Page 105 of Royal
Chapter 24
Gray
Sitting with Royal on Aunt Abby’s back porch, surrounded by all her mystical décor and drinking sweet tea, reminded me of when we were teenagers.
Many days we’d sat outside, exactly as we were today, and had talked and goofed off. We would go for walks in the woods at dusk, telling each other scary stories. Funny enough, I’d been the one to get freaked out the most.
Royal had been in bed for two days and had begged me to get him out of the house before he went crazy. He hadn’t found it nearly as funny as me when I’d told him it was too late for that. When I called my aunt earlier, she’d said to come see her.
“Thank you for helping with the case,” I told her, staring at my tea cup before lifting my eyes to her.
I’d thanked her many times, but it didn’t feel like enough. If not for her help, we might’ve never found Royal. Still alive, anyway.
“Yes, thank you,” Royal said.
“You know I love you like you are my own,” she said to Royal, smiling. “You practically lived at my house during your senior year.”
I grinned, remembering all the times he’d snuck through my window in the middle of the night. We’d thought we were being sneaky, but she hadn’t been fooled in the slightest. Boxes of condoms had started appearing in my nightstand. The look of horror on Royal’s face when I told him had been one of the funniest fucking things I’d ever seen.
“Are Agent Stone and his team still in Addersfield?” Aunt Abby asked, curling her legs beneath her in the plushy, oversized chair.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “They’re leaving tomorrow morning, though.”
Although it was a good thing they were leaving—because it meant the case was over and the people were safe—it was bittersweet. I’d become good friends with Phoenix over the duration of the investigation, and it was kind of sad to see him leave.
A dingsounded from Royal’s new phone, and he shook his head when he looked at it. “Guess who just emailed me, expecting me back at work on Tuesday?”
“You gotta be fucking kidding me,” I growled.
“At least he wants me to come back,” Royal said, shrugging. “I was sure he’d fire me.”
“If he fired you, I was going to light a fire under his ass.”
“Grayson Theodore Riley,” Aunt Abby said, as her brows rose. “Don’t be making threats. I taught you better than that.”
Royal snorted into his tea, and I glared at him.
Fucking Theodore.Royal had always laughed at my middle name, saying it made me sound like I should’ve worn suspenders and glasses while reading books on mathematical algorithms.
“You still want to be an anchor?” I asked.
“I do,” he answered with a determined look. “Rick is an asshole, but I love my job. I wouldn’t be sad if he got fired someday, though.”
“There’s an asshole in every workplace,” Aunt Abby chimed in. “I used to do fortune telling at the mystics shop downtown, and the manager was a real piece of work. I loved the job, but I had to say goodbye to it to keep my sanity.”
“You’ve done well for yourself since then,” Royal said. “You do readings from your home now, don’t you?”
“Sure do.” The sun emphasized the red in her hair, and when she turned her head to the side, it looked like flames dancing in the strands. “If you ever want a reading, I’ll give you the family discount.”
Seeing Royal’s eager smile, I shook my head. He actually believed in that shit and would love to have his fortune told.
After sitting on the back porch for a while, I grabbed Royal’s hand and led him down the steps and into the yard. He didn’t ask where I was taking him. He only smiled and strolled along beside me as we went through the gate and into the woods behind the house.
We’d done that same thing countless times before, walking hand in hand down the trail through the trees. Much had happened since the last time, though. The boys we once were had turned into men.
“This is nice,” he said, stopping on the path to look upward and inhale. He loved being in nature. It was one reason why he, Brysen, and Kyler constantly went to the lake when the weather was nice.
Cupping the back of his head, I gently pushed him against the tree and kissed him. He sighed against my lips before returning the kiss. His hands slid to my back and gripped my shirt, tugging me closer.
