A Royal Secret

by Jerry Cole

  Bobby blew out a slow breath, and he moved away from Steve, to sit in one of the armchairs. The awkward silence in the wake of his words left both of them uncomfortable, and though Steve desperately wanted to break it, now that he had Bobby in front of him, he didn’t know what else to say to him.

  “I didn’t know whether you’d bother watching,” Bobby said eventually, voice sounding strange to Steve’s ears.

  “I wasn’t lying about still loving you,” Steve said abruptly, because he couldn’t let that stand. “I was worried about you, and to be honest, the interview didn’t help.”

  Bobby looked up at him, eyes narrowed, though Steve couldn’t work out what he was thinking. “Wasn’t sure that would matter given I’d chosen to stay.”

  Steve deserved that, despite the anger pooling in his belly. He swallowed thickly, eyes darting back to the picture. He thought of Princess Maria, the lengths she had gone to make sure Bobby would grow up and make his own choices. Steve had been gifted the same chances by his own mother and he sighed, having known that already, but seeing Bobby made everything else fall away. All that mattered was that Bobby was happy and not coasting through his new life. “I’m sorry I said that. I didn’t…I’m scared of what being your boyfriend will mean in the long run if you do become a prince.”

  “Steve,” Bobby said, and there was a strange tone to his voice. “I didn’t know back then if it was going to be permanent, I just wanted you to be with me.”

  “I know,” Steve said, feeling his eyes burning. “God, Bobby, I’m so sorry. When I saw you on television, all I could think of was coming here to make sure you were all right.”

  Bobby didn’t say anything for a long time. Steve made a circle of the room, looking at all the sketches, and some of the spines of the books, and when he came back around to Bobby’s chair, he hovered awkwardly next to him. Bobby leaned back against the back of the chair, turning to look up at him. “I’m fine.”

  Steve raised his eyebrows. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

  A flash of irritation crossed Bobby’s face, but it was gone as soon as it arrived. He just looked exhausted, and Steve wanted nothing more than to take him in his arms. He had, of course, forfeited that right. “What do you want me to say?”

  “We don’t have much time,” Steve said, sitting in the chair next to him. “I know Gregory said he would give us as much as he could, but I don’t want—I don’t want to spend it fighting. I want to know how you are, Bobby.”

  Bobby’s face softened, and he sat forward, meeting Steve’s eyes slowly. “I hate everything,” he whispered. His shoulders were hunched, as if he was afraid somebody would overhear them. “I thought it would be fine, but he just wants. It’s all about him, and I don’t know if I can keep doing this, Steve. I want to make a difference. I love the idea of what being a prince could mean, but Louis scares me.”

  “Hey,” Steve said, because he couldn’t help himself, pressing two fingers to Bobby’s chin, forcing him to raise it. “In what ways?”

  Bobby pulled back from Steve’s grip, but Steve didn’t detect any antagonism. “All I can think about is what he did to my mother. If I start making changes he doesn’t like, what if he decides he’s gonna do the same thing to me?”

  “You fight back,” Steve said, in a voice that brooked no argument. “When your mother was being beaten, it was a different time. Her only options were to take it or to run. You’re in a different position, and you can’t let him do that to you. I know you won’t let him do that to you.”

  For a moment, Steve thought Bobby was going to refuse, but he seemed to suck in a breath, nodding jerkily before letting it out slowly. “All right.”

  Steve searched his face to make sure that Bobby understood exactly what he was saying. “If he tries anything, you can be sure I’m gonna be around to stop it.”

  Bobby was startled, and he stared up at Steve in shock. “What?”

  “Listen to me,” Steve said, shifting closer, resting a hand on Bobby’s face and shaking him a touch. “I love you, Bobby, and if you want me to, if you need me, I’m gonna stick around here.”

  There was a long, drawn silence. Bobby’s eyes never left Steve’s face. Steve couldn’t bring himself to move away, certain that if he did, the moment would be broken, and Bobby’s decision wouldn’t be in his favor. Eventually, Bobby lifted a hand, resting it around Steve’s wrist and squeezing gently. “All right.”

