After eating dinner and spending several hours socializing, I was ready to break away from the crowd. I looked for Anabelle and saw her in the corner of the room talking to my grandmother—they seemed to be getting along great, so I walked outside for some fresh air. I stepped out onto the balcony and found my father there. He had a cigar in one hand, and a glass of what appeared to be bourbon from the royal distillery in the other.
“You found my hiding spot.” He turned towards me and smiled.
“Is this where you always disappeared to?” I walked over to the edge of the balcony.
“Yep.” He nodded. “Want a drink?”
“I could probably use one.” I exhaled sharply.
“Here you go.” He picked up the bottle and handed it to me. “Sorry—I only brought one glass.”
“No problem.” I lifted it to my lips and took a quick sip. “Damn—I forgot how good the bourbon was here.”
“How do you know how good the bourbon is?” He raised an eyebrow. “You were eighteen when you left.”
“Really…” I narrowed my eyes.
“I’m fucking with you.” He lifted his cigar to his lips and laughed. “I had my first drink when I was fourteen—and I’d be surprised if you made it that long.”
“I think I might have beat you there.” I nodded and took another drink. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Sure” He puffed his cigar and turned towards me.
“I can count on one hand the number of conversations I’ve had with you—we barely interacted…” I leaned against the balcony.
“That’s always been the tradition in Ruilan.” He shrugged. “The royal family has to be independent. Family relationships exist, but the primary focus has to be the kingdom. I hope you don’t think that your mother, and I didn’t love you because of that.”
“If I’m being honest…” I sighed.
“I had the same conversation with my father once.” He shook his head back and forth. “After he relinquished his throne to me. Being a Rosemont is complicated, but I hope the changes your brother is bringing to Ruilan will make it easier for future generations.”
“I think it will.” I nodded. “You made some major changes yourself in your time—I’m surprised David didn’t carry through with them.”
“Yeah, it would have been nice to have the archives and our royal library available for everyone to browse online, but there were other projects to focus on after your brother took the throne.” He shrugged. “Then there was the issue with the queen not being able to produce an heir—that brought everything to a grinding halt.”
“I bet.” I raised an eyebrow.
“I guess I should go find your mother.” My father tapped out his cigar and refilled his glass. “She doesn’t like it when I leave her alone for too long at these things.”
“I might stay out here a little longer.” I took the bottle from him.
“For what it’s worth?” My father reached out and patted my shoulder. “I’m proud of you.”
“Really?” My head snapped back. “Even after everything I did?”
“The fact you were strong enough to follow your heart?” He nodded. “Absolutely.”
My father walked back into the castle, and I took a few more sips of bourbon before I put the bottle down. I still didn’t fully understand my family, but that was fairly common outside of Ruilan too. I had a certain perspective while growing up in my kingdom, but perhaps I just accepted reality for what it appeared to be rather than what it actually was. I still felt like I made the right decision, regardless, but I hoped I would get the chance to know my family a little more after seeing that things were different than I realized. I stayed outside until the festivities had started to die down and slipped to the back of the crowd when I spotted Anabelle there.
“There you are—the prettiest girl in Ruilan.” I put my hands on her waist.
“Have you been drinking?” She looked back at me.
“Maybe a little,” I chuckled under my breath. “When I was younger this used to make me quite frisky…”
“How long do we have to stay at this party?” Anabelle leaned against me and giggled.
“I’m not the king, so we could slip out now.” I took her hand and quickly made a dash for the staircase that led up to my room.
Anabelle and I kissed as we made our way up the stairs, but we kept our clothes on until we made it to my room. Taking off a royal tuxedo and a fancy gown required a little more delicacy than we were used to, so it took us a little longer than normal to get undressed, but that just gave us more time to tease each other. By the time we made it to the bed, we were both turned on and ready to spend the rest of the night chasing our desires. I had never been happier—I had the woman I loved in my arms, a wedding on the horizon and a chance to form a real relationship with my family. I didn’t need a crown for any of it—I just needed a woman who was strong enough to pull me out of the darkness and help me find the man that still lingered beneath the beast. Anabelle had saved me, and I was going to spend the rest of my life showing her how grateful I was that she was mine.
Epilogue
Anabelle
Six months later
“Come on, let me show you the castle.” I motioned for Violet to follow me as soon as we stepped out of the car.
“Holy shit!” Violet blinked in surprise. “This is—you’re getting married here?”
“I told you it would take your breath away.” I nodded quickly.
“You were right,” she exhaled sharply. “This really is something out of a fairy tale.”
Violet was in Ruilan for my wedding, and we only had a couple of days until the most important day of my life. I gave her the grand tour of the castle and watched as her eyes lit up the same way mine did the first time I got to see it. Adam and I only planned to stay in Ruilan for a few days the first time we came for a visit, but we ended up staying for a month. A few months later, we returned—and we hadn’t left. My life in Los Angeles was a permanent part of my past. David offered Adam a spot on his royal council, and while he was hesitant to accept the position at first, we decided that staying in Ruilan was the right decision for us. There were a few customs and traditions that I hadn’t fully adjusted to, but I had fallen in love with the kingdom just like I fell in love with the man who was once destined to rule it.
