amandablink

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the holy grail types of fanfic

[amandablink]

We all love happy endings, right? Just perfect! ❤️

The One Who Got Away 

Thank you @kyra75 for your ask --  Prompt #4, ‘This is all my fault’ for @choicesprompts – Angstgiving Event 

Choices Book: The Royal Romance, Book 2 

Pairing: Liam Rys x Riley Brooks (F!MC) 

Rating: mature 

Category: angst/fluff, one-shot, ask/prompt 

Words 3.5k, with sprinkles of Canon 

A/N1: not Beta’d, please excuse all errors 

Premise: Liam and Riley are in love, but due to circumstances, they are pulled apart. Riley leaves Cordonia to go back home to New York, heartbroken. Liam marries Madeleine, reluctantly, to fulfill his duty as King. A year later, while visiting New York, Liam runs into Riley.... 

ONE YEAR AGO ...

New York. The place where dreams come true. The Statue of Liberty. The Empire State Building. Central Park. 

As the limousine pulled up in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a sea of reporters and cameras flooded the sidewalk, all desperate to catch a glimpse of the young King of Cordonia. 

He'd arrived in New York earlier that day to spend the next two weeks on a goodwill tour, courtesy of his PR team. He'd already spent several days in Washington, DC, before stopping by a few other major US cities. New York City was the grand finale. 

King Liam stepped out of the limousine, his personal security flanking him, and walked into the throng of reporters. He was met with a barrage of flashing cameras, blinding him. His bodyguards tried their best to hold the crowd back. 

"Your Majesty! Over here! Look over here, please!" 

Liam put on his most dazzling smile and waved, walking towards the doors, surrounded by the press. 

"What are you hoping to accomplish during your stay in New York?" 

"Who will be accompanying you?" 

"Do you have a message for the people of Cordonia?" 

"King Liam! What is the state of the relationship between your country and the US?" 

"Will you be making any important announcements soon?" 

Liam smiled politely at the reporters, but refused to comment on their questions. He reached the top of the steps leading into the museum, and stopped for a moment, taking in the view. It was a gorgeous, but chilly,  November day in New York. The trees had long since lost their leaves and were now a dark brown, contrasting with the gray skies above. The weather had forced most New Yorkers to stay indoors. 

Liam glanced at his watch. It was 10:45 am. 

"Your Majesty? The exhibit is waiting for you." One of the museum staff motioned him inside. 

Liam walked through the massive, imposing entrance doors and made his way through the crowd of museum visitors, down the marble-floored hallway, towards the room where the exhibit was waiting for him. 

The museum staff, dressed in black-and-white, were all huddled near the door, whispering excitedly amongst themselves. 

"This is going to be a huge draw for our museum." 

"I can't believe they let us borrow these artifacts." 

"We're lucky the King agreed to open the exhibit." 

Liam cleared his throat and the museum staff immediately stood at attention. 

"Welcome, Your Majesty. We're honored you're here," the museum director bowed in respect.

"Thank you, but there's no need for all the formality," Liam smiled warmly. "Please, please call me Liam." 

The museum staff beamed as the director held out his arm to escort Liam into the gallery.

"If you'll please follow me, Your Ma—, uh, Liam. We've prepared the exhibit for your inspection. Please take as much time as you'd like." 

Liam followed into the spacious, exhibition room, his personal security standing outside. The staff were bustling around, checking the artifacts and displays. Liam took a few steps further into the room, and his breath hitched in his throat. 

At the end of the room, on a plinth, was a large display case, with a crown encased inside. It was a golden circlet, embellished with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. 

The Queen's Crown of Cordonia. 

He recognized it immediately. It had belonged to his mother, Queen Eleanor, before she had died. She had never had a chance to wear it. 

Liam's hands were trembling, and his knees were weak. He slowly approached the crown, his eyes fixed on it. The last time he'd seen this crown was at his mother's funeral. After that, it had been kept locked away in the Royal Treasury. He'd thought it would stay there forever. 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" came a familiar voice. 

Liam's head snapped up and his heart skipped a beat. 

There, standing in front of him, was the love of his life. 

Riley. 

He couldn't believe his eyes. What was she doing here? 

"Riley," Liam gasped, taking a few shaky steps towards her. 

They stood inches from each other, but neither could make a move. There were a million thoughts running through each of their minds, but they couldn't utter a single word. 

"You look stunning," Liam finally said, breaking the silence. 

Riley blushed. "I didn't realize you'd personally be here." 

"My PR team set up this visit."  Liam softly spoke.

"I'm glad they did." Riley nervously responded.

They both stood in silence, staring at each other. 

Liam took a step closer and reached for her hand. 

"I've missed you," he whispered. 

"Me too," Riley replied, squeezing his hand. 

They gazed into each other's eyes, their hearts filled with longing and desire; even after all the time apart.

"Liam, I..." Riley started to say. 

"What is it, Riley?" 

"Nothing. It's just...I'm happy to see you." 

"I'm happy to see you, too," Liam said. "And I'm sorry, about everything." 

"It wasn't your fault." Looking down, Riley shook her head.

"Yes, it was. I should've done more. I should've fought harder. This is all my fault" 

"No. Liam, don't blame yourself." 

"But I do." 

Moving their conversation to a secluded alcove, Riley placed her hands on his cheeks. "None of this was your fault. You did the right thing. And you're an amazing King. You're the best King Cordonia has ever had. You made the right decision." 

"But I lost you." 

"It was my choice, Liam. I chose to walk away. I chose to leave." 

"Why?" Liam searched Riley's eyes for an answer.

"Because I knew you would never choose me over your duty. And I would've never forgiven myself if I forced you to make that choice. That would've been too selfish of me. You were always going to make the right decision for your country. And that's what made me fall in love with you." 

"Riley, I—" 

"Wait, Liam, before you say anything... there's something I need to tell you. It's important." 

Liam frowned. "What is it?" 

Riley hesitated for a moment, then looked up into his eyes. Closing her eyes, her heart was pounding inside her chest. "I was pregnant." 

The color drained from Liam's face. He stared at her in shock. "What did you just say?"  Liam didn't trust his hearing.

"I was pregnant, with our baby. I found out right after the coronation." 

Liam couldn't believe what he was hearing, shaking his head, no. He was completely stunned. He couldn't speak. 

"I didn't know how to tell you," Riley continued. "So I didn't. I was afraid of what you'd say. Of how you'd react. I didn't want to ruin your life. So I kept it a secret." 

"Riley, why didn't you tell me?" Liam asked, his voice hoarse. 

"I don't know. I guess I was scared. Scared of what you'd think. Scared that you'd hate me. I'm sorry, Liam. I should've told you. But I didn't want to put you in a difficult position. I didn't want to force you to make a choice. That's why I left. I knew that if I told you, you'd try to figure something out, and I couldn't let that happen. Not when the future of your kingdom was at stake." 

Liam was speechless. His heart was pounding. 

"I didn't want to ruin your life," Riley said again, her voice breaking. "It was all my fault." 

"How could you say that? Riley?" Liam was heartbroken.

"What do you mean? It was my fault. I was the one who got pregnant. I was the one who kept it a secret. I was the one who left."  Riley covered her face with her shaking hands.

"No. Riley, it's not your fault. It was my mine. I should've protected you. I should've done more. But instead, I failed you. I'm so sorry, Riley." 

Riley shook her head. "No. Liam, don't. Please don't. It's not your fault." 

Liam wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "It's okay, Riley. It's okay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you. Not ever." 

[present day] 

Liam's eyes slowly opened and he was greeted with the sight of his sleeping wife. He was lying on his side, facing her, his arm draped over her waist. She looked peaceful. Her hair was splayed across the pillow and her lips were slightly parted. 

Liam gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. She stirred a little, but didn't wake up. 

He smiled to himself. 

They were together. They had another baby on the way. He'd done the right thing. 

His kingdom would be safe. His people would be safe. His family would be safe.

Everything was going to be all right. 

And yet, he couldn't help but wonder what might have been. If he had known Riley was pregnant; when she had left after the coronation... would things have turned out differently? Would they have chosen a different path? Would he have married Riley instead of Madeleine? Scandal be damned.

Or would the same thing have happened? Would he have still made the same decision, to choose his kingdom over his heart? 

It was too late to find out. 

He couldn't go back. 

He didn't have to.

***

🌹Thank you for reading.

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[amandablink]

So... Today I remembered about this MASTERPIECE and I had to come here and read all over again. ❤️

Series Description: In a slight canon divergence from book 2, Riley reaches her breaking point with the engagement tour and decides to restart her life when the court gets to NYC. Can the rest of the group clear her name, and convince her to come back before it’s too late? 

