I heard my name being called just as I finished my shower. Tying on a robe, I stepped out into the living room. The sight made my eyes light up and my heart flutter. Cocoa and all sorts of sweets were set out on the table. A fire in the fireplace.
“And what are you two up to?” I asked with a hand on my hip and an eyebrow raised.
Thomas raised a sprig of mistletoe over his head and grinned. Raleigh smirked and set his sprig right on his lap.
“Don’t worry. We got some for you too!” Ral sounded too excited when he gestured at more beautifully tied mistletoe on the table.
I smirked when I heard the door to my office open. Her voice was low, and actually quite sensual, “You’re working late again?”
She knew the answer when all I did was raise the brandy to my lips, and nodded generally in her direction. Genius doesn’t just knock off early to be in bed by 8, even if that bed contained the sexiest starlet in all of Hollywood.
Has my plan been failing? Was the bait was not being taken? What I want, and most importantly what I know she wants can’t slip away. I could feel her eyes on me, and I knew that my silence would only provoke her.
She sighed, “Fine, Thom, just fine!” Usually that sound would immediately break me down, and I’d give in to her every whim. Not tonight. My heart dropped when I heard her walk down the hall, and slam the door. I wish I could be more honest. Tell her what exactly was in my heart, but here I am playing a very dangerous game.
Never have I had fictional characters and the story they came from touch my soul as deeply as they have. These two have truly become a part of life. No, I am not unfulfilled in my real life; no, I'm not looking for excitement outside my real life marriage; there's never a dull moment in either. Though I can't fully explain why Ride-or-Die: A Bad Boy Romance moved me the way it did and why I fell so hard for Logan and Bronwyn; perhaps I don't really understand why. I just know that I love them. I love the them that Pixelberry gave us and I love the them that I wrote them to become. They live and love because of my fanfiction.
A/N: I had a different name and plot for this fic over a year ago. But after being in the RP community for more than a year, I've decided to write the current Royal Life of my favorite OTP.
Rated: Mature (at times can and will be Explicit. I'll be sure to change the rating when and if that happens). | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual. Y'all should be used to this from me by now 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Miller-Rys (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and original characters created by me and/or other authors [their characters have been mentioned and/or used in the story with their permission] ) are property of Pixelberry.
Current Word Count: 4,090 words. (may be slightly more or may be slightly less. Look, I stop counting after editing and re-editing and driving myself insane. 🤷🏾♀️)
Tag List: @txemrn @choicesficwriterscreations if you'd like to be tagged just drop a message in my little ole inbox! I don't bite!…unless you’re into that sorta thing. 😏🙃
TW: mentions of miscarriage and child loss. Viewer discretion is STRONGLY ADVISED.
Baby Blues.
Shanelle thought she was hearing things.
“Your Majesty?”
“Huh?”
“Did you hear me?”
She blinked herself back to reality.
“I…think so?” she said after shaking her head, “You said something about my bloodwork.”
“Yes ma'am. Your most recent bloodwork came back positive for hCG. Congratulations. You’re pregnant.”
Shanelle stared at her doctor.
“Pregnant? Like pregnant…pregnant?”
“Yes, my Queen.”
“But I can't be pregnant! I just renewed my vows. I literally spent half the night drinking! My wedding anniversary is next weekend!”
“Not to worry Your Majesty. You’re not that far along.”
The news hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Sonuvabitch!” she muttered a little too loudly.
“Ma’am?”
“Oh! I'm sorry. I was talking about my husband.”
“His Majesty?” her doctor asked.
She chuckled dryly.
“Yes, him. He's gonna love this news.”
“I'm sure. This is an amazing time for you and your family.”
“That's one way to put it…” she replied before exhaling deeply, “thank you, Dr. Andersen.”
“My pleasure, Your Majesty. I'll put in a call to Dr. Ramirez and get the ball rolling on that front. You should expect a call from her soon.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
“Of course.”
“Now I have one helluva bomb to drop on my husband.”
“Good luck.”
She scoffed.
“Yeah, I'm going to need it.”
Shanelle watched her doctor as he walked out of her office. Leaving her alone with her racing thoughts.
“What the fuck?! How the fuck?! When the fuck?! Where the fuck?! Who the fuck?! Why the fuck?!”
She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it. She's pregnant. Again. For a third time.
