Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 7)

by Crystal Perkins

  “Rain check?” I ask.

  “Most definitely. So what’s up?”

  “I’ll tell you, but then we’ve got to talk about your girl. And your fancy new job.”

  “Deal.”

  “Do you remember when you asked me if I would give up my kingdom for your sister?”

  “I believe I asked you that several times.”

  “You did. And tomorrow, I’m going to do it.”

  He searches my eyes, and his go wide. “You’re serious.”

  “I’ve talked to my family already.”

  “You’ve always wanted to be King of Cyndryann.”

  “I want you sister more. This is apparently my only choice since the members of Parliament have told me they won’t change the law.”

  “Can you even do it?”

  “I looked it up, and yes, I can. If someone else is available to take my place.”

  “Steven?”

  “Steven.”

  “My sister’s going to freak.”

  “I’m hoping to get some help from her friends, so that she doesn’t see the news until I’m already in Las Vegas and have started Phase 2 of my plan.”

  “Phase 2?”

  “Yep. My kingdom isn’t enough for your sister. I need to woo her, and pass some tests in order to be worthy of her love.”

  “You gonna slay a dragon or some shit like that?”

  “If there was one around, I would. But no, I thought I’d master some things that would impress her and show her I can live as a normal American citizen. Jen’s coming over to help me finish the list with you.”

  “This could go so well, or so terribly wrong. I’ll have to make sure Ainsley captures it all on tape.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Now let’s talk about this village girl, and your new job with my restoration company.”

  “I believe it is Steven’s company now.”

  “Tomorrow it’ll be his company. And I’ll still be a prince, asshole.”

  “Semantics.”

  “Hey honeys, I’m home,” Jen yells, causing us both to burst out laughing. She’s been watching too many old American TV shows. She’d never fit in there. At least not without some help.

  By the time we finish my list, Noah has to leave for his date, so we don’t get much more time to talk. We’re okay, though. You don’t give up being best friends after ten years just because one of you does something stupid. Or at least we don’t.

  I called Matt when I saw something interesting pop-up on the Corrigan & Co. website while I was online. We have a meeting set for tomorrow. I think my list is pretty good, too. We all looked up stuff on the internet, and chose what seemed best, or most romantic. I’m going to add some things when I meet up with the guys in Vegas—Noah contacted Nate, and he promised to help me and said he thinks everyone else will want to as well. Now, I just need to give up my throne, and honestly, that’s going to be the easiest thing to do.

  Brayden’s List of Tasks to Impress Darcy (and prove he can be a normal American man):

  1. Give up the throne (probably the easiest one of all)

  2. Win a game of Call of Duty (Nate, Aiden, Jake & Matt will help)

  3. Make Darcy a meal (cooking lesson with Gavin)

  4. Make Darcy a cake (Jen says girls love a guy who can bake. Help TBD)

  5. Get a job (meeting with Matt to discuss)

  6. Serenade her publicly (Okay, this has to be lip synch because I don’t want to scare the children)

  7. Master an American sport (Zack=American football, Miles Corrigan=baseball, Luke Griffin=hockey. I have to be good at one. Right?)

  8. Learn how to be a cowboy (Caleb)

  9. Remind her that we’re already married, and ask her again with a special ring.

  10. Other tasks to be added once I meet with the American guys!

  * * *

  Darcy

  “Ainsley, there seems to be something wrong with my internet and my TV. Nothing’s been working since I woke up. I thought it was just at home, but I can’t get online here at the office, either.”

  “Oh yeah. I’m working on a few things. I should be done soon.”

  “Okay,” I tell her, thinking about how weird this is. We’ve never lost everything while she’s working on one of her projects. I guess it is best that it’s happening now, while no one’s on a mission and we’re all here at the Foundation. We can just find each other for anything we need. Still weird, though.

  An hour later, there’s a knock at my door. I look up to see everyone—and I do mean, everyone—walking into my office. “Um, hi. Is there a meeting or something I don’t know about?”

