“Miss Smith?” said one of the two flight attendants cautiously. She’d been watching me the whole time, wary. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a twist, navy blue uniform cap atop her head. She was in a matching navy-blue dress and blazer, the Wyvernbank Royal Family’s crest sewn into the front pocket. “Can I offer you a drink?” she inquired. “Something to snack on, maybe? Can I get you some tissues?”
“Yes,” I grumbled.
“Yes?”
“To all those things. Yes.”
She wore a thin smile. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Do you have any alcohol?”
“Yes, ma’am. I can mix you up a cocktail, if you’d like.”
“Just grab me a bottle of vodka.”
The woman glanced nervously to her co-worker, an equally striking young flight attendant with red hair. “The whole bottle?”
I glared up at her. “Did I stutter?”
“Um, coming right up. Would you like ice with that or–”
“Surprise me. You know what? Forget it. I’ll get it myself.”
I stood and brushed past her, making for the minibar. There was a tiny fridge strapped in place, which I promptly opened to find a fully-stocked inventory of spirits in adorably tiny bottles. Except, I wasn’t here to enjoy any of it. I was here because Sebastian was shipping me home without my baby to an empty apartment where I’d no doubt spend the next nights awake, tossing and turning, wondering if Adam missed me. I grabbed as many tiny bottles as I could in my two hands, kicked the fridge door shut, trudged back to my seat, and plopped down with a huff. I’d already managed to down two tiny bottles of spiced rum by the time I finally got comfortable in my seat.
“Please buckle your seatbelt, Miss Smith,” said the redhaired attendant. “We’ll be departing soon.”
“Finally,” I spat, though I didn’t mean it. Not really. I didn’t want to go because my son was still here, but I also thought the plane couldn’t leave soon enough. I just wanted out of Wyvernbank. I wanted to get as far away from Sebastian and his stupid obligations and that damned royal family of his. I wanted to get away from the politics, from all the noise and confusion that seemed to follow me wherever I went. All I wanted was a little bit of peace. Was that so much to ask?
A voice crackled over the pilot’s radio, “Delta Four, you are not clear for takeoff.”
Apparently, it was.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
The pilot stood from the controls and ducked beneath the entryway to the cockpit. He smiled apologetically to me. “I’m sorry. It appears this flight has been grounded.”
I frowned. “What? Why?”
The pilot turned to the attendants and said, “Open the doors. We have a special guest boarding the plane.”
I threw my head back and groaned, “This is the worst day ever.”
They lowered the door and attached steps. All three of the plane’s crew bowed their head as the mystery guest boarded, heavy footsteps shaking the frame of the plane. I didn’t bother looking up, too furious and already a bit tipsy to muster up the ability to care.
“You may leave,” came a familiar voice.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” the crew members chanted together before promptly letting themselves out.
Sebastian sat in the seat across from me, hands folded together neatly and placed on his lap. I refused to look at him. I trained my eyes out the little oval-shaped window and glared at the horizon, even though it hurt to do because of how bright the sun was. Sebastian looked as tired as I felt. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, neither of us quite sure what to say or do.
“I know you’re angry with me,” he finally said. “I was just trying to do what I thought was best for Adam.”
I remained quiet. I didn’t much feel like wasting what little energy I had left.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry that I tried to push you away. Adam needs you. And I’m fairly certain that I need you too.”
I scoffed, “You need me?”
“I really do.”
“Where’s this even coming from?”
“You didn’t tell me Ambassador Clavets was the one who approached you at the hotel.”
I sat up straight, abandoning the bottles of alcohol on my lap. I felt a little ridiculous with them there. To any onlooker, it definitely looked like I had a problem. My cheeks warmed at the mention of Ambassador Clavets. It was all because of him that things between Sebastian and I started to go downhill. “He had something on me,” I explained.
“You were arrested. I know.”
“You do?”
“He told me everything, Alison. He told me you were worried about dragging my name through the mud. You left because you didn’t want that to happen.”
I shook my head slowly. “I didn’t.”
“You were just trying to look out for me,” he said gently. “I really appreciate that.”
I finally looked him in the eye. There was nothing but sincerity behind them. He finally looked and spoke like the Sebastian I first fell in love with. “What do you want from me, Sebastian? I’m tired. I don’t think I have it in me to play anymore games.”
He raised his hands. “Neither do I. What I want is for you to stay.”
“Seriously?”
Sebastian nodded. “I’ll tear up the agreement. I’ll move you into one of the rooms in the palace and–”
“Hold on,” I interrupted. “The palace. That’s not exactly discreet.”
He smiled at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he did. “My father knows. He’s very excited to get to know his grandson, as well as the mother of my child.”
“He didn’t… I don’t know. He didn’t freak out? That’s–”
“I know.” He chuckled. “I was surprised too. I guess we could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble by just telling him off the bat. Adam’s currently at the palace with him. I’m pretty sure my father’s dedicated an entire wing just for Adam’s toys.”
“That’s–” I sighed in relief. “That’s good. The cat’s out of the bag.”
