Yours Forever: A Holiday Romance
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Of course, we definitely were going to go back by ourselves again, maybe when it was time to start trying for baby number two. Our mothers had already started asking when we would be announcing the second addition to our family, and we hadn’t even had the first.
It didn’t seem to bother Adriana at all. She talked about expanding our family as large as I wanted. Though having a big family definitely was in my plans, I was a bit more interested in the creating part of the deal than anything else. Adriana laughed whenever I said that and slapped me in the arm whenever I said it in front of my mother. Before the crowning, my mother had given Adriana a very special pair of earrings that she wore when my father was crowned. They were definitely a good team, and I couldn’t imagine a better choice in a mate, than Adriana was for me.
I couldn’t tell if my mother was more excited for the birth of her first grandchild, or her opportunity to finally retire. I had walked into her sitting area several times to find her in deep meetings with the gardening service, planning out huge expansions for her landscaping. It made me laugh to see her in such good spirits, and it made me realize that becoming the man I needed to be not only took a great deal of stress off of me, but it took a great deal of stress off of everyone that was around me. I even found the service staff to be much kinder toward me.
I had made sure that everyone that had to deal with me during those few weeks of alcohol rage inside my room got a card of apology and an extra bonus for the holidays. Adriana was proud of me for accepting that I had been a complete ass, and for being humble enough to apologize to those that deserved it, which was pretty much everyone.
As far as I went, it was just two days after my official crowning as King, and I had already enacted some laws that would start leading Silesia into the future. We were embracing alternative energy, and we were making agreements to improve the quality of our schools, our roads, and working conditions in the factories. The Parliament seemed pleased to have me on the floor with them whenever I saw fit, which I could see was regularly, and my mother actually looked at me as if I had finally made her proud.
My crowning ceremony was both exciting and bitter sweet, as I said goodbye to my father and my King, something I had not taken the time to do after his passing. However, having Adriana there as support was more than I could have ever asked for.
I stood in the doorway of the balcony overlooking the capital of Silesia, watching as my beautiful wife waved and smiled at all of her adoring fans. She had gone from a sassy, gold spandex wearing, hard headed girl to a beautiful, intelligent, and still sarcastic Princess of the people. I couldn’t believe how someone I hadn’t given two thoughts to at the beginning had jumped so swiftly into my soul. As soon as I saw the look in her eyes on our wedding night, even though I refused to admit it, I knew this woman had captured something in me that would forever change me as a person. Her beauty radiated from her body and soul, and her smile was what kept me going every single day.
I couldn’t even start to understand what kind of change she brought into my life. It was beyond anything I ever expected or ever felt that I deserved. She lit up my life with love and laughter from the first moment, and those feelings had only continued to grow as we awaited the birth of our first child. Looking back at all we had gone through really brought a sense of understanding as to how quickly life can change and move.
While she stood there, glowing with the life that was growing in her belly, I was standing here glowing with the love that she had given me. Though our child is one of the best things to ever happen to me, I couldn’t imagine a life without Adriana in it. She brought a sense of excitement and light to everything she touched, and I couldn’t remember a Princess in history, including my mother, that was so loved by everyone who came into contact with her. Her kindness and generosity spoke volumes to the people, so much so, that even though she had not made any speeches since her broadcast, the news reported on every charity event she hosted, every hungry child she fed and hugged, and every caring smile that came across her face.
I looked up at the bright sunshine beaming down on our Kingdom on this very special day and couldn’t help but feel like everything had changed in such an incredible way. I walked forward and wrapped my arms around Adriana, feeling the life moving in her belly below my hands. The crowd cheered even louder as she turned her head and kissed my lips. I buried my face in her hair as she continued to wave and acknowledge the people that came to see her.
“I love you, Adriana,” I whispered. “And I always will.”
Falling For Her
Blurb
Fay is s*x on heels, smart and sassy and has a cherry just for me.
I am determined to claim her, make her mine.
Just that I will have to take it one day (or should we say, night) at a time?
Would she risk her everything for a man who could leave her anytime?
Would she risk falling in love with a man who doesn't believe in love?
Chapter 1: Fay
“Oh my God!” I said. “Don’t do that kind of thing to me, Courtney! You know I hate it when you do.”
“That’s right.” Courtney grinned at me from the space where she’d suddenly inserted her face in between me and my book. “I do. Which is probably why I do it. You realize that, don’t you?”
I rolled my eyes at her and pushed her head out of the way, gently enough so as not to hurt her but hard enough so that she knew I meant business. Or at least, hopefully she knew I meant business. Courtney Paige and I had been best friends for literally as long as I could remember. Such a long-lasting friendship was mostly a good thing, but it also had the unfortunate effect of giving her the ability to see right through me. She knew when I was actually angry and when I was just kind of annoyed, like right now.