  “There’s something,” Reina says with a smile.

  Ainsley pushes some buttons on her tablet, and the wall-sized TV in my office comes to life. I see the Cyndryann Parliament building in the background, and it looks like a press conference is about to begin.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Just watch,” Nate tells me.

  Brayden walks out of the building with Steven, and steps up to the microphone. “Thank you all for coming out here so early this morning. I’ve just met with Parliament, and I have an important announcement to make.”

  “Are you asking them to change the law about you marrying a commoner? Is Darcy coming back?” the reporters ask him.

  “No. I don’t have the support I’d need to change the law. So sometimes Crown has to give up everything he thought he wanted to be with Cat.”

  “That doesn’t make sense, Your Highness.”

  “It will to the person who matters. For everyone else, all you need to know is that I’ve asked Parliament to let me pass the throne to my uncle. He will be a much better leader than I could ever be. Especially because I would never be happy without the woman I love at my side.”

  The reporters are firing more questions at him. But he just runs down the steps into a waiting car, and is whisked away. Steven speaks for a few minutes, and then the screen goes black. I think I may be in shock.

  “Did that just happen? He gave up the throne for me?” I ask as those damn tears run down my face again.

  “Well, it happened several hours ago, but yes, he did. And fuck if it wasn’t romantic,” Stella tells me.

  “Several hours ago? That’s why I didn’t have TV or internet access?”

  “Yes. He asked that we keep from you until he arrived,” Ainsley says.

  “He’s here? Where?”

  “Right now he’s meeting with Matt about taking the opening he has for an International Consultant,” Reina tells me.

  “I-I have to see him. I can go to him, right?”

  “Yes. Matt’s fully expecting you to barge into his interview. Brayden has another surprise for you, so be warned. It’s kind of crazy romantic, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

  “Cryptic much?”

  “I am the head of a secret spy agency, so the answer to that would have to be yes.”

  I stick out my tongue at her, and then practically run to the elevators. Once I’m on Matt’s floor, I blow past his secretary, who expects me to be stopped by his door, but Ainsley’s got my back, and it opens for me.

  I walk in and see Brayden sitting in a chair in front of Matt’s desk. “What took you so long?” Matt asks with a smirk.

  I ignore him and go to Brayden, who stands up and pulls me into his arms. “You gave up the throne for me?”

  “Yes. I shouldn’t have even taken it, knowing I couldn’t have you if I did.”

  “I don’t care about that.”

  “But I do. I need to talk to you about some things. Can I come to your office once I’m done here?”

  “Of course. Reina says I won’t like what you have to tell me, so maybe you want to rethink it, and just kiss me.”

  “Reina’s probably right,” he tells me with a chuckle. “But I need to stick to my plan if I’m going to be worthy of you.”

  “You gave up your kingdom for me. How much more worthy do you think you need to
be?”

  “A lot. Now go on. I know Matt was expecting you, but it’s not nice to keep my new boss waiting.”

  “You got the job?” I ask, loud enough for Matt to hear.

  “Of course he got the job. Who better to consult for me on international matters than a former king with a fancy degree from a European university?”

  “I’m going to work hard, Matt.”

  “I know, Brayden.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” I tell him. “Someone will show you to my office.”

  “I’ll take him,” Matt says.

  “Thanks.”

  I lean up and give Brayden a quick peck on the mouth before practically skipping back to my office. I'm a little worried about him thinking he has to prove his worth, but it can’t be that bad, right?

  I find out an hour later, that yes, it can indeed be even worse than I’d imagined. Brayden comes into my office and smiles at all of the games. I introduce him to my team, and he laughs in amusement when I tell him they’re all reformed con men or cat burglars like me. Why wouldn’t I hire them? They can spot a con a mile away, and that’s what we do—look for people who are exploiting others through cons, and test out Ainsley’s security systems.