  Steve hardly dared hope. “All right?”

  Bobby wasn’t smiling, there was no breathless encouragement that gave Steve hope, or a rush to reassure Steve that everything was going to be fine, but it was enough that he nodded. “Yeah. Stay.”

  Pulling back from Bobby, Steve rubbed his hands on his knees. “Not sure if your dad is gonna like it.”

  Bobby snorted. “Isn’t that what you’re here to protect me from?”

  Steve couldn’t help but smile. “Damn right.”

  There was a knock at the door, and Steve looked up to see Gregory poking his head around it. “Your father is asking after you, Your Highness.”

  “I told you not to call me that,” Bobby said, resigned. It was the attitude of a man who had said it more than once. “All right, I’m coming.”

  “I forgot to say,” Steve said as he climbed to his feet. “Helena, Jamie and Noah are here. Sam wanted to come too, but Helena’s mom couldn’t get him in.”

  Bobby’s lips quirked up and then he frowned. “She had to contact her mom?”

  Steve winced. “It was the only way we could get into the palace. She was helping me.”

  There was another silence, but this one was considering. Before Steve could ask what he was thinking, Gregory cleared his throat, and both of them shot to their feet. Bobby stared at him. “You promise to stick around?”

  “I said so, didn’t I?” Steve ignored the surprised look on Gregory’s face. “I have a hotel room anyway, so whatever works best for you—”

  “Gregory,” Bobby said, turning on his heel and straightening up. As he did, face shifting into an easy grin, Steve knew it was the reason he had chosen to stay. He wanted the Bobby in front of him now to be the Bobby everybody saw, and if it took him weeks, he would find a way to make it permanent. There was shit to figure out—it wasn’t as if he could just uproot his life on a whim—but he was willing to find a way to make it work, if Bobby was willing in return.

  “I’ll find an available room,” Gregory promised, his eyes darting to Steve and then back to Bobby. “Would you like me to inform your father?”

  “No,” Bobby said immediately. “I’ll do it.”

  Steve shifted on his feet. “I should find Helena and the others, tell them what’s going on.”

  Bobby nodded, and when he looked back at Steve, there was a hint of a smile on his face. “Get them to stick around?”

  “Sure,” Steve said, and waited until both Bobby and Gregory had left the room to collapse into the chair, pressing his hands to his face and letting out a long, slow breath.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Steve jerked up some time later when the door burst open, and Noah, Helena and Jamie entered the library. They gave him the once over, and Jamie’s eyes narrowed at whatever he saw on Steve’s face.

  “How did it go?”

  “I’m staying,” Steve said immediately, deciding to get it over with. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. He sighed when nobody looked surprised at the announcement.

  “Steve,” Helena said kindly, coming to sit in the seat opposite Steve. “We figured that was what we were coming for.”

  Steve frowned. “You couldn’t know he was going to agree to it.”

  Jamie snorted, leaning against the desk with his hands in his pocket. Steve had to bite his tongue to keep from asking him to stop. “Don’t be a moron, Steve. You love each other, and it’s what Bobby wanted in the first place.”

  That much was true. “Not sure what I’m gonna do about college.”

  “You could just email
your professors,” Noah said easily. He was walking around the library like Steve had, eyes running appraisingly over the sketches. “Maybe you can distance it or transfer your credits to a college in Europe.”

  “That’s if the grand prince lets you do that at all.” Jamie gave him a pointed look.

  Steve shrugged easily. “Like I told Bobby, he can try, but I’m not gonna let him talk me into doing something I don’t want to. He might be the grand prince, but I’m here for Bobby, not him.”

  Helena was grinning at him, and it was easy for Steve to return the smile, though he felt the flush creeping up his neck. He didn’t even have to say what before she was leaning over to punch his shoulder. “Finally. You got your head out of your ass.”

  “Yeah,” Steve said, because it was fair. He had spent a long time worrying about what it had been like for him and didn’t take the time to think about Bobby—and the fact Bobby needed him. “What about you guys?”

  Noah shrugged. “Like Helena told you earlier, we’re here for you, man. We have school and shit, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be here if you need us. You or Bobby.”