“Who is that.” Violet grabbed my arm and pointed. “He’s really hot!”
“He’s…” I quickly ran through the names in my head. “Jeremiah. He’s a cousin of the royal family—and he’s about to leave for his excursion soon.”
“Any chance that excursion is going to take him to Los Angeles—wait, who is that!?” Violet pointed to another guy that was walking in the opposite direction.
“Okay, you’re going to fall in love with half the kingdom before you go back to Los Angeles.” I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Just don’t fall in love with the king—he’s already got two wives.”
“Everyone else is fair game?” She gave me a quick nudge with her elbow.
“Except Adam.” I narrowed my eyes.
“Of course.” She nodded quickly.
I took Violet to her room and left her to get settled in while I went upstairs to review a few last minute things for the wedding. The reporters were already starting to gather in the streets, so leaving the castle was more hassle than it was worth. The royal wedding was certainly getting a lot of media attention—more than I expected when Adam suggested that we get married in Ruilan. It was definitely going to be a big event. Everyone said I would make a beautiful bride. I just hoped I could do the dress that had taken the top seamstress in Ruilan months to make justice. It was gorgeous—so much so that I had to sneak a peek at it every chance I got—and I had tried it on almost every day since it arrived.
“Are you decent?” Adam pushed the door open and held his hand up to his eyes. “I don’t want to catch a glimpse of you in your wedding dress before we get married.”
“Yes
.” I pushed the closet closed. “I was just looking at it.”
“Good.” He let his hand drop. “Violet made it here okay?”
“She did.” I nodded. “I think she’s going to be planning her own wedding before she leaves.”
“Leave? You didn’t ask her?” Adam raised an eyebrow.
“Not yet.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’ll talk to her after the wedding.”
That will give her plenty of time to fall in love with Ruilan before I tell her that she’s welcome to stay.
“Everything from the mansion arrived.” Adam put his hands on my waist. “I talked with the florist. He’s going to put the bouquet together like you asked.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “I just feel like she should be a part of this.”
“I appreciate that more than you know.” Adam pressed his lips to my forehead.
My bouquet was going to be fashioned from the crimson roses that grew from the fountain outside of the mansion—and Emily’s wedding band was going to be tied in the ribbon that held it together. I knew it would mean a lot to Adam—we were both going to have a part of her with us when we said our vows. I would have her ring in my bouquet and Adam would have the pocket watch that she gave him. In a strange way, she had a hand in bringing us together. If I hadn’t tried to steal the pocket watch the day I broke into his mansion, he would have never revealed himself to me—and I would have never found out that the mansion wasn’t abandoned.
“I have my something old, and your mother’s earrings will be my something blue.” I walked over to the counter. “I still haven’t found out what I’m going to wear so that I have something new…”
“I took care of that for you.” Adam walked up behind me, and I saw a diamond necklace hanging from his hand.
“What’s this?” I blinked in surprise.
“Do you remember when I told you that they found a new mine when they were breaking ground for the hotels?” Adam slid the necklace around my neck and fastened it.
“Yeah…” I nodded.
“This necklace was made from the first gemstone that they dug up.” He pulled his hand away. “The royal jeweler finished it today.”
“Wow!” I put my hand on the necklace. “I guess you can’t get much newer than that. It’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as my bride.” He leaned forward and kissed my neck. “Are you ready to become Anabelle Rosemont?”
“Yes.” I leaned against his hand and smiled.
I’ve been ready since the moment you stole my heart…
The End
Daddy’s Best Friend: Sneak Peek
Chrissy
“Are you…” The man in front of me looked down at his sign, which had my name written on it with a black marker. “Christina Banks?”
“Yes.” I nodded and tilted my head slightly. “Are you—Mr. Foster?”
He doesn’t look like the guy my mother described—but it’s been a while I guess…
“No. My name is John.” He shook his head back and forth. “I’m just here to pick you up. I’ll take your bags.”
“Thank you.” I handed him the duffel bag that was hanging on my shoulder and took a step back so that he could pick up my luggage.
I didn’t have much with me. I certainly didn’t pack eighteen years of my life into a suitcase and a duffel bag. I brought the essentials, and the rest of my things were supposed to arrive in a few days. I still wasn’t bringing everything that I owned from Chicago to Los Angeles, but I hoped I would have enough to make it through my first semester of college at the University of Southern California. It was my father’s alma mater, and I had been planning to spend my college years there since I was a little girl—I just didn’t expect to run into the complications that arose after I got a scholarship for everything except room and board.
“How far is it to Mr. Foster’s house?” I followed John outside and waited as he loaded my things into the trunk of a black sedan parked by the curb.
“In this traffic?” He slammed the trunk and put his hands on his hips. “It’ll take us about an hour to get there.”
“Okay.” I nodded and walked around to the side of the car.
