by Xavier Neal
He turns his head, momentarily lowers his sunglasses, and states, “That’s how terrible you look. I could feel it.”
The comeback makes me chuckle and he gives a wave to his poolside help.
“Take your shoes off. Lounge. Breathe the air.”
Knowing there’s no point in arguing, I follow his instructions. I do my best to get comfortable. The heavy heat from the sun bathes my skin but the cool coastal air instantly soothes it. I tuck my arms behind my head and stare off at the view that could bring even the most reluctant beach lover to the bright side.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Quite…”
“You can see why I go to extreme measures to protect it.”
The butler offers me the cold beverage. “I can.”
“Is that why you punched your wife’s friend in the face? For her protection?”
I grunt my displeasure with the question and have a long sip. Afterwards, I ask, “Did you see the paper?”
“No.”
“Blogs?”
“Your father told me when he called.”
Him and Kristopher are worse than the tabloids themselves…
My attention falls onto the waves in the distance. “He earned that punch.”
“How?”
“He told me I was terrible husband. Been treating my wife unfairly. Then he called me a prick.”
It doesn’t matter if any of it were true, you don’t say that to someone’s face. Especially not someone who was already on edge about their relationship.
“So you punched him because he was wrong or punched him because he was right and you hated hearing it out loud?”
My silence causes him to chuckle.
“Of course it was the latter. You’re a Kenningston.”
“No offense, uncle Trenton, but why am I here?” I turn to face him as he does me. “How is an afternoon of pints and beach air going to fix my marriage? And why would my father think talking to you would help? You’ve never been married. Hell, you’ve never even been bloody close. You’ve never been in love or felt the chaos that you endure when you’re so emotionally invested in another being it pangs you to unexplainable levels when you’ve hurt them. You’ve never experienced the fear of losing essentially your entire reason for existing.”
Uncle Trenton laughs lightly and shakes his head. “No wonder your father fears you’re going to turn out like me. Listen to that arrogance.”
“Arrogant or accurate?”
“Arrogant.”
Mmm…I think he meant accurate. What? Why are you insisting I hear him out? Do you know something about my family I don’t?
“I bloody warned you, nephew, not to take her for granted…”
Without my consent my eyes roll.
Not the best time for a bloody I told you so.
He grows a whimsical smile and reaches for his drink. “I’ll have you know, I was the first of my brothers to ever fall in love.”
“What?!”
“Yes. I was madly in love while your father was still getting blow jobs behind country clubs from every harlot south of Fayeweather.”
Bringing that up during the next poker night…
“I was also the first one to experience loss.”
My mouth hits the stone patio.
No bloody way…
Rather than rush to explain himself, he has a drink, turns to face the ocean, and tucks an arm behind his head.
I continue to simply stare on in impatience for more information.
Ugh. We really are more alike than we should be…
“We met our last year of boarding school. She was…” his words seem to get lost into the vast water he’s staring into, “breathtakingly beautiful. Not just physically either. She was one of those women the entire world fell in love with upon meeting. I knew the moment I laid eyes on her, I wanted to have her. It was a mutual feeling I later found out.” He has a sip. “It wasn’t long before we were in love. My life revolved around her. Around us. She was where my world began and where it ended. I would’ve burned the entire universe down if someone challenged me on the topic. Your uncle Fredrick received a black eye over it.”
“You hit uncle Fredrick over a woman?”
“Not a woman. The woman. The only woman I’ve ever loved my entire life. Will ever love…”
I swallow my surprise.
“I was just shy of twenty when I proposed. People weren’t shocked that I was so young, they were shocked I waited so long. Shortly into our engagement I was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. Believe it or not, I could sell ice to the man who was going to sell ice to the Eskimos for twice the price.” His head rolls over to me. “I’m that good. And I always have been. So….when I was offered a chance to work with this investment firm, it seemed like an easy way to make a shit load of cash in a small amount of time. I’d planned to take the money I made, have a place like this built, and pay for my fiancé to go to nursing school. Her family essentially had spent all the money they had to send her to boarding school in hopes she’d get a scholarship to a university, which she did. But it wasn’t enough…” The pain in his voice begins to build. “And she never complained. Life wasn’t about money to her. She was always looking for the bright side of a situation. Even in the beginning of my days at the firm, when I wouldn’t come home until well after dinner, she would just be relieved I came home at all. But that type of shit grows old. Wears on a person fast. I began to take her understanding for granted. Dollar signs were embedded in my vision. I kept telling myself every penny I made was for her. Was for us. Was to secure a future for us in it together. I was busy trying to build us a financial empire to stand on and completely lost sight of the foundation I already had…”
My chest begins to ache as if the icy hands of his mistake have wrapped around my heart.
