Chapter 62
Sixty-Two
Daphne
Two Weeks Later
Iwoke up with linen sheets tangled around my legs and was tempted to steal another hour of sleep. I spotted Brooks’s clothes tossed over the chair, and a smile pulled at my lips.
I’m in his dorm.
My life is back.
I was back at Saint Vale.
Back with my friends.
Back with the man I so desperately loved.
Happiness had become such a strange feeling.
For months, I’d believed I’d lost everything.
I’d believed the man I loved was gone and that I’d never find the same feeling again.
Now, even waking up alone in his bed felt like something I should be grateful for.
Brooks had woken me up hours ago and kissed me goodbye before he left.
I was still adjusting to the time-zone change and sleeping in whenever I could. Since it was Saturday, I didn’t have to rush to class.
The second I returned to campus, Arisono gave me a stern lecture about breaking the rules.
I had no idea what rules she was talking about since she didn’t know I’d helped with my father’s plot.
Not that any handbook here had a rule covering that anyway.
Arisono had looked at me like she personally wanted to shove me back through Saint Vale’s gates, but oh well.
I’m here to stay.
Before I had come back to SVU, President Byron had flown to Calira with Brooks.
My mom had agreed to speak with him, and against all odds, they managed not to kill each other. They cleared the air, but too much pain stood between them now.
She also admitted to him that she knew I’d hidden the recording, but like me, she didn’t know about the plan to shoot him. We’d just been hurt pawns in a much dirtier game.
I slid out of his warm bed.
I’d slept in Brooks’s room every night since coming back six days ago, but still, it felt unreal.
Brooks’s dorm made the double I shared with Blair look like student housing for peasants.
Deep mahogany furniture filled the massive space, thick law books lined the shelves, and he had a full kitchen tucked in one corner. His living room alone was probably bigger than my entire dorm.
First Son perks.
Night Son perks.
My phone vibrated somewhere on the bed. I reached around the sheets until my fingers found it.
Adelina: SOS! SOS! SOS!
My heart immediately started racing.
We only used SOS during true emergencies.
Life-and-death ones.
Adelina: Are you in your dorm?
Adelina: ALONE?
I texted her back quickly.
Me: No. But I can be there in 15.
Me: ALONE.
I stole one last whiff of Brooks’s cologne on his pillow before jumping out of bed. I threw on clothes and brushed my teeth with the toothbrush Brooks had bought for me to use during our sleepovers.
It took me less than five minutes before I was out the door.
My dorm was empty when I walked in, and my phone buzzed as I sat down on my bed.
Adelina: Got a call! On my way!
I barely had enough time to run a brush through my tangled hair before the door flew open. Adelina shut it behind her, her purse pressed against her stomach like a shield as she fought back tears.
The second she dropped the bag and slumped onto my bed, the tears broke free.
I dropped the brush onto the vanity, raced over, and sat beside her.
“Hey,” I whispered. “What’s wrong?”
She dumped the contents onto my bed.
My jaw dropped. “Are these … yours?”
Pregnancy tests scattered across my comforter.
She nodded. Her lower lip quivered as tears welled deeper in her eyes.
I sat there, at a loss for words, wanting to make sure the ones that left my mouth were the right ones.
“I don’t know what to do,” Adelina sobbed. “I’m so fucking fucked.”
“Everything will be okay,” I said softly while ignoring the fact that her pee sticks were where I slept.
I’d fix that problem later. My best friend was in a crisis.
“No, everything won’t.” She cried so hard that she struggled to catch her breath. When she couldn’t wipe the tears away fast enough, I helped her. “My family will kill me. My reputation … ruined.” She squeezed her eyes shut, dragging in shaky breaths.
“Who cares about that?” I shifted closer, remembering when I’d told her I was in love with her brother. “Reputations are bullshit anyway. All you need to care about is how you feel about yourself. Reputations come and go. But true happiness? If you feel it in your heart, that lasts forever.”
“I know …” She looked away while lowering her tone to almost a whisper. “It’s just the guy who …” Her voice trailed off around a sigh.
“Who is he? Who’s the dad?”
She linked our fingers together like she needed me to keep her settled while the words left her mouth. “Swear to me, you won’t tell anyone.”
“I swear—”
“Not even my brother—”
“Adelina—”
“Swear to me. I know you don’t want to keep secrets from him, given what you just went through, but eventually, he’ll find out. I just need a moment to process it. But I needed you, my best friend, to tell me everything will be okay.”
