Page 9 of Royal Rebel

“Will Shannon come with me?” she asks quietly.

“She will. We’ll do most of your training there, so she will need to be present. We’ll have each other, but I know you’ll need a female friend there with you as well. Even though we’ll be getting to know one another, you’ll need someone else to talk to.”

“I’ll make sure they’re ready,” Parker assures me.

An hour later, a couple of cars packed with the belongings of the women, the security team that travels with me, and the few things I’m taking back, we leave the palace and head toward King’s Pass.

Amelia sits in the front seat of my Range Rover, Parker in the back with Shannon. There are two more RangeRovers with us. One in the front and one behind us. Even though I’d love to drive as fast as I’m allowed, I know it’s not safe, so I stay in our caravan. The farther we get away from the palace, from the city, the more I relax, and the more Amelia seems to relax as well. She reaches over, grabbing at my hand. I look over at her, smiling slightly. She takes my lead, smiling back.

“Is there anything you can tell me about it?” Amelia asks as we drive along the sea-side highway.

“No.” I shake my head. “There’s no way I can do it justice. I’d prefer for you to see it, not hear about it. I think you’ll love it just as much as I do. I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.”

I notice the only time she’s taken her eyes off the passing sea as we’ve been driving is to look at me, and I just know the next few months are going to surprise me. Things I never thought I would never have again will be mine. Just maybe I will have someone to love and love me back. A feeling I haven’t felt since my mom died, even if it’s a different kind of love.

For the first time, I have hope that I’ll feel that emotion again.

Fuck, I’ve missed it.

CHAPTER 5

AMELIA

“I’m excited to see what you think,” Tristan says as he turns into what appears to be a very long driveway. “There aren’t gates here. For the most part, the people who live here give me my privacy.” He shrugs. “And I’ve never wanted to put anything up that would impede my view. You’ll see what I mean.”

“How long is this driveway?” I’m craning my neck, trying to see the house, but I can’t see it yet.

“About two miles. It sits far enough off the road to be completely secluded. One of the reasons I love it so much. We’re about eight miles from town, so it’s easy to get there.”

I’m about to ask him something else, but that’s when I get a good look at the house I’m going to be living in. My family is well-off and I’m familiar with luxury. But this house? Takes my breath away. It looks like it was literally situated here by God himself. Like it’s been here since the beginning of time. It sits in the place it was meant to be for eternity.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” His voice is quiet in the awe filling the Range Rover.

It appears to be about three stories high. The outside is dark blue with weathered shingles and a massive porch. To the left looks to be a five-car garage. “It is.” I badly want to know what the other side of the house looks like and the inside. I need a complete picture.

“Wait until you see the rest of it.”

He parks and we’re quickly out, him grabbing my hand. Mine are cold, like normal, and feeling his strong warmth is a relief. “Wait, what about our stuff?”

“There’s a small staff here.” He entwines our fingers together. “They’ll take care of it while I show you your new home.”

As we enter, I’m literally rendered breathless by the view. While this side of the house had few windows, the backside? It has nothing but windows. We walk slowly through the foyer, in my peripheral I see staircases, but my gaze is dedicated to what’s in front of me. The living room is manly, all leather and dark colors. What’s got my attention, however, is the fact I can see the ocean through the window.

“I can’t believe you have this view,” I whisper.

“This,” he whispers right along with me, pulling me into his side. His arm wraps around my neck, causing me to lean into his side. “Is my happy place. There’s something about sitting in either here or on the back deck and watching the waves, listening to them, and just enjoying the quiet. There’s so much noise in my life, so many people who need me for something, or want me to make some sort of decision. My father, telling me what I should do, or what I shouldn’t do. Here, it doesn’t matter. I can be me, and more than anything, that’s why I love it, and why I hope you love it too.”

“I think I’m going to,” I tell him, feeling the sense of peace he talked about as I look out over the water.

Like a scene from a postcard, snow is softly falling, coating portions of the rocks that lead to the beach. How I got dropped in the middle of a fairy tale, I’ll never know.

“This is my other favorite part of the house,” Tristan says as we get to the lower level. “This pool is where I spend most of my time during the winter. It’s not big at all.” He moves to the side to allow me to look.

He’s right, it’s a small square with a waterfall, but it’s got a beautiful view of the ocean.

“When I have anything to think about, I come here, sit in the water and contemplate life. Water calms me more than anything else ever has, maybe that’s why I feel so comfortable here. I want you to love this place as much as I do.”

I look down, noticing he hasn’t let go of my hand since we arrived. I like it, but I don’t make a comment about it. If he knows he hasn’t let me go, it may startle him and ruin the easy friendship we’re coming to have.

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