Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 7)

by Crystal Perkins

  “I don’t even know what to say,” I tell Caleb.

  “I don’t really think there’s anything to say. You’re a nice guy, Brayden, but I’d suggest you abandon the idea of becoming a cowboy.”

  “Yeah. I figured that out already.

  * * *

  Darcy

  I saw that steer getting ready to charge Brayden and my heart almost stopped. This has to stop. All of these crazy tests of his. I think if he tried to slay a dragon, he’d probably be safer. I can’t even laugh this time, because I was so scared.

  He’s climbing down off Caleb’s horse when I stomp over to him. “Enough, Brayden James. This is it. No more.”

  “I’m a failure. I’ve failed. I’ll never be an American guy.”

  “Because you’re not an American guy.”

  “I know. I’m just…I don’t even know what I am.”

  “Let me tell you then. You’re the man who gave up his throne for me, and then thought he still had to prove his worth. You’re smart, sexy, and romantic. That’s what you are.”

  “I need you to know you come first.”

  “I know that. You’ve more than proven how much I mean to you, but it has to stop. You’re going to hurt yourself, or someone else again.”

  “I didn’t swing the bat.”

  “That would not have happened to anyone else.”

  He hangs his head. “I know. I’m cursed.”

  “You’re not cursed. You just need to stick to your skill set. Or at least ease yourself into a new one.”

  “I have one more thing I need to do.”

  I groan. “Seriously?”

  “Yes. I promise no one will get hurt. You might cry, though.”

  “I seem to do that a lot lately. When I’m happy, and when I’d sad.”

  “These will be happy ones.”

  “When is this taking place?”

  “Tomorrow night. A dress will be waiting in your apartment.”

  “A dress?”

  “Yep. We have a special ball to attend,” he tells me with a wink.

  Chapter 24

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

  Darcy

  As promised, I have a dress waiting for me when I get back to my apartment. It’s off the shoulder, pale blue lace, with some shimmer to the fabric. I love it, because it’s something I would’ve picked for myself. I’m not surprised when the doorbell rings the next afternoon, but I am surprised to see all the women who stream into my place. It’s all of the Society women, the Griffin wives, Alex, Sierra, and Jenysis.

  “What are you all doing here?” I ask.

  “We thought it would be fun to get ready together,” Stella tells me.

  Outside of training, I’ve never done anything like this before. It feels right, though. “Oh, okay. And thank you for my dress.”

  “I had nothing to do with your dress. That was all Brayden.”

  “He picked it out?”

  “Yep. It’s pretty hot, huh? I love it when Kace dresses me.”

  “Um, yeah, it kind of is.”

  “Let’s put on some music and get this party started.”

  I have more fun in the next two hours than I ever thought I’d have with a group of women. Reina orders in food, and we drink champagne while we all pitch in to help each other with hair and makeup. I see Jen and Sierra chatting, and go over to hug them both.

  “Thank you both for being here.”

  “I wasn’t going to miss this. This is one of my cousin’s more brilliant ideas. Noah’s here, too.”

  “He is?”

  “Yep, and some other special guests.”

  “I know I’m excited,” Sierra says.

  “We’re going to find us some hot men, and get properly pissed.”

  “Totally.”

  I can’t seem to pry any information out of anyone, so I just give up. I’ll find out soon enough. We pile into limos and head towards downtown. I’m happily surprised when we pull up to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The Frank Gehry building is a favorite of mine, and I’ve been to a couple of events in the ballroom here before. Brayden’s standing at the door waiting for me. The sign next to him has me stopping to place my hand over my mouth as my eyes well up.

  Just in case you can’t remember,

  you’ve always been a prince or a princess.

  Almost no one knows about my mother. That she’s suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease and thinks she’s a princess. The caregivers I’ve hired for her over the years have all made sure to address her as a princess, and her rooms are always decorated as such. I even bought her a diamond tiara with one of my first Society paychecks. I told Brayden about her one night when we together, but I never expected this.

  “Brayden.”

  He’s immediately at my side, pulling me into his arms. “I’m here, Cat, I’m here. Come inside.”

  I hold tight to his hand as we enter the ballroom. There are men and women at the door, handing out plastic crowns. I reach for one, but Brayden tells me I’ll get my crown later. I look around as I walk in, and see all of the elderly people, and those who appear to be their caretakers, wearing their crowns. There are also local celebrities and heavy hitters. They’re proudly wearing theirs, too. And then I see my mother. She looks so happy as she sits with Noah and Steven at a table in the front. She’s got her tiara on, and she’s wearing a beautiful gown.

  “You did this for me.”

  “I did.”

  “Thank you.”

  “This is only the beginning, Cat. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  He leads me to our table and I smile at the men as they stand. My mother remembers me tonight, and she hugs me warmly. I hug Noah and Steven before taking my seat as Brayden heads to the stage.

  “Thank you everyone for coming here tonight. For those of you who don’t know me, I am King Brayden of Cyndryann. It’s a small country that most of you have probably not heard of before, and honestly, I’m giving up the throne in a week, so please just call me Brayden.

