bail, and everyone he thought would come through hadn’t even returned his calls. Riley swung by the jail at the end of her shift in the hopes of explaining things to the arresting officers. She was an eye-witness after all, but no one wanted to take her statement. She couldn’t see Matt spending the night in jail, so she decided to come to his rescue. She bailed him out and posted the thousand dollar fee without even spending a second to think about it. Ever since then, he had been eternally grateful to her. A month later, he paid her back in full plus interest and told her that if she ever needed anything, he’d make it happen for her. She had brushed the comment off, never really intending to take him up on her offer, but tonight . . . tonight she was ready to cash in.
Matt owned a small boating business that offered tours of the harbor. It was a great way to get some pretty nice scenic photographs of the New York City skyline. His business wasn’t at all like the fancy ferry lines that also ran their own tours out of the docks, but Matt’s tours were a whole lot more inspirational and weren’t the cookie-cutter spiels that the other ferries tried to sell. It also helped that he didn’t price gouge the hell out of the tours that he sold. So, although he wouldn’t be a multi-millionaire anytime soon, he did all right for himself. He had always offered to take Riley on a free tour . . . but he probably never meant for it to be well after midnight. Regardless, he had come through for her, and was on his way to the docks to take them to see Lady Liberty in all her glory.
“Ha!” She exclaimed giddily. “You’re in luck,” she beamed, a large grin forming on her lips. “My friend Matt is going to help us out,” she explained. “The thing is . . . we’re going to have to walk . . .” she said hesitantly. “It’s about a twenty minute trek to the docks. Think you can handle that,” she looked down at his dress shoes.
“Perhaps I should be asking you that question,” he motioned to her high heels. “This isn’t the easiest terrain to take a hike on,” he reasoned. “Especially in those,” he pointed out.
“I’ll be fine,” she said confidently, brushing off his concern. “I’m a New Yorker, remember? Walking around in heels is a thing here,” she chuckled.
Liam glanced back briefly at his friends. They were still entirely wrapped up in what they were doing. They didn’t even seem to notice that Liam and Riley had wandered off on their own.
“Do you think they’ll be angry that I left without telling them?” He asked hesitantly.
Riley took a quick peek behind her shoulder. She didn’t know them well enough to say either way, but based off of the earlier conversation that she had with Drake, this was definitely something that Liam needed to do – regardless of whether or not his friends would be angry with him. He needed to put himself first for once in his life, especially if, for whatever reason, he wouldn’t have the opportunity to come to New York again. She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure they’re having a grand old time without you,” she murmured.
Liam’s eyes shifted to their direction once more. Riley could see the hesitation building in his eyes. He was having second thoughts about the whole thing, and she couldn’t let that happen. “Hey . . . don’t look so guilty,” she nudged his shoulder playfully. “You wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, and it’s going to happen,” she assured him. “Besides, if they get antsy and want to head back to the hotel, you left the car with them. You can always meet back with them later if they’re still on the whole party roll,” she reasoned.
Liam nodded, finally pulling his gaze away from them. “You’re right. I should take full advantage of the fact that this is my last night in New York . . . and . . . well I’ll have more responsibilities after I go back, so maybe it won’t be so bad being a little selfish tonight,” he said simply.
Riley pondered his words thoughtfully for a moment. Oh right, he was getting married. He wouldn’t just be able to hop on a plane on a whim. He’d have a wife’s opinion to consider. She thought on his words again, and she couldn’t help but think that he was giving his words served more as a confidence booster for him to actually go through with it he was trying to rationalize his decision to take her up on her offer. The Liam she knew in Germany would never turn down an adventure, so it was a bit surprising to see him behave so cautiously. She supposed getting older and being swamped down with more responsibilities had changed his outlook a bit. It was strange to think that over the years she had become more adventurous and outgoing. She supposed that it was her time with him in Germany that had really allowed her to branch out and experience new things.
“Exactly,” she agreed.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. She could feel his gaze wander over her a few times as they walked, and she briefly wondered what was running through his head as they walked together side by side.
“So, why did you stay in New York?” He asked, trying to engage her in small chit-chat.
“What do you mean?” She looked back at him.
“Well . . . you weren’t always a New Yorker, right? If I remember correctly, you were from Virginia?” He said thoughtfully. “Or was it New Hampshire,” he said uncertainly.
“West Virginia,” she corrected him. She licked her lips anxiously. “It just wasn’t home anymore,” she shrugged. “I made a life for myself here,” she responded simply.
“Right. West Virginia,” he nodded. “How are your parents doing? Did they end up moving out to New York, too?”
Riley stiffened at the mention of her parents. They had a falling out shortly after she came back to the States from Germany. She had been devastated after everything that happened there, and she had hoped that going home and spending time with her family would help her clear her head, pull the shambles of her life together, and figure out where to go from there . . . but it hadn’t. Instead, she came home to judgment and disappointment, and she felt her life fall apart all over again.
“We don’t talk anymore,” she shrugged, becoming a bit uncomfortable.
Liam’s eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t?” He paused for a moment, trying to formulate the right words. “I’m sorry. You were always so close to them,” he said, a look of regret in his eyes. “Did something happen?”
Riley frowned. She hadn’t intended for the conversation to stray in this direction. It wasn’t something she was necessarily ready or willing to talk about. “We had a disagreement about my life choices,” she said vaguely. “I did what I thought was best, and they didn’t agree with me,” she shrugged. “Case closed,” she said coldly.
Liam studied her carefully. She hated the way he was analyzing her. She knew he could probably sense that she was keeping something from him, but in that moment, she just couldn’t bring herself to get into things right then and there.
“I just find it so odd that you wouldn’t be in contact with them,” he frowned. “You spoke with them nearly every single day while we were in Germany . . .” he trailed off.
“Well, Germany was a long time ago, Liam,” she said a bit shortly. She started to feel tears form in her eyes. He was right. She had been exceptionally close to her parents, especially her mother. It killed her to not have a relationship with them, especially after everything she had been through. She just couldn’t bring herself to forgive them after everything that was said and done.
She turned to Liam, ready to tell him to just back off and drop the issue about her parents, but when she met his gaze, she saw the concern in his eyes. She bit her lip. He was worried about her. Even after all this time, there was still a part of him that wanted to make sure she was all right. She debated letting everything that was on her mind flood out from her right then and there, but she knew that once she spilled her heart out to him, there would be no taking the words she said back. She’d likely never see him again after tonight. So why should she bother? What good would it do except to stir up unnecessary pain and heartache of something that had long happened years ago?
He slumped his shoulders a bit, the concern never leaving his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to upset you,” he said quietly.
She shrugged. Her family was a sensitive issue. He was right. They had been exceptionally close. Her parents had always been wonderful . . . until, well, they weren’t. She remembered the screaming battle they had when she had gone back to West Virginia. Her life had changed so much in a few short months, and they couldn’t understand that she was her own person . . . who was able to make her own decisions. The life she had decided to lead didn’t correlate with the live they had envisioned for her.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m at odds with my family as well,” he sighed.
“Not speaking to them?” She asked in surprise. Liam had always spoken very highly of his parents. He admitted that they were a bit overprotective, but she had never gotten the feeling that things were strained between them.
“Oh no, we’re speaking . . . let’s just say that it’s all . . . an act,” he sighed wearily. “I play my part, and hell doesn’t get raised,” he said vaguely.
“That sounds like there’s a story there,” she commented. Her curiosity was piqued. Just moments ago she had wanted him to butt out of her personal affairs, yet here she wanted to know about his own rift with his parents.
“You have no idea,” he sighed as he tried to keep pace with her. “So whatever happened with your parents may be minuscule compared to what I’ve been dealing with my father and Regina,” he sighed in frustration.
Riley snorted. “I doubt that.” She sighed, letting the topic drop. Talking about her parents always put her in a foul mood, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Liam now felt the exact same way about his parents. “We’re here,” she motioned to the rickety dock in front of her.
He looked at her in surprise. “Really? That didn’t take too long . . . this doesn’t really look like an actual dock area,” he said as he looked around.
“That’s because it’s not,” she explained. “Well, it used to be, but no one ever really uses it anymore. This is one of my favorite spots in the city,” she said quietly as they waited for Matt to show up. The dock overlooked he entire city’s skyline. Over time, newer docking areas were built on the opposite side of the river, and boats started to frequent the newer docking stations. The older docks sort of just got left behind. Riley gazed out into the night sky - the different towers were all lit against darkness. There was faint music playing in the background from one of the yachts off in the distance. It was actually a really nice spot to just think. Riley supposed that’s why she had enjoyed it so much. Because no one really used the dock anymore, there wasn’t really all of the hustle and bustle like the main dock areas.
“I can see why you like it so much,” he said, gazing out into the sky. “The view is spectacular.”
She nodded in agreement.
“Now what?” He asked, looking around.
“We wait,” she said simply.
“For?”
“A magical boat I’ve summoned just for you,” she smiled. “Just enjoy the moment, will you? The old Liam would have embraced every second of this adventure so that he could remember everything about it,” she said.
“Yeah, well the old Liam also learned that sometimes being adventurous can lead to loads of trouble,” he sighed. “The new Liam tends to err on the side of caution nowadays.”
“That’s too bad,” she said sullenly. “Old Liam was a pretty fun guy,” she said nostalgically. “So . . . what made you want to see the Statue of Liberty? You talked a lot about it back then, but I don’t think you ever told me why you wanted to visit it so much.”
He shrugged lightly. “You of all people should know why.”
She arched her eyebrow in question. “What do you mean?”
“She represents something that I so desperately want,” he sighed.
She looked at him curiously. “Freedom?” She guessed.
He nodded sullenly.
She furrowed her forehead in confusion. “And why would you want freedom, Liam?”
He stuffed his hands in his pocket, his eyes gazing out onto the skyline. “It’s not easy when your life is under a microscope,” he explained.
“I’m not sure I understand,” Riley said as she stepped closer to him.
“The life I lead is under constant scrutiny. Every decision . . . every action may reflect poorly on myself and my family. Something I’m never allowed to forget no matter how badly I might want to,” he said sadly.
“Liam . . .I’m sorry . . . I didn’t know things were that difficult for you,” she cleared her throat. “That sounds awful,” she reached out placing her hand lightly on his shoulder. “It must be difficult for your fiancé to live that sort of life, too,” she commented.
There eyes meet for a lingering moment, before Liam tears his gaze away. “Riley, I – “
The horn from the boat blares, and a man dressed in worn overalls and a torn up hat waves haphazardly at them from the side. The moment between them wanes as Matt pulls the boat as closely to the dock as possible
“Riley!” He called out to her. “When I said I owe you one, this wasn’t what I had I mind,” Matt chuckles loudly. “Leave it to you to call someone at one o’clock in the morning. I had to refuel and everything,” the man bellowed.
Liam’s words became forgotten as Riley snapped back into high gear remembering the mission set before them. “I know! You’re the only one who picked up,” she shrugged. “I know this is a bit . . . unusual . . . but my friend here leaves tomorrow and he’s never seen Lady Liberty. We’re hoping you can make that happen for him?” She asked.
“Of course I can make it happen,” he smiles broadly. “Just wish we were doing this a tad bit later in the morning than one o’clock,” he laughed. He started to pull down a plank onto the deck so that Riley and Liam could board the ferry.
“Is that?” Liam looked at her with concern.
“Our ride,” she nodded.
Liam looked at the large, rickety ferry, his face turning into a frown. “Are you sure he’s reputable?” He looked at Matt and the ferry with skepticism. “I mean . . . I hear the horror stories about these sorts of situations that go awry,” he whispered. “I have a . . . thing about boats,” he trailed off.
“Beggars can’t be choosy, Liam. Besides, I know Matt looks a bit rough around the edges, but he’s a decent guy . . . Just don’t think about how it all looks . . . push that aside and think about the bigger goal . . . you want to see Lady Liberty don’t you?”
“Well, yes,” he nodded. “I just didn’t imagine it would be on this sort of vessel.”
“It’s now or never, Liam. You leave tomorrow. Who knows if you’ll ever make it back to see her,” she motioned behind her. “Do you really want to live with the regret of not having at least tried? What if your wife doesn’t want to travel to the States? Or if you have kids right away? This could be your last shot to ever see something as grand as the Statue of Liberty. Are you really going to let the shape of Matt’s boat turn you around?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I suppose not,” he admitted.
“Excellent,” she beamed. Hop on. You’re about to see Lady Liberty in all her glory.”
As Riley and Liam boarded, Matt pushed the ferry into high gear. “Hang on, guys. Next stop, the Statue of Liberty.”
They stood on the edge of the ferry, and after ten minutes of not so smooth sailing, they could see the Statue of Liberty gleaming out in the distance.
“Wow,” Liam murmured.
“Aren’t you glad you decided to take a chance?” Riley chuckled as her own gaze lingered over the majestic beauty of the statue.
He nodded, his eyes never straying from the sight of Lady Liberty in all her glory. “She’s amazing,” he murmured.
“Isn’t she?” Riley sighed, she too couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the sight of her.
The boat neared closer and closer to the statute’s base, and Liam’s smile was absolutely blinding. He pulled his cell phone out, snapping different photos at different angles. He was acting as if he’d never see it again.
Riley paused with the thought. That very well could be true. After all, she had said the very words to him only moments ago. What if he never did come back to New York? Let alone back to America? Whatever it was that waited for him back home seemed like an anchor. At least, that’s how he seemed to describe it. Life under a microscope? She couldn’t imagine spending every single day of her life worrying about what other people were thinking about her choices. It made her wonder why Liam’s life was like that. Had he been some sort of celebrity back home? Riley watched him with intrigue as Liam happily gazed up at the towering beauty. For a brief moment, she saw the carefree Liam she had fallen for back in Germany. She didn’t see the boy who broke her heart and left her without even a single word. Instead, she saw a man, so bogged down with secrets and troubles that such a simple thing like seeing the Statue of Liberty brought him so much joy. She almost felt sorry for him. How troubled was his life that he couldn’t even steal a few moments of enjoyment for himself back home?
“I didn’t think you could pull this off. I should have known better,” he let a small chuckle escape as he turned to face her.
Riley snapped out of her thoughts. “What do you mean?” She looked at him a bit puzzled.
“Admittedly, I may have had some skepticism about this whole thing working,” he smirked. “Especially when I saw the state of his . . . . boat,” he cringed looking around.
“It floats,” she chuckled. “And it’s given you the chance to see your life-long dream,” she eyed him. “Be grateful,” she chuckled, nudging his side slightly.
“I am,” he held his hands up. “I just . . . well, I suppose I haven’t done anything this . . . impulsive in quite some time,” he mused. “It feels odd.”
“Yeah . . . tonight is full of impulsivity for you,” she smirked.
Liam burst out in a hearty laugh. “Says the girl who doesn’t have an impulsive bone in her body.” He rolled his eyes jokingly.
The playfulness in his tone caught Riley off guard. Riley feigned offense. “I’ll have you know I’ve done tons of impulsive things in my life. You haven’t seen me in eight years,” she pointed out.
“I suppose . . . I guess I have a hard time reconciling the you now with the you back then,” he shrugged.
She looked up at him, completely understanding what he meant, and nodded.
“Hey . . . “ he said a bit excitedly. “Do you remember back in Germany when you tried to convince me that you were a rebel? You told me about this time when you were in high school and you held a protest against your schools’ science program because one of the teachers scheduled an assignment to dissect a rat?”
Riley’s face flushed in embarrassment. “Of all the things to remember, that is something you bring up?” She sighed heavily. “Hey, don’t judge me for the stupidity of my youth,” she forced a chuckle, but the embarrassment was still going strong. “At that point in my life . . . yeah that had been the craziest, most rebellious thing I had ever done. You were always so worldly and daring . . . I just wanted to impress you,” her blush deepening.
Liam chuckled more. “Oh, you’ve certainly proven to me that you have a rebellious streak, Riley Lawson. You’re certainly a lot more adventurous and fascinating than I remember,” he commented.
“And you’re not,” she mused. “The Liam I knew eight years ago would have dropped everything at the chance for an adventure. He wouldn’t even think about a rough looking boat stop him,” she pointed out.
Liam’s smile and playful demeanor changed suddenly. His back stiffened, and eyes saddened a bit. “I’m afraid that Liam grew up a bit over the years,” he murmured.
The boat began to take a slow u-turn, heading back in the direction they had come from. Riley looked up toward Matt in the captain’s control cabin. “Going back so soon?” she called up to him.
He nodded from the control cabin. “My first tour is at 8 am tomorrow. Don’t want to be out too late so that I sleep through it,” he said. “Don’t worry, next time your friend comes back to New York, I’ll give him the full tour . . . during the waking hours of course,” he laughed.
With Matt’s words, Liam’s shoulders slumped a little.
Riley nodded slowly. “Got it. Thanks for bringing us out here, Matt. Now I feel like I owe you one for waking you up at this hour,” she chuckled lightly. Matt waved her off, before turning his attention back to the wheel.
“Well, I suppose our adventure has come to an end,” Riley sighed. “But at least you got to see her . . . maybe not all up in person, but now you can go back home with a pretty cool story from your bachelor party. It would totally blow to go back home and tell everyone that you sat at a table in a club by yourself all night while your friends partied without you,” she joked.
She turned to face him when he didn’t respond and noticed the forlorn look on his face. “What’s wrong? I was just joking about the whole club thing . . .” she trailed off.
“I just can’t believe its over,” he said quietly. He sighed heavily as he leaned against the boat’s railings. “I always thought I’d have more time.”
“Hey, maybe you can convince your fiancé to come to New York for your honeymoon . . . unless that’s already planned . . . then maybe you guys can plan a vacation or something down the road?” She tried to say cheerily.
“I’m never coming back to New York, Riley. At least not without being on a tight leash,” he raised his voice. There was an underlying sense of anger in his words. It took Riley aback.
She paused, not really understanding the shift. He had been so happy only minutes ago. “Liam, you’re being really cryptic. You sound as if you’re going to be put to death once you return home,” she said concerned. “I mean . . . okay maybe that’s a bit dramatic . . . but still. Do you not want to go back? I know this isn’t my place to say anything, I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but if I were the one getting married, I’d be over the moon with excitement. And it is clear to me that you’re not. I don’t know if it’s cold feet or something else, but it’s not fair to your fiancé if you suddenly don’t want to get married. Tell her. Talk to her about how you’re feeling,” she reasoned.
“If only it were that simple,” he sighed.
Riley’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why isn’t it simple? I feel like I’m missing something major here, and I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on,” she said angrily.
“Do you remember my brother Leo?”
Riley nodded. “He was a thrill seeker, right? Always bouncing from country to country . . . He was always a bit reckless about it though,” she nodded. “Well, so you told me,” she shrugged. “What has he got to do with anything?”
“Well, let’s just say he hasn’t changed and his recklessness has forced me into a bit of a predicament,” he sighed. “His choices inadvertently solidified mine, if that makes any sense,” Liam murmured.
“It doesn’t,” Riley shook her head.
“My family is important to me, Riley. Our legacy . . . the business that we are in . . . all of it . . . it means the world to me. My brother . . . well, he’s never been one to follow the rules. I envy him a bit. One of us had to become the responsible one, especially after . . . well, let’s just say that my family went through a rough patch and needed all of us to step up and help. Leo couldn’t . . . more appropriately, didn’t want to do it. He enjoyed his adventures too much, and being stuck to one place for the rest of his life would have killed him. So . . . my family turned to me.”
“Liam, that still doesn’t make much sense,” she murmured.
“Getting ready to depart,” Matt yelled from up above, interrupting their conversation.
Riley’s looked up and saw that they were pulling in near to where Matt had picked them up from earlier. Her heart suddenly felt very heavy. She didn’t want this night to end. Not when something was clearly bothering Liam. How crazy was it that after all this time, she still felt something for him? A sense of protectiveness . . . a sense of worry. She paused, was she falling for him again? No. She shook her head, trying to make sense of everything that was happening.
“Forget I mentioned anything,” Liam said, clearing his throat. “I got a bit sentimental back there, and my judgment became clouded. I’ve got a lot on my mind, and shouldn’t have burdened you with my problems,” he explained.
“Liam,” she started before Matt blew the boat’s horn.
“Alright, guys. Back to land,” he called out to them.
Riley looked back up and saw that they had docked, and Matt was already situating the plank to let them off. Liam was waiting patiently and stepped hurriedly off the vessel as soon as the plank was down. She headed toward them, and clasped Matt on the shoulder.
“Thank you, for doing this,” Riley said softly. “I know I mentioned this before, but he has wanted to see the Statue of Liberty for ages . . .” she sighed.
“He got his wish,” Matt nodded toward Liam. “But something tells me he’s wishing for something else now,” Matt nudged Riley’s shoulder.
Riley looked at him puzzled. “What?”
“Uh . . . you and he? Aren’t you a thing?” Matt asked.
“Nope, it’s nothing like that. We just knew each other from way back when. It was purely a coincidence to run into him tonight,” she brushed off his hinting with a wave. She didn’t need another person’s thoughts adding to her own jumbled emotional mess.
“Well, I’m thinking he’s seeing you in a whole new light,” he said, pressing on. “That guy has eyes for you, Riley. The way I saw him looking at you . . .and you looking at him . . . could have fooled me,” he shrugged, patting her on the back.
Riley bit her lip, even more confused than before. She trudged toward the plank shaking her head at him. “I’ll see you around, Matt. I better get this guy back to his friends.”
She walked off the plank toward Liam who was gazing at the New York skyline deep in thought. The worry lines on his forehead were prominent, and his eyes looked deep with sadness.
“Hey . . . we were having a pretty deep conversation on that boat . . . then Matt interrupted and you seemed to close yourself off again. I don’t want to forget it, Liam. We were friends once. More than friends,” she sighed, closing her eyes at the memory. “I don’t want to spend another eight years wondering about you . . . wanting closure . . .” she trailed off.
“Why do you care so much?” He asked.
“Huh?” She questioned.
“Several hours ago you were dumping a pitcher of water over my head. After that, I assumed you never wanted to see me again . . . then I saw you at the club . . . and then you took us to the cove,” he trailed off. “You went through all this trouble to make this happen for me tonight . . . then you tell me you’re worried about me . . . about my happiness,” he shakes his head as if in disbelief. “What changed?”
“I – I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I can say the same about you,” she turned it back on him. “Eight years, Liam. Eight years without a single word. I sent to hell and back after you left, then you waltz back into my life and I’m finally ready to tell you off for leaving me back in Germany,” she sighed. “So yeah, at first . . . well I guess my anger got the best of me. Then,” she trailed off. “I guess I wanted closure,” she said softly. “I mean, back at the cove, you talked about your family obligation, but then something changed. You seemed sad and lost and I don’t know . . . I just wanted to do something for you to make you feel better,” she shrugged. “I suppose talking to Drake may have triggered me being a bit more open-minded about things . . . and well, how you saved me back at the club certainly opened my eyes about a few things,” she reasoned. “I guess I built up this terrible image of you in my head, and you’re just . . . you’re not. You’re not terrible, Liam. You weren’t a terrible guy, then either. There was a reason why I cared about you so deeply . . a reason why you leaving without saying goodbye hurt me so terribly . . . I cared for you,”
She loved him then, but she certainly wasn’t going to admit that to him. Not when he had warned her that they could never be together. It was her own fault. He had told her that they could only have the summer together, that realistically anything beyond that summer would lead to something that could never continue. At the time, she was okay with that, but then, he left before the summer had even ended, then her world turned upside down and she just crumbled.
“We should talk,” Liam said lowly, his gaze turning steely. “You deserve to know the truth . . . about everything. Why I left, why I couldn’t stay in touch . . .” he trailed off, his hand suddenly reached for hers, and she felt a tingle as their skin touched. Her body hummed in anticipation and longing.
Riley looked up at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes. The emotional whirlwind of the night was finally catching up with her. There were so many emotions that she had pushed away for far too long. Now, they were all bubbling back to the surface, and she didn’t know how to feel? What was she doing? He was engaged. He was going to leave her again. This little reunion was exactly as she had told Matt – a pure coincidence. There would be nothing beyond tonight. She wasn’t the type of girl to cheat and she certainly didn’t want to cause any turmoil between Liam and his fiancé. It didn’t matter if she loved him first. It didn’t matter what happened between them. She just wanted to make him happy, and mission accomplished. He saw the Statue of Liberty. Now it was time to part ways and go back to their lives . . . separately. She pulled her hand out of his grasp, shaking her head.
“I can’t do this. I should go home,” she said hesitantly. Here he was offering her everything she had wanted – an explanation. Not some bullshit about some sort of family obligation, but a genuine, honest to God explanation about why he left her shattered in Germany all those years ago. She finally had her opportunity to confront him about everything that had happened, and here she was chickening out. Perhaps not knowing was better? She’d wanted an explanation for so many years, she was suddenly afraid to have it. Or more appropriately, she was afraid of what was now happening between them. Talking to Liam had always been so easy . . . too easy. She remembered being able to tell him anything. She remembered feeling so comfortable around him. She was feeling it again. This thing between them was dangerous. It would hurt too much to fall for him again. That would be the worst thing to happen . . . considering he was emotionally and physically unavailable to her. He was about to be married for God’s sake. It was time for her leave.
She shook her head quickly. “I have to go,” she murmured, taking a few steps back. “I take it you can find your way back to your friends?” She asked, without really waiting for him to answer.
“Riley,” he said softly.
“I’m glad that we saw each other again . . . but maybe it’s better if we just leave things as they were.” She started to wobble down the path, overwhelmed by the surge of feelings that flooded over her. “I am going to call myself an Uber, go home, sleep this night off, and start fresh in the morning,” she rambled on to herself as she walked away.
“Riley James Lawson,” he called after her, she paused, too afraid to turn back.
“Riley James Lawson,” he called out after her again. “I owe you an explanation . . . I owe you a whole lot more, too . . . It might be eight years too late, but I’d still like you to hear it. If you’d like,” he added.
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story. Those belong to me. ;)
PAIRINGS: Riley (MC) x OC, Riley (MC) x Liam, Liam x Riley (MC) x OC, Olivia x Drake, Bertrand x Savannah, Maxwell x OC
SUMMARY: Riley Lawson returned to New York a broken version of herself after a failed whirlwind romance. Years later, she has put the past behind her and rebuilt herself into a successful event planner who is happily enjoying her fast-paced New York lifestyle. However, just because she’s put the past behind her, doesn’t mean it won’t come back to haunt her. When an unexpected letter turns up on her doorstep, she’s forced to face the people and feelings she ran away from all those years ago.
11/27/29 - If you want to be removed from the tag or be tagged, please message me! :)
PART 2 - OPENING PANDORA’S BOX
My hands began to tremble as I held the thick envelope in my hands. What the heck could it possibly be? I gently ran my hand over the beautiful, red crest that adorned the back of the envelope. It was refined. It instantly reminded me of my time in Cordonia. It reminded me of the fancy etiquette lessons with Bertrand . . . the grand balls where everyone performed waltzes and rehearsed dances . . . the gorgeous, flowing gowns that used to cling tightly to my body . . . the way he held on tightly to me as we glided across the dance floor. It made me remember him.
I shook my head, trying to rid the thoughts from my head. That was a lifetime ago. I’m not the same person that I was back then. I’ve moved on from that life and everything in it . . . including the Beaumont Brothers. What could they possibly want from me after all this time? I hadn’t heard anything from anyone back in Cordonia in nearly two years.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. I hadn’t heard from the others – Bertrand, Hana, Drake, him . . . they had all respected my wishes to be left alone. Maxwell, on the other hand, hadn’t taken my departure well at all. In true form, he had relentlessly tried to contact me. Emails, telephone calls, he even tried to add me on a few of my social media accounts. In hindsight, I had been truly awful to him. He was nothing but kind and loyal to me during my time in Cordonia, and all he wanted to do was stay in touch . . . but I just couldn’t. It hurt far too much. Thinking of Maxwell meant thinking about him, and that just couldn’t happen.
Whenever he attempted to contact me, I would change my phone number . . . if he happened to get a hold of my email address, I would change my email address shortly thereafter . . . it got to the point that I had to deactivate all of my social media accounts just to get away from his incessant pestering to come back. Come home, as he had put it. But Cordonia was never my home. Not really. Many at court had made that utterly clear. I didn’t belong. I wasn’t one of them, and I never would be. I was a mere commoner from New York . . . I wasn’t even European bred. All I would ever be was some low-class waitress with no future. That’s all they could see when they looked at me. It was bad enough trying to survive a broken heart, but to also deal with the constant whispers and comments behind my back? I just couldn’t do it.
By the end of the engagement tour, I was broken. Madeline had won. I didn’t have any fight left in me. I regretted the day he walked into my bar and made me fall in love with him. I wished that I never stepped foot in that blasted country because all it ended up bringing me was pain and heartache. A few months after I left, the attempts at contact went silent . . . or maybe I had finally hidden myself enough that no one knew where I was anymore. Or perhaps, Maxwell finally caught the hint that I was never going back to Cordonia. That I had moved on . . . and maybe Maxwell realized he should have moved on, too. But this envelope . . . this damn envelope said something different. Apparently, they hadn’t forgotten about me. But maybe I didn’t want to be remembered.
“Get rid of it,” I said curtly, before tossing the envelope on the coffee table. “Toss it in the trash, fly it out the window. I don’t care what you do with it. Just get it out of here. I don’t want to open it.”
“What?” Andy exclaimed. “Why?” She said, following me back into my bedroom.
“I don’t want to talk about it Andy. Not now. Not ever,” I said firmly.
God, one damn envelope and I feel like my whole world is collapsing. Who did they think they were, huh? I was doing fine. I was happy. I had gone nearly three months without so much as a second thought about any of them . . . then they just contact me out of the blue like this? I paused, I was spiraling. This happened a lot when I first moved back. I tried to calm my breathing. I could feel myself hyperventilating.
“You’re freaking me out!” Andy exclaimed. “You’re being ridiculous right now,” she scolded. “What has you tripping out so badly? It’s just an envelope for God’s sake, Riley.”
“Nothing in that envelope will be of any good to me, Andy. I mean it. Get rid of it,” I pleaded with her.
“No way,” she shook her head. “If you won’t open it; I will,” she said, her hands grabbing at the envelope, her fingers starting to pull at the envelope’s seal.
“Stop,” I yelled.
“What has gotten into you?” She said. I could feel the judgment in her eyes. Why couldn’t she just leave this alone? Couldn’t she see that this envelope was like Pandora’s box and once I opened it, there would be no going back. I couldn’t just seal it up again and pretend that it didn’t exist.
“Andy please,” I sighed heavily, trying my best to fight back the tears that so desperately wanted to fall.
“Riley, you need to tell me what’s going on,” she said with a mixture of confusion and worry in her voice. “Do I need to call Paul?” She asked in desperation. She was holding the envelope out of my reach.
I threw myself onto the couch, my chest feeling heavier than it had ever felt before. “I don’t even know how they found me,” I whispered.
“What are you going on about?” Andy looked at me with stern eyes.
“Please . . . “ I begged. “I just can’t deal with this right now . . . I just . . . I can’t talk about any of this,” I sighed.
“Riley, we don’t keep secrets,” she said seriously. “Never have I ever kept anything from you. We tell each other everything. The good . . .the bad . . . the crazy. This is a no judgment zone. You know that. Whatever is in that envelope . . . no matter how bad you think it is . . . I’m here for you, and I’d never let anything hurt you . . . you know that right?”
My voice was caught in my throat, so I could only nod. I cleared my throat, my eyes pleading with her. “Just . . . just get rid of it,” I pleaded. The tears that I had so desperately tried to hold back now flowing freely down my cheeks.
I could see the fear and trepidation in Andy’s eyes. She looked at me again and tossed the envelope in the trash. “Okay,” she conceded. “If that’s what you want . . . I’m going to respect your wishes. I’m going to give you some privacy so that you can deal with . . . with whatever that was about,” she said. She slowly started to retreat out of my bedroom. “But Ri?”
“Yeah?” I whispered.
“We’re going to talk about all of this when you’re feeling up to it, okay? Whatever is bothering you . . .or scaring you . . . it’s not good to keep that crap in,” she said firmly before closing the door behind her. I sighed, throwing myself onto my bed. With the door closed and Andy out of the room, I finally allowed myself to truly fall apart.
It was a few hours later when I woke with a start. I had cried myself to sleep. God, I was a train wreck. My eyes shifted to the alarm clock on my end table and my heartbeat quickened. I was going to be late for my date with Paul. I threw the covers off of me, and looked in my vanity mirror. I looked horrible. My eyes were swollen, my cheeks were blotchy, and my hair was disheveled. How could things have turned so poorly in a matter of hours? I quickly ran to my bathroom and tried my best to camouflage the hours of crying with some make up. I threw on the cutest outfit I could find and hustled to find a comfortable pair of boots. I needed to throw myself into this date with Paul and not think about everything that happened over the last couple of hours.
I rushed into the living room heading straight toward the kitchen to grab my keys, when I was jolted in surprise. Andy was sitting at the island counter waiting for me.
“Hey,” Andy said softly as turned to face me. “Can we talk?”
I shook my head in disagreement. “I’m running late . . . my date with Paul . . .” I trailed off.
“Riley, we need to talk. Text Paul and let him know that you’re running late. He’ll wait for you,” she assured me.
I swallowed thickly, a large lump forming in my throat. “Okay,” I sighed, knowing that she wouldn’t give in so easily. I had a major freak out . . . something that I don’t think she had ever seen before. After shooting a quick text to Paul, I turned my full attention to Andy. “I really don’t want to get into all of this right now . . . “ I started to say, hoping that she would just let all of this drop so that we can move forward with our lives.
“Well . . . you’re going to have to give me something, Riley,” she persisted.
“I’m fine,” I murmured, my voice coming out a bit choppy. I cleared my throat. “I’m fine,” I said a little louder.
“You’re not,” she said adamantly.
I shook my head shortly. “I am. I was just . . .a bit caught off guard.”
She didn’t believe me. I could see it in her eyes. She knew that I was lying through my teeth. The makeup may have hid my red nose and swollen face from all of my crying, but she could see the pain in my eyes. My eyes started to water again . . .and I tried to sniff them back and hold it together.
Andy sensed that the tears were about to fall and pulled me into an embrace so tight that I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“I’m not okay,” I gasped out, and the tears began to slide down my cheeks.
Andy’s embrace became tighter, her arm rhythmically rubbing up and down my back, trying to calm the sobs that kept coming out.
“Ri,” Andy hesitantly began. “What’s going on?” She softly pulled back to look at me. “Who is this letter from?”
I shrugged, wiping the tears away from my face. “Some people I never thought I’d hear from again.”
“You’re going to have to give me a bit more than that,” she reasoned.
I turned away from Andy. I knew she was worried. I couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes. “It’s complicated,” I muttered as I rubbed my forehead. All of the crying had caused a headache to come on. “It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got lots of time.” Andy pulled me over to the couch, sitting me down on one side while she sat on the other. She grabbed a pillow and placed it behind her back. “And now I’m extra comfy. Plus, I’m not going to quit bugging you until you tell me what you’re freaking out, so really, you’d just be better off getting this over with already.” She smiled, nudging me with her elbow.
“I thought you had a thesis to work on,” I said, motioning to the paperwork strewn all across the coffee table and floor. I didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. Maybe not ever.
“This is more important.” Andy grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. “Now spill.”
I couldn’t help but sigh. Cordonia had been my dirty little secret for so long that I didn’t really know what to say. When I moved back to New York, I didn’t tell anyone about my time gallivanting across Europe. I was so dead set on forgetting everyone and everything that it was easier to just pretend that none of it actually happened.
My gaze met Andy’s eager stare. Maybe it was finally time to come clean about everything that happened? After all, before the envelope arrived I was happy and thriving. Hadn’t the wounds healed? I was way better than when I first moved back. I had great friends, an amazing boyfriend, a fantastic business . . . things had changed for the better. I swallowed again willing myself to be strong enough to talk about everything that had happened back in Cordonia.
“Okay . . . so, before we met, I was a wreck,” I began slowly. “I told you that I had been traveling before coming back to New York.”
Andy nodded. “You did like a summer abroad thing, right?” She asked.
“Not exactly,” I sighed. “I had been waiting tables trying to save enough money so that I could go back to school. It was a dead end job really, but it paid my bills and I was so close to having enough money to finish out my degree,” I explained.
“Okay . . .” she trailed off. “That’s how you could afford to do the study abroad program then?”
“I never participated in a study abroad program,” I said quietly. “I let you believe that’s what happened because I didn’t want to talk about what really happen.
Andy’s eyes widened. “Wait, so you lied to me?” Her face hardened into an angry grimace.
“I didn’t lie . . . I just never corrected you when you assumed that I was doing a study abroad program,” I said hurriedly. “I didn’t want to talk about what I was really doing because it was too hard and it hurt too much,” I explained.
Andy stiffened her back. “Well, what were you doing then if you weren’t studying abroad?”
“So, I left Cordonia about two years ago. It’s a tiny country in Europe right off the Mediterranean.” I grabbed one of our decorative pillows and squeezed it tightly to my chest. “I never talked about my time there because it wasn’t the greatest experience of my life. I had no intention of going back there so I figured what was the point in bringing it up?” I brushed a loose strand of hair out of my face. “I didn’t even really plan on seeing any of the people I met again. Something happened … and I just wanted to forget things … move on.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t making any sense. I was started to ramble. This was a lot harder than I had expected it to be. I inhaled deeply. “I guess I better start at the beginning,” I said as I exhaled the breath I had taken in.
“That’s typically a good place to start.” Andy smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Right . . . so I was working the night shift at Upscale; it was almost closing time and this party walks in, tourists … you know the kind, loud, flashy,” I started to motion with my hands. “My coworker asked me to take them because he was running late for a date. I needed the extra cash and figured a large party like that would likely leave a pretty big tip, so I took it. It was four guys celebrating a bachelor party. At the end of the night, one of the members of the party came up to me and started talking to me, asked if I knew any good places for them to continue their evening,” I explained.
“Sounds like he was trying to hit on you,” Andy commented.
I smiled at the memory. “I kind of thought he was, too,” I agreed. “Anyway, I offered a few suggestions, and then he asked if I wanted to join them. He said they weren’t really familiar with the area and the wanted a New Yorker to show them around. I was almost off the clock and I didn’t exactly have a full social calendar, so I figured why not? They were all pretty cute, and I was looking forward to having a good time.”
“Sounds harmless enough,” Andy nodded in agreement.
“Exactly . . . and the guy that invited me … he seemed pretty special.” I blushed as my head filled with thoughts about him. I could vividly remember everything about him. How he looked. What he wore. How he smelled. Just thinking of that night caused my heart to beat faster.
Andy looked at me eagerly, prodding at me to continue.
“We kind of hit it off, and we ended up spending most of the night together – talking, laughing, sharing our dreams. It was intense. I hadn’t felt that sort of connection with someone … well ever.” I smiled softly. “But at the same time, I was trying my best not to get too invested in him because, well, they were tourists and I the last thing I wanted to become was a one night hook up, so I accepted that the only thing that would come out of that night was a great connection with a seemingly great guy.” I adjusted myself on the couch, swinging both of my legs underneath me to get more comfortable. “As the night went on, he let slip that they were out celebrating his bachelor party.”
Andy’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “You minx, you!” Andy exclaimed. “Hitting on a semi-married guy!”
