by Lauren Runow
Questions of what will happen if we do marry play over and over again in my head. I don’t want to start off with his family hating me. These people will forever be ingrained in our world, and that’s not one I should enter lightly.
“Stop worrying,” Sage finally says as he grabs hold of my hand.
“How can I not? Do they really hate me?” I ask, dropping my head in shame.
“They don’t know you, sweetheart,” he soothes, trying his best to ease my doubt.
“That’s what I don’t understand. They don’t even want to get to know me.”
“My father can be stern, but he’s raised me to be the same, so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Except possibly having in-laws who hate me,” I deadpan.
He stops me, turning me to face him. “I told you, I won’t let that happen. Please, trust me.”
I nod slightly, and he kisses my lips. Feelings of bliss swarm around me, and I completely lose myself in his arms. For this brief moment, all my worries, fears and trepidations melt away. I wish we could stay like this, but when he pulls away reality hits me again.
When we arrive back at the village, Sage’s pilot is standing at our hut, talking to Madame Callista. I take in a sharp breath and turn to Sage who shakes his head in frustration.
We’re only here for three days, so the flight crew stayed in Lilongwe, a major city, while we drove off to the village. Seeing them here now only means one thing.
He sees us approach and starts to walk to Sage. “Sir, I’m sorry, but I have strict orders from the king to fly you back to Canterbury right away.”
Sage mutters, “Fuck,” under his breath. “And if we don’t?” he says, grabbing hold of my hand and standing tall in defiance.
The poor guy looks worse than being stuck between a rock and a hard place. He seems like he’s in downright hell. “He said it would cost me my job if I didn’t have you back in fourteen hours.” He glances at his watch. “That was two hours ago, sir.”
It’s a ten-hour flight and at least an hour back to the airport. That means we have to leave right away. I glance at Sage, wishing I knew what was going through his thoughts.
His jaw clenching in frustration, he turns to me. “Everly, the last thing I want to do is head back, but I know my father, and it’s not fair to put Paul’s job on the line. This has nothing to do with him.”
“I agree. It’s okay, we’ll face this together.” I wrap my hand around his arm, pulling him into me.
“Paul, give us a few minutes to gather our things,” Sage says to the pilot.
“I appreciate your consideration, sir. It means a lot to me. I’ll be waiting in the Jeep.”
He turns to leave, and Madame Callista reaches for Sage to stop him briefly. “You will be an amazing king one day, Sage. What you did for this village will never be forgotten.” She smiles fondly at the two of us. “I wish you both the best, and I hope this isn’t goodbye for too long.”
“Thank you, Madame Callista. It won’t be. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She turns to me, grabbing my hands in her own. “You’ll make an amazing princess and future queen, Miss Everly.”
Sage wraps his arm around me, “Yes, she will.”
I peek up at him and can’t help the laugh that escapes my lips. She smiles sweetly at me, and I get the feeling she knows I haven’t given Sage my answer.
Suddenly my chest tightens. For the first time, the thought of possibly not marrying Sage makes my stomach clench in pain. I can’t believe how much my heart has changed in such a short period of time.
I turn to Sage, and he hauls me against him for a hot, heart-melting kiss before we head to get our things and prepare for the music we’re about to face.
19
Everly
Once we’re back on the plane, Sage and I shower and then try to get settled. At first, he didn’t want to talk about his father, but I did. There was no way to fight the knot forming in my stomach.
I glance over to where he’s standing in the doorway of a makeshift bedroom on the plane. He must see the anguish written all over my face. He walks the short distance between us and sits next to me. His fingers tilt my chin up to him.
“I promise, babe, you have nothing to be concerned about.”
I bite the inside of my lip, worrying my hands on the blanket I have wrapped around my legs.
“I’m asking you to have faith in me. I know my family, especially my father. But even more, I know the law about who I am to marry like the back of my hand. So please, trust me when I say I have a plan.”
I nod, and he curls in more, pulling me into his side. His lips touch the top of my head in a soft kiss. “Get some rest. I won’t let anything bad happen. I promise.”
I lie down, and after he tucks me in, he exits the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and worry over what’s to come.
It’s not until hours later when warmth surrounds me as he climbs in bed and curls up close behind me. Once he’s holding me tightly, I’m truly able to breathe and get some sleep.
When we land, I search out every window I can, praying to God no one is there waiting for us. Thankfully, all I see are two men standing next to a motorcycle and a truck.
I turn to Sage. “Is that Logan and Joey?” I watch him nod. “How did they know?”
“I was messaging them while you were asleep. I told you, I have everything under control.”
He leans in to kiss me. Seeing them here gives me hope. I’m able to take a deep breath, knowing he truly will make all of this right.
We go to exit the plane, but Sage stops short and turns to the pilot. “Paul, I’m sorry to put you in that situation,” he says.
They shake hands, and we walk out with our fingers weaved together. As we approach Logan, he tosses the keys to Sage.
