Page 117 of King of the Crease

“I want to earn my place here.”

“You don’t need to earn anything. You’re here because I love you and want to build a life with you.” Hank’s kind spirit is a welcome shake up to how things go about here.

He may not have fancy degrees or pedigrees, but his heart is pure. He loves caring for others, and I know whatever path he decides, it’s going to be selfless and truly make an impact.

“How’s Brody?” I ask.

“Having a blast at Des and Tanner’s. They’ve had pizza two nights in a row. I think he likes the chaos of the house. Four kids there.” Hank shrugs. “He never got to experience siblings.”

Something unspoken stirs in my chest, a thought that’s been percolating ever since Hank touched down in Ardenia.

“What is it?” he asks, sensing my strain.

I sit on the bed and take off my shoes. “Nothing. Just thinking about my father.”

“He’s a great guy. He loved my hockey stories.”

Shockingly, Hank and the king got along well at dinner. Seeing how happy Hank makes me has made the king warm up to us being together. We talked through press strategies for introducing Hank to the public and discussed how certain royal functions would unfold with a man at my side. It’ll be a bumpy, awkward transition, but we’ll get through it.

There are older members of parliament who aren’t supportive, though luckily they are a minority. I look at my father, who has shown tremendous growth in the month since I came out publicly, and I remain hopeful in the power of people to change.

Watching the king struggle with picking up his fork bruised my heart, giving me a glimpse at what’s to come. I’m so grateful that I have Hank by my side during this time. I’m about to enter the hardest year of my life since my mother died. Thankfully, Hank gives really good hugs.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he says, beckoning me to the bed.

“You stripped right down to your skivvies.”

“Because these are silk sheets. They feel so good on my skin.” Hank writhes around, letting every part of him get contact with the soft fabric.

I stand against the bed. He comes over and unbuttons my pants, pushing them to the floor.

“Uh oh.” His face contorts into a cheshire cat grin.

He pulls me onto him for a delectable kiss, his warm body soothing mine. I kiss back, but I can’t fully engage.

“Hank. I need to talk to you about something.”

“Are you breaking up with me? Is it because I didn’t know what a fascinator was?”

“I’m not.” A part of me worries he’ll be the one breaking up with me. “I want to talk about the future. I know this is fast, and discussing one’s future so early in the relationship could cause a person to run…”

He tips my chin to face him. “I’m not running anywhere, Nick.”

“As a member of the royal family, there’s pressure on me to produce an heir. Being with a man complicates this, of course, but…” I inhale a breath of courage. “I want to be a father. Not merely out of obligation. Seeing you with Brody…I want that, too. I want to start at the beginning, not just be a stepfather.”

“You’re saying you want to have a baby with me.”

“I’d like to. I know you’re a bit older, and you’ve already raised a boy to adulthood. If this is an issue, we should deal with it now. Unfortunately, because of the scrutiny that comes with being a public figure, we don’t have the luxury to wait-and-see.”

I really know how to kill the mood, don’t I? As a future king, duty will always call, and never at the appropriate time.

“I probably should’ve had this conversation before we were in our underwear.”

“It’s really fun watching you spiral.” Hank kisses along my neck. “I want to have a baby with you.”

“You do?” Hope fills my chest. Instantly, I picture Hank holding a baby and singing to it and a little boy wearing a little toolbelt.

“Yeah. With Brody going off to college next year, it’s made me realize how fast it all goes. I miss having a little baby around the house, and I’d get to experience all those milestones with you.” He presses our hands together, fingers interlocking.