Return to my Masterlist

Chapter 1 - Released 5/5/2021

Chapter 2 - Released 5/12/2021

Chapter 3 - Released 5/19/2021

Chapter 4 - Released 5/26/2021

One Shots:

The Confrontation - Released 5/20/2021

A quick one shot where Liam confronts Madeleine about the errand she sent Riley on the day before.

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Hahahaha the search for THE perfect house!!! I think cute the way Drake and Riley got the whole Liam's plans at once and didn't say a word.

Aaaaaand I think it's time for Auntie Riley and Uncle Drake have a quality time with Sophia. Babysitting time!!

Happy to see things going to the bright side. Liam and Amara deserves a happy ending. (Sad about the ending part, apparently ☹️)

Best Kept Secrets

Best Kept Secrets - Built to Last (Chapter 19)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: An unforeseen encounter with the past proves that even the best-kept secrets eventually make their way into the light. 

Title inspiration: Changing Tides - The Fray

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x F!OC

A/N: Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors. 

Rating: M • Warning: This series will contain NSFW material. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

Slipping out of the SUV, Liam strode through the front doors of the palace after returning from a lunch meeting in the capitol. His assistant met him in the foyer and matched his steps up the stairs as he handed him a small stack of papers he needed for his next meeting. 

“Thank you,” Liam said as he quickly looked them over. “You can head to my study. I’m just going to stop and see Amara and Sophia real quick.”

“Of course, sir,” the man nodded.

Once they reached the landing, they turned in opposite directions as Liam headed for the north wing.

It had been a month since they returned from their trip to New York, and things had been going well. 

Amara seemed more relaxed. The guilt she’d been feeling prior to the trip didn’t seem to weigh as heavily on her after their talk at the hotel that night. He was watching her fall back into the old Amara … the one he’d fallen in love with two years ago. 

The one with no guilt. 

The one with no secrets. 

The press had ceased their verbal attacks on Amara’s intentions since learning she was staying in Cordonia. Now, they turned their focus on the status of her and Liam’s relationship, questioning if they would rekindle the romance they once had. 

Liam didn’t give them the satisfaction of a response. Partly because he didn’t feel it was any of their business, at least not yet. And partly because he had nothing to give them at the moment. 

In the month since they returned to Cordonia after deciding to see where things could go between them, they’d certainly gotten closer. They’d spent every evening together, but only behind the confines of the palace walls and as a family. They would meet once Liam finished work for the day in either the north wing or his quarters, they’d have dinner, and they’d play with Sophia before putting her to bed. Then they would have their time, which consisted of talking or watching a movie. And when they weren’t chatting or paying attention to a TV screen, they would get caught up in one another, but they had yet to cross any lines beyond kissing. 

While Liam was the one who said he wanted to “slow down”, he found himself struggling to rein in his desires for Amara as they grew closer; the tension between them continued to thicken and each kiss they shared grew more passionate. He was determined to get things right this time around, however, so he was content with taking things slow. 

Once at the north wing, Liam stepped inside and rounded the corner to see them in the living area; Amara was sitting on the sofa with her laptop in front of her while Sophia played with blocks on the floor. 

“Dada!” Sophia squealed when she spotted him; she pushed herself to stand and toddled toward him. 

Liam grinned as he leaned down and scooped her into his arms. “Hi, princess.” His gaze then met Amara’s as he approached her; he leaned down, kissing her cheek. “Hi.” 

“Hi,” Amara smiled. “How was your meeting?” 

“It was fine. I thought I’d stop by before the next one. What have you two been up to?” 

“Not much,” Amara shrugged. “We just got back from having lunch with Regina. She was wondering if you’d spoken to Leo.”

“Yes,” Liam nodded. “He told me he was coming home next weekend to finally meet his niece,” he smiled as Sophia looked at him. “You’re going to have your Uncle Leo wrapped right around your little finger, I can already tell.” He then looked at Amara. “He’s looking forward to meeting you, too.”

“Me?”

“You are the mother of his niece,” Liam playfully scoffed. “And we’re … well, ya know …” He winked. 

Amara smiled sheepishly with a quiet laugh as she dropped his gaze. “Right.”

An imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of Liam’s lips at the light pink tint that he saw bloom on her cheeks. While she’d become much more relaxed since their talk, she was still being careful and seemed to get easily flustered at any comment he made in a teasing, flirtatious manner. The old Amara from two years ago was bold in her flirtations, and while he was hoping to see that bold side come back, there was something about her getting flustered that he found endearing. 

It had become a secret little game of his to see it happen. 

Just then, Amara’s phone rang; she glanced at the screen before rising from the sofa. “Can you watch her for a quick sec? I need to take this.”

“Sure,” Liam nodded. 

As she disappeared down the hall, Liam walked to the sofa and sat down with Sophia. “Are you having fun with Mommy?” he asked Sophia before smothering her cheek with playful kisses. She giggled and pulled back, then leaned across him, stretching her arms out. His gaze shifted in the direction she was reaching and fell on Amara’s open laptop. “No, you can’t have that, silly,” he chuckled. He was about to close it, but his brows furrowed and he leaned forward to get a better look. He felt a pang of surprise mixed with trepidation when he saw what was on the screen. 

It was a realtor’s website … with listings of houses for sale. 

When Liam and Amara first talked after the statement was made and she told him she planned to stay in Cordonia, she mentioned eventually finding a place of her own. At the time, he didn’t think much of it, and in the nearly three months since that conversation, any notion of it had slipped his mind entirely. Even though she had only brought it up that one time, it clearly hadn’t slipped her mind. 

A dozen questions and thoughts flooded his mind, but before he could process them, Amara reappeared. “Sorry about that.”

Snapping from his daze, Liam looked at her and cleared his throat. “It’s alright. Everything ok?”

“Yeah,” Amara nodded. As she stared at him, she could see the moment he sensed that she wanted to say more. “I’ll talk to you about it later.” 

Liam nodded even as more questions filled his head. Talk about what? He thought it might have something to do with what he just glimpsed on her laptop, and despite wanting to ask her about it, he thought that perhaps that was better left for later. 

Glancing at his watch, Liam sighed. “I have that meeting soon.” He stood from the sofa, kissed Sophia’s cheek, and set her back down in front of her blocks before turning to Amara. “We’re meeting at my place tonight?” he asked as they walked toward the door.

“Yeah,” Amara confirmed.

“I should be finished at my usual time, but if something comes up …” Liam turned to see her leaning against the wall, looking up at him. “…I’ll let you know.” She nodded as he took a step toward her, and in the next moment, he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. His hand came up, settling on her neck as his thumb brushed along the curve of her jaw. A moment later, he drew back just enough to break the kiss and whispered against her lips, “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye …”

When Liam slipped out, Amara dropped her head against the door with a soft thud and closed her eyes as she let out a breath. For the past month, she’d been struggling with her longing for him. She swore each day she had to fight twice as hard as the one before to tamp down her growing desire. 

It wasn’t just the longing, though. It was the giddiness over the way he was making her feel … the same way he did two years ago. Hell, he couldn’t even be playful or flirtatious without making her lose her composure. He’d make one small comment and the butterflies would erupt in the masses and she’d start blushing. 

Amara lifted her head and took in a determined breath. She would continue to follow his lead because she didn’t want to do anything to ruin the progress they’d made. 

****

That night, after their usual round of dinner, playing, and putting Sophia to bed, Liam and Amara sat in the living area inside his quarters as a movie played on the TV screen. 

Liam had a few meetings that day, but he’d been distracted during each of them as thoughts of what he glimpsed on Amara’s laptop consumed his mind. He wasn’t sure why her looking for a place of her own bothered him so much … but it did. 

Despite them currently living under the same roof, they were in separate wings, so Amara having her own place wouldn’t really change anything between them. But Liam wouldn’t be able to just walk a few corridors to her door. He wouldn’t be able to drop by unannounced and on the fly anytime he wanted like he could now. And spending every evening with them would probably dwindle to once or twice a week. He’d be missing out on time and moments he didn’t want to miss out on … like the one he found himself in now.

Liam drew back from Amara’s lips, trying to will his desire for her back inside its cage. “So,” he whispered as his thumb brushed against her cheek, “what was that phone call about earlier?” 

“Oh, um …” Amara leaned back. “It was my realtor …”

“A realtor?” Liam asked, feigning ignorance. 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’ve been looking since I made the decision to stay and with price drops happening left and right lately, I thought it would be a good time to really look.” 