“It is.”
We fell into silence again, tension evaporating away. Sebastian looked me over, genuine concern written into his brow. “Alison,” he whispered, “don’t go. Stay with me. Please, give me another chance to prove myself to you. I don’t want to keep you a secret. I never did. I just wanted to protect you. I was wrong to keep you at arm’s length.”
“Like how I protected you?”
“Exactly. It’s not easy being a Prince. People are going to say terrible things about me, about you. Maybe even about Adam; though, I’d make their lives a living hell if they did. It’s tough, living in the shoes I’ve got. But if you’re willing, I’d like to try giving us another chance. A real chance, not just dating in secret like we were before. I know now that you’ve only got my best interests at heart. Let me have a chance to do the same for you. We could look out for each other, be stronger together. I don’t want to hide you from the rest of the world. I want to be with you and show everyone that I’m proud of that fact.”
“Is this your roundabout way of asking me out?”
“It is. It’s my really wordy way of saying ‘please take me back, I miss you and love you, and I’m sorry.’”
“That sounds just as wordy.”
“You’re killing me here, Alison.”
“And you said you love me?”
Sebastian worried his bottom lip with his teeth, licking them quickly as he swallowed hard. “Yes. I’ve loved you for a long time now. Circumstance just kept me from really showing you.”
A weak smile stretched across my lips. I leaned forward and reached out, grazing the side of Sebastian’s face. It was ridiculous how much I missed the feel of his skin beneath my palm. “Okay,” I said, “let’s give this another try. But I swear to God, if you send me away again, I will never forgive you.”
His eyes lit up like fireworks. “You mean that?”
> I gingerly pressed my lips to his, burden lifting from my shoulders. “I really do.”
Sebastian got down on his knees and kneeled before me, wrapping his arms around me to pull me in close. He kissed me hard, leaving my lips swollen and bruised. I hummed into his mouth, finally feeling better than I had in months. This was where I was meant to be. It didn’t matter what nation I was in, which house I chose to call home. As long as I was allowed to be in Sebastian’s arms, adored and cherished, I knew exactly where I needed to be.
32
Sebastian
The media tore us both to shreds. I had tasked Patrick and Klaus to shield Alison and Adam from the worst of it. Klaus arrived not two weeks after I convinced Alison to stay. Patrick happily arranged for a semi-permanent work visa for Klaus that I may or may not have had a part in approving. Alison, the overprotective mother that she was, still couldn’t bring herself to trust any of the ten nannies I’d hired to watch over Adam. Alison said the only other person outside the two of us to take care of Adam was Klaus. Since Alison had no intention of going back to Sunyata for work, Klaus was obviously in need of a new job, hence his sudden arrival.
Patrick, for obvious reasons, hadn’t complained.
I was sitting at my desk, shuffling through trade deals with various nations that my father wanted me to look over. He’d said he needed a second pair of eyes, but I could tell he was trying to slyly shift more work onto me so that he could spend the day spoiling Adam with new toys and all manner of sweet treats. Patrick was sitting at the end of my desk, scrolling through the news feed on his tablet.
“Overall, public opinion’s up,” he stated. “It looks like the people are a lot less inclined to believe sensationalized headlines than we first anticipated.”
“There aren’t any stories about Adam, though?”
“None at all.”
“Good,” I sighed as I signed my name on the bottom of a salt trade agreement. The press could say whatever they wanted about me and Alison—though I preferred if it was just me—but Adam was completely off-limits. A small gossip magazine had made an attempt to write some slanderous things about my son, noting his half-Sunyata heritage and calling him a lesser Prince, but I made sure to shut them down quickly after that. It was easy enough to buy up all their public shares and hold their board of directors hostage. After all, who’d dare disrespect the person who effectively now owned the majority of the company? No one, that was who.
I finished my paperwork and stacked everything neatly in a pile, pushing the documents to the corner of the desk. I leaned back in my chair and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Any big plans with Klaus tonight?” I asked.
“Not particularly. He said there was an interesting documentary he wanted to stream after we had dinner, but that was about it.”
“Could I maybe trouble you to look after Adam tonight?”
Patrick gave me a wide, fond smile. “Of course. As long as we don’t end up playing Hide and Seek again, I’m all for it. I’m sure Klaus will be too.”
I laughed. “You thought you lost him.”
“Your son has a knack for finding the strangest hiding spots. We searched everywhere. Klaus was fairly certain you’d behead us both if we didn’t find him.”
“I’m not about capital punishment.” I chuckled.
“That’s good.”
“But I’m pretty sure Alison is, so be careful.”
Patrick grimaced. “Duly noted. Did you have plans to take her anywhere tonight?”
I winked at my advisor. “I was going to take her dancing. I haven’t danced with her since the after-conference party over three years ago.”
Patrick nodded and closed his eyes. “Ah, yes. I remember it well. The steaks they served at the party were phenomenal. Was dancing the only thing on the agenda?”
I patted my inner breast pocket and grinned wildly. “Not at all. Who knows? If tonight goes well, you might have to start calling Alison Her Royal Highness.”