  “Okay, so here’s the deal, Darcy,” Brayden begins once we’re sitting in my office. “I made a mistake when I let you go. I regretted it immediately, but I didn’t think I was strong enough to fix it. I’d always dreamed of being king, and yet, when you left, it meant nothing to me anymore. I approached the Parliament members outside of the Cathedral, and they told me they wouldn’t support me if I tried to change the law. I thought my only options at that point were to just give you up, or send my country into a war with itself. One between those who supported us being together, and those who valued tradition over love. Neither option was acceptable to me.”

  “I would never want your country to fight over me.”

  “I know,” he says, reaching for my hand, which I readily give to him. “After talking to my uncle, who thought I should fight, I realized I had another option. I looked through the law books in the library to make sure I was right, and I was. The law says I can pass the throne to any living relative who I deem to be more worthy of it. My uncle will be a better ruler than I, and it didn’t take much to convince Parliament of that.”

  “I still can’t believe you did it. I’m humbled, and in awe of you. Seriously.”

  “You’re worth a throne, and more. It’s the more I need to take care of now. You know me as a playboy prince, but now I need to be a normal American man.”

  “There’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ man,” I tell him with a laugh.

  “Be that as it may, I want to prove to you that I can be just like your ‘boy next door’. I’ve come up with a series of tasks to master. Things I should know, and things that will hopefully impress you.”

  “Do I get to reward you with a sexual favor for each one you complete?”

  “That’s the thing, Cat. I can’t be with you until I’ve done all of them.”

  “What? Um, no. This is definitely not going to work for me. What if you don’t master them?”

  “See how little faith you have in me?”

  “I have faith. I just don’t like the idea of you being here and not being with me. You really don’t have to do these things. Really.”

  “I’m with you, even if I’m not with you. You’re not worried about that, right? You know I don’t want anyone else.”

  “I know. How could I not know? And it is romantic, I guess.”

  “I’ll get through them as quickly as possible. I promise. It’s just really important to me that I try and do these things.”

  “Fine. How many are there?”

  “Nine so far, but I asked Nate to help me come up with a few more. The internet is good, but I need a real guy’s perspective.”

  I think of something else all of a sudden. “Wait, don’t you have to go back to officially pass on the crown to Steven or something?”

  “He’ll have a proper coronation in two weeks’ time, yes.”

  “So you’re still officially the king?”

  “I am.”

  “Does the king get to bring a date to the coronation?”

  “If he doesn’t want to be drawn and quartered by his people, he had better bring the one they want.”

  “They love me.”

  “Not as much as I love you.”

  “I love you, too Crown. Now go off and be American so I can have my way with you. I’ve got some shopping to do. Two coronations in a month? Not bad for a reformed cat burglar.”

  Not bad at all. Now I just need to hope he can get through his tasks. It was hard enough to not rip his clothes off and have my way with him right there in my office. Seeing him every day is only going to make it worse. But it is really sweet and romantic. I may even swoon at some point.

  Chapter 22

  1. Give up the throne

  2. Win a game of Call of Duty

  Brayden

  “You got this, man. We all own this game,” Nate tells me.

  “I know you own it. We’re about to play.”

  “He means we own it like it’s our bitch. You know, we can’t be beat,” Aiden explains.

  “Oh okay. I’m going to own it, too,” I say with more confidence than I feel.

  “Damn right you are,” Matt tells me.

  Fifteen minutes—and three games—later, they’re singing a different tune,

  “That did not just happen. How the fuck did that happen? No one is that bad at COD. Who shoots their own men like that?” Nate asks in horror.

  “Him,” Jake responds, looking shell-shocked. “He does. I almost want to bow down because it was so epic in its wrongness.”

  “No. There’s no bowing. You may be a king, Brayden, but you just lost your man card. If you even had one. Did you have a man card?” Scott Griffin asks me.

