by Lauren Runow
“Then that’s all that matters. Love always prevails. This fight isn’t over.”
24
Everly
Logan and Joey are in our suite within half an hour.
“Okay, what’s the plan?” Logan asks as he walks through the door.
“Can he really do this?” Joey asks right behind him.
“Yes, unfortunately, he can. It’s written in our by-laws, especially since he’s saying our marriage is null and void,” I respond after giving them both a handshake.
“There’s the girl of the hour,” Logan calls out, holding out his arms to me for a hug.
I sigh. “Really?”
“You know I’m just kidding. If he loves you, I do too. And I don’t believe in marriage, so that means a lot.” He narrows his eyes at me.
“You don’t believe in marriage?”
“That’s a conversation for another time,” Sage butts in. “Let’s focus on ours first.” He places his hand on Logan’s back.
Joey gives me a hug, and we all sit around the dining room table in our suite.
“Okay, so how can we fix this?” Logan asks, stretching back in his chair and placing his hands behind his head like we’re discussing what’s for dinner, not if we get to stay in the country or not.
Sage let’s out a breath. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”
That gets Logan’s attention, and he sits up straight. From what I’ve seen of them in the past, Sage always seems to have a plan, and Logan and Joey are there to make it happen. Seeing that Sage was at a loss brought the reality of the situation slamming down on all of them.
“Well, let’s think about this.” I stand to get a piece of paper from the notepad sitting next to the television. “He said our marriage is null and void. Is it?”
“No, I’ve already told you that.” He gets up, heading toward our room and grabbing a folder, setting it down on the table. “Everything is in there.”
“Yup. I had to get the judge myself.” Joey laughs. “You should have seen his face when I told him what was going on. I don’t think he believed me until I had my dad call him directly.”
I shake my head and chuckle to myself. I never thought about how this all happened, it just did. I flip through the paperwork, seeing the judge’s signature on the form I signed after our ceremony.
“Then how can he say that?”
“Because he’s the king. He can say whatever he wants,” Sage deadpans.
“Then let’s prove him wrong. About everything.”
Sage glances at me with a smile growing on his handsome face. “I get the feeling your wheels are turning. Do share.”
“You know Madame Callista loves you. How many other countries have you helped change the lives of the people who live there?”
He nods, knowing where I’m going with this. “A few…”
“Your father is all about public perception, right?” He nods again, leaning in closer. “Then let’s prove him wrong and show everyone in Canterbury who you really are.”
“But how? We can’t take them all there?”
“No, but through video production, we can.” I hold out my hands proudly to my side, happy I can contribute my expertise. “Let’s go visit these places and show Canterbury what you’ve really been up to.”
“I knew you were perfect for me.” Sage wraps his arms around me, bringing me in for a kiss. “Wait. Shit. There’s no way I’ll get access to the plane.”
“I got you,” Logan speaks up. “We’ll use good ole dad’s plane. You know he has a thing out for your dad ever since he put that sanction on import goods. He’ll be happy to help.”
“Looks like we have a trip to plan,” Sage says, standing to get his laptop while Logan dials his dad.
Within twenty-four hours, we were on a plane. I’m in awe of what Sage can accomplish in such a short amount of time. We’ve already made one stop and are on our way to a second location when he gets a text from his sister.
Please let me know where you are.
Sage shows me before sitting back in his chair to contemplate the message.
“What are you thinking?” I ask after I sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck.
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. She’s always been on my side, but this is a completely different ball game.”
“You don’t trust her?”
He meets my gaze, and I see the pain behind them. “I do trust her. But”—he sighs—“I just don’t know what to feel. My mom sent me a text, too, and Logan’s mom said she’s been searching for me.”
My heart hurts for him. I know he loves his family, but this is all such a mess. “Did you not respond to your mom?”
He shakes his head, rubbing his lids. I can only imagine the tears forming behind his gorgeous, hazel eyes.
I drop my head to his chest, holding him closer to me. “You should at least let them know you’re okay. They care about you.”
He nods, taking a deep breath before typing out:
I’m fine. I’ll be home soon.
She’s quick to respond:
Thank God! Mom and I have been worried sick we’d never hear from you again.
You can’t get rid of me that quickly ;-)
He lets out a little chuckle.
You won’t tell us where you are?
He pauses for a moment before responding:
No, not yet. How’s Mom?
A worried mess. I’ve never seen her act this way. Especially toward Dad. She finally stood up to him yesterday. It wasn’t pretty, but I must say I was proud of her.
Sage stares at the phone, and I notice his eyes filled with tears. When he blinks, one slips out and down his cheek. He’s quick to rub it away. Before he can respond she continues:
Everyone is speculating that you’ve already left the country and never plan to come back. Since we couldn’t get a hold of you, Mom started to believe the rumors.