“Everything in place?” Sage asks cryptically.
Logan holds out his hand. “All set.” They clasp and bring each other in for a side, male hug.
“I appreciate it,” Sage says to both of them as he and Joey greet each other the same way.
They both turn to me next, giving me a welcoming hug. I love that my guy has friends that he can count on and trust. Logan and Joey hop in the car with our luggage as we head to the bike.
“Are you going to fill me in on what’s going on?” I ask, tugging my helmet over my head.
“Nope.” He smirks before his face disappears behind his helmet.
I hit his stomach and laugh. I wish I knew what he had up his sleeve but knowing those three are in this together, I have to admit, I’m kind of excited to see what they have in store.
Sage
Thank God for my friends. I don’t know what I would do without those guys. Once Everly fell asleep, I started working on my plan. There’s only one hitch.
My father.
First, I must face him, hoping I don’t have to go to my last resort, but it’s in place just in case we don’t see eye to eye.
While on the plane I messaged my sister to gauge just how mad he was. When she responded back with nothing but laughing emojis, there was nothing more to be said. I’m in for the fight of my life, but it’s one I’m more than willing to have.
As I turn the corner onto Everly’s street, her grip tightens around my waist when she sees the sidewalk lined with paparazzi all waiting for a glimpse of her. I move my hand from the handlebars and hold onto her tightly, letting her know she’s not alone.
I pull the bike into her driveway, revving my engine far more than necessary, trying to signal to people to get out of the way. Once I am parked as close to the door as possible, we both hop off, keeping our helmets on and making our way to her house.
“Why is the king saying you can't be engaged?” a woman yells.
“What’s going on with Marie?” another female reporter asks.
“Where have you guys been?” I hear a man yell.
I hold out my arm, making it very clear that if anyone gets close to Everly, they w
ill have to deal with me. Once we’re inside, we shut the door and take off our helmets.
“Is it always like this?” she asks with hesitation.
“No. I swear. It’s all the news about my marriage”—I pause, reaching for her hand—“our marriage once you say yes, that’s got everyone up in a frenzy.”
“Why do they keep asking about Marie? What’s really going on, and why do you always dodge the question? I’ve read—”
“I told you. Don't believe anything you read. I’m dealing with it. I’ve already asked you, and there is no one else I’d rather marry. Don't ever forget that.”
She looks down, and I place my finger under her chin to bring her gaze back to mine. “Please trust me. I will fix everything.”
I see her glistening blue eyes reflecting back at me and I reach down, needing to feel her lips against mine for a brief moment to make sure she’s still with me. That she’s still mine.
“I’ll be back, okay?” I ask, looking directly at her to make sure she hears me correctly. “Now don’t go reading any crazy stories you find online. This right here is the truth, and no one can take that away. I just have some things I have to deal with first.”
“Things?”
I kiss her softly again. “Trust me. I’ll see you soon.”
I open the door and make my way through the crowd. I’m not sure how much she believes in me yet, but that’s the least of my troubles.
First things first.
I ignore every question asked of me as I back out of her driveway and head to the palace.
After I pull up the long driveway, I shut the bike off and glance at my watch. It’s five o’clock at night. I search for the dining room window to see if he and my mother are there, waiting for dinner to be served.
It’s now or never. I hop off and walk into my home, prepared to make it the last time if it goes that direction.
When the door clicks shut, I hear the clanking of silverware and dishes coming from the dining room along with my mother saying, “Breathe, William. Please remember what we talked about.”
I stand in place, figuring we might as well have this conversation next to the front door so I can make my escape if need be.
“Young man, how dare you defy me,” Dad bellows as he stomps into the entryway.
“I did not defy you. I asked for the hand of one of the women that you told me I could marry.”
“No!” he demands. “How many times do we have to go over this? She is not on the list anymore. I will not have that trash join this family.”
“Don’t you dare call her that.” I strut up to him, getting right in his face, making sure he knows how serious I am.
He doesn’t back down. “She'll make a mockery of my kingdom.”
“Your kingdom? You’re joking, right? Your kingdom is a mockery of what it could be. I’m the only one trying to make a difference. I want to change things around here while you sit on your ass. We could really help these people. Make them more self sufficient and happy.”
“Watch your tone when you speak to me, boy. This is my country, my rules, and I will not have you pushing your will on years of tradition,” he growls, getting even closer to my face.
“I’m following your tradition, marrying from the approved bloodline so you can’t stop me.”
“I told you. She is not welcome in our family. You will marry Marie. It’s time to move on with this marriage and put all of this behind us.”
“No, I won’t. I’m going to marry Everly, and you can’t do a thing about it.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I can do something about it. If you marry her, you’re out. Out of the family. Out of line for king, and I will banish you from Canterbury.”
“William,” Mom gasps from behind us.