I shook my head. “You have it all wrong. It wasn’t like that.” I remember feeling the exact same way though. I remember being so angry at him for misleading me during the whole night. “Of course, I freaked out and yelled at him about being a player . . . but then he explained that he didn’t know who he was going to be marrying.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Um … how is that even possible?”
"Right? I thought the exact same thing. So … this is where I might lose you … I don’t even know if I believe it sometimes. So, like I said they were tourists from Cordonia on vacation in the states for his bachelor party. He just so happened to be part of Cordonia’s royal family.”
If Andy’s jaw could gape any wider than it already was, I would have been shocked. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I know … trust me, I know. It sounds unbelievable. I didn’t believe it at first. Honestly, the first thing I wanted to do after he told me was run away. Especially since everything sounded so ridiculously complicated . . . but like I said . . . I was resigned to the fact that nothing would happen between us anyway and that it was just one of those serendipitous moments where you form a great connection but nothing more comes of it.”
I started to fiddle with the pillow that I was holding. I ran my fingers over the edges. I looked down, the memories becoming a bit too much for me to handle.
“Of course . . . it didn’t end up that way,” I sighed. “After we all went our separate ways that night, I tried not to think about him. But he was all I thought about for the rest of the night and into the following morning. It was like I was some sort of lovesick teenager,” I sighed. “Crazy right? I knew the guy for all of a few hours and I couldn’t stop thinking about him,”
Andy gave my knee an encouraging squeeze. “Not crazy . . . you can’t help when you make a connection with someone,” she said trying to comfort me.
“Well, then before I knew it … Maxwell … the guy I’m thinking sent me the letter,” I said pointing to the trash can “was at my bar convincing me to go back with them as a possible suitor for the Crown Prince. It was crazy. Hell, I was crazy. But I figured why the hell not? So I quit my job, packed a couple of bags, grabbed my passport, and off I went.”
“Just like that?” Andy seemed genuinely surprised.
“Just like that.” I nodded.
Andy laughed a little, “That sounds nothing like you. You’re always so careful and calculated about everything.”
“Oh believe me, it was actually very like me, at least the me back then. I liked to take risks, and I had figured even if it didn’t work out with him, I’d get to go on one hell of an adventure. Of course, I never thought I’d actually fall in love.” My voice softened a little. “Through all the stupid competitions and court events, I fell in love with him. Didn’t think I would … but I did. And he fell in love with me. At least I thought he did.”
Andy put her arm around me. “It sounds like he meant a lot to you.”
“He did, but then things happened and we couldn’t be together.” I wiped at my eyes. God . . . I haven’t cried this much in years. I didn’t want to rehash all of the awful memories. I didn’t want to think about how the engagement tour had gutted me . . . I didn’t want to think about Madeline wearing his ring and holding his hand. After all this time, it still broke my heart to remember what it was like sitting on the sidelines while someone else planned to marry the man of my dreams.
“Well, I know the story doesn’t have a happy ending because you ended up back here.” She looked a bit sad as she said it. “I mean . . . wow, Ri. It sounds like you had the love of a lifetime,” she admitted sadly.
I gave her a half-hearted smile. “At the time, I didn’t think it was a happy ending, but you know what, it was a happy ending in disguise. Had things worked out how they were supposed, I would be there instead of here with you.”
I knew I was right. Had things ended with me marrying him . . . my whole life would be so different. Who knows if I would even be happy? I never would have met Andy . . . I never would have had my own business. I never would have met Paul. This was my life now. No good could come from dwelling on the past.
“And that’s why I don’t want to open the envelope,” I said. “I’m happy it’s in the trash. It’s not going to change what happened or who I am now, so what good will opening it do?”
“Maybe it’ll give you some closure?”
“Or maybe it’ll be like Pandora’s box and will open a whole new set of problems,” I said frankly. “Andy . . . this is my life. I can’t go through what I went through all those years ago,” I said confidently.
“What if I opened it for you?” Andy asked. “It must be pretty important, Ri. This Maxwell guy went through a lot of trouble to make sure it got to you.”
I shook my head once more. “No. Ignorance is bliss right? Maybe not knowing what’s inside is better. Nothing good comes from stirring up the past, especially things that involve Cordonia.”
“Riley, I know there’s some bad memories . . . “ Andy trailed off.
I shot her an irritated look.
“Okay, maybe that’s an understatement. But look … if these people cared enough to reach out to you … after all this time … don’t you think you owe it to yourself to find out why?”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Andy . . . enough. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Hey, I’m serious. You said it yourself, you don’t even know how they found you. They must have spent a great deal of time and energy trying to track you down.”
I licked my lips anxiously as I watched her head over to the trash bin. She picked the envelope out of the trash, and flung it over to me.
“Regret is a crummy feeling, Riley. I know you think that pretending that this letter doesn’t exist seems like the right thing, but trust me when I say it isn’t,” she said calmly. “It might not matter to you now . . . it might not matter to you ten years from now . . . but maybe in twenty years when you think back on it, it will. And there’s nothing you can do about it then except wonder ‘what if?’”
“What if it’s something bad?” I asked, my voice cracking.
“What if it’s your friends reaching out because they miss you?” Andy countered.
I picked the envelope off the couch where it had landed after Andy threw it at me. There was a part of me that knew Andy was right. Would I be able to live with myself years from now if I was filled with regret about not knowing what the letter said? I played with the edges of the thick envelope. The letter was from one of the Beaumont brothers, of that I was certain, and throughout my time in Cordonia they had been nothing but kind and protective of me. They were like the older brothers I never had growing up. They took me into their home, accepted me as a member of their house, and asked for nothing in return. I sighed heavily, looking at Andy for encouragement.
“No matter what happens, I’m here for you,” she said, reaching out and squeezing my shoulder.
I took a deep breath before I started to slowly slide my finger across the envelope’s seal. I could feel my heartbeat quicken in anticipation. I carefully removed the elegant letter. Scanning through the wording, I immediately realized what it was.
“It’s a wedding invitation,” I exclaimed in surprise. As I opened it further I noticed that there was a tiny slip of paper nestled in the envelope. Two words were scrawled in Maxwell’s chicken scratch along with an email address.
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story. Those belong to me. ;)
PAIRINGS: Riley (MC) x OC, Riley (MC) x Liam, Liam x Riley (MC) x OC, Olivia x Drake, Bertrand x Savannah, Maxwell x OC
SUMMARY: Riley Lawson returned to New York a broken version of herself after a failed whirlwind romance. Years later, she has put the past behind her and rebuilt herself into a successful event planner who is happily enjoying her fast-paced New York lifestyle. However, just because she’s put the past behind her, doesn’t mean it won’t come back to haunt her. When an unexpected letter turns up on her doorstep, she’s forced to face the people and feelings she ran away from all those years ago.
11/26/29 - Here we go again. I bet you’re wondering why I’m rewriting/revamping TTS? Five months ago I got a critique about TTS saying that the reader felt it wasn’t realistic enough. For them, things felt rushed and kind of disjointed (examples they gave were the beginning/agreeing to go to the wedding; glossing over Drake/Olivia’s relationship; Riley’s relationship with Paul; Maxwell and Andy’s engagement. I’ll admit, my heart hurt a little because I had put so much time and energy into it and had been getting so much positive feedback that I kind of got blindsided by that critique. With everything that was going on in my life, I kind of just ignored it and moved on thinking that I’d address it when I had more time. Of course, I didn’t really get back into writing again until recently. So, I took the opportunity to reread TTS and I found that the reader who shall remain anonymous (lol!) was correct. It was rushed . . . I did do a disservice to such awesome characters like Paul and Andy and Maxwell and even Olivia! So I’m gonna do right by this critique and rework it so that it is a bit more realistic.
So? What does that mean? The plot is going to change. Eek! I know. Scary. But the general premise will remain the same. Plot twist - I already have the ending written and that won’t change. But Riley’s time in Cordonia will be a bit different. :)
I really hope you guys decide to continue to follow along!
If you want to be removed from the tag or be tagged, please message me! :)
PART 1 - LIFE GOES ON
“Oh my goodness,” I whispered. “Roxy, you’re a magician,” I sighed as I inhaled the delightful cinnamon aroma permeating from my warm cup of cappuccino.
Roxy winked at me. “I know what my best customer likes,” she chuckled. “It’s been ages since you’ve swung by for a visit. I had to make it just perfect for you.”
I smiled brightly at the owner of the coffee shop. Roxy’s Coffee Shop had become a second home to me over the last two years. I had stumbled across it back in college when I first came home to New York. I was in between mid-term exams and needed somewhere to decompress before heading back to campus and happened upon this little hole in the wall café. It was love at first sight. Sure, there were a bunch of mainstream coffee shops scattered across the city, but there was just something that drew you in at Roxy’s. For one, they had the coziest little set up going on. The lighting is dimmed just right and the chairs are extra cozy – which is perfect when you want to get lost in a good book or in my case a really tough crossword puzzle. Another thing? Roxy makes THE best cup of cappuccino this side of the Hudson River. I couldn’t count how many times I found myself huddled in a corner sipping a cup of Roxy’s perfectly brewed coffee after a long day of classes.
And that’s just where I am today – snuggled in a plush, brown chair at the far corner of the shop, steaming cappuccino in one hand and the New York Times in the other. This was the life. I brought the cup of cappuccino to my lips, savoring the delicious taste as I sipped it slowly. “I’ve missed this,” I sighed happily. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much,” I offered. “Business has been crazy, and . . . well . . .you know how it goes when you’re your own boss,” I explained.
“Do I ever . . .” Roxy agreed. “Stay as long as you like. I’ll be sure to have Gus bring you a refill when you’re done,” she smiled.
“Best Barista Ever,” I exclaimed.
“Just you today or is that handsome hunk of man joining you?” Roxy asked waggling her eyebrows.
“Just me,” I laughed. “Paul’s in Boston.”
“Too bad,” Roxy winked at me. “I’ll leave you to it,” she motioned toward the crossword puzzle page in front of me. “Mmhmm, she chuckled. Only girl I know that does the New York Times Crossword in pen,” she shook her head as she went off to tend to another customer.
Sighing, I leaned back into the chair getting myself comfortable. Roxy had been right. I hadn’t stopped by in at least a month. After all, it had been just as long since I had an actual day off. I was about due for some nice rest and relaxation. When Alicia offered to do my consults for the day, I jumped at the opportunity to breakaway for a little while. I was going a bit stir crazy in the four walls of my office. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job and I loved being my own boss even more, but I seemed to constantly be moving at the speed of light. I started Savvy Events right out of college and despite the rocky start I had trying to get it off the ground, things have been booming every since.
I loved the hustle and bustle of my fast-paced life. My weekends were spent planning and coordinating some of the trendiest events in New York City. So I wasn’t planning parties for the Kardashians just yet, but I did plan a party for one of the girls from Sex and the City once and it got featured in Glossy magazine. That was pretty epic. Mostly though, I found myself catering to high-end business professionals who were just too busy to plan parties themselves – corporate galas, year-end celebrations, weddings. You name it; I pretty much could plan it. My weekdays were just as busy – filled with client meetings, scouting visits, and designing sessions. It wasn’t easy, but it kept me busy, the money was great, and I was really, really good at my job – if I do say so myself.
Admittedly, there were times when I missed how much downtime I used to have. I sometimes longed for the days when I could randomly decide to wander aimlessly around the city and discover all of the little idiosyncrasies that New York had to offer. But the Riley back then didn’t have as much responsibilities as I do now. Man, just thinking about how much has changed over the years makes me nostalgic for life pre-business. I’ve come quite a long way from the days when I was waiting tables at that dingy little bar out in Brooklyn. I couldn’t help but smile when I thought about all the late night shifts I spent working at Upscale. I snorted at the memory. Upscale . . . what a totally misleading name. There was absolutely nothing upscale about that crummy, little bar. The patrons were a bit too touchy, and my manager Craig was a giant ass. It wasn’t all bad though. My coworkers were fun and the tips were a dream, especially when I was trying to save up enough money to get back into college. And if it wasn’t for that oh so glamorous waitressing gig . . . my life would have turned out pretty differently. Hell, I never would have met him. Had I not picked up that last party the night he walked into the bar, I never would have met the man that turned my life upside down. I never would have had the opportunity to cross off so many items on my bucket list. I never would have gotten to see the world outside of my tiny little studio in Brooklyn. I never would have fallen in love.
Ouch. Let’s not go there. It had been months since I had even thought about him. I closed my eyes at the thought, clinging onto my cup just a tad bit tighter. My heart had a slight twinge . . . of pain? Regret maybe? I shook my head, mentally chiding myself for letting myself go there again. I was doing so well. What had it been three months since I last thought about him? Or them? That had to be some sort of record. They say time heals all wounds, and I was slowly starting to believe it. It had been two years since everything had happened, and I refused to allow myself to ever be that weak again. I’ll never let myself revert to the girl I was back then. I came back to New York a ghost of my former self. I remember feeling like the aching heartbreak would stay with me forever. I thought that I would be doomed to a life of wallowing in my never-ending grief.
It still amazes me that I was somehow able to pick up the pieces of my broken life and glue them back together again. It was a long and hard road that took many months, but here I am . . . almost as good as new. Were the fractures still there? Oh yes, of course. Once something was broken, you couldn’t just pretend that it hadn’t shattered into a million pieces. The cracks of my former life . . . as much as it killed me to still admit it . . . were still dancing along the surface of my rebuilt life . . . although faded they were still very much a reminder of everything that happened all those years ago.
God, how tragically sappy. The buzzing of my cell phone thankfully interrupted my thoughts. Looking down, I saw my boyfriend’s name flash onto the screen. I couldn’t help but smile. Here I was dwelling on the past when my future was calling. Paul had been away for the last three weeks facilitating a corporate merger between two well known companies. Headquarters for both companies were based in Boston, and although his law firm was centered in New York City, they wanted him to go out and meet the clients directly in their neck of the woods. He’d been flying in and out of Boston for the last few months. I missed him something fierce when he was away, but we’d been getting by through countless text messages and many FaceTime sessions.
“Hi, Handsome,” I answered. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until later today,” I murmured.
“Hey, Gorgeous, I know . . . but I just couldn’t let a whole morning go by without hearing your voice,” he responded.
“Well, lucky me then,” I smiled.
“Luck you indeed because I also happen to have a surprise for you,” he said.
“Ooh,” I hummed. “What kind of surprise?” I could feel my smile grow wider. Paul was something special . . . he was funny . . . sweet . . . caring and oh so thoughtful. He spoiled me. A lot. And I didn’t know exactly what I did to deserve snagging a guy like him, but I was certainly thankful for whatever powers that be that found us winding up together.
“Guess who was able to book an earlier flight and is flying in to see you in exactly three hours?” He said in a sing-song voice.
I was grinning so big my cheeks were starting to hurt. “Shut up!” I exclaimed. “Paul, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day. And you know what? You’re just in time for movie night,” I almost squealed. “They just haven’ been the same without you these last few weeks,” I laughed thinking about what it’s been like him without the last few weeks. I had used my best friend Andy as my stand-in date and she was less than thrilled at my movie selections. “I’ve had to resort to spending movie nights with Andy and you know how that goes,” I chuckled.
“Oh, I have a funny inkling about how that went down.” He chuckled. “Let me guess, she demanded it be a sci-fi flick?”
I groaned. “YES!” I exclaimed. “She tried to get me to watch Deep Impact three times,” I sighed. “I told her that I had no desire to watch a movie about a giant asteroid pummeling down to Earth, but she scoffed when I suggested Legally Blonde,” I said with a slight chuckle in my voice.
Andy had been the first friend I made when I moved back to New York. We found ourselves in the same creative writing class at Hudson University and instantly bonded over our love for all things French. Before you knew it, we were inseparable. I loved her to bits and pieces, but she drove me absolutely crazy. For every similarity we had, there were at least two differences. For one, I was an absolute neat freak . . . whereas Andy seemed to leave a trail of clutter wherever she went. Even our taste in movies differed astronomically. Andy was all about action-packed sci-fi thrillers, whereas I leaned more toward the cheesy romantic comedies. Despite our differences, and me wanting to throttle her a time or two, she and I became tremendous friends, and I absolutely, positively couldn’t imagine what life would be without her.
“Let’s just say that last movie night resulted in a full blown popcorn fight,” I laughed. “That I ended up cleaning all by myself,” I sighed. “There were many a moment I wanted to shove a handful of popcorn in her mouth just to keep her mouth busy,” I chuckled. I paused for a moment, before clearing my throat. “It’s been a long few weeks, Paul. I’ve missed you,” she murmured.
“I’ve missed you so much, too, baby. Remind me not to leave you this long again. Next time, I’m packing you up with me,” he laughed
I grabbed the newspaper and threw it in my tote bag. “Careful … I just might hold you to it.”
I glanced down at my watch and was a bit surprised with how much time had flown by. “Ah damn, if you’re coming home in a few hours I should head back to my apartment. Get things cleaned up a bit. Maybe we can do dinner at Russo’s tonight if you aren’t too jetlagged? Then maybe catch up on all our movie nights we missed while you were gone?” I asked hopefully.
“Anything you want, babe. I honestly don’t care what we do as long as I get to see your gorgeous face.”
I could feel my cheeks grow hot at his compliment. This guy. My God, was he a sweet talker or what? I got that our relationship was still in the honeymoon stage so to speak – we had only been exclusively dating for eight months after all, but man, did he know how to sweep a girl off her feet or what? Butterflies? Nope, I had full blown moths fluttering around in there, and somehow, he also managed to make me go weak in the knees each time I saw him.
Admittedly, I wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of going out with him at first, but I’m very glad that he was able to wear me down eventually. Yeah, the frequent trips to Boston were hard, but we were making it work. And surprisingly, we hadn’t even had a single disagreement since we first started dating. Our relationship was easy. Comfortable even. And well . . . normal. God, how I craved normalcy. Those were things that I never had with him. Then again, I don’t think there was anything really normal about my relationship with him. Ugh. I’m doing it again. Just stop.
Paul’s voice broke through my internal struggle. “There’s ah … something I wanted to talk to you about, too. Been thinking a lot about it while on the trip, and was hoping to run it by you today.”
“Oh? Okay, that sounds good,” I replied, as I waved a quick goodbye to Roxy. “I’ll see you in a few, babe,” I smiled as I tapped the end on my phone and left Roxy’s Coffee Shop.
The trek back home wouldn’t take me long as I only lived a few blocks away. There was so much I needed to do before he got in, but I was pretty excited to see Paul. FaceTime was great, but nothing could replace seeing him in person or hearing his laugh right across from me. We had met about a year after I returned to New York. I had finally picked myself back up and moved on from my time in Cordonia. I had reenrolled in college, finished my last semester and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Shortly after I graduated, I went to my local credit union and asked for a loan to start up my own business. It was a gigantic risk at the time – after all, I had no backup plan if I failed miserably. They started me off with a modest loan which I used to get the foundation of Savvy Events created. Even with the loan, money was tight. To cut down costs, I was working out of my apartment with only a single laptop and my design book.
Paul’s law firm was one of my very first clients. I’d been hired to coordinate an event honoring the firm’s newest partner – Paul. When I went in to meet with him for the initial consultation, I found myself surprisingly attracted to him. I hadn’t dated anyone since . . . well since Cordonia, and it wasn’t like I was looking to date again. My heart was pretty shut off from jumping into ANY relationship, and when I met Paul and felt a little spark, I tried my best to snuff it out. I didn’t NEED a relationship and I certainly didn’t WANT one. Especially after the shitshow that had happened back in Cordonia, but there was something about Paul that kept drawing me in . . . even though I wanted none of it. Paul was tall, slender with touches of gray in his dark hair. He was just under ten years older than me, and he had an air of sophistication that was very fitting of a corporate attorney. I tried my best to ignore the growing attraction between us. It was my first major gig and I could not screw it up by being attracted to the guest of honor. That would be a big no-no. I wanted to keep things professional. I also didn’t want my newly pieced back together heart, broken again. I tried so hard to pretend that there wasn’t anything between us . . . but each meeting had me falling a lot more in like with him than I wanted. He was sweet, charismatic and genuinely interested in knowing more about me. That’s why, I wasn’t all too surprised that when the party was over he had asked me out to dinner and wouldn’t accept no for an answer.
I agreed to a single dinner and made it clear that I wasn’t looking for anything serious. I didn’t go into a lot of detail, but just gave him the rundown that my heart had been smashed to smithereens and there was no way in hell I was going to fall down that black hole again. He was oh so patient and understood completely. That single dinner turned into a standing weekly date which then turned into frequent movie nights throughout the week. Eight months later, I’m still in major like with him. LIKE. Not love . . . I mean, yes, there have been moments when he does something so amazingly, sweet that I go all heart-eyes on him . . . but love . . . yeah, no. Thanks to him, I don’t really think I can ever “love” someone so freely again. If there was anything that I learned from my time in Cordonia it’s that love is a four letter word that makes you weak . . . and I’d be damned if I would allow myself to get swept up in that whirlwind again.
After wrestling with my thoughts, I found myself standing on the front stoop of my apartment building. It was the typical New York City brick-built walk up. It was in a pretty good area near a lot of shops and markets. It was also ridiculously close to the subway making it so easy to find yourself in any one of the other boroughs of the city. Because of that it was obscenely expensive. I mean, two bedroom apartments in New York are already obscenely expensive, but one in close proximity to the subway typically broke the bank. Thank God for Andy. Without her splitting of the rent, we never would have been able to afford something in this area.
I climbed up the three flights of stairs to my apartment unit, all the while, butterflies floated around happily in my stomach. My mind raced to what I was going to wear to our early dinner tonight. It also drifted to what Paul wanted to talk to me about. He seemed a bit vague about it.
“Hey,” I said happily as I walked through the front door. I threw my keys onto the island in the kitchen. Andy was sitting on the floor furiously typing away on her laptop. Papers were strewn all around her in different piles.
“How’s the thesis going?” I asked, eyeing a few of the crumpled, wadded up paper next to her.
Andy stretched her arms over her head, yawning. “I’ve been at this since seven this morning and got all of one page done. You tell me.” She snorted.
Andy was an English major who had earned her Bachelor’s Degree two semesters ago. Her educational goals were much loftier than my own. She wanted her PhD. I just wanted to get the hell out of school. It had already taken me a bit longer than expected to get my degree, and I didn’t have the funds or drive to continue any further beyond my BA.
Andy was in her second semester of Hudson’s Literary Studies MA program, and I didn’t envy her in the slightest. While my life had become consumed with all things Savvy Events, her life was consumed by her thesis. I didn’t understand why someone would willingly spend so many hours of their life working on a paper that could either make or break your educational endeavors, especially when there was going to be more schooling and papers waiting for her on the other side of her MA. She’d still have at least four more years in her doctoral program. I internally cringed at even the thought of it. Andy had mentioned a few times that she’d probably have to move out of state to pursue the PhD program that she wanted. I didn’t even want to think about what that meant for our friendship.
Andy had been my saving grace when I first moved back to New York. And if I were being honest, she was the only friend I had for quite a while upon returning. When I had come home to New York, a lot of my college friends had graduated and moved out of state. Even my old coworkers at Upscale had found new jobs and moved on with their lives. A lot changes in six months. I was left in a state of limbo, not really having anywhere to go or anyone to turn to. Meeting Andy was a blessing that I so desperately needed at a time when I wasn’t really sure what to do with my life.
I never really told Andy what happened to land me back in New York, and being the godsend that she is, she never pushed or pried. I vaguely mentioned that I had been traveling out of the country for a while, and she assumed that I had been a part of some foreign exchange program. She never prodded and I never corrected her because . . . well . . . talking about Cordonia . . . and him . . . would just reopen the wounds that had taken so very long to heal. I wanted a clean break from all things Cordonian. I left no contact number or forwarding address. I wanted them to forget I ever existed, and to be honest, I wanted to forget they had ever existed, too.
“Hey, one page is better than nothing right?” I popped open the refrigerator grabbing a soda can out of it. “Want one?” I said as I held up a can to offer Andy.
“I’m good. I’m wired on three cups of coffee right now. I don’t think my body can handle any more caffeine right now. So how was your day off?”
“It was fantastic.” I sighed happily. “Paul’s flying in today . . . in a few hours in fact.”
Andy cocked her eyebrow. “Really? I thought he was going to be gone for nearly a month?”
“Me too, but I guess his negotiations must have wrapped up quicker than expected, so he’s flying back. We’re doing dinner tonight at Russo’s, so you’re on your own tonight okay? Looks like my movie partner is back in action,” I chuckled as I made my way toward my bedroom.
“Thank God!” Andy exclaimed. “Your taste in movies is horrendous, geeze,” she sighed. “Wait . . . does that mean you guys are planning on coming back here and having some post business trip loving, because I was planning on working until at least eleven tonight.”
“Andy!” I yelled, turning away from my doorway. “Seriously?” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I’m just saying! Every time that man goes away on business, you can’t keep your hands off of each other when he gets back. I mean, I get it, you’re still in the honeymoon phase of your relationship … but can you may be spread the lovey dovey googly eyes crap at his place tonight? I do not like being the third wheel,” she said pointedly.
“Stop it,” I scolded. “And we aren’t that bad,” I chided. “I mean . . . yes when he comes back from his business trips we are quite happy to actually be together in person again . . . but we hardly push any hard limits . . . we always keep it to a nice and comfortable PG-13 level, thank you very much.”
Andy waggled her eyebrows. “Sure, you keep telling yourself that.”
I rolled my eyes and threw my balled up jacket at her head. “I’m going to go get ready for tonight. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
As I turned into my bedroom and started to rummage through my closet for something to wear, I heard Andy enter my room behind me. "Hey, before you go off to get all glamorous for your date … you got mail today. Seems pretty fancy . . . and it looks like it has some sort of foreign postmark. Cor-something? I can’t make out the rest,” she said as she squint her eyes to make out the lettering.
My hand clenched on my closet’s door, an unsettling feeling forming in the pit of my stomach. “Foreign?” I asked, turning to stare at Andy, my jaw clenching. “What do you mean foreign? What’s it say?” I asked, abandoning the clothes in my closet.
Andy had the envelope in her hand and looked at it again. It was a cream-colored envelope. She scrunched up her face again. “Well, the postmark looked weird, and I had to sign some sort of funky slip of paper to acknowledge that I received it,” she shrugged. “I can’t really read the full postmark. Look,” she motioned to the envelope. “It even has a fancy red seal on it.”
My heart beat faster in my chest and my legs felt like they were turning into noodles. A wave of emotions washed over me. Foreign postmark . . . red seal . . . it couldn’t be. Could it? Not after all this time. I mean . . . it’s about two years too late to be reaching out. The thoughts hummed through my head as I eyed the envelope in Andy’s hand.
I cleared my throat, trying to steady my voice. “Does it say who it’s from?”
Andy shrugged nonchalantly, as if the letter she was holding wasn’t the ticking time bomb that it was. “Nope, just some sort of insignia.” Andy handed me the envelope. “Does it look familiar?”
I swallowed hard, my eyes dropping to the seal. My fingers traced the wax seal on the envelope. Did it look familiar? Of course it did. I’d seen the crest hundreds of times during my time in Cordonia. Bertrand and Maxwell had made sure that I was familiar with all of the court’s seals and crests. I wanted to speak, but my voice cracked a little in the process. How could this happen? Fifteen minutes ago I was so excited that Paul was flying home . . . . now all I felt was absolute dread. The butterflies from earlier were gone, replaced by a gnawing feeling of anxiety.
“Ri?” Andy questioned.
I lifted my head. “Hm?” I asked as I felt my eyes glazing over.
“Does it look familiar?” She asked again. I could sense the impatience growing in her voice.
“Y-yes,” I replied softly.
I could feel Andy’s eyes boring into me. “Well? What is it?” She asked. “Who’s it from?”
I licked my lips nervously, and cleared my throat. “It’s the family crest of House Beaumont from Cordonia.” I replied softly. My chest felt tight, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. I braced myself on the arm of the couch, trying to sit down. I tried my best to remain composed, but I could already feel hot tears pricking my eyes.
Andy scrunched her face up in confusion. “From where?”
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story. Those belong to me. ;)
PAIRINGS: Liam x Riley (MC)
SUMMARY: And they're off to Cordonia! Riley and Liam have a heart to heart about what to expect when they arrive in Cordonia.
TAGS - If you would like to be tagged for If Only, please message me. I am reworking all of my fan fiction, and I know that a lot of people may no longer be in the fandom, or maybe they no longer want to follow If Only. If that is the case, I didn't want to unnecessarily tag someone. So please, let me know if you would like to be tagged for future updates of this piece.
11/25/2019 - It has been over a year since I updated If Only, and I feel absolutely sick about it. I apologize for not updating as regularly as I should have. I came back in May with the intent to keep writing and bring new stories to the fandom, but my world got rocked with a horrible family situation. I went MIA initially because I had a family emergency come up in September of 2018. My father was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. He became stable at the beginning of May which prompted me to feel a bit reinvigorated to write again. We were thrown for a loop when he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the end of May after a brief period of stabilization. His kidneys shut down and he went into respiratory failure. Ironically, the cancer may have weakened him, but it wasn't his cause of death. I was a wreck. I've slowly gone through the grieving process and wanted to try my hand at writing again. I can't promise you I'll be consistent, but I'm going to try.
Thank you all for the amazing support and thoughts. Thank you for your sweet reviews. I will be going through all of them. <3
Chapter 18
Riley was certain of one thing – she would always find herself awestruck at being able to fly on a private airplane. She hadn’t traveled all that much before, but when she did, it was a pain. The astronomical cost of airline tickets, the long lines, the long list of TSA security no-nos that she could never seem to grasp . . . all of it made the whole prospect of travelling more of a nuisance than anything else. Traveling with Liam, on the other hand, had been nothing but a dream since the moment they got to the airport. Liam once again took charge guiding her to where they needed to check in. Things at the airport had gone just as smoothly as they had when they left Las Vegas. Actually, it had gone even smoother than Las Vegas since they were flying out internationally and that terminal had not been nearly as crowded as the domestic terminals. Liam once again breezed by as Riley trailed behind him, still unaccustomed to the life of private jet-setting. She still found the entire thing to be a bit surreal. What normally would have been a two hour process had only taken them twenty minutes. Apparently, the life of royalty had some major perks.
A little over an hour later, Riley found herself sitting on the private plane that was scheduled to take them to Cordonia. She stared absently out of the plane’s window as she contemplated how differently her life had ended up than what she had planned out over the years. For one, she never, ever saw herself sitting on a private plane as they waited for the all clear for takeoff. For another, she never thought she’d get married to a complete stranger on a whim – in Vegas, no less. Then again, she also never thought she’d ever meet someone like Liam. She bit her lip lightly as she watched him joke around with the flight crew. Apparently, he knew all of them quite well. They weren’t treating him like a prince, but rather an old friend who they were excited to see. But that was the thing about Liam – despite his royal roots, he seemed like such an average, ordinary, everyday guy. He was genuinely a good guy - somebody you could sit around and have hours of conversation with and never got bored. She smiled and watched as he fawned over pictures of one of the flight attendant’s newborn grand-daughter. He never fell short of amazing her. She had always pictured herself winding up with some sort of science geek, who, like her, had spent years focusing on his education to land the perfect job. Liam was completely different. The connection they shared was one in a million. The time they spent together alone in her apartment had further solidified that fact. She’d have been foolish to let him slip away from her in Vegas, and if she had, she’d likely never find that sort of connection with someone else ever again. Their relationship wasn’t something that you could just dismiss as being a spur of the moment, one-time fling. He made her feel alive again, and she loved how he had forced her to reevaluate the life she was living, and helped her to see that none of it was what she wanted. It felt as if they had known each other for years instead of only a few days. There was just something about Liam that brought out her desire for an exciting new adventure. For the first time in years, she didn’t have a plan, and it scared the shit out of her. There was no denying the fact that she felt like she was swimming in the deep end of the pool without any sort of lifejacket. But, for some reason, she was okay with that, because she knew she’d have Liam by her side to help keep her afloat.
Riley’s smile grew as he chatted with a different flight attendant about their travel plans when they got to Cordonia. He was going on and on about how he wanted to take her to their country house to show her the orchards of apple trees. She looked around the bustling plane – apart from the three flight attendants she had seen, she had counted four more flight attendants and two pilots on their flight. She shook her head in disbelief. It was crazy to think that all nine members of the flight crew were aboard just for them. It was hard to believe that this was her life now.
Liam grasped one of the male attendants on the shoulder as he headed back over to where she was sitting. “You look rather deep in thought,” he murmured as he sidled into the seat next to her.
She smiled softly. “Just thinking about what a whirlwind this has all been. I guess it’s just hard to believe that we won’t have to listen to crying babies or fighting for space for our carry-ons in the overhead compartment.”
“I admit, those are things I have never had to worry about when I traveled,” he smirked. “But I can imagine those sorts of things would be rather inconvenient.”
“Exceptionally so,” she chuckled. “You’re so amazing with people, Liam. The way you talk to them and treat them with the utmost respect regardless of your status,” Riley looked at him in admiration. “You’re just a genuine, sweet man,” she said, clasping her hand in his.
He looked at her adoration. “I’ve known all of them for years – since I was old enough to travel with my father,” he smiled. “They’re like another set of family members. The older woman I was talking to? Dolores? She just welcomed her first granddaughter. My father gave her some time off to spend with the new baby,” he explained. “Being royal doesn’t make you any less human. Having compassion and being respectful are just decent things to do,” he explained as he squeezed her hand back.
“Well, you don’t see a lot of that in New York,” Riley mused. “And I’ll be honest, people can become a bit snooty when power goes to their head. Trust me.” She thought of the many rude people she encountered as she walked along the streets of New York City. There was always some guy in a total rush with a cell phone pressed against his ear and a briefcase swinging from his hand pushing his way down the sidewalk trying to get the next available cab. New York people were savage.
Liam chuckled at her observation. “Quite true, love. I assure you, that is just how I was raised. I just couldn’t live with myself if I treated anyone with anything but the respect that they deserve.”
“You are one in a million, Liam Rys.” She smiled broadly, squeezing his hand tightly.
“As are you, Riley Rys,” he winked at her.
She blushed as she changed the subject. “So, do we have any layovers or are we landing straight in Cordonia?”
He shook his head. “No stopovers, that’s not how private jets work, love. The flight should take about eight hours tops,” he explained. “We’ll be arriving in Cordonia at around 7:30 in the morning.”
“Wow, that early?” Riley asked.
“The time difference will take a bit getting used to, especially since you’ve lived in New York your whole life,” he explained. “The early arrival will be beneficial to us, I’m sure. I doubt the press will have caught wind that we’re arriving that early. It might give us enough time to get you to the palace without the mad rush of press on our tails,” he reasoned.
“The press?” She asked, her eyes widening.
Just as Liam was about to explain further, the pilot came over the loudspeaker announcing that they would be preparing for takeoff. Riley inhaled deeply as she felt the power and speed of the plane push forward as it readied itself for take off. She was momentarily distracted from the idea of the press and what exactly he meant about them being on their tails.
When they reached a comfortable elevation, the captain came over the loudspeaker again.
“Your Majesties, thank you for joining us this afternoon. We expect the flight to take roughly eight hours, and we are expecting clear skies and smooth travel. Should you need anything, please let any one of our staff attendants know and they will be glad to assist you with whatever you may need,” the voice boomed.
“Was he talking to me, too?” She asked, her eyes widening once more.
“Well, yes, love. You are the future Queen of Cordonia. It is only right that he address you as such,” he explained.
Riley knew that marrying Liam automatically meant that she was royalty, too, but having someone actually refer to her as one was crazy.
“Your Majesties, would you like a beverage? Wine? Or champagne perhaps?” Dolores, the attendant Liam had been talking to earlier asked.
“Love?” Liam asked.
“Um, maybe just some water?” She asked quietly.
“Of course, Your Majesty. Prince Liam?”
“I’m fine, Dolores,” he smiled brightly at the older woman. “Maybe when we have our meals I’ll have a bit of scotch,” he added.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” she acquiesced as she poured Riley a glass of water.
“This is surreal,” she murmured, mostly to herself.
“Love, this is what you have to look forward to each time you travel,” he laughed. “With our busy schedules, it only seems right that we travel as comfortable as possible. After all, we don’t know when we’ll have a spare moment to ourselves again,” he said knowingly.
She nodded nervously, her hands fiddling about in her lap. That’s actually what was worrying her. What was life going to be like now that they were heading out of their Las Vegas and New York bubbles?
Liam leaned over, clasping his hands around hers and smiled. “You’re fine, love,” he murmured encouragingly. “Now that I have you held captive in an airplane . . . ” he trailed off, eyeing her a bit nervously.
“What?” She asked; worry once again coursed through her body.
“Are you ready to talk about what you’ve signed up for?” He shot her a nervous smile. He looked as if he were waiting for her to jump ship . . . or in this case, plane . . . any second.
She eyed him suspiciously, taking a large gulp of her cold water. “You act as if I just signed up to go to war or something,” she chuckled anxiously. “I know you don’t want to scare me, Liam, but I think I can handle whatever they’re going to throw my way,” she said. Think being the operative word. She talked a good game and tried her best to calm the quaking nerves inside of her, but in truth, she was absolutely petrified. She had no clue how to be a princess . . . let alone a queen when that time inevitably arrived. How on earth was she going to manage it all while still getting to know her new husband?
“I don’t mean to sound so cryptic,” he explained apologetically. “I suppose I just wanted to prepare you for what might happen when we arrive,” he said vaguely.
“Are you expecting a grand welcome?” She arched an eyebrow.
“Well, possibly,” he admitted.
Her eyebrow arched a bit higher. “Oh,” she said nervously.
“To be quite honest, I’m not sure what to expect.” He ran his hand nervously over the back of his neck, and looked at her bashfully. “Our early arrival does buy us some time as I mentioned, but I’m honestly not too sure what the Cordonian people have been told. I’m not sure if they’ve publically announced the end of my engagement to Olivia,” he said uncertainly. “In fact, I’m not sure if they even announced that we’ve gotten married.”
“And if they have?” Riley asked.
“If they have, then you can expect the press to be hounding us until they get a printable story,” he sighed. “It’s the nature of the press, love. They have a hunger for a scandal . . . the more prominent the person, the more desirable the story,” he said glumly.
“And being the heir to the Cordonian throne, any story about you would be explosive,” Riley said, understanding where he was going with his explanation. The press wouldn’t let the story rest until they had every single detail about the end of his engagement to Olivia and their subsequent marriage in Vegas. They were in for one hell of a welcome if that were the case. She shook her head hesitantly. The idea of being hounded by the press wasn’t something she was particularly looking forward to. She had never paid attention to those sordid, trashy tabloids back home. She had always thought that it was grossly negligent to publish half-facts and over-exaggerations. This was the conversation that she had been worried about. Up to this point, everything had been a vague and distant idea that she had formulated inside of her head, but as Cordonia loomed closer and closer in front of them, at some point they’d have to discuss the elephant in the room, and apparently, Liam had decided that “some point” was right then and there.
“I wish I could say that this will be easy, love . . . but it won’t. I wish I could take the burden of the scrutiny of the press and the people and my family away so that you would never have to endure a single unpleasant moment. But having lived this life in the limelight for as long as I have . . . I know that many will have . . . reservations,” he explained hesitantly.
“Reservations?” She asked, slightly confused.
