Page 17 of A Royal Promise
“I know, and we’ll honor your wishes. However, we do still have some wedding-related items to discuss with you.”
He glanced at his watch before looking back at her. “I suppose I could spare a few minutes.” Drew stood and crossed the room to stand in front of her.
“Don’t sass your mother.” She patted his arm before looping hers through it.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He wiped his hand over his mouth to hide his smirk.
When they reached the palace’s informal family room, Drew’s father was already waiting for them in his usual recliner, the black leather worn from time and use.
Drew walked his mother over to a chair beside his father and then sat on the loveseat opposite them. “What is it you’d like to discuss?”
His father reached over and grabbed his mother’s hand. “Some part of this needs to be done properly. We need to make a formal announcement regarding your engagement.”
“We don’t even have a wedding date yet.”
“I know. We’ll make a statement about your engagement without giving any details about the upcoming nuptials.”
“Though, we really do hope you both will reconsider and get married sooner,” his mother added.
He mulled over his father’s words. It would make the situation very public…but it would also ensure Clarissa and her family would hear the news, prompting them to find a different suitor for Clarissa. Although, he hoped that wouldn’t happentooquickly, because he needed enough time in this charade to show Bri how good they could be together.
“Moving the wedding up isn’t negotiable.” Drew pressed his lips together and shot his mother a don’t-push-it look. “But the formal announcement should be fine. Of course, I’ll double-check with Bri, but I don’t see any issues. What do you have in mind?”
“We were thinking of hosting a royal ball this weekend to make the initial announcement. Then a royal press conference and interview the next day.” His mother looked off into the distance with a dreamy gaze. “You know how I love a ball. I’m sure Bri does too.”
Drew smiled. He knew that his best friend did, in fact, love balls—but mainly for the sweet tea and endless bowls of watermelon they always had prepared for her. “Sounds good to me. I’ll reach out to Bri and text you all to confirm. Is there anything else?” He stood and pulled at his suit coat.
“That’s it. Thanks, Drew.”
He made his way back to his study. After sitting down, he pulled out his phone and opened his text thread with Bri. He waited until the time read exactly nine o’clock, not wanting to risk waking up his best friend. A smile pulled at his lips as he typed out his fun space fact of the day.
Drew: Did you know the center of the Milky Way galaxy smells like rum and tastes like raspberries?
Her response was almost immediate. He imagined she’d just woken up and… Drew shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image of Bri half-awake, her blonde waves messily splayed across her pillow.
Bri: I have multiple thoughts.
Bri: How does one discover what the center of the galaxy smells like? Did someone have to remove the helmet from their space suit to smell it?
Bri: Were they the person who discovered you could survive for about two minutes in a leaky spacesuit? If so, how did they get the news out before…dying?
Bri: Also, I feel lied to by the inventors of the Milky Way bar because it doesn’t taste like raspberries.
Bri: Why isn’t there a candy bar that tastes like raspberries?
Bri: Or better yet…watermelon!
Drew stared down at his phone, grinning like a fool. The back-and-forth between them was as natural as breathing.
Drew: I have no idea how people have obtained these facts, but let’s hope they could smell it from inside the spaceship. Tasting, on the other hand…*man shrugging emoji*
Drew: I didn’t even think about Milky Way bars. You should make your own raspberry-flavored candy bar called The Galaxy.
Bri: I’ll get started on that right away!
Drew: As much as I love talking about space, I do have a question for you.
Bri: What’s up?