Liam shifted on the sofa, draping one arm across the back as he rested his hand on her thigh. “Really look as in …?”

“I have appointments to view some listings.” 

“I see,” Liam nodded as he held her gaze. “Is this something you want to do right now? I told you there was no rush for you to find a place.” 

“I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” Amara quipped, and he gave her a look. “It’s a process, not something that happens overnight, so I just think it might be time to start looking.” 

Liam nodded again as he watched his finger trace a shape on her denim-clad thigh. “What kind of place are you looking for?”

“Something secure. Obviously, with Sophia …” 

Liam’s jaw tensed at even the mere thought of anyone having easy access to not just Sophia but Amara as well, but he tried to remain casual. “Right …” 

“Something with a yard for her to play in.”

A nod was all Liam offered, unable to say what he was thinking. She has acres and acres of yard to play in here at the palace. 

“Three bedrooms.”

“Three?” Liam questioned.

“I thought having one for a guest room would be a good idea, just in case.”

“In case what?”

“I don’t know … in case Daniel or Riley or someone else needs to crash one night.”

Again, Liam offered nothing but a nod. There are guest rooms galore here. 

Suddenly, the reason why it bothered him so much hit Liam like a ton of bricks. He didn’t want her to leave. And not just because he wanted her to remain at the palace so she’d be within walking distance but because he wanted her with him … in his wing … with their daughter … as a family. Together. 

Yes, Liam was the one who said he wanted to take things slow, and they were — as slow as two people with a history and connection like them could. But he was struck with the sudden awareness that everything they had done up to that point had been ass-backward. Nothing about them or their situation was conventional and it never had been. So, was the impulse of wanting her to stay with him instead of buying her own house really that far-fetched of an idea? No. 

But if she was so adamant about starting to look for her own place, perhaps she didn’t want the same thing he did or didn’t feel ready, at least, not yet. 

“So when are you planning to start looking?” Liam asked.

“Tomorrow,” Amara answered. His gaze snapped up to hers, not having expected it to be that soon, but he managed to keep his expression neutral. “I’m not expecting to find the one on the first day, but I think it’ll give me an idea of what I want to look for going forward.” 

As Liam nodded again, Amara held his gaze; she swore she could see a flash of something in his eyes, but he was quick to make it vanish. Before she could ask, commotion from the movie they’d been watching pulled their attention to the TV screen. 

A moment later, Liam looked back at her as he stroked his thumb across her knuckles; the movement pulled her gaze back to him, and a heartbeat later, he captured her lips in his. 

With that, the conversation ended. 

*******

The following morning, an SUV carrying Amara and Sophia — because Liam wouldn’t let them go anywhere without at least one guard — followed the realtor through the gates of a residential development situated on the outskirts of the capitol. A few moments later, they pulled into the driveway of a two-story home that had recently been listed. 

When they exited the vehicle, Amara smiled as Riley and Drake approached her. “Hey. Thanks for coming along.”

“I had nothing going on, and when I told this one—” Riley threw her thumb over her shoulder at Drake “— he insisted on coming to check the ‘fundamentals’,” she gestured with air quotes.

“You’ll look at the aesthetic, but there’s more to a house than just looking pretty,” Drake said. “That’s where I come in since Liam is stuck in meetings this morning. Although, I don’t know if he’d know what to look for either,” he snorted. 

Amara chuckled. “Well, I appreciate you coming along. You’re right, I don’t really know what to check for other than the basics. So I’ll take any help I can get.” 

“Are we ready?” the realtor smiled from the walkway to the front porch. 

“Yes,” Amara nodded but only managed to take a few steps before her attention turned to another vehicle pulling into the driveway. She turned, recognizing who it was before he even stepped out. 

When the door opened and Liam appeared, she gave him a curious smile. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought maybe you’d like another set of eyes,” Liam grinned as he approached them. “And I want to see the places this little one is potentially going to be living in,” he said as he took Sophia from her and tickled her belly. “So I rescheduled my meetings and cleared the rest of my day.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” Liam smiled as he slipped his hand into hers and looked at the realtor.

“Your Majesty,” the man bowed nervously. 

“Just pretend I’m not here,” Liam said. 

The man offered a tense smile and nodded before gesturing for them to follow him inside. 

While Amara walked around with the realtor and Riley, Drake went off on his own to check what he deemed to be important while Liam gave himself and Sophia a tour. 

The house was nice. The first floor was an open-concept floor plan with the kitchen, living room, and dining room all flowing into each other. It appeared to have new wood floors throughout, fresh paint, and he was pretty sure he heard the realtor mention a new roof. 

The three bedrooms were located upstairs. Two were sizable with a Jack and Jill bathroom between them, and the master was massive with an impressive en-suite and walk-in closet. 

It was a pretty perfect house … but Liam didn’t want her to live there. 

Liam had cleared his schedule to tag along on her hunt that day. His goal? To point out everything he could find wrong with each viewing in hopes she’d realize that the palace already had everything she would need or want. Walking through this first home, he knew it was going to be a difficult task if the other viewings were anything like it. 

“Maybe Uncle Drake will find cracks in the foundation,” Liam mumbled to Sophia as they stepped out of the master bedroom and headed back downstairs. When he reached the first floor, he spotted Drake in the living room. “Well?” he questioned as he approached him. 

Drake nodded positively and Liam had to swallow down his disapproval. “It’s really nice. There were a couple of minor things that I noticed, but nothing that isn’t a quick and easy fix.” 

“Well, that sucks,” Liam mumbled under his breath.

“What was that?”

“I said that’s great.” 

“What did you think?”

“It’s … ok.” 

Drake gave him a look. “I know it’s not a palace …” 

“It’s not that,” Liam scoffed. “I just have some … concerns.”

“What concerns?” 

Liam whirled around at the sound of Amara’s voice, meeting her gaze with a small smile as she entered the living room with the realtor and Riley. “The house is … nice. Really nice. I’d be worried about the security, however.”

“It’s a gated community,” Drake said.

Shut up, Drake. “Yes, it is,” Liam nodded. “But the gate is accessed by a keycard, correct?” he looked at the realtor, who nodded in answer. “So there’s no one at the gate, which means anyone who wanted to try hard enough could get in undetected if they climbed over. With who Sophia is, and who you are to me … we know how relentless the press can be at times, and they’re just the tip of the iceberg of people we need to worry about. I just think somewhere where there is a security guard stationed at the gate would be better … safer.” 

It was a legitimate concern, even if he pointed it out for the wrong reason. Had he been on board with this whole idea, he’d have pointed it out regardless. 

“He does have a point,” Amara said as she looked at the realtor; Liam’s shoulders imperceptibly slumped in relief. “I’m sure he’s going to have a guard with us at all times, but having someone at the gate would make me more comfortable with Sophia.” 

“Noted,” the realtor nodded with a smile before looking at the tablet he’d been carrying around. “That knocks off three places from our list of viewings today, but there are two we’re scheduled to see that do have guarded gates.” 

Liam fought back a sigh. 

That was two more places he had to hope she found something wrong with or simply didn’t like. 

And it was only day one of looking.

*******

The following Friday, Amara headed toward Liam’s quarters, walking behind Sophia, who was toddling along the corridor but stopping to wave at every staff member who walked by. They were going to meet him for dinner, along with Drake, Riley, and Leo, who’d arrived a couple of hours ago.

Amara was thankful for Leo’s arrival because it gave her a day’s reprieve from house hunting, which she’d spent the entire week doing. She’d viewed 13 listings over the past week but hadn’t found one that was suitable. 

Suitable not to her standards … but to Liam’s. 

No matter what time Amara was scheduled to view a house, Liam made sure he was available to go with her. At first, she was thankful for it; she wanted his opinion and appreciated his willingness to help despite his busy schedule. But his opinions turned into what she could only describe as nitpicking, proving that his standards were much higher than hers. 

The suggestion Liam made at the first house about a guarded gate made perfect sense. Everything that came after that suggestion, however … 

The yards weren’t good enough for Sophia to play in, or there wasn’t enough space between the houses, or they were too close to the street for his liking. 

At one, the floorboards were “too creaky” which obviously meant that there was something structurally wrong.

Amara had a few listings lined up to look at tomorrow, and Liam said he would go with her, but she wasn’t getting her hopes up. She knew he only wanted what was best for Sophia, but at that point, she didn’t think it was going to be possible to find a home that he deemed worthy enough for his precious little princess. 

Once at Liam’s door, Amara opened it, allowing Sophia in before following her; they could hear laughter from the other room and Sophia walked curiously toward the sound. When they rounded the corner, Liam looked over from where he sat on the balcony and grinned as he playfully slapped the shoulder of the man sitting next to him before they both rose from their seats. 