One of the tests fell to the floor when I scooted closer to hug her tight.
“Everything will be okay,” I whispered. “Whatever you need, I’ll help you. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.”
She held me tight, crying into my shoulder.
“You never have to worry about being alone.”
As she pulled away, a drop of snot dripped from her nose. “The dad …” She quickly wiped it away before sweeping all the pregnancy tests back into her bag. “He’s a …” She didn’t finish her sentence until the last test was gone. “He’s a Son.”
“Holy shit,” I said around a gasp. “Who?”
We both jumped when the door flew open, and Brooks appeared in the doorway.
“Jesus, Adelina,” he said, stopping when he saw us. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Adelina swiped at her wet cheeks. “Hormones. I just started my period.”
I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from snorting at that.
That period won’t be coming for a long damn time.
I took Adelina’s hand as she stood.
She turned to mouth a desperate, Please, over her shoulder.
I nodded, a silent I got you, and she returned the nod in understanding.
I’d keep her secret for a while, but eventually, she would have to tell Brooks.
The last thing I wanted was another secret between Brooks and me. But this one wasn’t mine to tell.
I’d still have to find out which Son had knocked her up because holy fucking shit.
I’d narrowed down my list to Cory and the Mafia heirs.
Adelina grabbed her bag, keeping it pressed against her chest again, and when she tried to leave, Brooks pulled her into a half hug.
See? The sinner did have a heart after all.
When Adelina left, Brooks pulled his phone from his pocket and tossed it to me.
“New headline about us, baby.” He wore that devious smirk I loved.
The headline filled the screen.
Brooks and Princess Daphne Back On!
Brooks had turned it into a game of screenshotting headlines he liked about us.
And those stories were everywhere.
Most of them were total clickbait, but I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t like that people knew Brooks was officially off the market.
He’s mine, and I’m his.
Brooks snapped his fingers and pointed toward the phone. “I think I’m going to need to tip off a reporter to share something better than those generic ones.”
I lowered the phone to get a full look at him.
He looked damn delicious in his tailored black slacks and matching blazer. He’d grown his hair out some, and I knew he was due for a haircut in a few days. We’d planned to spend the day in the city after his barber appointment.
“Yeah?” I asked. “What would be better?”
He dropped onto the bed beside me, making it dip under his weight. “Brooks and Princess Daphne Are in Love.”
I smiled at him as he cupped my face in his hand.
Every time he told me he loved me, my heart felt like it grew in my chest.
I remembered every time he’d said it.
The White House. The night we had finally talked through everything. Every night since I’d returned to Saint Vale.
He had made it clear that he wanted me here with him for the rest of our lives.
“Princess Daphne to Add Another Title to Her Role: Wife.” He caressed my cheek, his thumb tracing my cheekbone. “Princess Daphne Is the First Royal to Become a First Lady.”
My smile faded. “What if the people don’t want me as their First Lady?”
It was truly a fear. One of my biggest.
The presidency was Brooks’s dream.
“Why?” he asked, his brow furrowing. “They’d be stupid not to.”
I looked back at the headline on his phone. “I’m the daughter of a man who committed treason.”
I didn’t mention that I’d also committed treason.
Now’s not the time for that.
“Then I guess that’s their loss, and we’ll spend the rest of our days on the Caliran beaches.”
“I don’t want you giving up on your dream.”
“If they won’t accept you, then that’s not my dream anymore.
You are, Daphne.” He smiled before brushing his lips over mine.
“We have plenty of years before I can even run. All of that will blow over. Besides, who wouldn’t want such a perfect woman, a princess, as their First Lady?
” He kissed me again, sliding his tongue along the seam of my lips.
“If not, then you’ll be a queen, and I’ll still be by your side.
Either way, we’ll be together. That’s all that matters. You’re all that matters.”
He stood, holding his hand out to me. “Now, where’s your sage?”
I let him pull me to my feet and rested my palms against his chest, fighting a smile. “For what?”
“Let’s rid those negative thoughts from your head.”
I stood on my tiptoes to press my lips to his. “Thank you for forgiving me.”
“Thank you for loving me.” He kissed me back, deeper this time, while wrapping his arm around my waist.
I smiled, feeling more loved than I’d ever thought possible. “The princess is getting her happily ever after, after all.”
He grinned. “Only with the sinner.”
“The other way was too boring anyway.”