“They may publish some untrue things about you . . . they may suspect we got pregnant out of wedlock, hence the quickie marriage . . . they may even publish some nasty, untrue remarks about your friends and family . . .” he trailed off.
She winced a little. She had never really had a thick skin growing up. She had always been sensitive, and she didn’t like to be teased or taunted. The idea of having a whole nation scrutinize her every move, made her physically ill. The idea of having someone critique how she acted, what she wore, who she spent time with . . . it all felt too much. But to have that extend to her family and friends? She couldn’t imagine dealing with that on top of everything else.
Liam continued. “Olivia was a well-liked Duchess, and although the marriage was arranged, I’d imagine that many may not take kindly to the broken engagement . . . and our subsequent union,” he reasoned.
“Like Bertrand,” she arched a questioning eyebrow.
“Yes, like Bertrand. Some of the people of Cordonia are traditionalists. They may not be so welcoming to the fact that I have married someone not of the country. Not of Europe for that matter,” he explained. “But I have no doubt that once they get to know you . . . the you I fell in love with . . . all of their reservations will disappear,” he said optimistically.
“I hope so,” she said meekly. “I know it’s going to be tough . . . I just don’t want people to hate me, you know?”
“They won’t hate you, love,” he chuckled. “How would they hate the most amazing girl I’ve ever met?”
Riley sighed, leaning closer into him. “You were engaged, Liam. To a woman you have had a friendship with for most of your life. Are you telling me that she’ll warmly open her arms and welcome me to the palace?”
Liam grimaced in reply. “Well, obviously not. Olivia will prove to be a difficulty. Of that, I’m quite sure.”
“And your parents?” Riley added. “You got into quite the tiff with your father before we left.”
“As did you,” he reminded her. “My father and stepmother will come around. Once they realize that Cordonia’s future will not be in any jeopardy and that the monarchy will continue, they will warm to the idea of our marriage. It will take time, love.”
She nodded. She sucked in a long breath. She needed to be strong. As long as she had Liam by her side, she knew they’d be able to overcome whatever difficulties that were headed their way.
“We’re going to get through all of this together, Riley. I will never forget how much you’re giving up for me . . . for us,” he said passionately.
She leaned in for a soft kiss. Liam deepened the kiss before pulling himself away. “I have such a hard time controlling myself around you,” he said breathily.
“Let me distract you. Tell me about Cordonia. Not about the press or the bad stuff we might encounter,” she shook her head. “If I’m moving to a brand new country, I should know everything there is about it. The internet wasn’t too helpful. I guess it’s so small that not a lot of people actually know a whole lot about it,” she frowned.
He nodded. “It is small, but I assure you it has a rich history. A history that you and I are now a part of,” he smiled. “I’ll happily answer any questions you’d like about Cordonia, but I think that the best way to get to know our beautiful country is to experience it first hand in person,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing everything,” she agreed. After a brief moment, she asked another question. “So, can I get a job when we get there? Or is that sort of not allowed. I just don’t want people thinking I’m some sort of gold-digger. Your friends already accused me of being a crown-chaser, and I don’t want people thinking that I don’t want to work . . . because I kind of do? I mean, I don’t really know what I could do considering I have a degree in Biology . . . and I’m a medical school drop out . . . but there has to be something right?” she rambled out
Liam stared at her as if she had three heads. She supposed it was a silly question. Did royalty work? She tried to think back on the lives of various royal figures - did Princess Diana have a job? What about Princess Eugenie? How about Duchess Kate? Surely an independent woman such as Duchess Megan Markle kept a job? She frowned, she was being ridiculous. Of course they didn’t have jobs. They were too busy jet setting alongside their husbands. She frowned at the thought. She had never seen herself as being a woman who relied on a man to do all of the hard work. She hadn’t liked when Liam’s friends had thought of her as being a crown-chaser, and she certainly didn’t want the rest of the public thinking the same thing. Shouldn’t she be able to prove that she’s way more than just some woman that Liam met in Las Vegas? She wanted to contribute in someway . . . even if she didn’t know exactly how she could contribute.
“You don’t have to work, love. I told you that. You will want for nothing the moment you set foot inside the palace,” he assured her.
“That’s such a strange concept,” she frowned. “Not working . . .I mean, I went to college, got my degree, held quite a few jobs over the years, and now I just . . . do nothing?” she pursed her lips. “I don’t want people to think that I married you for anything other than love,” she said softly.
“Being Queen is a job in itself Riley,” he explained. “You’ll be expected to plan social functions, attend political meetings, coordinate various social programs, meet with different international figures . . . although the compensation process might be quite different than what you’re used to, you will very much have a job in Cordonia,” He rationalized.
She nodded, although she still had a hard time wrapping her head around the whole concept. “So the whole social functions thing . . . is that like party planning?”
“Oh, love. It is far more than just a party. Why don’t I give you a brief history of Cordonia and some perspective on the monarchy and perhaps then you’ll understand a bit more about how important the social season is to the Cordonian people?”
She nodded eagerly, sitting up in her chair. “I’d like that a lot actually. I feel like I’m jumping out of a plane without a parachute when it comes to knowing anything about Cordonia. I really don’t want my first impression with your family to be me clueless about the country I’m now a resident of,” she gave a nervous chuckle.
A few hours later, Liam had recounted a not-so-brief history of everything about Cordonia. Riley had no idea how Liam was able to remember all of it. She guessed having grown up there gave him an upper hand, but still. He was able to recount every single monarch and every single duchy that. He could even rattle off population stats that all sounded like a bunch of mumble jumble to her.
“Lords and Ladies . . . palaces . . . waltzes . . . balls . . . court . . . my head is spinning, Liam,” she frowned. She needed some aspirin, or maybe a stiff drink. She hadn’t expected her Cordonia 101 class with Liam to be easy, but she had hoped that she’d be able to at least glean some information to help her survive her first few days there. Instead, she felt like she had nothing but information overload. She couldn’t tell you who anyone was or what city was what because all of the names and places started to merge with one another after a while.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but you’re doing remarkably well,” he said encouragingly. “Hopefully some of the notes you took will help,” he smiled.
Yes, she had taken notes, but she had no clue what was important and what wasn’t. She hadn’t even known Cordonia even existed before meeting Liam. Now, she suddenly needed to know everything there was to know about the tiny country. How on earth was she going to remember everything?
“Trust me, love. In time, all of this information will become second nature,” Liam beamed at her.
She snorted. She didn’t want to tell him that she was more of a math and sciences sort of girl as opposed to being a history buff. She couldn’t imagine a time when all of these Cordonian factoids would become second nature.
“Here. Let’s test some of your knowledge now. I’ll give you an easy one,” he said excitedly. “What is the capital of Cordonia?” Liam asked expectedly.
Riley licked her lips nervously. Her eyes scanned the notes in front of her, but she could barely make out half of her short hand. She paused, uncertainly. “Valtoria,” she half-asked.
“Correct,” he smiled at her proudly as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over her hand. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’ll have Cordonian culture down in no time.”
She smiled tightly in response. She hoped he was right. She had been taking notes off and on during their discussion, but she didn’t really know how it would help her if she got ambushed by the press. It’s not like she could pull out a set of flash cards when she was getting interviewed. She didn’t think that’d earn her any brownie points with the Cordonian public.
Liam continued to quiz her on questions during the last few hours of the flight, and Riley admittedly was starting to remember some of the major things that Liam had taught her, but she still felt that all of the information she had just gained were whirling inside of her head like a tornado. She had never wanted to excel at something so much in her life. She felt like she was back in school, trying to cram in as much information as possible. She just hoped it stuck.
“What if I mess up?” She asked worriedly. “It took me years to even learn all the capitols of the fifty states,” she frowned. “And even then I still managed to goof up every now and then,” she said, her voice laced with a bit of panic.
“Riley, love, you’re a natural at this. You may not be Cordonian by birth, but we will have you be a star pupil on Cordonian history in no time,” he said encouragingly. “Like I said, you’re already doing so well.”
“I don’t know how I’ll remember all of this,” she said faintly. “There’s a reason why I went to medical school. Liberal arts wasn’t exactly my strong suit,” she joked.
“I’ll be there to guide you, and my friends, once they get to know you, will be more than happy to provide you with some help along the way. I happen to know that Bertrand majored in history at our university,” he said. “I’d be happy to talk to him about perhaps giving you some private lessons on Cordonian culture,” he offered. “He’d actually be well-suited to help you adjust to court life.”
“Bertrand . . . yeah, I don’t think he’ll be very much inclined to help me considering he wanted to have our marriage annulled,” she sighed. “He also seemed to think that I would be the demise of Cordonia.”
“Well, yes, remember, Bertrand is a traditionalist. His duty to country comes before all else. But regardless, he’s still my friend, and as such, he’ll want me to be happy. If I ask him to help you adjust to court life, he will do it. Begrudgingly at first, but after he sees how well suited you are as my wife, he’ll come around.”
Riley sighed. What an optimist. As much as she wanted to believe that Bertrand would help her, she believed that he’d probably eagerly wait for the moment for her to fall flat on her face. She was about to ask Liam a few more questions about Cordonia when she felt a slight rumble under her feet. She felt the plane begin to descend, and looked at Liam a bit concerned. “What was that?” She asked in alarm.
“We’re getting closer,” he explained as his eyes peered out the window. “It looks like we’re descending a bit to prepare for landing,” he reasoned. His eyes grew a bit brighter as he stared out the window. “Well, Mrs. Rys . . . if you look out to your left you’ll catch your first glimpse of your new home,” Liam beamed proudly.
Riley leaned against the window, her eyes gazing out into the distance below her. She could just make out the aerial view of the country. A million thoughts ran through her mind. They were here. They were finally here. Riley gazed out at the shimmering blue ocean below her. Cordonia’s coastline was breathtaking. The little information she found on Google did nothing to prepare her for the sheer beauty of the country below her.
She turned to Liam in awe, and he greeted her gaze with a beaming smile. All it took for her worries to wane was a single look at Liam. She knew this move would be hard, and she knew that she would be faced with a lot of scrutiny, and although she still had reservations about what would be like as an outsider, she knew that as long as Liam stood by her side, she’d somehow manage to pull through all of this.
“That’s our country,” he said, leaning over her, pressing a soft kiss on the temple of her forehead.
“Our?” She whispered, still a bit overwhelmed about the reality of finally being in Cordonia. She turned to face him, his eyes fixed on her in admiration.
“Yes, love. The moment you said yes . . . the moment you signed those papers . . . this became all of yours,” he said proudly.
5/13/2019 - Ya’ll there is no excuse for how long I’ve been gone. Life got crazy and unfortunately my Choices obsession had to take a backseat. I’m back and writing again, and I’m so excited to rejoin the community and give you closure to the pieces I’ve had up, and introduce you to some new pieces as well. I still love Choices and plan on getting updated on all the new stories too!
Thanks for all the feedback. I LOVE IT. :)
Part 48 - Girl Talk
Riley awoke with a small smile across her lips. Had last night really happened? Maybe she should pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t still dreaming? Nope, not a dream. She chuckled to herself. How on earth did Liam always manage to sweep her off her feet? She had been wary to make the trek back to Cordonia. Okay, he had been more than wary, she had been downright reluctant to ever set foot in the country again. She’d had her heart broken twice there, and she wasn’t in the market to have it happen a third time. And although she woke with a sense of peace for the first time in months, she, admittedly, still had a whole lot of worry lingering inside of her. But, just as he always did, Liam went far beyond any of her expectations. First the office, then his impromptu visit and his talk of wooing her again – it wasn’t what she had expected at all. She had been so certain that all they could ever be together again was co-parents, yet, here he was changing trying to change her mind yet again. Could this really work? Was this finally her second chance? Could they finally have the happily ever after that she had so desperately wanted back when they first met? She shook her head, trying to bring herself back to reality. Her life would be forever different now. Her wants, her needs, none of it mattered because she had an entirely new focus to think about now. Her only focus was the health and safety of their lima bean.
Her hand drifted down toward her belly, grazing the still unnoticeable bump. She rolled over in bed and paused for a moment, waiting for the familiar feeling of nausea to come over her . . . but there was nothing. That was odd. Most days she was awoken by the rumbling sensation of nausea deep within her stomach, but today there was nothing except butterflies - the good kind. Her mind drifted back to Liam once more, and she released a sigh. The evening spent with Liam played back in her head. A courtship? The idea alone caused a shiver down her spine. It wasn’t traditional . . . at least not by any sort of American terms, and she wondered what exactly Liam had in mind. As she recalled, dating in Cordonia was lavish, and while she admitted the exciting rendezvous she went on with Liam when they first met took her breath away, it was highly impractical to go along those lines of dating given the current situation they found themselves in. After all, they weren’t just dating to see if they liked each other and to have fun. It was dating to see if they could have a future together. Talk about a lot of pressure. Would she be ready to commit to the future with him? Truly commit? A life forever bound to Cordonian culture and society? A life as queen? She mentally chided herself. Mere moments ago she was in a state of euphoria, and now here she was thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong. She shook her head, pushing the uncertainties out of her mind for the time being. All she could do was take things one day at a time. They had four weeks. Four weeks to give their relationship another chance. She wasn’t going to think about any of the what ifs or maybes until then.
She ambled down the staircase slowly, the smell of something delicious making its way out of the kitchen. The fact that she hadn’t woken with the nagging feeling of nausea was something to celebrate in itself. The fact that she suddenly had an appetite was an added bonus. She quickly wandered into the kitchen, mouth salivating.
She spotted Andy putting on a pot of coffee as music blared from her iPhone. She shimmied around the kitchen like she owned it, dancing along without a care in the world. Riley could barely contain the smile on her face. She looked absolutely ridiculous, but she also looked happier than she had ever seen her. What more could she have wished for her best friend?
“Good morning, Future Mrs. Beaumont,” Riley sing-songed loudly over the blaring music. “Someone is up bright and early this morning,” she teased her.
Andy jumped a little, throwing a hand to her chest. “You scared the crap out of me,” she gasped. “What are you doing up so early?”
Riley shrugged. “I heard some movement down here and figured I’d see who was up,” she smiled. “Little did I know that the Future Mrs. Beaumont was up and about dancing her way through the kitchen,” she teased.
Andy beamed at Riley, as she turned to the coffee pot that had just chimed. “I love the way that sounds,” she sighed contently as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “You need to call me that all the time, okay?” She chuckled. “I still can’t believe it,” she grinned widely as she continued to flutter around the kitchen. “Being engaged has me feeling so . . . domestic,” she laughed.
“Apparently,” Riley agreed, her head turning toward all the dishes. “My gosh,” Riley looked around the full countertops. Andy must have been up for hours already. There were dishes of pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, waffles and even some grits bubbling on the stove. Andy had even managed to whip up a batch of sweet tea. In all the time that she had known and lived with Andy, she had never showed that she had a domestic bone in her body. She could barely pick up after herself let alone make an entire meal by herself. “You did all of this?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said excitedly. “I wanted to call my parents at a decent hour in New York time,” she explained. “Then once I had, I just couldn’t stop talking,” she exclaimed giddily. “I chatted with mom for over an hour about wedding plans. Did you know that my sneaky fiancé had my parents in on the whole thing!” She squealed.
Riley’s eyes widened in surprise as she shook her head. “I didn’t.” She hadn’t actually been privy to the fact that there was about to be an engagement at all. The last she knew, Bertrand had talked him out of proposing. Then again, that had been months ago. It amazed her that Maxwell had kept such a life-changing decision a secret, especially from her. But it certainly didn’t surprise her that Maxwell had opted to include Andy’s parents in his plan. Family was something very important to him, and considering that his own parents were long gone, she could certainly see why he would want Andy’s parents to be involved. After all, they would become his parents, too, once they got married. “How on earth did he manage that?”
“He took their numbers from my phone,” she explained. “He’s such a sly dog,” she chuckled. “Well, you can imagine what an awkward telephone call that was considering that I’d only just told them about him a few weeks prior,” she mused. “He ended up meeting with them while we were in New York! Can you believe that?” She asked. “I mean, I was so distracted with everything that was going on with you and the baby that I didn’t realize he was off schmoozing with the parentals,” she said merrily. “My parents didn’t say a single thing,” she murmured.
“Well, aren’t proposals supposed to be a surprise?” Riley asked.
“Yes, well if that was the intent, he most certainly nailed it,” she gushed.
“How did they react to the news?” Riley asked. Andy’s parents were well-to-do New Yorkers, but they weren’t the least bit snooty. They were relatively open-minded and supported Andy in every endeavor she had . . . even if her decisions were a bit off the wall at times.
“As any parent would I suppose,” she shrugged. “Mom told me they were a bit surprised about how quickly our relationship had been progressing, but she admitted that Maxwell was absolutely endearing. He even made a whole presentation as to why he would be the best suited life partner for me,” she sighed dreamily. “Mom said it was adorable. He had the ring with him and everything. He told them that he wanted them to feel like they were a part of the whole thing, even though they’d be back in New York when it actually did happen. Mom said they were so worried at first since he seemed a bit . . . eccentric, but in true Maxwell form, he won them over with his charm,” she said a bit wistfully.
“And your dad?” Riley asked
“Dad thought he was insane!” Andy laughed. “But he said he could tell that Maxwell was an honest guy who really did care about me. It helped that Maxwell tried to butter him up with the offer to take him fishing when they finally made it out to Cordonia.”
“Does Maxwell even know the first thing about fishing?” Riley asked.
“He knows absolutely nothing,” Andy laughed. “He was just so desperate to make some sort of connection with my father that he fudged his way through. Of course, my father saw through him right away. He said that any man that would go through so much trouble to pretend he liked fishing had to have it bad for his daughter. So, when he asked for their blessing, he found it rather hard to tell him no,” she murmured.
“I’m sure,” Riley nodded in agreement. “He’s a pretty difficult guy to turn down,” she said thoughtfully. Riley couldn’t help it, but she started to get misty-eyed over the entire thing. Maxwell and Andy were going to have such an amazing life together. She just knew it. She admitted that when they first got together, she was a tad bit wary. Maxwell had just come back into her life, and she was worried that if things soured between him and Andy, she’d be forced to choose between the two, and she hated to admit it, but her roommate had the upper hand. But after only a few days in, she knew there was something different about their relationship. They both genuinely seemed to care for one another, and it was apparent, that the connection went far deeper than just a casual fling. Still, she couldn’t believe that her two best friends were settling down - with one another no less. Who knew that it would only take a plane ride and a few thousand miles for their love connection to happen?
“Hey, no crying,” Andy admonished.
“These are happy tears, I promise,” Riley said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I can’t control these damn hormones,” she chuckled lightly. “I’m just so excited for you guys,” she murmured. “It’s been a whirlwind, hasn’t it?” Riley commented. Thinking back on everything that happened over the last few months, things had changed tremendously.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Andy said as she placed a glass of water in front of Riley and sat next to her. “I can’t imagine going through all of this without you,” she smiled lightly
.
Riley forced a small smile out. She didn’t want to remind Andy that she didn’t know how long she’d be staying in Cordonia. She didn’t want her friend to get her hopes up that this was a permanent move. “So? Any wedding plans? Did you guys set a date or anything?” Riley asked, taking a sip out of a glass of water.
Andy shook her head. “We’re hoping for a long engagement,” she explained. “I want my parents to be able to fly up here and get to know Maxwell, and I also want to be a bit more settled as a couple in our own space before we get married. The house won’t be ready for a while, but I don’t really like the idea of being newlyweds with Bertrand lurking around at every corner,” she cringed at the thought.
Riley could relate thinking back to Bertrand chaperoning her date night with Liam. She knew that his protectiveness came from a place of love, but she couldn’t help but think that he was also being rather overbearing. Even her own parents hadn’t been as apprehensive about what she did. Bertrand took protectiveness to a whole new level. “Yeah, tell me about it,” she rolled her eyes. “Liam stopped by last night, and Bertrand was like a guard dog. You know, he actually had the audacity to require me to leave the door open. He acted like we were a bunch of horny teenagers who were about to jump each other at any given second.”
Andy laughed. “Well . . . can you blame him? You did lock yourself in your bedroom last time around for days on end,” she eyed Riley suggestively.
“Shut up,” Riley frowned.
“It’s just such a Bertrand thing to do,” she said in between side-splitting chuckles. “He’s delusional to think that things can’t happen when the door his open,” she snickered.
Riley blushed a little. “Liam and I aren’t even at that point . . . in our . . . thing,” she sighed. She didn’t really know how to explain the dynamic between them. Their conversation last night hadn’t exactly solidified anything between them except that they would court one another for four weeks.
“Thing?” Andy arched an eyebrow. “Girl, you’re having his baby, you two are way more than just a thing,” she added knowingly.
Riley let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t really understand what we are right now,” she said with a slight blush. “He kind of threw me a curveball last night.”
“Ooooh, do tell,” Andy leaned closer to her eagerly.
“So, as you know, he came over last night . . .” Riley trailed off.
“And?” Andy leaned even closer.
“And, he wants to try and court me,” Riley said simply.
Andy snapped back with a look of confusion on her face. “Court you? What is he ninety? That sounds like something out of a 1950s show.” Andy burst into a fit of giggles. “You realize how lame that sounds right?” She gasped out in between laughs. “You’re joking. You guys are way beyond courting. You’re about to have a kid. He needs to put a ring on it and seal the deal.”
“Will you stop and be serious for a minute? This is a big deal, okay? I’m not sure if I’m ready to do a whole courtship thing,” Riley admitted quietly.
“Well yeah, I mean, courtships are a thing of the past.” Andy crinkled her nose.
Riley couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Look, things are complicated right now, and I know we need to figure out what the heck we’re going to do about our future, but the idea of a courtship is kind of . . . intimidating, ” Riley shrugged. “I need your advice.”
Andy looked at her. “I’m not exactly a dating expert, Riley. You of all people should know that. Pre-Maxwell, I bounced from relationship to relationship. I mean, I never even thought I’d be remotely close to settling down until I met him. I used to rely on things like Tinder to find guys, and those relationships never exactly ended well,” she mused. “Nowadays, no one does the whole dating with a purpose thing,” she reasoned. “Welcome to the generation of random hook ups and STDs,” Andy snorted. “I didn’t really think about finding my life partner, you know? I mean, at our age, who really thinks about settling down with the whole white picket fence. But I met Maxwell, and then, something changed. I mean, yeah at first, I kind of thought, well, he’s just going to be my random European hook up that I think back on when I’m in my fifties wondering if I ever did anything adventurous in my life . . . but then, I don’t know. We started hanging out and actually started to get to know one another, and . . . well, I fell for him. These guys . . . they were raised differently than us. Yes, there are so many rules . . . so many freaking rules about proper etiquette and manners, but that’s what made them who they are you know? You found a guy who actually wants to take the time to court you,” she raised her hands in quotation marks. “As ridiculous and old-fashioned as it sounds, that’s way better than some random douchebag trying to slide into your DMs,” she reasoned.
Riley chuckled a little. She was right. Gone were the days of guys opening doors and bringing flowers on the first date. She knew very well that guys like Liam were hard to come by, which is why she fell so crazy in love with him the first time around.
“So, are you actually going to go along with it?” Andy asked.
Riley nodded slowly. “I told him that I would,” she sighed. “Do you think that’s the wrong decision?” she asked, suddenly feeling so uncertain.
Andy paused thoughtfully. “I can’t make that decision for you, Ri.”
“I know that. But I want your opinion. Do you think I made the wrong choice? What if this whole thing blows up in my face? Maybe co-parenting was the way safer option for us. I mean, what the heck do I know about courtships?”
Andy shook her head fervently. “Riley, just stop for a second. Breathe. No. Co-parenting was so not going to work with you two. You guys have too much history. Honestly . . . as stupid as courting is . . . I think that saying yes to it was the first smart decision you’ve made . . . well a part from moving back here,” she nudged her as she took a sip from her coffee cup. “Hey, maybe this is a good thing,” she reasoned. “Your ‘courtship’ might actually teach you guys how to actually communicate with one another instead of jumping to conclusions all the time,” she teased.
Riley threw her hand up to her chest in mock indignation. “Ouch.”
“Just being real,” Andy said, waggling her eyebrows. “So after you agreed to the courtship, did Casanova spend the night? Please tell me you at least fooled around a bit.”
“Oh my God, you’re too much,” Riley shook her head. “Yes, Andy we fooled around so much with Bertrand pacing right outside the door,” she snorted as she rolled her eyes.
“Like I said, things can still happen with the door open,” Andy winked at her.
“Stop being so crude. We don’t have overnight privileges,” Riley assured her. “He was a perfect gentleman who came with the best of intentions,” she said.
Andy snorted as she poured herself another cup of coffee. “Right, and it was those gentlemanly intentions that got you in trouble,” she motioned to Riley’s stomach. “But then again, it’s not like he can knock you up again if he let those gentlemanly intentions slide for a night.”
Riley sighed as she shook her head. “We are nowhere near that point in this courtship thing. Even though I can’t get pregnant again, sex will still complicate things. Emotions get involved and it gets messy. I just . . . I just don’t have the luxury to be careless anymore. Not when I have the baby to think about.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, Ri. You know I’m just messing with you right? I’m still on my engagement high and just want you to be happy, too,” she nudged her shoulder. “So when does this courtship begin?”
“Today.” Riley answered.
Andy choked a bit on her coffee. “Wow, he certainly doesn’t waste any time,” she mused.
“Well . . . that’s the thing . . . we’re kind of working on a specific timeline,” she explained.
Andy arched an eyebrow. “Explain,” she said simply.
“He wants me to give him four weeks to see if our relationship can be salvaged,” she began. “So, I said I would try it out for the four weeks.” She shrugged. “I mean, I’m going to be here anyway, and he’s been really trying. The least I can do is give it a shot for the lima bean’s sake.”
“And after four weeks?” Andy asked hopefully.
“And after four weeks,” Riley paused. “I don’t know,” she furrowed her eyebrows. “He did say that if I don’t think our relationship will work out, he won’t pressure me anymore about staying in Cordonia. He’ll let me go back to New York and raise the baby how I want. I mean, I guess if it doesn’t work out, we’ll just go along with the original plan of co-parenting and just move on with our lives.”
Andy grunted in disapproval. “Yeah, right.”
“What?” Riley asked.
“You will never just move on, Riley. Not when a baby is involved. No matter what, that baby is half Liam’s, and no matter how much you want to believe you’ll be able to move on with your life and co-parent like it’s no big deal, it won’t work.”
Riley sat up a bit indignantly in her chair. “What are you talking about? Why won’t it work?”
“Because you’re head over heels crazy about this guy. I know it. Maxwell knows it. Bertrand knows it. Liam knows it. The only person who is fighting this is you,” she smiled sadly.
Riley paused, considering her words for a moment. Riley was so up in the air about everything, and the damn pregnancy hormones were making things worse. “I’ve really made a mess of things, haven’t I?” She said sadly.
Andy shook her head. “Oh, Ri. I didn’t want to make you feel bad. It’s hard to maneuver through something like this. I mean, I wish I could give you a textbook answer that would apply to this scenario, but I can’t. I can’t imagine going through what you’re going through,” she admitted. “I know I’ve been just as pushy as the guys about you and Liam, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, you’ve got me, okay? I’m always going to have your back.”
“I know,” Riley nodded confidently. “Same for me as well,” she offered.
“Look, I didn’t want to kill the mood. I just want you to go into this courtship thing with eyes wide open. Give the guy a chance. Let loose a little,” she placed a hand on her shoulder, willing Riley to look at her. “I know you’re scared, and I know there are a whole lot of things that need to be figured out, but please, just give him a chance, okay? For him to take the risk of you going back to New York with the baby . . . he must have a whole lot of faith and love invested in this relationship.”
Of that Riley was fairly certain. Liam had made it very clear that he loved her and their little lima bean. She wanted desperately to believe that things will work out. Andy was right. She needed to give things a fair shot and she needed to open herself up to the idea of the three of them being a family. “No, it’s okay. Maybe I needed the tough love,” she shrugged, smiling sadly. Riley took a strong whiff in the air around her, and changed gears for a second. “What’s that smell?” She felt hunger pains rumbling around in her stomach, and it was a welcome sensation. She had gotten distracted with their conversation and had forgotten about the hunger pangs she had awoken with. She hadn’t had much of an appetite in weeks, but something Andy had cooked proved to be too much of a temptation to resist.
“Oh crap,” Andy said, jumping out of her chair. I forgot I left the croissants in the oven,” she said, running over to the stove. “I’ll never hear the end of it from Bertrand if I somehow burn down his kitchen,” she muttered. “I’m sorry, I know all sorts of smells are ten times worse now that you’re pregnant,” Andy apologized. She looked around the kitchen, her eyes wandering over the multitude of plates and dishes. “Ugh,” she cringed. “I know all this stuff must be making you feel absolutely nauseated, she frowned. “I honestly didn’t think you’d be up for at least another hour, so I figured it would be safe to get all of this cooking done before you woke up. I can open the windows to let the smell fade out,” she offered.
“Actually . . . I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think today is going to be a good day,” she said hopefully.
“Really?” Andy asked skeptically as she pulled the croissants off the baking pan. “That will be like the first day since you found out you were knocked up,” she mused. “Maybe your spawn is happy to be back in the land of his conception,” she laughed.
Riley narrowed her eyes at her best friend. “That’s not funny,” she whined. Admittedly, the same thought had run through Riley’s head when she had first woken up. She thought that the change of scenery and timezone might have forced her body to reset itself.
“Well, whatever it is, I hope it sticks,” she crossed her fingers and waved them in front of Riley’s face as she passed by to pull out a couple of plates. “Dare I ask if you’d like some?”
“Well, I mean, I’ve only been starving for the last few weeks,” Riley chuckled. “Plus, it’d be a tragedy if I let Maxwell and Bertrand eat all of this food all by themselves,” she motioned around her.
Andy laughed and started putting some bacon on her plate. “Everything but the eggs?” Andy asked.
“Actually . . . the eggs smell sort of delicious,” Riley said thoughtfully.
Andy looked at her in surprise. Riley hated eggs. It had been a food aversion she had developed when she was a kid. She wasn’t sure what it was about it that made her hate it, but eggs were just never that appealing for her. It didn’t matter how it was cooked – fried, boiled, baked . . . it didn’t matter. Eggs were just not her thing. “You’re joking?” Andy asked.
“I wish,” she shook her head. “Mind if I have some?”
“Are you sure that’s such a good idea? What if you . . . ya know . . . upchuck it?” She asked hesitantly.
“Gross,” Riley wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Can we not talk about upchucking when I’m not nauseous for the first time in weeks,” she sighed.
“I just don’t want you getting a bout of that hyperemesis stuff and have you wind up in a Cordonian hospital,” she explained. “Especially since you know what,” she said as she motioned to her stomach “isn’t exactly common knowledge.”
Riley sighed. She knew Andy was right. Just because she was feeling a bit better, didn’t mean that she should push it. Winding up in the hospital in New York wasn’t exactly newsworthy. Landing herself in the hospital here with Liam undoubtedly by her side, yeah, that would be front page news. She wasn’t exactly ready for a media storm just yet, especially with things so up in the air about their relationship.
“Ugh, you’re right. Just a little of everything and no eggs. The last thing I want is to feel queasy before my date with Liam,” Riley finally acquiesced.
“Speaking of your date, where is he taking you?”
Riley shrugged. “I’m actually not sure. “We agreed that he’d pick me up around eleven . . . but that’s all I pretty much know,” she explained as she started to dig into her food.
“I like that he’s keeping it mysterious,” Andy said thoughtfully. “It shows that he really wants to make things special for you,” she said cheerfully.
Riley nodded in agreement. “I never really thought of it like that,” she smiled. “You’re right, you know. I really need to give him a chance.”
“Well, duh,” Andy said. “Don’t you know I’m always right,” she said, trying to keep a straight face.
The two ate in silence for several minutes, before Riley looked at her best friend and smiled softly. “Andy?” Riley asked quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For talking me off the ledge earlier,” she smiled softly. “I know it sucks to get wrapped up in all of this chaos, especially when you’re about to embark on one of the most exciting times of your life with Maxwell,” Riley said. “So I appreciate you being here for me . . . for us,” she trailed off.
“Of course, I mean, you’d do the same for me right?” Andy said honestly.
Just as Riley was about to agree, the doorbell chimed from the main entrance. Riley’s eyes bulged as she looked at the clock. “Oh no, he’s like two hours early,” she said as she jumped out of her seat. “I’m not even ready. I still have morning breath and bed head,” she exclaimed.
“Go on and get ready,” Andy laughed. “I’ll stall him with all this food,” she motioned around her. “Men can’t say no to food,” she reasoned.
Riley smiled at her friend, kissing her on the cheek. “Best friend ever,” she exclaimed happily as she ran out of the kitchen.
“And please, do something with your hair!” Andy called after her.
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story. Those belong to me. ;)
PAIRINGS: Liam x Riley (MC)
SUMMARY: Riley is having a hard time coping with her father’s lack of acceptance of her marriage. Not to mention, she’s starting to realize what a big change her life is in for now that she’s married to the next King of Cordonia.
8/13/18 - Goodbye, New York! Well, almost. Next chapter we will see our first glimpse of Cordonia. Thank you for everyone’s patience.
TAG LIST HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED. I will update for Chapter 18! If you would like to be tagged for this series or on my permanent list, comment or message me!
I appreciate all of your feedback, and will continue to get the chapters out ASAP. Almost will be next to be updated. :) I’ll also be updating my master list sometime tonight. :)
Chapter 17
A couple of hours later, Riley awoke to the smell of something cooking, and it smelled divine. She sat up, stretching her arms out over her head. She blinked a few times to gather her bearings. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little after seven. She had only meant to close her eyes for a few minutes, not a few hours. She sighed, before turning her attention back to the sweet smell of deliciousness. She saw Liam wandering around her tiny kitchen, as if he had been in there dozens of times before. She took a few more whiffs into the air, immediately identifying the aroma of garlic and cheese. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of eating. “Liam,” she called out sleepily.
“Oh wonderful,” he called out from the kitchen. “Just in time for some dinner,” he shot a quick look over his shoulder, while still stirring the pot on her stove - the stove that she hadn’t been sure was still working. “You had dozed off, and I couldn’t bring myself to wake you,” he explained.
She yawned as he spoke, her body still longing for a few more hours of restful slumber. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until she had woken up. Her body felt stiff, and haggard. She felt like she had absolutely no energy to do anything except sleep. She supposed stress tended to have that effect on a person. Well, that and the fact that her husband had thoroughly ravaged her body in a way that she hadn’t thought possible. If this was what the honeymoon stage of marriage was like, she never wanted it to end. She felt as if she couldn’t get enough of him. It was as if, when she was with him, every single one of her nerve ending were on fire. It was a sensation she had never felt before, and a sensation she never wanted to go without feeling again.
“You still look tired,” he frowned. “Did you want to just go back to sleep?” He asked, as he began to plate the meal he had been preparing. “I can always save this for you for later,” he said, motioning to the fridge.
She wiped the tiredness from her eyes, yawning in the process. “No, it’s okay,” she shook her head. “I should eat. I wish I could just sleep the rest of the day away, but God, there’s still so much to do,” she said, pulling the throw around her body tightly. Her eyes wandered to the living room. Liam had taken it upon himself to start pulling things out of her bedroom, ready for her to sort through and bag and box. “Oh, Liam, I feel awful. You did all of this?” She motioned to the piles of clothes and containers he had pulled from her bedroom.
He nodded. “I didn’t want to wake you because you needed your rest. I did what I could. I figured you’d want to take all of your clothes with you, so I started to pull them from your dresser and your closet,” he explained. “I just started to pull whatever else was already boxed up . . . I thought that would be easier to sort through first,” he explained.
She hummed in response, stretching her body out as she stood off of the couch. “You’re too much,” she murmured, as he greeted her with the plate of creamy fettuccine alfredo.
“Where’d you get this?” She said, eyeing the plate hungrily. “We literally had nothing in the cabinets,” she commented.
“After you had dozed off, I got dressed and decided to pick up some essentials that we needed before our flight tomorrow morning. I’ll admit, the neighborhood isn’t as terrible as I had initially suspected,’ he teased. “There was a lovely woman who ran the corner store, by the way. Asked if I was single . . . apparently she has a granddaughter,” he chuckled. “She looked a bit put out when I told her that I was newly married,” he smirked.
Riley rolled her eyes. “That’s Mrs. Patela,” she said, shaking her head. “She’s always trying to set people up.”
“Well, it was nice to get out and about,” he murmured. “It gave me a chance to do something normal for once without getting recognized,” he scratched his head thoughtfully.
“I take it that doesn’t happen too often in Cordonia,” she mused.
“Not at all, actually,” he said in disappointment. “We have staff members that run errands for the royal family. Going out is a bit of a hassle. I’m usually trailed by a few security guards, or if I’m with my father, a whole team of security specialists,” he sighed. “I can’t even remember the last time I was in a grocery store to be quite honest,” he said somberly. “Being in the sort of position I’m in . . . your life becomes a bit limited.”
She narrowed her eyes at his words, but didn’t comment. She imagined from their conversations that his life was very much dictated for him, hence why he seemed to be so adventurous back in Vegas. It had been an opportunity for him to actually do things he wanted without fear of repercussions or someone constantly watching him. She couldn’t imagine how hard it was for him to live in such a way. Her thoughts paused for a moment when she realized that would be her life now as well. She frowned at the thought, but decided not to think about it. If they only had less than a day before the chaos started, she wasn’t going to dredge up all sorts of precarious discussions. Not when they were enjoying spending time with another. She settled into the couch with her plate, licking her lips in anticipation of eating the yummy goodness that was overflowing on her plate. “This smells so tasty,” she said as she put a forkful in her mouth. “Oh my God, and it tastes just as good,” she closed her eyes, savoring the flavor.
“It’s nothing extravagant. I just happened to walk past the dry goods aisle and I remember you mentioning how much you enjoyed Italian food, so I decided to pick up a few packs of pasta, and well, here we are. It’s one of the few dishes I can actually make without poisoning someone,” he laughed.
“I sincerely doubt that,” she countered, taking another mouthful in. “A prince and a chef? Lucky me,” she smirked at him, as he started to eat his own plateful. “It was really thoughtful, Liam. Thank you,” she smiled. “And thank you for starting on the whole packing thing,” she murmured. “I know how much of a mess my room is,” she sighed.
“I just wanted to make the transition of the move a tad bit easier on you, especially since we don’t know what we’ll face when we get to Cordonia,” he reasoned.
She frowned. So much for avoiding precarious discussions. She expected him to turn the conversation into what was going to happen when they arrived in Cordonia, but surprisingly, he let the conversation drop. He shifted his gaze away as they began to eat in silence, neither wanting to talk about the huge elephant in the room – what exactly would life be like when they got to Cordonia?
When Liam had finished eating, he moved to take her plate away from her as well, but she held onto it tightly. “I’ll do the dishes,” she said. “You cooked, I’ll clean,” she said simply.
He shot her an uncertain look. “Are you sure? I can clean up while you get a start on packing,” he motioned to the living room that was scattered with a good majority of her belongings.
“It’s fine,” she smiled. “Like I said, it’s not too often that I eat on actual plates, so it’s the least I can do as a thank you for cooking me my first real meal in ages,” she said. “I’m used to eating right out of the takeout container,” she explained.
