by H J Welch
“It’s amazing!” Finley hissed, jumping up and down in excitement. Someone had braided her black hair, so with the bow she’d be holding shortly, she really would look like a mini Katniss Everdeen. “Everyone here is so good.” She chewed her lip, suddenly anxious. “I might not even win,” she whispered.
Matty kneeled down and smiled as he looked her in the eye. “And that’s okay, Nibblet. Have you had fun this last couple of weeks?”
Finely blinked her eyes, looking like she was really giving his question some thought. “Yes,” she finally decided.
“And do you think you’ve learned a couple of things?”
Finley gasped. “Oh, yes, so much!”
Matty grinned and squeezed her shoulders. “Then all you have to do is your best. You know your moms and I love you, no matter what. You’re our shining star, so full of talent! I need to shake some out so I can have a little bit!” She squealed in delight as he tickled her sides. “Wow, yeah, I feel more talented already!”
“No, Uncle Matty!” she cried between her giggles. “I need it! I want to win!”
He grinned and pulled her into a hug. “Now you go out there and give them hell, all right, Nibblet? You show ’em how we do it in Queens.”
She struck a pose like a ninja, still giggling. But then suddenly she gasped and looked up at Matty seriously. “But…what about you?”
Matty arched an eyebrow. “I don’t think they’ll let me compete,” he joked. “I’m too old.”
“No,” said Finley emphatically. She grabbed his hand with both of hers and swung on it. “With you and Cas! I got your voicemail from his phone saying you’d lost yours, and my teacher told me not to talk to anyone who asked about you guys! Why would anyone ask about you and Cas?”
Matty bit his lip. He’d really hoped they could have waited until afterward to discuss this, because he wasn’t sure what the hell to say. He felt a hundred times better now everything was out in the open between him and Cas, and they knew where they stood. But he still didn’t know if they were allowed to have a relationship. There was still a strong chance that Matty might never see Cas again. His stomach plummeted at the mere thought.
But then he remembered that last red-hot kiss in the car, and how Cas had looked him in the eye and promised faithfully that they’d see each other later, so Matty clung to that hope. Depending on how his meeting went with the king, Cas was supposed to be here to judge the graduation tournament today. But after the rollercoaster they’d been on over the past couple of days, he didn’t want to bank on anything.
“It’s complicated, Nibblet,” he said eventually. “But Cas and I are still friends, and we’re hoping to make things less complicated real soon.”
Finley narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, but are you boyfriends?” she asked shrewdly.
Matty spluttered out a laugh. “There’s no fooling you, is there,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Uh, that’s the complicated part, hon. But we like each other very much.”
“Then why’s it complicated?” Finley demanded.
“That’s a fair question,” a new voice chimed in.
Matty snatched his hand away from his eyes, blinking against the sunshine at the woman who had materialized out of nowhere.
This time, he recognized her.
“Ida von Tarr?” Matty said warily to the blonde reporter smiling at him.
She had her hands clasped in front of her thighs, her phone clutched in one of them. He wondered if she was recording what they were saying on that voice recorder she’d waved in his and Cas’s faces before. Just because he couldn’t see it, didn’t mean it wasn’t stashed somewhere on her person. From what Cas had said about her, he wouldn’t be surprised. Her red nails shone in the summer sun, and she squinted at him without any sunglasses on. Her smile seemed quite fixed.
“Hi, sweetie,” she said, ignoring Matty’s inquiry over her name. She bent down and offered out her hand. “You must be Matty’s niece, Finley. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Finley frowned and stepped behind Matty. “From who?”
Von Tarr laughed like tinkling bells, standing up as if her handshake hadn’t just been snubbed by an eight-year-old. “Aren’t you adorable? I’m sure your mother wishes she could be here.”
Anger flared in Matty. How dare this poisonous woman have the audacity to mention Reghan. “No comment, von Tarr,” he said firmly.
The reporter batted her blonde eyelashes at him. “I haven’t even asked any questions yet, Mr. Doyle.”
“Finley! Finley!”