  “A few of the people in the room know that this is more than just a fundraiser for Lou Ruvo Center. This is my grand gesture to show the woman I love how much she means to me. She thinks I did that when I gave up my throne for her, but tonight is where the real romance is happening. I have a story to tell, one I had forgotten about until my uncle recently reminded me of it. So, I’m going to take you back to the beginning.

  “When I was five, my father told me that we were going on a trip to America. He and my uncle wanted to visit their best friend and his family. I was just happy to be going somewhere new and exciting. When we got to his friend’s house, I remember thinking it was small—I’d been living in castle all my life, so most any house would’ve looked small—and that I loved it. It felt like a home should feel. Full of love and great food. There was a little girl who lived in that house, and her name was Darcy.”

  Oh my God. I remember. I remember Brayden…and what happened next, too.

  “She was really pretty, and kind of obsessed with me being a prince. I had fun playing with her. She climbed trees and played hide and seek. The girls I usually had visit me at the castle would never do those things. At the end of the week, she demanded that I marry her so she could be a princess. How could I refuse? I mean, she climbed trees. And she said she’s steal my crown if I didn’t give her one of her own. I was a little in love with her by the time we had to leave.”

  Everyone laughs, including me. I totally threatened to steal his crown.

  “My uncle has graciously given me some pictures and videotapes from our wedding so I can share them with you.”

  He clicks a button, and there we are. I have on one of my mom’s fancy lace shirts that I’m wearing as a dress. It’s the same color blue as the dress I’m wearing now, and it drags on the ground as my father walks me over to Brayden and gives him my hand. Jen is there as my maid of honor, Noah’s in my dad’s arms, and Steven i
s the best man. Brayden’s dad performs the ceremony, and then, after a short kiss, I got my crown. A crown made of cardboard, tin foil, and glitter that Brayden spent a few hours making for me with my mom’s help.

  “You’ll notice the ring pop I gave her. Her only complaint was that it was only one color. She wanted something prettier, but she said it was okay for then. Ten years later, I had a glimpse of a girl who immediately captivated me. I didn’t realize it was her. I also didn’t realize it was her when we met again, yet another ten years later. And yet, I fell in love with her all over again. I have a new crown for her,” he says, reaching into the podium to pull out a new glitter covered cardboard crown for me.

  He walks to me, placing the crown on my head as he drops to one knee in front of me. “And a more colorful ring,” he says, pulling out one of those plastic flashing rings like they have at raves or kids’ parties. It has a graphic of a black cat wearing a gold crown. I immediately hold out my hand for him. “I don’t even have to ask?”

  “Nope. It’s a yes, Crown. It’ll always be a yes.”

  “I had a whole speech about how we should get married again,” he grumbles as he slides the ring on.

  “Just kiss me.”

  “That works, too.”

  The crowd erupts as we kiss. I want to kiss him forever, but we have a ball to host. We visit every table and compliment every person on how royal they look. The caregivers thank us, and I try but fail at holding back the tears as we leave each table. Next thing you know, I’ll be crying at Hallmark movies. What is the world coming to?

  * * *

  Brayden

  The past week has been what can only be described as Heaven. I’ve moved into Darcy’s place, and I get to wake up to her every morning. Today, we are going back to my country so I can officially pass on my crown to my uncle. We’re on a Corrigan jet with all of her friends, although we’re acting like we’re alone.

  “We should head into the bedroom. It’ll be the only chance I have to Mile High it with a king.”

  “Twenty years later, and you still only want my crown.”

  “No. I want the hot body below the crown.”

  “It’s going to be pretty obvious if we just walk in there now.”

  “Do you really care?”

  “Not if you don’t.”

  “I so don’t.”

  He grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet. I smirk at the amused looks on my friends’ faces as we walk to the bedroom. “At least someone’s getting some,” Matt says, and I freeze, pulling Brayden to a stop in front of me.

  “You must never want to get any,” Reina replies.

  “Oh, were you going to let me back into your bed, Princess?”

  “It was a distinct possibility, but you can just keep using your hand.”

  “What if I’m tired of using my fucking hand, huh? Maybe there’s a real princess who’d like some of what I’ve got.”

  My head whips to Reina as I hear at least one of my friends gasp. He wouldn’t. “Almost everyone on this plane heard you vow to be faithful to me. I guess now we all know how little your word means.” She’s shaking, and I hate it. She’s so fierce with everything and everyone else, but Matt has the ability to cut her down. Every damn time.

  “Fuck, Rei. You should’ve understood why my family had to come first, and I should’ve found a way to support you, even if I had to stand with my Gram. You have to know I wouldn’t ever cheat on you, though. I couldn’t.”

  “Can you please just try to not have cheating on me be your go to threat? It’s getting a little hard to take since you use it every time we fight.”

  He looks stunned for a moment, and then ashamed. “Yeah. You’re right. Shit. I don’t even realize it half the time. I just don’t know what else I have that you could possibly want.”

  “You, Matt. For over ten years, all I’ve wanted is you.”

  He stands up and goes to her, pulling her into his arms. “You’ve got me, Rei. I’m yours, and only yours.”