Riley busied herself in the kitchen, as Liam returned to the task he had started earlier of pulling things out of Riley’s room. She honestly hadn’t expected him to be so hands on when it came to packing up her things. Then again, he had been so attentive to her wants and needs since getting to her apartment, she supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised. She finished cleaning up the kitchen in no time before joining Liam in the living room. “I know . . . I have too much stuff,” she said, breaking the silence between them. He had been crouched on the floor, sifting through her collection of books, when she saw that he had sorted out her medical school textbooks from the rest of the books.
“What are you going to do with all of your textbooks?” He asked, pointing to the newly formed pile.
She frowned, glancing over at the tower of textbooks. She remembered forking over the lofty eight hundred and fifty dollars for this semester’s books. It had pained her at the time to part with such a large chunk of money, but, she thought it was an investment in her future. Now, she looked at them as a painful reminder of the argument she had with her father and what a disappointment she now was to him. She sighed heavily, running her hands through her hair.
“What’s wrong?” He asked suddenly, concerned by her now deflated mood.
She motioned to the pile of textbooks. “We won’t have enough time to swing by the medical school to try and get some of my money back,” she cringed. “They cost me a lot,” her eyebrows furrowing in frustration. “I don’t just want to donate them when I could maybe get at least a few hundred back for the lot,” she explained.
He frowned in response. “That’s what’s bothering you? The money?” He looked at her skeptically. “Riley, love, if that’s the case, then rest easy. You can give them back to the school for free. You don’t need the money. Not anymore. We’ve talked about this,” he tried to reassure her.
She shook her head. “It’s not that,” she said slowly. She hadn’t wanted to stir up all of her feelings about things with her father. She didn’t want to spend her last night in New York wallowing in the uncertain status of her relationship with him; not when she had been enjoying such a nice evening with Liam.
“Are you having second thoughts about leaving medical school?” He asked.
She groaned in frustration. He just wasn’t going to let the issue go.
“I know you said it’s not what you wanted, but if you’re having doubts, we can work around it,” he rambled. “When we get to Cordonia, I can make arrangements to have you continue your education if you so wish. It may be difficult to coordinate at first, but I’m sure in time we’d be able to accommodate it into your schedule,” he reasoned.
“It’s not that either,” she shook her head firmly. She wanted to put an end to his questioning. She could see how desperately he wanted to make her feel better, and she felt terrible not being honest with him, but she just didn’t have the heart to relive those feelings when he had just tried to alleviate her fears only a few hours prior. “I’m not upset about leaving medical school . . . because you were right, being a part of the medical field was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she said somberly. “I just don’t have that sort of dedication in me. Not like my Dad,” she said a bit softer. “The sort of dedication my father had to his career and patients were unparalleled. Besides, I already sent off the email letting them know I was withdrawing from the program,” she sighed. “I have never felt as relieved as I felt when I hit the send button on that email,” she said confidently.
“Then what has you all twisted up into knots?” he frowned.
“We made the right decision . . . didn’t we?” She hadn’t known why the words flew from her lips. There had been no doubt in her mind that they were perfect for one another. Maybe she wanted some sort of confirmation of what she had already known to be true – that no matter what happened, they’d stay together through all of it.
He moved from his crouched position, standing to face her. He looked confused. The question had clearly caught him off guard. She instantly felt awful when she saw the panic in his eyes. “About getting married?” He paused. She saw a look of sadness and a tinge of hurt travel across his features as she nodded. “Yes, of course,” his eyebrows pulled together with worry as he stood a bit straighter. “Are you having cold feet?” He asked seriously.
She shook her head dismissively. She lifted her hand up, waving it out in front of her, the diamond sparking in the fluorescent lighting of the living room. “You can only get cold feet before the wedding,” she joked, but Liam didn’t look amused. He looked fearful.
“I’m sorry . . . I don’t know why I asked that,” she stammered. “I have never been as happy as I am right now,” she said honestly. “But . . . when I saw the textbooks, it just reminded me about everything that happened with my dad,” she sighed. “He and I have never gone more than a week without talking, and I know it’s only been half a day, but . . .” she trailed off, her eyes prickled with tears. “I keep thinking that my phone is going to ring and it will be him on the other end asking me to come back so that we can talk things out,” she gave him a half-hearted smile. “That’s silly isn’t it?” She felt ridiculous suddenly. She was a grown adult, feeling absolutely awful because her father wasn’t approving of her life choices. Why was she still feeling so vulnerable about the whole thing? “I know we made the right decision . . .I just wish my dad felt the same way,” she admitted.
“Do you want to postpone the flight?” he asked, taking her face in his hands. “I can easily adjust our flight plans if you think that you want to give your father a chance to come around,” he suggested.
She paused, considering his offer for a split second before shaking her head, reaching her hands up to caress the hands still on her face. “No,” she said simply. “I’m just being ridiculous,” she exhaled loudly. “Okay . . . so maybe I’m being more than ridiculous . . . maybe I’m having a tiny freak out about what’s going to happen now that I don’t really have a life plan to follow anymore,” she frowned. “But I’m trying to be okay with it . . . and as sweet as it is for you to want to adjust our flight plan, I don’t want to do that. If my father isn’t going to come around, then there’s nothing I can say or do to change that,” she said, trying to reassure herself. “Maybe in the future, I can reach out to him again, but for now, I need to focus on adjusting to my new life as your wife,” she said decidedly.
His hands dropped to her waist, pulling her in closer to him. “You had me scared for a moment,” he admitted. “I thought you were ready to call the whole thing off,” he said.
“I’m sorry . . . I’m just not used to winging things, you know?” She shrugged. “Anyway, forget it. Forget I said anything, okay? Let’s get packing. There’s so much to do and there’s not enough time,” she said, pulling him toward the mess. Liam looked like he wanted to discuss the matter further, but he stopped himself. Riley released a small sigh of relief.
“We won’t be able to take a lot of this with us on the plane,” he studied the accumulation of her belongings.
“I know,” she sighed tiredly. “I hadn’t realized I had so much crap,” she blushed. He probably thought she was some sort of hoarder with all the clothes she had. “I promise I’ll get rid of things . . . I just hate having to go through all of it,” she frowned.
“You don’t have to get rid of anything, love,” he corrected her. “There are companies that we can hire to ship the rest of your belongings to Cordonia. It might take a few weeks to get there, but it will eventually,” he offered.
“Shut up . . . are you sure?”
He nodded excitedly. “I was looking it up on your computer while you were resting . . . there’s two local companies that are reasonably priced and can make the arrangements within the next few days. We might need Andy’s assistance in being present when they arrive to make the pick up, but other than that, as long as we have things bagged, boxed, and labeled, they’ll do the rest.”
Riley’s mouth gaped open in surprise. Apparently, Liam had thought of everything. He truly was an amazing man. She never would have even considered shipping her belongings overseas. Who would want to pay the likely astronomical fees? But clearly, to Liam, money wasn’t an issue. She hated the idea of him spending yet more money on her, but she didn’t really want to get rid of all of her things . . . especially things she had held onto since high school. She smiled, looking at Liam excitedly. “Let’s do it. Andy gets back tomorrow evening. I’ll shoot her a quick text, and I’m sure I can convince her to hang around the apartment for a day until they swing by to grab my stuff,” she said happily.
He smiled in return. “Excellent. I’ll send the company an email now,” he said, moving toward her bedroom. She shook her head. He had certainly made himself at home while she had been napping – first with cooking and now with using her computer. She had meant what she had said earlier. She hadn’t been this happy in years . . . since before her mother had passed away. Who would have thought that her weekend getaway to Vegas would kick-start a whole new adventure for her? Lady Luck had certainly been on her side when she met Liam at the bar in that horrible club. She couldn’t imagine what her life would be like had she never run into him.
Several hours passed before they were finally ready to throw in the towel for the night. They had sorted through every single thing that had belonged to her in that apartment. She had decided to leave all of the furniture, even the ones that had been given to her specifically because Liam promised that their private quarters had all the necessary furnishings. He even offered to have items ordered if she wanted something. How could she turn such a tempting offer down? The squeezed awkwardly on her queen-size bed as they snuggled in closely to one another. Although Riley’s mind was still filled with worry, being tightly wrapped in Liam’s arms was a well-needed distraction.
When they woke the next morning, they were in a scramble to grab what they could manage and head off to the airport. Riley half-expected herself to be sick with nerves and anxiety, but the rush they had found themselves in didn’t allow her any time to dwell on the butterflies that were fluttering around in her stomach. After a quick shower and breakfast, Liam and Riley were gathering the last of the items they’d be taking with them on the plane. Liam was half-way out the door, before Riley found her feet suddenly firmly planted in the entryway. She turned around, looking at her apartment, and a rush of mixed emotions coursed through her body.
“Riley,” he said, calling out to her from the doorway. As if reading her mind, he gently grabbed her by the hand and squeezed it tightly. “We can always come back to visit,” he said, pulling her closely to him.
“I know,” she nodded sadly. “It’s just . . . I’ve only ever lived in New York,” she hiccupped as a few tears escaped from her eyes. She clenched them closed, willing the emotions away. “I just hope that Cordonia feels like home,” she said softly.
“Love, as long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter where we are – Cordonia, New York, Japan, Dubai - we could travel to hundreds of different places, and I’ll always feel at home because I’ll have you by my side,” he said confidently. “Home isn’t a place for me anymore, it’s you, and I have a sneaking suspicion you feel the same way about me, otherwise you wouldn’t be leaving your entire world behind,” he said thoughtfully.
Riley leaned in to kiss him swiftly as she allowed herself to melt into her body. He always knew exactly what to say. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter where we end up or what happens, as long as we’re together, we’ll be all right,” she murmured with a little more certainly than she felt before. With one huge breath, she nodded to herself, and turned toward him. “Let’s go,” she whispered, as he led her out the door. With one final look, she pulled the apartment door shut behind her, and bid farewell to the life she had in New York.
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story. Those belong to me. ;)
PAIRINGS: Liam x Riley (MC)
SUMMARY: Riley is having a hard time coping with her father’s lack of acceptance of her marriage. Not to mention, she’s starting to realize what a big change her life is in for now that she’s married to the next King of Cordonia.
8/6/18 - OMG ya’ll must hate me. I never meant to abandon you guys! I hope there are still a handful of you guys that stuck around. Let me know if you are still following along. :) I’ve been writing furiously, but life just seemed to run away with my time. I’m even a bit behind on the app, so no spoilers please! :)
Chapter 16 gets a bit NSFW at the end, so please keep that in mind as you read through.
If you would like to be tagged for this series or on my permanent list, comment or message me!
Thank you guys for being so exceptionally patient. <3
Chapter 16
“Liam,” she gasped. “You can’t do that,” she said stunned.
“I can,” he said resolutely. “And if need to, I will.”
“But your father is sick and your brother doesn’t want to rule.” He couldn’t be serious. He’d explained the whole sad story back in Vegas. His father had cancer, and it was terminal. He hadn’t seemed disillusioned by that fact. He knew what that meant for Cordonia’s future – for his future. He had to know that it was only a matter of time before his father wouldn’t be well enough to continue to rule. Who would take his place then? There would be no one left to take over the Crown if he decided to abdicate as his brother had. “Liam, you’re their only option,” she said anxiously.
“Riley,” he tried to explain, but she cut him off with the wave of her hand.
She shook her head in disbelief, still trying to process his words. She didn’t even know if that was something he could do. Would they even let him abdicate? She had never paid too much attention in her political science course, so she wasn’t exactly certain how this whole monarchy thing worked. Google had been less than helpful because apparently monarchies were pretty rare nowadays. But from what she gathered, monarchies were familial meaning that only a direct, legitimate heir of the King could take over as reigning monarch – meaning if Liam didn’t do it, no one else could. If Liam were to abdicate the throne . . . that would mean the end of the monarchy forever. Perhaps his friend Bertrand had been right . . . maybe marrying her would mean the downfall of Cordonia. She blanched at the thought. She started to think about how her name would be synonymous with John Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono. Just as rumors flew about her being the cause of the Beatles’ breakup, Riley Lawson Rys would forever be associated as being the demise of the centuries old Cordonian monarchy. She couldn’t let that happen.
“No,” she said firmly. “I won’t let you sacrifice that for me,” she shook her head once more. She shifted in her seat, turning to directly face him. “What about your people, Liam? They’re depending on you, and if you give all of this up, there will be no one to lead them,” she rambled. “I know that isn’t something that you want.”
“Riley, it won’t get to that point,” he assured her. “My father is a proud man, and he may be angry that I went against his wishes, but he will never do anything to jeopardize Cordonia’s political stability. He may threaten me with some not so pleasant consequences, but he would never actually go through with it,” he said surely. “He’s been grooming me for the crown since Leo abdicated. He will never allow the legacy he has tried so hard to sustain to crumble,” he rationalized.
Riley frowned. She had thought the same thing about her father and look at where that had gotten them. Sure, she knew he’d be angry, but she had never expected that her father would speak to her so coldly. Yet, there he was kicking her out of the house she had grown up in refusing to even hear her out. What if that happened to Liam? “How can you be so sure?” she asked dubiously.
“Well, I suppose I can’t,” he said honestly.
Her eyes widened, the concerned look turning into one of sheer panic.
He reached over to pull her hand into his and squeezed gently. He tipped her chin so that she was looking into his eyes. One look from him was all it took for her to melt into his touch. “Nothing is a hundred percent guaranteed, love. I know the risks. And you’re right, there is the chance that he’ll call my bluff and accept my abdication,” his forehead crinkled with a bit of worry. Riley could see how torn he was about the whole thing. She hated that their quickie marriage had put them in this situation. Marriages were something to be celebrated, instead all they’ve been met with has been contentious backlash.
“But, Liam –“ She tried to interrupt him, but he kept talking.
“And if that’s the case, we will deal with it then,” he said thoughtfully. “But I honestly don’t think he will. He won’t like the fact that I married an American. He won’t like the fact that we married after only knowing one another for a few short hours. He also won’t like that there will be quite the scandal when the public learns that the royal wedding has been called off. Hell, he probably won’t like quite a few more of the decisions I’ll be making in the coming weeks, but as I told your father, this is my life. My father cannot and will not make these decisions for me. Not anymore,” he said resolutely.
Riley frowned. Liam’s words were beautiful. He said all the right things that were supposed to make her feel better, but she couldn’t stop the pang of doubt that grew steadily since their encounter with her father. She wanted to believe him. She truly did, but she knew that they may be coming up to their biggest obstacle yet, and she certainly didn’t feel very confident about overcoming it. She knew that no matter what they would stand by one another . . . but at what cost? It already seemed to have cost her the relationship she had with her father. Would their marriage cost Liam the throne?
He shot her a reassuring smile. “Riley, regardless of what happens in the coming days, I refuse to give up on our marriage. We didn’t meet by chance. The connection we have is undeniable, and there’s a reason for that. We are in this for the long haul, and if our families can’t accept that, then it will be their loss,” he said confidently.
Riley nodded, sinking back into the cab’s seat. Deep down, she knew he was right, but that didn’t alleviate the doubts that still played on her mind. She wondered how he could be so resilient and strong in the face of all this chaos. She felt like a blubbering mess in front of her father, but Liam had been so calm and so commanding. She gazed at him with a newfound sense of admiration. She wished she had half the strength and conviction that he had. He seemed fearless. As she thought about it, he’d been that way from the moment they met. He had no fear in approaching her at the bar or pursuing her all around the Vegas strip for the rest of the night. It amazed her how he was willing to give up everything for her . . . for their marriage. She hoped and prayed that he was right.
She didn’t know why she was so sensitive about the idea of Liam abdicating. It was his decision after all. Just as it had been her decision to withdraw from medical school and move to Cordonia. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was thinking more about her own situation than his. She was still reeling from what had happened with her father. Even though Liam had done his best over the last half an hour to help her feel better about how things played out with her dad, she was still a bit heartsick about the whole thing. She had never seen him so angry before. Her father had been right; when she was growing up, they had rarely fought, and a part from a few lapses in judgment, Riley had, in essence, been the perfect daughter. Even though his schedule at the hospital was always busy, he still managed to be there for here when it mattered, and that became even truer after he received his Parkinson’s diagnosis. They told one another everything, and every major decision in her life had been made together – except this last one – the most important one. She hated that this decision had disappointed him so profoundly. He had always been strict, and his expectations for her had always been high – after all, could she really expect anything less from a prominent surgeon? Despite his high expectations, he had never, ever, not in a million years treated her as coldly as he had treated her today. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that a huge chunk of her heart had been ripped to pieces when he asked her to leave. She couldn’t help but think that she had irreparably damaged her relationship with her father forever. The idea of having Liam go through that with his own parents made her heart ache even more.
Was her dad right? Had they ruined both of their lives by getting married? Things were certainly a lot simpler when they were in Vegas. Now that reality was starting to set in, it was as if the idealistic bubble that she and Liam had built around themselves had suddenly burst. Life wasn’t just about what they wanted anymore; they had responsibilities to fulfill and some pretty serious decisions to make. She was starting to feel overwhelmed.
As if sensing her tension, she felt Liam’s arm creep over her shoulder, pulling her closely into his embrace. She leaned into him, allowing his enveloping warmth to consume her. The simple gesture made her heart flutter and helped her feel safe. It was as if he were showing her that no matter what happened, at least they had each other, and even though it only helped alleviate the pain from the gaping hole in her heart a little, it was just enough to help her push forward.
For the rest of the ride, Riley had dazed absently out of the cab window, allowing the New York City sights to pass by her in a blur. It was hard to believe that this may be one of the last times she passed the all-too-familiar streets that she had grown accustomed to. She knew her neighborhood and city like the back of her hand. It was a bit surreal. She snapped out of her daze as the cab pulled up in front of her four-story walk up. Despite its shortcomings, she had missed her little hole in the wall after having experienced such a whirlwind of a weekend. As grand as it was to stay at the Bellagio, she had never been so happy to see the normalcy of her rundown, tiny apartment building. She found it a bit unnerving that she was turning in her budget-friendly, derelict apartment building for the extravagance of a palace. How on earth would she ever get used to all of that? How was she ever going to bid farewell to the apartment that they had made into a home? She and Andy had lived there for a while, and despite it being in a less-than stellar neighborhood, the building grew on her. They knew their neighbors, it was walking distance to a bunch of good restaurants and stores . . . and it was fairly affordable for a two-bedroom, at least by New York standards. She turned toward Liam, eager to show him around the building, when her smile fell a little, the excitement of being home waning a little. As excited as she was to be back, Liam, on the other hand, seemed less than impressed. His eyes drifted upward, and Riley noticed a slight grimace appear on his face. She wondered if he was grimacing at the building’s dilapidated appearance or the fact that there were a slew of graffiti marks scattered across the front entrance. That was something you didn’t see every day back in Cordonia, she mused to herself.
As she paid the cab driver, Liam pulled his gaze away from the building long enough to pull their luggage out of the now-open trunk. He struggled up the front steps as Riley led the way, scanning her key card to get into the building. She could see him studying the building carefully, his expression not changing from one of critical apprehension. Considering he had probably spent his entire life inside of the palace walls, she was fairly certain that the life of a struggling New Yorker probably seemed dismal compared to his own lifestyle. She got it. Her building was nothing spectacular. In fact, compared to his lifestyle back home, he probably figured she lived in the slums or something comparable. She admitted that when she first laid eyes on the building, she and Andy weren’t exactly sold on making the place their home for the foreseeable. The lobby wasn’t really a lobby in the traditional sense of the word. There were no welcoming couches or end tables scattered with magazines or even any sort of front desk receptionist to welcome you in. The only prominent features were the stairs leading up to the apartments and the line of mailboxes on the opposite side of the wall. It was just as rundown as the exterior and was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint.
“There’s no elevator?” Liam looked aghast as he eyed the cumbersome suitcases that trailed behind them.
Had she forgotten to mention that tiny little detail? She pursed her lips. From the look on his face, she most certainly had. “Nope,” she winced, seeing the concern on his face. “I know that a walk-up apartment building isn’t conducive for our luggage,” she sighed. “I guess I should have warned you. I’m only on the second floor though so at least we don’t have too far to lug them,” she said encouragingly. She cringed as the words left her mouth; it wasn’t as if that made it any better.
Without saying a word, he merely nodded as he gathered up her carry-on bag and his large suitcase and tried to balance them as he pulled them up the first flight of stairs. She followed behind him, awkwardly lugging her own small suitcase behind her.
“You should have seen the struggle it was to move all of our furniture in,” she chucked, trying to make light of the situation.
Liam was not biting. “I suppose after seeing where your father lived, I had imagined you’d be living in something similar.”
Riley could only shrug as she followed him up the next flight. “Mostly families live in that neighborhood . . . and if you look for something to rent in that area, you’re looking at spending upward of five grand a month,” she explained.
“And you couldn’t live with your father until you found a better place to live?” He questioned as his pace slowing up the stairs.
“I mean, I could have, but I didn’t really want to. Dad was a firm believer in working hard for what you have in life.” She paused, trying to figure out the best way to phrase things. “I guess he could have given me money to help me find a better apartment, but then I wouldn’t value it as much, you know?”
He shrugged in response. “I suppose,” he said softly, stopping once they reached the second floor.
Riley pointed down the narrow hallway toward the second apartment door. “That’s mine,” she motioned, pulling in front of him to open the door. “So . . . don’t get too excited, okay? I mean, I know you aren’t exactly excited,” she rambled, blushing a bit. Why did she suddenly feel so embarrassed? “It’s not much,” she let out a nervous breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Love, it’s fine. It’ll just be nice to set our heads down for a while before we need to catch our flight,” he reassured her.
He was right. It wasn’t like they were going to be living there. Their flight left first thing in the morning and then they’d be off to Cordonia. She inhaled deeply as she pushed open the apartment door hesitantly, allowing Liam to enter first. “So, this is my humble abode,” she murmured. “It’s a little messy . . .” she trailed off, looking around. In that moment, she wished that she and Andy had at least tried to tidy up before leaving for Vegas. “I wasn’t exactly expecting to bring a husband home,” she blushed as she grabbed clothes and books that were strewn across the couches and the floor. “We sort of packed haphazardly. Vegas was a spur of the moment thing,” she explained, kicking a few of the boxes that were blocking the couch out of the way.
“It’s nice,” he said carefully, looking around the space, his hand sliding across their linoleum kitchen countertop. He eyed the outdated appliances in the apartment. “It’s a bit vintage,” he said as he examined the gas burner stove.
She knew he was being generous with that assessment. The unit was old, and almost as rundown as the rest of the building, but when they had first moved in they had spruced it up a bit, at least on what little money they had. She nodded. “Yeah, we didn’t really care too much about the kitchen,” she admitted. “We liked the fact that the two bedrooms were separated by the living room,” she shrugged. “It’s not like we cook all that much anyway. I think we used the stove all of four times since we first moved in,” she explained. That was the truth. Riley hadn’t been that much of a cook. She had gotten by on a lot of instant-meals and take out. Medical school and her job at the clinic didn’t give her much time to pick up groceries or slave away over the oven for hours on end.
He nodded in understanding. “I think this apartment fits you. It’s quite homey. I enjoy how you’ve made it your own,” he said as he looked over some of the photographs that were stuck on their refrigerator doors.
She snorted. “You’re being kind,” she sighed, looking around. It wasn’t much, but it fit their needs. Their furniture pieces were mismatched and consisted of hand-me downs from friends who moved out of the state after college and various thrift store finds. Their budget for furniture had been pretty much non-existent after they put the first month’s rent, last month’s rent and security deposit down. At the time, it was the most money Riley had ever shelled out at one time. She remembered feeling so grown up and independent as she wrote the check out to the landlord for her portion of the costs. She remembered feeling like it was an exciting start to a new adventure. Now, here she was ready to embark on another adventure, albeit this one was a lot crazier and a lot less planned than getting the apartment.
Their flight to Cordonia would be departing at eight o’clock the following morning, so they didn’t have much time at all to get her apartment squared away. She also had the much-dreaded phone call to make to the medical school to inform them of her decision to withdraw from the program. The reality that her life would no longer be in New York began to hit her like a ton of bricks. Looking around her apartment, she realized just how much she was going to miss her life here. It was hard to believe that she was going to be leaving everything behind. It was a bit bizarre to think that her life would no longer be in New York, but in a country that she never even knew existed. How was she supposed to say goodbye to the only place that she had ever really known? She’d spent her whole life adhering to her perfect life plan, and now . . .now she was operating without a manual, and it started to scare her. How was she going to do this without her friends? Without her father? What would living in Cordonia be really like? What if the people hated her? Or worse, what if Liam’s family tried to annul their marriage? Then what? Should she figure out some sort of backup plan if all of this didn’t work out? Or what if Liam got sick of her? What if he divorced her? What if she got stranded in some foreign country without a single Euro to her name? The idea of having to come back and face her father and her friends with a big fat “told you so” written all over their faces would be the death of her. She shook her head, mentally chiding herself for jumping to such outlandish conclusions. She inhaled a deep breath trying to calm herself. She was panicking unnecessarily. She hated not having a plan, almost as must as she hated not knowing what her new future held for her. As unhappy as she was in medical school, at least she had a set path of what her future would look like down the line. With Liam . . . everything was a blur. She didn’t know what to expect. What if she gave up everything she had here in New York only to fall flat on her face in Cordonia?
“What’s wrong?” Liam asked in concern, tapping her on the shoulder. She had been absently staring at the turned off television in the middle of the living room, allowing her thoughts to consume her. “You look a little pale,” he commented.
She nodded slowly. “I’m going to miss New York,” she sighed.
“We can always come back to visit,” he suggested. “We can even fly back for the holidays if you’d like. I’m sure things with your friends and father will be smoothed out by then,” he said encouragingly.
She nodded half-heartedly at his offer. It was a nice thought, but would things really be better by then? She knew that Jana seemed the most accepting of her rash decisions, but Andy still seemed wary. Her father . . . yeah, he was stubborn as hell, and also proud. It would likely be a cold day in hell before he would be willing to make amends. She suddenly felt a pang in her heart again.
“That doesn’t seem to have made you feel better,” he murmured, steering her toward the couch and gently guiding her down onto the cushions.
“Yeah . . . I guess it just hit me that I won’t be living here anymore,” she explained. “I won’t be seeing Andy everyday like before,” she sighed. “I remember when Andy and I first moved in. We were so excited that we finally had enough money to get a place together. We thought living together would be one giant slumber party,” she smiled. “And you know what? It was,” she said sadly. “It’s going to be weird not having her with me.”
“You two are close,” Liam commented.
“Exceptionally so,” Riley nodded. “I’ve known Andy so long, it’s almost like we’re sisters,” she started to explain, when she suddenly gasped. “Oh no!” She exclaimed sadly. This was bad. Very, very bad. Why hadn’t it occurred to her before?
“What?” Liam jumped up in alarm.
She frowned, her forehead wrinkling with deep crevices of worry. “I just realized that I’ll be leaving Andy stranded when it comes to rent money,” she closed her eyes, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of causing her friend so much grief. When they signed their names on the lease months ago, she never imagined that that they wouldn’t be living together. After all, she hadn’t exactly been expecting an impromptu marriage and relocation to Europe. None of that had been in the cards for her, so she hadn’t even hesitated at signing the year-long lease.
“I’ll take care of it,” he murmured. “What’s your share?”
She looked at him gratefully, but shook her head. It was a kind offer, but one she just couldn’t accept. She had gotten herself into this mess, and she would have to get herself out. “I can’t ask you to do that,” she said firmly. “I’m the one backing out of the living arrangement,” she reasoned. “Maybe I can cash out my savings and leave her with some money until she can find someone to replace me. God, I should have talked to her about all of this before leaving her in Vegas,” she sighed.
“You may be the one leaving, but it’s me that’s taking you away,” he said pointedly. “I’d be more than happy to pay your portion of the rent for the remainder of the lease.”
“Liam . . .” she trailed off.
“Riley, we’re married. Everything that I have is yours now, too. Let me do this for you. For us,” he added. “I don’t want you leaving for Cordonia with this heavy of a burden on your mind. Besides, it can’t be all that much,” he reasoned.
She sighed. He was right. With seven months left on the current lease, she just didn’t feel right leaving Andy to fend for herself with rent money. She also didn’t want her to rush into finding a new roommate just so that the rent would be covered. What if she ended up with some psycho living in the other room? Nope, she didn’t want to be plagued with a guilty conscience while she was thousands of miles away in a foreign country.
“Riley, what’s your share?” He asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
“Twelve hundred,” she sighed warily.
“Dollars? A month?” He looked at her in disbelief. He gulped loudly. “This apartment costs twenty four hundred dollars a month?” He asked incredulously. His eyes scanned the shared living area, obviously not finding the value in the cost as his eyes shifted all around the room. “It’s a shoebox!” He exclaimed as his jaw gaping open slightly.
Riley couldn’t help but feel a bit miffed. So, okay, her apartment wasn’t all that glamorous and it could certainly use a fair bit of work, but it grew on a person. It had character. She knew her apartment probably couldn’t compare to the type of living accommodations he was typically accustomed to, but it fit her needs just fine, and she actually liked it. A lot. “You said it was homey,” she reminded him.
“It is homey . . . for maybe around a thousand dollars a month total,” he reasoned. “I hadn’t expected it to cost that much,” he said in surprise, still looking around with a stunned expression on his face.
She rolled her eyes. “I get it . . . you probably have a thousand times the space back in Cordonia, but, Liam . . . this is New York. We aren’t in the middle of Kentucky where you’d probably pay a fraction of the price,” she sighed. “The cost of living here is very high.” If he thought her apartment was expensive, she didn’t even want to tell him how much the condos cost closer to the hustle and bustle of the city.
He frowned. “However did you manage? With school and expenses . . . it couldn’t have been easy.”
“I worked . . . a lot,” she shrugged. “The scholarship I got helped with medical school expenses, but my job at the clinic was what really got me by,” she explained.
“Well, you aren’t going to have to worry about any of that . . . not anymore,” he said firmly. “Let me know how much you’d like me to contribute and I’ll make arrangements to have the money wired to Andy upon our arrival at Cordonia,” he said as a matter of fact.
“Just like that?” She asked in awe.
“Yes, love. I know this is all a bit much for you to understand right now, but I meant what I said when I bought you this,” his hand drifted toward her ring. “We don’t have to worry about money,” he said surely. “So if all it will take is paying your portion of the rent for the duration of your lease to put your mind at ease, then so be it.”
If only it was that simple. Money would definitely solve the little issue of rent, but it wouldn’t repair her relationship with her father or calm her nerves about moving to a foreign country. But she supposed it was a small step in the right direction to get her over all of her anxieties about things.
“I still feel rotten about taking money from you,” she sighed. She made a mental note that as soon as she could, she’d find a way to repay him. Did princesses work in Cordonia? While it was nice to think of the whole concept of “what’s mine is yours and yours is mine,” it didn’t sit right with her that he’d be shelling out so much money on her share of the rent. “You’ll at least have to let me pay you back,” she said, kissing his cheek gently.
Liam wrapped his arms around her firmly, leaning into her on the couch. “Pay me back, huh?” He smirked. “How about we start right now?”
“Now?” She squeaked, sensing the lust behind his words. She looked around at the messy state of her apartment. Her mind ran over the list of all the things that still needed to be done before their flight the next morning. She was running out of hours, and as much as she wanted to welcome the distraction of sex with Liam, sensible Riley knew that there was far too much to do in a short amount of time. His lips pressed against the sensitive spot behind her ear that made her tremble, as his lips grazed slowly down the length of her neck. Her body arched at the sensation, longing for more. She needed to stop this before it got to the point of no return. “Liam . . . as tempting as it is,” she struggled to get the rest of the words out as she felt his teeth nipping lightly against her neck. Why did it have to feel so good? “Liam,” she tried again, pushing at him half-heartedly. Why was she trying to fight this so much when her body clearly wanted it to happen?
“Riley, stop thinking for a moment, and just let yourself feel . . . I promise that whatever you’re worried about can wait for a couple hours,” he murmured, nipping at her earlobe. “Hey,” he said, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Don’t think about anything except us right now, okay? Let all the other worries fade away. I want you right here . . . right now,” he paused. “Well, I always want you,” he chuckled, tugging at the hem of her shirt as he attempted to pull it off of her body.
She stared at him, knowing full well that she was going to give in. She lifted her arms above her head, helping him tug her shirt off. How could she resist such a tempting offer? She allowed her mind to relax and tried to do as he suggested and just live in the moment. “You’re such a bad influence on me,” she murmured, tugging at his shirt.
“Clearly, isn’t that how we found ourselves married?” He smirked, as he started to unzip his pants.
“Mmmhmm,” she nodded in agreement as she helped him tug the pants down his legs. “We should go to my room,” she said, after she had gotten him down to his boxers.
“No time,” he murmured, pushing her down onto the couch.
She laughed, shaking her head as he started to pull her pants off. “Too much clothes,” he muttered, as he hooked his fingers around her lace panties. He slid them off of her legs slowly, and her body felt as if it were about to explode and he hadn’t even touched her down there yet. What was it about Liam’s touch that just pushed her over the edge?
He pulled down the cups of her bra, tweaking her nipples gently. She bucked her hips, her sex rubbing against his boxers. “Please,” she begged.
He pushed his boxers down, pulling out a condom from the pocket of his pants.
She arched an eyebrow curiously. “Just in case,” he smirked. “We were a bit hot and heavy back in Vegas, and I wanted to be prepared after our last conversation,” he chuckled. Nodding, she watched as he quickly put the condom on. He brushed his cock against her, forgetting completely about foreplay. Not like she needed any, just his touch was enough to get her soaking wet. She was completely ready for him as he positioned his hard, long cock at the entrance to her sex and pushed into her in a single thrust.
“Oh God,” she half-murmured, half-groaned.
“Nope,” he chuckled. “Just me, your husband,” he said, biting her collarbone as he pulled out of her, leaving just his tip inside of her. “But I’ll take that as a compliment,” he murmured.
She groaned at the loss of the feel of him, but mewed happily as he sunk back into her. He repeated the motion several times, before she found herself clamping around him allowing an orgasm to course through her.
“I still need you,” she gasped, as she wrapped her arms around his back, allowing her body to rock against him.
“You have me, love,” he moaned as he met every single movement with one of his own. She felt his thrusts become more fervent, as she felt him sink into her to the hilt. Her hands drifted from his back to his rear, squeezing as she felt his muscles retract with each thrust. It didn’t take long before she felt his body convulse in sheer pleasure. He collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily against her neck. She kissed his sweaty forehead, and stroked his tussled hair.
“That was amazing,” she sighed happily. “You’re amazing, actually,” she corrected herself. “I think we both needed that,” she laughed.
“Sex is always a good distraction,” he chuckled, as he sat up. He searched the vicinity for his boxers, grabbing them and pulling them back on. He grabbed the shirt he had been wearing, handing it over to Riley. “Much more comfortable to relax in this than your jeans and shirt, I’d imagine,” he offered.
She nodded, sleepily, taking the shirt out of his hands and pulling it over her body. He was right; it was much more comfortable to lounge in. “Thank you,” she sighed. She looked at the jumbled state of the couch and internally cringed. They’d definitely leave this tidbit out for Andy’s sake. Had she known what happened on their couch, she was almost certain she’d want to burn the thing. She laughed to herself, and she leaned back against the plush cushions of the couch. “I need a second to catch my breath,” she exhaled heavily as she willed her heartbeat to slow down a bit. It had to be beating well over 140 beats per minute. She leaned her head against the armrest, not wanting to fall asleep because there was just too much to do.
Liam leaned over her, grabbing the throw that had rested on the back of the couch, covering her body with it. “Rest, love,” he said quietly, and he shimmied her legs off his lap. She nodded dozily, as she felt herself drift off to a sleep.
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7/19/18 - Chapter 6 is really long! I apologize in advance. Yikes! I should have split it into two, but I just felt it flowed better this way. I have a keep reading set, so don't get mad if it doesn’t show on mobile! 3 I know that I am setting up a lot of backstory, but I promise the social season is coming soon!
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Chapter 6
When they reached the outside of the club, Riley couldn’t believe that the line to enter was still wrapped around the building. The entire area was still bustling with activity and it was nearly midnight. At least that meant that more than a few cabs would be flocking to the area and it wouldn’t be difficult to hail one to get her back safely to her apartment. She spotted the designated cabbie pick up and drop off area and was about to head off into that direction when a loud roar of grumbles came at both of them out of nowhere. Riley turned toward the ranting and watched as Liam’s other friends stomped angrily in their direction.
“Liam, have you gone mad?” Tariq exclaimed. “A bar fight? How common of you,” he admonished. “I’d expect something as lowly from Drake, but you? How could you?” He says in horror. He shook his head as he placed his arms defensively across his body. “Kismet is one of the finest clubbing establishments in the entire city. It took me weeks to secure its VIP services,” he grumbled. “You probably accosted a local dignitary or celebrity,” he frowned. “Not to mention you cut the evening’s festivities rather short,” he glanced down at his expensive-looking watch. “It isn’t even midnight,” he bemoaned. “I hadn’t even had the opportunity to take a tour of their VIP rooms,” he said with a look of disappointment.
“Yeah, I was in the middle of an epic dance off with a beautiful girl,” Maxwell sighed dramatically. “I was smoking her until Drake came up rather abruptly and pulled me from the dance floor. “I had to forfeit the battle,” he whined.
Liam looked at his friends in disapproval, but he didn’t really seem surprised by their griping. “I’m sorry that in ensuring a young woman’s safety you were inconvenienced and couldn’t enjoy the evening’s festivities,” he said with a bit of sarcasm in his tone. “However will you survive,” he shook his head.
“We appreciate the apology, Liam, but – “
Maxwell elbowed Tariq, cutting him off. “I think he was being sarcastic,” he mumbled.
Tariq paused for a moment, before beginning to ramble on and on again about how their last night in New York was ruined because there were no other plans for the evening. Riley was awkwardly standing behind them, not really knowing whether she should join their little circle or stand back like the outsider that she technically was. Listening to them banter back and forth and made her feel a tad bit uncomfortable. She was the reason that their evening was cut short. She contemplated sneaking off toward the cabbie area. There were at least three waiting, she could easily hop into one and be done with all of this chaos. His friends hadn’t noticed her presence, and Liam seemed wrapped up in the banter, so she could easily sneak off without any sort of awkward goodbye. Considering she never got a goodbye from him the first time around, it seemed pretty fair to return the favor. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if that was the right decision. Technically, she was safe. Her harasser and his friends, from the looks of it, hadn’t stuck around to give her more trouble. They had probably gone out to another club or back home to sleep off their drunkenness. There was no reason for her to stick around. So then, why was she still here? She eyed Liam a bit reluctantly, a mix of emotions rushing through her. She realized that she didn’t’ have an answer to that question. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, debating what to do. That small movement caused the men’s eyes to move in her direction.
“Hey!” Maxwell exclaimed. “It’s the waitress from the bar.”
Tariq’s attention shifted from scolding Liam to admiring Riley. “So it is,” he murmured, his eyes gazing over her body. She couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable under his leering. “That uniform was not doing you justice,” he winked at her.
“Yeah, the waitress is hot,” Maxwell said rather loudly.
She could feel the blush creeping up from her neck to her cheeks. She couldn’t help but cringe. She was starting to agree with Drake’s earlier line of reasoning that these two were utter morons. She sighed, her eyes darting in the direction of the cabs. So close, yet so far away, she mused.
