Page 104 of Royal Beast
The man shrugs with a grin. “Nah. Said Rose needed it more than he ever would. Put it all in a fund for her college.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she murmurs, shaking her head. “I didn’t know he had it in him.”
I squeeze her hand, giving her a reassuring smile, though I’m just as shocked. “I don’t think any of us did.”
“Yeah,” she whispers, her voice small, “But I’m glad to know he cared, Kellan.”
There’s a long pause, and I can see how much this revelation is affecting her. Max had been a complicated man—often cruel, often selfish—but in his final moments, he chose to do something right and protect the future of the daughter he’d failed so many times.
“I think he did too,” I agree quietly. “He showed it in his own way.”
We stand there for a moment, neither of us knowing what to say next. I’ve always said Max was a piece of work, but I never imagined that in the end, he’d make one last, meaningfulgesture. It doesn’t erase the years of damage he caused, but it’s something. And right now, that’s enough.
The two of us gaze at each other, processing the information. It seems like maybe there was more to Max than we could ever know, more sides to him than I’d ever expected. Despite his selfishness in life, he put his family first for once. Maybe he wasn’t entirely beyond redemption.
We make our way to the burial site, the air heavy with quiet reverence. The crowd has thinned, leaving just the family and a few close friends to say their final goodbyes. Max’s casket, simple and unadorned, sits in front of us.
Rose approaches the casket, a single, long-stemmed rose clutched in her small hand. The sight of it stirs something in my chest, the connection between her and her grandfather stronger than I realized. She takes a deep breath, staring at the casket for a long moment as if gathering the courage for her goodbye.
Then, with tentative steps, she moves forward and gently places the rose on top of the casket. The flower, her namesake, sits there, and she presses a kiss to her hand and places it against the wood of the casket.
Darcy kneels beside her, her hand resting on Rose’s shoulder as they both watch the casket being lowered into the ground. The sound of the ropes moving, the heavy thud of the earth against the casket, fills the air. Rose flinches but doesn’t look away.
Once it’s finally lowered, Rose remains there for a moment longer, her eyes fixed on the spot where Max now lies. Darcy whispers something to her, and after a beat, Rose nods slowly, her grief settled into a quiet understanding.
After the burial, we head to the pub for the wake. The solemnity of the day starts to fade as we step inside, greeted by the warmth of the familiar, bustling atmosphere. The sounds of quiet laughter and clinking glasses mix with soft conversations. It’s a far cry from the stillness of the cemetery, but it’s the wayMax would have wanted it, his life celebrated with a pint in hand, not with sorrow.
I stand by Darcy’s side, my hand resting on her back as we make our way through the crowd. Rose is quieter than usual, still holding onto Darcy’s hand, her small face serious but calm. Everyone greets us with a nod, offering condolences and stories of Max, but they quickly shift to memories of good times. It’s not the kind of celebration I had imagined when we first learned Max was dying, but I can’t help but feel grateful for this moment. The sense of closure feels real here.
The bar is lined with drinks, some of Max’s old friends holding court, telling their tales of the man they knew—a wild, reckless man, but always with a kind word for those who needed it. As I listen to the stories, I feel a tug of something bittersweet. Max wasn’t perfect, but he was Darcy’s father. And even though I spent so many years resenting him, I’m starting to see the man he really was, flaws and all.
I glance down at Rose, who looks up at me, her eyes wide as she watches the adults talk and laugh. She’s not quite part of this world yet, too young to understand it all, but she knows enough to stay close to her mom. I give her a reassuring smile, and she reaches out, slipping her little hand in mine.
I feel Darcy’s hand slip into my other, the contact grounding me. She’s worn out, I can tell, but there’s a softness in her eyes that makes my chest tighten. She’s been through so much, and I can see the weight of today pressing on her, but she’s here. She’s still here, standing beside me.
As the evening continues, I start to feel a strange kind of peace settle over me. The tension that’s been hanging over us for weeks begins to lift, bit by bit, as the laughter around us fills the air, the stories of Max continuing to circulate.
“One time, he stayed with me as I went on a two-day gambling binge,” someone shares, chuckling at the memory. “Hedidn’t put any money in the pot himself, but he lent me a few hundred bucks and never asked for the money back.”
Someone else chimes in with another memory, and I smile, enjoying the camaraderie.
Darcy and I sit at a table together, Rose curled up on my lap. It’s probably time to head home soon since Rose is all tuckered out from the long day, but I can sense that Darcy has something on her mind, something she wants to tell me.
But I don’t want to push her. I need to let her open up on her own. Whatever she has to say, I’m here when she’s ready to tell me.
Her gaze follows Liam, who is talking to someone in the corner in a low voice. I follow her gaze and frown. The woman seems familiar, but I can’t place her. She’s too far away and half-hidden in the shadows. They seem to be arguing, and I watch as she turns on her heel and walks away.
Darcy clears her throat, bringing me back to the present. I turn and face her, and she reaches out, taking my hand in hers. “I have some news,” she says, her voice soft.
“Oh?”
She nods. “I’ve been talking to Miranda. I think I’m finally ready to publish my first story.”
My jaw drops and I squeeze her hand, brimming with pride. “That’s great, I’m so proud of you. And your father would be too.”
She smiles shyly and glances at Rose, who is fast asleep and clinging to me.
“We should probably take her home,” she says.
