Page 1 of Royal Fling
One
Luke
Ilooked up at the stars and made a wish. I’d made so many, what was one more? The clear Virginian night sky illuminated right in front of my very eyes, and the shooting star carrying my wish disappeared into the vastness of space, its light put out once and for all.
There wasn’t much I needed in my life. As it was, it was pretty much perfect in every way.
A job I loved with all my heart and that spoke to my very soul.
A family that I adored and couldn’t live without.
A beautiful house to call my home.
Friends who were there for me any time I needed them.
But why did I still feel so… empty?
Was I destined to feel ungrateful for whatever happened in my life? Was I ever going to find completion? What was that clawing feeling inside?
Someone approached me from behind, and I looked up to find my brother Leo, who had just gotten home a few days ago, with his boyfriend, Dawson.
Was I jealous of what he had? Of what all my brothers had? I didn’t want to be. They’d all found men that made them happy, and they’d all been through hell, so they deserved their happiness. The last thing I wanted was to be envious of them.
“Hey bud. Are you okay?” Leo asked as he sat beside me on the backyard patio, leaning back on his elbows and gazing up at the night sky.
When he came home last year, his accent had been all over the place. He was using British words, sometimes British pronunciations. But over the past year, his accent had become more and more standard American—I blamed his new role for it. But lately, whenever he was back home, his natural drawl made a little appearance, and it warmed my heart.
“Yeah,” I told him. “I guess.”
“What’s up? What’s going through your head?” He nudged my ribs with a shoulder, and even though it was meant to be playful, I could see the immediate concern on his face.
I couldn’t tell him what I was thinking. I couldn’t tell any of them, but especially Leo. We’d only just started reconnecting and building a relationship. I didn’t want him to think I’d grown up to be a toxic or spiteful brother.
“Nothing. I just miss my kids,” I said and sighed for good measure.
It wasn’t entirely a lie. It had been less than a week since schools closed for summer vacation, and while I appreciated the time off, the gaps in my days when I was just alone with my thoughts weren’t fun.
“Awww, you were always such a sap, lil’ brother,” he said, draping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his chest.
He planted a kiss on the top of my head, then pushed me off him with a teasing shove.
“How did today go?” I asked.
His lips drew up into a big smile, and his eyes reflected the starlight.
“It went great. We finally found a house we love. We put down an offer,” he said.
I was happy for them. It had been a few months that they’d been looking for a house in Cedarwood Beach, but there were only a few homes that fulfilled their privacy requirements.
“So… it’s pretty much yours,” I drawled.
“Well, not yet. We need to hear back from the owner first.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed.
“As if anyone is going to turn down an offer from two Hollywood superstars. Please.”
He chuckled with a shrug and looked up again. A ping echoed between us, and we both turned to look at his pockets.
