“Leo, it feels so amazing.”
“Great. Don’t hold back. Hug me harder and rub your cock against my stomach. I want you to come.”
Initially, he thought it would take a while for him to reach his second climax for the night, but he couldn’t be more wrong. As Leonardo continued to pound into him, hitting his prostate dead on, he could detect his orgasm building up faster by the second. He clenched and loosened his ass around Leonardo’s dick, wanting his lover to come at the same time. He must have done it right. His cum shot out from the slit of his dick a second or two before Leonardo arched his back and pushed into him one last time. The warmth of Leonardo’s cum sprayed deep into him. Their lovemaking was incredible. He didn’t even care that Leonardo was dripping sweat all over him.
“That was awesome.”
Leonardo slumped down onto him and snickered. “Hell, yeah.”
It took them both several minutes to stop panting. He was glad Leonardo didn’t pull his cock out from inside his ass. Instead, his lover adjusted their sleeping position, so he was now being cuddled by Leonardo from behind. Once in a while, he could feel Leonardo’s cock throbbing and pulsing inside him. He didn’t mind it, though.
“Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you…can you contact the woman who gave birth to me?”
Leonardo stiffened for a moment. “Are you sure about that? Do you really want to meet her?”
“I…” Tristan trailed off. “I think I do. I have so many questions for her.”
“Okay, babe. I’ll do that tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” Tristan was about to doze off when he remembered the twins and attempted to get up from the bed. “Shit! Jackie and Alex.”
Leonardo embraced him harder to prevent him from moving away. “Before dinner earlier, I had asked Isaac to read them their bedtime stories just for tonight.”
Tristan chortled. “You’re confident that you’re going to get laid, eh?”
“Maybe.”
“Ha!” Tristan heard Leonardo chuckling softly before he detected his lover’s warm breath against his neck and the man’s soft lips followed soon after. He scooted backward and tugged Leonardo’s arms tighter around him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, babe.”
Tristan half-expected he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep right away, especially since his mind was filled with questions and possible scenarios about everything that might occur when he came face-to-face with the woman who brought him out into this world. However, he must have been more exhausted than he realized because he drifted off into dreamland within minutes.
Chapter 14
It took almost two weeks before Leonardo was able to secure a private meeting in his office with Gianna Calliwell, Princess of Ruclington and Duchess of Otrium. She was a formidable older woman almost the same age as his own mother, but it was obvious she was also nervous about the meeting. He stood behind his desk and gave her a slight bow, which she returned in kind before approaching the seat across from him.
“Duchess,” he greeted when she stopped right before his desk.
“Your Highness.”
He nodded and gestured at the chair. “Please have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
The first minute or so, there was an awkward silence between them. Leonardo had no idea how he was supposed to begin the conversation. He smiled at the older woman, trying to alleviate the tense atmosphere. Fortunately, she did the same.
“Madam, as I informed you on the phone, Tristan has agreed to meet up with you.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I appreciate you acting as the middleman. May I know where he is at the moment?”
“He’s busy with my twins, Jacqueline and Alexander.”
“I see. So, he has been residing here ever since he left Kaiserbourg?” His startled gaze made her grin. “I kept track of him as often as I could, so I panicked when I lost track of him a few months ago.”
“He’s safe with me, Madam.”
“I have no doubt about that, Your Highness.”
“Thank you for your confidence in me. I told one of the guards to let Tristan know the moment you arrived at the palace. He should be here momentarily.” Gianna was about to respond to him when someone knocked on his office door. “Enter, please.”
He noticed the dimming of Tristan’s joyful expression when his lover stepped inside and caught sight of Gianna sitting across from him. Gianna was in a similar state of shock mixed in with hopefulness, but he didn’t care about the older woman. Tristan was of a higher priority to him. He pushed his chair back and got up before walking toward Tristan and pressing a gentle kiss on his lover’s forehead before embracing the man around the waist.
“I…I’m fine, Leo,” Tristan whispered into his right ear. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He pulled away and led Tristan toward Gianna. “Madam, this is Tristan Quinn Calliwell. Tristan, allow me to introduce you to the Princess of Ruclington and Duchess of Otrium, Gianna Calliwell.”
Tristan bowed, but Gianna simply shook her head and extended her arms.
“May I?”
Leonardo moved back a little, so Tristan could receive a hug from the woman who gave birth to him almost twenty-six years ago. He cleared his throat gently after a moment to get their attention. “I’ll give you some privacy in my office. Stay as long as you need to.”
Tristan grabbed his hand to prevent him from going anywhere. “I want you here with me, Leo. Please.”
He hesitated and glanced at Gianna, who simply shrugged.
“I’m all right with that, Your Highness.”
“Okay. I think the separate chairs will be too uncomfortable. May I suggest the couch instead?”
Leonardo led Gianna and Tristan to the couch in one corner of his office. He guided Tristan toward the longer couch, so his lover could sit next to Gianna. Meanwhile, he chose the single couch closer to Tristan. There was a brief moment of silence, but he was thankful when Gianna spoke up soon after.
