Page 165 of The Call of Crimson
He’s an older male with salt-and-pepper hair and deep laugh lines framing his ice-blue eyes.
I give him a warm smile. “My name’s Breyla.”
“Of course it is. Who else would be good enough for our prince other than the beautiful Breyla Rozaria?”
“Are you flirting with my sister, Collin?” Rowina teases, placing her own stack of books beside mine.
“Never, dear! You know Maureen is the only female for me,” he says with a wink. “What did you find this time?”
“Mmm, well, these are for me.” She gestures to a stack of four books. “But I got this one for Darian. Do you think he’ll like it?”
Collin picks up the book, flipping it over briefly before nodding. “I think it’s perfect for that son of mine. He’ll love it.”
“Darian is your son?” I sputter in disbelief. How this kind soul could have fathered the same male that threatened to kill me the first time we met is beyond my comprehension.
“One of them.” He smiles proudly. “I’ve got three.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, sir. I never would have guessed you two were related.”
Rowina giggles beside me. “Darian doesn’t much like Breyla. They’ve come to blows on more than one occasion. It’s quite the spectacle.”
I shoot Rowina a look of irritation for betraying me.
“You tell that boy of mine that he needs to treat his future queen with respect, or I’ll send his ma after him,” Collin says sternly, eyes focused on Rowina. “Don’t think I won’t.”
“I’ll make sure he knows.”
Rowina places entirely too much coin on the counter, which Collin tries to refuse, but ultimately, he fails, taking the money from her when she insists.
He wraps our books in brown paper before handing them back to us.
Rowina places a small package of cookies on the counter before leaning in and planting a kiss on his cheek.
“It was good seeing you,” she says sweetly.
“Always a pleasure, my dear.” He smiles, the lines around his eyes creasing. “Don’t be a stranger. Maureen misses you.”
“I’ll make sure Darian brings me back for your next family dinner.”
“See that you do,” he says, patting her on the cheek.
Once we’re outside, I say, “I had no idea you were so close to Darian.”
It’s not entirely truthful. I had seen the way he looked at her when they danced at the ball. It was clear they were friends, but I was still trying to work out the nature of that friendship.
“He’s my best friend, has been since we were old enough to walk.”
“And he’s in love with you,” I say, finally voicing the suspicion I’ve carried.
She blushes, her breath catching on a soft sigh. “I love him.”
“But?”
“But I’m just not attracted to males. He’s my best friend, but it breaks my heart that I can’t love him how he wants me to.”
I squeeze her arm gently, my lips turning up in what I hope is a reassuring smile. “Asking us to change who we love would be tantamount to asking the sun to rise in the west and set in the east.”
Rowina smiles back, one dark brow quirking. “Speaking from experience, Princess?”
