Page 25 of A Royal Promise
That’s it. Bri can move into one of our royal cottages.
It would solve the problem of them both having to travel back and forth all the time. Plus, it would allow them to be seen together on a weekly, maybe even daily, basis. If they were truly engaged, people would expect them to be spotted togetherhaving fun and celebrating their engagement. Having her live close by would allow that to happen even more often.
Not to mention, it would give him extra opportunities to convince Bri they would make a good couple.
Drew finished getting ready for the day and headed downstairs to the informal dining room. He grabbed a plate from the sideboard and served himself bacon, scrambled eggs, and sourdough bread slathered with raspberry jam before taking a seat next to his father at the table. Immediately after sitting down, a server walked up behind him and filled his mug with steaming hot coffee. He poured in a heavy dose of cinnamon-vanilla creamer before stirring it with his spoon and taking a sip.
As he dug into his eggs, his mother cleared her throat from where she sat across the table.
“Did you see the articles this morning, by chance?” Her face was full of pity.
He nodded as he finished chewing. “The response was…unfortunate.”
“We need to do something about it,” his father said.
Drew ate a strip of bacon. “I believe I’ve come up with a solution.”
“By all means.” His mother motioned for him to share.
“What do you think about Bri moving into Hillside Cottage now instead of after we’re married? With her close by, we can attend more royal events together. I think being seen together will help solidify our engagement with the press and the citizens of Glencrest.”
His parents shared a look before beaming back at him. “I think that’s a brilliant idea,” his mother proclaimed, and his father nodded in agreement. “When?”
Drew rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I need to ask her first, but I’m hoping sometime this week.”
“You haven’t asked her yet? Then what are you doing talking to us about it? Go talk to your fiancée.” His mother shooed him.
He quickly ate the remainder of his eggs and bacon before picking up the piece of toast as he stood. “Will you have—”
“I’ll have someone deliver coffee to your room.” His mother repeated her shooing motion.
Drew smiled at how well she knew him. “You’re the best.”
By the time he made it back to his room, he’d finished off the piece of toast, and waiting for him on his end table was a steaming cup of coffee, just the way he liked it. He grabbed the mug and walked over to his favorite seat, a gray tufted wingback chair.
After pulling out his phone, he opened his text thread with Bri. Checking the time, he noted it was two minutes until nine. It was earlier than normal for him to text her, but they needed to get everything resolved as soon as possible.
Drew: Did you know that Mars has a volcano bigger than the entire state of Hawaii?
Before he had time to exit their conversation, his phone screen lit up with an incoming call from Bri. He smiled down at her contact picture—one she wasn’t even aware he had taken of her. They had been on a mountain hike together in Westridge, and they had finally reached the peak. She’d spun around, her blonde hair swinging around her, the most genuine smile on her face. That was the exact moment he’d snapped the picture.
Every time she called him, he was taken back to that memory. He could almost smell the petrichor in the air mixed with the warm vanilla notes that always surrounded Bri. He could feel the sun beaming down on his skin, the mountain breeze ruffling his hair.
Drew hurried to answer the call before it went to voicemail. “Good morning, Bri Bear.”
“What’s wrong? Just tell it to me straight.”
“No good morning or hello from you?” he teased.
“You texted me two minutes earlier than you ever have. I know something’s wrong, so please tell me whatever it is.”
Drew sighed. “Have you seen the news headlines this morning?”
“Seeing as your text woke me up, no I haven’t.”
“Sorry.” He cringed. “I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but…”
“People aren’t buying our relationship?”
