Page 56 of A Royal Promise
They lay silent for a while, both taking in the view.
When Drew finally spoke, his voice sounded far off, almost like a dream. “Want to hear a story that’s written in the stars?”
“Sure,” she responded, burrowing deeper into the recliner.
“King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia had one child, a daughter they named Andromeda. Cassiopeia boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than anyone who had ever lived. As punishment for the queen saying her daughter was more beautiful than sea nymphs, the sea god, Poseidon, sent a monster named Cetus to destroy their kingdom.”
Bri gasped. “What kind of monster?”
“Cetus was a giant beast—part fish, part serpent, and part dragon. He began to destroy the kingdom’s villages. When any battle the king and queen waged against the beast failed, they were told if they sacrificed their daughter to the beast, their kingdom would be spared. So, they shackled Andromeda to a rock by the shore as a sacrifice for Cetus.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. “They put their own daughter in danger just to save their country? That’s horrible.”
Drew nodded. “It really is, but thankfully, the story isn’t over yet. The demigod Perseus was returning home when he saw Andromeda in danger and fell in love with her at first sight. Oneversion of the story says Perseus slayed Cetus with his diamond sword and saved Andromeda. Another account of the story says he turned the sea beast to stone using Medusa’s head. Either way, he saved her, and Andromeda and Perseus married and lived long lives together. They were placed together in the sky as eternal lovers.”
Bri was quiet for a moment as she looked up at the stars and reflected on the story. “Wow,” she whispered. “That’s a crazy story, but it has a beautiful ending. I love that he put himself in harm’s way without even knowing her. It shows that true love is sacrificial. It says a lot, especially when her own parents weren’t even loyal to her.”
“Exactly.” He sighed. “I want a love like that one day.”
Bri whipped her head around to look at him. “You want your love to be betrayed by her parents so you have to slay a dragon for her?”
He chuckled. “Of course not. That’s ridiculous. I meant I want a love thatreal—a beacon of love. A love story so beautiful, people would make a constellation about it and tell our story for generations to come.”
“I believe you’ll find a love like that.”
She could feel his eyes on her as he said, “I hope you’re right.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Bri
When Drew had settled down next to Bri on the giant beanbag underneath the stars, his body weight had made the beanbag dip enough that she rolled into him. While her brain might not have fully understood what was going on between her and Drew, it seemed her body had a reaction of its own whenever he was around, and being cuddled up against his side pulled an involuntary shiver out of her.
Again, Bri didn’t know how to think or what to feel. It was like she was a magnet, drawn to him whether she wanted to be or not.
With her head pressed against his chest, she could hear the rapid beating of his heart, matching her own. She realized she wasn’t alone in her feelings, his quickened heart rate revealing his body reacted in a similar way to hers when they were together. Maybe one day they would be able to talk about how they were both feeling and move past these confusing emotions, but for now, she decided to enjoy this cuddle session with her fake fiancé.
They lay in each other’s arms for a while before Bri finally spoke.
“Do you remember the first time you ever brought me here?”
“How could I forget?”
She sighed happily. “I’ve always remembered the story you told me that night about Andromeda and Perseus. You told me one day you wanted ‘a love story so beautiful, people would make a constellation about it and tell our story for generations to come.’”
He turned his head to look at her. She tilted her head to look at him, their noses so close they almost touched. “I can’t believe you remember what I said. That was almost ten years ago.”
She blushed slightly, nuzzling her cheek against his rock-hard chest. “I think about that story and what you said every time I look up at the night sky. You know I love traveling and not being locked down in one place, and I’ve never been sure if love would fit that lifestyle. But the more I think about what you said that night, I feel like I may want a love like that too.”
“What made you change your mind?” He pressed his cheek against the top of her head.
“I could never get over your whole ‘beacon of love’ comment. It made me realize we’ve both grown up with beacons of love to look up to—our parents. We’re lucky to have such good role models for what true, sacrificial love looks like because we’ve seen it day in and day out. I want to be able to show my future children and every kid who looks up to the monarchy to hold out for love like that too.”
With his cheek pressed against her head, she could feel a smile pulling at his lips. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s still what I’m holding out for.”
“I’m sure you’ll find it,” she whispered. For some reason, thinking about him finding love with someone else made her heart twinge. But that was ridiculous. There was no reason forher to feel jealous or upset about him finding love. Bri should be happy for her best friend. Trying to play it cool and avoid her feelings, she said, “Isn’t it every girl’s dream to marry someone like you?”
“Not the only one who matters,” she heard him mutter under his breath.