“I'm pregnant?! I'm pregnant! Me! I'm having a baby?! I'm having a baby! Holy Shit! I'm having a fucking baby! How the fuck did this happen?! How did I wind up pregnant?!”
She looked at the picture of her whole world on her desk. Her loving husband and the little girl that has had her heart since she gave birth to her. The two beats of her heart. The two people she would crush the world for. Her perfect family of three will now be four. And she has no idea how it happened.
Well…she knows how it happened. She just doesn't know when it happened. She was pulled from her thoughts by a knock on the door.
“My Queen?”
It was Margo Geaneaux. Shanelle’s lead attendant.
“Yes, Margo?”
“It's almost time to go pick up the Princess from her piano lessons.”
“Oh yeah! Thanks for reminding me.”
“Are you alright, My Queen?”
“Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just…distracted.”
“Distracted? What's wrong?”
Shanelle chewed her bottom lip. And Margo knew something was up.
“If I may, what is it Shanelle?”
Shanelle let out the breath she had been anxiously holding in.
“Close the door and sit down.”
Margo does as she's asked.
“Okay, I'm sitting down. Now, what is it?”
“Umm…promise me you'll keep this to yourself.”
“How long have I worked for this family, Shanelle?”
Shanelle nodded.
“Point taken.”
“Indeed. Now, what is it dear?”
Shanelle took a deep breath.
“Okay here goes…I’m…I’m…I’m…pregnant.”
Margo’s eyebrows shot up.
“Seriously?”
“Yup. I met with Dr. Andersen earlier. He confirmed it. Your adopted son got what he wanted.”
Margo chuckled.
“Well, congratulations my dear. I'm happy for you, him, and especially my granddaughter.”
“You will never let them go, will you?” Shanelle asked.
“Never. You know Marquise is as much my child as my own children. As the one that had to raise him, I will always lay claim to him. To hell with Constantine. Laying claim to him also means you are as much my daughter and Khari is as much my granddaughter as the two I have.”, Margo replied.
Shanelle smiled softly as Margo reached for her trembling hands.
“This is great news Shanelle. For you and the family. But I know you. Something else is bothering you.”
Shanelle got quiet.
“It's your son, isn't it?”
“That obvious?”
“Yes, dear. You aren't feeling guilty, are you?” Margo asked her.
“It's hard not to be Margo,” Shanelle replied quietly.
“Shanelle, I will tell you the same thing I have told him for years, none of what happened was your fault.”
“I know that I just…” Shanelle trailed off.
Margo could sense her sadness.
“My dear. I want you to always know and remember that you and Marquise are great parents. Your daughter is the sweetest little girl. Feisty at times but sweet nonetheless. She's being raised by two people who care for and love her as she is.”
“I know that Margo but being pregnant just brings up so many emotions that I thought I buried.”
“I'm sure it does. But again what happened that day was NOT your fault. And it doesn't make you a bad mother if you feel excited about being pregnant again.”
“Are you sure?”
Margo gave Shanelle an earnest maternal smile.
“Yes, my dear. No one will blame you for feeling happy.”
Shanelle stood up and hugged Margo.
“Thank you. You always manage to get me out of my head.”
“If I can do it for your husband then I can do it for you. Now hurry. Your daughter is waiting for you.”
“I'm off.”
“And Your Majesty?”
“Hmm?”
“Don't call me if he faints.”
Shanelle smirked at Margo before walking out of her office and going to pick up her daughter from her piano lessons.
Later that night after putting her daughter to bed, Shanelle found herself standing on her balcony and going over the ways in her head that she could tell Marquise she was pregnant. It has always been his biggest dream to have as many children as possible. And while the thought of having 12 kids like his ancestor King Fabian scared the shit outta her, Shanelle did want another child. But she didn't think she could have another one. Not after losing her first. But she had Khari, who was as healthy as any baby. Yet, she couldn't help yearning for their first child. The son they lost.
They found out she was pregnant shortly after their honeymoon. They were excited about the news but wanted to keep it under wraps. So they only told a select number of people and kept her schedule light to not raise suspicion. And at first, everything was fine. Until that awful night.
Marquise had left for a three-day summit in Cairo when he got the worst possible phone call from Margo. The urgency in her tone struck fear in his heart.
“Margo? What is it?”
“Marquise you need to get home now! Something’s gone wrong!”
“What is it? What’s wrong mom?”
“It’s your wife, son. You need to get home! Now!”