  It was Jamie that Steve was worried about. It wasn’t even about the apartment, even though he was sure he could find a way to uphold his lease, but Sam and Jamie were his best friends. There was also his mom to consider, and he was startled he hadn’t before now. Staying with Bobby meant leaving her behind.

  “Stevie,” Jamie said, expression hard. “Stop worrying about us and everyone back home, worry about you and what you want.”

  “I want Bobby,” Steve said. “But—”

  “No buts.” Jamie folded his arms across his chest. “If you wanna stay here with Bobby, we’ll work this shit out.”

  Steve huffed out a breath, touched by his friend’s certainty, and he leaned back in the chair. “I don’t even know what being the boyfriend of a prince entails.”

  “Pretty sure nobody has a precedent for this,” Helena said. She smoothed down her dress and rested her chin on her hand. “Bobby’s going to be grand prince. He has his own ideas about what he’ll want, and I’m sure he’ll appreciate your input. Being the prince’s boyfriend is a much more important job than you realize.”

  Steve opened his mouth to reply but there was a knock on the door, and Gregory came into the library, eyes sweeping over Steve’s friends, and then giving Steve a tight smile. “A room has been set up for you. Bobby wanted me to inform all of you that you’re welcome to spend the night here, or at the hotel, but he’ll want you here for breakfast in the morning.”

  Helena, Noah, and Jamie exchanged looks.

  “He also wanted you, Steve, to say thank you to Sam—and he’ll have Sam flown out here whenever you need him.”

  It was generosity that Steve didn’t know what to do with, but thankfully, Helena was used to taking charge. She climbed to her feet, tucking her purse under her arm and giving Gregory a bright smile. “We’ll head back to the hotel for tonight. I think Steve and Bobby could do with some catching up time before we invade their space again. Thank you for your help, and I hope we’ll see you tomorrow?”

  Gregory nodded, kissing Helena’s cheek. “You will.”

  Noah gave Steve a wave and a quick smile. “See you tomorrow, man. Stay safe.”

  Steve rolled his eyes, while Noah smirked at the dark look Gregory gave him. Jamie tugged Steve into a tight hug and pulled back, raising his eyebrows.

  “You take care of yourself, understand me? And if he starts anything,” leaving the threat open-ended, Steve knew it was directed at Louis and not Bobby, so he just nodded. “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yep,” Steve said, surprisingly comfortable with being left alone in a strange environment. It was still daunting, but he had Bobby—and oddly enough, Gregory—and he was confident he could get the hell out of the palace if it became too much. “See you guys tomorrow.”

  Gregory remained by the door. “Do you wish to come back into the ballroom?”

  “Could someone show me to my room? And tell Bobby where I’ve gone? I’m not great with social situations.”

  Gregory smiled easily and nodded. “Come on, I’ll have Daisy show you where it is. She’s the maid that’ll be attending to what you need.”

  “Just me?” Steve asked, surprised.

  “Yes,” Gregory said, sounding amused, and Steve flushed. He supposed when you didn’t live in the palace, people’s surprise at what happened within it must have been amusing. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get used to all of this eventually.”

  Steve muttered, “I doubt it,” and this time couldn’t help but smile in the face of Gregory’s amusement. He waited for Gregory to close the door to the library and followed him down the hall, to where a couple of maids were doing their best to hover out of the way of the party guests.

  “Daisy?”

  Daisy was around Steve’s age, her hair pulled up into a bun, and no make-up. Steve gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, but her eyes drifted from him and then back to Gregory. “Yes, sir?”

  “Would you show Mr. Mitchell to his room?”

  It was a little informal, Steve thought, though everything he knew about how things worked in a stately home was from old period dramas. Daisy nodded her head, and Gregory assured Steve he would let Bobby know where he could find Steve if he wanted to. There was an edge to the way he said the last part that had Steve bristling, especially given Gregory’s own conduct with Bobby, but he shoved it down. He didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot.

  “Thank you, Daisy,” Steve said.