“She stuck with me longer than I imagine most women would’ve. She gave me chance after chance, but eventually chances run out. The well of understanding runs dry. By the time she walked out of my life there wasn’t anything I could say or do to change her mind. The damage was done. The trust had been…destroyed.” Uncle Trenton lifts his sunglasses and turns to face me. “There are two types of loss in love, Kellan. The one that comes from death, from having loved someone and having them taken from you to their grave before you’re ready. The type of loss you have no choice but to make peace with it. It’s not your fault. You are not the one to blame. You were a victim of circumstance you had no control over. But then there’s the loss that haunts you for a lifetime. The one that’s completely your fault. The one that you have no one else to blame for but yourself. The one that stares at you in the mirror every morning and cackles at you every evening from behind your beverage. The one with an ache that never dulls because you know the person you love most in the entire world is out there alive, laughing, dreaming, loving…just not with you and never with you again. That loss, nephew, in my opinion, is far worse.”
The knot in my throat begins to burn along with my entire body. Suddenly the impact of the words Brie said to me yesterday is amplified and burrows into my bones making it difficult to breathe. My choked voice croaks, “What happened to her? After she left you?”
“She moved away. Put herself through a smaller university program and began work at a local clinic where she met a fisherman. They were married the same year as your parents.” Uncle Trenton’s eyes fill with sorrow and he turns back to face the ocean. “It’s wise to remember, Kellan, just because you can’t move on…doesn’t mean the other person won’t.”
Silence places itself snuggly between us.
My head hits the back of the chair and tears unexpectedly begin to pool in the sides of my eyes.
This is not the life I want…Uncle Trenton is not the man I want to become. I hadn’t actually wondered if it was truly too late until this very moment. Until hearing a version of my story with an ending I detest. What if I’m all out of chances? What if this was Brie’s breaking p
oint? What if I’m too late to fix it?
“Kenneth also mentioned your business had come into some trouble.”
I try to sniffle away the emotions as I turn my head to face him. “Um…yes. There were bones discovered on site. They’re seventy something years old, meaning we have to shut down, costing us valuable time and probably need to shift the facility we were building, which will cost us thousands of dollars. There will most likely need to be cuts in the budget and even longer hours to sort it all out…” A groan escapes. “And that is the absolute last thing I want.”
“To make cuts or spending more time at the office?”
“Both.” I have a sip of my pint to wash away the disgust. “And not just because I miss being out of it with my wife, looking at strange paintings and making out in the sand, but because I think it would’ve been better if I would’ve waited to start Hannah’s Hope with someone I didn’t have to question having deceitful intentions.”
Uncle Trenton’s smirk catches my attention. “I think it’s time I give you a wedding gift…”
My eyebrows dart down. “I got married months ago and you still haven’t given me a wedding gift?”
That’s odd, isn’t it? I mean he was at the wedding.
“I don’t give gifts at those things,” he brushes me off. “That’s ludicrous. I wait until you need something and then provide that. Like when your brother got married, about a year in, I gifted him and his wife lap dance lessons.”
“Wh-wh-what!”
“Things were getting a little stressful. They needed some fun to loosen up. Needless to say it added a bit of spice to their marriage, which is what the best ones are made of I imagine. Sugar, spice, and everything kinky at least twice.”
I wholeheartedly chuckle.
That’s the part I don’t mind us having in common…
“I’ll make that call in regards to your gift in a bit. For now…take a moment. Enjoy the view. Gain some much needed perspective.”
After nodding, I turn back to the water and take a long deep breath of the fresh air.
This isn’t over between us. I’m not done fighting. I’ll never give up on Brie. Ever. I just hope she feels the same about me.
Brie
I rock on my toes in line at the local coffee shop around the corner from Guy’s apartment.
It’s been four days and I still haven’t spoken to Kellan. I did however sneak to the Penthouse the next morning to grab some clothes, my toothbrush, and a few other things. Yes, I did the exercise Guy suggested and while the love column outranked the other two by surprising amounts, I’m just not ready to deal with him yet. To deal with the disaster we’ve come to call our marriage. As much as I miss him, and I do despite the fact he’s been an unreliable asshole lately, the space has been nice. It’s helped me clear my head in a way that’s hard to when he’s around. Sometimes I think when you love someone deeply it’s easy to sweep the problems under the rug and pretend they don’t exist. I think we’ve done more sweeping than anything else. I know things have to change. I just hope we survive the changes.
At the counter, I order a latte for Guy and a hot chocolate for myself. However the barista has a look in her eyes that makes me uncomfortable. “Can I get a name for the order?”