That conversation would haunt him all the way back to Cordonia. When he touched down in Cordonia he was taken straight to the hospital and met with the lead Obstetrician on the Women and Children’s floor that night. That’s when he would hear the words no expecting parent wants to hear.
“Your Majesty…we did everything that we could to try and save the baby but we couldn't.”
Marquise felt like someone had knocked the wind out of him. And if he wasn't sitting down he probably would've fainted.
“Doctor Bell…what are you saying?”
“I'm so sorry my King but your son is dead. He was stillborn.”
“…stillborn? But how can that be–”
The words died in his throat when he heard his wife scream. At that moment the doctor's response didn’t matter. Shanelle is what mattered. Getting to her is what mattered.
“What room is she in?”
“She's in the last room down the hall, Your Majesty. Room 3486.”
Marquise ran down the hall as fast as his legs and feet could carry him. And when he got to her…his heart shattered. She had a look in her eyes that was a mix of heartbreak, utter disbelief, and complete devastation. And what was worse was there was nothing he could do to take it away.
“Shanelle…”
When she looked at him, he nearly lost his nerve as the nurse who was in the room with Shanelle left to give them time alone.
“It’s not true…tell me it’s not true! The baby…they’re not…they can’t be…tell me it’s not true!”, she pleaded with her husband.
“I…my love…I…”, he struggled to get the words out.
“Tell me, please! Tell me our baby is fine!”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell her the one thing she desperately wanted to hear. He took her trembling hands in his own and prepared himself to speak the very awful words.
“They tried Shanelle. They did everything they could…”, he trailed off.
“No. No. Marquise no! No!”
“My Queen. I’m…I’m…I’m so sorry. Our baby…our son…” he choked up at the look of horror and devastation on her face.
“NO! NO! NO! IT’S NOT TRUE! IT CAN’T BE TRUE!” She screamed before bursting into tears.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried. His heart was broken for his wife, his son, and especially himself. When the doctor brought the baby to them Shanelle was inconsolable.
“Your Majesties, I thought you’d like to see your son.” Doctor Bell spoke softly as he presented them with the swaddled infant.
Marquise couldn’t believe their baby was dead. And he didn’t believe it until he held him close. That’s when he felt his soul break.
“My son. My beautiful son. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He said as his voice trembled as he held the baby. He looked at Shanelle and placed the baby in her arms.
“No. You can’t be gone! You can’t be!” She cried as she held their son, “My baby. You can’t be gone!”
Sadly for them, both their son is dead. And the loss of him was as real and raw as it gets. Shanelle wanted nothing to do with the funeral arrangements so she left that duty to her husband. Rather than have a funeral according to Cordonian tradition, they were joined by her parents and those that were trusted with keeping Shanelle’s pregnancy a secret at a simple burial.
Shanelle was fine until they were asked for any final words before he was to be interred next to Marquise’s mother. That is when her grief took hold and her knees gave out. If it wasn’t for her husband standing behind her she would’ve hit the floor. She couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t stand the thought or sight of her baby boy being buried.
“No. Marquise, please. Don’t bury him. Please. Don’t let them bury him.” She sobbed in her husband’s arms.
“I’m sorry my love. I’m so sorry.” was all he could say as he rubbed her back.
He was fine until they sealed the tomb. That is when he broke and the tears fell. Clutching his wife close to his chest the King Of Cordonia sobbed as his son was laid to rest.
“I can’t be here. I’m ready to go. I don’t want to be here anymore.” Shanelle said to him. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Okay. Let’s get you out here.” He replied.
They barely got out of the Royal Family Mausoleum before she couldn’t walk anymore. She didn’t have the strength. So Marquise carried her back to the main residence of the palace until they left for her duchy the next day.
All these years later and the memory still haunts Shanelle. She refuses to go back to their son’s grave. The memory of watching him be buried has scarred her. And yet, she still wonders what she could’ve done to save him. Why did she see or notice the signs? And now that it’s been confirmed that she’s pregnant again, she wonders if it could or would happen again. But all of that was put to rest when she glanced down at her phone in her hand. She had to tell her husband they are expecting again. She decided to wait until he came home from his trip to Japan the next day.
His Majesty returned home early the next morning and spent his day on conference calls and with a certain little girl who was happy to have her Daddy back home.