“Tristan, thank you for agreeing to meet up with me. I know I don’t have any right to demand it, but I want you to know there isn’t a day that passes by without me thinking and worrying about you.” Gianna reached up and unclasped the golden necklace around her neck before offering it to Tristan. “Look at the pattern all around the chain. It’s only allowed to be carved onto the jewelries belonging to the royal members of the House of Ruclington.”
Leonardo leaned in closer to have a better look when Tristan showed it to him. “It’s the same as the one on that ring hanging around the chain on your neck, babe.”
Tristan nodded at him. “Yeah.”
Gianna heaved out a sigh. “Tristan, I’m not sure how much of my family history you’re aware of, but I’m going to start from there. My father, your grandfather, was the King of Ruclington. I’m his fourth and youngest child. When he was still the king, I was fourth in line to the throne, but I fell in love with a commoner. The House of Ruclington was a conservative one back then. My oldest brother, your uncle, is now King of Ruclington, so things are much better these days. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. What I need you to know, my dear Tristan, is that I never wanted to abandon you, but I didn’t have a choice. I did it for your safety. I married your father, Quinn Calliwell, in secret, but your grandfather discovered it. He became livid and threatened to kill you and your father, so we eloped. However, we were terrified something might happen to you sooner or later. That was the reason why we left you at the orphanage in Kaiserbourg, but I gave you my ring in the hope that someday we would be reunited.”
Tristan wiped his tears away before speaking up. “How can you be sure I’m your son?”
Gianna chuckled. “You have my violet eyes, and you look just like your father. I know you have two moles side by side on your right butt cheek. I also remember the mole on the sole of your left foot right underneath your big toe.”
Tristan blushed upon hearing that. “That
…that’s right.”
Gianna gripped Tristan’s hands before continuing. “Hector and I were on the run for many years. When my father died almost three years ago, my oldest brother ascended to the throne, but it took him a while to locate our whereabouts. After we settled in Ruclington, we still needed time to adjust. By the time we were ready to bring you home, you disappeared from Kaiserbourg.”
Leonardo took over the explanation from that point onward. “I recognized the pattern on your ring, but I couldn’t be one hundred percent positive. I thought Isaac would be more familiar with it. After all, Isaac is dating Vivian.”
Tristan stared at him in bewilderment. “What does Vivian have to do with this situation?”
Gianna tugged on Tristan’s hand to gain his attention. “Vivian is the third child of a Viscount, who is a member of the peerage in Ruclington.”
“Oh!”
Gianna smiled at Tristan. “You don’t have an inherited title, though. Your father is simply known as Mr. Quinn Calliwell. Even though I retain my title, I can’t pass it down to you.”
Tristan shook his head. “I don’t care about that at all. I have another question for you. May I?”
“Of course.”
“Why isn’t he here?”
Gianna shifted closer to Tristan. “Your father wanted to be here. Desperately. However, I didn’t want you to be overwhelmed during the first meeting. If it’s all right with you and His Highness, maybe we can have another meeting in the future either here at the palace or elsewhere? Your father and I would love to get to know you better. On your terms, naturally. We don’t have the right to demand anything from you. I only hope that my explanation will help you understand that we love you. We didn’t have a choice when we abandoned you back then. We were being chased and hunted. The political situation in the royal family was treacherous all those years ago. You had a higher chance of surviving if you weren’t with us. I’m delighted you’ve found such a wonderful partner in His Highness.”
Tristan turned toward Leonardo and beamed at him. “Indeed, I do.”
Leonardo nodded at Gianna. “I will take good care of Tristan, Madam. I promise.”
“I know you will, Your Highness. Thank you.”
Tristan faced Gianna once again before speaking up. “I…I’m not ready to address you as ‘Mom’ or anything like that, but may I have a hug from you?”
Gianna nodded even as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “Yes! Please.”
Leonardo observed and smiled as his lover embraced the older woman. He was relieved the meeting went well. There was one more thing he had to do before he could truly relax, but that would have to wait until Gianna left the palace. He just hoped his plan wouldn’t fall through at the last minute.
* * * *
“Mr. Tristan?”
Tristan got off the couch and moved away from the twins to face the guard. “Yeah.”
“His Royal Highness requests for your presence in the garden right away.”
“Oh, all right. I’ll be there in a minute.” He turned toward the twins and smiled at them. “Put away your school work and return to your bedrooms to get some sleep. I’ll wake you up from your afternoon nap when it’s time for dinner.”
“Okay,” the twins chorused back at him before rushing toward their respective bedrooms.
A few minutes later, Tristan gasped when he walked out into the garden. There were candles everywhere. The air was much warmer since spring was right around the corner, but he wrapped his cardigan tighter around him as he shivered in amazement and took in the incredible sight.
Purple flower petals were strewn across the grass, so he followed the trail until he reached the pagoda, which was right next to the pond. He didn’t pay attention to the fish as he usually did because Leonardo was standing next to the table inside the pagoda and holding a bouquet of purple roses. Leonardo looked even more handsome than all those princes in fairy tales, but his opinion was biased.
