by Brown, Tara
Tears leaked from my eyes. I sniffled. “You’re right.”
He held me in his arms, where we both zoned out and just hung out, like two kids in love.
The only reason I know anything about history and the world is the smart people who cast the historical romances with yummy dudes.
#TrueStory
Chapter Nineteen
Cat and Mouse
June—where did the year go, and along with it the girl I once was?
I could smell summer in the air as I hung my head out the car window, the damp yet warm breeze caressing me. I suddenly understood why dogs did it. One week of school left and I was skipping my last classes to meet my boyfriend in Ireland. I almost wished I lived in Europe so I didn't constantly have jet lag.
The driver gave me a look as we pulled up to the cathedral. “Will ya look at that? The parking lot is empty.”
He saw a church and I saw a man.
A man with satisfaction spread across his face in a smile. He held out his hands. “Do you remember it?”
I started laughing. “How do you do it?”
Aiden tapped his head. “You are on my brain at all times.”
It was the church from the show The Tudors, the church I had said I loved. I ran to him, letting him wrap himself around me. “It must be exhausting.”
“Contrary to popular belief, having someone run through your head is actually quite refreshing and invigorating. You inspire great things in me. You make me more than an ordinary man.”
I gave him a look.
“Okay.” He rolled his eyes. “Obviously, beyond the whole prince thing.”
“I missed your Shakespeare.”
He leaned in, taking a deep inhale of my hair. “And I missed the scent of you in my air.”
I lifted my face as he lowered his. Our lips met in the polite kiss we were permitted. His hands shook with the want of a passionate kiss, but we saved those for closed doors. He smiled. “Let’s go. The future king can’t very well be making out with girls outside of a religious and historical landmark.”
“Girls?”
He winked. “Don't tell anyone, but I bring all the pretty girls here.”
“Oh my God.” I sighed as he took my hand in his and dragged me up the stairs. The image of us in the glass window was so strange. It was a crucial moment, a defining one. I stopped him and studied it. I was in a cream lace dress with short sleeves and my wide-brimmed sun hat Hattie had bought for me. I looked like a lady. It made me smile. It also suited the Christchurch Cathedral I was standing outside of in Dublin. He suited me perfectly in his khakis, baby-blue dress shirt, and black jacket, no tie.
“What are you doing?”
I smiled at him in the window. “We look different.”
His brow furrowed. “No, I look exactly the same as I did when I was here last.” He looked down. “Lord, I think these trousers are even the same ones.”
I gave him a slight shove. “You’re an idiot. That's not what I meant. I mean we look like a couple. We match.”
His smile grew. “I agree. But I feel as though we’ve always matched. You were beautiful and I was handsome.”
“Oh my God, you are such a cheesy wanker.”
“Well, we match on the outside. On the inside, I think you might be evil. Cheesy wanker?”
I flashed him a smile as I took his arm and let him lead me to the cathedral. “It’s Mary’s pet name for you. The cheesy wanker.”
He stopped to tie his dress shoe, gazing up at me through his inky lashes. “She says that? When I’m king, I might have to reinstate hangings or some kind of torture.” He laughed. “Did you know my brother and your sister are having sex?”
My jaw dropped. “Johan?”
He nodded. “Caught them FaceTiming. Needless to say, I may never be the same again. He was doing a striptease in front of his laptop.”
I stared up at the church. “You know you have totes ruined this for me, right? I was excited when you said we would visit a place that was on The Tudors, and now it will forever be tainted with the image of your brother doing a striptease for my sister. Sweet Jesus.”
“Then we’re even for the cheesy wanker comment.” He lifted my hand and kissed the back. “Let’s see this place before the archbishop sees us out here and locks the doors.”
When we got inside, I was stilled by the beauty and intensity. The grandeur was overwhelming. I just stood there staring as he softly spoke, “The construction started in the 1100s. It’s got to be the only church I can say I know of that was a nightclub.”
“What?”
“It’s true. A crypt keeper ran the crypt as a place to drink after hours. Apparently, he accidently locked a soldier in the crypt when he closed up shop for the winter. The soldier died of starvation. They found his remains the following spring.”
“People drank in the crypt?”
He leaned in, whispering into my ear, “I swear it on my cheesy-wanker soul. Apparently, the poor bloke still haunts the grounds. Very intense situation.”
“That can’t be true.”
“Come on, I want to show you the cat and rat display.” He pulled me along.
I laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, the cat chased the rat into the organ pipe and they both got stuck and died.” He pulled me to a case that proved he was not, in fact, lying. I snuggled into him and gaped at the most disturbing thing I had ever seen.
After the tour, we walked out hand in hand. I smiled at Isaac and Tracy. They both waved. Aiden cocked an eyebrow. I laughed. “Say it all you want. They like it when I say hi.”
He linked my arm in his. “Finley, we have to talk about something.”
My lips tightened. “Not yet. You have that bad juju look.”
He laughed. “No. Not about us. It’s about university.”
“I’m still scheduled to attend the university of your liking, right?”
He sighed. “Why do you have to be so difficult?”
“I’m not.”
“You said that like you were angry I got you into that school.”
