Page 68 of Loyally, Luke
Enough to kiss her.
He pinched his eyes closed and ran a hand over his beard.
Enough for him to rethink all the assumptions he’d had about royals. Though, to be honest, except for Penelope thrusting any news or movies about them toward him, he didn’t think about them at all.
Until now.
Luke’s phone flashed a message and he picked it up.
Text from Izzy to Luke:Are you looking at some of these same past stories about her?
Luke:Probably.
Izzy:Some of these commenters are harsh, especially about her going into rehab.
Luke:I know.
Izzy:I can’t even imagine what life must have been like for her. When you mentioned her childhood cancer and feeling trapped, and then to have every wrong thing you do blown up over the internet?
Luke:I can only imagine.
Izzy:Don’t any of these folks understand the need we all have for a second chance? I remember all the horrible rumors when Chip left me at the altar. Don’t you? Crazy things that made no sense. And none of them were true, but they hurt so much. My smallest insecurities became the topic of the whole town’s conversations. Or that’s the way it felt. I can’t even imagine how much worse it would feel on such a bigger scale.
Luke:With the added responsibility of a high-profile family.
Izzy:I know all I wanted to do was disappear.
Luke:Yeah, get away from it all.
Izzy:So I wouldn’t have to keep rehashing the same stories over and over again.
Luke:And to find a safe place to heal.
Izzy:Yeah. And I just pressed into the love of my family and the people closest to me because they knew me and the truth. And I could just live my life without having to relive my mistakes.
Luke:Right.
Izzy:I don’t know how much of these things are true, Luke, and I don’t know if you care to find out, but like Brodie said, I bet there’s a whole lot more happening than what Mr.Google shares. And it sounds to me like Ellie’s scared. I can’t even imagine what the pressure would be like as a royal, but how much more as a broken royal trying to prove herself again? If she saw anything in you like I see, then no wonder she wanted to keep the situation secret as long as possible.
Luke:But lying is never okay.
Izzy:No, but it makes her actions more understandable. She was looking for that safe place just to be herself, and here you came.
Luke:What do you mean?
Izzy:Don’t you know? Why is it that Penelope and I always come to you with the hardest things? Call you when we really need someone to talk to, even if we know we’ll probably get some teasing thrown in for good measure? When you care about somebody, you’re the type of person who evokes this massive awareness that you’ll do whatever is necessary to protect them and love them. You somehow create a sense of safety and acceptance.Both of those things are kryptonite to a frightened heart. We know we can trust you with our most broken, hurting selves and you’ll be there for us.
Izzy:Isn’t that what everyone is really looking for? Even princesses?
Luke:Izzy, I’m not the type of person, even if it were possible, to want a royal life. Ever.
Izzy:I’m not saying I expect you to marry her, Luke. But maybe she could use your friendship. That’s a pretty amazing thing all on its own.
His gaze flashed back to the photo on his computer screen.
She needed people to believe in the person she was now. He saw that. Felt it.
But he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to offer friendship without losing his heart.
