Chapter 29
EDDIE
I stared at the phone in my hand for a full five minutes before finally working up the courage to dial.
Two days had passed since Christmas, two days of the kind of domestic peace I’d never experienced in my life.
Helping Bash’s mother with baking cookies, watching terrible holiday movies together, sleeping every night in Bash’s narrow bed with his arm around me had been perfect.
But underneath that peace was the knowledge that I had promises to keep and bridges to either mend or burn completely.
“You don’t have to do this today,” Bash said from where he sat beside me on his childhood bed, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body against my shoulder.
“I told him I’d call,” I replied, still staring at the phone. “I’m a man of my word, even if he isn’t sure he still considers me his son.”
“He’s your father, Eddie. Whatever else happens, that doesn’t change.”
I nodded, took a deep breath, and dialed the familiar number before I could lose my nerve. It rang three times before my father’s voice answered, formal and cautious.
“Hello.”
“Father, it’s me. It’s Gregory.”
The silence that followed stretched long enough that I wondered if the call had been dropped. When he finally spoke, his voice was carefully controlled. “Gregory. I… We weren’t sure you’d call.”
“I said I would. I may have disappointed you in many ways, but I’ve never broken my word to you.”
Another pause, then: “Where are you?”
“North Carolina. With Bash and his family. They’ve been very kind to me.”
“I see.” His tone was neutral, giving nothing away. “Gregory, I think perhaps you don’t understand the magnitude of what you’ve done. The embarrassment this will create for the family is a PR nightmare, especially on top of the damage your cousin already did to our reputation.”
I took a deep breath. “I do understand, Father, but you left me no other choice. I did not and do not want to walk away from you or the family, but if you won’t allow me to be with the man I love, what other options are there?”
“Then why are you calling?”
It was a fair question, and one I’d been asking myself for two days. “Because you’re my father, and despite everything, I love you. Because I made you a promise. And because I hope that someday, you might understand why I had to do this.”
The silence this time was different—less angry, more thoughtful.
“Are you happy?” he asked finally, and the question caught me completely off guard.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “For the first time in my life, I’m genuinely, completely happy.”
“And this situation with Special Agent Puller. You’re certain it’s not simply rebellion or confusion? After all, you’re not exactly experienced.”
That was one word for it. “I’m in love with him, Father. Deeply, completely, permanently in love with him. This isn’t rebellion or confusion or a phase I’ll grow out of. This is who I am, and this is what I want for my life.”
Another long pause.
When my father spoke again, his voice was quieter, more personal than it had been since the call began. “Your mother would have wanted you to be happy. She always said that about you and Charlotte, that your happiness mattered more than anything else, including duty.”
The mention of my mother made my throat tight. “She would have understood.”
“Yes, she would have. Then again, she wasn’t a princess by birth, only through marriage. She never looked at duty the same way I did.”
That was his polite way of saying she’d been a bit of a rebel, as much as she could have been while still remaining part of the royal family. Would they have divorced down the line? We would never know, but I believed in my heart she would have walked away from it all. “She was different.”
“She certainly was… and maybe you take more after her than I had realized.” Then his voice became more businesslike again. “Gregory, if you’re truly committed to this path, we need to discuss practicalities.”
“What sort of practicalities?”
“Your position in the family, your titles, your future. Uncle Henry is extremely displeased. He’s talking about complete disownment, stripping you of all titles and privileges.”
My stomach clenched, though I’d expected as much. “And what’s your position?”
“My position is that you’re my son, regardless of the choices you make. But I also understand that there must be consequences for those choices.” He paused, as if organizing his thoughts. “I’ve been thinking about a compromise.”
“What kind of compromise?”
“You keep your titles and all the hereditary ranks that are yours by birth, but you step back from all official royal duties. No public appearances, no ceremonial obligations, no representation of the Crown. You become, essentially, a private citizen who happens to hold noble titles.”
I sat up straighter, hardly daring to believe what I was hearing. “That… That could work.”
“It preserves the family’s dignity while acknowledging your choice to live a different kind of life.
You remain my son and a member of the royal family, but you’re free to build whatever life you want without the constraints of royal duty.
In exchange, you would keep the news of your…
relationship with Special Agent Puller out of the news for now so we can decide how and when best to come forward with this. ”
I had no problem with that. “And Uncle Henry would agree to this?”
“Uncle Henry will do whatever is best for the stability of the monarchy. If the alternative is a public family feud and ongoing scandal, he’ll accept a quiet compromise.” My father’s voice carried the confidence of someone who understood the institution’s priorities. “I’ll speak with him.”
Relief flooded through me so suddenly, I felt dizzy. “Father, I… Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. There are conditions.”
“What conditions?”
“First, you’ll need to support yourself financially. Royal allowances come with royal duties. If you’re stepping back from those duties, you’re stepping back from that support as well.”
“I understand. I want to support myself anyway.”