Later after he had put Khari to bed, he hopped in the shower and she laid down on the bed and flipped channels. She knew he was tired but not exactly ready to go to bed. When he walked out of the bathroom and she saw him, her jaw hit the floor. He was wearing nothing but a towel and his trademark smirk. She couldn’t help but stare at her husband.
“Take a picture, love. It’ll last you a lot longer than staring at me will.” He teased as he flexed his muscles.
“I will stare whenever I see fit…Your Majesty. I am the Queen after all.”
He shook his head and dried off before grabbing the lotion and applying it while she watched.
“Need help?” She asked.
“Sure. You can get my back,” he replied.
“Okay. Lie down on the bed babe.”
It didn’t take her long to cover his back. What started out as her simply applying lotion to his back, turned into the best massage he’d ever had. Her fingers worked deep into his muscles driving away any stress she knew he may have had. He was in heaven and also a tad curious.
“Damn! What did I do to deserve that?” He asked her.
“Nothing outside of me just wanting an excuse to put my hands on you.”
Marquise turned over on his back and arched an eyebrow at her.
“Uh-huh. What did you do now?” He asked as she straddled his hips.
“Nothing!”
“Yeah okay. How many of your cards did you max out?”
“I swear I didn’t do anything!”
“Do I need to have that verified?”
“No, you don’t because I’m telling the truth!”
He snickered.
“I just wanted to see your reaction.”
“Jackass!” She sneered.
“That’s King Jackass to you.”
She rolled her eyes and smirked at him.
“So tell me what was that massage about?” He asked.
“I missed you. That’s what it was about.”
He chuckled.
“No that’s not it. I mean I believe you when you say you missed me but a massage like that only happens when you want something or when you've done something bad and you don't want me to find out. So since you claim you haven't done anything, what is it, my love? What do you want?” He asked before burying his face in the crook of her neck.
“Weeeelllllllllll…there is something that I need to tell you. But you’re distracting me.” She said as his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close.
“Am I now?” He asked before placing a soft kiss just below her right ear.
“Yes. You’re in nothing but a towel and it’s messing with my concentration.” She replied as her arms rested on his broad shoulders.
“We’ll just have to do something about that now won’t we?” He whispered in her ear. The tone in his voice made her shiver. “Starting with this pajama set you have on.”
“What did you have in mind, My King?” Shanelle asked.
A slow smile bloomed across his face.
“I was thinking something like this…” he trailed off before bringing her lips to his.
When their kiss ended the only thing he wanted to do was devour her. Although the turquoise and black satin and lace pajama set she wore caught his eye.
“Is that new?” he asked.
“This old thing? Nah I’ve had it for years. I just haven’t worn it in a while.”
His eyes roamed up and down her body.
“See something you like, Your Majesty?”
“Always when it comes to you. But I must say you look beautiful in this outfit.”
“Has there ever been a time where you haven’t thought I looked beautiful in something?” she asked.
“Nope. And there never will be.” He whispered in her ear before nipping her earlobe. “Now My Goddess, you can hurry up and take this outfit off or I can rip it off of you. The choice is yours.”
“I kinda like the idea of a striptease then again it would be quicker to just let you rip it off…so why not both?”
Marquise arched an eyebrow.
“Both huh? Fine. But I call dibs on the shorts.”
“The King has decreed it, so shall it be!”
With a sly look in her eyes she bites her bottom lip and pulls the top and bra off. He had his hands all over her ass, palming, squeezing and kneading it.
“Look at you. So fucking beautiful.” He said as his fingers traced the contours of her breasts.
Soon she plants him with a searing kiss that he returns full force. She pressed her chest against his as their kiss deepend. She introduced her tongue into his hungry mouth and he growled against it. She felt his strong arms tighten around her. Feeling her body against his shot his possessive desire for her through the roof. When their kiss broke, all he wanted to do was ravage her.
“I just remembered something.”
“What?”
“You still have these goddamn shorts on.”
“Then do something about it…Your Majesty.”
He growled as he ripped her shorts and panties off of her. He then laid her down and tangled his left hand in her hair exposing her neck to his teeth. He placed suckling bites all down her neck and across her collarbone.
“You just don’t know what you do to me.”
“You poor sweet man. I know EXACTLY what I do to you.”
The wickedness in her voice spurred him on. He dragged his mouth across her breasts. He slowly teased and tasted them which drove her crazy. He loved making her nipples harden at his touch.
“More please! I need more!” she begged.
“That’s exactly what I want to hear,” he told her.