I shrugged. “I guess it annoys me that your life has influenced my life again. But Mary said she’s going to St. Andrews too. I just don't understand why we have to go to Scotland for college.”
“It’s a good school. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky few who has an ear for accents and you could pick one up.”
“My French accent is trash. Mary called me a useless tit at least once.”
He scoffed. “She calls me that weekly. Come on.” He pulled me to the car. When we got inside, he grabbed my face, kissing me fiercely. My hands slid up into his hair, pulling his face down to me. He cupped my cheeks the way he always did, like I was the most delicate thing he had ever held. He whispered against my lips, “I love you.”
We rode back over to Farmleigh House, which was apparently the place visiting dignitaries stayed while in Dublin. It was a beautiful estate house next door to the president of Dublin. When we got there, the security detail was already set up. I tried really hard not to see them.
Inside the mansion, I stopped short when I heard Jess’ voice and then Johan’s. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to tag along and see whatever Aiden was taking me to. I stormed into the library, the nicest library I had ever seen, and pointed at her and Johan. “Seriously?”
Johan gave me a smirk. “Dare I assume the cat is out of the bag?”
I looked at Jess. “Dude, come on. Not Don Johan? He’s whoring his way across Europe already. Why are you letting him whore in the US?”
She laughed and Johan snarled, “She isn’t letting me do anything.” Jess looked proud but said nothing.
Aiden lifted his eyebrows. “I’m pretty certain I saw some things on that computer that would suggest otherwise.”
Jess’ face went red. “That's not the same thing.”
I grimaced. “What the shit?”
Mary walked in with a cup of tea. “That's not on the approved lis
t of things you’re allowed to say.” I almost smiled, but Aiden’s mother walked into the library just behind Mary.
She smiled at me like a snobby person would smile at a dirty homeless person before flicking change at them. “Finley, how nice to see you again.”
I curtseyed. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”
She gave me a half-assed bow and turned to Aiden. “Have you spoken to Finley about school?”
I hated her. I hated the way she said my name and the way she spoke about me, but not to me. It was like Sheila, but the queen was royal so it was cool that she treated me like a second-class citizen, ‘cause to her I actually was.
Wait, school? I turned and looked at Aiden. He swallowed hard. “Can I speak to you . . . ?”
“Oh, just say it, for God’s sake.”
He laughed at my fiery temper. “Someone is spicy.”
I looked at his mom. “Yeah, well, I think you know how I feel about ambushes.”
Mary pointed at me calmly. “She hates them.”
Aiden shot her a look. She smiled and sat next to Jess.
“I won’t be attending university with you. I have to be closer to home, in case of emergency. I’d just finished my second year at St. Andrews when I met you. I took that year off when I met you because I needed to be with you. But this year I won’t be returning.”
Savagery built inside me. I smiled at him, softly. “That's cool. I actually find the Scottish accent to be the most attractive, so I won’t have you there as a distraction from the football team. I hear Prince William played for them when he went there.”
Aiden looked at his mother. “Excuse us.” He grabbed my arm and escorted me out of the library. He led me up the stairs, not speaking. When he got to a room that took my breath away, he closed the door and leaned his back against it.
“She is a bitch. You have to let it wash off your back. She will always be the Queen Mother. Even if I am king, she will be my mother. She is threatened by you. She can see that I love you, but you have to let her evil ways slide. It’s you I love. It's you I plan for. She knows I will walk away from my obligation and family fortune for you. That message has been conveyed.” He gave me that look through his inky lashes. “I tried to talk about it at the cathedral. You said no and changed the subject. I can’t finish my degree there. It has nothing to do with you or me.”
The playful look on his face had vanished.
“My father is sick. I didn't know. Geoffrey knew he would be taking over the crown the day we went skiing. Our skiing trip was not approved. I didn't know. If he hadn’t died, I might have killed him myself. Geoff was not allowed to heli-ski because he was the heir and father has cancer. It’s terminal. I have to go home and start the process for taking over the crown. The university is sending a tutor, a full-time tutor, to the house. I will finish using distance ed.”
I bit my lip, hating myself. “Why is it whenever you get bad news, I act like a dick?”
He laughed, “Because deep down you really are truly a spoilt brat, regardless of the numerous changes you have made for me.” He walked to me. “If I could be in university with you, I would. If he manages to make a recovery or go into remission, I will be there in a heartbeat. I can think of no place better than by your side.”
I sighed before saying the craziest thing I could think of. “Mary doesn't go for a year. I’ll come and live with you in Andorra, if you’ll have me. We can do university for two.”
I could see the joy in his eyes, but he shook his head. “I can’t ask you to give up going to a proper college. You need a year of chaos and beer and, of course, turning down the polite advances of the young men you will meet from the football team.”
I took his hands in mine. “You don't have to ask. Because it’s you I plan for too.”
“You’ve changed so many things already.”