“Dada!” Sophia gave a toothy grin as she reached for him. 

“Hi, princess,” Liam chuckled as he scooped her into his arms before looking at Amara. He leaned down to press a lingering kiss to her lips, and she softly sighed before he slowly drew back. “Hi,” he whispered, brushing his nose against hers. 

“Hi …” Amara let out a breath. “Sorry if we kept you waiting.”

“You didn’t,” Liam shook his head. “Leo was with Regina earlier. He just showed up here maybe 10 minutes ago.” 

“Am I interrupting?” a voice drawled.

Liam turned and stepped out of Amara’s line of vision, bringing Leo into view. When he met her gaze, she smiled politely yet warily; she was unsure of how exactly he viewed her after what she’d kept from his brother. 

“Leo, this is Amara,” Liam said. “Amara, my brother Leo.” 

“It’s nice to meet you.”

When he grinned, Amara’s shoulders loosened. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” 

“And this is Sophia.” Liam tickled her belly, eliciting a giggle from her. “Can you say hi to Uncle Leo?” She looked at Leo, staring for a moment before sinking deeper into Liam’s embrace and laying her head on his shoulder, hiding her eyes with his neck. 

Leo’s lip jutted. “Aw, don’t be scared of me.”

“I’d be terrified,” Drake snorted as he and Riley stepped inside to greet Amara.

Liam turned his head toward Sophia with a smile as he rubbed her back. “It’s ok.” 

Sophia shifted her head just enough for her eyes to peer at Leo, and he grinned as he began playing a game of peekaboo. After a few moments, a giggle erupted from her as she lifted her head, offering him her signature toothy grin. 

“There’s a smile,” Leo chuckled. “You want to come hang with Uncle Leo for a minute?” He raised his hands towards her. 

Sophia studied him carefully, and after another moment of hesitation, she went to him. They locked eyes and she scrunched her nose with another smile. “Hi,” she said shyly. 

Liam watched his brother’s brow furrow, and his eyes widened when he saw his eyes shine with tears. “Leo …”

“Well, shit,” Leo choked out. “I can’t believe you have one of these.” A laugh simultaneously barreled out of Drake and Liam as Leo turned his head and quickly wiped his eyes on his sleeve. 

“Got you wanting one now?” Drake chuckled.

“Way down the road, maybe,” Leo replied. “Now? Absolutely not. Fuck that.” His eyes widened as he looked at Sophia. “I mean … heck that.” 

“Fuck.”

Amara’s and Riley’s mouths dropped open at the word Sophia repeated as Liam leveled his brother with a glare. “I’m sorry!” Leo grimaced guiltily. “I’m not used to filtering!” 

Drake shook his head with a laugh. “Uncle Leo is here.” 

****

That night after dinner, Liam walked Amara and Sophia back to the north wing. Once he put Sophia to sleep, he stepped out of her room and headed for the main area; he spotted Amara in the kitchen, standing with her back to him as she put dishes away in a cabinet. 

A moment later, Amara’s breath quietly hitched when she felt his hands curl around her waist. “D-Did she go down?”

“Yeah,” Liam replied as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “She’s out like a light. Uncle Leo wore her out.” 

Amara smiled. “They seemed to form a quick bond.”

Liam turned his head so his lips brushed her ear. “I don’t think you’re understanding how much trouble that means for us.” 

Amara tried to suppress a shudder from his warm breath against her skin, but she knew she failed when Liam let out a soft chuckle at having caught it. She turned to face him, and he leaned against the counter, placing one hand on either side of her and caging her in. 

Liam slowly leaned in, his eyes dropping from hers and zeroing in on her lips before he captured them in his. His tongue swept against the seam of her lips, and she parted them in response, allowing him in. When he deepened the kiss, her hands curled around his neck as an imperceptible whimper escaped her, so soft he almost didn’t hear it, but when he did, something inside him roared to life. 

Gripping her waist, Liam lifted her onto the counter as he stepped between her legs and pulled her body flush against his. He slid a hand up her back and into her hair and he tugged, causing the kiss to break; his lips moved to her jaw then down the column of her neck as her hips instinctively arched against him with a gasp, the movement pulling a rumbled groan from his throat as he found her lips again. 

The kiss stretched on, pulling them both deeper into the moment until it broke at the sudden ping emitting from Liam’s pocket, alerting him to a message. He reluctantly drew back and his jaw tensed as he dipped his hand into his pocket to pull out his phone. 

“It’s Leo,” Liam sighed. “He wants to have a nightcap.” 

Liam’s eyes flickered back to her face and more desire unfurled and clawed at his insides at the sight of her: kiss-swollen lips, tousled hair from his hand being buried in it, and her blue-eyed gaze brimming with lust. 

“Ok.” Amara’s one-word response came out in a breathless whisper. 

Liam swallowed thickly as he stepped back and she slipped off the counter. He cleared his throat as he ran his fingers through his hair. “So, uh … 10 tomorrow morning, right?”

“Huh?” Amara looked up at him.

“The first house viewing?”

“Oh, uh …” Amara let out a breath. “Yeah. 10.”

Liam nodded before leaning down; he stopped a hairsbreadth from her lips, reminding himself not to get too caught up before he pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. He drew back a moment later and his hand squeezed hers. “Goodnight.”

“G’night.” 

*******

The following morning, Amara was standing in front of a two-story home in a gated — and guarded — community. It sat at the end of a long driveway surrounded by trees and had a large backyard with a wooden playset complete with swings and a slide. After touring the house with Liam, Drake, Riley, and Leo, who opted to tag along, it was determined not to have any creaky floorboards. 

“I just think that the stairs in the foyer … there’s too many.” 

Amara stiffened beside Liam. 

Drake dropped his head with a silent laugh as Riley fought back her own. They’d been with them at every house and they knew Liam had been coming up with excuses for each one, but they’d kept quiet about it. It was none of their business.

Leo snapped his gaze over to his brother. “What the fuck are you talking about?” 

“For Sophia,” Liam clarified as he continued to stare at the house to avoid making eye contact with him. “And they’re narrow … and wooden, so there’s no cushion if she falls.” 

Steven, the realtor, stood by his car and closed his eyes as he took in a calming breath. “On to the next then?” 

****

“The hedges aren’t trimmed or lit up.”

“Are you—” Leo cut himself off as he looked at his brother, wide-eyed. “You can’t be serious …”

“I am,” Liam said matter-of-factly. “The housing development, which she would have to pay a monthly fee to, is in charge of lawn maintenance and it looks like shit.”

Amara turned and walked toward the car without a word as a chuckling Drake and Riley trailed behind her.

“I think you’ve gone a little crazy in the head,” Leo scoffed. 

Steven slid back into his car and shut the door. 

****

“This is niiiice,” Leo said as he glanced around the kitchen of the next home; it was the last one for the day. 

“State-of-the-art appliances,” Drake said, smoothing his hand across the marble countertop. 

“Big rooms,” Riley grinned.

Liam looked around as he held Sophia. He’d walked around the outside and had been through every room and couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Nothing. He glanced down, scuffing his foot against the floor and his eyes landed on the bottle of grapefruit juice he’d carried in with him before they slowly slid to Sophia. He turned his back toward the others as he quietly unscrewed the cap. “Want a sip?” he whispered. 

Sophia eagerly leaned forward, not knowing what it was … or how bitter it was; honestly, Liam questioned why he drank it half the time. He tipped the bottle back, helping her to sip before pulling it away and screwing the lid back on. He turned back around just as her nose scrunched and her lips puckered. 

“Yuck.” 

Liam glanced at Sophia as everyone else turned toward the sound of her voice.

“Well, she hates it,” Liam shrugged before turning and striding out of the house without a glance back. “Way to come through in the clutch, princess,” he whispered through a laugh. 

****

That evening after having dinner, Amara went back to the north wing with Sophia alone, giving Liam time with Leo, who was leaving in the morning. 

Liam carried two glasses of scotch out onto the balcony and set one down in front of Leo before taking a seat next to him. “I’m really glad you got a chance to come visit,” he said before taking a sip of his drink. 

“Me too,” Leo nodded. “I’ll definitely plan to come back soon and more often. Gotta corrupt my niece and all.” He chuckled at the look Liam shot him. “So …” He paused, taking a sip of his drink. “When do you plan on asking Amara to move in with you?”

“What?” Liam asked, furrowing his brow. 

“Don’t play dumb with me, little brother.”

“I’m not playing—”

“You said the house had too many fucking stairs.”