  Daisy nodded, the hint of a smile on her face, and she gestured for Steve to follow her down the hall. Steve rubbed his hands together uncomfortably, eyes drifting to the ballroom as he passed, wondering where Bobby was, and if Grand Prince Louis was still hovering next to him like a shark.

  Steve wanted to draw Daisy into conversation, but he wasn’t sure if she would allow it. Couldn’t hurt to try. “How long have you worked here?”

  Startled, Daisy pressed her lips together, eyes ahead, and Steve figured that he wasn’t getting much out of her. He was surprised when she said, “A year.”

  “Oh. Do you like it?” At Daisy’s frown, he held up his hands. “I’m not trying to say anything—I just wondered, that’s all. I’m not gonna tell anyone.”

  Daisy looked as if she wanted to laugh. “It’s fine, Sir.”

  “Damn, I’m bad at this as well, apparently.”

  “This as well?”

  “Unfortunately,” Steve said, before he could stop himself, “trying to date people never turns out very well for me.”

  It wasn’t a lie, considering the one serious relationship he had was the reason he was enduring staying at a palace and trying to fight for his boyfriend.

  Daisy’s amusement was obvious this time. “I’m sure any lady you flirt with would overlook it.”

  Steve gave her a wry look, comfortable with himself enough to say, “Exclusively guys, actually,” without worrying about her reaction. That made him wonder whether Bobby had said anything to his father, or if anyone in the palace knew anything about their new prince beyond his genealogy. Daisy just shrugged easily.

  “Men, then.”

  They were the same age, and they had both grown up in the more socially focused attitudes of their generation, which might go some way to explaining Daisy’s easy acceptance. Steve didn’t doubt that some people in the palace would take exception to him being around, but Bobby was worth it.

  Daisy led him up the left upper staircase, and Steve was awed by the first floor. The two staircases circled around to the same corridor, lined with portraits and decorations, several doors on either side, and lamps lit all the way to the end.

  “This must be horrible to keep clean,” Steve said. “Beautiful though.”

  “They are on both counts,” Daisy said, approaching one of the doors on the right. She had some keys hanging from her skirt and unlocked the door, gesturing for Ste
ve to precede her into the room. “Gregory sent a footman along with your friends to bring your belongings to the palace. He assumed you would want some of your own comforts.”

  Steve was ashamed he hadn’t thought of that himself. “Thank you, Daisy.”

  Daisy gestured toward a door to the left of the bed. “Your bathroom’s in there, and you have fresh towels. If you need anything else, you can reach me on the phone. The number’s pre-programmed, and I’ll be right up.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Steve said. Despite the halls of the palace being highly decorated and expensive looking, the bedroom looked simple and plain, less so than the hotel room Jamie currently had to himself. Though, Steve supposed Jamie and Noah would be changing rooms now that Steve wasn’t there to be considered. Not that he would have minded sharing with Noah, but it didn’t matter anymore. “Thank you, Daisy.”

  “You’re welcome, Sir.” Daisy said, backing out of the room.

  Once the door closed, Steve sighed, shrugging out of his tuxedo jacket and laying it carefully on the bed. He felt even more uncomfortable than he had before, never truly at ease in a strange bedroom, but he took the time to look around. The bathroom was more luxurious than the bedroom, and Steve couldn’t wait to try out the bathtub.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he immediately groaned, knowing it would be perfect to lie on. Not that he could imagine himself sleeping without seeing Bobby. There was also the anxiety over having to meet Grand Prince Louis and what he would think. As much as Steve couldn’t care less, he wasn’t trying to make things more difficult for Bobby.

  It was hard to relax in the room, but thankfully, Steve still had his phone. He had a voicemail from Jamie and several texts from his friends. The voicemail was mostly Jamie yelling about how Steve was going to be a prince now, and Helena and Noah objecting over the top of him, their voices blending together into laughter, and Steve couldn’t help but grin.

  One of the texts was from Sam. JAMIE JUST TOLD ME. GET IT, STEVE. Don’t be worrying about how shit’s gonna work back here. Also tell Bobby I’m gonna fly out to the palace and he owes me a good dinner.