CARLY
“Come with me. You can take a few days off.” I didn’t want to let him go. I was not ready yet. “Please?”
“You have to go and sort things out. And I’m not going anywhere.” He cupped my face and pressed his lips into mine. But it wasn’t enough. I needed him by my side.
“But I need you.” I felt like I want to cry again.
“I need you too, but you have things that need to be settled and done with your family. This is your chance.”
I looked away, tears welling in my eyes. “I can’t convince you, can I?”
“You don’t need to convince me. When things get better, the dust has settled, and you don’t have time to come and see me, I will visit you.”
“Visit me, huh?” My tears finally fell. “Why do I feel this is a goodbye?”
“No, sweetheart. This is just the beginning. I will be waiting for you. None of us is giving up. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.” I nodded even if my heart disagreed.
“Good. Now go. Call me whenever you can. I’m going to miss you.” He kissed me again, the kind of kiss he didn’t need to put into words. I felt it deep in my bone. “Take my heart with you, sweetheart.” His last words left me dumbfounded.
Stunned, I watched him step back, turn, and walk away from me.
“Rome!” I wanted to run back, but my brother was calling me from the jet.
***
“Rome!” I jolted to sit up.
“Even in your dream, huh.” He chuckled. “That’s how much he means to you.”
“What do you want?” I glared at Stellan across my seat. Honestly, I wasn’t mad at him anymore. I was pleased to see him, and he seemed happy as well.
“He loves you.”
“And your problem is?”
“I’m genuinely happy for you, Princess.”
“You retired, and what are you still doing with my brother?”
“I can’t say no to him. After this trip, I’m going back home, and you will never see me again.”
“Good.” I crossed my arms over my chest stubbornly. I still loved Stellan, and probably would always be, but the kind of love as an old friend, as a family.
“Is he a good lover?”
I groaned at his intrusive question. My face burned. “What exactly do you wanna know, Stellan? Every detail? Well, I have time, but do you?”
“I just wanna make sure he will take care of you, or I will be locked up for murder.”
“Jeez. This conversation is getting more awkward. And it’s none of your damn business.”
“Never mind. Got the answer on my own.”
“Just get lost.”
“I did not get a chance to apologize.” He just switched from cheerful to serious mode. “Forgive me, my princess. I know my behavior and what I did hurt you a lot. It was not truly my intention, but if you look for a brighter side, you meet someone who can take care of you and love you and make you proud.” He looked sincere enough to convince me he meant it.
I stared at him for a couple of seconds. “Have you met your Mrs. Ludovic yet?”
“No, princess. Probably will not.” He smiled.
“Your lost. You’re a good specimen.”
He laughed out loud. “Thank you. It means a lot coming from you.”
“Now get lost. We still had long hours before we landed.” A power nap was all I needed. “I need some sleep before I face my jury.”
“Sweet dreams.” He left me alone.
Before I could doze off, someone took the seat. “Leave me alone.”
“How are you feeling?”
I was already wide awake. “How’s Ken?”
“She’s great and missed you. And we’re pregnant.”
“Oh, my God.” I launched into him in a huge hug. “Oh, my God! This is the best news I’ve received so far. Congratulations! And how’s my nephew?”
“Thank you.” He was really happy. His eyes were shining, glittering when he talked about his family, wife, and little prince. Married life suited him, considering he found the right one for him. “He’s mamma’s boy.”
“I can’t believe you’re about to be a father of two.” And my chest squeezed with jealousy. All I wanted was a normal life with someone who loved me unconditionally as we built our family. Now that I had found the man I started to trust and learned to love, I was flying away from him, thousands of miles away.
“Sis, it’s gonna be okay.” Thayer squeezed my hand. “Everything is gonna be okay. You just have to trust me.”
“I trust you, brother. You were always there for me when I needed you. And you never gave up on me. You still believe in me despite what I put the monarch through.”
“We are family. You are family. And who else would support each other if not us? And I will always love you no matter what.”
“I love you too.” I hugged him again. “And here I am.” Wiping my tears away, I went back to my seat. “I never said thank you.”
“You don’t have to, Carlott. That’s what siblings are for. We help each other.”
“I wasn’t always there for you, Thay,” I confessed.
“You did. You just didn’t realize you were helping me. That’s what I always love and envy about you. You never asked anything in return. You just give and give. You are the most selfless woman I’ve ever met, and I couldn’t be any prouder.”
***
“Mother!” I ran toward my mother the moment she saw me. She looked the same as the last time I saw her. She had not aged.
“Oh, dear. My beautiful daughter.” She wrapped her arms around me, and I didn’t know I needed it until I was in her embrace. “I missed you, Carlott.” My mother was the opposite of my father, who never bent a rule, even for his own family.
“I missed you too, Mommy.”
Then she gave a gesture. I knew what it was. Then I did a curtsy in front of the future King. “Your Royal Highness.”
“Carlott.” One word coming from him gave me a shiver.
Then I met his gaze. The opposite of my mother, he looked like he’d aged a decade. He must have faced a lot of difficulties since I was gone.
I knew he would be the next King, and the pressure was immeasurable. Unless he was ill. I hoped not.
“How are you doing, father?”
“You need to come back.”
“Isodore, let our daughter breathe. She barely set foot on the ground.”
“She had enough contemplation. She should be more ready to do her duty again,” he said sternly.
“I am, father,” I replied confidently but quite the opposite of what I felt. And he thought I went on sabbatical. What was it like? Eat, Pray, Love? I wondered who did that long or if I just broke the record.
“Let’s go see your grandfather.” Mother gestured at me, and I walked with her side by side.
“Grandfather is here?” At this time, he should be at the palace and not at the manor in Winterbourn.
“You have a lot to catch up on, darling. And you are going to tell me about your man.” I had not seen that smile in a while. Of course, it had been a while, but the last time I saw it was when she heard about Thayer coming home with Kennedy.
“How did you know?”
“Do you really have to ask? I heard he’s a good lad and a decorated soldier.”
“Oh, boy.”
“Don’t expect too much about your grandfather, Carlott.”
The doors swung open before my mother could even finish her advice, and my knees almost gave up at the sight of the King.
“Oh, my King.” I rushed toward his bed, ignoring my mother calling my name. I knelt before him and kissed him on his cold bony hand. “Forgive me if I have failed you in so many ways. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, but I learned so much while away. And I’m here to do my duty in your name if the title and honor will be bestowed upon me. I will always be loyal to this family and to you.”
I felt a hand on my shoulder, squeezing me. “I’m so sorry, sister.”
With tears falling down my cheeks, I watched my grandfather lying in bed, not even a single movement. And we were surrounded by doctors.
“What’s going on, Thay?”
“He’s gonna go.” What were the most painful words I’d ever heard?
“No.” And all I could do was shake to cry. “Please, Grandpa, talk to me. All I need is a squeeze on my hand. I know you can hear. Please?”
Then the straight-line alarm echoed in the entire room. It felt like time had stopped in a momentum.
The deafening silence followed.
I looked around-they all carried the same expression on their faces.
Deep sorrow.
My brother pulled me into a hug.
“No, Thay. This can’t be.”
“You said the goodbye he ever wanted, Carlott.”
I turned to my father-he was mourning. He just lost his father, the King. And now my father just acceded to the throne as the King.
In unison, everyone bowed and curtsied. “Your Majesty.”
“Prepare for the announcement and inform the Prime Minister that Operation Burkhese is in motion.”