Page 11 of Rowdy Prince
“You’re refusing to leave?” His brow lifts as he meets my eyes with a cold stare.
“I am. I want to stay with the people who make me happy.” I make eye contact with Tara and somehow, I fall a little harder for her.
“Very well,” he says, nodding to the men he brought with him. Suddenly, they’re on me, grabbing my arms and holding them behind my back, forcing me towards the door.
“What the hell?” I yell.
“The queen has authorized me to use whatever force is necessary to get you home, sire,” Charles says, nodding politely at a freaked out Mitch and Tara.
“Luis!” Tara shouts. “Leave him alone. You’re hurting him.”
“It’s OK, querida,” I say, my heart aching as I watch the tears stream down her face. “I said I’ll find a way, and I will. Wait for me. I’ll come for you.”
“Luis! No!” she cries, chasing us out as they drag me to a waiting vehicle. “Let him go!”
“Wait for me. Say you’ll wait for me,” I yell.
“I will,” she cries. “I promise.”
And as they force me into the car, the last thing I see is Tara crying in the arms of her brother. It breaks my heart.
“I’ll find a way,” I say before I collapse against the seat, looking around the car and committing the faces of each man to memory. “Consider your days numbered, gentleman.”
“We’re just doing our job, sire,” one of them says.
“And I was just trying to live my life.”
“Your life is in Reinqueno,” Charles says from the drivers' seat. “Your people need you.”
“My mother is perfectly capable of running the country herself.”
“No, sire,” Charles says, meeting my eyes through the rearview mirror. “She’s not.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your mother isn’t well.”
Tara
Months go by but it feels like years. The only contact I have from Luis is via a secret email address that only we know about, but even those are sporadic. Life at the palace has been chaotic for him during his mother’s treatment and the need for him to step up and sit on the throne. He’s desperate to come back to me, and I’m desperate to go to him. But there are roadblocks and red tape that we can’t seem to find our way around. There’s more, but I don’t want to add to his burdens since I know he’s caught between a rock and a hard place. But as I feel the tiny flutters in my belly, I’m happy that I get to have a small piece of him growing inside me.
Mitch tells me I should let Luis know about the baby, but if Luis knew, the depth of his sorrow would only increase, and he’s doing the best he can. I miss him, but that stupid antiquated law is standing in our way. Duty to his people trumps our desire to be together. It’s sad. But it’s our reality until things change.
Luis
“You know, sire,” Charles says as he rides beside me in the back of the car during an official visit to our neighboring country. I’m to meet the duke and pretend I’m enjoying his company for the sake of trade relations. I hate this more with every passing day. I can barely eat. I can barely sleep. And I don’t think I’m the best king my country has seen. I’m trying, but I think I’m a pretty distracted and subpar one because I’m heartsick. I can’t stop thinking about the Tara and the life I wanted for myself. But my mother has been ill, and the country needs me to step up, so I need to find a way out of this funk to be the man I need to be. But it’s heart. My body might be here, but my heart is miles away. “I’m not sure if you’ve considered this, but seeing as though you’re the king now, you do have certain powers. Rewriting outdated laws is one of them.”
“Yes. I have thought of that. But I’d need council approval to get those amendments through. I couldn’t even fire you without their say so.” I fold my arms in front of me. The longer I go without seeing Tara, the more crotchety I become.
Charles has the hide to chuckle. “For that, I’m grateful. But you do have to understand, sire, I was just doing my job, just like I am now. Your kingdom needs a leader, and my role here is to help you be the best king you can be. And if you’d like, I can help you convince enough council members to help you change that law.”
“You’d do that for me? I’ve been an asshole to you for months.”
Charles shrugs. “Heartache changes a man, and since I was partly responsible for causing that heartache, I’d like to play my part in making it right.”
Tara
Going through my emails after I arrive at work, I sit at my desk and wonder how I’m supposed to get through another day in this state of waiting. It’s like my life hit pause when Luis was dragged out of that cabin, and now I’m stuck here, counting the seconds while wishing I was anywhere but here.
