by Jillian Neal
Adeline turned back to Lucas as Logan lowered his cast.
“You would do that?”
“Of course, dear. This is entirely my fault. I wanted so badly to show you all of the power, money, and things you can do and have when you’re the Caliph’s granddaughter, in the hopes that you’d fall in love with the lifestyle.”
“May I?” Lucas held his hand out for Adeline’s phone.
With a shrug, Logan handed it to him. He continued to tenderly rub Adeline’s back.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? I’m on my way, ok?” was the Governor’s soothing answer when he saw that Adeline was calling him back.
Logan was surprised that Lucas casted the phone as well, so that everyone could hear.
“Um, Crown Governor Haydenshire, sir, this is Lucas Nguyen, Adeline’s father.”
“And what can I do for you Mr. Nguyen?” Governor Haydenshire drawled, though everyone was painfully aware that the Governor was not being kind.
“Well, sir, I first want to apologize on my brother’s behalf. I was just trying to explain to Logan and Adeline the tenuous relationship between Liam and the rest of the family,” Lucas offered rather feebly.
Logan braced. He wasn’t certain how his father would respond. The Governor was silent for the length of one heartbeat.
“I have a plane to catch, Mr. Nguyen. I assume there is a point to this phone call,” Governor Haydenshire demanded.
Rainer, Logan, Emily, and Vindico all grimaced from his tone.
Lucas looked thoroughly shocked. Anger broadcast from his face, but he managed to regain his composure before he responded.
“Sir, I wanted to call and tell you that Logan has been nothing but a consummate husband to my daughter. Please don’t blame him for Adeline wanting to return to the States. This is entirely my fault.” A modicum of hope played in Lucas’s eyes as he took in Adeline, who was listening intently.
“Logan has done everything in his power to make certain that Adeline was taken care of, to the point of rather rudely turning down an invitation from my father to play billiards so that he could stay and make certain Adeline knew he wouldn’t leave her. He went so far as to refuse me entry into a room of my own home to make certain that she felt secure.”
“I forced the issue of their staying with me. She would’ve been much more comfortable if I’d allowed them to stay at the hotel where you’d arranged. I simply pushed too hard,” Lucas appeared deeply pained and remiss.
“Logan tried to tell me to give her some time and some space, and I just felt I had so much to make up for that I stifled all of his attempts to care for her, including getting angry with him for making her laugh, even if it was at my expense.
“Truthfully, sir, I suppose I’m deeply envious of Logan and Adeline’s relationship, and of the way he cares for her. He has discerned more about the way to care for the woman he loves and the way to tend his marriage in a week than I knew in fifteen years of being married, which, I suppose, is one of the reasons I’m divorced.”
“I’m certain you’ve heard that my father named Ethan his successor, and Liam was naturally highly put out when he was skipped for the throne. My family and I hoped that perhaps this evening, with Adeline being here, we might have a civil dinner as a family, but that was merely a fantasy. I suppose I have a great deal to learn about being a father.”
“I’d have to agree with that last statement, Mr. Nguyen,” Governor Haydenshire stated firmly. “That sounds like a tremendous amount of pressure to put on my daughter-in-law. Your father named Ethan his successor over a year ago, and the entire world knows of the rift in your family. Yet, you decided to take my sweet girl and try to force her to heal a wound she had nothing to do with inflicting, when she was simply trying to find you and heal wounds of her own.”
“Please understand, Crown Governor, I am so thrilled to meet Adeline and Logan. I truly want a relationship with my daughter, and I will never be able to repay you for the kindness that you and your family have shown her. I did want to assure you that Logan has done everything in his power to be the son you raised. The reason Adeline sounds exhausted and distressed was all my doing. I truly am in awe of the man my daughter married. You should be very proud of your son, Governor,” he choked back emotion before continuing.
“And, sir, as you certainly have more claim on her than I do, if you want her to return home to you, then I understand. I’ll fly all of them back on one of our private jets. You don’t have to make the trip, although I do appreciate your willingness to do so on her behalf.”