“Her name is Riley, and I doubt she appreciates you talking about her like that,” Liam narrowed his eyes at the other men. “Especially after the evening she’s just had,” he said in annoyance. She looked at him in surprise. She sent a small smile of gratitude his way. So maybe he wasn’t so different from the Liam she remembered after all.
“Sorry . . . like I told you at the bar, they don’t get out much,” Drake approached the group from behind, shaking his head. She turned around, meeting his gaze. “They forget how to act around normal people,” he smirked and mouthed the word “morons.” She stifled a chuckle.
“Knock it off, okay?” Drake narrowed his eyes at the other two men. “Kismet was a bust, get over it.”
Maxwell and Tariq started to protest a bit more, but Drake held his hand up not wanting to hear any more complaints.
Riley couldn’t help but feel responsible for derailing the night’s events. The guilt had been weighing heavily on her since the bar fight. “I’m sorry that the bachelor party got ruined,” she murmured. “It’s totally on me, guys. Not Liam . . . not Drake,” she admitted. “I know you were kind of giving him a hard time about it, but if I hadn’t have run into some trouble in the club, you guys would still be enjoying your evening. So if you’re going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me,” she suggested.
“It’s hardly your fault,” Liam shrugged. “To be quite honest, I hadn’t really enjoyed being in that nightclub in the first place,” he admitted.
Tariq and Maxwell’s faces fell at Liam’s comments.
“I’m sorry, I know you spent a lot of time planning it, but it just wasn’t the night I had envisioned,” he said somberly. “It’s probably best if we all call it a night.”
“Who says the night is over?” Drake chimes in. “We’re in the city that never sleeps and our flight leaves in the morning . . . who knows when any of us will come back here . . . I say we should use tonight to our full advantage. After all, we got a bona fide New Yorker who can be our tour guide,” he motioned to Riley.
She looked at him warily. “I really should get going . . .” she shook her head. “I work tomorrow . . . hopefully,” she sighed. “And besides, I’m probably the worst person to take you around . . . I spend most of my time at home watching Netflix or reading. Plus it’s not like I can really drive my car right now . . . ,” she was thinking up every single reason just so that she could escape. She had gone into this completely and thoroughly ready to confront Liam, and now, all she wanted to do was run away and never look back. She was confused. The attraction . . . the emotions she was feeling was clouding her mind and her judgment. The idea of spending more time with Liam? The thought alone gave her butterflies. She wasn’t sure it was from nerves or excitement. She sighed. “I better head out . . .,” she trailed off. “There’s a lot of cabs now, I might not be so lucky if I wait much longer,” she explained.
“Stay,” Liam said suddenly.
Everyone in the group turned to look at him. Riley’s mouth gaped open a bit.
“I’m sorry?” She asked. She’d heard him perfectly clear. She just didn’t know how to respond.
“Stay with us,” he repeated. He tore his gaze away from her, clearing his throat. “I mean, Drake’s right. You are a New Yorker, so I’m certain you know of some pretty interesting spots to go out and see,” he reasoned. “I – “ he stopped himself. “My friends don’t want the night to be over just yet,” he breathed out.
She looked at him carefully. She shrugged, mulling it over for a moment. “I mean . . . I guess I do,” she admitted. “There’s a spot I like to go to,” she said quietly. “But it’s not really like a party scene, but I like it,” she said.
“Then I’m sure we’ll like it, too, Lawson.” Drake agreed. “I’ve got the car keys. Why don’t you sit up front with me and tell me where to go,” he suggested as he moved a bit closer to Riley’s side.
Liam grabbed the keys out of Drake’s hands and shook his head. “You won’t be driving anywhere,” he said seriously. “I saw you drinking at the bar tonight. I only had a little scotch, and I didn’t even finish it. I’ll drive,” he said.
“I’m not drunk,” he protested.
“I’m driving,” Liam said firmly, his eyes narrowing at Drake.
Riley sucked in her breath. Well, this changed things a bit. Riley could feel her heartbeat quicken at the thought of sitting next to him in the car. Of course, they wouldn’t be alone, but the general idea of being so close to him gave her body goose bumps.
“But I wanted to sit shotgun,” Maxwell whined, glaring at Drake and Liam. “I’m the car DJ!” He grumbled as he began to sulk. “Who’s going to find all of the appropriate musical interludes for our conversations,” he sighed dramatically.
“It’ll be a relief not to have the radio station change every two seconds,” Liam commented. “Riley will sit up front with me, the rest of you in the back,” he said with finality. “Come on, let’s get going,” he motioned in the direction toward the parking lot.
Drake shot Liam a pleading look. “Aw come on, Liam. You’re gonna make me sit next to the two of them?” He grimaced, pointing to Maxwell and Tariq.
“I think it should be us who has who should be saying that,” Tariq cringed. “You smell like a distillery,” he grumbled.
The three continued to grumble, which Riley thought was rather ironic, since Drake, who hadn’t wanted to hear any more complaining, was the one doing the most of it.
“They aren’t always like this,” Liam said as they walked side by side. She could see the need to defend his friends written clear across his face.
“They all seem so different,” she commented, looking behind her and the three men. “I mean, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s just, usually birds of a feather flock together, ya know? Kind of strange that you became friends with people with such different personalities,” she shrugged.
He shrugged, letting the conversation drop without giving her a response. He walked ahead of her, unlocking the car. He opened her passenger side door before heading over to the driver’s side and hopping in. She watched him with a bit of curiosity. So, talking to her made him uncomfortable. At least that’s what it seemed like . . . but he was still trying to be chivalrous by opening the door for her? Yes, that made perfect sense. She could feel an eye roll come on. The tension between them was getting stronger and stronger the more time they spent with one another. She sighed, her head spinning. He was starting to give her whiplash with all of these hot and cold mixed signals.
The drive to her secret spot wasn’t too long, but the silence in the car made it feel much longer. The only time she spoke was when she was rattling off directions to Liam. She had been so nervous to sit next to him, that she forgot that he wasn’t a New Yorker, so all her directions toward side streets and short cuts were getting him a bit flustered. It took about twenty minutes before they pulled into an empty parking lot just off a small cove right off a small beach.
“So, here we are,” she looked around the car. “I found this place during my first year of college,” she explained. “I had gotten lost driving around, and ended up here. The view is spectacular,” she murmured, turning forward and gazing out of the windshield.
“A beach?” Tariq exclaimed. “Do you know how expensive these shoes are? The sand will ruin them!”
Riley frowned, not expecting that to be his reaction. Then again, she shouldn’t have been surprised. Out of everyone, he’d been the most difficult throughout the night. She did her best to ignore his comment as she stepped out of the passenger seat, breathing in the fresh air. There was a reason she loved coming here. Hardly anyone ever came here, so it gave her a lot of time to take in the sights and just think. She’d found herself coming here nearly every day when she returned from Germany. It provided her with a bit of solace after everything that had happened.
“Then stay here,” Drake said curtly. “Trust me, you won’t be missed,” he added in a bit quieter.
“Drake,” Liam warned as he got out of the driver’s seat. “Can’t we at least try to all get along? One more night together, that’s it,” he said quietly.
“What? If Mr. Prissy doesn’t want to have a little fun tonight, then so be it. Let him stay in the car and sulk about it.”
“Come now, Tariq. Just look at that beautiful view,” Maxwell motioned. “At least come down and enjoy the sights for a few minutes,” he suggested as he stepped out of the vehicle and stretched his legs. He had been sandwiched in the middle of Tariq and Drake in the car.
“Alright,” he sighed in defeat, slamming the car door a bit angrily. “But I’ll be sure to send you the bill if my shoes get ruined. They’re made out of Italian leather,” he emphasized.
Riley couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“Good choice, Lawson. This place is gorgeous,” Drake smiled brightly. “Let’s set up a fire,” he said quickly, feeling a chill in the air.
“Too bad we don’t have smores!” Maxwell added. “That would have made things even better,” he sighed.
“Um, I’m not quite sure an open fire is allowed on the beach,” she said hesitantly.
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing. Liam, want to join us?”
“I think I’ll go explore a bit further back,” he said quietly, pulling away from the rest of the group.
Riley watched as he strolled up toward the rocky ledge that was settled right above the cove area. She sighed in disappointment. So much for having an opportunity to talk to him.
“I’ll help,” Maxwell exclaimed excitedly.
Drake shot him a glare. “You stay at least twenty feet away from me at all times. With your luck, you’ll end up setting the whole damn beach on fire.”
Maxwell looked a bit disheartened, but trudged away from Drake and Riley and headed down toward the water. He picked up a few rocks and dejectedly started to throw them into the water.
“Do you have to be so mean to him?” Riley asked. “He seems to really want to be your friend,” she frowned.
“He’s annoying . . .” Drake grumbled, running a hand through his hair. “Besides, I’ve been stuck with him as a roommate for nearly a week. He’s tap-dancing on my last nerves.”
“I get he’s a bit . . . hyper . . .,” she looked down toward the waterline as Maxwell kicked off his shoes and rolled up his pants. “But he seems harmless,” she countered. “You should try harder to get along with him. Tariq too for that matter. For Liam’s sake,” Riley suggested.
Drake rolled his eyes, but nodded. He quickly changed the subject as he started to collect some loose branches that were strewn around the sand. “So, you changed your tune rather quickly,” he commented as he started to collect some branches and rocks to get a fire going.
“What?” She asked, picking up a few branches of her own.
“The last thing you said to me back before everything got crazy at the club was that you hope to never see any of us again. Yet, here you are . . .taking us to your special spot,” he motioned around them. “I say that’s pretty much the opposite of hoping to never see us again,” he smirked.
Riley eyed him suspiciously. “You’re right . . . I did say that. And I meant it . . . at the time,” she said firmly. “Then Liam saved me back there, and I guess I got a bit sentimental,” she shrugged. “This doesn’t mean anything.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Lawson,” he muttered as he bent down on the sand trying to get the fire going.
She frowned. “I think you were wrong about Liam wanting to see me again,” she threw out nonchalantly. “I mean . . . he’s sending me some pretty mixed signals,” she started to explain. “So he goes all alpha on that guy back at the club . . . then stalks off without so much as a word to me . . . but then he comes back and he wants to walk me out and make sure I get home safely . . . and then he wants me to play tour guide, and when I agree, he gives me the cold shoulder,” she rambled. “And now I think I’ve just complicated an already complicated situation by coming out with you guys tonight . . . and I didn’t even have the guts to confront him about anything . . . and it’s not like he’s been exactly forthcoming with me either. Ugh, this is so complicated,” she repeated, feeling a bit distraught.
“Whoa, breathe,” he glanced up at her. “And stop using that word,” Drake narrowed his eyes. “It’s a cop out. Call it what it is.”
“Okay . . . but I don’t know what to call it . . . it’s a confusing mess . . . which is pretty much the same thing as saying it’s complicated,” she sighed.
“Why is it confusing?” Drake asked, busying himself with the sticks and rocks in front of him. His eyes didn’t leave the task in front of him, but Riley knew he was still listening to her intently.
“Because just when I think I’m seeing the guy I remember from Germany, he goes from lukewarm to ice cold and it’s making my head spin. I don’t know if he hates me or if he doesn’t want to talk about what happened back then,” she sighed.
“Liam’s going through a lot right now,” Drake said honestly, as he flicked the stick and a small flame appeared.
Riley looked up at him. “That actually worked?” She asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting about her lament about Liam. “Come on, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” she exclaimed. “I thought that sort of stuff only worked in the movies,” she chuckled.
“And you doubted my skills,” he sighed. “I was a boy scout you know,” he smirked.
“Really?” She asked in surprise.
“Nah, I’m just messing with you,” he shrugged. “My dad taught me how to do this. We used to go camping all the time together when I was a kid.”
She smiled. “That sounds pretty cool,” she acknowledged. “You and your dad must have a lot of fun together. Do you guys still go out camping now?”
The smile slowly slipped from Drake’s face. “Not anymore,” he shook his head, his voice faltering a little. “He passed away a while ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said as she clasped her hands over her mouth. “I’m just striking out left and right tonight,” she murmured.
“How would you have known?” He shrugged. “It’s fine, Lawson. It happened a long time ago. It’s nice to remember him . . .it’s just hard to talk about, I guess.”
A quietness settled between them as they both stared out into the water. Drake glanced behind him, noticing Liam staring out into the distance as well.
“Liam looks a little lonely up there,” he motioned to the top of the cove. “Maybe now’s your chance to get that closure you were rambling on and on about,” he nudged her shoulder lightly.
She turned back to where he was pointing and saw Liam deep in thought. “I told you. He doesn’t want anything to do with me,” she exhaled.
“Lawson, Lawson, Lawson, are you blind? And I thought I was oblivious,” he shook his head. “He’s been wanting to talk to you since you got in the car . . . he was giving you little side glances the whole ride over. Hell, I bet even longer than that considering how he reacted at the bar.”
“Yeah . . about that . . . does that happen a lot? Because that was pretty intense. I only knew him for a little while, but he never, ever acted that way before. “
“Never,” Drake said firmly. “It tripped me out just as much as it did you,” he sighed. “He’s been under a lot of stress lately. What with everything going on with the wedding plans,” he shrugged. “I guess he’s a bit on edge. I thought this trip would loosen him up a little. I guess I was wrong.”
Riley placed a hand on Drake’s shoulder. “I think this trip was just what he needed,” she reassured him. “You’re a good friend.”
“Yeah, I know,” he smirked, waggling his eyebrows at her “And as his good friend, I’m telling you to go up there and talk to him,” he motioned back toward Liam. “Come on, Lawson. What are the odds, remember? You really gonna blow this chance?”
She looked at him thoughtfully shaking her head. Drake was right. Liam was only in New York until tomorrow, and then he’d go back to his fiancé and she likely would never see him again. Now was the only opportunity she’d have to get any sort of explanation from him. It seemed silly, stirring up all of these old emotions eight years later . . . she had mostly put things behind her. Mostly being the operative word. There were still times when her mind would drift to that summer they shared together. As much as she wanted to pretend that his reasoning and the closure she wanted didn’t really matter . . . they did. “You’re right. It’s now or never right?” She inhaled deeply. She mustered up what little courage she had left, and dusted the sand off of her body.
Drake gave her an encouragingly nod, as she started to walk up the incline toward the small ledge where Liam was sitting. He looked lost in thought, and she wasn’t sure if she should interrupt him. Inhaling deeply, she decided if she didn’t get this over with, she’d never have the chance again, so she cleared her throat and stood next o where he was sitting.
“Hey,” she said softly.
He looked up at her as she approached him, but didn’t say anything.
“How come you aren’t down there with the rest of us?”
He shrugged. “I suppose I needed some time to think and breathe in some fresh air. My friends . . . can be exhausting,” he sighed, although there was a small smile playing on his lips.
She smiled lightly. “I see what you mean. Maxwell and Tariq are quite the characters . . . but Drake seems a bit more down to earth,” she commented. “I can see why the two of you are friends,” she commented.
He nodded. “You two seem to be getting along quite well,” he said with a tiny bit of bitterness as he motioned to the spot where Riley had been sitting by the fire.
She paused, sensing the tension. Was he jealous? There was a darkness in his eyes that seemed reminiscent of the look he gave the drunk eye back at the club. “Yeah . . . I mean, he’s great. He’s a nice guy. He really cares about you. You guys are lucky to have one another,” she murmured.
He looked up at her then and shrugged. “We’ve been friends since childhood. He’s been good to me. His family has been good to my family,” he said vaguely.
She didn’t really know how to respond to that. He seemed so distant. She contemplated heading back down to Drake and the fire and telling him that he was completely wrong and everything she felt was spot on – he wanted nothing to do with her, and there was no point in trying to force a conversation that just wasn’t going to happen. The awkwardness was killing her. She took a few steps back, ready to head back down, when he suddenly stood up and faced her.
“I apologize for my actions back at that nightclub,” he said quietly.
Riley met his gaze in surprise.
“I’m not normally so . . . aggressive,” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “It bothers me that I lost control like that. I don’t want you to think I have any sort of violent tendencies or anger management issues,” he explained. “Because I don’t.”
“It’s okay, Liam. I’ll admit . . . it freaked me out at first, but you don’t have to explain anything to me. I appreciate what you did back there. It was clear that no one else in that club was going to do anything,” she shrugged.
“I know. I kept hoping that security would get involved, but when no one came, I just knew that I needed to do something. When I first saw what was happening, I was almost certain that he’d lay off after you politely told him that you weren’t interested. I was obviously mistaken,” he said. “Had I known what a terrible human being he was, I would have intervened much sooner,” he said with a bit of regret.
“You knew I was there?” She asked in surprise.
“From the moment you walked into the club,” he murmured quietly. “Unlike my travel companions, I’m not all that into drinking or dancing. I found myself a seat in a booth they had reserved for us, and told myself that I’d have one last drink for the evening and just spend my time at the table,” he explained. “My friends didn’t seem to mind, as they all went off on their own. So I just sat there thinking about the night’s events . . . running into you again in particular,” he smirked. “Then I happened to look up from my drink, and lo and behold, there you were walking into the club.”
“Wow,” she murmured. “Why didn’t you say something? I mean . . . nevermind, stupid question,” she waved it off.
“Well, I thought about it. I thought it was a pretty interesting coincidence you showing up at the club we were planning to go to. Then I saw Drake talking to you at the bar, and figured he must have had something to do with you being there. I thought about going up to you, but . . . well, considering what happened earlier tonight,” he cleared his throat eyeing her hesitantly “I didn’t know quite what to expect had I indeed approached you. I suspect that instead of water I may have had a fruity cocktail thrown at me instead,” he mused.
Riley blushed with embarrassment. “Touché,” she sighed. “Hindsight has shown me that maybe you didn’t deserve that. I mean . . . at the time you completely and utterly deserved it,” she said firmly. “But after everything that you’ve down for me tonight, I realize now that I was out of line. So, I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have thrown that pitcher of water all over you,” she sighed. “I was just taken by surprise. I never thought I’d see you again,” she explained.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I did deserve it,” he sighed, looking at her longingly.
She returned the look, her heart fluttering all the while. The words that she had been holding onto all night . . . for eight years . . . danced on the tip of her tongue. “Liam . . . why did you leave? That night?” She paused, unsure of whether or not she should continue. “I mean, I know I should just let this go. Forget about things, move on . . . but I just . . .I always wondered if it was something that I did . . . or said . . . I thought . . . well I don’t know what I thought,” she admitted sadly. “I just, I don’t understand what happened.”
“There’s no easy answer,” he said sadly. “It’s complicated.”
She snorted. “Funny,” she shook her head. “Your friend Drake seems to think that using that phrase is a cop out,” she chuckled. “I’m inclined to agree,” she looked at him pointedly.
“I tried to be honest with you from the beginning, Riley . . .” he trailed off. “I didn’t want you to get hurt. Of course, now I know that it was unavoidable. No matter what happened, once we started something between us, there was no way that you wouldn’t have ended up hurt,” he sighed miserably.
“I know . . . and maybe I was foolish to hope that it would all work out in the end. Was that why you left? I got too clingy?” She asked, she hated how weak and needy she sounded, but she needed to understand what drove him away.
“My family needed me,” he said simply.
She frowned. That’s it? That was all the explanation he was going to give her? “That’s vague,” she said a bit disappointed.
“It’s all I can tell you,” he said quietly.
“But why no note? Or a phone call? The email address you gave me . . .the phone number . . . all of it was out of service the very next day.”
“It was safer that way,” he sighed. “No ties, no connections. I thought it would be easier for you.”
She scoffed, her blood pressure rising. “Easier? Nothing was easy about you leaving me Liam. You were the only person that I grew close to in that whole program. I had four weeks left and suddenly found myself all alone. I couldn’t move on, Liam,” she said with some anger in her tone. “You may have had the opportunity to go back to your life and pretended that nothing happened between us, but I didn’t have that luxury,” she fumed.
“What do you mean?” He asked
“Forget it,” she sighed. “It doesn’t matter . . . maybe it never did,” she trailed off. “I guess I should be happy that I got an answer at all,” she said pointedly.
“An answer?”
“I’ve spent years agonizing about why you left me. At least I know it had something to do with your family and not with us . . . I mean it broke my heart . . . I understood what you said back then, and I accepted it . . . but my heart didn’t listen,” she sighed. “I guess I can live with that explanation,” she sighed.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “For back then . . . for tonight . . . for a lot of things,” he ran a hand across his face.
“My fault,” she said softly. “I reopened old wounds that had healed over. I never should have stirred things up again,” she sighed. “I thought you’d like it up here . . .but that’s the problem with someplace so peaceful. It gives you far too much time to think about a million different things. I should have taken you guys to eat froyo or something,” she sighed.
“No, I’m sorry. I’m being an ungrateful guest. This is perfect,” he said quickly. “Truly it is,” he ran a hand through his hair. He looked like he was fighting an internal battle. She wished she could read his emotions better. She just didn’t know what was running through his head. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately, and I suppose I haven’t been doing a very good job of dealing with it,” he explained. “I return home tomorrow, and, well, my life as I know it will be forever changed,” he said a bit sadly.
“Right,” she nodded in understanding. “You’re getting married,” she said as a matter of fact.
“Yes, amongst other things,” he admitted.
The awkward silence between them returned.
“Soooooo,” she trailed off, her eyes wandering over to the guys who were sitting around the fire talking and fiddling with the sand. She was surprised to see that Tariq had taken off his shoes, placed his jacet on the sand and was now sitting by the fire. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.
“Did you ever get to see the Statue of Liberty?” She asked.
He looked up at her, coming out of his daze. “What?”
She knew very well that the sudden change of subject had thrown him off, but that was the point. She wanted to get her mind off his explanation for leaving, and she wanted to get his mind off of whatever was bothering him. She didn’t to dwell on two things that was obviously far beyond their control.
“The Statute of Liberty,” she repeated. “Did you have a chance to see it? Back when we were in Germany . . . you said that it was the landmark you wanted to see most. I figured with you being here in New York and all . . .it would have been the first thing you did,” she reasoned.
“You remember that?” He asked, a bit surprised.
“Well, yeah . . . of course I remember,” she shrugged. “You talked about it a lot . . . you even talked about looking me up in New York if you ever found yourself here, remember?” she added.
“I do . . .” He nodded. “I just didn’t think you would after all this time,” he murmured quietly.
She shrugged. What could she say? She remembered everything about him. Even thought she didn’t want to. She had tried desperately to put him out of her mind, but he just wouldn’t budge. He was a permanent resident inside of her memories, and it wasn’t just something she could wash away or pretend never existed – no matter how much she had desperately wanted to.
“You didn’t answer the question,” she said softly. “Did you get to visit Lady Liberty?”
His face fell a little. “I’m afraid there wasn’t much time.”
“But isn’t that what you always wanted to see?” She looked at him, a bit confused. “Liam . . . how is it that you come to New York for the first time and you don’t get to see the Statue of Liberty?” she looked at him a bit incredulously.
“The guys had other plans, and they had gone through such trouble to coordinate the whole trip, I’d hate to impose.”
“Isn’t this your bachelor party though? Shouldn’t you be doing what you want?”
“I’m very grateful that I was even able to break away for this trip at all,” he explained. “It’s fine. I’m sure I’ll have some other chance sometime in the future.”
“Bull shit,” Riley said.
“What?” He looked up at her.
“Drake just mentioned that you don’t know when you guys would have the chance. Liam, you’re in New York now. Make it happen.”
“I leave tomorrow, Riley. There’s just no time between now and then to make that happen,” he murmured.
“I have an idea,” she said suddenly, her eyes lighting up. “It might sound a little crazy, but I’m just going to ask you to roll with it,” she murmured. “Do you trust me?”
He looked at her hesitantly.
“Okay, bad question, I know, especially after everything that’s happened tonight . . . “ she sighed. “Look, I know it’s been a while, and it might sound absolutely ridiculous, but what if I told you that I could get you a quick swing by at the Statue of Liberty?”
He eyed her curiously. “Tonight? It’s well after midnight,” he said in disbelief.
“Lucky thing I know a guy . . . well a couple of guys,” she grinned. “That is if you want to go with me,” she trailed off. “I mean, no pressure or anything,” she tried to feign indifference. She was just offering to get him there because of what happened at the club. He saved her, and this was her way of paying him back. Nothing more.
Liam shot her an excited smile, which quickly faltered when he looked over at his friends who were engaging in horseplay at the shoreline. “It’s just that my friends have gone through a lot of trouble to put this evening together for me, and I couldn’t possibly leave them . . . especially in an unfamiliar city,” he reasoned.
Riley’s gaze shifted to where Liam’s gaze was. Maxwell was trying to splash Tariq, who was having none of it and rambling on and on about his very expensive, tailored suit. Drake was sipping from a small flask still sitting by the fire, watching on in quiet amusement as Maxwell and Tariq continued to banter. She turned back to Liam, a small smile on her lips. “I don’t think they’ll miss you,” she laughed. “They seem quite all right on their own.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” He asked looking at her intently.
“Yup,” she nodded.
“Won’t we get in trouble?” he tried to reason with her.
“And what if we do?” she shrugged. “Why don’t you live a little?” she laughed. She couldn’t help but say the same words he had said to her back when they had a three-day weekend back in Germany. She could remember the moment clearly.
“Live a little,” Liam chuckled.
“Liam, I haven’t left campus since I started school here,” she murmured. “I don’t think I feel comfortable using the train system yet,” she explained.
“You’ll be with me . . . and you’ll love Cologne. There’s a beautiful Cathedral with the most stunning stain-glassed windows.”
“I don’t know . . .” she whispered.
“We’ll make a weekend of it,” he reasoned. “We can find a hostel to stay at or a cheap hotel . . . It’ll be much better than staying cooped up in your dorm room all day scanning through the chapters I know you’ve already read.”
She blushed a little. He was right. She’d been skipping ahead of the required reading material and she found herself far more ahead of the syllabus than she had expected.
“Then you win,” she sighed. “Let me just put a few things into an overnight bag,” she smiled, now unable to hide her excitement.
“Then you win,” he smiled, shooting the same words back at her.
For a moment, she saw a glimpse of his former self shining through. And as she looked into his eyes, she found herself falling for Liam Rys all over again.
7/19/18 - It’s been over ten days since I last updated. So bad! :( But I hope this part was worth the wait.
Thanks for all the feedback. I LOVE IT. :)
Part 47 - Monk?
“Liam,” she looked at him curiously. That wasn’t what she had expected at all. A courtship? She tried her best not to chuckle. He was terribly old-fashioned, and it was adorably endearing. After surprising her at the airport and gifting her with a beautiful office, she supposed she should have expected some sort of grand proclamation from him. He was Liam after all. He had made it clear numerous times that he wanted more than friendship with her, and if she were being honest, he was making it pretty darn difficult to turn him down. She still loved him, and her heart couldn’t help but melt with the idea of him suddenly being so attentive, but there was still a part of her that was worried about falling down the black hole of court politics and all the horrors that came with it. She studied him for a few moments, his gaze eagerly waited for her answer. “You’ve rendered me speechless,” she chuckled lightly. “That wasn’t the proposition I had expected,” she said honestly.
He frowned, and for a split second she saw disappointment flit across his face. “What was it that you were expecting?”
“Not a courtship that’s for sure,” she said frankly. “I mean, don’t you think we’ve surpassed the stage of courtship in our relationship, Liam,” she laughed softly. “I have a few ultrasound photos to show for it,” she smirked.
The hopefulness in his eyes that she had seen earlier returned. “I suppose you’re right, but that’s not how I wanted us to conceive a child, Riley,” he said as he placed his hand onto her leg. “I had always imagined our lives looking much differently than they are now,” he said seriously. “We never had the chance to properly date one another. You said it yourself, we found ourselves in one impossible situation after another. We skipped a very important part of our relationship – getting to know one another, just you and me. I want us to have that.”
“For four weeks?” she asked.
He nodded earnestly. “Four weeks of just you and me learning about one another again,” he said.
“And what happens after the four weeks?” She asked. Surely he had an endgame figured out, or at least some goal or end result in the back of his mind.
“Well, I’m not quite sure. I suppose that would depend on you,” he reasoned. “I’m following your lead, Riley. If you tell me right this moment that you never see us in any sort of relationship other than being co-parents then I’ll accept that. Reluctantly, but I’ll accept it. If after four weeks you decide the same thing, then so be it. At least I tried,” he reasoned.
She sucked a deep breath in, her eyes meeting his. He looked so hopeful, that she couldn’t bear to break his heart. But was she ready for this? So much had happened over the last few weeks . . . months even, and now here she was faced with another major life-changing decision. Was she ready to put her heart back in his hands? She couldn’t say for certain. What if everything crashed and burned as they always seemed to do?
“I’m a bit worried about how all of this will work,” she admitted hesitantly. What with the public scrutiny she had experienced last time around and during the social season, she wasn’t prepared to go through another battle with the media about their relationship, and she certainly didn’t want to work extra hard to hide her pregnancy. “Will we be going out in public like an actual couple? Or are we dating in private?” she asked. There was a long list of questions that were forming inside of her head, and she saw his face fall with her uncertainty. “I’m not saying no,” she said strongly. “I just want to make sure I know what I’m getting into before committing to anything. I don’t want to find myself in another impossible situation, especially with the press,” she explained.
“Like I said, we will proceed with whatever you feel comfortable with. I’d like to take you out and hold your hand, and proudly show you off to the rest of the country, but I know that right now that isn’t possible. So I suppose private dates would be best for now. I just want to spend time with you, Riley. I want to show you that there can be a future for us. We can make this work. Just let me show you.”
She felt her eyes fill with tears. He was saying all of the right things, but there was a nagging feeling inside of her that told her to be careful. He’d said these words twice before, and she allowed herself to give all of herself to him, only to be left broken-hearted. She couldn’t survive that again.
“I’m so afraid I’ll get hurt again, Liam,” she sighed warily. “That the baby will get hurt,” she sighed.
He licked his lips nervously. “Then let me prove to you that I am the man you fell in love with all those years ago. Let me show you that I can be better than that man was. That I will not let you or our child down. At the end of the four weeks, if you still feel that a this isn’t the life you wish to lead . . .then we can have it your way . . . we’ll co-parent as effectively as we possibly can in our situation,” he said in defeat.
“And you won’t fight me on it? If I want to go back to New York and raise our child there?” She asked in clarification.
“I don’t want it to get to that point, Riley,” he said firmly. “But you’re correct. I will not fight you for physical custody. I would like visitation and I would like to have the opportunity to have the child spend summers with me when he or she gets older,” he murmured. “I know that if things don’t work out between us, I won’t be able to be the father that this child deserves,” he said sadly. “Not because I don’t want to, but because circumstances will not allow for it. I won’t prevent you from going back to New York. As much as I want my child to grow up in Cordonia and have two parents raise him or her . . . if you don’t want me as your partner and wish to resume your life back in New York . . . well, there’s nothing I can do to prevent that,” his voice cracked with emotion. “All I want is another chance to show you that the love we shared . . . the love we still share . . . is strong enough to make this work . . .” he sniffled, a small tear falling from one of his eyes.
Riley gasped softly. She’d seen Liam go through a variety of emotions, but she had never seen him cry before. Her heart ached for him. She knew the internal struggle she had been dealing with, but she imagined that his struggle had to be several times worse. Not only
He composed himself quickly, wiping the stray tear away. “Do we have an agreement? Four weeks, Riley. In the grand scheme of things, four weeks is nothing compared to a lifetime without you or my child by my side,” he said sadly.
She paused, considering his words. She felt a lump form in her throat and suddenly she was overcome with emotion as well. He had put things in a very different perspective for her. She had spent most of her pregnancy worrying about how this would affect her life and her child’s life. She hadn’t spent much time thinking about what not being able to see his child every day would mean for Liam. He was right. Four weeks was a small request considering what he was willing to sacrifice if things didn’t work out between them.
“I’d like to try,” she whispered softly. “I don’t exactly know how this will all work, but I know that you’re trying. After everything you’ve done for me . . . the least I can do is see what happens over the next four weeks,” she said honestly.
A large grin broke out across his face. He grasped her hands firmly in his and squeezed tightly. “You don’t know how happy you’ve made me,” he said, bringing her hands to his lips kissing them softly.
“So . . . this courtship . . . are we like . . . boyfriend and girlfriend . . . “ she asked a bit awkwardly. “I’m sorry, this is so strange for me. Our relationship has never been . . . well, normal. And I just got out of a relatively normal relationship,” she sighed. “I don’t really know what it’s like to court a king,” she chuckled. “A prince . . . well that was no problem . . . but a king . . . well that’s a whole new ball game,” she laughed.
He laughed loudly. “I’ve missed the laughter we used to share,” he commented. “It’s nice to hear it again,” he murmured. “I’d like to be able to refer to you as my girlfriend. That’s what dating couples do, right? At least among our friends if that’s not asking too much,” he offered.
“I think that would be okay,” she nodded. “I just . . . you’ll have to be patient with me . . . and I know you have been, it’s just . . . I don’t know how things are going to work with a courtship and a pregnancy . . . and the whole issue of legitimacy,” she sighed, rubbing her neck. She could already feel a knot of tension forming at the base of her neck.
“One step at a time, love. I know that we are pressed for time considering our present circumstances,” his hands reached toward her abdomen cupping it lightly. “But you aren’t showing just yet, and even if you are in four weeks, that can easily be masked with the right choice of clothing,” he reasoned. “We will deal with all of the what ifs as we encounter them,” he said confidently. “All I want to worry about is the moment we find ourselves in, now,” he said, looking in her eyes thoughtfully.
She smiled back at him, returning the longing gaze. A gentle knock on the wall outside of the open door interrupted the moment they were sharing.
“Everything all right in here?” Bertrand said, popping his head in.
Riley narrowed her eyes in exasperation. “We hardly need a chaperone, Bertrand,” she said.
“It is my house, and therefore my rules . . . a simple wedding can rectify the issue,” he muttered.
Rolling her eyes, Riley glared at him. “How about a courtship? Is that enough for you to extend visiting hours,” she said sarcastically.
He stepped a bit further into the room, his eyes twinkling with hope. “A courtship?” he asked.
“Riley has agreed to date me in the hopes that we can rebuild our relationship,” Liam explained.
Bertrand frowned. “I was hoping for an engagement,” he sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. “I suppose a courtship is moving in the right direction,” he sighed. “No overnight privileges,” he said pointedly. “But I suppose there’s no harm in extending the amount of time you can be alone together in your room,” he said. “But the door remains open,” he narrowed his eyes at them.
“How generous of you,” Riley snorted.
“It is generous, Lady Riley. My house, my rules,” he repeated as he shot them what he intended to be an intimidating glance before walking out of the room.
Riley rolled her eyes at him as he turned his back, and sighed. “He forgets that he had a child out of wedlock,” she turned to Liam in frustration.
“Bertrand sees what he wants to see,” Liam said quietly. “He just worries about you, and believe it or not, his nagging comes from a place of love.”
“That’s very sappy,” she teased.
“I know this isn’t the most ideal of situations,” he murmured. “But hopefully these living arrangements won’t be for long if all goes well, yes?”
She paused, narrowing her eyes at him. “One step at a time. A lot can happen in four weeks,” she said cautiously.
“A lot happened in two,” he smirked, placing one of his hands on her stomach again.
She blushed. “Very true. Who knew that one trip back here would turn both of our lives upside down?”
“Who knew that a tiny little lima bean could make you so violently ill,” he mused, rubbing her stomach gently.
“Tell me about it,” she sighed.
“I wish there was more that I can do,” he explained. “I mean, I’m half of the cause of all of this,” he said somberly.
“It can’t be helped,” she shrugged. “I was just one of the lucky 2% that gets this thing.”
“I wish I could take the burden off of you,” he said sadly.
“Liam,” she grabbed his hand. “Does pregnancy suck so far? Definitely. But our baby is not a burden. I will do my very best to take care of him until it’s time for him to make his grand entrance . . . and if that means my body suffers while he gets stronger, then so be it,” she smiled. “My body was made for this . . . it’s been a bit tough, but I’ll deal.”
He looked at her with a bit of adoration. “Riley Lawson, you never fail to amaze me,” he smiled. “That reminds me. I came for two reasons . . . first to proposition you, and now that I have gotten that out of the way, I also come bearing gifts,” he murmured. He stood up from his position on the couch and reached for the bags he had been struggling with when he had first entered the room.
“What’s that?” She asked curiously, pointing to the bags in his arms.
“Having seen you so miserable earlier, I wanted to do something to hopefully alleviate some of your symptoms,” he explained. He started to pull the contents out of the bag, smiling. “All the research I’ve done says that drinking Gatorade will help restore the electrolytes that you’ve been losing from being sick, and it’ll prevent you from getting dehydrated. Can’t have you back in the emergency room,” he explained.
She watched as he poured out a small cup of Gatorade into one of the plastic cups he had also bought. “Small sips will help you keep it down,” he instructed her.
She took the beverage from his hands, sipping it slowly. “Liam,” she smiled. “This was very thoughtful,” she murmured. “I appreciate this . . . all of this,” she sighed happily.
He reached into the package. “This . . .” he picked up a box and handed it to her. “This is supposed to help with the nausea. Mrs. Scott . . . one of my staff members suggested you try some ginger tea to settle your stomach. I bought a few of the instant tea packs for you to try,” he said as she looked the box over.
“You really have thought of everything, haven’t you?” She looked at him with a newfound adoration. “Thank you,” she said again. “I’ll be sure to try this the next time I have a bout of morning sickness.”
Liam pulled out a few of the other items and placed it on her end table. It was little things that made her heart swell – a pack of gum, a few magazines (none of which she recognized), and a pack of playing cards. She watched as he carefully arranged the items, giving her a little explanation as to why he purchased each item.
“This is too much, Liam,” she gasped, shaking her head in awe. “I mean . . . all of this . . . you didn’t have to,” she said.
“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to,” he said as he resumed his seat next to her on the couch.
She gasped suddenly. “I never thanked you for my office,” she exclaimed. “Did you get my text?”
“I did. I very much enjoyed the self-portrait,” he smiled. “I’m so happy you like it,” he murmured.
“Like it? I love it!” She beamed with joy. “I never had something so nice that was just my own you know? My office back home . . .well you saw it. It’s large, but it didn’t have half the things this office has,” she reasoned.
“It’s just something small that I thought would help in your transition here. I know how much you enjoy working.”
“Liam, you got me all the top of the line equipment and design software available. I don’t’ even really know how helpful I’ll be from thousands of miles away. I mean, I could probably do sketches and scan them over to Alicia . . . by the way, that colored pencil set is phenomenal. I’ve never seen so many different shades of red before. It was a dream come true . . . but far too much,” she insisted.
“Not nearly enough,” he countered.
She paused, seeing the genuineness in his eyes. “Liam . . . I’ve been such a horrible person to you over the last few weeks, and you’re just . . . amazing,” she sighed, unable to think of a better suiting word. He was just that . . . amazing.
“I’ve had my fair share of not so amazing moments, Riley. I’ll be the first to admit that I have many flaws, but I’m trying to make this easier for you . . . for us. Your well being and our baby’s well being are the only concerns I have right now. I want you both happy and healthy,” he affirmed.
