Page 59 of A Royal Promise
Bri opened her mouth like she was going to say something but then she thought better of it. He squeezed her fingers tighter asthe plane landed on the private runway. As soon as the seatbelt sign turned off, Bri unbuckled and jumped out of her seat.
“Come on.” She turned back to him, rocking excitedly on the balls of her feet. “We have some tennis to watch.”
Drew sat with Bri and a group of other celebrities in a private box overlooking the tennis court. His personal bodyguard sat in front of them while Bastian was behind them.
She let out a small gasp, leaning close. “Is that Rhett Hayes? I love him.” Bri pointed to a man with blond hair—hair that looked eerily similar to Drew’s—a few rows in front of them.
“I think it is.” He nodded. He’d listened to a few of Rhett’s country hits but only because Bri had talked about them nonstop. She was obsessed with his music. Even if Drew was a little jealous of how freely she declared her love for the country star, he could admit his songs were good. The man had the kind of natural talent that couldn’t be taught.
“He looks great.” Bri played with her hair, and Drew clenched his jaw.
“Rhett looks just like me,” he muttered under his breath.
She bit her bottom lip. “Do you think it would be weird if I introduced myself?”
Drew couldn’t hold in his thoughts any longer, the jealousy that had been simmering now at a full boil. He pressed his cheek against hers, his mouth near her ear. “I thought we said we wouldn’t date anyone else while we were engaged?”
Bri turned to him with a smirk, almost brushing his nose with hers in the process. “Are youjealous?”
He scoffed. “I’m not anything. I’m Switzerland, completely neutral. Not jealous at all.”
She nudged his shoulder. “I don’t want todatehim, Drew. I only wanted to say hi and tell him I love his music. I’m engaged to you, remember? I keep my promises.” Bri held up her left hand, waving her ring in front of his face. “Plus, I think this giant rock will act as a natural date deterrent.”
Not wanting to catch the attention of a camera with their whisper-fight, Drew sighed. She’d never given him any reason to doubt her. It wasn’t her fault he’d been in love with her for years and the thought of her even talking to another man she admired made his skin crawl. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to say anything. You should go say hi if you want to.”
Bri stood, straightening her skirt. “I think I will.” She walked out to the stairs and down a few rows until she reached Rhett Hayes.
He watched her like a hawk. Even though he knew Bri saying hi to the singer meant nothing, Drew couldn’t help but ball his hands into fists as he watched Rhett stand and bow to her. Bri placed her hand on Rhett’s arm and smiled widely at him.
“Your Highness?” The question came from behind him.
He glanced back, noting it was Bastian, and gave him a nod to continue.
“May I ask permission to speak freely with you for a moment?”
“Granted.” Drew gulped in nervous anticipation.
Bastian hopped with ease over the row of chairs into the seat next to him. He ran a hand through his peppered gray hair and faced Drew, though his gaze remained fixed on Bri and Rhett.
“There will be times in life when we have to endure things we’d rather not. Do you understand my drift?”
He bit the inside of his cheek, looking away briefly only to look right back at them like a car accident he couldn’t help but watch. “Yes.”
“What matters most is how we respond to those moments. You can either let them consume and break you, or you can let them fuel you into action. I’m no expert on matters of the heart, but I think the same rules apply.” Bastian leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Sometimes you have to risk it all to go after what you truly want.” He stood, brushing his hands along his suit pants before exiting the row and returning to his seat behind him.
Drew was stunned into silence. He couldn’t recall a time he’d ever heard Bastian say so many words at once. From the sound of it, Bri had either told him about their situation, or he’d figured it out on his own. Probably the latter—nothing ever seemed to slip past Bastian.
His advice seemed sound, though. Nothing was ever handed to you in life, even as a royal. Yes, he had status and privilege many did not. But he didn’t have the one thing he truly wanted: Bri. He would have to allow moments like this, where he was jealous, to push him into action. It was time he upped his flirting and truly started to lay his heart on the line to win her over.
Drew watched Rhett laugh at something Bri said and then wrap his arm around her as he took a selfie with his phone. She pulled out her phone, likely having him send the photo to her via Bluetooth before they continued talking. A few minutes later, Drew’s sanity was saved by an announcer coming over the speakers saying the first match would begin in five minutes.
He finally felt like he could breathe deeply again when he watched Bri say goodbye. She returned to their row and took her seat next to him with a pleased smile.
“Sooo,” he drawled. “Does Rhett Hayes live up to the hype?”
“Definitely. He’s just as kind and genuine as he seems on his socials.”
“That’s good.” They sat quietly for a minute before he said, “What did you talk about?”