John opened the back door and closed it once I was seated. The car was really nice. I had never been driven before—by an actual driver. My mother said that Mr. Foster was well off, which was why he was in a position to help, but she didn’t tell me that he was rich enough to have his own driver. I hoped he was as nice as she said because I was still nervous about living with someone I didn’t know. It was a temporary arrangement, and she vouched for him, but he was still a stranger to me. I knew him by name—and vaguely remembered him stopping by when I was younger—but I didn’t really know him.
“So, have you been working for Mr. Foster very long?” I leaned forward and tried to make conversation once the car pulled onto the highway.
“A few years.” John nodded. “He’s a good boss.”
“Cool…” I leaned back in my seat—I really couldn’t think of anything else to ask him.
Mr. Foster—or Greyson, as my mother called him—was my father’s best friend. I was really excited when I got accepted to USC, but when I realized that my scholarship wasn’t going to cover anything outside of my educational expenses, I thought I was out of luck. My father left us with a little bit of money after he passed, but there was no way that my mother could afford to pay for me to live in California.
She saw how disappointed I was when I realized that my dream was about to fizzle out and decided to ask Mr. Foster for help. I hoped he would help me get an apartment and cover a couple of months of rent until I could get a job—instead, he offered to let me live with him while I was going to school. I didn’t want to be a charity case, but it was an amazing offer—one that I couldn’t really turn down. I still hoped that I would be able to get my own place after I got a job, but I was overwhelmed by his generosity.
“I don’t think Mr. Foster is home from work yet, but your bedroom should be ready.” John pulled the car up to a large iron gate and used a remote to open it.
“That’s…” My eyes nearly bulged out of my head as I stared at the mansion ahead of us. “That’s his house?”
“He’s got a few.” John chuckled. “But yes—this is where he lives.”
I couldn’t help being a little jealous when the car came to a stop in front of Mr. Foster’s mansion. It was clear that being a sports agent in Los Angeles was a lot more lucrative than Chicago. My father barely left us with enough to get by—Mr. Foster was living in the lap of luxury. I followed John into the house, and he led me to a bedroom at the top of a large spiral staircase. I had to blink a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It was certainly better than what I was used too. The room was nearly as big as the house I grew up in, and it appeared that I had my own bathroom—I was used to sharing a half-bath with my sister and fighting over the mirror in the morning was a daily battle.
“If you need anything, you can hit the red button on your telephone.” John motioned to a phone that was sitting next to the bed.
“Who does that call?” I raised my eyebrows inquisitively.
“Mr. Foster has an assistant named Lauren who takes care of everything. If you need something, she’ll handle it.” He nodded quickly. “If you need to go somewhere, she’ll call me.”
“Oh wow, okay.” I blinked in surprise.
John left me alone in my new bedroom, and I decided to start unpacking. The walk-in closet was enormous, and I certainly didn’t have enough stuff to fill it. I could have stacked all of the boxes that were on the way to Los Angeles in the back corner of the closet and still had room to do cartwheels. There was a large dresser that looked more like a wardrobe. All of the socks and underwear I owned would fit in one of the drawers. I probably wouldn’t have needed more than two to hold all of the socks and underwear I had ever owned. The bed was king sized and even bigger than the one in my mother’s bedroom. I wondered if it was a C
alifornia King. They were supposed to be bigger than regular ones—and I was in California.
I should take a few pictures and send them to my sister. Lorrie is going to be so freaking jealous.
I pulled out my phone, snapped a few panoramic shots, and then walked into the bathroom. There was a large whirlpool tub that reminded me of a Jacuzzi, and two shower heads. The sink was a large oval basin that I could have fit in if I curled up in a ball, and the mirror covered the entire wall behind it. There were also lights on the side of the mirror, which—unfortunately, made me realize I had a couple of blackheads that needed to be handled. I didn’t even notice them when I was getting ready that morning. The mirror made the blackheads stand out so much that I dug into my purse and grabbed my makeup so I could add an extra layer to hide them until I had time to properly handle the problem.
Now what? I guess I could explore the rest of the house…
I walked downstairs and started looking around. The first room I came to appeared to be a library. There was a large oak desk in the middle of the room and more books than I thought anyone could read in one lifetime. I saw some pictures on the wall and walked over to get a better look. I had to assume the guy that appeared in all of them was Greyson Foster. He was—hot. My sister remembered him a lot better than I did, and she mentioned that he was attractive, but that was an understatement. He was standing next to a celebrity from movies or sports in almost every picture, and he looked like he was the star.
He knows a lot of famous people…
In the middle of all the celebrities was a picture of Mr. Foster with my father. Seeing my father’s face was enough to make my eyes tear up. I was only five years old when he passed away. Most of the memories I had of him were stories that other people had told me. I was so young when he passed that I didn’t have many of my own. My father was a little older than Mr. Foster, but not by much. My father just didn’t take good care of himself—and he had a few vices, although most people didn’t mention those when they talked about how great he was. I missed him, even though I didn’t get a chance to really get to know him.
Beast Daddy: Once Upon A Daddy Page 18