That’s when his right hand found its way between her thighs. His thumb circled her clit while the rest of his fingers teased her entrance.
“Watch the fireworks, my love.” he told her with a wink before he slid between her thighs.
It never took him long to make her melt. She could feel his mouth all over her clit and could feel his fingers playing with her entrance.
Even with his left hand squeezing her breast he was laser focused on her and her pleasure. He drove his fingers deeper inside her causing Shanelle to grab the cover under her. He is relentless. She was trying to ride his fingers as he quickened their speed. Her body began to tremble as he worked her over.
“I can't hold it in much longer! I need you! Now!”, she begged.
He could hear the desperation in his wife’s voice but he wasn’t done teasing her. The sensation coming from him was almost too much for her.
“Not yet My Queen. Not yet.” he whispered against her lips before he kissed her.
The only thing she wanted was for him to fuck her but the King had other plans. With a gentle yet firm tug of his left hand, he pulled her head back. He dragged his tongue down her pulse line before biting gently leaving a mark. The sensation caused her to rake her nails across his back.
“Do that again and watch what happens," he growled in her ear.
She took his warning as a challenge and dragged her nails across his back again. She felt his smile against her ear.
“Have it your way, my love…”
This was the game they'd played for years. The swipes and snide remarks, the jokes, the insults, the teasing, the sex, the love, the devotion, and the affection all of it made their marriage work. He twisted his fingers just enough to make her back arch. His thumb circled her clit faster and harder. He could feel her body writhing beneath him. Begging him for more. He listened to her breathing become more and more shallow. But he decided to take it slow and torture her. He wanted to remind her that he isn't just her husband, he is her King.
“This is where you belong. Beneath me. Just the way I want you to be.”
“Will you please shut up and fuck me?”
“Defiant as ever.”
“You’re taking too long!”
“Desperate My Queen?”
“I swear to God if you don't–”
He silenced her with a surge of his fingers. Quickly working her over driving her crazy.
“That's funny. I don't remember permitting you to speak.”
“Please.”
“I know you need me, my love. Besides, I'm getting impatient myself.”
He pinned her down to the mattress, threw her legs over his shoulders, and took no time filling her up. That is when she arched her back off the bed pushing her chest into his and clawing his back.
“That's it, love. Show me how badly you want it.”
If there was one thing the King knew all too well it was his wife's body. He knew which spots were sensitive to his touch. And judging by the sounds she was making, he knew he was onto something.
“Is this what you want, my love?? He asked as he surged inside her.
“Yes! Give it to me.”
“I don’t think you can handle it, love.”
Every surge of his hips sent her deeper into a frenzy.
“I want you! I need you!”
“God, you feel incredible around me, my love. Like a fucking glove.”
Her moans were getting louder and more desperate. That meant she was truly unraveling and her orgasm was rising.
“I can never get enough of you. You feel so fucking good. So tight. So warm. And all mine!” He growled in her ear before softly biting her neck.
“You feel so good! Give it to me! Take me! Make me cum!!” She screamed.
Her body trembled under him and broke out in a cold sweat. She was closer to the edge. And he knew it.
“Good girl! I know you can handle it! I know it feels good to you! Take it!” He moaned.
He knew he wouldn’t last much longer. But he wanted them to cum together, with a shift of his hips, his thrusts went deeper. Relentlessly he began hitting her G-Spot. Never giving her body a chance to adjust. He would pull out just to slam back in. When her eyes started to roll back, he grabbed her chin and made her look at him.
“Keep your eyes open! I want to see those beautiful eyes as you cum for me.”
He went from grabbing her chin to pinning her wrists down. She tried to push him off but he made sure that she had nowhere to go.
“Oh no! Don't you dare run from me!” he growled. “Now be a good girl and take it! Cum for me!”
He applied slight pressure to her wrists as he fucked her harder and faster. Going deeper until she just couldn't take it anymore and stars burst in her eyes.
“Don't fight it, love. Give in! Give it to me! Cum for me!”
This sent them both hurdling straight into their combined orgasm. Her body gave into his and he collapsed above her. He wrapped her in his arms and cradled her close to his chest. He used his left hand to draw abstract shapes along her back.
“Well, that was fun.” she breathed out.
He chuckled low.
“It always is, my love.”
Shanelle buried her face into the crook of his neck as he placed a soft kiss on the side of her head.
“Shanelle?”
“Hmm?”
“I know.”
