Page 23 of A Royal Promise
Drew’s leg bounced beside her on the modern cream sofa as their interviewer from the Fenimore Royal News station entered the room. Bri placed her hand on his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze she hoped would calm his nerves.
He shot her a grateful smile and wrapped his hand around hers.
“Well, aren’t you two adorable?” the interviewer said as she sat in the chair across from them. “I love your dress, Your Highness.”
“Please, call me Brielle. And thank you.” Bri ran her free hand along the skirt of her dress.
“We’ll get started, if that’s all right with you. I’m sure your schedule is full after such a grand announcement.”
Drew nodded to the woman, and the small crew around them started counting down to when they would begin recording.With a few seconds remaining, Bri pulled her hand back into her lap and rested her left hand on top so the engagement ring would be visible in the video footage.
She put on a bright smile as they started rolling.
“Hello, I’m Isla Hall with Fenimore Royal News, bringing you all the royal tea. I’m honored to be sitting here today with His Royal Highness Prince Andrew of Glencrest and Her Royal Highness Princess Brielle of Westridge.” She turned to face them. “First, let me offer my sincerest congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thank you,” they said simultaneously.
“Now, let’s get to the question I’m sure everyone is asking. Where and how did you propose, Andrew?”
“Bri’s parents built a treehouse on the Westridge Palace grounds for us soon after we became friends. We’ve shared many memories there over the years, so I thought it would be the perfect place for a proposal. I popped the question at the beginning of the week, so we enjoyed our secret for almost a week before sharing the news with the rest of the world.” Drew’s posture implied he was relaxed, but Bri still saw the telltale signs of anxiety, from his bouncing knee to a few beads of sweat by his temples.
“It’s sweet you were able to propose in a place that means so much to both of you. It sounds like we have a romantic on our hands.” Isla’s eyebrows raised in interest as her gaze turned to Bri.
She leaned over and affectionately placed her hand on his knee again. “Drew is very romantic.”
Bri was relieved when Isla’s next question was for Drew. “Was it a planned proposal or more of a spur-of-the-moment thing?”
“I’ve always been a planner, so I had the ring with me and knew I would propose that day. However, Bri is spontaneousand had no idea it was coming, did you, darling?” A wry smirk graced Drew’s lips as he rubbed circles on the back of her hand.
She laughed lightly as memories from the surprise proposal filled her mind. Shocked didn’t begin to describe how she had felt that day when he’d whipped out their marriage pact. “I can honestly say I had no clue he planned on proposing to me that day.”
Isla laughed along good-naturedly. “What was your response when he asked, Brielle?”
“After I got over my shock, I asked him if he was serious. When Drew assured me he was, in fact, serious, I said yes.”
“It sounds like it truly was as much of a surprise to you as it was to the rest of the world, since the general public didn’t even know you were dating. How did you keep your relationship a secret?” Isla crossed her legs and leaned in closer, like she was dying to know the juicy details.
Drew squeezed Bri’s hand, and she inferred it meant he would answer the question. “We’ve spent a lot of time together in the public eye throughout our lives, so no one ever thought twice when we were pictured together. I suppose since we were friends first, it was easier to continue portraying that to the public to keep our dating lives private.”
Isla nodded along the entire time he spoke, hanging on his every word. Bri even believed what he was saying. She knew it wasn’t the whole truth, but he wasn’t necessarily lying either. They both kept their dating lives private—they’d just never dated each other. But they couldn’t saythatin their engagement interview.
“How long did you date before popping the question?”
“It honestly wasn’t long. It felt like practically no time at all,” Bri jumped in with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
Drew turned to her with a soft smile, tenderness in his eyes. “Since we’ve been close friends so long, dating felt superfluous.I already knew everything that mattered to me about Bri. Most importantly, I know her heart and that she is the perfect fit for me.”
“So it sounds to me like it was more of you gradually falling for each other rather than a long-term relationship kept from the public?”
“Exactly.”
“Now, let’s talk about your families,” Isla said. “Did you ask Brielle’s father for permission to marry her first?”
His lips pulled up into a cheeky grin. “With my proposal coming as a surprise, I thought it best I ask Bri before I talk to her father. I’m pleased to report he was thrilled at hearing the news.”
“It’s no secret your families are very close. How did both of your mothers respond to the news?”
Bri laughed lightly. “If my father was thrilled, what’s a stronger adjective than that?”
