Page 76 of A Royal Promise
He didn’t know where to begin, so Drew just started talking.
“Do you remember how I told you I had a surprise for you when we got home?”
She shot up to a sitting position, her eyes bright with excitement. “Yes, do I finally get to know what this big surprise is?”
Drew nodded, gently pulling her back down beside him.
He leaned closer to her and pointed up at the night sky above them. “You see that bright star up there? Not the North Star but the one shining to the right of it?”
“Yeah,” she hummed.
“As of a few weeks ago, that star is officially named Brielle.”The guiding light to always lead me home.
She turned to him with her mouth agape. Their faces were so close together that he would only have to lean down a few centimeters to press his lips to hers. But he’d made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t make any further moves until he told her how much he loved her and learned if she felt the same way.
He couldn’t continue to kiss her if she didn’t share the same feelings. He’d already invested too much in this relationship. He’d loved her more than half of his life. If they continued kissing the way they had been, without having discussed their relationship, Drew would never be able to recover. He wasn’t sure he would anyway…but it made sense in his brain.
Now, the second she said this was real for her too…he would never stop kissing her, caring for her, holding her, cherishing her, loving her the way he always wanted to.
Bri’s eyes were wide with surprise. “You got me a gift foryourbirthday?”
“It’s a gift for me too. Now I can have you with me whenever I look up at the night sky. So even if you aren’t here, you won’t feel far away.”
She closed the distance between them and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You’re the sweetest, most thoughtful man I’ve ever known, Andrew Henry Archibald Whitaker.”
He didn’t want her to think of him as sweet.I want to be attractive and loved. I want to be yours.
Drew hugged her, and she nuzzled her face against his chest. “Thanks. I’m looking forward to finding it in the night sky while we’re out on our moonlight hike. Are you planning on having a telescope set up for us outside?”
She scoffed. “Of course. I’m not an amateur.”
“I’ve taught you well, young Padawan.”
He felt her scrunch up her nose. “You know I don’t understand yourStar Warsreferences.”
“Then maybe we should watch it for our next movie night instead of a rom-com.”
She gasped, flinging a hand to her chest. “I could never cheat on my rom-com movies withStar Wars.”
Drew squeezed her side, and she let out a giggle. “I have a feeling your movies will understand.”
“They wouldn’t,” she cried out between laughs. “I could never betray Matthew McConaughey like that.”
“Why is he in so many rom-coms anyway?”
“Because his looks are, ‘Alright, alright, alright.’”
Drew rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t make—”
Bri held up a hand. “I know. It sounded better in my head.”
“But I don’t mind that your celebrity crushes like him and Rhett Hayes both share something in common with me. Looks like you’ve got a thing for blonds.” He closed his eyes, a satisfied smirk on his lips.
She sputtered. “Who are you, and what did you do with the real Drew?”
“I’ve been right here all along, Bri Bear.”
And, hopefully, after what he had to say tonight, he would be able to stay right by her side for the rest of their lives.