Courtney knew I was just mildly annoyed, not actually pissed off at her. She allowed herself to be physically moved, but she showed no signs of actually leaving me in peace so that I could continue reading my book without interruption.
That was really too bad because I had a feeling the story was starting to get to a really good part, where the hero would finally tell the girl he’d been pining after how totally in love he was with her, and had been for years and years. I was a sucker for that kind of thing.
I probably would have gone right on reading for the rest of the day if I hadn’t been so rudely interrupted. Courtney, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. She had never been much of a fan of reading, and she seemed to have a particular hatred for the romance books I completely loved.
Courtney frowned at me, pretending to be stern. “Um, little lady, you do know that we’re at work, right? I mean, technically, that is?”
“Right,” I said. “What’s your point?”
“Well, I guess my point is that this is a diner, not a library. Do you really think you should just be sitting there at the counter, reading a book like you don’t give a shit who sees you?”
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, laughing. I grabbed a napkin to use as a bookmark before shutting my book. “You’re actually drinking a beer right now. We’re at work, as you so lovingly reminded me, and you’re drinking a beer. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Totally different.” Courtney grinned before taking another long swig off of her longneck bottle. “Not even in the same ballpark.”
“Oh yeah? And how do you figure? I mean, how do you justify that drinking a beer on the job is more professional than reading a book while we wait around for even one customer to come in? I would really love to know.”
“Hmm, beer is part of the food industry? So at least I’m sticking with the correct genre? Sure, let’s go with that. Besides, it’s time for you to stop reading that crap anyway. You’ve got to know that by now, Fay. You aren’t a dreamy little girl anymore. You’re twenty-six years old, for Christ’s sake. Don’t you think it’s time to grow up some?”
And there it was. The thing at the heart of this recurring fight about my voraciou
s reading. It wasn’t the actual reading Courtney had a problem with so much as the subject matter. She made no secret about objecting to my choice of entertainment. She hated romances. She didn’t just dislike them, but hated them. She hated them as if they had somehow managed to personally offend, even though they were only inanimate objects.
They were just stories. Just things I used to pass the time and add a little magic to my life. But to look at the scowl Courtney wore on her face now, you would think I was reading about Hitler.
She hated them like someone would hate the mean girl who bullied them in high school. I had never really been able to understand her hostility toward romance novels, despite her loud explanations for it. Explanations she was going to offer up all over again, by the look of it.
“Fay, you’ve got to stop filling your head with nonsense, okay? I mean, for real. What do you think it’s doing to your brain, filling it with so much crap?”
“But it’s not crap,” I insisted.
“Oh yeah? How do you figure? You aren’t telling me you think those stories are all realistic, are you? Because if that’s the case, we’ve got bigger problems than I thought. Like, ‘call the men in the white coats’ problems.”
I shook my head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. Of course not. But stories don’t all have to be one hundred percent realistic to be worth reading.”
“But they aren’t worth reading. That’s my point! It’s all crap because life doesn’t work that way.”
The ringing of the little bell over the front door of the diner interrupted the momentum of Courtney’s impending tirade. At least, for the moment. We both looked up, mildly surprised at the intrusion, seeing as how people rarely ate in our little hole in the wall. Courtney took the man a menu and got him started, leaving me to mull over the things she’d been saying to me once again.
She kept trying to dissuade me from continuing my love affair with my romance novels. Over the years, she’d told me how stupid my fascination with these love stories was so many times, I couldn’t possibly have kept track. Not even if I’d wanted to, which I didn’t. I couldn’t think of a more depressing thing to keep a tally of.
Her basic argument was always the same. What was the point in getting myself all worked up and moony over a concept that didn’t exist it real life? What was the point of getting attached to the idea of happily-ever-afters when I was never going to get one of my own? In short, Courtney thought I was setting myself up for failure, and her constant nagging at me was her way of trying to protect me.
She meant well, and because of that, I never got angry at her about this old argument. It was the reason that I didn’t get angry with her right now. She was trying to look out for me. Her heart was in the right place. After the death of my mother, who’d raised me all by herself, Courtney was the only one who was willing to step up to the challenge.
“See, here’s the thing,” she said in her always just a little bit too loud voice, as if there had never been a break in the conversation. “You’re setting these expectations, Fay. You’re setting these expectations for yourself, and they’re never going to be met. You don’t know what it’s like out there, sweetie. Men aren’t walking Prince Charmings. Not even close. The sooner you get that idea out of your head, the better off you’ll be. And hey? Maybe you’ll finally be able to get rid of the V-card! God knows you need to before you hit thirty. Can you imagine?”
“Courtney!” I hissed. My cheeks flamed up a hot, bright red immediately at her mention of my lingering virginity. “Come on!”
