Page 12 of A Royal Promise
As he ducked and pulled himself onto the landing, nostalgia washed over him. He and Bri had made so many memories here. Laughs and smiles and tears had all been shared here over the years, and it only felt right for this conversation to happen here too.
Drew was pleased to find he didn’t have to crouch to fit in the treehouse with its raised wood ceiling. He set the tea on the child-sized table in the corner, worn from wear and countless games played on it, and then walked over to the storage box on the opposite wall. Thankfully, the chest still contained a knitted blanket in good condition. He laid it out across the floor of the treehouse and sat down. A quick glance at his watch told him it was two minutes until nine. Bri should arrive any moment.
He ran his hands along his khakis before wringing them together. When the floor started to shake slightly and he heard the faint sound of shoes coming up the ladder, Drew anxiously tugged at the collar of his white button-down shirt, suddenly feeling like all the air had been sucked out of the treehouse.
“Why is it that this ladder gets progressively difficult to climb?” Bri huffed when she reached the top. Once she stepped inside, she brushed her blonde locks away from her face.
While she wasn’t looking at him, it gave Drew a moment to take her in. She wore a tea-length pale-blue dress with three-quarter sleeves, perfect for this spring weather. White platform sneakers finished off her look. It was so uniquely Bri. Whenever she wasn’t in the public eye, she switched her heels to more practical shoes, like these.
“Could it just be that we’re getting older?” Drew teased.
She waved off his comment. “No, it couldn’t possibly be that.” Finally looking over at him, Bri sent him a soft smile. “Hi. It’s good to see you.”
He stood and took a step forward, wrapping his arms around her middle in one of his signature bear hugs. “A week is way too long, Bri Bear.”
She squeezed his sides where he was most ticklish, making him gasp. “It wouldn’t have been so long if you had come to game night.” Bri pulled back and searched his eyes. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
Drew took a step back and grabbed the pink tumbler, extending it to her. “I know it’s early, but I brought your favorite drink.”
Bri grabbed the cup from him and took a long swig before answering. “It’s never too early for peach tea. Thank you.” She sat down on the blanket and patted the spot beside her. “Now, quit stalling and answer my question, will you?”
Drew lowered himself beside her and ran his hand through his dark-blond hair. “I’m sorry, I’m a little nervous.”
“You have nothing to be nervous about.” She leaned over and placed her hand on his forearm, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “We’re best friends. You can tell meanything.”
He took a deep breath and started from the beginning. “When I got home from Rosalie’s wedding last weekend, you know I was surprised by…an unwelcome visitor.”
“Yeah, Clarissa, right?”
“The one and only.” Drew let out an exasperated breath. “I’m sure you can imagine how well that went. I swear she has her nail stylist file them into little talons just so I can’t escape her grasp.”
Bri threw her head back and laughed. It was Drew’s favorite sound in the world, and it took him a little too long to realize she was staring at him, waiting for him to continue talking.
He cleared his throat. “She kept mentioning weird things, like how she had a feeling we’d be seeing more of each other in the future and how she could see my palace as her home. Then, that night at dinner, my parents told me they’re hoping to retireearly, but they want me to be married before they hand the throne over.”
Bri’s eyes went wide, putting all the pieces together. “No, they didn’t. Theycouldn’t.”
Drew sighed. “They sure did. They said Clarissa’s parents are very agreeable to the idea of a marriage between us.”
“Well, of course they are. You’re a prince. Clarissa has never been shy about her feelings for you. I don’t understand why you were scared to tell me. You had to know I would help you find a way out of this.”
Drew bit his bottom lip before digging into his pocket and pulling out the marriage pact. After he unfolded it, he held it up between them. “Remember this?”
Bri looked closer before her eyes lit up with recognition. “That old thing? I can’t believe you still have it.”
“Crazy, right?” He tried to play it cool, hoping his thoughts weren’t written all over his face. “It’s actually what I was looking at during Rosalie’s wedding. You know, the paperwork you teased me for bringing along.” Drew nudged her shoulder with his.
She turned to face him, her brows pulled low. “But wasn’t Rosalie’s weddingbeforethe whole talk with your parents?”
Drew bit back a groan. He hadn’t come up with a good reason why he would’ve had it with him at the wedding—other than the truth: that he had been counting down the days until he could marry her since the day they’d made the pact.
“I found it in an old box that morning, right before I had to leave for the wedding. I didn’t want to lose this valuable piece of history, so I put it in my coat pocket.”
She looked a little skeptical at first, but then her expression softened. “We were silly back then. A marriage pact… Where did we even come up with that idea?”
He nodded and wished with all his being what he was about to say wouldn’t ruin their friendship. “About that. I know you said you wanted to help, and I might’ve already found a way out of the Clarissa situation. That’s why I asked you to meet me here, because…I want to enact our marriage pact.”
Bri’s mouth fell open as she stared at him, her eyes darting back and forth between his like she was waiting for him to say he was kidding. When he didn’t say anything else, she gawked. “You wantwhat? Are you serious? We were kids when we made that.” She took it from him and pointed at the old piece of paper. “It’s literally written in blue marker. We wrote the word ‘signed’ above our signatures.”