Another round of silence fell over the group.
“Well, I appreciate your frankness, Mr. Nguyen. I do understand that this has been a trying experience for everyone involved, not just for Logan and Adeline. I’m certain that you understand that if my daughter-in-law calls me in tears, and asks me to bring her home, then that is precisely what I’m going to do, if I have to move heaven and earth to do so.”
“Yes, well, I assure you that Logan would’ve done the same if he’d been the one she’d made the request of, and so would I.”
Adeline offered her father a sweet smile.
“I’m very pleased to hear that,” Governor Haydenshire huffed. “Although she instructed me not to, I did note that Adeline sounded relieved when I offered to come to Sydney to get her. That’s ultimately why I changed my mind, so I’ll leave it up to her as to whether or not I make the flight out, which, let me assure everyone listening, I am only too happy to do.
“But let me offer you a little advice, Mr. Nguyen, if I may,” the Governor requested, though he did not give Lucas time for refusal. “As you yourself said, Adeline would have felt much more secure at the hotel with Logan, who I am well aware is an extraordinary young man, and who will always do right by Adeline, and who I could not be more proud of.”
“I also know that Logan might’ve been trying to serve too many masters, to please you and your family, along with Adeline, and his friends. I thought perhaps he might need to be reminded that when he said ‘I do’ and put that ring on her finger that his loyalties are to Adeline alone.
“That might mean pissing you off, Mr. Nguyen, by refusing to allow Adeline to stay in the palace where she is uncomfortable or standing up to your family for any reason at all. As you’ve assured me that Logan has, in fact, been a man and the best husband he knew how to be, under the circumstances, let me step in on my son’s behalf.”
“If they choose to stay in Sydney, they will be going back to the hotel where I booked their rooms. This is their honeymoon, first of all. Second, Logan was absolutely right. You are going to have to give Adeline a little space if you want to begin a relationship with her.”
“Take it from me, a man who is well on his way to raising thirteen children; you need to measure your time with your daughter by its quality, not by its quantity.”
Lucas listened intently.
“Perhaps it would be better if you got to know Adeline in her own environment, where she feels comfortable here on our farm, with Logan, or Rainer and Emily, or my wife and me.”
“Perhaps if you visit, you could see her at the hospital, where she is quickly gaining a reputation of being one of the top Medios in her field. Wherever it may be, stop trying to force her into a place where you are comfortable at her misery!” Governor Haydenshire’s irritation returned quickly.
“Let me be the first to assure you that, as Adeline’s father, Mr. Nguyen, you are welcome on Haydenshire farm any time you choose to be here, as long as Adeline wants you to be here. But let me also remind you that this is her home. Should Logan, any of my family, or I feel that Adeline is in some kind of distress because of your presence, then you will be asked to leave,” the Governor offered his hesitant invitation before moving on.
“If Adeline does wish to stay in Sydney for the next few days, then I’m going to demand that you let her set the schedule for when you are in her and Logan’s company. I’m also going to insist that you leave her time wi
th Logan and time with her friends. She’s twenty-one years old, and thus far has been through hell at the hands of her mother.”
“I don’t really feel that I’m asking for much for you to allow her time to be with the people who not only love and adore her, but have been there for her, and have proven themselves true.”
“I want to do that as well. I want to be there for her. That’s what I was trying to do,” Lucas appeared to be growing weary of the Governor’s commands.
“You cannot make up for twenty-one years in a few days’ time, Mr. Nguyen. Since my children arrived at your palace last night, I’ve received two phone calls from Emily and one from Rainer. My son, Garrett, received numerous texts from Fionna, and my eldest son, Will, received three phone calls from Dan Vindico. They were all extremely worried about Adeline, and the demands you’ve heaped on her.”
“Then I got a call from Adeline, a few minutes ago, in tears, asking me to come and get her or to fly her home. Let me reiterate my shock by saying that the only thing that precious child has ever asked of me is that I walk her down the aisle so she could marry my son,” Governor Haydenshire’s acrimony shattered his voice. Rage spilled from the fissures.
