Page 92 of The Royal in Room 3

There were still young people being turned out of their homes, families who called love a disgrace, and doctors and counselors who didn’t know how to care for queer youth with dignity. Still, too many people whispered behind closed doors and pretended that silence meant acceptance.

Halo House had shown me what providing a safe place for the disadvantaged looked like.

Now I wanted Belvaria to have its own version of that.

“Soren.”

I turned at the sound of Phoenix’s voice and smiled before I could stop myself. The man I would have wanted to be by my side might not be at the event, but in just a few short weeks, I would travel to California and see him again, and I could hardly wait.

The time spent away from Jude had been truly horrid, and only the work I had to do kept me busy enough not to think about him every minute of the day. But at night, when I lay in my bed, I sometimes cried myself to sleep and worried that he might no longer feel the same way he did about me when I was in California.

I walked over to Phoenix, who stood near one of the donation tables in an immaculate ivory suit. He’d been attracting attention since he arrived at the palace yesterday, along with the man standing next to him. Aaron looked handsome in his dark suit, his shoulders stiff as if he expected to be called an imposter any minute now.

I’d invited both of them to Belvaria to attend the charity event, given how much they meant to me.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, coming to a stop before them. They were spending the next two weeks in Belvaria, learning about my country, and I wanted them to feel as welcome as they’d made me feel in their country. “Do you need anything?”

“We are fabulous,” Phoenix replied. “You’ve put together a wonderful event here. Who would have thought our little Soren would end up doing something so wonderful?”

I smiled. “Because of you two.”

“I think you’re forgetting someone who was also instrumental to your growth.”

I bit my bottom lip, my chest aching. Of course I didn’t forget Jude. How could I, when he was never far from my mind? If not for my responsibilities, I would have hopped on a plane already and left for California. The boy who had walked through the doors of Halo House for the first time might have done that, but the one Jude had nurtured, then let go, knew better.

“Phoenix, are you sure he hasn’t been seeing anyone else?” I asked desperately.

“He hasn’t. Right, Aaron?” Phoenix said.

“It’s true,” Aaron replied. “He’s still hung up on you.”

Although their words brought me some comfort, I couldn’t help worrying that they were only telling me what I wanted to hear. They were both good friends who kept me up to date about Jude whenever I asked.

“You know how I know Jude misses and still loves you?” Phoenix asked.

“Yes?”

“He’s decided to retire his services as a Daddy for Halo House.”

It took a while for me to register what Phoenix had said versus what he meant. Jude couldn’t retire from being Daddy Jude. That title belonged to him as naturally as his hands belonged around a piece of wood he was trying to repair. He was good at it, and the angels trusted him not to cross the line. I never expected him to continue being a Daddy for others while we were together, but we had broken up. He didn’t have any reason to give up the role.

Unless he wanted us to get back together.

“Phoenix, is that true?” I asked.

Phoenix’s expression softened. “He told me he can’t do it anymore. Not the way he used to.”

My heart gave a painful thud. “Because of me?”

He nodded. “Not after you. You’re the only boy for him, Soren.”

The ballroom faded around me, the voices and music and clinking glasses becoming distant beneath the rush of blood in my ears. I couldn’t do this anymore, couldn’t remain on one continent while he was on another.

I searched the room, trying to find Father.

“Excuse me, please,” I said when my gaze landed on him, standing next to my stepmother, Aesha. They were having a conversation with the Minister of Social Welfare and the director of Belvaria’s largest youth shelter.

“Soren,” Father greeted me with a smile that dimmed when he took a good look at me. “You’ve organized such a wonderful event. Is something wrong?”