Tell her I'm sorry. I had some things to do. I didn’t want anyone to know and have it get back to him.
We understand. I really hope Dad comes to his senses.
Me too.
He motions for me to get up, and walks to the bathroom, I’m sure to calm his emotions in private. When I pick up his phone, I see the last text from his sister.
We’re behind you. We love you and can’t wait to welcome Everly to our home.
I drop my head back and close my eyes. Praying our plan works.
25
Sage
As the plane lands back in Canterbury my chest tightens and my palms sweat. It took us some time to visit the countries I’ve helped in the past and get together the documentary we planned on airing. It was amazing to see everyone again and also to see the impact my assistance had in the villages.
During my past visits, I asked whoever took pictures to not state specifically who I was, rather stating I was a fellow volunteer. The last few weeks, I was able to see all the photos taken in individual countries. The memories they brought back were worth the trip alone.
I’ve kept in touch with both my sister and Mom but didn’t tell them where I was or what I have planned. Everything had to be a complete surprise, so my father didn’t try to stop it from happening.
Logan and Joey have been coordinating the viewing back home, and thank God for Logan’s dad, Michael. Though I’ve never been fond of the man, he’s helped us a ton. I had no idea the degree of hatred he held for my father, or the lengths he would go to help me to replace him someday.
It’s pretty cool to see him and Logan bond over this as well. Logan’s seeing a different side of his dad, and for them to actually agree on things has been a huge stepping-stone in their relationship.
In order to keep everything a secret, we had Michael purchase a half hour of airtime on one of our major television stations, saying it’s a sales pitch on a new product he’s pushing. We plan to alert all other media stations and give them access to the feed if they want to air it as well.
Now that the time is here, I can’t help but pray it all goes well and everyone believes me.
As we exit the plane, Logan and Joey are standing there to greet us on the tarmac, ready for us to head directly to the station. Everly has been uploading the film directly to her laptop, editing it between flights and now holds the digital copy in her hand.
I’m so proud of her ability to tell a story and make the imagery just as amazing.
“You ready?” Logan asks.
“Let’s do this,” I reply.
I reach for Everly’s hand, wanting her by my side more than ever as we head toward Logan’s SUV.
When we pull up to the station, I glance over to Everly only to see panic written all over her face. Holding her head between my hands, I place my forehead on hers and whisper, “Everything will be okay. This”—I reach in my pocket and hold up the thumb drive—“is amazing, and if our country doesn’t fall in love with you, then it’s a country I don’t want to run.”
My lips touch hers, and I’m instantly rejuvenated. She offers me everything I need in this world.
I open my door and step out, more ready than ever to let the world finally see who I am.
When we enter the news station, heads turn my direction, and everyone stares in shock. I’m sure I’m the last person they thought they would see walk through their doors tonight.
“Prince Sage.” A man stands, holding out his hand to shake mine. “I’m Tim, the director. It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” I smile as we shake hands. “This is my wife, Everly.”
“Wife?” he temporarily slips then quickly recovers. “Yes, sure. It’s so nice to meet you, Everly.”
“I’m sorry we had to lie to you beforehand, but the program that Michael Thompson is scheduled to play tonight is not exactly what you thought. If it’s okay with you, Everly and I have put together a tell-all, personal-narrative documentary that we wished to share with Canterbury.”
I hand the file to Tim, and his face lights up. “Sir, yes. We are honored you chose us to play this. I’ll get this over to programming right now.”
“Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your cooperation.”
He nods, and as he walks away, I stop him. “Oh, can you also please put it on a line that the other stations can access? I’m going to call them now and give them a heads up if they want to pick up the feed.”
“Of course. That’s no problem at all.”
I pick up my phone and call the other stations, which are all just as shocked as Tim was, and more than happy to pull the feed and stream it live.
All we can do is wait now. We’ve done everything we could, so I grab Everly’s hand, heading to the only place I want to be while we wait: her rock at The Ridge.
We pull into the employee parking lot at The Ridge. Everly made sure her mom was there to greet us, and when we open the door, Everly jumps out, giving her mom a big hug.
I love seeing them together. Their bond is something I’ve never experienced with my own parents, but I hope to change that. Especially with my mom. Throughout our entire trip, they spoke every day, and Judy even made a few suggestions for our video that we used in the final cut.
“Sage,” Judy whispers to me as she also pulls me in for a hug. “Welcome home, son.”
“Thank you. It’s good to be here.”
“Is everything set?” she asks when we pull back from each other.
“Yup. Now we wait, keeping our fingers crossed,” Everly says.
“You have nothing to worry about. From what Everly has said, and I know her work, you will win over the hearts of everyone here.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Everly smiles sweetly. “So is it safe?” She points to where we are going.
“Yup. I told my boss, and he was happy to help, so he closed off the patio until you guys came through. So head on back.”