She looked at him confusedly.
“What are you talking about?”
He kissed her slowly while placing his right hand on her stomach.
“I know," he whispered against her lips.
When she looked at him it dawned on her what he was saying.
“How did you know? Who told you?”
“I had a feeling you were pregnant. You haven't been yourself lately. But I had no concrete proof until you left your pregnancy test on the bathroom counter.”
Shanelle’s face went pale and she groaned.
“Well, there went my element of surprise.”
He shook his head with a smirk.
“Look at me,” he said as he tilted her chin up, “I love you. You know that right?”
She smiled at him.
“I love you too handsome.”
He pulled her close and slowly drifted off to sleep with his right hand resting on her stomach.
A/N: I had a different name and plot for this fic when I first started it over a year ago. But after being in the RP community for more than a year, I've decided to write the current Royal Life of my favorite OTP.
Rated: Mature (at times can and will be Explicit. I'll be sure to change the rating when and if that happens). | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual. Y'all should be used to this from me by now 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Miller-Rys (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and original characters created by me and/or other authors [their characters have been used in the story with their permission] ) are property of Pixelberry.
Current Word Count: 830 words. (may be slightly more or may be slightly less. Look, I stop counting after editing and re-editing and driving myself insane. 🤷🏾♀️)
Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations
The Beginning.
Shanelle stood on the balcony of her duchy’s estate and watched her husband play a hybrid game of tag and hide and go seek with their daughter.
“Will you hold still? How am I supposed to catch you if you keep moving?!” He asked their daughter.
“Silly daddy! You’re not! That’s the point of the game!” she replied through giggles as she ran from him.
“Get back here!” he called out to her as ran after her.
She smiled to herself as she watched them. Their relationship is reminiscent of her relationship with her father. He dotes on Khari as much as he dotes on her and Cordonia.
Being the ruling Monarch is no easy task and she knows it but Marquise has led the kingdom for 8 years and she's been right by his side. He's a leader of the people. The same way his mother was. When they became the ruling monarchs Shanelle made education and healthcare her core missions for Cordonia. She wanted them both to be equally beneficial to the people and the nobility. And her husband has made sure that it's happened.
When it comes to politics, Marquise is an expert at the game they both play. He never loses his cool. Even when he wants to say fuck it and not give a shit, he understands that isn't an option for him. He keeps his emotions in check as he navigates the murky waters known as politics on the world's stage.
As Shanelle goes to lean against the stone banister she's stopped by her protruding pregnant belly. Being pregnant with twins - twin boys no less - is not the walk in the park that some led her to believe. The complications have thrown her entire schedule off but at the same time, she's thankful to be pregnant. Because there was a time she didn't know that she'd be able to have children.
Shortly after getting married Shanelle was pregnant. But unfortunately, she suffered a miscarriage that left her with uterine scarring. She was terrified to try again. But she also knew that per the Cordonian laws of ascension, an heir to the throne had to be produced within two years of her being married to her husband. So after many nights of prayer, they tried again, and the second time proved successful. They had a baby girl. A baby girl named Khari Noelle Rys. That baby girl will one day become the next Monarch of Cordonia. So being pregnant a third time was supposed to be easy. Except being pregnant has proven that life ain't easy.
She watches as her daughter tries unsuccessfully to find her dad.
“Daddy! Where are you?!” Khari calls out to her father as she looks for him.
Little did the Princess know, her daddy was right behind her snickering to himself.
“He's behind you! Turn around!” She silently tries to warn her daughter. But she was too late.
“Gotcha!” he said as he wrapped their daughter up in a hug and spun her around.
“You found me, daddy!”
“Indeed, I have my little one! And as my prize, I am going to cover you in kisses and tickles!” he declared.
Doing so caused their daughter to break out into a fit of squeals and giggles.
“No! Nooooo! Not that!”
“Yes! I will tickle you until you can't stand it anymore!”
Shanelle smiled as she watched them roll around in the field of flowers laughing and playing together. When they stopped both were smiling and breathless.
“Daddy?”
He turned to face her.
“Hmm? Yes, my love?”
Khari cups her daddy's face in her hands.
“I love you! Bunches and bunches!”
He smiled.
“I love you too, my Princess. Now let's go find your mother.”
“Okay!”
She watched them walk inside then smiled to herself.
