Page 43 of A Royal Promise
I remember everything about you.
He could never tell her. If she knew he had everything about her memorized, from her different expressions and types of smiles and laughs to all her favorite things, then she would undoubtedly know the depth of his feelings for her. And he couldn’t have her know that yet. Drew still needed more time to show her they were perfect for each other before making any big declarations.
He rubbed the back of his head. “I thought you mentioned tennis a time or two.”
She stood up straight so she could look at him. “Those couldn’t have been easy tickets to get.”
They weren’t. Even with his royal status, he’d spent an entire week pulling all sorts of strings to get two tickets to the French Open, but Bri was more than worth it. Just seeing the smile on her face now made all the effort worthwhile.
“Ahh, it’s not that big of a deal.” He waved the idea away.
She raised an eyebrow at him that implied she knew it absolutely was a big deal, but she wouldn’t press the matter. “What do you want to do to celebrate your birthday?”
He felt like he was getting the best early birthday present right now—seeing Bri so excited for an upcoming date. It made this whole arrangement feel real. Like they were just two people dating and in love, talking about their upcoming plans.
Drew shrugged. “Maybe your family could visit. Phillip’s been hounding me about going four-wheeling. It would be fun to hit some trails.”
“You want to spend your birthday with my little brother?” Her nose wrinkled.
“He’s only three years younger than us. He’s notlittleanymore.”
“He sure acts like it,” she scoffed.
“It’s his job as your younger brother to annoy you. I’m pretty sure it’s a written law.” Drew grazed his knuckles along the back of her hand without thinking.
At his touch, her eyes shot to his, and she crossed her arms and took a small step back. “Well, then, he’s a model citizen.” Her voice was breathless, and she looked everywhere but at him as she spoke the words.
Drew’s hope deflated like a balloon. His shoulders slumped as he chided himself.I can’t get lost in the moment like this again. She’s not my real fiancée.He must’ve been mistaken about the signs of attraction and jealousy he thought he’d seen at the regatta. He needed to be more careful moving forward if he wanted to win her over.Baby steps, he reminded himself.
They sat down and quickly fell back into their conversation about her family. Drew couldn’t help but think this was exactly what life would look like if they were married. Bri challenged him. Their banter, whether in person or over text in response to his daily space facts, was something he lived for.
Bri pulled him outside of his comfortable bubble, and he was a better person because of her. Drew hoped, at the end of this charade, they would still be together and have many more days just like this one.
“Drew, it’s your turn to select the game.” Bri’s mother called him over to the game cupboard.
Without even looking at all the options, he said, “Tonight, we’ll be playing Trivial Pursuit.”
Bri looked over at him with a wide smile. “I love trivia.”
“Are you two only going to pick games the other person likes, now that you’re in love?” Phillip groaned. “It’s sickening to watch you together.”
“Phillip,” Bri’s mother, Caroline, scolded. Turning to Drew, she said, “I’m so sorry. It’s quite lovely watching you and Bri interact.” Her expression softened as she smiled at her daughter.
Drew felt a lump in his throat. He hated lying to their parents. It was necessary to keep up the ruse and avoid having to marry Clarissa, but it didn’t make him feel any better about lying to them.
He pushed his feelings down and smiled. “Sorry, Phillip, but I’ll always support Bri and her interests.”
“You’re whipped, dude,” Phillip muttered, shaking his head.
Caroline shot her son a stern look, and Phillip retreated to the couch, still whispering under his breath. She came over and wrapped Drew in a hug. “I promise, we’re all excited to have you join the family.”
“I know you are. Thank you,” Drew responded. Raising his voice so the whole group could hear, he said, “What do you say we get this game night started?” He took a seat on the couch opposite the one where Phillip was sitting, everyone else joining them to begin the game. His parents sat next to him, and Bri’s parents sat beside Phillip. Bri sat in an armchair positioned to the side of both couches.
Drew set up the board as everyone selected their pieces. His parents formed a team so their group wouldn’t surpass the six players the game was designed for.
Family rules dictated that, as the youngest, Phillip went first. His roll landed him on theArt & Literaturecategory.
Drew’s father, Max, picked up a card and read the question aloud. “The Last Supperwas painted by what artist?”