“It did!”

“And what do you call the stairs in this place?” Leo tossed back. “The grand staircase alone has three times as many stairs, but those are ok … because they’re here.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam said casually. 

“You complained about hedges not being lit up.”

“Aesthetics matter.”

Leo snorted, shaking his head. “You’re not fooling anyone, except maybe Amara, who probably just thinks you have your child’s best interest in mind. She also probably thinks that you’re nitpicky as fuck with ridiculous standards.” 

Leo arched his brow in a challenge to tell him that he was wrong. He knew he couldn’t. “Fine,” Liam sighed. “I don’t want her to buy a house.”

“Because …?” Leo smirked.

Liam rolled his eyes as he took another sip of his drink. “Because I want them with me, here, in my quarters”

“See?” Leo chuckled. “Now was that so fucking hard?” 

“Yes, because I can’t say that to her. She’s looking for a house. If she wanted to stay, she’d say something.” 

“Would she?” Leo questioned. “After everything you told me about what happened after you learned the truth about Sophia, what Amara wants doesn’t really matter to her. And making assumptions about what you want doesn’t seem like something she’s going to do after what happened. You told me yourself that she’s been following your lead on everything. So if you haven’t come out and specifically told her that you don’t want her to leave, why would she believe otherwise? Not to mention the fact that you’ve made it a point to go look at all of the fucking houses with her, further making her believe that you’re on board with it.” 

Liam dropped his head back as he let out a breath. Yes, he knew that while Amara had been better since their talk in New York, she was still following his lead with everything, but he didn’t think about it possibly having an impact on her decision to want to house hunt. Thinking about it now, he hadn’t told her he didn’t want her to go and he hadn’t shown her either. 

There was still that possibility that Amara didn’t want to stay, however. Perhaps she wanted to find her own place, that she wasn’t ready for the same thing he was.

*******

The following morning after seeing Leo off at the airport, Liam stared out the window of the SUV as it pulled into a long, winding driveway. Amara had messaged him and asked if he could meet her to look at another house. 

When the SUV came to a stop, Liam’s brows furrowed when he saw Amara standing in a dirt-covered clearing. He instructed Bastien to stay in the vehicle before slipping out and making his way towards her.

“Hey,” Amara smiled as he approached.

“Hello.” Liam leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Where’s Soph?”

“Regina is watching her.” 

Liam nodded before glancing around. “I thought you asked me to meet you to look at another house?”

“I did … sort of.”

Glancing back at her, Liam offered an amused smile. “Is the house invisible?”

Amara chuckled. “No … this is just the location of where the house could be,” she gestured to the open clearing. 

Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I talked with the realtor about the possibility of building. This is an empty plot of land for sale … and I could have a house built to ensure it would have everything I want and everything you would be comfortable with.” 

“Oh …” Fuck. Liam cleared his throat as he looked around again. “I don’t … I don’t know if that’s the best path to take.”

Amara let out an exasperated sigh. “Why not?”

Liam blew out a breath. “I mean, it’s just that … I don’t think—”

“Liam … you’ve found something wrong with every house I’ve looked at. If I build, it can be to your standards … standards that I didn’t realize were so very high and specific until this process.”

“My standards are not high nor specific,” Liam scoffed.

“I beg to differ,” Amara quipped. 

“My standards are not high! I just don’t want you to leave!” The words tumbled from Liam’s mouth before he could stop them.  

Amara’s brows raised in surprise. “What?”

“I don’t want you to leave!” Liam repeated as he threw his arms up. “I don’t want you to buy a house. I want you to stay at the palace with me. If you’re going to move, I want you to move in with me. I want us to be together … as a family.” 

Letting out a breath, Amara stared at him. She didn’t think that was an option — at least, not at the moment — because he’d never brought it up. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“Because I didn’t know if you wanted the same. If getting a house is something you want, I didn’t want to stand in your way … which, it probably doesn’t seem like that now considering the ridiculous excuses I came up with …” He scuffed his foot against the dirt. “If it’s what you want, then I’m not going to stop you and I’ll have to deal with it. But if you’re looking because you think I want you to go or because you think you have to … that’s not the case.” He held her gaze, seeing her eyes glisten with tears in the sunlight peeking through the canopy of trees overhead. He took a step toward her and brushed his hand across her cheek. “This is my official offer. Stay with me, Amara. Move in with me.” 

Another breath escaped Amara before she leaned up and closed the small distance between them, pressing her lips to his. Liam’s arms wrapped tightly around her as he deepened the kiss. 

They drew back a moment later and Liam rested his forehead against hers with a hopeful smile. “Is that a yes?”

Amara tearfully chuckled. “Yes.” 

*******

Sitting on the sofa, Liam watched Amara move around the living area, picking up Sophia’s toys and placing them in their respective baskets after she’d gone to bed. 

“You can do that later.”

“I’ll just get it done now.”

Liam chuckled with a shake of his head as he removed his tie. Amara and Sophia had moved in a month ago, and he’d learned very quickly how much of a neat freak she was. He’d always known she’d kept things tidy, but this was on a different level. 

As she walked by him with her hands full of stuffed animals, Liam reached up, and she yelped when he pulled her down; her one knee landed beside his leg on the cushion, and he pulled her other leg over so she was straddling his lap. 

Liam held her gaze as he took the stuffed animals from her arms and tossed them back on the floor. “Later,” he grumbled before pulling her down and capturing her lips in his.

Despite having lived together and sleeping in the same bed for the last month, they had yet to cross any lines. Something would come up or interrupt every time. They played it off as best they could but were both beginning to feel more than a little frustrated. 

But tonight … 

Liam’s hands slid beneath the hem of Amara’s shirt and settled on the bare skin of her waist, and he smiled into the kiss when he felt her shudder under his touch. He urged her forward, causing her body to arch into him, and when he felt her hips press down against his, he groaned and deepened the kiss. 

A soft moan escaped Amara when he pressed her down against him again; she could feel just how much his desire matched her own. “Liam,” she gasped against his lips.

“I love when you say my name like that.” His voice came out like gravel. “Like the slightest touch from me will make you come undone.” 

Amara let out another whimper of longing as her fingers began fumbling against the buttons of his shirt until it draped open, baring his muscled torso. Her hands slid against the taut skin of his chest to his abs—

“Mama.” 

Liam and Amara froze at the sound of Sophia’s voice coming through the monitor speaker. 

“Dada,” she whined again a moment later. 

Amara leaned back, staring at Liam; they were both flushed and breathing heavily. 

“Mama,” she cried. 

Amara offered a rueful grin before she slid off his lap and headed toward Sophia’s room. 

Liam dropped his head back against the sofa and rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation. It’d been so long since they were last together before everything happened. And while he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to last, it wasn’t something he wanted to have to rush out of worry of interruption either. His hands fell away from his face as an idea struck, and a moment later he had his phone in hand and pressed to his ear. 

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Liam replied. “I need a really big favor …” 

***************************************

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[amandablink]

Oh God, oh God, oh God.

IT'S HAPPENING, GUYS.

These two .. own!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍

Best Kept Secrets

Best Kept Secrets - Maybe We’ll Get It Right (Chapter 18)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: An unforeseen encounter with the past proves that even the best-kept secrets eventually make their way into the light. 

Title inspiration: Hold On Tight - Forest Blakk

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x F!OC

A/N: Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading most of this. Please excuse any errors. 

Rating: M • Warning: This series will contain NSFW material. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

Standing in her bedroom inside the north wing, Amara stared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror. She scanned over her outfit before meeting her own anxious gaze; she took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to settle her nerves. 

Today would be Amara’s and Liam’s first public outing with Sophia since the statement had been given. It would be the first time the press would not only catch a glimpse of the heir but see the three of them together … as a family. She knew that the purpose behind the outing was to show the public that their King had moved beyond her betrayal and that they were putting the past behind them for the sake of their child. It was all in hopes of shifting the negative attention she was receiving and showing her in a more favorable light. 

Amara was nervous, however. One would think she would find this to be fairly simple; working the press to change public perception was literally her job, but it was much different being the one whose image you’re trying to change their perception of. She wouldn’t be working her PR magic behind the scenes because she was the one under the microscope. She knew her every move was going to be picked apart, questioned, and, at times, manipulated to fit whatever narrative they were attempting to paint of her. Whatever they felt was going to sell a story was what they were going to try and sell, truth or not. 

Despite knowing this was something they needed to try, Amara had second-guessed the decision since Daniel suggested it; they’d given themselves an extra week behind the palace walls to prepare, but she felt anything but because she couldn’t get out of her own head. She didn’t want her presence during these planned outings to make things even more difficult for Liam than she’d already made them. 

