Page 129 of Prince of the Palisades

She rushes past me, barefoot, skipping all formalities to haul our parents into a hug. Papa laughs. Mom squeezes her tightly, staring at me over Annika’s shoulder.

I’m speechless. Motionless.

“Why is my hair always a mess when royalty shows up?” Mrs. Hayes murmurs.

Papa escapes Annika’s arms. He smiles as he approaches.

“Bonjour, son.”

“Papa.” My throat barely works. “What’re you doing here?”

Mom sidles up. She reaches out, touching my cheek. “I missed home. Myfirsthome. It’s been too long.” Her fingers brush my ear. “And we wanted to see you.”

“Both of us,” Papa confirms. There’s a hesitance about him.An uncertainty I’ve never seen before. It’s because of me. Because of how we left things in Réverie.

I let out a quiet breath.

“I made Samuel swear not to tell you we were coming,” Papa adds. In the background, Samuel bows with a small smile. “Sorry we missed your play.”

“We were—” Mom begins.

“Busy,” I fill in.

“We’re here now,” Papa asserts. His hand finds my shoulder, squeezing. “If that’s okay?”

It’s not an order. He’s not telling me. He’s asking for permission.

“Y-yeah.” I shove down a surprised laugh. “I mean, yes. I’m glad you’re here.”

His grin is the size of the sun. It’s not a king’s grin. It’s my papa, goofy and inelegant and kind. “Also,” he says, eyes shifting. “I owe Reiss an apology.”

By my side, Reiss hiccups. “Sorry, what now?”

Behind him, his parents stand tall. Protective. Dom’s dripping on the hardwoods, but even he looks ready to defend his brother.

“Our last meeting didn’t go as planned,” Papa says. He doesn’t frown at Reiss’s derisive snort. “I’d love to start over. Have arealchat. With my son’s boyfriend.”

Mom adds, “With his…family? If you’ll have us?”

Mrs. Hayes tries to match Mom’s textbook posture. She looks at her husband, then Reiss, waiting for his small shoulder lift. “We’d love that.”

“You’ve gotta try my potato salad!” Mr. Hayes announces, breaking the tension.

His wife glares at him in ayou did not just offer a queen potato saladway.

Reiss grabs my hand. He’s biting his lip, nervous. I hope he can read what I’m saying with my eyes:

I won’t let them hurt you again.

After a small beat, he nods.

“I heard you’re interested in USC,” Mom says to Reiss. “Film school? The president is a good friend.” She winks. “I’d be honored to write you a recommendation letter.”

Reiss’s eyes widen, his face glowing. I know he’s in good hands.

He walks outside with Mom. Annika and Luc join Dom in the pool. Mr. Hayes slings a friendly arm around Papa’s stiff shoulders, regaling him with his potato salad recipe. Mrs. Hayes shakes her head, on the way back to the grill.

Ajani joins me by the kitchen island.

---