“It’s okay, Mom. He’s spoken, and I was prepared for this. I’m sorry you feel that way, but if marrying a woman I love means I’m out of this family, so be it. That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
I walk up to my mother as tears spill down her face. “Thank you, Mom, for everything.” I kiss her head before heading toward the door, walking out to my future.
20
Everly
I rub my fingers along the handwritten letter I found in my bag when I went to unpack. I must have read it a hundred times by now.
When we got home, my mom was already at work. I was dying to tell her about our trip and everything I saw, but then I’d have to tell her about why we’re back so soon, so I was glad to have the house to myself. My nerves got the best of me while I sat in my room alone, so I tried to keep myself busy by unpacking.
The note was folded and placed on the top of my things, making it impossible to miss. I knew it was from Sage, but butterflies swarmed through my body when I picked it up. As I opened it, I saw Sage’s neatly handwritten message.
Everly,
I used to daydream about a girl who sat by herself on the rocks. She was mysterious, mischievous, and she gave me hope. Thankfully, my dreams were never as amazing as the reality my life has become since you’ve entered it. Becoming king seemed like a curse to me until I had you by my side. Together we will be the change our country needs to make it what I know it can be. This fight is worth it because at the end is where we begin. All I need is for you to say yes.
Love always,
Sage
I run my fingers over where he wrote love always, remembering his smile as he kissed me goodbye when I hear a loud noise.
“Okay, please explain to me why I have to read about your possible engagement online, and where the hell have you been?” Jeannine asks as she bursts through my front door after fighting off the paparazzi.
I stand and run to hug her. “I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, but it all happened so fast, and then I was on a plane. It was spontaneous and so unexpected.” I cover my face with my hands, ashamed that my best friend in the world didn’t know before everyone else.
“That doesn’t explain where you’ve been, though. Believe me, I’ve heard every idea under the sun. So spill.”
“Jeannine, it was nothing you would ever expect. Sage is not like his family, nowhere near. They think they’re above doing any of the grunt work to make the world a better place, but not him. He took me to a remote village in Malawi where we built a maternity ward.”
“You were doing what?” she laughs.
“I know, right? It was amazing. Every part of it. The people were so nice, and the kids were something I’ll never forget. It was the best experience of my life.”
“So wait, you were building a maternity ward while I sat here worried off my ass that you ran away?” She sits down, exasperated by the last week’s events, I’m sure. “I came here in a frenzy, and your mom was so excited about him asking you that she said she forgot to even ask where you were going.” She laughs, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry. I never—”
“Whatever, I’m over it.” She shrugs. “Only because guess what I have?” she sings as she holds up a folded piece of paper.
“What is this?” I quickly grab the note, excited at the thought of what it could mean.
“Some hottie showed up at my place about a half hour ago, saying I needed to give you this and drive you to the location inside.”
“Did you read it?”
“No, and it’s killing me! Open it already!” She bounces up and down on the bed next to me like a giddy schoolgirl.
I slowly flip open the folds to show another handwritten note from Sage.
Keeping with our same theme,
I’ll get us to live this dream.
If I were a fly on the wall,
I’d finally see it all.
All I need for some change
Is a group to gather on the range.
My pulse races in excitement. “What’s going on at The Range today?” I ask Jeannine who already has her phone in her hand typing away.
“I’m on it.”
We sit in silence as she scrolls t
he website for an outdoor venue called The Range.
“Um… I don’t see anything actually,” she says, still searching for clues.
“Keeping with our same theme?” I question. “Ah, the band. Thousand Foot Krutch.”
I grab my phone, searching for their songs again. I laugh when I see a song called Fly on the Wall, and I show it to Jeannine.
“Hello! Press play!” she says.
The song starts off talking about kings and queens, and I laugh out loud. It’s not until I get to the chorus that it mentions being the change and my heart melts. This is Sage. He wants to be the change for this country and himself.
I sit and listen to the rest of the song when Jeannine lets out a scream.
“What in the world?” I ask, trying to calm my breathing from the shock I just endured.
“Look,” Jeannine says while forcing her phone in my face.
On the screen, I see a post from Sage himself, asking everyone to come out to The Range for a big surprise. The post has been shared over a thousand times and viewed by tens of thousands more with the comments at over seven hundred.
My grin brightens. “I guess we’re going to The Range,” we both announce at the same time.
I quickly put on some clothes and give myself a glance in the mirror before heading out. If I’ve learned anything about Sage, it’s that the simpler I dress, the bigger smile I receive when we meet, so I know my torn jeans and simple tee will be just fine.
We walk outside and are bombarded by people asking what’s going on and if we’re going to The Range. I finally turn around and respond, “What do you think?” Winking as I climb into the passenger seat of her car.
When we pull up, there are people everywhere. A motorcycle cop spots Jeannine’s car and tells us to follow him, giving us an escort through the crowd and into the venue’s parking lot. We drive straight to the front, and once we’re out of the car, Logan and Joey appear out of nowhere.