“Well, right now we are both very healthy and very happy. You have certainly made my day,” she smiled. “If this is what day one of this whole courtship thing is like, I can’t imagine what the rest of our four weeks will entail,” she murmured. only imagine what the rest of the four weeks will entail.”
He smirked, but didn’t go into any detail about what other plans he had up his sleeves. “So,” he motioned to her paused television screen. “What are we watching?”
She looked at him curiously. The word “we” had thrown her for a bit of a loop. “Aren’t you breaking one of Bertrand’s rules by sticking around this long?” She asked.
“You heard the man, we have extended visiting hours,” he smirked. “And even then if he insists on checking up on us every hour, he’ll surely get tired of pacing the halls when he realizes that we’re just watching television,” he reasoned.
“I suppose,” she sighed. “I was in the middle of watching ‘Monk,’ she motioned back to the television.
“Monk?” He asked in confusion.
“It’s an American TV series . . . about an obsessive compulsive detective,” she explained. “He gets contracted by the police department to help them solve crimes . . . but his OCD tendencies tend to get in the way. It’s really funny, actually.”
“Huh,” he murmured. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“I can’t imagine you would have . . . it’s actually been off air for a few years now . . . I have all of the DVDs though,” she explained.
“Do you mind if I stay and watch a few episodes?” He asked.
She grabbed the remote and pressed the disc menu button. “You and I are going to start from the beginning,” she explained. “It’s better that way,” she smiled as she clicked onto episode one.
It was the second episode in before Riley started to get a bit uncomfortable. She’d managed to stay in her corner of the couch, and Liam had managed to stay in his. She made it clear to him that she wanted to take things slow. They couldn’t just jump back into all the little intimacies that they shared before . . . that was what got them into trouble in the first place. But somewhere between the ending of episode one and the middle of episode two, she developed a side pain that didn’t seem to want to go away. She stretched left then right, but nothing seemed to help.
“Are you okay?” Liam asked, sitting up a bit concerned.
“Yeah . . . I just have a crick on my right side,” she pointed. “I think it’s from sitting down for too long,” she sighed. “Another joy of pregnancy,” she chuckled. “I’m sure it’ll go away soon.”
Liam didn’t look so convinced. “Should we go to the hospital?” He asked, panic spreading across his face.
“Don’t be silly,” she shook her head. “I’m sure it’s completely normal,” she sighed, leaning her back into the couch.
“Perhaps, I should get Savannah . . . she might know what to do,” he started to flush in distress.
“Liam, I’m fine,” she sighed. “If only you knew the aches and pains I had while I was back in New York,” she shook her head. “Relax. I’m just going to lay down. You don’t mind do you?”
He shook his head, allowing her to put her legs across his lap.
“Thanks, she murmured, snuggling up against the armrest of the couch. “That feels a lot better,” she exhaled slowly. “See? Just a matter of getting comfortable,” she explained, and she
“We should really get you in to see the OB-GYN I hired,” he said worriedly. “Perhaps our date for tomorrow can be rescheduled. I can call Dr. Hanson in and have him come here to examine you,” he suggested.
“Liam,” she said sleepily. “I’m fine. I just saw Dr. Scoggin yesterday . . . I’m fairly certain not much has changed since then,” she yawned.
“I just worry about you . . . and the bean,” he said, placing his hand lightly on her stomach.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” she said softly, her eyes closing slowly.
“You haven’t had the easiest pregnancy, and I just want to make sure you’re taken care of,” he said adamantly.
Riley felt herself drifting in and out of sleep. She could hear Liam continue to talk in the background, and she could hear his words mixed in with dialogue from the show.
“Riley?” He called softly.
Riley’s sleepiness faded a bit as she willed herself to listen to his words, but she just couldn’t force herself awake. She felt his hand drift over to her stomach, and heard a sigh escape his lips. He caressed her stomach for a few moments, before she felt his weight shift and his lips press against her shirt. “Hello Little One,” he murmured. “I’m your father,” he sighed once more. “I know things are a bit difficult right now . . . but I promise you, I’m going to make things right. Do me a favor, okay? Take it easy on your mother,” he murmured. “She’s fighting like hell to keep you safe.”
Riley’s heartbeat quickened, and she no longer felt the pull of sleep. Instead, her stomach filled with butterflies over the sweetness of Liam’s words. She felt him lift her up off of the couch, and she made sure to keep her eyes tightly shut, so he wouldn’t realize that she had awoken from her light sleep. She felt herself press down gently onto the bed, as he pulled a thin blanket over her. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Your Majesty – “ she heard Bertrand’s voice off in the distance.
“I just wanted to make sure she got to bed comfortably, Bertrand. No funny business, I promise,” he said softly.
“I don’t want either of you to get hurt, Sire. That’s all. The rules . . . the restrictions . . . I didn’t want a repeat of what happened before.” She could hear the pain in Bertrand’s voice.
“I know, Bertrand. I don’t intend on letting her down again. I have four weeks to show her that we can have a life together . . . I’m not going to squander that time.” Riley could hear the confidence in his voice.
“We should let her sleep,” she heard Liam whisper.
She heard the squeak of the wood floor and the creak of the door as it was being closed. When she heard the door shut behind them, she opened her eyes slowly, a small smile spreading across her lips. They were going to be okay. No matter what happened at the end of the four weeks and no matter where their relationship stood at that point, their child would be loved.
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7/19/18 - Chapter 5 is here lovelies. <3 Thank you for your patience. I’ve been out of work with a very bad upper respiratory infection. I think it’s viral, and I have to let it run its course. My son and hubs are much better, but I’m still left with an awful cough. :( At least I’ve had more time to write. Silver linings, I suppose. lol.
Chapter 6 will be out in two hours! Let me know how you like it and thank you as always for your support and sweet words. <3 You all are amazing!
Chapter 5
Riley couldn’t help but shriek as she realized what was happening. Someone had the burly man that was harassing her firmly planted against the counter at the bar, and she wasn’t certain where he came from or how he had managed to catch her harasser by surprise. On one hand, she was very grateful to the kind stranger who had been the only person in a sea of people to do the decent thing and stop the guy from bothering her. On the other, she wanted to pull her savior off of the man and tell him that it wasn’t worth the trouble. The drunk man was much larger than her rescuer and she imagined that once he was able to escape his grasp, he would be none too pleased. The last thing she wanted was for this guy to end up with a black eye or much worse because he had tried to defend her. It looked as if the drunkard could have easily overpowered the man if he really wanted to. His sheer size alone gave him the upper hand, but for whatever reason, her rescuer was standing firm and holding the drunk securely against the bar. She looked around to see if any bouncers or security guards were headed in their direction to hopefully kick her harasser out of the club. Unfortunately, there was no one even remotely headed in their direction. However, a small crowd had formed around them, all eager to see what was going to happen. Her eyes turned back to the bar, the drunkard was struggling to break out of her savior’s grasp, but he wasn’t making any real progress in escaping, and he was getting angrier by the second.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The burly man yelled, trying to take a swing at her rescuer.
“Teaching you some manners,” her savior uttered, fighting to keep the man down.
Riley felt all of the air leave her body all at once. She knew that voice. Suddenly, realization began to dawn on her. It was Liam. She stumbled back a bit, leaning against a bar stool for support. Even laced with anger and there being eight years since she had last heard it, she would be able to recognize his voice anywhere. It couldn’t be anyone but him. Riley’s mouth gaped open as she took in his features from the side. He wasn’t wearing the same clothing as he had worn at the bar. She had figured that had a lot to do with what she had done to him back there. He wasn’t wearing the bar t-shirt either. He must have stopped off along the way to change clothes before heading to the club. She swallowed thickly. She couldn’t let Liam get hurt. Liam was anything but a fighter. If the man broke out of his grasp, one punch would be all it took to knock Liam on his ass. She was fairly certain that his fiancé would not appreciate her future husband with a black eye or fat lip right before they were slated to get married. The nerves she had felt back when she first entered the club returned. She suddenly didn’t know what to do.
“Please, someone!” She started to yell hysterically. “Find security! A manager! Anybody!” Her voice wavered as she watched as the drunkard start to flail under Liam’s hold. Riley’s fears, it appeared, were baseless. Liam had the situation completely under control, and she couldn’t figure out how. He was barely breaking a sweat, despite the man being so much larger and bulkier than he was. He clearly had no problem holding his own against him. He forcefully slammed the man back down against the bar, further securing his grasp across the man’s neck. She flinched at the sudden banging noise. Liam had thrown him so hard, drinks that had been lined up on the opposite end rattled.
“The lady would like you to leave her alone,” he narrowed his eyes at the man darkly. “I’ve been watching the exchange since you first stopped her, and she’s made it clear not once . . . not twice . . .” she heard his voice grow louder and more intimidating as his face came closer and closer to the drunkard’s face. “But three times.”
Riley saw the man recoil under Liam’s intimidating gaze.
“A proper gentleman would have backed off after the first time. She said she wasn’t interested. The meaning was quite clear.”
“Well maybe it wasn’t clear,” the man countered as he pushed against Liam once more, struggling to get out of his grasp, but Liam did not relent. He merely adjusted himself so that he was angled to have more control over the man’s upper body.
“Then you’re an imbecile,” Liam said pointedly, his gaze never leaving the man’s face.
Riley felt a sense of dread wash over her. Despite Liam’s calm and collected demeanor, she knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold onto the man for much longer. Why wasn’t anyone coming to help him? Where on earth were all the security guards? There were at least half a dozen very intimidating guys stationed outside. Why wasn’t anyone in here? Where was Drake? Surely he’d be able to put a stop to all of this. She tried her best to look for him, but the crowd that surrounded them was getting larger. She could barely see past them, the other bar was completely out of sight. Why wasn’t anyone stepping in to help?
“It’s my night off . . .I was just trying to have a little fun is all,” the man rambled as he continued to flail around under Liam’s grasp.
“Not with her,” Liam fumed.
“Look I know she said she was with somebody, but a lot of sluts say that,” he stammered. “I didn’t know that she was with some psychopath, all right? So she’s yours. I get it. I’ll back off.”
The drunk was starting to backpedal. He clearly hadn’t anticipated that Liam meant business and had no intention of allowing the man to harass her any further tonight. Riley’s anxiety started to wane a bit. Surely that was all that Liam needed to hear to let the man go. She noticed that Liam didn’t say anything in response. His face remained frozen in anger as he continued to hold the man firmly in place, not loosening his grip at all.
“Are you going to let me go?” The man asked, his voice cracking a little. Liam’s grip on his neck seemed to tighten instead.
“Apologize,” he said simply.
“What?” The man’s eyes widened as he started to gasp a bit.
“You owe the lady an apology,” he said quietly, but sternly.
“I ain’t apologizing to this slut who dressed like she was asking for it,” the guy muttered. “You should check what your girl wears before she leaves the house,” the man snorted.
Riley couldn’t understand if the man was dumb or intentionally trying to get a rise out of Liam. Whatever it was, he wasn’t doing himself any favors. If anything, him running his mouth was making the situation far worse. She studied Liam’s face carefully. He was livid – the way his eyebrows pulled in closely to the center of his forehead and the thin line that graced his lips were a clear enough indication that this wasn’t over. He wasn’t going to let him go until the man had indeed apologized to her. The man, on the other hand, did not seem like he planned on giving in. Riley was certain that nothing would ever lead him to believe that he did anything wrong at all. Guys like that rarely do. She’d seen in time and time again back at the bar, so much so that she had gotten accustomed to it. It wasn’t worth trying to educate him about his inappropriate behavior. It wouldn’t make a difference. In fact, if anything, it would probably rile him up even more. Already, he seemed to be getting angrier by the second, and that anger was sobering him up. Riley started to worry that if the man got just sober enough, he could easily break through Liam’s grasp and give Liam a terrible beating.
“Liam, it’s not worth it,” she said softly, her hand grazing his shoulder lightly.
For a split second, he turned away from the burly man, allowing their eyes to meet. For the first time in eight years, she felt the same electric shock sensation course through her body. She pulled her hand away from him quickly, pursing her lips. He inhaled, pulling his gaze away from her with some difficulty, before turning back to the man. “No,” he said firmly. “He owes you an apology.”
Riley could feel her eyes begin to water as she started to become even more concerned than before. She was worried for Liam. She was worried about the entire situation. What if this guy decided to press charges? How could this have spiraled downward so quickly? She should never have walked through those doors tonight. Had she stayed home and let the past stay where it belonged, none of this would have happened. Just as she was about to implore one of the bystanders to get a bouncer, Drake came rushing through the crowd, pushing his way through until he was right next to Liam. Riley felt a sense of relief as she looked into Drake’s eyes. Surely he’d be able to talk Liam down and get the situation back under control.
“Is there a problem here?” Drake said calmly. His eyes drifted from Riley to Liam to the man who was still firmly planted against the bar. When Liam didn’t answer, he grabbed Liam by the shoulder, shaking him lightly. “Liam? You good?” He asked in concern.
“Everything is fine,” he said shortly. “I was just having a nice chat with this gentleman here.”
Drake swallowed thickly. “Hey man, it looks like you were doing more than just chatting,” Drake said, looking at the man’s pained expression on his face.
“It seems that this is the only way to get him to listen,” Liam seethed out. “Riley asked him to leave her alone . . . several times . . . it seems like he couldn’t grasp the concept,” he said, his eyes darkly shooting a death glare at the man below him. “I’m still not quite sure he understands.”
“I understand!” He gasped out. The man turned to Drake with a pleading look on his face. “Your crazy ass friend won’t let me go.”
“You haven’t apologized yet,” Liam reiterated.
Drake ran his hands worriedly through his hair. “Liam, why don’t you let him go?”
“He had his hands all over Riley,” he spat out.
Drake’s eyes shifted over to her. She was still leaning against the bar stool. She was still in shock. She hadn’t realized it, but she had been cradling her arm gently. She removed her other hand, and it was then that she saw it. Red marks were strewn across her shoulder down to her forearm. The man’s handprints left clear red marks from where he had gripped her so tightly. “Lawson, you okay?” Drake asked in concern. When she hesitated, Drake turned his attention back to the man. “You did that to her?”
The man’s eyes opened a bit wider in a panic. He clearly hadn’t realized that his grip had hurt her. Riley started to wonder if she would have two angry guys to calm down instead of just Liam.
“I didn’t mean nothing . . . “ the drunk stammered.
Liam’s eyes flitted back to Riley, his gaze shifted to her arm. His eyes scanned over the darkening red marks. She could see Liam’s temper rise as his eyes darkened.
She shook her head, trying to assure them that she was fine. “I’m okay,” she said, wanting to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible. Her shoulder hurt like hell. There would definitely be bruises tomorrow, and she’d be in a lot of pain, but she wasn’t going to let it show. It would just make Liam angrier and she knew that at the rate things were going, the situation would only escalate if she made a big deal about her arm. “Please, just let him go,” she said quietly. “I’m okay . . . I promise,” she said, trying to reason with Liam. “I don’t need an apology.”
“And what if he does this to another woman this evening? What if that woman isn’t as fortunate to have someone intervene as I had?”
“I’ve already called the bouncers over, Liam. This guy is out of here regardless . . . apology or not,” Drake interrupted. “Think about the implications of getting photographed, Liam. Think about what that would mean back home,” Drake said quietly.
Riley turned her gaze to Drake, her eyes asking him what the heck he was talking about. Why would someone bother photographing this bar brawl? It’s not like he was anyone spectacular . . . or was he? She started to analyze the scene before her. She noticed Liam’s grip on the man loosen considerably with Drake’s words. Riley raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but filed it away as a question for later when things weren’t so tense.
He released the man from his grasp, throwing him back into the bar. “Perhaps it would be best if we depart as well,” Liam murmured. “This isn’t the company I’d like to keep tonight,” he said angrily taking a few steps back from the bar.
Drake’s eyes wandered as the crowd seemed to split before them. Two large men made their way toward the bar, grasping either side of the man that had been harassing Riley. They pulled him to his feet as they started to escort him along with his group of friends out of the nightclub. She couldn’t help but snort. Now they show up, she mused to herself. All the hard work was done. Where were they when he was grabbing at her arm? She sighed, trying to put it out of her mind. Liam had stepped in and that was all that mattered. He’d saved her.
“Alright . . . now that they’re taking the garbage out, I’ll go find the others, then we can get out of here,” he eyes wandered between the two of them. Liam was trying to compose himself at the bar and Riley was still a bit shaken from everything that had happened. “Liam . . . we’ll meet you outside, okay?” His eyes wandered to Riley, but she couldn’t meet his gaze. She was still taking everything that had happened in. This had definitely not been the night she had expected. Then again, she wasn’t really certain what she had expected to happen. “Lawson . . . hope to see you around . . .” Drake trailed off before heading out toward the dance floor to find the other two guys.
The crowd around them eventually began to disperse. She was so happy that it was all over. She exhaled a long sigh of relief, and steadied herself against the bar. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about that guy again, and thankfully Liam had come out of it unscathed. What a night this had been. She couldn’t really fathom that all of this was really happening. From the moment she laid eyes on him back at the bar she felt as if she had suddenly lost control of her life.
“Are you all right?” He asked suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts. His gaze was still a bit dark, and she could see that he was still struggling to control his temper.
“Y-yes,” she said softly, her head bobbing up and down quickly. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I’m not sure what would have happened if you hadn’t have stepped in,” she said honestly. She still felt a bit shaken from everything that had happened. She could feel whatever buzz was in her system waning as her body tried its best to calm itself. The truth was, as much as she wanted to come across as a badass, independent woman who could easily take care of herself, tonight had scared her. She honestly didn’t know what would have happened if Liam hadn’t have stepped in. The marks alone on her forearm were a clear indication that he had no care about hurting her. She could only imagine what he would done to her had he managed to get her alone.
“Are you okay?” She asked, taking a long, hard look at him. It looked as if he were trying to catch his breath. He was inhaling and exhaling rapidly, his chest heaving up and down. He still looked so angry despite the man and his friends having been escorted out of the club. She studied him for a moment, noticing his broad shoulders and muscular arms. That was definitely something different from the last time she had seen him. He had been a bit tall and lanky back then, and she never would have thought him as the muscular type. Now he looked as if he were someone to hit the gym several times a week. It wasn’t something that she had expected. He had always been rather studious back in Germany. He had always been a bit impulsive, at least back then, and she supposed that hadn’t changed considering his actions tonight. But a bar brawl? That was definitely not something she had ever imagined he’d jump into willingly.
“I will be,” he sighed, pulling himself away from the bar.
They stood there for what seemed like hours, when in reality, she knew it was only a few minutes. The silence lingered between them painfully. Now that the adrenaline was leaving her system, it was being replaced by the nerves she had felt when she first walked into the club. What was she supposed to say to him? It wasn’t like she was going to be able to just shoot the breeze after everything that had happened. What was she supposed to say? ‘Hey, how are you doing? So what have you been up to the last eight years? Oh and by the way, why did you rip my heart out when you left without saying goodbye when you left me?’ Yeah, that would go over real well. She sighed to herself , regretting everything that had happened tonight. The universe was screwing with her again. If she were being honest with herself, it had been screwing with her from the moment Daniel had asked her to cover his shift. That’s what started this entire mess. Maybe she should walk away . . . things were way too awkward and way too tense. Even if she mustered up the courage to confront him about Germany, who knew if he’d even give her the answers she was looking for. Nope. She could not deal with any more problems tonight. She decided to just walk away, put tonight behind her, and move on with her life.
Before she had an opportunity to pull herself away, she noticed Liam’s eyes wander off to the distance. She turned to look where his gaze had shifted. A slender woman with dark hair and chic eyeglasses was marching in their direction, and she could see his body straighten as if he were ready to engage in another fight. The woman’s gaze was firmly rooted on Liam. Riley couldn’t help but slink back against the bar as the woman approached them. It occurred to her then that this quite possibly could be Liam’s fiancé. She was pretty enough, and she certainly dressed the part. Her bodycon dress clung to her body accentuating her finer assets. She looked like a supermodel. Of course he’d get married to someone like her. She was stunning. But why would she be at his bachelor party? She bit her lip, wishing herself invisible. She definitely should have come here tonight.
The woman approached Liam immediately with her arm outstretched, brushing past Riley, ignoring her completely. “Sir, let me be the first to apologize for what happened here tonight,” her eyes centered on Liam. He swallowed thickly as he smoothed out the shirt he was wearing, a stern look plastered on his face. He didn’t move to take her hand at all. “We’d like to offer to comp your drinks for this evening.”
Riley suddenly realized that this wasn’t Liam’s fiancé; she was a representative from the club, maybe some sort of upper level manager. Her interest suddenly grew. Why on earth would they send this woman down here to apologize over a bar brawl? She knew Kismet was high end, but this seemed a bit much. Wasn’t this sort of thing expected when you mix horny guys and alcohol? That’s what bouncers were for. You have them do the dirty work. Nightclub managers don’t get involved in these sorts of things, and this couldn’t have been the first bar fight in this club. Riley doubted they went to these sorts of extremes every single time a fight happened.
“Yes, well, I appreciate the apology. But to be frank, I’d like to know where exactly your security team was when all of this occurred,” he sighed warily. “I’m quite certain that a location like this is likely flooded with cameras. Couldn’t they see that someone was in desperate need of assistance?”
The woman nodded emphatically, a look of understanding gracing her face. She still hadn’t paid any attention to Riley, not that she minded. She just found it peculiar that she was so apologetic to Liam when it was Riley who had gotten accosted. She didn’t want or need an apology, but she couldn’t’ help but wonder why the woman was so focused on appeasing Liam.
“We’re so sorry for the trouble, sir,” she reiterated. “We do have a top of the line security system as well as an exceptionally trained staff. I assure you, they are trained to identify risky situations. However, as is the nature of our business, it is often hard to determine if certain advances are considered unwanted or a part of a flirtatious exchange,” she tried to explain. “Many people do come to nightclubs in the hopes of meeting someone,” she reasoned.
“It was unwanted. Trust me. I have the marks on my arm to prove it.” Riley couldn’t help but interrupt the woman. She wasn’t going to allow this woman to suggest that perhaps Riley had been an eager and willing participant in the exchange at the bar.
The woman turned to her finally, acknowledging her with a fake smile. “Is this your fiancé?” she asked, looking Riley up and down quickly. She disregarded everything Riley just said, once again turning her attention right back to Liam.
“No,” he said tersely.
“I see,” she cleared her throat, her eyes once again giving Riley a once over. “Well, we hope that your bachelor party wasn’t soured by the experience . . . surely you’ll stay with your friends just a while longer? Perhaps take some photographs around the club? We’d love if you could share them on social media,” she said hopefully. “It’s always lovely to see our high-profile guests sharing their fun experiences online,” she added in.
Riley once again looked at the woman curiously. High profile? Liam? Perhaps her assumptions had been right. She always knew he was destined to do great things. Back in Germany, he had been the top of the program, before he had left at least. He was probably some big shot business guy overseas . . . or maybe he was some sort of foreign ambassador. He always talked about how politics ran in his family. The wheels inside of Riley’s head began to turn quickly. Who exactly was he nowadays? He was so different, yet at the same time, there was still so much about him that seemed so familiar. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was one thing she was fairly certain of – Liam was definitely someone pretty important.
“We really should be leaving,” Liam said curtly. “Unfortunately, the experience did sour the evening’s events,” he said disdainfully. “Perhaps you should retrain your staff and emphasize that every situation should be investigated,” he threw back at her in a condescending tone.
The woman seemed to flush a bit at his tone, but tried her best not to show it. She swallowed slowly, nodding. “We thank you for your patronage, sir. We assure you, this matter will be brought up with the owner, and we’ll be sure to take your suggestion and implement a more full-proof plan to ensure that this sort of thing doesn’t happen in the future.”
“It’s appreciated,” he responded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we really must be going,” he said.
The woman nodded once more before excusing herself and ambling toward another part of the club to chat with some other patrons.
Without so much as another word, Liam pulled away from the bar and started to head toward the front of the club. He walked in the same direction that Drake had headed to earlier in search of the other two guys. Riley let out a long breath. This night had been so surreal. She was fairly certain that she had experienced every single emotion imaginable tonight, and she wasn’t quite sure how she should feel about any of this. She had come here tonight for answers. Answers she wasn’t so sure she wanted now. It didn’t matter anyway; that opportunity was gone. He’d left her. Again. He clearly had no intention to stick around and talk to her. He stalked off without so much as a glance back. She stood at the bar awkwardly watching him walk away. She couldn’t help but snort. At least she had seen it coming this time. She supposed she shouldn’t have expected much. She had pretty much ruined his bachelor party . . . twice now. First by dousing him with water back at the bar, then again by getting him front and center in a bar brawl. It was a wonder he hadn’t scampered away with Drake earlier. She supposed this was all the closure she would ever get.
She was still staring at his back as he pushed his way through the crowd. She didn’t know why she insisted on torturing herself by watching him. It wouldn’t change anything. She forced herself to look away, shaking her head. She couldn’t do this to herself again. She pushed herself up and away from the bar, heading toward the bathroom. She wanted to clean herself up a bit and inspect her arm.
When she looked at herself in the mirror, she wasn’t surprised to see that her appearance was just as disheveled as she had felt. Her hair was a bit frizzy and her makeup was beginning to run from all the perspiration on her face. She took a look at her arm, and the red marks she had seen earlier looked a lot worse under the harsh fluorescent lighting of the bathroom. They’d definitely be bruises tomorrow, and she wondered how she would explain it to everyone at work . . . if she still had a job. She sighed. Tonight had been one giant clusterfuck of chaos. For a moment, she allowed her mind to wander back to Liam. For a brief second she wished it had been someone else who had stepped in to help her with that guy. Then maybe her head and heart wouldn’t be so muddled with mixed emotions. She mentally kicked herself. She needed a reality check. She was fawning after a guy that without a second thought abandoned her without a single word. And he did it again tonight. If that didn’t show her his true colors, she didn’t know what would. Her nerves and anxiety suddenly turned into outright indignation. She was not going to spend another minute thinking about Liam Rys. Nope. Not today. Not tomorrow. And definitely not eight years from now. She was completely and utterly done.
She quickly tried to pull herself together, touching up her make up as best she could and flattening her hair down. She just needed to make it home, and all would be right in the world again. As she walked out of the bathroom, still a bit lost in her thoughts, she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder.
“Riley,” a voice rasped softly.
She nearly jumped out of her skin. “Jesus Christ,” she yelled, her hand flying to her chest. Her eyes shifted upward, her body relaxing a bit when she realized it was Liam. But she had seen him leave? He walked away from her and everything. She tried to push the look of surprise off of her face and compose herself. “You scared the crap out of me,” she scolded him.
“I could say the same for you,” he countered, his eyes widening. “I turned around and you were gone,” he said simply.
“You left,” she said. She narrowed her eyes in frustration. “Again, I might add,” she said a bit angrily.
He cringed. “I thought you were following behind me,” he explained. “I just assumed you were walking out after me.”
“And why would you assume that?” She frowned. “You could barely look me in the eye back there,” she motioned toward the bar. “I figured you just wanted to get away from me. That’s why you stalked off so fast,” she reasoned.
“That wasn’t it at all,” he offered. “Did you really think I’d leave you alone in this club after what happened?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Be logical, Riley. I hardly think it’s safe for you to stick around here or go out there by yourself,” he reasoned. “We wouldn’t want your friend making a repeat appearance on your way out later this evening,” he explained.
She didn’t want to tell him what she really thought. Of course she wouldn’t put it past him to leave her when she needed him most. He did it once before. What was so different about now? She eyed him warily. “I just figured you were eager to get back to your bachelor party,” she shrugged.
“I needed to make sure you were all right first,” he said softly, his eyes finally meeting hers. “I wouldn’t want you to run into that guy again when you’re all by yourself. I was hoping to at least walk you to a cab,” he explained.
She nodded a bit. He made a lot of sense. Damn him for being so darn chivalrous. “You’re right,” she said instead. “I guess it isn’t the smartest idea to wander around the area by myself just in case they did stick around,” she reasoned. She couldn’t help but feel a few butterflies floating around her stomach when she thought about Liam worrying about her safety, but quickly brushed it aside. Liam was doing the gentlemanly thing. He just wanted to make sure she got out of here safely. Any guy would do the same thing. That was the only reason he had come back for her. He was just being a normal, decent human being. Then why did it feel like it was so much more than that? She chided herself again. He’s getting married, she reminded herself.
He motioned for her to walk in front of him, and she stepped forward keeping a small distance between them – a distance he soon closed. His hand grazed her back lightly as he maneuvered her through the crowded club. He had barely touched her, but the electric shock that ran up her spine was enough to cause tingles to explode all throughout her body. She bit her lip trying to capture the sigh that wanted to escape her lips. She was done for. No matter how mad she was at him and how much he had hurt her, she couldn’t deny the fact that she was still very much attracted to Liam Rys, and she couldn’t help but think that much like her study abroad program eight years ago had changed her life back then, walking out of this nightclub with Liam Rys was going to change her life once more.
7/8/18 - Part 46! It’s almost 6,000 words, so it will be a long read! So I’m really bad at keeping to a schedule. :( I have so much written, but sometimes just don’t have the time to sit down and edit and clean up/add to the part, and then it gets pushed to the back burner. I’m so sorry! I love writing and I feel so bad keeping you guys in suspense. I hope you enjoy this part! I’m still working on my other pieces, and will post when I have a chance to sit and edit what I already have written. :)
Thanks for all the feedback. I LOVE IT. :)
Part 46 - 4 Weeks
LIAM
The drive back to the palace had been a long and lonely one. Liam’s thoughts consumed him. He hadn’t meant to feel so envious of Maxwell and Andy, but he couldn’t help but see green when they shared the news of their engagement. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy for them, because he was, exceptionally so. He had always been a bleeding heart for true love, and their love story was a perfect example of true love at its finest. However, they were living out the dream he had hoped that he and Riley would be sharing, and the mere thought of it all absolutely gutted him. Instead of planning for a grand wedding and preparing for their little one together, they were living separately and teeter-tottering on the edge of friendship. If Maxwell and Andy were living out his dream life . . . he and Riley were living out his greatest nightmare.
Liam had been so optimistic over the last couple of weeks. He had anticipated that things would be difficult at first, but the news of Maxwell and Andy’s engagement had blindsided him. He knew he needed to be supportive and share in their joy, and normally, he could easily put on the façade of the faithful and loyal friend, but today . . . no. Today he wanted to linger in his misery, go back to his palace, have a glass of scotch, and pull himself together. He still had hope. Not all was lost. He knew better than to give up before the war, as Bertrand had so eloquently put it. But there was still a tiny part of him that couldn’t help but wonder if he and Riley would ever get back to the point in their relationship where she would even remotely consider marrying him.
He had anticipated the afternoon going much differently. With Bastien’s help, he had arranged for a few of his staff members to set a picnic up in a park near to the Beaumont Estate. It was an idea, after much thought and careful planning, that came across as something typical for a first date. If his plan was to court her and have a traditional relationship, a picnic in the park was the ideal way to kick off the start of their newfound courtship. He hoped that it would be enough to show Riley how dedicated he was to making their relationship work, and how he was willing to fight for her until she was ready to be his again. Of course, after everything that had happened in the car ride over and the subsequent news of the engagement, Liam didn’t feel it was appropriate to commence with his plan, at least not at that time. As soon as he had left the Beaumont Estate, he had requested that Bastien bring the contents of the picnic back to the palace. That had been a difficult and embarrassing call to make. He could almost hear the pity in Bastien’s voice when he explained about Maxwell and Andy’s engagement.
When he arrived back at the palace, Bastien met him at the front steps, ready for any sort of damage control. Liam had been on edge over the last couple of weeks, and Bastien had done his best to serve as a buffer for him when he found himself on the edge of being a bit too short with a foreign diplomat or even his own staff members. Today, Liam wanted nothing more to be left alone. As much as he understood Bastien’s concern, he didn’t want to engage in any idle chit-chat. All he wanted to do was head right to his study, sink into his desk chair and drown himself in a bottle of scotch. He felt it was the least he deserved after the day he had.
He hadn’t been settled into the office space for more than twenty minutes when he heard a quiet knock on the door.
“It’s open,” he called out.
“Got a minute?” Drake asked as he pulled open the door slightly. “Don’t want to break your concentration or anything,” he said, noticing that Liam looked to be mulling something over.
Liam shook his head, motioning for him to come inside. “Come in,” he murmured, gazing at the corner of the room. Apart from the simple acknowledgement to Drake’s present, Liam couldn’t bring himself to tear away from the muddle of thoughts in his head. He kept playing the day over and over again, wondering what would have happened if things had gone differently.
Drake took a few steps forward, pulling the door closed behind him. He sat in front of Liam’s desk, slouching back into the chair. “You totally owe me,” he exclaimed running his hands through his hair. “Another couple of days and the nursery should be good to go,” he explained. “Did you get the rocking chair out of storage? Or did you change your mind again and are just gonna order one to match the rest of the furniture?”
Liam didn’t answer; he was too busy trying to piece the puzzle of his afternoon together. He tried desperately to think about how differently things could have gone had he just left the whole situation about Regina out . . . or perhaps had he told her immediately about the picnic plans, things would have fared much better.
Drake continued, “That’s all that’s left furniture-wise. Everything else is pretty much covered. Decorations are next, I guess,” he sighed. “Not really my forte,” he chuckled. “I talked to Savannah a bit about it, but she thought Andy would be better at knowing what Riley would want. You know girl talk and all that crap,” he added in with a snort. “Women enjoy that sort of shit. Shopping and picking out themes,” he shook his head. He realized that Liam didn’t appear to be listening. He was tapping his finger absent-mindedly on his desk as his gaze remained firmly planted on the corner of the room. Drake’s eyes shifted to the open scotch bottle on Liam’s desk and the half drunk glass.
“Hey . . . you listening to me?” He said loudly, snapping Liam from his gaze.
“Sorry,” He frowned. “I’m a bit distracted this evening,” he sighed. “My apologies, Drake. It wasn’t intentional,” he assured his friend.
“That’s never a good sign,” he exhaled, motioning to the bottle of liquor. “Second glass? Third?
He looked at Liam knowingly.
Liam shook his head. “Only the first,” he sighed. Whenever things had gone back with Riley, Liam had a habit of taking up into his study and drinking his sorrows away. This was becoming too much of a regular occurrence. Tonight though, as much as he wanted to drown his sorrows with his bottle of scotch, he just couldn’t bring himself to drink all of it. He was contemplating getting out the palace for a quick ride.
“I take it the afternoon didn’t go according to plan,” he said softly. “With Lawson, I mean.”
He shook his head in disappointment, picking up the glass of scotch. “She got sick on the way to the estate . . . we couldn’t go on the picnic that I had planned,” he sighed. “She suggested we try again tomorrow,” he said, lifting the glass to his lips for a small sip.
“Well, hey. At least the plan didn’t get totally shot down. It sounds promising that she wants to see you tomorrow,” he said encouragingly.
“It is,” Liam nodded in agreement, but he still looked a bit let down and disappointed.
Drake studied him carefully. “Then why do you look as if you’re about to go to a funeral? It’s freaking depressing, man.”
“Maxwell and Andy are engaged,” he clasped his hands together, placing them on his desk. “It must have happened as soon as they got back to the estate.”
“Engaged?” Drake asked, pausing for a moment before furrowing his eyebrows. “Great,” he sighed, slouching deeper into the seat. “Now Olivia is going to be on my ass to get married,” he sighed dramatically. “He had to show me up . . . bet he got her some damn big ass rock, too,” he huffed. “They’ve only known each other a few months,” Drake fumed.
Liam’s face dropped a bit. “Riley and I had only known each other a day before she gave up her entire life for me,” he murmured. “I was ready to ask her to be my wife after only a few short months,” he added.
“Yeah, but that’s different. Everyone knew you guys were meant to be together. How much does Maxwell really know about being a husband? He can barely take care of himself,” Drake said thoughtfully.
“They’re happy, Drake. Be happy for them,” Liam scolded. He fully appreciated the irony of the situation. He had run away from the Beaumont Estate because of his own jealous and envy, and here he was reminding Drake that it was a happy occasion.
“Ah hell, man. That’s not what I meant. I mean . . . I’m happy for them . . .and I’ll be happy for you and Lawson when the time comes,” he added. “It’s just,” he grabbed the bottle of scotch taking a swing from the bottle. “You know how Olivia gets on about things,” he sighed.
“Yes, I do,” he nodded in agreement. “And you’re quite right, I’d imagine that the swiftness of the engagement will certainly ruffle her feathers a bit, and I’m sure she’ll bemoan the fact that you haven’t asked her to be your wife, but I have no doubt you’ll masterfully calm her down as you always do,” Liam chuckled lightly.
Drake snorted. “Yeah . . . right,” he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He noticed that Liam was still seemed fairly detached, not as excited as he would have expected him to be. “You don’t seem to happy about the news yourself, Liam. You upset?”
Liam nodded slowly. “I’m not so much upset as I am disappointed. I feel as if I’m watching the life that I had always wanted slip out of my grasp,” he said morosely. “Maxwell and Andy are going to be quite happy together. I just had hoped that Riley and I would be happily married before they reached this momentous occasion,” he explained.
“You’re jealous,” Drake reasoned, rubbing the scruff on his chin with his fingers. “Well, I’ll be damned. Liam Rys finally allowing himself to put his feelings first for once,” Drake mused.
“Of course I’m jealous,” he looked as Drake as if that should have been his first inkling about the entire situation. “Months ago, I thought my future was all planned out. Riley and I would be married, she would be Queen . . . the life I had wanted two years ago would finally come to pass. As happy as I am for them, I can’t help but wish for what they have . . . she’s having my child, Drake . . . and I can’t help but think that my plan will fail and my child will be born illegitimate,” he sighed.
“You seemed so confident before she came back. What changed?”
“I guess the reality of the situation set in, and I realize that it’s not going to be as simple as I had imagined. Why does she have to be so stubborn?” He said, pulling his hands off of the desk and placing them on his head in frustration.
“Because she’s Lawson, and that’s something you love about her. If she wasn’t stubborn or persistent, she wouldn’t have lasted a single day at court,” Drake said wistfully. “Remember how pissed Olivia was when she called her a petulant child?” Drake chuckled. “Lawson’s fire is what drew you to her in the first place, Liam. You can’t damn her for it now because you’re on the receiving end of it.”
Liam thought about Drake’s words carefully. He made a lot of sense. Her passion and stubbornness were qualities that had attracted him to her. Of course, it was an endearing quality when the ferocity wasn’t directed in his direction.
“I should have stuck around, celebrated with them. They must think I’m such an awful friend,” Liam murmured. “I was just taken by surprised. Perhaps had I been forewarned about the engagement, I would have prepared myself better,” he tried to reason. “I knew he wanted to marry her, I just thought that with Bertrand involved it would be at least a year or two off. Maxwell hadn’t even told me he planned to propose when I saw him that morning,” he explained.
“Well, maybe he didn’t want to rain on your parade with your surprise for Riley,” Drake shrugged.
“Or maybe I’ve been an awful friend and Maxwell felt as if he couldn’t tell me something as important as his engagement,” he sighed.
“I don’t think that’s it, Liam,” Drake shook his head.
“I am absolutely awful, Drake. For wishing my own happiness above my friends? That’s terribly selfish,” he said in disgust.
“It’s not selfish . . . I get where you’re coming from. It’s hard to watch as other people have the life you always wanted,” he said thoughtfully. “You just wanted to be able to share in the same happy moment with Riley.”