However, when Amara subtly brought up the concern, Liam didn’t seem all too phased. They planned to spend the day on the private beach, and he reminded her that while, yes, the press was sure to be camped out nearby, they would still be far enough away so they’d be able to enjoy their day together with Sophia and that he was looking forward to spending the day out … with both of them. He seemed to be treating it as both a casual and normal outing and not one that was planned with a purpose.

Amara wasn’t reading too much into what he’d said, however, seeing his words for exactly what they were. She knew it was nothing more than his way of trying to make her feel more relaxed because he could sense that she was on edge about it. To think he meant anything beyond that was pointless. Despite her feelings for him, she’d forced herself to face reality over the last month and a half, a reality where she knew that any chance she might have had at continuing to rekindle things between them was long gone. After what she’d done, he’d never give her a second chance, and she didn’t deserve one. Her feelings for him didn’t matter and didn’t mean anything to anyone but her, so she shoved them into a box and pushed any notion of them being anything more than co-parents as far down as she could. It hurt, of course, but it was the consequences of her actions. And she’d suffer in silence because she wasn’t going to let those feelings get in the way of his and Sophia’s relationship. 

A knock on the door pulled Amara’s attention, and she gave herself one last glance in the mirror before turning and exiting her bedroom. When she opened the door, she smiled at Sophia, who was giving her signature toothy grin.

“Mama!”

“Hi, baby,” Amara chuckled as she took her from Liam’s arms when she leaned over to her. She kissed her cheek as she ran her hand over her head of blonde hair. 

“Morning,” Liam said. 

Amara offered him a tentative smile. “Morning.” She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind her. “I have her stuff ready. I’ll just go get her changed real quick.” 

Liam nodded and watched the two of them disappear down the hall, listening to Sophia babble and Amara laugh, smiling as he sat down in the living area to wait. He drummed his fingers against his thighs, wondering what the day was going to bring.

They would be spending the day at the private beach, and while he knew it would be accessible to the press, it would keep them far enough away so they wouldn’t be too overbearing. They couldn’t go out in public and make it obvious that they were putting on a show for the cameras. 

Truthfully … it wasn’t about the cameras for Liam nor was it a show. Yes, he was doing this as a way to hopefully shift the narrative surrounding Amara, and he was looking forward to finally taking Sophia beyond the palace walls, but it was more than that for him. He wanted to spend the day out with Amara, too. 

Over the last month and a half since everything had happened, one of the things he struggled with most was his feelings for Amara. At first, those feelings were suffocated by anger and resentment, but once he forced himself to let go of those emotions for the sake of moving forward, they came back tenfold. Now that he’d been spending every day with her the past two weeks, practically playing house inside the palace with her and Sophia … the three of them, together, as a family … everything he felt before seemed amplified. His feelings began to consume him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to continue to shove them aside. And maybe he shouldn’t. He’d been trying to do what was best for Sophia, but perhaps what was best for her was the very thing he’d been trying to ignore. 

Liam had a couple of reservations, however, and they seemed to be the one thing holding him back. 

The first reservation was trust. No matter which way Liam looked at the situation, he’d been betrayed. Did he now understand the place in which Amara was coming from? A little. He’d allowed himself to see things from her perspective, and he understood her headspace at the time. It didn’t change the fact that he was still lied to and kept in the dark about something as important as the existence of his child. Were there other secrets she was keeping? He didn’t know. And he didn’t know if he could trust her to not keep more in the future. 

The second reservation was fear. Twice now Liam had tried to make things work between them, and he was left broken both times. They say the third time’s the charm, but this was something that now went beyond just him. If they tried again and they failed a third time, not only would it affect him but Sophia as well. He and Amara had a knack for being unable to get their stars to align. Could he really risk Sophia being collateral damage in a game he wasn’t sure he would ever win?

“Dada!” 

Sophia’s squeal pulled Liam from his thoughts. He glanced over and a laugh bubbled out of him at the sight of her toddling towards him in a white cover-up that concealed her bright pink bathing suit, tiny aviators, and a floppy white sun hat. “Look at you looking like a little beachy princess,” he chuckled as he scooped her into his arms. “Are you ready for our day at the beach?” Sophia nodded with a clap of her hands. “Is mommy ready?”

They both looked at Amara at the same time, and she forced a smile. “I’m ready.”

****

When Bastien pulled into the private parking lot of the beach, Amara turned her face away from the window, shielding her eyes from the flashes of the cameras. The press had been camped outside of the gate when they left the palace and had followed them. Having spent so much time tracking the royal family’s movements, it didn’t take them long to realize where they were headed; they raced ahead so they were there waiting when they arrived. 

When Liam exited the vehicle, the press, who were contained behind another gate where two more guards stood to ensure they didn’t cross, began shouting his name. He turned and tossed his hand up in a wave as they snapped photos before turning back toward the vehicle. 

Liam met Amara’s gaze as she finished unbuckling Sophia from her car seat. “Here we go …” 

Liam lifted Sophia from her seat and into the safety of his arms, and when he pulled her from the vehicle, the frenzy ensued. The press shouted louder as the shutters from their cameras went off. Sophia turned her head toward the clamor as her grip on his shirt tightened. “It’s ok, little love,” he whispered. 

Occupied by their first glimpses of the princess, the press almost missed the moment Amara came into view. Almost. The moment they noticed her, more shouts ensued as their cameras continued to snap photos. 

“Why is she with you, King Liam?”

“Anything to say about your betrayal to the King, Ms. Onasis?”

“Will she be leaving Cordonia soon?”

“Will the Princess be staying?”

Amara turned so her back was toward them and inhaled a deep breath. She felt Liam’s hand on her shoulder a moment later and looked up at him; he gestured toward the path that led to the beach and she nodded before starting toward it. 

Once down on the beach, Amara set the bag she’d packed beside one of the chairs that were set up beneath an umbrella. She glanced around, taking in the silence, feeling a little more at ease, but only for a moment before she saw the press hurrying toward the edge of the barrier. The guards were already in place, ensuring they stayed on the other side, and they were far enough away where they wouldn’t be a bother, but just knowing they were there at all had her right back on edge. 

“Did you hear me?”

Amara snapped her gaze to Liam. “No. I’m sorry … what did you say?”

“Sunscreen?” Liam pointed to Sophia.

“Yeah.” Amara shook her head and crouched down next to the bag, pulling out the sunscreen she’d packed for her.

Liam set Sophia down on the chair, and Amara removed her tiny cover-up before smothering her in sunscreen. Once she was finished, she stood and turned to see a now shirtless Liam setting up the toys he’d brought on the massive beach blanket that was laid out for them; he’d slipped inside the tent just behind their chairs to change. She turned away from him and closed her eyes; between the press and him, her mind was jumbled.

“Ready?” Liam’s voice sounded from behind her, and she turned, but he was speaking to Sophia. He scooped her up and set her on the edge of the blanket so she could reach the sand before laying on his side next to her. 

Amara stood and stared at the two of them as they played. Then her gaze flickered to the edge of the beach where the press remained, continuing to snap photos. She couldn’t help but wonder what story they were going to try and spin from this. 

“Are you going to join us?” Liam asked.

Amara looked back at him. “Uh … yeah.” She kicked off her flip-flops before reaching down and grabbing the hem of her cover-up to remove it but froze as her eyes lifted to the press again. She casually brushed her hand against the fabric of the cover-up as she moved toward the blanket and sat down on the other side of Sophia. 

Liam looked up at her, squinting against the bright sun. “Did you not bring a suit?” he asked, gesturing to her cover-up that was still on. 

“I’m … I’m fine right now,” Amara lied as she looked out at the water. She wasn’t fine. 

Under the heat of the Mediterranean sun and the watchful eyes of the press, Amara was hot and flustered … but she didn’t want to take off the cover-up, afraid of what story the press would spin from it. Would they say she was trying to seduce him into forgiveness by flouncing around in a bikini? Would they criticize her for said bikini because she was the mother of the heir and not setting the example they thought she should? Hell, she was afraid to even look at Liam for a second too long, knowing what type of story one photo of that could paint. 

Liam stared at Amara as she gazed out at the water. He knew something was bothering her and he didn’t have to ask what it was. She’d been on edge the past week since they planned this first outing, and when he saw her this morning, he knew she hadn’t eased up. It was easy for him to ignore the presence of the press because he’d grown up with it and learned to drown them out a long time ago. Amara, however, wasn’t used to being on this side of things. On top of that, she was consumed by how her presence would rub off on him and Sophia and worried what stories would be in the papers the next morning. Because of that, she was being careful. Too careful, considering she wouldn’t even remove her cover-up. 