Cautiously, I reply, “Brie.”
“Like the princess?” She damn near shouts.
Um…inside voice…
Before I even have the opportunity to reply, she shrieks, “You are! You’re Prince Kellan’s wife! You’re Brie! Like the Brie!”
Taken off guard by her excitement as well as her volume, I slowly nod and request, “Could you ring me up now, please?”
“On the house,” she insists.
“No really I-”
“It’s fine!” She tosses a hand at me. “It’s not every day a member of the royal family comes in here to buy coffee from me!” My mouth twitches to reply when I’m cut off again. “Oh my God! Can I get your photo? Real fast? Just real quick! No one is ever going to be believe me!”
I reply with a casual shrug. “Sure.”
“Really!!! Oh my God! This makes my entire life!”
An odd thing to declare, but who I am to judge. Is it weird I find this awkward? I mean I’ve had my picture taken more times than I can remember with Kellan and with the children at MINOH, but never just me. He’s the famous, popular, actual royal member of this country. I’m just…me.
Leaning over the counter, I smile for the selfie. Afterwards she squeals and rambles on about all the places she plans to post it. I silently nod at the same time I step to the side hoping she busies herself with the next customer. Unfortunately for me, her outburst caught the attention of several people in the room.
This isn’t good…
In an uncontrollable swarm, I am swiftly bombarded with requests for photos, autographs, and opinions on political subjects I honestly know nothing about. By the time my drinks are ready, I can barely push past the crowd to retrieve them. I do my best to remain polite. Courteous. Flashes upon flashes begin to increase and an uncontrollable feeling of discomfort begins to crush me. An eager male arm lands on my hip and I attempt to brush him off with a light elbow push. However, he tightens his grip, tugs me closer, and prepares to kiss me on the cheek for an uninvited selfie.
Without warning he is grabbed forcefully by the shirt and removed from my personal space. “Unacceptable behavior.”
The young man skittishly backs away in a fit of apologies.
Kage looks down at me with a firm expression. “Are you alright?”
Unsure of how he knew where I was, but grateful, I give him a quick nod.
He protectively places a hand on the small of my back and declares, “Princess Brie is leaving. Please move.”
There’s no hesitation from the crowd. They part a direct path to the door for us.
Once we’re on the sidewalk, headed back for Guy’s building I shyly state, “Thank you.”
His displeased expression doesn’t change. “It’s my job, Mrs. Brie.”
“But-”
“Whether you like it or not, I am here to protect you. Whether you want me to be here or not, I am. When I agreed to provide protection for you it was a pledge to put your life before mine. To put this country’s interest above my own. It’s about honor. Duty. And just because you and Prince Kellan argue or fight or are separated, that pledge does not change. It does not change until you have the Kenningston removed from your name, which I hope you never do.” We arrive at the stopped pedestrian traffic for the cross walk. “My request for the future is that you allow me to do my job properly regardless of your personal complications.”
Do I thank him for being there to save me when necessary or fuss at him for scolding me for not calling him sooner? Maybe both?
The light gives us the walk symbol to cross the street. As we do, I ask, “How’d you find me?”
“It’s part of our job,” he replies, following me to the right. “And after the scare you gave the security department a few days ago, it is my ass if I ever lose you sight of you again.”
Guilt grabs me by the gut. “But that wasn’t your fault!”
“Depends on who you ask.”
“But it wasn’t! I left without telling you! I left without warning! You didn’t know anything about it!”
“Regardless, in the eyes of those who control my job, I failed. I lost sight of you. I wasn’t outside that door waiting despite not having been summoned. The only reason I am even still here is because Prince Kellan commanded it. Said he trusts me. Said you trust me.”
I hand him Guy’s cup to hold while I key in the building code. “I do trust you.”
“Then please let me do my job.”
With a nod, I push the door open to allow us both inside. On the elevator curiosity gets the better of me, “Were you in a lot of trouble over my disappearance?”
“When they couldn’t fire me, they cut my pay. Severely.”
My jaw drops and I thoughtle
ssly snap, “So quit.”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“And why not?”
“Because I took my oath to protect you seriously. It’s not about the pay, but the honor as I mentioned earlier. And I’m not saying someone else couldn’t be entrusted with the job to protect you, but I know if I’m the one doing it, it is going to be handled properly.”
“Why me?” I croak at the same time the doors ding allowing us to exit. “Why so hell bent on watching out over me?”
“Because like Prince Kellan, I believe this country needs you. I believe you’re making a difference. And those set out to change the course of history should be protected at all costs at all moments. There are too many willing to do harmful things to stop progression and not enough willing to risk their lives to ensure it. I choose the latter.”