Over the last few years, she's gotten to know him as the Father, the Husband, the King, and especially the Man. And even though each side of him is as complex and complicated as they come, she also knows that he loves and protects truly, honestly, wholeheartedly, and unconditionally. None more than their family, their friends, and especially their kingdom.
At his core, Marquise is a good man. Yes, he has a tendency to be a dick, but you can't sing with your angels without acknowledging that you danced with your demons. And he's got demons a mile long. But he's accepted them and has worked to change and become better. Why? Because of his wife. He had to change for her. Old habits had to die. She wouldn't accept anything less. She made it clear that she married him and NOT the clone of the elder Rys.
Shanelle and Marquise have come a long way both separately and together. Despite what many may think or assume about them, they don't live a fairytale life nor do they have a fairytale marriage.
If she wouldn't see me, I'd make myself seen. I called in favors to get on set. There was going to be a night shoot, and according to Teja, Aly was napping.
I smiled when I saw her trailer. Her name is in bold with a big gold star. The brightest thing in my life was just on the other side of that door.
- Alyssa -
I heard a knock. It wasn't my call time, so I knew it couldn't have been the PA. Maybe it was Thomas. Out of curiosity, I leaped up to answer.
Pulling the door open, "My call time isn't for..." It dawned on me just who was on the other side. "Raleigh?!" My voice cracked, and my eyes went wide. He was definitely here and holding some white roses in his hand.
It was one night! One night that I knew I couldn't get out of my head. This can't happen again I told myself. For months, he'd call, e-mail, and texts. I tried so hard not to give in.
"Dammit!" I shouted as I sat in my trailer on the set of Most Wanted. The thought of his body pressed against mine. His hands in my hair. Those little bruises I saw on my hips the next morning. Thomas had my heart, but Raleigh soon started occupying my every waking thought.
-Raleigh-
I had to take matters into my own hands. Alyssa was ignoring me. I knew she felt it just like I did. This wasn't some one night stand. I was in love, and she needed to know it.
We kept things real casual at first. Lunch here. Coffee there, but that night on Mulholland sealed it for me. Fuck! I've never wanted a woman as badly as I wanted Alyssa Hunt.
"Alyssa Hunt?!" I could hear my agent's voice in my head as I read his texts.
"Carrera, tell me you're NOT boning Thomas Hunt's wife!"
I rolled my eyes at the phone. The phone chimed again. It was her! She finally messaged me back, but the news wasn't good.
"Stop, Ral! We can't do this!"
"Why? When we know just how good we are together."
"Because I'm married, Raleigh!"
I loved her small town ways. Hollywood wives don't give a damn who they hurt, and here she was thinking about Hunt.
"Mr. Carrera!" a woman shouted from behind him.
"Mr. Carrera! You can't go in there!"
Raleigh paid no attention. He was a man on a mission. Bursting through the double doors, he shouted, "Where is he?!" The production crew and producers standing around were stunned to see him stalk through the set until he saw none other than Leland St. James.
Raleigh walked up to the talk show host and gossip columnist and grabbed him by the jacket. "You son of a..." The crowd gasped as the R&B timebomb exploded on their boss.
Leland staggered back on his set's couch as the first blow landed square on his jaw. Raleigh was like a man possessed. He punched him again, only to be met with the sound of laughter.
The host gestured to those behind Raleigh in a signal to keep rolling. St. James laughed even louder as he boldly looked up at Carrera and grinned with a bit of blood coming from his mouth.
"So you saw my blog then?" Leland asked, grabbing his pocket square and shaking it out. He dabbed at his mouth and pointed behind Raleigh. "Is this you confirming that those texts were real?"
Raleigh's eyes widened at the sound of the question. He loosened his grip on Leland's jacket.
"Alyssa", I said my tone coming off a bit more stern now that we're face to face.
She looked up at me. Her beautiful brown eyes starting to get glassy.
"I know," she said softly looking away.
I touched her cheek. Coaxing her to look me in the eyes.
"We discussed this. Before we married, I asked you if you wanted an open relationship. I asked you!"
A tear started to slide down her cheek. "I know. I didn't."
"You didn't what, Aly? You didn't really mean it when you said you wanted us to be exclusive?"
I should have seen this coming. Why didn't I see this coming? I knew something that story Carrera cooked up about the pictures was bullshit. I just didn't want to see it.
Aly finally spoke up. "No, Thom, it's not that."
My gaze never left hers. She obviously had been holding on to this secret for some time. I am holding one too.