Matty turned as several other children called out his niece’s name. He’d expected them to be other archery students. But with a lurch he recognized the familiar faces of their moms first, as Shommie and Esosa weaved through the crowd with their gaggle of kids.
Finley squealed and rushed to meet her friends. Matty’s heart leapt. If ever he needed backup, it was now. “Shommie, Esosa,” he said weakly.
“Matty Doyle!” Shommie cried and wagged a finger. “Why haven’t you been answering your texts?”
Esosa reached him first and yanked him into a momma bear hug. “You’ve been in the papers! The internet!”
“Why didn’t you tell us Cas was Prince Cassander?” Shommie demanded as her sister let Matty go. “What the hell?”
Esosa nodded. “You can bet I’m really jealous of you now.”
Matty was almost excited to tell them everything for a second, but then he remembered who he’d just been talking to. He scowled and glared at von Tarr, who was taking everything in with a very interested expression on her face. “Excuse us,” Matty said, trying to move his friends away.
But von Tarr leapt into action, literally jumping in front of him and holding her phone up, abandoning all pretense that she hadn’t been recording him. He should have realized she could use that in place of the voice recorder. Damn. From out of nowhere, a large man appeared with a huge professional camera, the lens pointed in Matty’s face. Matty had no doubt he’d been snapping shots from a distance, the realization making him feel sick.
“I absolutely did not give you permission to record my niece,” Matty snapped. He stepped in front of Shommie and Esosa, who suddenly looked very confused. “I have nothing to say to you. You’ve violated my rights, and I will be suing both you and the Daily Chronicle.”
Von Tarr hummed in amusement, her smile still big and false. “Oh, Americans,” she said with a chuckle. “Perhaps your British friends here would like to give a comment on your affair with our beloved Prince Cassander?” She tutted and shook her head. “It really was wicked, the way you seduced him like that.”
Matty’s guts dropped. That wasn’t true, but if that was what everyone thought, what was the use in trying to deny it? He was just one small voice against the tide of bullshit they’d inferred or made up about him.
“Uh,” said Shommie, holding up a single finger with its long, colorfully painted nail. “Who is this?”
“Do you remember when someone found my phone when we were at the café?” Matty asked grimly. “It was Ida von Tarr who pickpocketed it off me in the first place. She bugged it to spy on me and Cas.”
Von Tarr gasped and placed her free hand on her chest. “I would never do such a thing, Mr. Doyle,” she said, scandalized. “That’s illegal.”
Matty gritted his teeth. He wanted to yell at her that he’d had no idea that Cas had been a prince until she’d broken her hateful story, but he didn’t want to admit that fault between them. She didn’t need any more information to attack their relationship with.
Before he could open his mouth and say something dumb, Shommie and Esosa stepped around either side of him. “Oh,” said Esosa, tilting her head. “You’re a pap, are you?”
“We don’t care much for paparazzi in the UK,” Shommie added cheerfully, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Vultures, the lot of you. In fact, here’s a quote for you. How about you take that camera and shove it up your-”
“Shommie!” M
atty cried, before his new friend could also get herself embroiled in an international incident.
“Why don’t you run along now,” said Esosa more diplomatically, shooing at von Tarr with her hand, “and leave our friend alone.”
Von Tarr didn’t move an inch, though. She was still smiling like a deranged mannequin. “Ladies. Mr. Doyle. May I remind you that this is a free country. My country. I have every right to report the news to Rosavia.” She put on a look of deep sadness and clutched her hand to her chest in a fist. “You are merely guests in Alpina. Whereas the good people of Rosavia are counting on me to let them know what kind of person is hoodwinking their beloved prince. They deserve the truth!”
“Yes, they do.”
Matty’s heart almost stopped as relief flooded through him. He’d recognize that voice in a heartbeat.
As he turned, the crowd was parting like the Red Sea. Through the gap walked Cas, dressed to the nines in a gorgeous suit, his gaze laser-focused on von Tarr. People were gaping as he approached. Shommie and Esosa’s mouths dropped open. And suddenly their kids reappeared, chasing after Finley.