  Whew. Crisis averted—for now. I’m still not sure he’ll stay with her; although, I know with all my heart that he’ll never leave her for another woman. She’s it for him. If he could only let himself truly have her.

  “Is the mood broken, Cat?”

  “Is the mood ever broken with us, Crown?”

  “Just checking.”

  I follow him into the bedroom, but we don’t make it to the bed right away. He pins me to the door as he kisses and sucks at my neck. I told him my dress for the ball has a high neck, so he’s free to mark me. He’s taking full advantage of that privilege. I pull on his hair to let him know I need that mouth of his back, and he happily complies.

  In between kisses, we lose our clothes, and then I’m wrapping my legs around him as he enters me. It’s fast, rough, and dirty against the wall. And then it’s sweet and slow on the bed. We drift off after round two, our bodies entwined with each other.

  I wake up to knocking on the door. I know it’s Stella. “Hold on a sec.”

  “Hurry up. I let you sleep a little longer than I probably should have.”

  I wake Brayden and make him put his clothes back on before I let Stella in. Everyone else can get ready at the castle, but Bray and I are re-creating my walk to the palace for his coronation. We have to be dressed and ready when we land, so we can meet his people and let them lead us to the party.

  My dress is covered in dark blue flowers on top. They cascade around my neck and onto the bodice of my dress. The bottom is basically a satin bodysuit covered by sheer material in the same blue, with flowers scattered over it. There are also a few slits. It’s definitely a “me” dress and not a “palace” one. Brayden said I should be me, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.

  Like before, as soon as we’re off the plane, the children come to me first with their flowers. They’re not shy with Brayden at all, even though he’s still the king. He told me how they grilled him about me, and I have to smile at all of these little darlings ganging up on him. We both grab little hands, and then we’re off. This time the palace gates open for us immediately. Being with the king definitely has perks, but I can’t wait to just have my prince back.

  “I have one more surprise for you before the ball,” he tells me.

  “Please tell me it doesn’t involve fire or sharp objects.”

  “It’s a good thing I love your sass,” he says, smacking my ass.

  He leads me inside the castle, and I soon realize exactly where we’re headed. “Um Brayden, are you seriously taking a reformed cat burglar into your family’s vault?”

  “Yes. I’m taking the woman I love inside so you can pick out the stones for your engagement ring.”

  Oh my God. Oh my God. I saw the loose jewels all those years ago. There’s every type of gem, in every shape and size imaginable. “Really? I get to pick. I mean, I thought I was just getting the other ring back.”

  “Nope. It’s tradition for all the women who marry into our family to take a trip to the vault. You’ll choose what you want, and then they’ll be taken to Paris where you can pick the setting.”

  “Oh wow. I always thought I hated your country’s traditions, but I’m totally behind this one.”

  “I had a feeling you would be,” he says as the guards open the door for us.

  I walk into the vault as a guest this time. Well, I was technically a guest last time, but I had to break in. It’s nice to be invited inside. And even nicer to get to pick what I want. I’ll even refrain from taking any souvenirs. After all, I have Brayden, and no jewel could be better than that.

  Epilogue

  Aiden

  Damn. My head feels like it’s about to split in two. I probably shouldn’t have had all that tequila, but I needed it. With the shit that’s going down with my dad—and now, me—I had to just bow out of the world for a couple of days. Who am I kidding? I had to run. I almost got caught two nights ago, and the shitstorm everyone I care about would’ve had to face might have been the end f
or me. I don’t care if I go down, but I couldn’t stand it if my friends—and family—went there with me.

  Never mind that this time I was doing it for my dad, and not because I had the urge. He wouldn’t appreciate it if he found out, but those bastards had to pay. And I didn’t kill them like I normally would. I just messed them up a little. And then something went wrong, horribly wrong. So I ran to this cabin in the woods. One that has no TV and no cell phone service. I couldn’t bear to see what I’d caused to happen, even if they did deserve it.

  It’s time for me to face the world again, though. I don’t even know what day it is. Maybe Wednesday? I’ll find out once I get back into the city, and my phone is charged. I have to be somewhere on Friday, but I should have plenty of time to make it there.

  I shower and then start my drive. My car charger is pretty powerful, and my phone comes back to life as soon as I’m in range of a cell tower. The number of text messages and voice mails I’m hearing ping is crazy, seeing as I was only out for a couple of days. I’ve been dark much longer in the past, and no one has ever blown up my phone like this. Did something else happen with those douchebags I beat up? I pull over to the side of the road, and look at my text messages first. The date on the first one makes my stomach drop, and my heart race.

  Friday, 6:08 A.M.

  TheOne: Hey, Aiden. I’ll see you later today. Well, knowing you, I won’t see you at all, but I know you’ll be there watching out for me. Love you ?

  No. No. God no. This isn’t right. It can’t be past Friday. I promised Ellie I’d be there on Friday like I always am, backing her up. We were even going to make a detour on the way back and have a romantic night or two together.

  Friday, 3:15 P.M.

  TheOne: Change of plans. I know I’m not supposed to go in alone, but I saw one of the guys hitting a young girl. I can’t wait until tomorrow for backup. Besides, you’re the best backup I could have anyway. I’m going in at 8 tonight. You know the address.