Page 38 of A Royal Promise
As Drew walked to the observatory, he couldn’t help but think his favorite room in the palace was the perfect place to talk to Bri about how they were feeling about their engagement. She was supposed to meet him there at ten, and since everyone else had gone to bed, they hopefully wouldn’t be interrupted.
When he reached the room, Drew placed the bowl of watermelon and pitcher of sweet tea he carried on a small tablebetween two recliners. He looked up to the starry night sky, perfectly visible on this cloudless night through the glass dome above.
He let out a sigh, relieved to be in his happy place. Drew’s eyes wandered around the room, taking in the desk against one curved wall, where he often worked when he wanted a change of scenery from his study. The remaining walls featured curved built-in bookshelves filled to the brim with rolled-up maps and books about the solar system that were far older than him or even his father.
Drew turned when he heard footsteps. Bri walked into the room wearing a beige crewneck sweatshirt, black joggers, and her signature white platform tennis shoes, her hair up in a ponytail. She looked beautiful.
“I’m glad we’re finally getting some time to hang out. It feels like it’s been forever since we had time just the two of us.” She looked at the table in front of him. “Ooh, watermelonandsweet tea? You spoil me.”
Bri settled into a recliner and ate a cube of watermelon. Drew couldn’t help but stare as she licked the juice from her fingers. He blinked himself out of his stupor as she grabbed another piece.
Drew grabbed two cups from a cabinet in the corner of the room and sat down in the open recliner. He motioned to the sweet tea. “Want a glass?” She nodded, so he poured some for each of them, setting her glass on the table and taking a long drink from his. “Also, this isn’t spoiling you. You’re doing me a favor, and I’m providing you with your favorite snack and drink. If someone’s going to spoil you, you deserve a lot more than this.”
She took a sip, but he saw the smile on her lips. “So, what do you want to talk about? Were you going to try to show meproof of your space fact today—that Venus spins in the opposite direction of all the other planets?”
He chuckled. “I wasn’t planning on it, but isn’t that cool? That means the sun rises in the west and sets in the east there.”
Bri shook her head at him as she laughed. “You and your space knowledge.”
“You know you love it.” Drew ran his hand through his hair. “Anyway, I do want to hang out, but I also have a question for you.”
She looked over at him expectantly. “Go ahead.”
He looked down, scared to speak the words. “Do you think we should practice?”
“Practice what?” Bri asked, popping another piece of watermelon into her mouth.
He pressed his lips together, trying to think of the right word to convey his thoughts without sounding too over-the-top. “Being…cozy together.”
She looked at him quizzically. “You’re going to have to spell it out for me, Drew. What exactly does it mean for us to practicebeing cozy?”
Drew wrung his hands. “We have our engagement photos tomorrow, and I don’t know if they will make us…if we will have to…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. “Do you think they’ll want us to kiss for a picture?” Drew felt like he was in middle school, whispering the words.
There would be absolutely zero problems from his end. He would love to kiss her—something he’d been dreaming about for the past decade. But he didn’t want his first kiss with her to be for the sake of a picture. He wanted it to be on their terms—because they both wanted it.
Bri stopped moving, her hand stalling mid-air on the way to the plate of watermelon between them. “You think they would make us kiss? Most of the royal sphere is opposed to PDA.”
“We both know that’s less of a rule in Glencrest and Westridge, thanks to our lovestruck parents.” Both of their parents had been so in love that PDA from the royal family had become more of a common occurrence in their countries.
He stood and looked up through the domed glass ceiling of the observatory into the clear, starry night sky. “Our palace photographer will be taking the photos. The press team will release the standard formal engagement portrait to news outlets. However, I think they’ll expect to take more personal photos for us to remember our engagement. What are we going to do if she asks us to kiss for a photo tomorrow?”
She tapped her nails on the leather arm of the recliner. “Well, we can’t have it look like we’ve never kissed before. That would definitely give everyone something to talk about.”
Drew’s gaze shot back to her. “What do you suggest we do?”
“Exactly what you said we should do.” She stood and joined him in the middle of the room, underneath the stars. “Practice.” Her voice was breathless, and a slight blush covered her cheeks.
He stepped closer to her, placing one hand at the nape of her neck and cupping her cheek with the other. He looked her in the eyes, waiting for her consent to take the final step. She gave him a slight nod, and that was all the encouragement he needed.
Drew tentatively pressed his lips to hers, soft and gentle, the barest whisper of a kiss. The sweet taste of watermelon on her lips nearly did him in. He wanted to dive in deeper, kiss her with all the love and affection he’d held back for so long, but Drew didn’t want to scare her away. Instead, he pulled back before the kiss had barely even started.
It was the kind of kiss that shouldn’t have any major effect on a person, but to Drew it was earth-shattering. His world tilted on a new axis now, only spinning for her. If he thought he’d been in love with Bri before, he knew it with complete certainty now. He would wait forever for her.
He pressed his forehead to hers. “You good?”
“Mm-hmm,” Bri murmured, though she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I just need a second.” She placed her hands on his stomach, resting perfectly on his abs before drawing in a gasp and dropping them as if she’d been burned. “Sorry.” She rested her head on his chest, taking in long, slow breaths.
Drew gently grasped her hands in his. “You don’t need to apologize.” After giving her a minute to gather her thoughts, he squeezed her hand. “Want to talk about it?”
