Page 59 of Fit for a King

I wet my lips, feeling tempted but undeniably nervous as I glanced over my shoulder at the dark petition that separated us from the driver and security.

“They can’t hear you. They can’t see you. And no one is allowed to enter without my permission first,” Nicholas said, leaning forward. He held his hand out to me, palm upturned, and though it was asking for trouble, I took it.

He pulled me off my seat and into the one beside him as the car began to move, heading out the gates of Montclair Palace. Still holding my hand, he pressed a kiss to the back of it before settling it in his lap.

“Thank you,” he said. “For being here with me.”

He looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t, and it was then that I realized he needed me. This was his first tour, the first time coming face to face with the people he now ruled as their king, not just the next in line in a distant future.

Nicholas was nervous. His face didn’t betray that, obviously, but the way he stroked his thumb over my hand as he held it in his lap told me all I needed to know. I was his comfort, the one he’d chosen to be beside him during this momentous time in his life, and it made my heart stutter and my throat grow tight.

I squeezed his hand, grateful I could be here when he needed me, and let the silence fall between us, comfortable and safe.

By the time we reached the first town on our stop, massive crowds lined the streets, waiting for a glimpse of their king. While Nicholas looked out the window, I watched him, observing firsthand the way his demeanor began to change as the motorcade came to a stop. When I’d first met him, I thought the man beside me was ice cold, made of steel, but now I realized that that steel was just armor he put on to help him navigate his new role.

This time I lifted our joined hands to kiss his knuckles.

“Good luck…Nicholas,” I said, smiling at him before moving to the opposite side of the car so he could exit.

His eyes warmed, and then he took in a deep inhale and knocked on the window, indicating he was ready.

I winked at him and then the door opened and he stepped outside to a thunderous roar from the crowd. I stayed in the car, watching from the window as he smiled and waved on his way to greet his people.

There were children holding flowers and offering them up to him, and he sweetly took every one, making conversation with each person who’d been waiting, giving each one time and attention as they no doubt offered condolences for his father, along with well wishes. I watched him through it all, moving to the other side of the car to get a better view.

Nicholas stopped at an older man in full military dress blues sitting in a wheelchair and took his hand, holding on to it as the man spoke to him, his face full of emotion. By the end, Nicholas reached for the man’s shoulder, a more personal gesture that had the old man in tears. Happy tears, from the looks of it.

Nicholas gave his hand a squeeze before being led away to the entrance of the children’s hospital, where he’d spend the next two hours visiting and reading stories.

What I wouldn’t give to see him in action, even though his visit would be shown all over every news station. But I was just a footman, and this was His Majesty’s new world.

I would have to be content to just watch.

TWO HOURS TURNED into three and a half, and when Nicholas finally emerged from the hospital to the surrounding crowds, he had a smile on his face, but a heaviness in his eyes that came from visiting the most vulnerable.

No one would notice, not when they were all waving and shouting his name adoringly. But I could tell by the tight pull of his lips and the strain on his handsome features that he was feeling the weight of helplessness as he reached the car.

The door opened and he entered, and I put my tablet aside and waited until it shut and we were alone.

“Difficult?” I said.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. “Unbelievably so.” He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, and the pain and sadness in them broke my heart. “Those poor children… The parents… They’re so unbelievably strong in the face of such tremendous hardships. So brave in the face of such uncertain futures.”

I sat forward and reached for his hands. “And today you gave them a reason to continue being strong.”

Nicholas shook his head. “I didn’t do anything. Couldn’t do anything. That’s the worst part. To look into the face of someone so helpless and not be able to do anything to make their way of life better.”

“But you did,” I said, squeezing his hands. “Don’t you see? Your mere presence lifted every single spirit in and out of that hospital today. By taking the time to talk, smile, and listen to their stories—even when I know your secretary was telling you to leave—you made every single person you met today feel a little bit better.” I smiled. “You did everything and more.”

Nicholas slipped a hand free of mine and reached up to brush the backs of his fingers down my cheek. “Thank you for saying that.”

“It’s true.” I turned my head to kiss his fingers. “The expectations placed on you are vast, but you live up to every single one of them.”

Nicholas gripped my chin lightly and leaned forward to brush his lips across mine. “How are you real, Noah Bennett?”

I smiled and rested my forehead against his. “I could ask the same of you.”

“It’s like I dreamed you up, right when I needed you.” His eyes traced every feature of mine, right before he took my face in his hands and claimed my mouth in the sweetest kiss I’d ever had.