  “Fuck you all. I warned you that I sucked, and you promised to help.”

  “We tried. How many times did I have to yell ‘shoot’ and ‘don’t shoot’? You have no skills. None. Do you even have a penis?”

  “Yes I have a penis. I just can’t play this stupid game.”

  “What does having a penis have to do with playing Call of Duty? Ainsley and Darcy can beat all of you. I bet they’d kick your butts if they heard you right now,” Ethan tells them, and they all freeze.

  “We’re not going to tell them, E. There are some things your momma and her friends never need to know about,” Caleb says looking a little scared. Hell, they all look a little scared and I don’t blame them.

  “Yeah. Your dad’s right. This is just man talk between us, buddy,” Matt says.

  “Now who’s lost his man card?” I ask with a laugh.

  “You’ve met my wife,” he says in way of an explanation.

  “How’s the couch situation, by the way?” Aiden asks him with a smirk.

  “I’m sleeping in the guest room, not on the couch, and it fucking sucks. Now back to the matter at hand. There’s no way you’re going to win at this game. You need to replace that with something else.”

  He’s right. Dammit. I wanted to be able to play with Darcy, but I’ll be ninety and still killing the wrong people. “What else can I do?”

  Nate and Aiden look at each other, smile, and speak at the same time. “Bar fight.”

  “Huh?”

  “You need to get drunk and fight it out with some douchebag in a bar,” Nate explains to me.

  “Is that safe?” I ask. I’m perfectly content to stay here in his apartment, drinking beer and eating pizza. I like pizza.

  “No. But what guy wants to be safe?” Aiden asks.

  Me. I want to be safe. I can’t raise my hand, or say that, though. Instead I look at the other guys. “Is it really necessary?”

  “Oh yeah,” Jake says. “Everyone needs one good bar brawl under their belt.”

  “Okay.” Not okay, so not okay.

  Why am I doing
this again? Oh yeah, for Darcy. I’ll do anything for Darcy. Even possibly die in a bar fight. No, that’s too harsh. The guys will back me up. Right?

  * * *

  Darcy

  “Don’t freak out when you see Brayden, okay?” Nate says, when I walk into the lobby at Corrigan & Co.

  He must’ve been waiting for me, and this can’t be good. We head into an elevator together, and I tell it to take us to Matt’s floor. Brayden’s new office is up there, and now I’m definitely going there first.

  “Why would I freak out? What did you do to him?”

  “It wasn’t me. I mean, it was kind of my fault. Mine, and Aiden’s. We were just trying to help, and okay, maybe mess with him a little.”

  “Nate.”

  “He wanted to win at Call of Duty. That was on his list. But he couldn’t win. Even when we told him to shoot. I mean, God Darce, he’s…I don’t even know what he is.”

  “I know that. He knows it, too. But it’s sweet that he tried.”

  “Umm, sure.”

  “What does this have to do with me freaking out?”

  “Well…umm….see…umm.”

  “Spit it out.”

  “We told him he needed to do something else to keep his man card.”

  “What. Did. You. Do?”

  “We made him get into a bar fight,” Nate says, backing as far against the opposite side of the elevator as possible.

  “Excuse me?”

  “We thought he could maybe fight. A little. But he can’t. We stepped in when it got bad, but yeah, He’s looking a little rough today.”

  “This was you and Aiden?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Only you and Aiden?”

  “I plead the fifth.”

  “Bro code, huh? Well, bro code this. You are no longer my friend, Nate Anderson. Not. My. Friend.”

  “Just for a day or two, though, right?”

  “Maybe a week,” I tell him, smiling. I simply cannot stay mad at him, even when I want to punch him.

  I get off the elevator, and he stays on, heading to his own office. I walk to Brayden’s, and see that he has a new secretary. She’s young and pretty, but not a threat to me, so I smile as I stop at her desk.

  “May I help you?”

  “Yes. I’d like to see Brayden, please.”