“Thank you, Judy,” I say.
She smiles sweetly at both of us before shooing us on our way. Just in case, I pull a hat down low, and we walk as fast as we can through the back entrance to Everly’s special place.
Once we’re there I can’t help but reflect on the full circle we’ve come. Only a few months ago I dreamt of a beautiful girl who sat on a rock and now I’m here with her as my wife. I can’t help it when I reach out and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into me and breathing in her sweet scent.
“I want you to know that no matter what, I wouldn’t do anything different,” I say, while she’s pressed against my chest. “Being here, with you, is the happiest I’ve ever been.”
She leans back to look at me. “You’re not worried?”
I shrug. “As long as I have you nothing else matters. I know we’ve done everything we can. I have faith that the people of Canterbury will see it our way.” I rub my finger along her cheek. “I know they will love you just as much as I do.”
She blushes and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I glance at my watch, seeing it’s almost show time. After taking a deep breath, saying one last prayer, we both sit, pulling up their live feed on my phone as we wait for the show to start.
The program begins, and I appear on the screen, standing in front of the well I helped drill in Nigeria.
“Hello everyone. Many of you know me as Prince Sage Stevinson. For years I’ve been out of the limelight, but I think it’s time for you to see what I’ve really been up to. Unfortunately, my family doesn’t feel the same way about how a royal should help our community. I never wanted to be king because I never wanted to stop what I was doing.
“I know you all have been following my life recently, and I’m hoping this video will set the record straight.
“First, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Everly, who is standing behind the camera. And yes, I said wife. No matter what my father has said, our wedding was legal, and she will always be by my side, if we’re in the royal family or not. I’m here to ask for you to open your hearts, learn who I really am and hopefully, together, we can be the change our country needs. So enjoy, and I hope to see you all soon.”
The screen cuts to a group of kids, pumping water from the well. The youngest one holds the bucket under the stream with a huge grin on his face as a voice over starts from the President of Nigeria.
“Getting clean water to the people who lived on the outskirts of Gbongan was an issue my country faced. Every day, women would walk miles into town just to fill up their jug. Through the help of Prince Sage, we were able to drill a well, thirty feet in the ground, where everyone has access to it. The most amazing part was that Prince Sage was here himself, helping with the equipment and installing the necessary pipes to ensure success. Having him in our country brought hope to many people and made their lives infinitely better.”
Pictures scroll across the screen of my time there. Memories flood my mind of the moment fresh, clean water poured from the spicket. Everyone cried, including me. Some wells don’t have to go that deep, and we were running out of options, but I refused to give up, and the reward was more than worth it.
We all passed around cups of water, drinking with pride at our accomplishment. A little boy hopped on my lap, holding his cup with a huge grin covering his face when he held it up to me saying, “It’s clear!” He’d never seen such clean water.
When the picture passes by of that exact moment, I choke back the tears forming around the memory. Everly wraps her arms around my arm and reaches up to kiss my cheek as I reappear on the screen to introduce the next portion.
The image fades away to reveal a man standing with his wife and four children in a dirt field. “My name is Adia, and this is my family. A few years ago, I got a tooth infection that was spreading to the rest of my body. I was not able to work, and my family was going to starve. My village does not have health care, and without the means to travel to another city, my outlook was grim. We got word of a dental clinic a few towns over, but I was too weak to make the trip. My wife walked the twenty miles, begg
ing for them to help. When Prince Sage showed up at my doorstep with a truck to pick me up, my entire world changed. I was able to get the treatment I needed. Today my family is thriving thanks to Prince Sage.”
The camera pulls back to show his home and the land around them before cutting to a dental clinic we opened. The dentist stands in the middle of the kids when he says, “To date, we have been able to help thirty thousand patients within our facility. This would not be possible without the help of Prince Sage. Through his assistance, we have been able to apply for grants and get international funding as well as a group of dentists who come through twice a year to help with our patients. The lives we have been able to save, just through simple routine dental care, has made a huge impact on the surrounding villages. We are proud to display Canterbury’s flag on our building at all times.”
The image pans to show our flag, flying high right next to Kenya’s. I was so proud the day we raised them together. I wish my family could have been there to celebrate with me.
This was the hardest project I took on because I don’t know a thing about dental care. I just knew there was a need, so I made it my mission to file for grants through Rotary International and the World Health Organization. This was the longest project I worked on, but the one most worth the effort.
Since we had to leave Malawi early, I was eager to get back and make sure the maternity ward was completed. Madame Callista was flabbergasted when we told her what was going on, and she was more than willing to help. For this section of the video though, I wanted it to feature Everly. When Madame Callista had sent me the info for the women wanting to start a business and work with Everly, I was elated. This is the perfect thing for Everly to get involved in and make her own mark as our future queen.
