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A young boy, about seven or eight years old, walks up to Ariella with a man following behind him. I’d know the man anywhere. It’s Kiernan, the Prince of Brachha—Ariella’s husband.
Chapter two
Ariella
What are the odds that I would run into the one person that I’m here to see but not in the location where I had planned to see him? I expected to cross paths with him in two days when I go to the appointment that I have scheduled with Ethan Knight at the Shining Knight offices in New York City. My goal was to hire Patrick, the only person whom I trusted to keep my son, Alex, and me safe.
After learning that Patrick had left the FBI, my father called his friend, former Director Ambrose, to track him down. A few favors later, we had the information we needed. In the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, we secretly boarded my father’s plane and left for the United States. Not wanting to stay in New York City, where we would be surrounded by so many unknown factors, we thought it would be safer to go to the mountains, where it would be harder for someone to find us. The three-hour trek back to the city in a few days is worth it if it will keep Alex safe.
Kiernan had escorted us here but plans to return to Cothena as soon as the meeting at Shining Knight is concluded. There’s still too much for him to do back home as he works with my brother to quell the uprisings that have been happening in Cothena. After an assassination attempt on my life—while Alex was with me—it became clear that it was too dangerous for us to remain at home.
“Mommy! Who’s that man you’re with?” Alex asks innocently. Kiernan is behind him, looking model pretty and like the playboy he is. Like Patrick, he has short brown hair and piercing blue eyes, but that’s where the similarities end. He’s decked out in a black sweater, faded blue jeans, tan leather hiking boots, and a tan suede jacket with cream-colored trim.
“This is my friend, Patrick. I met him when I came to the States with your grandpa the year before you were born.”
Alex smiles up at Patrick with a wide grin. “That was a really long time ago! I’m already eight!”
I watch Patrick’s smile disappear for a fraction of a second while he does the math. He glances at me briefly before returning his attention to Alex. “Wow, you’re practically a man! Are you eating your vegetables so you can grow up big and strong like your daddy?”
Kiernan places his hand on Alex’s shoulder and answers for him. “He is. Alex loves green beans and broccoli the most.”
At the mention of my son’s name, Patrick looks at me again, this time questioningly. I say nothing, and he doesn’t press me. I named Alex after Patrick, whose full name is Patrick Alexander Kent.
“Yeah! The baby trees taste the best, especially when Mom has the chef put cheese on top,” Alex exclaims.
My son’s enthusiasm for broccoli clearly amuses Patrick. “So, your name is Alex, huh?” he asks.
“Yeah, like Alexander the Great! Mom said she wanted to keep the A-names going since her name is Ariella and my uncle is Aaron.”
“That makes perfect sense to me. Your mom is the smartest woman I know.”
Alex grabs my hand and turns to Patrick, telling him, “Yep. She knows how to say the alphabet backward. Can you say the alphabet backward, Mr. Patrick?”
He can. He’s the one who taught me one night during a rainstorm. We played cards in the dining room of our suite while my bodyguards watched a soccer game on the television. We laughed the entire time because it took me hours to finally get it right.
“Not many can! Can you?” Patrick replies, allowing my son to believe I have accomplished something monumental.
“Not all the way. I can only get to the letter J. Z…Y…X,” he starts in, and as predicted, Alex only makes it to the letter J before getting mixed up.
“That’s pretty darn good for someone who’s only eight. I bet by the time you’re nine, you’ll have it down pat,” he encourages.
“Ha! Down pat! Like your name!” my son giggles.
Kiernan steps forward and introduces himself, and Patrick shakes his hand.
“I’m so sorry, how rude of me,” I say. I didn’t even think about making introductions because Kiernan knows exactly who Patrick is. When I returned home broken-hearted, I had spilled the beans about my time spent in the States and why I was sad. Surprisingly, Kiernan was a good listener and helped me through the worst of my loss. Our friendship changed, and we grew closer as a result, becoming best friends. Of course, my mom gloated about being right, but only the one time.
“Mom, can we go tubing now?” Alex asks, excited to get to play in the snow.
“Absolutely. Patrick here needs to return to his wife, who’s waiting in the lobby for him. We’re keeping him from enjoying his time.”
At this, Kiernan arches an eyebrow in my direction, but I give him a subtle shake of my head and silently ask him to keep his mouth shut for the time being.
Patrick purses his lips. “Actually, I’m about to head back to the city. It was nice to see you again, Ari. Goodbye, and enjoy your trip.” He shakes Kiernan’s hand one more time and gives Alex a fist bump. Before leaving, he wraps me up in a hug that I wish would have lasted a lot longer. But I’m not the type of woman who makes a play for a married man.
I watch as he walks away, a tear falling down my cheek. Kiernan places an arm around my shoulders and gives it a soft squeeze.
He kisses my temple and says, “I’m guessing that—like the rest of the world—he thinks we’re married.”