“Amara,” Liam said, and she glanced at him. “Relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

Liam snorted. “No, you’re not.” She dropped his gaze and bit her lip self-consciously. “Hey, look at me,” he whispered, but she shook her head. “Look at me.” She hesitated another moment before glancing up. “Don’t pay them any mind. It’s just you and me here, ok? Just us.”

Amara held his gaze. He knew exactly what was running through her mind without her having to say a word. And she felt the sincerity behind his words from the way he looked at her. But she needed to defuse the situation before her stupid heart took any of it to mean something more than it really did. “And Soph,” she quipped. 

“Yes,” Liam shook his head with a small smile. “But you know what I meant.” With Sophia occupied with filling her bucket full of sand one small scoop at a time, he laid on his back, tucking his arms under his head as he closed his eyes. “Take off the damn cover-up and enjoy yourself.” 

Liam heard her let out a quiet chuckle, and after another beat of silence, he could hear the quiet shift of the fabric against her skin. He opened one eye and inconspicuously slid it in her direction; his chest tightened at the sight of her body in the navy blue bikini before he quickly snapped the eye shut. 

****

That night, Liam and Amara put Sophia to bed inside her room in the north wing. They’d spent the entire day at the beach, playing in the water and lounging on the shore. Once they returned to the palace, she’d taken a bath, and barely made it through dinner before she passed out in Liam’s arms. 

The press had watched them the entire day, but Amara took Liam’s advice and ignored them as best as she could. She knew she had to come to terms with the fact that they were going to write what they wanted and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it except suck it up and deal with it. 

They quietly shut Sophia’s door behind them before creeping down the hall, stopping in front of the living area. “She racked out,” Liam quietly chuckled. 

Amara smiled as she leaned against the entryway, crossing her arms and tucking her hands beneath them. “She had fun today.”

“Minus the evil wave,” Liam quietly laughed. 

Amara jutted her lip out in a pout before bowing her head and covering her mouth with her hand to contain her laugh at the memory of the wave that washed away the sandcastle they’d helped Sophia build. She was not happy, and her extreme meltdown over the loss was when they knew it was probably time to pack it up and leave. 

“I thought she was going to try and kick that wave’s ass,” Liam chuckled. 

Amara snorted against her palm before looking back up at him, and when she did, a strand of her hair caught on her eyelashes. Instinctively, Liam reached up to brush it away. 

The air suddenly felt very thick as they stared at each other and both their smiles slowly faded. 

Snapping from his momentary daze, Liam quickly dropped his hand. “Uh … sorry. You had — your hair, I mean … it was …” He trailed off and blew out a breath. 

Amara continued to stare at him, feeling a bit bemused as her heart and mind argued over what just happened and what it meant. Nothing, she told herself. It was nothing. “Yeah … uh, thanks.”

“Well … I should probably …” Liam gestured over his shoulder to the door. “I have sand in places where there shouldn’t be sand and need to shower,” he chuckled, earning a laugh from her. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ll let you know when she’s up so we can meet for breakfast.” 

“Sounds good.” 

Liam leaned down and kissed her cheek, letting it linger a heartbeat longer than normal before he drew back; he met her gaze for a split second before he turned and opened the door, quickly disappearing into the hall.

*******

Sitting inside his study, Liam read over an article from Trend magazine, detailing his and Amara’s outing over the past weekend in Applewood; he was needed there to go over a proposal to expand the orchids and invited Amara to bring Sophia. The article had several photos printed beside it, each one from a distance; a few of him and Sophia as they walked through the orchids, some of just her, and a few of the three of them together.

It had been nearly a month since that first outing at the beach, and the many they had after seemed to be doing the job they were intended to do. Most of the press — Trend being one — had done exactly what Daniel had said and followed his lead, looking beyond the past and focusing on the here and now. A few remained skeptical, however, questioning Amara’s motives for remaining in Cordonia and her intentions going forward. They didn’t know that she’d already decided to stay because he had yet to make a public statement. He knew he would need to make one soon, though; he’d spoken to Daniel, who told him the next step would be for the people to hear directly from him since they hadn’t at all since Sophia’s existence had been made public nearly two months ago. 

Liam was happy to know that things with the press were starting to settle down. What wasn’t settling down were his feelings for Amara. Each night after they would put Sophia to bed, the length of time they lingered behind got longer. They went from a few moments of simple conversation to now talking over drinks or a late-night snack about their day and making plans for the next. They had gotten closer and had fallen back into a place where things didn’t feel so tense. 

It was comfortable. 

It was familiar. 

Every day they spent together chipped away at those reservations Liam had and drew out his feelings even more. And every day he came closer and closer to throwing caution to the wind and taking that leap. 

Hearing a knock on his study door, Liam called for them to enter; when it opened, he lifted his gaze from the magazine article just as Amara stepped inside with Sophia. 

“Dada!” 

“Hi, little love,” Liam grinned as he stood and walked around his desk; he crouched down as she toddled toward him and he scooped her into his arms, smothering a mix of playful kisses and raspberries against her cheeks as she giggled.

“Hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Amara said.

Liam situated Sophia on his hip. “Not at all,” he replied before leaning forward to kiss her cheek; his hand brushed down the length of her arm as he drew back. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I wanted to come talk to you.”

“About?”

“I’m going to have to make a trip to New York.” 

Liam looked at her. “Oh?”

“My lease is up at the end of the month,” Amara explained. “I’ve been putting it off, hoping to have found a place beforehand, but that hasn’t happened yet.”

Despite the surprise her words gave him, Liam kept his expression impassive. “I hadn’t realized you’d been looking.” 

“Well, I haven’t … not really, I mean. I’ve perused some listings, but I’m still weighing my options between renting or buying and haven’t made a decision yet. But I can’t put off packing up my apartment any longer since I only have a couple of weeks. And I’ll have to clear out my office space as well.” 

Liam nodded. “Ok. Are you thinking this weekend, or …?”

“I wanted to check with you first,” Amara said. “I didn’t know if you had anything going on, and I figured you’d want Soph to stay here with you.” 

Liam thought for a moment as he glanced at Sophia; he scrunched his nose with a smile when she offered him one of her toothy grins. “How about we go together?” 

Amara’s brows rose in surprise. “You … you want to go?”

“Sure,” Liam shrugged as he looked back at her. “Let Imogen know, and we can leave Friday and take the weekend … get it all done in one shot so you don’t have to worry about going back for anything. There’s plenty of room on the jet to store whatever you need to bring back with you.”

Amara stared at him for a moment. “If you’re sure …” 

“I am,” Liam smiled. “I’ll have Bastien make arrangements.” 

*******

A few mornings later, the SUV pulled up on the tarmac, stopping alongside the waiting jet. Liam glanced out the window at the press that were huddled together on the other side of a barrier.

“How did they know we would be here?” Amara asked.

Liam sighed with a shrug. “They always manage to find things out one way or another.” He looked over to where she sat on the other side of Sophia’s car seat. “Get her on the jet. I’ll handle them.” 

Amara nodded and unbuckled Sophia’s straps before lifting her out of the seat. A guard opened the door and she and Imogen slid out; she ignored the volley of shouted questions from the press as she carried Sophia up the stairs and disappeared inside the jet. 

“Sir?” Bastien said from the driver’s seat.

Liam looked up, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror as the other two guards took their luggage and Sophia’s car seat to the jet. “I’ll talk to them.” 

Bastien nodded before getting out and opening Liam’s door. When the King came into view, the press shouted at him; he was a picture of calm as he buttoned his suit jacket and made his way toward the crowd. 

“King Liam, where are you headed?” Donnie Brine from the CBC asked as Liam neared. 

“I’ll be in New York for a few days,” Liam answered.

Another slew of shouted questions ensued, and they were all asking the same thing in various ways: is Amara leaving with Sophia? Thinking back on his several conversations with Daniel over the past couple of weeks, and knowing he could use this as an opportunity to put any more doubts about her intentions to rest, he decided to be transparent. 

Liam held up his hand to quiet them, and once he had their attention, he cleared his throat. “We’re headed to New York for the weekend to pack up Ms. Onasis’ belongings as she will be staying in Cordonia permanently so that I may continue to maintain a relationship with our daughter.”

More questions were immediately volleyed, but one in particular had caught his attention.

“Are you concerned she’ll try to leave again with the princess?”

Liam sighed, knowing they were referring to what was mentioned in Daniel’s statement. “The circumstances surrounding Ms. Onasis trying to leave in the past were entirely different.”