“So, let me say it the only way I can really think of at this point, Mr. Nguyen-- back off!” Governor Haydenshire demanded hotly.
Defeat etched Lucas’s face as he nodded.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right. Trying to make up for twenty-one years in the next few days was precisely my plan. I do need to back off, as you said, and give Adeline and myself a little time to process all of this. I would very much like to get to know Adeline at your home. I suppose I just want so badly to make certain that this works out. I don’t want to lose her now that I’ve just found her,” desperation perforated his tone.
“You can only lead a horse to water, Mr. Nguyen,” Governor Haydenshire reminded Lucas, who looked thoroughly confused.
Logan assumed the expression wasn’t prevalent in Australia.
“I’ll explain it later,” he mouthed to Lucas.
“Put my son back on the phone,” was Governor Haydenshire’s next order.
As Lucas handed the phone to Logan, Adeline edged towards her father. She put her arms around him, thoroughly shocking both Lucas and Logan.
“Logan?” the Governor’s gruff voice shook Logan from his reverie.
“Uh, yeah, Dad, I’m here,” Logan was still staring at Adeline and Lucas, who were both hugging and crying. “Drop the cast on the phone.”
“I already did.”
“Ok, now, would Adeline feel better if I were there? Do you think she should stay? Most importantly, what does Adeline want me to do?”
“Uh, well…” Logan considered as Lucas pulled away from Adeline and gazed at her adoringly.
“You do whatever you want, dear. I’ll stop interfering, and I am sorry for my overdoing things,” Lucas apologized.
“I didn’t know you called Daddy,” Emily whispered to Rainer, who smiled.
“I was worried about them. I didn’t know you’d already called, and I wasn’t sure what to do,” Rainer admitted.
Logan thought about how truly blessed he was to be in a family that was willing to fly to the other side of the world for the woman that he loved.
“Logan, I’m leaving this up to you,” Governor Haydenshire offered.
“We’re sure as hell not eating with Liam or anyone else.”
“Good, all right, what else? Do you think Adeline might feel more secure if I was there, or are you going to step up for her, son?”
“I’ll take care of her, Dad.” Logan began thinking over everything that had happened. “Let me take her back to the Kingsford. I’ll let her eat, and get a good night’s sleep, and nothing else,” Logan quoted his father and listened to him chuckle.
“She’ll feel better if it’s just us. No expectations from anyone else. If she wants to come home in the morning, we’ll take the earliest flight, and if she wants to stay then that’s what we’ll do,” Logan decided. He could almost hear his father’s smile from ten thousand miles away.
“Adeline’s going to insist that she’s fine and wants to stay for dinner, and whatever it is you’re seeing tonight at the Opera House. She won’t want to hurt Lucas’s feelings,” Governor Haydenshire pointed out. “Are you going to let her walk that rope bridge, son, because, let me tell you, it’s hanging by a thread.”
“No, sir, we’re leaving as soon as I get off the phone with you.” His father’s warning strengthened his resolve.
“Good man, Logan. And welcome to the marvelous, albeit occasionally treacherous, but always rewarding, world of being the kind of husband that Adeline deserves. In turn, son, you’ll have a wife who is so wonderful, you’ll never deserve her, but you’ll also never be able to live without her.”
“Yeah, I already knew that last part,” Logan assured his father.
“And Logan,” the Governor soothed, “if you need me, I’ll be there, at a moment’s notice.”
“I know, Dad. Thank you.”
“Anytime, son; now, give the phone to your wife, and then you can inform her father of your decisions.” Everyone watched as Adeline took the phone and listened to the Governor.
Whatever he said, Adeline beamed as tears leaked from her eyes. She took Emily’s hand and guided her and Fionna to the women’s restroom. Logan understood that his father wanted to talk to her without influence of either Logan or Lucas.
Logan turned to Lucas. “I’m taking her back to the Kingsford. We’ll decide where to go from there in the morning.”
Lucas nodded. Disappointment colored his features.