Who threw her arms around Cas’s waist and shrieked as she hugged him. “Cas!”
He stopped immediately and looked down at her before smiling and resting his hand on top of her head. “Hey, Finley,” he said warmly. “I told you I’d be back.”
“Your Highness,” said von Tarr breathlessly, her massive fake smile back on her face. “Care to make a comment? I was just discussing your relationship with Mr. Doyle here. What do you have to say to the people of Rosavia? Why hasn’t the palace released a statement yet? Surely they can’t endorse” -she waved her hand back and forth between them- “this completely inappropriate scam?”
Cas straightened his spine and offered Finley his hand. She released him from her hug and took it, and the two of them walked over to von Tarr. The sun flashed on the camera lens as it swung to follow Cas as he stopped in front of the journalist. Esosa and Shommie’s heads turned, their kids clustered around them. The growing throng gathered around them seemed to be collectively holding its breath.
Then Cas smiled, and extended his other hand out.
To Matty.
“I would like to introduce the people of Rosavia to my dear friend, Matty, and his lovely niece, who is here competing at the archery tournament today. She’s a very talented young lady.” He gave von Tarr a look that one might reserve for a naughty child. “However, your report yesterday was full of quite a few inconsistencies, Ms. von Tarr.” He tutted. “Your readers expect better of you, I’m sure.”
She blinked, clearly thrown by Cas’s response to her questions. “So…Mr. Doyle isn’t your secret lover?” she challenged, the gleam back in her eye as she sensed blood in the water.
Matty’s heart was racing in anticipation of Cas’s response. Surely he’d have to lie. Or denounce Matty there and then.
Except he did neither. He took Matty’s hand in his own, and rubbed the knuckles with his thumb as he smiled at Matty with such warmth. “You can be my everything, if that’s what you want?” he murmured, so quiet Matty wondered if anyone else could hear. “Because that’s what I want. More than anything. We’re allowed.”
Suddenly, as if by magic, it was as if they were back in their little bubble, just the two of them in the whole world. Except…this was no longer a fantasy.
Cas had just asked Matty if he wanted this to be their reality. He wanted to stop playing a part and be his own man.
With Matty.
“Y-yes,” he whispered back, squeezing Cas’s hand as tears sprung into his eyes. “Yes, Cas. That’s what I want.”
He could weather any storm, take any lies the media wanted to accuse him of. If he was with Cas, he could rise above it all, come rain or shine. He’d protect his family, and they would be stronger as one. Nothing could stop them if he and Cas were together.
Cas’s smile was like a rainbow after the rain. “Yes?” he repeated in a whisper.
Matty giggled with relief. “Yes,” he confirmed emphatically. They held each other’s gazes and hands for a second. It was as if in that moment, Matty could see his whole, glorious future unfolding like the petals of a beautiful blue rose.
“Secret?” Cas announced loudly, looking back at von Tarr with such happiness Matty almost felt faint. “No. In fact, King Alphonse and Queen Aubrey have just given me permission to invite Matty to our celebrations tomorrow night for the country’s anniversary ball.” He raised Matty’s hand, then placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. “As my official plus one and partner.”
Matty’s vision threatened to black out as the crowd gasped and burst into a wild buzz of chatter, tightening around them even closer. Von Tarr gaped like a goldfish, and Finley squealed.
“Are you boyfriends now?” she demanded above all the commotion. She was still holding Cas’s hand, so when she grabbed Matty’s, it made a little circle between them.
Matty looked down at her, then back up at Cas. Shock was stopping his brain connecting with his mouth. But then he registered the naked hope in Cas’s eyes.
“If that’s what your Uncle Matty wants,” Cas said softly. His gaze on Matty was unwavering. “The palace has given its blessing. We can take it slowly, but-”
He might have had more to say after that. More reasons why Matty should think really carefully about whether or not dating a prince was what he truly wanted. Except Matty didn’t want to hear them, and had already yanked on Cas’s hand, jerking him forward to crash into Matty’s mouth as he lunged forward for what felt like the kiss of his life.