“Exactly,” Liam murmured. “And with each passing day that goes by, the possibility of someone becoming alerted to her pregnancy and it becoming common knowledge grows substantially. We’ve been fortunate so far. She’s not showing,” he reasoned. “Soon, she won’t be able to hide the pregnancy. Or the fact that the baby was born out of wedlock. There will be no hiding the fact that the child is illegitimate,” he said sadly.
“For what it’s worth, I’m fairly certain that Riley hadn’t even thought about the implication of having a child out of wedlock,” he shrugged. “I mean, us commoners don’t have to worry about that sort of thing,” he reasoned. “I’m sure the only thing that came to her mind was custody agreements and child support,” he offered.
“That may be so, but now that she knows about the pressing nature of the child’s status, I had hoped it would open her mind up a bit about getting married,” he frowned. “I don’t want my child to be illegitimate, Drake. I don’t want him to be an outcast from court all because he doesn’t have the proper lineage . . . because a simple piece of paper doesn’t join his mother and father together in the bonds of marriage,” he sighed. “I want her to be my wife,” he said, placing the glass of scotch down firmly on his desk.
Just as Drake was about to respond to Liam’s impassioned statement, Liam’s phone chimed next to him on the desk. He picked up, the anger on his face dissolved and was replaced with a light smile.
“From Riley,” he murmured as he clicked into it.
“Bertrand showed her the office,” he smiled. “She loved it. She took a picture of herself in the chair in front of the mural,” he flashed the phone to Drake, showing him the photo.
Drake snorted. “Your mood changed drastically,” he sighed, rubbing his hand across his neck. “I’m glad she liked it,” he offered.
Liam nodded. “I feel a bit better now,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I had hoped to be there with her when she saw it, but . . . well . . . fate had other plans,” he shrugged.
“Why aren’t you there?” Drake asked.
“She doesn’t want me there,” he said simply.
“Did she say that?”
“Not in so many words,” Liam shook his head. “But I could tell it was a bit uncomfortable between us after the engagement news. Then I couldn’t stick around because I thought it was going to be too difficult,” he rambled. “I just figured she’d rather I give her space.”
“If she didn’t say that, then you don’t know that she doesn’t want you there. God, you talk about her being stubborn. You’re just as bad,” Drake groaned. “What do you want, Liam?”
“I want Riley to be my wife. I want to be there for my child not as a part-time father, but every day,” he said without any sort of hesitation.
“Then what are you doing here, man?” Drake asked him pointedly. “You should tell her that.”
Liam looked up at Drake in confusion. “What?”
“You heard me. Go there. Lay it all out on the table. Tell her about whatever you were going to tell her. What did you say you were going to do? Woo her? Well then go woo the hell out of her, Liam. A wise girl once told me that I was doing a disservice to myself if I didn’t admit my feelings for Olivia . . . she was right. So I’m going to tell you the same thing. If you don’t pick yourself up, stop throwing yourself a pity party and fight for her, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice,” he said confidently.
Lia closed his eyes taking in Drake’s words. “You’re right. I gotta get out of her,” he stood up from his desk, grabbing the keys to the SUV.
“You good to drive?” Drake asked.
“I only had a few sips, I’ll be fine,” he assured him. “I have to go and woo my girl,” he smiled as he dashed out of his study.
RILEY
Riley couldn’t believe she was sitting at her own desk in her own ergonomically suited chair behind her very own, top of the line iMac computer. She also couldn’t believe that she had her very own office . . . an office, if she daresay, that looked a whole lot more amazing than her office space back in New York. Of course, she hadn’t spent a lot of time decorating her office back in New York. Alicia had always suggested that they needed to make the space a bit more personable so that they could start holding consults in the office on a more regular basis, but Riley just never had the time. She was always too busy running around doing events or shopping for décor ideas. She did more of her work at home, and it was honestly a bit of an inconvenience for her. The apartment didn’t have a lot of space, and back then, she and Andy would be fighting over who got the couch in the living room because Riley would want to sketch and Andy would want to work on her thesis. Having her own space here to sketch and brainstorm ideas was exciting. This surprise definitely made what started out as a pretty terrible day turn into something phenomenal.
“Knock, knock. First Cordonian client for Ms. Riley Lawson,” Andy chuckled, as she opened her office door.
Riley squealed as Andy walked into the room. “He’s crazy,” Riley exclaimed. “Absolutely batty,” she laughed.
“Who? Liam?” Andy asked, taking in the room. “Man . . . I knew he was crazy about you, but this . . . this is way too over the top . . . even for him,” she said, sliding her hand across the top of the sleek gray desk. “This looks like it cost a fortune,” she murmured.
“Right?” Riley said, her eyes roaming around the room. “You didn’t know?” She asked.
“No clue,” Andy said. “Looks like Maxwell was keeping all sorts of secrets,” she chuckled as she walked over to one of the shelves. “He certainly spared no expense,” she said. “And Bertrand . . . I can’t believe that he did this willingly.”
“Me too,” Riley agreed. “I mean, I was okay with working outside and in my room, you know? They’re already doing so much for me. And now I’m taking up one more room in their house?”
“Of their ginormous house,” Andy corrected. “They can spare the space,” she assured her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this room before,” she said, looking around in awe. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever been to this side of the manor before. Goes to show you just how big this place actually is,” she laughed.
“Did you check out the mural?” She pointed to the back of the room. “I think it’s by that artist that did a show at that SoHo gallery a year ago . . . remember when we went to Mark’s play. God, what was his name . . . I can’t think of his name off hand,” Riley sighed.
“A little bit of home to keep you company?” Andy asked.
“I think so,” she nodded. “He thought of absolutely everything, didn’t he?”
Andy nodded, strolling over to see the computer workstation. “Is this the new model?” She exclaimed, mouth gaping open. “I thought they were sold out of these.”
“I did, too! Apparently he must have some pull somewhere,” she reasoned. “He even got me some of the latest and greatest design software,” she exclaimed. “One of the programs alone had to have cost him at least six-hundred dollars. I was toying with the idea of buying it back in New York . . .then I come here and it’s all loaded onto this brand-spanking new computer,” Riley pointed to one of the icons on the screen. “I’ve been messing around with it a little, and it’s just so freaking amazing, I wish I had just bit the bullet and bought it back home. It would have made Alicia’s life a whole lot easier while I’m gone,” she explained. She let out a deep breath. “I’m overwhelmed.”
“Liam definitely doesn’t play around, does he?”
“I just don’t get why he did all of this,” she looked to Andy in confusion. “I mean, this is amazing, and I’m so grateful, but he was never really keen about my work before and now . . . all of this,” she motioned around her. “He knows I’m eventually going to go back to New York . . . so why go through all the trouble?“
“Maybe he’s trying to show you that you can have the best of both worlds,” Andy theorized.
Riley shot her a worried look. “Andy . . .”
“Hey, I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. I mean, obviously he wants you to continue working . . . or at least have it be accessible if you need it to be,” she reasoned looking around the room. “And he seemed to have bought you all these nifty little gizmos and gadgets to make telecommunicating a breeze . . .” she trailed off.
“He was just so dead set on me leaving everything behind for him. Now . . . now I don’t know what to think,” she shrugged.
“How about just enjoying it and living in the moment? Not everything has to be analyzed, Ri.”
“I should text him,” Riley said quietly, looking up at Andy for approval. “You think? That would be okay right?”
“Of course,” Andy nodded enthusiastically. “I think that he’d greatly appreciate you texting him that you like it.”
She raised her phone activating the camera and took a picture of herself smiling brightly in front of her new desk. She typed out a quick message of thanks followed by a string of emojis and attached the photo she took. “There,” she smiled, releasing a breath. “I’m still a bit floored that he went through all of this trouble,” she murmured. “My office back in New York doesn’t even look this cool,” she chuckled. “I mean, I certainly don’t have as many high-tech gadgets. Don’t laugh, but I didn’t even know how to work the new wireless printer . . . I’m so used to our big bulky Xerox machine.”
Andy nodded. “I know, it’s really unreal,” she murmured, gazing around her office space. “He really loves you,” she said, turning to face Riley. “You see that right?”
Riley paused, licking her lips in anxiety. “I know,” she nodded. “And I love him.”
“Then when are you going to put the poor guy out his misery?”
“What do you mean?” Riley asked.
“When are you going to just suck it up and let him back into your heart? Marry the guy . . . like yesterday.”
Riley looked away, remaining quiet.
“You want to let him in . . . don’t you? And I don’t just mean for the baby’s sake.”
“Of course I do, but every time I do, my heart gets broken. And it hurts like hell, Andy. This time it’s not must my heart that’s up for grabs. The baby’s heart is involved, too. If we can’t make things work out as a couple, then that’s one thing . . . but say we get married and we’re both miserable? How is that fair to the baby?”
“All these what ifs are giving me a headache,” Andy rolled her eyes. “Just live a little, Riley. So don’t talk marriage . . . talk about dating . . . talk about a future . . . just talk to him,” she encouraged.
Savannah peeked into the office, knocking on the door lightly. Riley was thankful for the interruption. Things were getting a bit too tense, and between the nausea this morning, the Regina reveal, and Andy’s engagement news, she had quite a day. Being lectured on why she should be with Liam again was not something she wanted to get into right now. Not when things had taken a turn for the better. She wanted to ride the high of her excitement until tomorrow morning.
“Sorry, I didn’t meant to interrupt,” she smiled, a light blush creeping onto her cheeks. “I just was going to see if you were ready for dinner. I made lasagna tonight, and from Maxwell’s frequent request for seconds, I think it’s fairly good,” she chuckled. “One of my better dishes, at least,” she smiled lightly.
“Most definitely,” Andy nodded as she walked over toward the door. “Coming Ri?”
The idea of red sauce made Riley’s stomach turn. The richer the food sounded, the more her stomach quaked in distress. She definitely did not need a repeat of this morning’s nausea and subsequent upheaval of her stomach’s contents. “No, I’m okay,” she waved them off. “When the morning sickness passes, I will definitely have to take you up on that offer, Savannah,” she said apologetically. “Plus I really should get a shower and some rest. The plane ride was awful, the car ride was pretty bad, too. It’ll be nice to just relax and zone out for a while,” she explained.
The two women nodded in understanding. Savannah departed the room first, but Andy left with a lingering gaze that told her everything she seemed to want to say. Suck it up. She sighed, shutting everything down in her office before taking the long trek back to the main portion of the manor.
It was an hour later before she had finally settled into her bedroom. She had taken a shower, brushed her teeth, and felt like a whole new person. The nausea had settled for now, and she was eternally grateful that it seemed she would have an uneventful night. She popped an anti-nausea pill just in case to ward off any nausea that decided to make its presence known later in the evening. She had packed a couple of DVDs into her carry-on, one of which was her favorite TV series back before it ended its run – Monk. She didn’t know what it was about the series, but it had her stitches every time she watched it, especially the earlier episodes. She popped the disc into the DVD player and allowed the first disc of season one to play through.
She was a couple of episodes in when she heard shuffling out in the hallway. She assumed it was Andy or Maxwell wanting to check in on her since she hadn’t eaten dinner. A light knocking followed the footsteps before short whispers. “Come in,” she called out as she paused the episode of Monk that she had been watching.
“Are you decent?” Bertrand called out from behind the door.
She snorted, shaking her head. Of course it would be Bertrand to ask that sort of question. “Yes,” she responded as she sat upright on the couch. “What’s up?” Riley asked when he opened her door widely.
“You have a visitor,” he said tersely. “I’ve already briefed him on the rules of the house. Your door is to remain open at all times, and there is no overnight privileges,” he said sternly.
Riley looked at him in confusion. What on earth was he talking about? Had he too much champagne? “What are you talking about?” Riley asked, staring back at him blankly.
“Well, since you are still stubborn and have no intent of getting married, I have to set these sorts of boundaries when gentleman callers come requesting to visit with you to prevent well . . . that . . .” he motioned to her stomach, “from happening again,” he said with a bit of flush on his cheeks. He frowned, causing deep wrinkles to form on his forehead. “Please don’t make me explain what both of us know I’m referring to,” he sighed.
She eyed him curiously. “I have a gentleman caller?”
Bertrand nodded with an exasperated look on his face. “Yes,” he groaned. “I feel as if I’ll have aged ten years before this child is born,” he muttered, motioning for her guest to step forward.
“Good evening,” Liam murmured, popping his head out from around the corner. “I apologize for the intrusion, but I just couldn’t bring myself to leave things where we left off,” he explained. He was balancing two large packages in his hands as he tried to sidestep around Bertrand to enter the room. “I’m actually a bit surprised Bertrand even allowed me in at all. He’s not kidding about the rules, by the way,” he shot a worried look in Bertrand’s direction. “I was actually expecting to be required to sign some sort of written contract at the end of it,” he sent Bertrand an amused smiled.
Bertrand snorted. “There’s an idea,” he glared at the two of them.
Riley’s lips lifted into a smile. “Wouldn’t that be something?” she chuckled, motioning for him to come further into her room. “The Duke of Ramsford requiring the King of Cordonia to sign a written contract in order to visit his home . . . that’s one for the record books,” she mused.
Bertrand narrowed his eyes at her as he shook his head. “Yes, yes, have a good laugh at my expense. Had I been a bit firmer the last time you were here, none of us would find ourselves in such a predicament,” he fumed. “Now then, remember the rules I’ve set forth, and no funny business,” he said pointedly, wagging his finger in between both of them. “Door open at all times,” he opened the door wider. “And I’ll be checking up on both of you,” he said sternly.
Riley looked at Liam unable to hold back the fit of laughter that had been threatening to come out since Bertrand had started off on his ridiculous tirade.
“I’m so sorry about him,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure what he expects to happen,” she said rather loudly hoping that her voice would echo down the hall. “I’m already pregnant.”
“He’s just protective,” Liam shook his head, “Don’t worry about it. Now then,” he cleared his throat. “I’m under strict instructions from Bertrand that I can only stay for a couple of hours, and considering that if I would like repeat privileges to spend time with you here, I’ll have to make sure that I follow all of his guidelines . . . as ridiculous as they may be,” he explained.
“There’s more than just the two he told me?” Riley arched her eyebrows in surprise.
“I lost count after eight,” he murmured, a small smile playing across his lips. “I wasn’t kidding about the written contract, at least I’d be able to refer back to it should I ever be in doubt about possibly violating one of his rules,” he laughed.
“God, I feel like a teenager again,” she snorted. “Anyway . . . forget about him,” she waved her hand at the door. “What brings you by tonight? I wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow at the palace,” she explained.
“Yes, well.” He murmured licking his lips. “I came here with a proposition,” he began.
“A proposition?” She asked, suddenly very curious about what was in the bags that he had with him.
“Yes. I’d like to be given the opportunity to woo you, Riley Lawson. For four weeks, I would like to court you and show you that we are meant to be together,” he said passionately.
“Liam – “ she went to interrupt him.
“Wait, let me finish. I know that we’ve been through this countless times before. I know that it might seem as if we are falling into the same pattern, but this time will be different. I know there are dozens of reasons why you believe that a relationship between us won’t work . . . why marrying me is a mistake. Well, there’s only one reason why it will – we love each other. Even though you think that’s not enough, it’s everything. It’s the only thing that matters.”
Riley looked at him for a long time. The man in front of her looked desperate and tired. He was fighting a hard battle, and she knew that it killed him to go through all of this, especially when he didn’t know what the outcome would be. It was killing her, too . . . being in this perpetual state of what if and maybes. But deep down, she knew she had been doing the right thing for herself and for their child. She knew that jumping head first into the whirlwind of Liam’s love and life would only lead her into a hurricane of emotions.
“Four weeks . . . you and me, Riley. What do you say?”
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7/6/18 - Chapter 4! Thank you for the patience! It took me a while to work on this one because I wanted to include a flashback, but just couldn’t work it in, so you’ll get it in the next chapter. ;)
Thank you guys so much! Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 4
The moment she had stepped out onto the street in front of her apartment building, she began to have second thoughts. She could turn back; she could throw that beautiful black dress right back on the hanger, jump into bed and pretend that tonight never happened. That would be the easy thing to do. Who needed closure right? She’d gone eight years without it . . . what good would it really do now except stir up unnecessary hurt feelings and animosity? She could probably go a lifetime without ever thinking about Liam Rys again. At least that was the internal pep talk she was trying to give herself. Deep down, Riley knew much better. She could barely keep her mind off of him for the last few hours. Not thinking about Liam was going to be an impossible feat, especially when she had waited for this opportunity for eight years.
She mustered up the courage she had been trying to build over the last hour and trudged down the street into the direction of Kismet. Her internal struggle didn’t quiet even when she seemed resolute in her decision to go to the club and confront Liam. Her mind wandered back to everything that happened at the bar. What were the freaking odds? Of all the bars in the area, he had to come waltzing into hers. It had to be the universe playing some sort of cruel joke on her. The universe seemed to want her to suffer, because he looked even more amazingly handsome than she had remembered. Why couldn’t he have gone prematurely bald or develop some sort of horrible case of acne? No, that’s how the universe wanted to play it. Liam Rys looked like an absolute hunk. It killed her that she was still so attracted to him. Still, a lot changes in eight years. He had to be at least twenty-eight by now. The boy she had fawned over back in Germany was now a dashingly dapper man who seemed to have made an amazing life for himself. He seemed to have a great group of friends (well at least Drake seemed great, the other two were a bit stuck up). . . he seemed to have a great job from the looks of how he was dressed . . . and of course, how could she forget, he was getting married. Yeah. The universe was a cold-hearted bitch. In fact, Riley wanted nothing more than to slap the universe silly for bringing him back into her life.
Her life hadn’t turned out as she had expected, but up to this point, it had never really bothered her. She was very accepting of the hand that life had dealt her. Did she want more for herself? Of course. Who wouldn’t? She was a waitress for God’s sake living in a very tiny apartment out in Brooklyn. The dreams she had carved out for herself back in Germany had never happened. She had barely managed to graduate from NYU. Although, it seemed like Liam’s dreams had worked out rather nicely for him. He had to be some big wig politician or hotshot business guru from the looks of it. Their lives had definitely gone into two very different paths.
As she continued to walk down the street, she noticed that the roads and sidewalks were becoming a bit more congested with people. Although it was close to midnight, New York was the city that never slept, and Riley was certain that a majority of the people that were out and about were just starting to kick off their evening. She wasn’t used to being out this late. The only time she’d be out close to midnight was if she were working at the bar. A sinking sensation began to form in the pit of her stomach as she got closer and closer to her destination. Was she doing the right thing? She had told Drake that Liam was very much a part of her past . . . but suddenly her past seemed to be very much in her present thoughts, and it was beginning to worry her. What if she went through all this trouble to get closure and to find out why he left her all alone in Germany after everything they had shared, only to endure more heartache? The sinking feeling that started to form grew bigger and bigger. Riley was freaking out.
By the time she made it to the corner where the club was located, she couldn’t help but frown as her eyes wandered down the line of people. The line was wrapped around the glowing building. There had to be at least a couple hundred people in line. Her mouth gaped as she watched only a couple people be allowed to enter at a time. The line was moving at a snail’s pace. After a quick calculation, she realized that she’d likely spend at least a half an hour in line, maybe more before she even got into the damn club. Perhaps this was a sign from God? A sign telling her to get the hell out of there, go back to her apartment, and forget she even came out here. But then, there was another part of her that reminded her that she’d never have this opportunity again. Drake’s words echoed in her head. I think he’d like to see you again. She had a chance to get the answers she had been searching for. This was her last chance to scream, shout, cry . . . say all the words she didn’t have a chance to say back then . . . tell him about what happened after he left . . . how she cried herself to sleep clinging to the pillow he had last slept on just so that she could inhale the scent of him . . . how she had struggled so much when he was suddenly gone, wiped clean out of her life as if she’d dreamt the whole thing up. Yeah . . . there was no going back now. Her fists clenched at her side as she reluctantly joined in the line full of twenty-something year olds ready for a night of drinking and dancing.
Twenty minutes later, after spending a good chunk of that time fuming over how ridiculous it was to be waiting for a club she hadn’t wanted to go to, it was her turn to enter. When Riley finally made it through the large glass doors, she instantly remembered why she hated clubbing so much. It was too loud, too cramped, and there were always overly drunk guys who wanted to get a tad bit touchy, and that just wasn’t the vibe she was into. Kismet was no different. Clubs were not exactly Riley’s scene. She didn’t have a lot of girlfriends apart from Andy, and she tended to be a homebody. But a few of her friends from work had dragged her out to Kismet a few months ago, and Riley hadn’t really seen what all the fuss was about. It looked like all the other clubs in New York, with maybe just a few more bells and whistles. The New York Times proclaimed it to be one of the hottest new clubs on the circuit. It was known for attracting a bit of a high-classed crowd, and looking around, that was definitely the case. She didn’t feel like she was going to fit in, especially when she was by herself. Her dress played the part of a chic, professional twenty-seven year old who wasn’t like she’d exactly fit in. Her dress would, but she wouldn’t. She could see why Liam and his friends had made plans to go there. They’d fit in perfectly. Well, maybe all of them except Drake. Drake didn’t look club-ready at all when he was back at the bar. His relaxed denim outfit was definitely not something you’d see in the likes of a club like Kismet. Hopefully that would help her pick him out of the crowd.
Fifteen minutes later, she was beginning to lose hope. She hadn’t run into any of the guys and she had already been around the entire club. So much for her getting any sort of closure. Perhaps, this was just how it was meant to be. Maybe she wasn’t meant to know why Liam left. She’d done a good job trying to move on . . . she had accepted what had happened long ago. Coming here was a mistake; all it had done was dredge up old emotions that should have stayed where they belonged – in the past. She held on tightly to her clutch as she tried to stop herself from giving into the overwhelming emotions that were coursing through her veins. What a colossal waste of time this had been.
She was just about to zoom out toward the exit when she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. Thinking that it was another overly-enthusiastic guy who wanted to get her attention, she pulled herself away from the offending touch ready to face off with the jerk that had touched her. When she turned though, she was surprised to see that it was Drake. She didn’t know whether to feel relieved that she had finally found him or filled with dread because now everything she had been thinking about saying and doing tonight was about to become a reality.
“Hey . . . you changed your mind,” he said, as he shot her a lopsided smile. He was definitely a lot peppier than before. She was certain that the almost empty glass of alcohol he had clutched in his hand had something to do with it.
“I was actually just going to leave,” she said as she felt her pulse quicken with doubt and worry. She couldn’t meet his eyes, a bit embarrassed that she even came to the club in the first place. “I shouldn’t have come,” she said softly. He probably couldn’t hear her over the volume of the music. “This was a mistake. I thought I could see him again, but I don’t think I can,” she said sadly. “I’m sorry,” she backed away from him slowly, a small hint of regret in her eyes as she pulled herself away from him.
“Riley,” he called after she gotten a few feet away from him. She stopped, turning back to him. “If you don’t want to talk to him . . . you don’t have to,” he suggested. “You can just sit at the bar with me. We can talk or whatever,” he shrugged. “You won’t have to worry about running into the rest of them. Liam’s at a booth nursing a glass of scotch, and moron one is over at the concierge services trying to ask about club amenities . . . and moron two is off break dancing on the dance floor,” he laughed. “It’s just you and me, kid.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, frowning. “Is that any way to talk about your friends? Referring to them as morons?” She asked pointedly.
“They aren’t my friends,” he said simply.
She furrowed her eyes in confusion. “I don’t understand. You were together at the bar . . . you’re together here,” she murmured. “Then again . . It doesn’t seem like you particularly care for them all that much,” she reasoned.
“They’re Liam’s friends,” he explained. “What he saw in them beats the hell out of me,” he sighed warily. “But for whatever reason he likes them and keeps them around, so I put up with it,” he shrugged.
“Oh,” Riley murmured to herself, understanding his explanation. “Well . . . I need to get back home. Like I said, this was a mistake . . . coming here,” she motioned around her, once again taking a few steps back in an attempt to flee.
“You came all the way out here, and now you’re going to bail?” He asked. “Come on, look, you even dressed up,” he pointed out.
“If I’m not ready to talk to Liam, why should I stay? No offense, but we don’t know each other,” she said honestly. “I mean . . . what could we possibly talk about?”
“Liam,” he said simply. “I mean, he is our mutual friend . . .even if you don’t want to admit it,” he smirked. “That’s why you came right . . . at some point after I went after you; you wanted to see him again.”
She didn’t answer, but her eyes unable to meet his gaze. She was certain that her body language spoke volumes as it was. She had wanted to do much more than see him. She wanted to interrogate him . . . get all the answers out of him that she could. But as she walked into the club, her nerves got the better of her.
“No sense wasting a perfectly good night out,” he reasoned with her. “So what do you say, Lawson?” He asked, arching his eyebrow. “Have a few drinks with me?”
Riley’s heart pounded, as she paused wondering if she had heard him correctly. Did he just say Lawson? She squinted her eyes at him, studying him carefully. “I never told you my last name . . . did I?” She glared at him suspiciously. “How’d you know it?”
Drake eyed her carefully, downing what was left in the glass he was holding. “Liam,” he smirked. “He didn’t want to talk about it at first, but I kind of wore him down when we got here. I found out a bit of back story . . . not a lot, but enough to piece a few things together,” he said vaguely.
“Oh?” Riley asked curiously, her anxiety kicking up a notch. “Like what?”
“Like maybe you should sit down and let me buy you a drink, and maybe we can talk about it,” he said coyly.
Riley looked at him hesitantly before her curiosity got the better of her. “One drink, and then I need to head home,” she said seriously as she followed him to the bar. She still felt uneasy about the whole thing, but he had a point. She came all this way, and even though she had cold feet, maybe after a few drinks of liquid courage she’d have built up enough courage to confront Liam. She hopped up onto one of the stools, leaning her body against the bar for support.
“So . . . what made you change your mind?” He asked drawing her from his thoughts. He slid the empty glass across the bar, trying to get the bartender’s attention to order more drinks.
“About coming here?” She asked him, pulling a drink menu closer to her. She frowned, not really knowing what to say. Why had she changed her mind? Was it just to get closure? Get the answers that she spent years wondering about? She looked at him thoughtfully. “I’m actually not quite sure,” she sighed. “I thought I wanted to figure out what happened all those years ago, but now . . . now I’m not too sure,” she said honestly. “I’m psyching myself out. Worried about opening a whole can of worms unnecessarily, you know? Like . . .” she trailed off, unable to meet Drake’s gaze. “Like, what if I don’t get the answers that I want,” she said in concern. “Maybe I just need some sort of closure,” she admitted.
“Closure dressed like that?” He asked, pointing to her dress.
She immediately became a bit self-conscious. “What’s wrong with my dress?” She asked looking herself over. The beautiful black dress fit as if it were made for her. And yes, it was a bit fancier than the clothes that she typically wore. And yes, perhaps she had worn it with a specific reason in mind, but it wasn’t necessary for Drake to point that tiny detail out.
“It just doesn’t scream closure to me. It screams “look at me . . . I’m hot,” he said accusingly.
She looked at him indignantly. “And you would know this how?”
“I have eyes,” he shrugged as he finally got the bartender’s attention. Ignoring Riley’s sour glare, he turned his focus onto the bartender who stopped in front of them. “Bottle of whiskey . . . I think it’s going to be a long night,” he smirked. “And you’ll have?” He looked to her expectantly.
She licked her lips, still annoyed with him but she wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity for a free drink. “Just a lava flow,” she said shortly. The bartender nodded and left them to their conversation.
“So, did you wear that for Liam?” he asked expectantly.
She frowned, but she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, and she could feel the rest of her body get a bit hot in embarrassment.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” He smirked. “Look, I’m not entirely sure what happened between the two of you, but I know it was something big . . . all I got out of him was that you two were friends a long time ago,” he shrugged. “Care to elaborate a bit more?”
Riley scowled. “Not particularly,” she sighed, watching as the bartender returned with her drink and Drake’s bottle of whiskey. She started to feel a bit foolish. She had always thought of them as more than friends. They had sex for God’s sake. Clearly, that tipped them out of the friend zone. “That’s all he told you? We were friends?”
Drake nodded. “I take it there’s more to it than that . . .otherwise he wouldn’t have had an ice cold pitcher of water thrown over him,” he reasoned.
Riley couldn’t help but snort. “It was a long time ago,” she said, taking a sip from her fruity drink.
“Obviously not that long for you to still be torn up about it,” he countered.
“I’m not torn up about it,” she argued back. “I was doing just fine until he showed up at my bar,” she explained. “His presence was unexpected, and I just sort of freaked out, okay?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s complicated, and I really don’t think I have to explain any of that to you,” she said angrily.
“That’s what everybody says when they don’t want to accept their feelings about something. ‘It’s complicated,’” he mimicked her. “What a cop out,” he muttered.
Riley glared at him. She had thought him rather pleasant back at the bar in comparison to the other two guys. Of course, she had thought much less of him when he stalked her down the street on her way home. Now . . . now he was in the same boat with the universe. She wanted to slap him silly. “Who are you? Dr. Phil?” she snapped.
“No . . .just someone trying to help,” he said honestly, lifting his arms up as if to surrender to her. “Despite being covered in water, Liam’s eyes lit up when he saw you. I saw it, and I know the other two morons saw it, too. I know you didn’t see it because you were too busy storming out of there, but he looked almost happy to see you, before . . . you know you decided he needed a bath,” he chuckled.
“You aren’t going to let me live that down, are you?” She asked, fiddling with the napkin under her drink. She had felt so strongly about pouring the water over his head. She felt he deserved it. However, with each mention of it, she started to feel a bit abashed about the whole thing.
“Nope,” he chuckled. “I might consider laying off a little if you tell me the real story though,” he offered.
She looked at him curiously. “I’m going to need something a lot stronger than this if we’re going to be doing a blast from the past,” she murmured.
“Whiskey,” he slid the bottle over to her. “We can share,” he slid an empty glass over to her.
She looked at him and smiled, grabbing the bottle and pouring herself a glass. “I don’t know where to begin,” she sighed.
“Why’d you dump the pitcher of water on his head? That seems like an easy enough place to start,” he reasoned.
“I guess . . . ,” she struggled a bit, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “I was really surprised to see him and it was the only thing I could think of at the time,” she chuckled nervously, willing herself to continue. “Be glad it wasn’t coffee,” she said with a bit more serious tone. “Although I’m sure that would have landed me in jail,” she shrugged. “Burning a customer would be considered assault I think,” she sighed.
Drake snorted into his glass, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, we might be in the emergency room right about now had it been a scalding hot pot of coffee,” he laughed.
“What are the odds huh?” she mused. “Out of all the bars in the entire state of New York, you guys ended up in mine,” she shook her head, drinking a long sip from her drink.
“Pretty interesting odds,” Drake agreed. “Maybe it was a sign.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “If you follow that line of reasoning, the moment I saw the line curved around the building, I should have gone home. That alone seemed to be a sign from God that this was a bad idea,” she said honestly.
“That’s not what I meant . . . you said it yourself, what are the odds of us walking into that bar and you and Liam having some sort of history with one another. Maybe you guys were meant to find one another again,” he said seriously.
Riley looked at him trying desperately not to laugh in his face. “You didn’t seem like the sappy type,” she mused.
“I’m not,” he said huffily. “It just seems pretty interesting that you two would be brought back together again right before he’s slated to get married,” he explained.
“I think you’ve reached your limit on the alcohol,” she tried to say with a straight face. “You’re talking bubbles,” she said.
“I know what I’m saying,” he reasoned with her. “You’re it.”
“I’m it?” She laughed, but stopped when she realized he was being serious. “You’re crazy. I’m not it. Whatever the hell that means,” she took a long sip from her glass of whiskey. “If I were it, he never would have let me go,” she said a bit harshly. Drunk or not, Drake was teetering on the edge of toppling over her last nerve.
“So he left you? That’s what this is all about? You’re pissed because he left you?” He asked.
She looked at him in annoyance. “There was a lot more than him just leaving me. Don’t act like you know anything about the situation,” she seethed. “It’s a lot more complicated than that.”
“There’s that word again,” he frowned. “Complicated,” he muttered. “Have you ever thought that maybe you falling back into his life was because you were meant to save him? Save him from royally screwing up his life?”
She nearly choked on her drink. “I don’t think he needs saving, Drake. He seems well off . . . I mean, his suit alone looks like it would cost an entire month’s rent. He’s getting married . . . he can afford to fly all the way from Europe for a bachelor party,” she reasoned. “I’m sure he’s perfectly content with the way his life has turned out,” she said confidently.
“There you ago, making all sorts of assumptions again,” he shook his head in frustration.
“Are you going to tell me that I’m wrong?” She challenged.
“Yup,” he nodded. “You got this idea that Liam is this pompous, arrogant asshole who’s rich. I mean, yeah, he is rich, but he’s so much more than that. He’s the type of guy who puts everyone else first. He does things to make people happy. Even if it means sacrificing his own happiness in the process,” Drake explained.
Riley felt that their conversation had gotten a bit off track. She understood that Drake felt the need to defend his friend, but she was a bit bothered by his constant need to hold Liam up on this grand pedestal as if he could do no wrong. She knew better. “You’re drunk,” she murmured, brushing his words off.
Drake ignored her. “Even this bachelor party isn’t his scene. He’d probably prefer to be out sightseeing or visiting some boring museum,” Drake said as he sunk back another glass of whiskey. “Liam isn’t a party animal.”
“It wasn’t his idea to come here?” Riley asked, her voice softening a little.
“Here?” Drake scrunched up his nose. “Liam isn’t into the club scene. This was Tariq’s idea. He heard it was the best of the best in terms of nightclubs and just had to come here . . . you see, Liam only came here to make Tariq happy. It’s his bachelor party and he’s trying to make sure his friends are having a good time,” he explained.
Riley mulled over his words a bit. “I did find it a bit odd that he would come all the way to New York for his bachelor party. I mean . . . most people go to Vegas,” he reasoned.
“Well, Liam’s not most people,” he shrugged. “So, are you going to tell me what the deal is between you two now? I mean, obviously there’s something if you’re getting all worked up about things,” he pointed out. “What he didn’t return your feelings or something?” He prodded on.
“What? No,” she answered quickly. “We cared a lot for each other. At least I thought we did,” she said sadly.
“Now we’re getting somewhere. So you guys had a fling,” Drake clapped his hands together, thrilled that he had finally gotten somewhere
“I wouldn’t call it a fling,” she said a bit uncomfortably. “Did he say anything about it being a fling?”
She could feel her pressure rising in irritation. Her mind started to wander back to everything that had happened between them. Was that all she was to him? A fling? Just another notch on his belt? She was just someone that filled the void of a physical connection while he was away from home. Hell, for all she knew he was screwing her while he had someone waiting on him back home. Maybe he was marrying her, in fact. So that was it then. Their friendship . . their relationship . .. whatever the hell it was meant absolutely nothing to him.
“I should go,” she sighed, shaking her head in disgust. She suddenly felt a bit sick. “I was right before, this was a mistake.”
“Why?” Drake asked, standing up with her.
“Because I was right about him. He isn’t someone I care to see again, and the past is the past for a reason. It should stay there,” she said firmly.
“Lawson . . .” He pleaded, trying to pull her back over to the bar.
Her eyes started to fill with tears. She finally allowed herself to give into the raw emotion that she had been feeling since the bar. She hated reliving all of the feelings she felt all those years ago. She absolutely hated it. “It was more than just a fling for me, okay? In 2010, we met in Germany. We were both doing this study abroad thing,” she waved her hands around erratically. “I fell in love with him,” she exclaimed, not expecting to let the words fall so loosely from her lips. “And then he left me without so much as a goodbye, and I was left scraping up the broken pieces from the floor,” she cried, her voice cracking. “Satisfied? There’s the big story. The big reveal – I loved him. It was only for a few months, but I fell in love with him,” she exhaled.
“Oh,” he muttered.
“Oh?” She shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. “You’ve been begging me to tell you everything that happened between us and I give you a pretty condensed version of what went down between us, and all you can manage is an ‘oh?’”
Drake paused for a moment. He was clearly trying to formulate the right words. He took a swig out of his whiskey glass, forcing his gaze to reach hers. “2010 was a tough year for him,” he said with a frown. “A lot happened back then. He doesn’t really like to talk about it.”
“Yeah well, 2010 wasn’t only tough for him,” she said sadly, her eyes glassing over a bit.
“For what it’s worth Lawson . . . I mean, without knowing the full scope of things . . . I don’t think he intended to hurt you.”
“Yeah, well. He did,” she sighed. “I need to go to the restroom. Get myself cleaned up,” she explained, wiping her eyes once more. “Then I’m going to head out. Too much wandering down memory lane has kind of put a damper on the buzz I was starting to have,” she shrugged. “Nice meeting you . . . thanks for the drinks . . . hope to never see any of you again,” she said a bit curtly.
“Lawson,” he called after her.
She turned around, flipping him the bird as she went off into the direction of the bathroom. She was certain that there would be a line and that it would be overly crowded. She couldn’t even have a good emotional breakdown in peace. She played their conversation over and over again in her head as she stood in the long line. She knew it was crazy – getting so upset over something that happened so long ago; over something that obviously meant nothing to Liam. She wish she had been smarter back then. Maybe she wouldn’t have fallen so completely down the rabbit hole had she left her guards up and avoided him like the plague.
On her way back from the bathroom, she decided it would be best to avoid Drake completely. She didn’t want to take the chance of running into him again and have him try to convince her to stay. She was done. She was done reminiscing. She didn’t need to relive all of those painful emotions again. She ambled through the crowded club, past a second bar that they had stationed closer to the bathrooms. She hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings, having been too lost in her own thoughts. When suddenly, she was stopped by a tall man with dirty blonde hair and tattooed arms. One of the bulky arms grabbed her arm forcefully, stopping her in her tracks. She stumbled a little, bracing herself on the bar’s counter.
“Hey baby,” he crooned, his breath reeking of liquor.
“Sorry, I’m with someone,” she murmured, expecting him to let her arm go. It had always worked before when she found herself in these sorts of scenarios, but of course, the guys that typically approached her weren’t gorilla-like in size.
“Aw come on, baby. Whoever you’re with ain’t shit compared to me,” he said smugly, pulling her closer toward him.
“Sorry, not interested,” she said firmly, this time she tried go tug her arm away
“Nu uh, I saw the way you were flirting with that guy at the bar . . . you came out to have a good time. Look at the sexy dress you’re wearing . . . makes your ass look absolutely delicious,” he all but moaned into her ear. “Why not have a good time with me?”
“I wasn’t flirting with him,” she countered back. “And I think I told you that I’m not interested,” she said firmly, tugging on her arm a bit harder to get out of his grip. She was getting pissed. She was used to guys getting a bit too handsy at the bar, but this was a whole lot different than there. This man was large, burly, and had an intense grip on her arm. He was probably going to be leaving bruises all over her arm. Where the hell was the bouncer? His friends that surrounded him on either side were no help either. They all thought that the exchange happening between them was hilarious.
“How about a little kiss, sweetheart?” He move his mouth closer to her face.
“How about I bust my pepper spray out and show you just how sweet I can be,” she said quietly, with a murderous look in her eyes.
“You’ve got a mouth on you, huh?” He said snidely.