“Hey, Leo. What…what’s this?”
Leonardo didn’t answer him. Instead, the man approached him and presented him with the flowers, which he accepted gratefully. His breath hitched when Leonardo gave him a brief kiss on the lips before stepping away and reaching out for his hand to lead him toward the table. He sat on the chair Leonardo pulled out for him and waited for his lover to sit across from him. He was surprised when Leonardo continued to stand next to him. His astonishment grew when one of the palace chefs pushed a cart onto the pagoda and handed Leonardo a medium-size box before leaving them alone.
“That’s for you.”
Tristan stared back and forth between Leonardo and the box, which was now placed in front of him.
“Open it.”
His hands trembled as he obliged. He untied the elegant ribbon and placed it beside the box before removing the lid. There were six cupcakes in the box. It was obvious from the various colors of whipped cream on top of the cupcakes that they were of different flavors. However, he didn’t care about the cupcakes at all because he was too busy gaping at the small blocks of milk chocolate bars that were leaning against the whipped cream on five of the cupcakes and spelling out “Will you marry me?” Then, his gaze went straight toward the final cupcake. There was a small, sphere-shaped piece of milk chocolate on top of the whipped cream.
“Leo, what—”
“Open it,” Leonardo repeated while pointing at the top of the sixth cupcake.
Tristan was confused, but he did as instructed. He chuckled when he managed to lift up the top half of the sphere, but it died in his throat when he noticed the ring nestled inside it.
“Is…is that—”
“May I?”
Tristan nodded dumbly. His heart beat faster when Leonardo picked up the ring.
“I…I’m no prince charming. I don’t always know the right words to say or the right things to do to be as romantic as those princes in fairy tales, but I’ll do my best to be the best husband that I can be. You will always be one of my top priorities. Tristan Quinn Calliwell, will you please marry me? I want you as my husband and the second father to Jackie and Alex.”
Tristan couldn’t see with much clarity due to the tears filling up in his eyes, but he nodded. “Yes. Yes, I will.” His hands trembled when Leonardo reached out for his left hand and slid the ring into his ring finger.
Leonardo wiped away his tears and placed a tender peck over his lips before pulling away. “It’s…it’s an heirloom ring. That’s why it’s yellow gold instead of the white gold that’s much more popular these days. The setting of the diamonds is also quite dated. I hope that’s okay.”
He shook his head. “I love it, and I love you.”
Leonardo beamed at him. “I love you, too.”
He melted into Leonardo’s embrace. He didn’t know how long they remained like that on the pagoda, but he would always remember that moment for the rest of his life. He couldn’t believe how many changes he’d experienced in less than a year. He met up with his mother earlier that day, and now he was Leonardo’s fiancé. He was no longer an orphan, and as soon as he got married to Leonardo, he would have a family of his own. His life was once filled with hardship and years of loneliness, but it was all right. Happily ever after came true for him. He found his fairy tale ending in Leonardo and the twins, and that was more than enough for him.
Epilogue
Leonardo gritted his teeth at the sight of his father and Isaac handing over a thick wad of cash each to his mother. It was such uncouth behavior, especially when it was done in public and on his wedding day, no less. He had no idea what they could be betting on now. His mother had won the third bet a year ago when she guessed accurately the timing of his proposal to Tristan.
Meanwhile, his mother simply grinned at him and mouthed, “Ten thousand each,” before slipping the money into her handbag.
His irritation faded in an instant when the music began to play. He grinned when his six-year-old twins spread flower petals along the path right in the c
enter between the rows of benches, but he couldn’t breathe when he took in the sight of Tristan right behind them. Tristan’s parents were on either side of him to walk him down the aisle. His husband-to-be had reconciled with Quinn and Gianna several months ago, and he was delighted when they agreed to walk Tristan down the aisle.
Leonardo only remembered to shut his mouth when Tristan winked at him. He noticed Isaac and Vivian snickering at him while Tristan’s friends, Thomas and Jacob, were each giving his husband-to-be two thumbs-up from their seats a few rows down. His heart beat faster and harder when Tristan finally faced him. He held Tristan’s hands as the ceremony progressed without a hitch. Not that he could remember much about any of it. He was certain he and Tristan exchanged their personal vows and wedding bands. He also knew he and Tristan each said, “I do.”
However, he couldn’t recall much about the ceremony. Tristan had always been gorgeous, but it was nothing compared to the way his husband looked right at that moment, especially when their lips were pressed against each other. He couldn’t stop grinning like a lunatic when he and Tristan walked out from the ballroom amid cheers and well-wishes. The noise was deafening when they stood on the balcony that faced the main entrance of the palace to greet the sea of citizens from all over Gefrington.
The people had been waiting for them for hours. He and Tristan appreciated their support, so the two continued to stand there for a while as they waved at the people. He even kissed Tristan there on the balcony for a bit longer than custom dictated as appropriate, but he couldn’t be bothered. He was married to a wonderful man, and he wanted the whole world to witness their love. Besides, the people seemed to like it. He could hear them loud and clear.
His Fairy Tale Ending Page 11