“Good. What are your plans for that?”
I glanced at Bash, who was listening intently to my side of the conversation. “I want to go back to Cascade Bay University and finish my degree. After that, we’ll have to figure out what comes next.”
“That makes sense. Education was always the point of this American adventure, wasn’t it?” There was something almost wryly amused in his tone. “I’ll continue funding your education. Consider it an investment in your future independence.”
“Thank you, Father. That means more than I can say.”
“There’s something else we need to discuss. Your security.”
My stomach tightened again. “What about it?”
“I won’t leave you unprotected, Gregory, regardless of our disagreements. I’ve arranged for Special Agent Puller’s assignment to continue temporarily, with funding through a discrete channel that won’t raise questions.”
I looked at Bash, whose expression had grown suddenly serious. “For how long?”
“Until you graduate. But Gregory, you need to understand something.” My father’s voice became grave.
“When your relationship becomes public—and it will become public at some point—Special Agent Puller’s career with the Secret Service will be over.
They do not tolerate personal relationships between protectors and protectees, especially not relationships that compromise professional judgment. ”
The words hit like a physical blow, even though I’d known this was inevitable. “I see.”
“Make sure he understands the implications. He’s sacrificing his career for this relationship.”
“He knows. We’ve discussed it.”
“And he’s willing to accept that consequence?”
I looked at Bash, who nodded without hesitation. “He is.”
“Then he must care for you a great deal.”
“He does. And I care for him just as much. We’re both making sacrifices to be together.”
“I suppose that’s what love requires sometimes,” my father said, and I heard something in his voice I hadn’t expected—understanding, perhaps even acceptance.
We were quiet for a moment, both processing the conversation and its implications.
“Gregory,” my father said finally, “I want you to know that while I may not understand your choices, I understand that you’ve made them. And I’d rather have a son who’s happy than no son at all.”
The simple honesty of it nearly broke me. “Thank you, Father. That means everything to me.”
“Call me again in a few days. I’ll have spoken with Uncle Henry by then, and we can finalize the arrangements.”
“I will.”
“And Gregory? Be careful. The media attention when this becomes public will be intense. Make sure you’re prepared for that.”
“We will be.”
“Good. Take care of yourself, son.”
I hesitated, then spoke the words I hadn’t uttered to him in years, not since I’d been a little boy. “I love you, Father.”
I could hear the little gasp of surprise, but then, “I love you too, Gregory. More than you know.”
After he hung up, I sat holding the phone. It wasn’t complete acceptance, and there were conditions and consequences that would fundamentally change my life, but it was so much more than I’d dared hope for.
“How much of that did you catch?” I asked Bash.
“Titles without duties, education funding, temporary security arrangement. And the part about my career being over when we go public.”
“I’m sorry about your job.”
“Don’t be.” Bash’s voice was firm. “I knew what I was risking from the moment I kissed you back. Hell, I probably knew before that. Some things are worth more than a career, Eddie. You’re worth more than any job.”
“We’re both giving up everything we’ve ever worked for,” I said, the magnitude of it settling over me.
“No,” Bash corrected, pulling me closer. “We’re giving up things we worked for before we knew what we really wanted. Now we know, and we’re building something better.”
I leaned into his warmth, grateful beyond words for his certainty when mine wavered. “Back to Cascade Bay, then. Back to being Eddie York and finishing my degree.”
“Back to our apartment, our life, our friends who don’t care about titles or scandals.” Bash pressed a kiss to my temple. “Back to being ourselves.”
“What will we do for money after my father stops funding your security detail?”
“We’ll figure it out. I’ve got savings, military benefits, references from this assignment that should help me find private security work. You’ll have your degree soon enough, and then you can work too. We’ll make it work, Eddie. People do it every day.”
I thought about the life we’d be building—modest by the standards I’d grown up with, but honest and authentic and ours. No royal obligations, no family expectations, no performance required. Just Eddie and Bash, building a future based on love instead of duty.
“I can’t wait,” I said, and meant it completely.
“Your father surprised me,” Bash said after a moment. “I thought he’d try to bribe me to leave you alone or threaten to destroy my life if I didn’t.”
“He still might,” I said with a slight smile. “But I think he’s beginning to understand that I’m serious about this. That I’m not going to change my mind or come to my senses or whatever he was hoping would happen.”
“And the king?”
“Father will handle Uncle Henry. They understand institutional priorities, and a quiet compromise is better than an ongoing scandal.” I turned to face Bash fully.
“Are you sure about this? Really sure? Because once we go back to school, once people figure out we’re together, there’s no going back.
Your career will be over, we’ll be completely dependent on each other, and we’ll be under more scrutiny than you can possibly imagine. ”
Bash cupped my face in his hands, those dark eyes steady and sure. “Eddie, I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. I love you. I choose you. I choose us.”
I kissed him then, pouring all my gratitude and love and commitment into the connection between us. “I love you too.”