I nodded. “I know. But it’s like what you said to me when I met you: Most people are afraid of change. We spend our lives watching everyone around us fail and it makes us scared. But if we indulge in those fears, we risk never becoming the person we were meant to be. Everyone is afraid. Conquering that fear is where personal growth comes from. Remember, you asked me if I could change or if I was afraid.” I lifted my hands and cupped his face the way he did mine. “I changed and I like myself now. The changes have been a good thing for me. Do you know where I was a year ago today?”
He replied, “Stealing my heart with a look.” I glanced at the faded line of the scar on my wrist. He turned my wrist and kissed it. “I thank God you fell into that rosebush every day.”
“Me too.”
He kissed it again. “I want you to live in Scotland. I want you to have this experience because when my life changes, I’m going to need us to change. I want you to be ready for that.”
I lifted to my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his. I didn't know what was coming in the world, his world, but I knew no matter what happened, we would find a way to be with each other.
“I’m sorry about your dad.”
He kissed my cheek. “Me too. He’s smoked cigars his entire life. He’s still smoking them, in fact. He’s only fifty-eight. It’s devastating.”
He seemed cold about it. I didn’t know how to respond to that. I muttered, “Wow, fifty-eight. I thought he was like forty.”
“Mary said you think he’s hot. It's the beard, isn’t it? The man can grow an amazing beard.”
My cheeks were on fire. “No. What?” He laughed, but I growled. “She is worse than Hattie. She just doesn't keep secrets at all.”
“No. Not a chance. She shares everything. Like the fact you were worried I would have an affair with Alex. She was so mad at me because you were so upset.”
“She is a filthy liar. I might kill her later, for a completely unrelated reason.”
He kissed me again. “You have my heart on your finger. How on earth am I ever going to fall in love with anyone but you?”
I smiled against his mouth. “I am still going to throttle her.”
“I won’t try to defend her. Although you have to be warned, she’s skinny but that means nothing. She’s mean and she bites and pulls hair.”
“Duh, it’s called a cat fight for a reason. We all do.”
He walked over and turned the lock on the door. “I believe you owe me for the cathedral. I will take all tokens of gratitude in the form of physical acts of debauchery.”
I slipped my dress from my shoulders and let it slip down my body to the floor. I was prepared for the moment, in every way. I had on French lingerie and the perfect high heels. I gave him a wicked look.
His eyebrows lifted and he started to undo the buttons of his shirt.
If Snooki got her happily ever after, so can any girl.
#TrueLoveStory
Epilogue
Dreams Really Do Come True
End of August—awkwardly happy
The rocks below me brought back a thousand memories. Glimpses of the way he looked at me, scared yet desperate. I gave Jess a soft smile. “I think he loved me the minute he met me, like in a movie.”
She laughed. “He did. Trust me. I’ve heard the story already twice. Johan said he thought it was so crazy that Aiden saw you standing there in the home and he knew he couldn’t look away, no matter how ungentlemanly it was. I think that means something in their family.”
“It does. Jack, their uncle, used to say that about Millie.” He smiled as if I were a baby or a puppy.
“Aww. That’s kinda cute.”
“It’s something. Intense is usually the word I use. Is Johan intense?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Only about football, which is soccer to us, and silly things like that. I don’t know how to read him. Maybe because he’s only just turned seventeen. He’s young.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s a year and a half younger than you, the same as me and Aiden. It’s not that big of a difference.” I squeezed her hand. “I’m so grateful you’re coming with me. School
in Scotland seems like an insane idea, but with you there it’ll be so much less—”
“Scary?”
“Yeah. The breeze at Peggy’s Cove was warm and the day was bright, not at all how I saw it the first time. We lay back on the rocks and let it all soak in.
Hattie walked over with our dad. He looked like a moron with his socks pulled up to his knees and Croc sandals. She pointed. “This is one of the landmarks we are famous for.”
He nodded, looking serious and impatient. “It’s windy.”
I smiled, but Hattie scowled. “And your wife is a bimbo, but we don’t say anything.” She turned and stalked off. His face turned red and he followed her. Jess and I started laughing.
I nudged Jess. “Hattie is the shit.”
“I wish she’d raised us.”
Linna plopped down next to me and licked her ice cream cone. “I can’t believe how bananas this place is. It doesn’t even look like we’re in Canada. It’s sunny and warm and these rocks are badass. I love it here.”
“I promised Hattie I would come out, but this is the only time I have. We have to get to Scotland and start setting up res.”
Linna shook her head. “I can’t believe I agreed to go to Scotland for college. That’s bananas too.”
“You’re gonna have fun.”
She beamed. “I’m gonna hunt down Gerard Butler.”
Jessica laughed. “He’s old. Why? Dude. He’s old enough to be your dad.”
Linna shrugged. “I’m finding me some rich Scottish hottie. I love that accent.”
“We’ll be like the Three Musketeers.”
“Yeah, the weirdest Three Musketeers ever.”
I looked at Jess. “We cover all the bases. I’m too young to be as in love as I am and I’m shitty at school. You’re super smart, get awesome grades, yet you’re dating the hottest guy any of us has seen, but you refuse to have sex with him—”
Linna interrupted me, “True story.”
I continued, “And Linna is that fun party girl who drinks too much, yet somehow has mad awesome grades, but never actually dates dudes for real, just has sex with them.”