“What?” She laughed, hopping up on the diner’s front lunch counter and swinging her legs nonchalantly. “It’s not like there’s anyone here to listen.”
“Um, aren’t you forgetting about something?” I asked in a whisper, cocking my head in the direction of our one customer.
“What, that guy? He’s not listening. Old guys don’t give a shit about the kind of stuff people like us talk about. Anyway, don’t try to change the subject. The point is, the sooner you get this fairytale idea of love out of your head, the better. We live in Ashville, Alaska, Fay. There aren’t millions of men walking around just waiting to sweep us off our feet. And there aren’t a bunch of things to amuse us everywhere we turn. Smoking, partying, those are the only things here to help pass the time, and they aren’t bad things, either. That’s all I’m saying, lady. The sooner you get rid of this romanticism of yours, the sooner you can come join the land of the living. And I’ll be right there waiting for you when you do, ready to throw you a fucking party!”
Courtney hopped back off the counter and headed to the back, presumably to take inventory or some other equally tedious thing. I smiled and shook my head, opening my book back up in spite of everything Courtney had just said. Almost instantaneously, I was caught up in the drama of the story again. So caught up that I didn’t even notice when our one patron approached the part of the counter I leaned up against. It was only when he cleared his throat bashfully that I looked up with a start, letting out a little gasp of surprise when I did so.
“Oh!”
“Sorry,” he said quickly, his face bashful and as red as mine had been at the mention of my virginity. “I didn’t mean to startle you, miss.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s quite alright. Is there something I can get you?”
“Um, well, no. Not exactly. It’s just that I overheard your conversation with that other one, the one who’s trying to convince you that love is bullshit.”
“Oh, you heard that, did you? I’m sorry about that. I’ll make sure that our silly conversation doesn’t interrupt your meal again.”
“No, it’s not that. I just wanted to tell you something. I wanted to tell you that true love isn’t what she says. It’s real, and it’s out there. Take it from an old man who’s lived through it himself. That’s all.”
I thanked the man profusely. I was strangely touched by both his words and his willingness to go out on a limb and say them to me. I tried to go back to my book, but I found that it was now all but impossible. Whether I wanted them to or not, my thoughts traveled back in time, back to the only boy I’d ever loved. Back to the moment all those years ago when I’d offered my heart up to him, and he’d chosen to walk away instead of taking my simple and all-important gift.
Chapter 2: Neil
Most people considered me to be a very young man, at only twenty-six years old, but I was also a man that had been described as too serious, on more than one occasion. I’d heard these comments, of course, because generally, people who talked behind the backs of others weren’t all that discreet. I’d heard the whispers, and the people calling me an asshole, or saying I was willing to walk all over anyone and everyone to get what I wanted, and I couldn’t have cared less.
I didn’t give a shit because their opinions didn’t matter. Their opinions weren’t the things that had gotten me almost all of the way through law school. They hadn’t ensured that my grades were at the top of my class across the board. They weren’t the things that had gotten me out of my bullshit tiny town, either. And they weren’t going to be the things that made me one of the top lawyers in Connecticut once I passed my bar exam. People’s opinions only mattered to those who were too small-minded to think for themselves. That had never, and would never, be me.
“Mr. Driscoll! There you are! I was wondering if you’d be here. Some of the others were saying you were far too serious to come to something as frivolous as a party, but I knew better. I was sure you would come, and now, here you are.”
I turned, scotch in hand, and saw one of my professors approaching. I’d had plenty of teachers over the last three years, and after the two or three scotches I had already slung back, this particular one’s name escaped me. It had the potential to create an embarrassing situation for me, but seeing as the older gentleman seemed to be a fan of mine already, I was sure I could slide through whatever conversation he wanted with me, without him ever knowing I wasn’t sure exactly who he was.
“Excellent! Excellent, my boy, but please, there’s no need to call me sir. Not now that all of your classes are over. Please, call me Dan.”
I nodded and smiled, happy to see that I’d learned his name without him ever being wise to the fact that I wasn’t sure who the fuck he was. I listened to him talk, making sure it looked like he was getting my undivided attention. In reality, I checked out the room to see who I might be able to take home and fuck tonight.
I had no interest in a relationship. God forbid some clingy chick try to nail me down into a long-term thing. Decent women had tried and failed to do that. No pussy was that good.
During my time at Yale, I’d banged more than my share of ladies. I saw no reason to stop now. It always amazed me how some of the world’s most intelligent women could turn into mindless fools over a man. Especially when they thought they might be able to trap him.
I made it clear to them from the beginning that all I wanted was some fun between the sheets. But still, some of them couldn’t understand. It was a massive turn off. If anything, it only made me more eager to ditch their asses. I’d sent more than one crying woman home with her soaked panties in hand. It was their own damn fault for thinking they could change me.