I was nervous. More nervous than I thought I’d be. It was a simple question to ask, but I couldn’t find the courage to form the words in my mouth. I’d reserved the entire restaurant and gave special instructions to have an area cleared so that there was room for the live band I had hired—well, the one Patrick had hired for me—and room for us to move about. I was the first to arrive with my personal security team. They combed through the whole area to make sure there weren’t any bugs, malicious parties hiding in pantries, hidden weapons, and so on. Whenever I wanted to get away from the palace, they had to be extra thorough to ensure my safety. Once my head of security gave me the all-clear, I sat at the little table closest to the dance area and anxiously thrummed my fingers on its surface.
Everything had to be perfect tonight. Alison deserved no less. The champagne I’d selected almost a week prior was chilling out in a bucket of fresh ice. The floral arrangement sitting in the center of the table consisted of gorgeous flowers, all of which Alison liked. I had the restaurant manager rewash the beige silk tablecloths to rid them of any stains. The silverware had all been polished, and the dishware had all been immaculately set. The only two things that were missing were Alison and my nerves.
Alison arrived ten minutes after I had, walking in through the back door of the restaurant. The front entrance was too obvious and would have instantly alerted any passing pedestrians of our location. I even paid the restaurant manager an additional sum to clean up the alleyway out back so Alison didn’t feel uncomfortable walking through. From what I understood, it took them several days to scrub away or paint over all of the graffiti, and several hours to wash away the scent of cigarette smoke and garbage. I even offered to pay to change the lightbulbs out back to illuminate Alison’s path.
When she finally arrived, my jaw nearly hit the floor. She was even more gorgeous than the day we'd met. Alison was wearing a floor-length strapless emerald green gown that hugged her curves in all the right places. A string of large, shiny pearls adorned the base of her long neck, and a set of dangling emerald earrings hung from her ears to compliment the color of her dress. She had on her signature eyeliner, points sharp enough to cut, and her lips were rouged with a dark red, bordering on mahogany. She looked absolutely divine. When she walked, it appeared like she was gliding across the tile floor, effortless. I stood and held my hand out for her to take. She easily slipped her small palm into mine, soft skin cool against my calloused hand.
“You look beautiful,” I said, kissing her briefly on the lips.
“You’re not too bad looking yourself,” she giggled.
“You think so? I had Patrick do my hair three times over because I wasn’t sure.”
Alison reached out and fiddled with the fabric of my silk tie, straightening it before patting down the collar of my shirt. “Well, I think he did a fantastic job.”
“I’ve already ordered ahead. I hope you like lobster.”
“You know for a fact that I do.”
“Would you care to dance in the meantime?”
Alison grinned. “I would love to.”
I guided her to the open floor and took her in my arms, placing one hand behind her back—suggestively low, just because I could—and supported her other hand in my own. The band started to play a slow, jazzy tune that we could warm up to. I didn’t have to look where I was going, familiar enough with the steps to lead. My eyes were on her and her alone, hypnotized by the fullness of her lips and the glimmer of her eyes. Her sweet perfume was a familiar comfort, reminding me of home.
“How was your day?” she asked softly as we moved to the rhythm.
“It was good. Just your average day. How was yours?”
“Excellent. I’ve got everything arranged for the food bank fundraiser. Klaus thinks it’s going to be a huge success, judging by the guest list.”
“That’s wonderful. You always were the philanthropist.”
Alison turned her head to rest on my shoulder. She brought her hands in and pressed them to my chest, tota
lly comfortable. I didn’t realize until it was too late that she could probably feel the little ring box on the inside of my blazer. She patted my chest, looking up with a frown.
“What’s that?” she asked.
I tried to smile through it. “Nothing.”
“You’re an awful liar.”
“Yeah, okay, fine,” I sighed. I took a step back as I reached into my pocket, pulling out the red velvet ring box. I opened it to reveal a massive diamond ring on a silver band. The center diamond was surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds, only adding to the piece’s overall brilliance. “I was going to ask you after dessert. I knew I shouldn’t have kept it there. That’s on me.”
Alison looked both stunned and amazed. “Sebastian, what–”
I got down on one knee, music still swelling through the chorus of the song. “Alison, I didn’t know true happiness until I met you.”
“Oh, Sebastian.”
I let out a shaky breath. “Please, let me finish. I might be too nervous to get the words out, otherwise.”
She nodded, smiling behind a hand.
“When I first met you, I literally couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Not because you’re beautiful—though you totally are—but because of how intelligent and passionate you are. I was hooked the moment you challenged me that day at the conference. I knew that if I didn’t try to see you again, I’d only live to regret it. We’ve been through our fair share of ups and downs, but we got through them together. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without you. You’re the mother of my child, and you’re the whole reason I’m excited to wake up in the mornings. You make me want to be a better man, not just for you and Adam, but for my entire country. I’m going to be King someday, and I’d very much be honored to have you as my Queen. I love you, Alison. More than you know.”
Royally Loved Page 50