The crowd roared. Shommie and Esosa whooped and clapped. Finley squealed again. And Cas cupped his hands on either side of Matty’s face, kissing him back with the force of a hurricane.
By the time they resurfaced, von Tarr had a face on her like she’d been sucking lemons. But Matty hardly noticed. He was just looking at Cas, who was grinning down at him.
“That’s a yes to all this lot, then?” Cas asked, not so subtly jerking his head toward von Tarr.
Matty laughed as the ruckus continued around him. He got the impression that the Rosavian people were very much in support of their prince, and couldn’t care less what the nasty journalist had to say.
“Yes, it’s a yes,” Matty said. “Yes to the ball, yes to boyfriends, yes to you, Cas. I don’t care how scary that is.” He also indicated von Tarr. “So long as what we have is real. If that’s what comes with it, so be it.”
Cas hugged him tightly. When Finley huffed loudly, they both laughed and stepped apart enough so that Cas could pick her up and sit her on his hip. “I’m sorry, Nibblet,” said Matty. “We highjacked your tournament.”
She sighed and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, I forgive you. But only because I like Cas.”
Matty smiled at his boyfriend. “I like Cas, too,” he told her.
After that, things calmed down. The event staff managed to disperse the crowd and get things rolling on the tournament again. Von Tarr was told she could stay if she was actually reporting on the kids, but surprise, surprise, she didn’t have the proper clearance, and security looked positively gleeful about escorting her and her cameraman off the Elm Willows premises.
Finley was whisked off to go get ready, but a frazzled-looking woman approached Cas wringing her hands. “Your Highness,” she began apprehensively. “I know you were supposed to be part of the adjudication team today. But, uh, unfortunately, the rules state, um…”
Cas didn’t seem the least bit bothered by her hesitation. In fact, Matty watched in confusion as he grinned. “But now I’m considered biased,” he suggested, hugging Matty to his side and smiling at him. “Because one of the contestants is family?”
Family? Matty’s eyes threatened to fill with happy tears. Did Cas really consider Matty’s family his own already? Now there was nothing standing in between them, was he really jumping into their relationship that quickly?
Apparently so. And Matty loved it.
The woman let out a big sigh of relief. “Thank you so much for understanding, Your Highness. We want to make sure everything is fair for the children. They’ve worked so hard. Can we offer you and your partner a VIP box to watch from instead?”
A VIP box? Damn, this school really was fancy.
Cas didn’t seem fazed, though, presumably because he’d spent several years here. Perhaps the king and queen had come to watch him play lacrosse from such a box?
Cas smiled politely and effortlessly. He really did look like a statesman, used to dealing with public relations. “That sounds wonderful, thank you. But only if my boyfriend’s friends can join us. Is that all right?”
Shommie and Esosa had been gossiping fervently nearby, but they were rendered mute, if only for a second or two, at being acknowledged by one of Rosavia’s princes. “Us?” Shommie squeaked.
Esosa elbowed her. “We’d be honored, wouldn’t we, kids?” Their brood clapped and whooped in delight, making Matty laugh.
“Are you sure?” he murmured into Cas’s ear. “They’re very rowdy.”
Cas just grinned at him, though. “I love kids, sweetheart,” he said, kissing his cheek. “I want some myself, one day. That’s probably something you should know, maybe?”
Holy crap. Matty figured that answered his question about how committed Cas was to him already. He’d just announced that someday, he wanted to be a father.
Matty wondered how long he should wait before slipping into the conversation that he also wanted to have kids down the line. When he met the right guy.
Had he?
He watched Cas’s smiling face as they were all shown to a room at the top of the stalls for them all to fit comfortably in. How long would Matty get now to study every expression?
A lifetime?
Now who was rushing in with both feet? Matty shook his head at himself and helped himself to the refreshments that appeared out of nowhere. The kids were given juice and ice cream, while the adults were lavished with sparkling wine and canapés.