Page 48 of His Royal Request

Cian’s look soured. “How can we possibly believe that? You’re just another American chasing some fantasy.”

“You can believe that because she just told you,” Aiden spoke up for me. “She has no reason to lie to you or any of us. Why must you assume the worst in everyone?”

“Our family doesn’t have the luxury of blindly trusting people. We must protect ourselves.”

“I can only imagine what a burden that would be,” I said. I really could. I could see how scared and jaded Cian was. His brother might not be as understanding but I could see Cian’s perspective. “If you’d like, I’ll leave now.”

Aiden turned to me with fire in his eyes. “You will not.”

I transferred my gaze from him to Cian. Cian’s face had softened and his attention was on his parents.

The queen smiled. “I don’t think that will be necessary, Charlie.”

I tried to remain calm and not freak out that the queen just said my name. Right now, she was just Aiden’s mom.

Cian sighed and finally nodded. “You may stay.”

I stepped toward him to thank him but he spun on his heel and stalked out of the room.

“Don’t worry about him,” the king said with a sad tone. “He isn’t a fan of change.”

“He doesn’t like when things don’t go his way,” Aiden said bitterly.

I took his hand and waited until his eyes met mine. “It’s not like he had any warning you were bringing someone home with you. That’s a lot to take in.”

“There’s almost a hundred rooms. It’s not like he was inconvenienced in the slightest.”

“It wasn’t very nice that he invited your ex, but if he really thought he was doing what was best for you, you can’t hold that against him. He thought he was looking out for you.”

Aiden’s eyes softened. “You’re too kind.”

The queen stepped toward us, catching my attention. Her blue eyes were identical to Aiden’s but her hair was a few shades darker. She was stunning. Undeniably beautiful. “No, I believe she is the exact amount of kind you need.” She paused and looked to me. “Thank you for being the bigger person. Both of my sons will benefit from having someone like you around.”

She smiled and walked out of the room, followed by the king.

Aiden turned to me. “Mum’s right. You did what I should have done. You kept Cian and me from escalating and you empathized with him. Something not many choose to do.”

I wasn’t sure what to say, but he kept going.

“You’re so much more than what I was ready for, but I can’t imagine what it would be like if we hadn’t met.”

I swallowed. This felt bigger than any conversation we’d had before. I’d look back and remember this moment as the time everything changed.

“Aiden?”

His eyes bore into mine. “Yes?”

“Is it crazy for me to have feelings for you?”

The corner of his lips tugged up. “It depends on what kind of feelings.”

I grinned. “Really good ones.”

He shook his head. “Then it’s not so crazy.”

“But they’re really strong. Too strong for having known you a few days.”

His eyes dropped from mine to my lips then back. “Crazier things have happened.”