“I don’t guess I could convince you to stay after that,” Lucas tried feebly.
Logan, Rainer, and Vindico all chuckled. Clearly, Lucas needed to spend a little more time with Governor Haydenshire.
“Uh, not a chance in hell, sir,” Logan informed his father-in-law.
“My parents and family will see your leaving as very rude. You were invited guests of the Caliph. I’ll have to stretch to come up with reasoning for your absence.”
Vindico rolled his eyes. “Welcome to fatherhood, Mr. Nguyen. You regret not taking care of her for the past twenty-one years? Then take care of her now. Seems to me, your family’s got things just a little screwed up. Maybe work on your priorities before your etiquette.”
Lucas looked momentarily startled as he gave a hesitant nod. The ladies returned from the bathroom. Adeline was smiling, and Logan’s heart stuttered momentarily.
“So, the hotel, or are we heading to the airport?
Adeline threw her arms around his neck and hugged him with all of her might. Logan beamed as he cradled her closely.
“I’m sorry, Lucas. I really do want to spend more time with you, but Governor Haydenshire is sending his plane now. I want to spend the night at the hotel with Logan. Then maybe we could see you tomorrow morning before we go home.”
“It’s fine, dear, if that’s what you want,” Lucas spoke the words, though the expression on his face said that they’d tasted quite bitter. “I’ll have the drivers take you back to the palace, and I’ll have Marta and Fred gather your things.”
Adeline looked like she was being physically rent in two before Logan’s very eyes.
“If you want, you could have breakfast with Logan and me at the restaurant in the hotel tomorrow. I don’t want to lose you, either, Lucas,” Adeline vowed.
A broad grin formed on her father’s face as he nodded.
“You just tell me what time and I’ll be there.”
“Not six,” Adeline stated.
Logan chuckled as he brushed a kiss across her cheek.
“I don’t know, maybe nine?”
Logan raised his eyebrows and gave Lucas a look that said ‘take it or leave it’ but that whatever Adeline said, went.
“I’ll be there,” Lucas pledged.
“I really am sorry.”
“Love, as your father-in-law so eloq
uently pointed out, I truly have set out about this with very little consideration for your feelings. I wanted to right a wrong instantly. That is what I’m accustomed to doing, I suppose, but this is going to take a great deal of time and effort on both of our parts. I just want you to know, Adeline, that I’m more than willing to put in both if you are.”
Adeline nodded. She seemed to force herself to give Lucas another hug. “I am; I promise.”
Lucas squeezed her tightly.
“Then I’ll see you both in the morning.”
“Come on, baby,” Logan took Adeline’s hand and guided her out of the Opera House.
He noted the morose expression on Vindico and Fionna’s faces as they returned to the palace, but his concern and his responsibility were only for his wife.
* * *
Logan carried their luggage back into the honeymoon suite of the Kingsford Wellborn.
“Well, it’s not a palace, but it’s pretty nice,” Logan commented as he locked the door behind them and set their suitcases on the stands.
Adeline smiled up at him sweetly. The moon reflected her peace.
“No, it’s not a palace. But you’re here, and we’re all alone, so it’s perfect.” She laid her face against his chest and wound her arms around his waist.
While keeping the promise he’d made to his father in the forefront of his mind, Logan cradled her in his arms.
“Why don’t you get changed, and I’ll order us some dinner?”
Adeline smiled and moved to her suitcase.
Logan settled on the bed and flipped through the room-service menu. Adeline shut the bathroom door before he could ask her what she might like to eat.
He decided on several things he knew she would like, and picked up the phone to order. The phone receiver fell from Logan’s grasp as his mouth dropped open a moment later.
His reaction thoroughly delighted his bride. His heart thundered in his chest as he took her in.
She was dressed in a red satin and black lace flyaway top that tied with a seductive black bow at her cleavage. Her breasts were only obscured by black lace. Her nipples were already strained and pulled taut. Her slender waist was revealed. She was wearing red satin shorts with black lace sides. They were so short he could see the very bottom of her curves perfectly, and he longed to see more.