“Back off, or I’ll – “ She couldn’t finish her sentence because the man who had been harassing her was roughly pulled away. Her arm was suddenly free, with only an aching feeling left where his hand had been. She looked up, seeing someone holding the man’s neck, with the rest of his body firmly pressed up against the bar.
7/3/18 - Part 45! Masterlist and Tag list have both been updated. If I missed you, please shoot me a message. Sometimes I don’t
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Part 44 - To The Happy Couple
“What?” Riley gasped, bring her hands up to her mouth covering it in surprise. “Really?”
Andy nodded emphatically as she held out her left hand for Riley to see the sparkling ring that now sat prominently on her ring finger. The ring was absolutely gorgeous. Of course, she shouldn’t have expected any less. Andy was marrying a Beaumont after all, everything they did was absolutely impeccable, so she shouldn’t have been surprised about how breathtaking the ring was. Riley didn’t know a lot about rings, but the center stone looked to be at least a carat and a half, maybe a bit more. The band contained a mix of white diamonds and sapphires all the way around. It looked as if it were something that Andy would have picked out for herself.
“It was Maxwell’s mother’s ring,” Andy proclaimed proudly. “Isn’t it lovely? I’m just . . . I’m so happy, Riley,” she smiled through her tears. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my entire life,” she said wistfully.
Riley thought her heart was going to burst from the excitement of it all. Her two best friends were going to get married. They deserved one another. They had the same caring heart, and both were exceptionally kind and patient with the other. Andy was a bit more laid back in comparison to Maxwell’s ever-hyped up state. Yes, their relationship had been a whirlwind, but anyone could see how much they cared about one another. Maxwell absolutely adored Andy, and vice versa. Riley knew that they were in it for the long haul when Andy first told her that she wouldn’t be going back with her to New York. New York was Andy’s city. She was a New Yorker through and through, and often said that no other city in the country could ever compare. Turns out, all it took to get her to leave was for Andy to fall in love. What a love story, Riley mused to herself.
“It’s beautiful, Andy. And the fact that it’s an heirloom makes it all the more special,” she said, squeezing her hand lightly. “I just know that you and Maxwell are going to have a lifetime of happiness,” Riley gushed, as she continued to fawn over the ring. She looked up at both of them; the excitement in the air was palpable. “I’m so happy for the two of you,” she smiled broadly, pulling both of them into a hug.
Liam watched on, staying a few steps back, allowing them to celebrate in their little circle. Riley looked up at him, motioning for him to join in the celebration. He took a few tentative steps forward, before smiling and clapping Maxwell on the shoulder. “Maxwell, Andy . . . this couldn’t have happened to two better people,” he said softly. “You’ll let me know if you need anything . . . any wedding arrangements that I can assist with,” he offered. “Perhaps I could loan you the palace grounds for the happy occasion,” he offered.
“I don’t think we’ll need your services, Liam,” Andy said in excitement. “I have one of the best event planners living under the same roof with me for the foreseeable future,” she laughed, nudging Riley with her shoulder. “I’m pretty sure she’ll be more than willing to help me nail down the more important details,” she smiled brightly.
Riley shook her head with a laugh. “You can’t afford me,” she joked, nudging Andy back.
Liam smiled once more, but this time, it appeared to Riley that he was forcing it. It was the same smile that he had when at a public event . . . a smile that didn’t reflect his true self - the one that never really reached his eyes. He looked a bit pensive; maybe even a bit sullen . . . but that couldn’t be right. Their best friends had just gotten engaged . . . he should be over the moon with happiness. She remembered at Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding how he seemed all for the idea of them getting married. Riley couldn’t understand why he seemed so withdrawn.
“Come on guys, let’s go inside and celebrate. Champagne all around,” he cheered. “Bertrand picked up some sparkling cider for you, Riley,” Maxwell called out to them as he led Andy through the front door.
“We’ll be right there,” Riley called after them. When they were out of earshot, Riley turned her attention to Liam. “Well . . . “she began, smiling softly. “They’re getting married,” she chuckled. “I can’t say that I’m surprised. When Andy told me they were going to build a home together, I figured this would be the logical next step,” she murmured. “I have a sneaking suspicion that Andy is going to be a total bridezilla,” she laughed. When Liam didn’t share in her laughter or add to the conversation, she stopped herself, looking at him intently. Her expression changed from excitement to one of concern. “You okay?”
He cleared his throat, nodding. “I’m happy for them, truly.” He said, brushing her concern off. He started to step off the porch. “I really should get going,” he said softly.
“You’re not going to stay for the celebratory drinks?” Riley asked. “I mean, you don’t have to drink champagne if you’re worried about driving back . . . you can have some of the sparkling cider,” she smiled. “It’d be nice if you would join us,” she said. She really hadn’t wanted him to leave. Despite the little tiff they had in the car, she wanted to spend more time with him. Even if they planned to see one another tomorrow, she wasn’t ready to let him go just yet.
“I have a few errands to run,” he said. “Perhaps another time,” he inclined his head as he began to walk back to his SUV.
“Liam,” she tried again. “I’m sure they’d very much like you to celebrate with them,” she repeated. “They were waiting for us to get back here,” she added.
“I’m sorry, Riley. I just can’t,” he murmured. “Like I said, I’m truly happy for them,” he said unable to meet her gaze.
Riley went down the few steps meeting him in front of the SUV. She looked at him sternly, his expression was unreadable as he turned away from her. “But?” She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, willing him to look at her.
“But I wish it were us,” he said quietly, his eyes lifting to meet hers. She noticed a glint of moisture in the corner of his eyes.
“Liam,” She said slowly, her hand dropped from his shoulder to his side. She suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.
He shook his head once more. “It’s fine,” he murmured as he composed himself. “I know what you’re going to say . . . co-parenting is the priority right now, and we need to focus on being friends,” he sighed. “You should get in there,” he said pointing toward the open door.
“I want you to stay,” she said once more.
He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and she surprised herself when she leaned into him. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said softly, as he turned to get into his SUV.
With a small wave, he pulled out of the driveway and out of the estate grounds onto the main road leaving Riley confused. How was she going to explain his absence to their friends? The hurt expression in his eyes killed her . . . she knew he wanted more than friendship. He’d made that quite clear back in New York, but she just wasn’t ready to jump into all of that again. He had told her that he understood. He agreed that they’d be friends . . . they’d work things out as co-parents. She felt a guilty pang in her heart. Everything had seemed so simple in her head. She’d come to Cordonia, work out a custody agreement with Liam, have the baby and fly back to New York and resume her life with a baby in tow. They’d be friends. They’d co-parent as a team. There wouldn’t be any animosity . . . but now she was questioning if friendship and co-parenting was the right road to go down. How could she expect to be friends with someone that she had once given her whole heart to? The surefire plan she had in coming to Cordonia was suddenly backfiring causing her to have second thoughts about everything.
She stood out in front of the manor awkwardly looking at the road Liam had disappeared down minutes before, sighing heavily as she replayed his words over again in her head. But I wish it were us. She remembered thinking the same thing at Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding. She had pictured their future so clearly then. She remembered imagining what her wedding to Liam would be like . . . what it would be like to finally share a life together. Of course, a lot had changed since then. This wasn’t just about the two of them anymore . . . there was a third little person to consider now.
“Ri . . . are you coming?” Andy called out from the house, peering out the front door. “Hey . . . where’d Liam go,” she asked, looking around. “Did he leave?” She asked as she noticed that the SUV was no longer parked in the driveway.
Riley cleared her throat. “Sorry,” she murmured. “He had some errands to take care of,” she explained, meeting Andy at the front of the door.
Andy frowned. “Aww, too bad,” she said in disappointment wrapping her arm through Riley’s. “We’ll have to all go out to celebrate when he’s not too busy,” Andy smiled as she led Riley to the family room where the rest of the group had congregated.
As they walked in to the family room, Savannah, Bertrand, and Maxwell were all holding their flutes of champagne ready to celebrate.
“Where’d Liam go,” Maxwell asked, looking past the two women to see if he had been following behind them.
“He had to go,” Andy said a bit sadly. “I told Riley we’ll have to plan a celebration when he’s free . . . Drake and Olivia, too,” she added excitedly.
Maxwell’s eyes met Riley’s with a questioning look. Riley turned away, not wanting to ruin the moment. They were celebrating. There was no room for tension or awkwardness. This was a happy occasion and she wasn’t going to allow the uncertainty of her relationship with Liam to cast a shadow on their engagement.
“Lady Riley, so wonderful to have you back with us,” Bertrand said, raising his glass to her. Savannah smiled and gave her a small wave. “Now that we’re all together,” Bertrand began. “I’d like to propose a toast to the happy couple in celebration of their engagement.”
Riley arched her eyebrows toward Andy, and she merely shrugged in response. Riley was a bit surprised that Bertrand was so accepting of their impending marriage considering that he hadn’t been Andy’s biggest fan over the course of their whirlwind relationship. Riley suspected that he thought the match was unworthy of the Beaumont bloodline considering that Andy was not from Cordonia.. In essence, she would be gaining much more in marrying Maxwell than Maxwell would be receiving. Then again, the same could have been said for Bertrand marrying Savannah. Riley supposed that it was always easier to critique the choices of others rather than one’s own life choices. At least it seemed that way for Bertand.
Truthfully, Riley couldn’t understand why Bertrand was wary of their relationship. Andy had come from a fairly prominent family back in New York, and she was a talented, educated, independent woman. Any guy would be lucky to have her as his wife. None of that seemed to matter to Bertrand in the slightest because all he seemed to care about was her lack of etiquette and understanding of Cordonian culture. It also didn’t help that she didn’t have any sort of title. That’s why the sudden change in attitude toward their relationship was a bit baffling. Perhaps being married to Savannah had finally softened Bertrand . . . or maybe his inner hopeless romantic was finally being given an opportunity to shine.
“When Maxwell first told me of his desire to propose, I was a bit skeptical. He had only known you a couple of weeks at that point, and no one apart of Lady Riley really knew anything about you. I was deeply concerned,” he said honestly. “In the course of the last few months, you have shown all of us how much you care about Maxwell. Your admiration and love for my brother is clear, Lady Andy.”
Riley glanced at Andy who looked as if she were about to start crying again. Riley felt like she was about to tear up herself over Bertrand’s beautiful words.
“I know now that you are the perfect woman for my brother to share his life with,” he continued. “Savannah and I are happy to welcome you to the family. And that is why we have discussed it, and we would like to host a ball to celebrate your engagement. It would be our honor to introduce you to the rest of court as our future sister-in-law,” he said proudly.
Andy squealed in absolute delight. “Bertrand . . . we would enjoy that so much,” she said eagerly. “You host the most amazing parties,” she grinned broadly.
“Bertrand . . .” Maxwell murmured, clearly looking at his brother in awe. “Thank you,” he said simply, reaching out to shake Bertrand’s hand. Bertrand instead pulled him in for a quick hug; the pride and love he felt for Maxwell in that moment shone through his eyes. Maxwell was a bit stunned at the rare show of affection, but embraced it. He smiled as they pulled apart, heading back toward Andy who appeared to be in seventh heaven. He wrapped his arms around Andy’s waist, pulling her tightly to him. Riley watched on in admiration. They were perfect one another, and to think, had Riley not accepted Maxwell’s invitation to come back to Cordonia for Bertrand’s wedding, none of this would have ever happened. Andy and Maxwell never would have met . . . she and Liam never would have reconnected, and there would be no lima bean. She placed her hand against her tummy thoughtfully. She believed that everything happened as it was supposed to . . .even if the ride getting to this point had been terribly bumpy, she wouldn’t change a single moment of it . . . well maybe the morning sickness . . . that she would gladly do without.
They continued to talk excitedly as Andy recollected the proposal and they discussed plans for the upcoming engagement party for the next half an hour before the chatter began to wane. Riley saw Savannah slip upstairs with little Bartie, and saw it as the perfect opportunity to catch a moment to herself. She sipped her sparkling cider slowly, not wanting to make herself sick again. The slight bubbles in the cider seemed to be helping to settle her stomach, but she didn’t want to drink too much of it for fear of starting another round of vomiting. “I think I’m going to head outside for some fresh air,” she murmured. Andy and Bertrand were deep in a discussion about appetizers for the engagement party and didn’t seem to hear her. Maxwell was attempting to provide his own input, but they seemed to be shunning most of his suggestions. Riley couldn’t help but chuckle. Wedding planning was going to be a hoot. She hoped they planned on a long engagement because it seemed like Bertrand had plans to make their wedding just as lavish and grand as his and Savannah’s much to Andy’s excitement.
Riley stepped out onto the veranda, enjoying the calming beauty of the Beaumont gardens. She coudnt’ believe she was back here again . . . that this would be her home until the lima bean’s birth. It was all a bit surreal. A month ago, she was just living her life in New York and suddenly everything changed. She took a seat on the couch, sipping the rest of her glass of sparkling cider just allowing herself to enjoy the fresh air. It was only a few minutes later when she heard the sliding door open and heavy footsteps.
“Mind some company?” Maxwell asked, as he closed the door. “I’ve been asked to leave,” he sighed throwing himself onto the couch next to Riley.
“Oh?” She asked with a questioning look. “By who?”
“Bertrand. Apparently I’m more of a hindrance in the planning of the engagement party,” he shrugged. “They didn’t take my suggestion of having a petting zoo seriously at all,” he chuckled.
“I wonder why,” Riley laughed as she shook her head. “You’re so silly,” she murmured.
“The only suggestion they seemed to agree to take under advisement was allowing me to open the party with my champagne bottle trick,” he smiled proudly.
“Well of course,” Riley exclaimed. “It just wouldn’t be a Beaumont Bash without it,” she elbowed him playfully.
“I’m not sure how you do this sort of thing all the time. I enjoy our Beaumont Bashes, but so much time and effort goes into planning them,” he sighed. “At least it seems like Bertrand and Andy have everything covered,” he smiled.
“Oh, I’m sure they probably have the complete menu figured out by now,” she teased, agreeing with him.
“Can I ask you something?” He said, his voice changing to a more serious note.
Riley nodded, straightening herself up a bit.
“Why did Liam really leave?” He asked, his eyes looking a bit sad.
“I told you . . . he had some errands to run,” she explained, brushing his gaze off. “He didn’t mention what,” she added. “He did ask me to congratulate you guys again. He said he was very happy for both of you,” she said softly.
“I’ve known Liam for a long time. He does an excellent job at concealing his true emotions,” Maxwell commented. “Except when it comes to you,” he said quietly. “Is that why he left? Because the engagement was too much for him?” he asked sadly.
“Oh Maxwell,” she sighed, her eyes finally meeting his. “You shouldn’t worry about Liam. He’s fine. It has nothing to do with you or Andy. Honestly. He’s upset about us,” she sighed. “Or the lack of an us,” she shrugged. “I’m not quite sure anymore,” she said truthfully. “I don’t know how to fix it.”
Maxwell nodded solemnly. “This is my fault . . . I didn’t think,” he said quietly, as he stared out into the gardens. “I should have known that the engagement would be a sensitive issues for him . . . it’s just . . . I was thinking about marrying Andy long before today . . . long before you even left to go back to New York. Liam had encouraged me to follow my heart,” he smiled. “Bertrand . . . ever the practical one, suggested that I feel things out a bit more. He explained that the whirlwind we found ourselves in would fade after a few weeks, Andy would get bored, and I’d get my heart broken,” he sighed. “He was wrong, of course. But I waited anyway to appease him. When Andy decided to stay with me in Cordonia, I knew that this was more than just a fling. Then we started making plans about building a life together, and I just couldn’t see any of that happening without her as my wife,” he smiled wistfully. “I didn’t think that it would hurt Liam quite this much,” he said regretfully.
Riley shook her head. “That’s not your concern, Maxwell. You can’t put your life on hold because your friends are going through something,” she said honestly. “Liam is happy for you . . . he just has to work things out for himself,” she reasoned.
“You know . . . I always figured the two of you would wind up together somehow. Even after he married Madeline,” he said. “I always hoped that you’d find your way back to one another . . . then you did, and all the pieces were falling into place . . . and then, well, suddenly they weren’t,” he said miserably. “He made us promise not to bug you about it . . . so this is the only thing I’ll say on the matter for as long as you’re here. He loves you. A lot. You have no idea what he’s done to get things ready for your arrival,” he smiled. “Just know that there are worse guys to end up with. Poor Savannah, for instance. She landed Bertrand,” he chuckled, nudging her softly. “Can you imagine a lifetime with my brother?”
Riley couldn’t help but laugh at the dig at Bertrand. “I know Liam is a great guy, Maxwell. I just . . . need time to figure out if us getting married is truly the best decision for all of us. It’s not just me and him anymore. I have to think about the baby and what’s best for him. What if things go bad again?” She asked, but stopped herself. “No, we aren’t doing this today,” she said firmly. “We are celebrating you and Andy. You guys are going to have such an amazing life together, and I’m glad I get to be here for the start of it,” she hugged him tightly. She pulled away slowly. “I’m disgusting right now,” she sighed. “I’m in dire need of a shower and maybe a full day’s worth of sleep,” she mused. “I’ll catch you later, okay? And don’t worry about Liam . . . he’ll be fine,” she assured him.
Maxwell nodded. “You’re right . . . I’m going to try to put it out of my mind . . . maybe I should head back in there see what other plans they’ve come up with,” he chuckled as he followed her back into the house. Maxwell went back towards the family room while she headed toward the grand staircase. Her shower and her bed were calling her, and so was season one of Monk.
“Lady Riley . . .”
Riley paused closing her eyes. So close to being free, she thought to herself. She looked back down toward Bertrand. “Yes, Bertrand?”
“In all the excitement of Maxwell and Andy’s engagement and the planning of the ball, I forgot that I needed to speak to you. I’ve left the happy couple to formulate a guest list for their engagement party, so I was hoping to steal you for a few moments?”
She looked at him a bit warily.
“I was hoping to show you something before you settle in for the evening,” he explained.
She eyed Bertrand curiously. “Okay . . .” she said hesitantly.
“Please, if you will, just follow me.”
She met him at the bottom of the stairs as he started to walk toward the kitchens. She wondered what it was that he needed to show her. She had hoped he wasn’t in full wedding planning mode, because she was in no mood to go over color schemes and flower designs. The lima bean had put her through the ringer today and all she wanted to do was to spend the rest of the night relaxing. As he walked past the kitchen, her curiosity began to grow. She didn’t remember venturing past the kitchens or the ballroom for that matter. “I don’t think I’ve spent too much time in this wing of the manor,” she murmured as he led her down the long corridor on the opposite end of the kitchens. Riley knew that the manor was big, but she hadn’t realized how big it actually was until she began to explore the new wing. “Is this where Drake was staying before the wedding?”
Bertrand nodded. “He liked the freedom to come and go as he pleased without disturbing the rest of us,” he explained.
Riley nodded in understanding. “I definitely haven’t been here before,” she repeated. The portraits that lined the corridor were unfamiliar and the entire wing seemed a bit dated in comparison to the rest of the manor. It was clear that this was a wing that they didn’t frequent too much.
“Yes, I’d imagine you wouldn’t have as this wing was meant to be servant quarters. We no longer have any live-in staff members a part from Bartie’s nanny, so many of these rooms have become storage rooms of sorts. There’s been no real need to venture on this side of the manor for quite some time,” Bertrand explained. “Until now, at least.” He added, finally stopping in front of one of the doors. “Here we are,” he murmured, opening the door slightly. “Lady Riley . . . welcome to your new office,” he held his hand out, allowing her to enter the room first.
She looked at him a bit puzzled. “My new office?” She frowned stepping into the doorway. Her eyes scanned the large room. “Bertrand . . .” she gasped in surprise. There was a beautiful gray desk that sat prominently in the middle of the room with a bunch of electronics all set up on top of it. A mural of New York hung against the back wall, and captured a beautiful image of the city’s skyline at night. She looked around the room in awe, her eyes scanning over the shelves with gorgeous decorative items scattered throughout. There were design books and magazines arranged neatly on one of the shelves. There were sketchpads and colored pencils strewn across another shelf. The room was quiet and had a beautiful view of the gardens that she loved so much. Riley never wanted to leave this space. It was a designer’s dream. Her eyes fell upon a beautiful floral arrangement that sat on a table in the corner of the room, and her heart melted. It was all of her favorite flowers mixed into one giant arrangement.
“Bertrand . . . you shouldn’t have gone through all this trouble,” she gasped, taking it all in. Her eyes began to water. She was overcome with the sheer emotion of the moment.
“I know . . . I didn’t,” he replied. “His Majesty insisted,” he said firmly. “Came here making demands in my own house, no less,” he sighed. “I told him that a woman in your condition shouldn’t be working, but what His Majesty wants . . . His Majesty gets,” he sighed. “Regardless, he ordered some office equipment to help get you settled. He said you’d need some place to work while here at the estate. All I did was clear out one of the old servant rooms. Savannah and Maxwell handled the decorating of course . . . but it was His Majesty who created the room’s vision. He procured the mural from an artist in New York.” he motioned around him.
“These flowers are gorgeous, Bertrand. From Liam as well, I’m assuming?” She said walking over to the arrangement.
He nodded.
She pulled a tiny card out from the arrangement, opening.
“Welcome back to Cordonia. I can never express adequeately how proud I am of the woman you have become, so I hope to show you. You have blossomed into a successfully entrepreneur. I admire your perseverance. I want you to continue to excel in your work. I hope this space will allow you to hold onto your passion for design while living here in Cordonia. Perhaps you can even branch out and assist with a few court functions. You amaze me, Riley Lawson, and I know that you’ll continue to do amazing things while here in Cordonia.”
She felt like she was about to cry. She traced his intricate script with her fingers, wishing he had been with her when Bertrand revealed the room to her. She would have jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. This room was everything she had ever hoped for in a design space. “He did all of this . . . for me?” she asked looking around. She went behind the desk looking over all the nifty gizmos and gadgets that were all set up. He had purchased her an Apple desktop computer. She had brought her laptop, but it was getting run down and the processing speed was getting slower and slower. She intended to purchase a new one before she left the city, but with all of the morning sickness, she hadn’t found time to do so. “This model just got released last month,” her mouth gaped open as she took a better look at the computer. “Oh my God,” she murmured looking over everything. “This is insane,” she said, looking up at Bertrand. “He’s crazy, you know that right,” she shook her head looking around in amazement.
“About you . . . yes . . . yes he is,” Bertrand said honestly looking around. “How he pulled this off in such a short amount of time, baffles me,” he murmured.
Riley looked up at him, her eyes misted over from Liam’s beautiful gesture. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him,” she said quietly to herself.
Bertrand, sensing she was about to cry again decided that it would be the most opportune time to excuse himself. “Okay then . . . I will leave you to explore your office. Just follow the corridor down back to the main part of the house and you’ll be able to find your way back to your room from there,” he explained as he left the room shutting the door behind him.
Riley looked around her office. HER office. She still couldn’t believe it. Liam had done all of this for her because he wanted her to be comfortable. He wanted her to hang onto the thing she had worked so hard on . . . she was awestruck. The New York mural at the back wall was what truly floored her. It was as if he wanted her to have a piece of New York with her . . . he finally got how important it was to her.
She was beginning to get a glimpse of the Liam she had met and fell in love with all those years ago and it suddenly made her question every single decision she had made about their relationship over the last few weeks.
7/2/18 - Hoping to be done with my break after today. :) I know you guys were waiting on this, so thank you for being so patient. I see all your messages and comments, and I promise that I will get back to everyone during the day today. :) Work is crazy, but it should settle down now that we’re in a new fiscal year. Yay! I’ve been writing at night, but mostly snippets of dialogue and ideas that I have for where the stories will be heading. So please be patient with me as I try to catch up with everything!
Tags have not been updated since my break and neither has my masterlist. I will work on that after work today! As always, just shoot me a message or comment with requests to be added to the permanent tag or story tag. :)
Thank you as always for all the kind words of encouragement and comments on the story. I love it! I enjoy reading it and I’m so happy when you dig the story as much as I dig writing it. :)
Part 44 - And the Plan Falls Apart
Riley couldn’t help but smile at Liam’s words. “Liam . . .” she said softly considering his offer. “I’d like to, but what about Andy?” She asked as she looked around for her best friend. She seemed to have disappeared within the crowds of arrivals at the airport. She couldn’t even spot anything resembling the SUVs that Maxwell typically used.
Liam cocked a crooked grin. “Let’s just say there were other arrangements made for her travel,” he said as he pulled her suitcase behind him.
Riley followed after him in confusion, noticing that there was no driver waiting for them at the SUV. “Liam . . . should you really be out by yourself? Aren’t you worried about being spotted by the press? Or you know getting attacked,” she asked, looking around a bit warily. “I mean . . . what if someone captures a picture of us together,” she trailed off.
“Well . . . you’re right, I really should be more careful, and the thought did cross my mind about someone spotting me,” he said bashfully. “But I wanted to make sure that you arrived safely and ensure that you get settled in at the Beaumont Estate.” he explained. “Spending the afternoon with you far outweighed the risk of being spotted by the press,” he reasoned as he popped open the truck to place her luggage inside.
She stared at him with a bit of awe in her eyes. “But you’ve done so much already,” she explained. “I’m sure you had so many other important things to do back at the palace . . . court business and all of that,” she added.
“This was the most important thing that I wanted to do today,” he motioned between them as he opened the passenger side door to help her into the SUV.
She smiled at him lightly, a blush gracing her cheeks. She suddenly felt a few butterflies in the pit of her stomach which was a much more pleasant feeling than the nausea she had felt earlier. Her mind momentarily shifted back to her concern for Andy. As happy as she was to see Liam, she didn’t want to leave Andy stranded at the airport if their ride hadn’t shown up when it was supposed to. With Maxwell in that meeting with the architect, who knew when someone would be able to pick her up if the driver had flaked out on them. She was certain that Andy would have been able to fend for herself, but she would feel just awful knowing that she had left her behind without making sure that she was taken care of. “Are you sure Andy’s okay? She mentioned something about how the car Maxwell sent was supposed to be waiting for us, but we didn’t see anything at the terminal” she explained, as he settled himself into the driver’s seat.
“Trust me,” he smiled once more as he started the engine. “Her ride has been taken care of. I assure you, there’s nothing to worry about,” he said as he lifted her suitcase into the trunk.
Realization began to dawn on her as she began to think about how Andy had been acting a bit odd from the moment they had gotten off the plane. She had been typing quickly on her phone. She assumed she was sending a text message to her parents or Maxwell to let them know that we had arrived safely, but she seemed a bit distracted. She was also looking around a whole lot, but she figured she was just taking everything in. Then, Riley started to piece the missing pieces of the puzzle together. Maxwell had been exuberantly talking about their return the moment he left New York. He’d never arrange for someone other than himself to pick them up from the airport. “Maxwell didn’t have a meeting with an architect today . . . did he?” She questioned, looking at Liam curiously.
“Whatever gave you that idea,” he smirked as kept his eyes on the road.
“That very suspicious smile that’s plastered on your face,” she laughed. “I should have known that something was up when Andy said Maxwell had a meeting with an architect. She’d never want him to meet the architect who’s designing their dream home without her,” she chuckled. “They might end up with a bachelor pad if Maxwell were left in charge,” she murmured shaking her head. She turned to him, smiling. “So that means you came all this way just for me?” She asked a bit surprised. “You planned all of this?”
“Yes . . . perhaps I couldn’t wait another moment before seeing you again,” he murmured, his eyes drifting down toward her stomach.
“Or our little one for that matter,” he motioned to her mid-section. “How is he or she fairing?”
“He’s doing well,” she smiled. “Please remind me to show you the ultrasound video from yesterday,” she told him. “Liam . . . I know I told you how amazing it was, but just wait until you see the video. He’s changed so much in just a matter of a couple of weeks,” she smiled, looking at her stomach lovingly. “I still can’t believe –“ she paused, blanching a little as the SUV jostled a little.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t see that pothole. You okay?”
She nodded, before continuing her sentence. “I still can’t believe that I’m twelve weeks along. A part from the terrible nausea, I don’t even really feel pregnant,” she said quietly, her stomach becoming a bit unsettled.
“Are you sure you’re all right? You’re starting to look a bit pale,” he commented, looking over at her in concern. “I can pull over,” he offered.
“Oh, no, that won’t be necessary,” she sighed, placing her hand on her stomach. “Turbulence on the plane was rough on the nausea, but I’m feeling a little better. That bump sort of brought the sensation back a little. I just need to lie down for a while and catch up on some much needed rest,” she explained.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I should have chosen the quickest route as opposed to the more scenic route,” he said guiltily. “I was hoping to spend as much time with you as possible,” he sighed.
She waved him off. “It’s fine Liam . . . it’s just something I’ll have to get used to,” she sighed. “Only twenty-eight more weeks to go,” she tried to laugh it off, but she knew he was uncomfortable with her feeling so sick. “Let’s talk about something else,” she smiled, wanting to get her mind off the perpetual state of nausea she was finding herself in. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drive before . . . well, anything other than our motorcycle that is,” she said.
“I hardly think that picking you up at the airport with a motorcycle would have been the best idea,” he laughed. “I picked up an SUV so that we can have something for us to use to get you to appointments. You won’t be seeing my motorcycle for a while,” he explained.
“You got rid of your motorcycle?” She gasped. “Liam, you didn’t need to do that,” she scolded.
“Oh no, nothing like that,” he shook his head. “I’ve merely placed it in storage until the baby arrives. As fun as it is, we need something sensible to get around with the baby coming. Can’t have an expectant father zooming to the hospital on a bike now can we?” He smirked.
Riley narrowed her eyes at him. “Why not just have Bastien continue to take you around like before?”
He cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably. “He still does,” he assured her. “But when it comes to your travel around the country, I think it would be best if I or one of the guys take you around,” he explained.
“Is this because of what happened? Before New York?” She asked.
He nodded. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, Riley. And I know you blame Bastien for what happened with . . . “ he trailed off, not wanting to stir up any residual feelings of resentment. “But he was acting under my orders . . .and I know I’ve apologized profusely for what happened . . . but I don’t want things to be uncomfortable for you around Bastien , not when you’re going through so much as is,” he reasoned.
She frowned. It wasn’t’ that she was uncomfortable around him . . . she’d just felt slightly betrayed by his actions. She knew deep down that he wasn’t to blame for everything that happened between her and Liam. Yes, she still felt that had he bothered to confront her privately or spent a few more moments watching what had truly happened in that hallway, he would have seen that the kiss was completely one-sided and the entire misunderstanding would have been avoided completely. But, she also felt that with the amount of problems she and Liam had . . . they would have managed to screw their relationship up in some sort of different way. The situation with Paul just brought all of their insecurities and doubts to the surface.
“I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable,” she corrected him. “Yes . . . I was angry with him, and maybe there’s still a bit of lingering animosity there, but I know now that he was worried about you . . . he’s one of your closet confidantes apart from our friends. Our problems existed beyond the situation with Paul, Liam. I know that now,” she acknowledged.
“I suppose you’re right,” he agreed. “Thank you for honesty, Riley. I think it’s good for us to get these things off of our chest,” he murmured. “As opposed to . . . you know . . . me just assuming things.”
She nodded in agreement. “Or me,” she added.
“Perhaps, in time, your relationship with Bastien will be like before,” Liam said a bit hopefully.
“Perhaps,” she gave him a light smile. “He is aware, of the pregnancy then?” She asked.
“Yes,” he nodded. “As do some of my closer staff members. But they’ve all signed non-disclosure agreements. I wanted to take the necessary precautions so that when you visit the palace, there isn’t a concern about privacy and keeping things hidden. You should feel just as comfortable there as you do at The Beaumont Estate, “ he assured her.
“I’ll admit, I’m a bit worried about what people will think,” she looked at him with concern.
“Everyone has been very kind, Riley,” he smiled at her encouragingly. “The ones that know haven’t asked too many questions, but they’ve been very receptive to the idea of our having a child . . . regardless of the circumstances,” he promised her.
“That’s a relief,” she said, turning toward
“I, uh,” he paused, looking straight ahead at the road. “I should warn you, Regina knows about the baby,” he said softly.
She could tell from his body language that her reaction was likely anything but kind or excited. “Oh?” She asked, arching an eyebrow.
He nodded a bit nervously. “I found it necessary to inform her before she learned through court gossip or through some third party who didn’t have the correct information.”
Riley’s mouth gaped open a bit. “You told her?” She made no effort to hide the irritation in her voice. “Liam . . . I’m not sure that was such a good idea.” Her tummy flipped a bit in worry. The last person on earth that she had wanted to find out about the baby was Regina. She hadn’t exactly been in favor of her relationship with Liam, and when it was discovered that she and Liam were spending time together again, she hadn’t been thrilled either. She could only imagine how she felt about the news about the baby.
“Well . . . as you’ve had quite the last couple of weeks, as have I,” he admitted. “Our situation poses as a first in Cordonian history . . . well at least to the best of my knowledge and to the research I’ve done,” he explained. “Certain arrangements needed to be made, and unfortunately I felt she might become a bit suspicious about the arrangements I was making,” he admitted. “She still has many allies behind the palace walls. Non-disclosure agreements mean nothing to the Queen Mother,” he sighed. “I thought that telling her the truth in person would give her a bit of time to process the news and maybe aid in how to handle the pregnancy news with the rest of court. I suppose I thought that maybe it would alleviate some of the concerns weighing on my mind,” he said thoughtfully.
“And did it?” Riley asked skeptically.
“No,” he shook his head soberly. “It did not,” he said his eyes never leaving the road. She could tell there was hurt there. He had expected a different reaction. Liam had always been an optimist, and Riley knew that the news about the baby was no different. She knew that he wanted the baby to be welcomed by Regina – celebrated even. Riley knew better. Riley had seen a different side of her during her time at court, and it wasn’t the same side that Liam had hoped to find in her.
“Let me guess, she was less than pleased by the news,” she said.
He inhaled deeply before responding. “She’s set on us marrying . . . or terminating the pregnancy,” he said a bit uncomfortably.
“She suggested what?” She exclaimed angrily. She saw Liam flinched, and she lowered her voice. She didn’t want to distract him from driving. “An abortion?” She scoffed. “That was her solution to this pregnancy? An abortion? Well it’s not her choice,” she said firmly. “And further more . . . it’s not her choice on whether or not we marry either,” she fumed.
The audacity of that woman, she thought. An abortion or marriage? What century were they living in? Maybe that’s how things were done back in the eighteen hundreds, but that was not how things were going to be done now. Nowadays women had options. Options like co-parenting. The mere idea of that woman suggesting an abortion added to Riley’s nausea. She knew Regina wouldn’t be happy with the news of the pregnancy. Regina had always been more concerned about what the press and what the people of Cordonia thought about the monarchy. She had no interest in anything else. A baby . . . out of wedlock no less . . . wasn’t exactly the piece of news she wanted to celebrate. In fact, it shouldn’t have surprised her that she suggested an abortion.
“I told her that we would not be proceeding with either option, and that I will support however you want to handle the pregnancy from here on out,” he said defensively. “I didn’t remotely consider anything she said,” he said firmly, as he looked over at her. Riley was seriously pissed, and she was almost certain that her facial expression showed it. “It was not my intent to upset you; we were having such a wonderful day . . .”
She looked at him with an upset expression on her face. “Well, too late,” she slunk back into the seat, pausing for a moment. “I’m not upset with you,” she breathed out, remembering that she needed to stop taking things out on him. He wasn’t to blame here. He was just doing what he thought was the right course of action. This situation they found themselves in was new territory for both of them, and they were just trying to navigate through it as best they could. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a handbook on what to do or what to say to people about the current state of their relationship. Her voice softened, “I’m so sorry, Liam. I know that you didn’t expect her to act that way,” she sighed. “I want to be clear. I’m upset with her. Not you. You did what you thought was best at the time, and I can’t fault you for that at all,” she said genuinely.
“This isn’t easy . . . especially with Regina involved,” he agreed. “You have a right to be upset. She was out of line,” he admitted. “I won’t be discussing the pregnancy with her anymore,” he assured her. “I just didn’t want to keep things from you – “
She cut him off, when a wave of nausea rushed through her body. “Liam, you need to pull the car over,” she gasped, trying to suppress the urge to vomit all over the SUV’s dashboard. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she exclaimed.
He maneuvered the car swiftly over to the side of the road, and Riley didn’t hesitate for a single second before opening the door and sliding herself out of the car and emptied the contents of her stomach on the side of the road. Liam rushed toward her, holding her hair back so that it wouldn’t fall into the line of vomit.
“How can I possibly still be vomiting?” She gasped through watery eyes. “I spent most of the plane ride in the lavatory. There can’t be anymore possibly left for me to vomit,” she sighed.
“It’s bile,” he explained, as he used the hand not holding her hair to rub his back. “I read on the internet that when there’s nothing left in the stomach, bile takes its place,” he explained.
“Wonderful,” she sighed, maneuvering her bad leg out from under of her.
“I’m sorry . . . Riley if this is about Regina,” he started to say as she started to heave into the bushes once more.
When she felt a bit better, and thought that she had experienced the last of the heaving, she pulled herself up again, sitting on the ground. She pulled a packet of tissues out of her pocket along with the pack of gum she had purchased back in New York. It had been her savior back on the plane to keep the awful taste out of her mouth until she could get to the estate and thoroughly brush her teeth and rinse out her mouth. “This isn’t about Regina,” she sighed. “It’s just more nausea,” she closed her eyes, beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. “I’m sorry . . . I don’t mean to sound so short. I just feel miserable,” she murmured. “You’re so patient, Liam,” she said, leaning her body against him.
He rubbed her back slowly, as she continued to hunch over at the side of the road. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “This is so disgusting,” she looked up at him in embarrassment, fighting off the urge to dry heave once more.
“It’s not disgusting. You’re fighting hard for our baby. I’m the one who’s sorry,” he said honestly. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all of this. I’m sorry that things have been such a mess between us. This isn’t how I imagined this day going,” he admitted. “I had hoped we’d have some time to talk before taking you to the estate, but it’s clear that we need to get you back to get yourself cleaned up and well-rested,” he said in concern.
“How about a do-over tomorrow? I can come to the palace . . . we can start over . . . hopefully the lima bean will give me a break,” she laughed.
“I’d like that a lot actually,” he smiled brightly. “Need some help getting up?” He motioned to her still hunched over state on the side of the road.
“I can manage,” she assured him, as she carefully steadied herself.
The rest of the ride to the Beaumont Estate had been a bit better, she didn’t feel quite a nauseated and they kept their conversation light. It mostly consisted of Liam talking about the meetings he had over the last two weeks and the staff’s reaction to the pregnancy news. Around twenty minutes later they found themselves at the Beaumont Estate, and Maxwell and Andy were waiting out on the front porch for them.
“Hey guys,” Riley called out to them from the window of the car. “Have you been waiting long?” She smiled, but her smile faltered a little when she noticed that Andy appeared to be crying. She turned to Liam who looked equally as concerned. He stopped the car, and Riley rushed out of the passenger seat.
“What’s the matter,” she asked, quickly walking up to the porch.
Andy’s tear-stained face turned into a huge grin. Apparently, she hadn’t been crying out of sadness, but out of happiness.
“Andy?” Riley asked with concern.
Liam came around the SUV, approaching the porch standing next to Riley. “Maxwell, is everything all right?”
“We’re engaged!” Andy cried out happily, holding up her left hand and waving it around excitedly.