“Can you elaborate?” a reporter asked, holding their recorder out in front of him.

Transparency, he reminded himself. “Ms. Onasis had been spooked by the betrothal aspect of the alliance that Auvernal had been pushing for. When she learned of the blackmail threat, she became frightened of what that meant for our daughter, and in a moment of panic, yes, she tried to leave. But as a mother, she was trying to protect her child … and that’s not something I can or will fault her for. As for the move … she’s uprooting her entire life to ensure that the princess and I stay together, and I’m extremely grateful that she’s so willing to do that.” 

The reporters stared at Liam in a bout of awed silence, and a heartbeat later, they were shouting more questions.

“Will they be staying with you at the palace?”

“What’s the status of your relationship with Ms. Onasis?” 

“Are you rekindling your romance?” 

They’d changed their tune so fast, it gave Liam whiplash. He let out a breath, feeling a bit lighter, but decided he wasn’t answering any more questions. He didn’t really have the answers at the moment anyway. He threw his hand up in a wave before turning and heading towards the jet. 

****

After the long flight and traffic-jammed ride from the airport, Liam and Amara arrived at their hotel in New York that afternoon; they’d planned to arrive early enough to leave them time for Sophia to hopefully nap off the jet lag. 

Once Sophia was asleep in the guest room of the suite, Liam sent Imogen to her own room that was situated across the hall to rest. He plopped onto the sofa in the living area while Amara stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, taking in the view. 

“Have you missed it?” Liam asked. 

Amara shrugged. “Certain things, like pizza and breakfast bagels, yes,” she chuckled. “But other than that … not particularly, no.” 

Liam stood and came next to her. “Where’s your apartment from here?”

“About 15 minutes that way,” Amara pointed. “It’s in Tribeca.” They were at the Millennium in lower Manhattan. “And my office is only a block from there.” 

“Have you made any decisions regarding your company and what you plan to do?”

“Not yet,” Amara shook her head. “We’re on a bit of a pause at the moment until I figure things out. Daniel hasn’t decided whether he’s staying yet, but with both Riley and I now there and him not having anything tying him down here …” She shrugged. “But I could still run the company from there and set up an office … or I could sell it …”

“You’d really consider selling it?” 

“If that’s what needs to be done … yes,” Amara answered. And I know a couple of competitors that would probably be more than willing to take it off my hands.”

Liam leaned against the window frame as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You seem pretty content for someone giving up so much of themself on a whim.” 

Amara looked back out the window. “I wouldn’t say it’s on a whim.” 

Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean …” Amara paused, taking in a breath and slowly letting it out. “I mean that all of this was stuff I’ve thought about from the moment I found out I was pregnant.” She tucked her hands beneath her arms as she fought against the urge to look at him. “I always thought about the what-ifs … and I planned out all these different scenarios in my head for the day I finally drummed up enough courage to … to tell you. And in all of those scenarios, the outcome was the same … I was leaving New York, and either running the company from where I was or selling it. Now that I think about it … it was never really a what-if, but more of a when.” 

Liam remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I just … I don’t want this move to be something you come to regret later on.” 

“It’s for you and Sophia.” Amara looked up at him again. “I would never regret it.” 

Liam stared at her, not having realized until that moment how close they’d shifted to one another, and he saw the moment she realized it, too. Her gaze was both hesitant and questioning, but then she looked away from him and took a step back. 

“Um … I think I’m going to nap while Sophia is.” 

“Yeah.” Liam cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh … I’m actually not that tired, so I can listen for her if you want to go lay down in the master.” He’d already offered for her to take the bigger of the two rooms. 

“Ok,” Amara nodded.

Liam watched Amara turn and heard her let out a breath as she disappeared inside the room. 

*******

The following morning, Liam and Amara headed over to her apartment while Imogen stayed with Sophia at the hotel. Liam had arranged for a moving company to meet them there to take the boxes she would be bringing back and load them on the jet. From what she’d told him, most of it would consist of her and Sophia’s clothes. Anything she didn’t need, she planned to throw out or donate. 

When they pulled up outside of the tall brick building, Liam slid out before turning to help Amara out. They greeted the staff of the moving company that was already there waiting before heading inside. 

After riding the elevator up to the seventh floor, they stepped out, and Liam followed Amara down the hall. She paused in front of a door and unlocked it, and when she pushed it open and stepped inside, he followed. 

Liam glanced around as he moved further inside. He’d never seen her apartment, but it was exactly what he pictured her having. Casual with a touch of modern sophistication. “This is nice.”

Amara looked around fondly; she’d always loved her apartment. “Thanks.” 

“Where should we start, Miss?” a voice spoke from the doorway. 

Amara turned to the movers lingering in the hall. “Uh …” She glanced around. “Living room and kitchen.” She then looked at Liam. “We can get started on Sophia’s room and then mine.”

“Lead the way,” Liam gestured. 

****

Within a couple of hours, most of the apartment had been boxed up. While the movers carried boxes from the kitchen, living room, and Sophia’s room down to the truck, Liam and Amara finished up in her room. 

“I’m going to take this out,” Amara said when she finished taping the last box of her shoes shut. 

Liam nodded. “I’ll bring the nightstand out for you.”

“Thank you,” Amara replied before pushing the box out the door and down the hall.

Turning to the nightstand next to the bed, Liam reached down and hooked his fingers under the lip of the top. He lifted it, and when he realized it was heavier than he anticipated, he tilted it to adjust his hold; the movement caused the drawer to slide out of it and crash to the floor. 

“Shit.” 

Liam set the nightstand back down before kneeling to pick up the contents from the drawer now scattered on the floor. As he scooped up the items, something caught his eye, and he froze as he stared at it. A photo. He reached down and grabbed it, bringing it closer, only to notice another beneath it. And they weren’t just any photos, but ones of him and Amara. He remembered the night the one he held in his hand was taken. They were watching a movie in his quarters and were on the sofa; she was resting back against his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her and his face was playfully nuzzling her neck with a grin as she smiled. He picked up the other from the floor. It was of them in the maze; she was on his back with her arms looped around his neck, both of them laughing. 

At that moment, at the sight of those photos, at the realization that she’d kept them all this time, Liam felt the last of the reservations he’d been holding onto crumble. He wanted to be the two people in those photos again. 

Two people who could make each other laugh and smile.

Two people who were better when they were together. 

Two people who were happy and in love.

“Liam?” Amara’s voice carried down the hall. 

Liam snapped from his daze and cleared his throat. “Coming.” He placed the rest of the items back in the drawer but slipped the photos into his back pocket before standing and carrying the nightstand out. 

****

That night, Amara stood out on the balcony of the hotel suite while Liam put Sophia into bed. She stared out at the view of the city she’d called home all her life, but she couldn’t say she’d miss it all that much. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Liam said behind her.

Amara glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes followed him as he came to stand beside her. “Nothing,” she said, “just … taking in the view. Did she go down ok?”

“Yeah,” Liam nodded as he leaned against the railing. “Out like a light.” He glanced out at the view, staying quiet for a moment before looking over at her. “Are you going to miss it?”

“No … not really,” Amara answered. “I think … I think I’m ready to start over somewhere else.” 

Liam stared at her for a moment before taking her answer for the opening it was. “Speaking of starting over …” He stood upright and reached back, pulling the two photos from his back pocket. “When we were packing … these fell out of your nightstand drawer.” 

Amara focused on the photos in his hand, fighting against looking at him as she blinked away the sting in her eyes. “Yeah …” 

“I didn’t realize you had them.” 

“I …” Amara let out a soft breath and cast her gaze to the ground.

Liam’s thumb slid under her chin and he lifted her eyes to his. “No more secrets.” 

Amara swallowed. “I would look at them … in hopes I could convince myself to reach out to you … to tell you about Sophia.” She fell quiet for a moment before speaking again, her next words coming out just above a whisper. “And on days when I missed you … which was all the time … I’d look at them to remind myself of what it felt like to be whole … because that’s what being with you made me feel. Whole and complete … and happy.”

Liam searched her eyes for a moment, and in the next, he leaned down, capturing her lips in his. Amara stiffened in surprise, needing to rest her hands against his chest to keep herself upright, but when his arm curled around her waist and pulled her closer, she went more than willingly. When her lips parted against his, she felt his tongue softly curl against hers, so slowly at first it was as if he were trying to savor the moment, but then he deepened the kiss, and she gripped his shirt to steady herself.

Forcing himself not to get too caught up, Liam drew back. It took her a moment to open her eyes, and they stared at each other in silence for a few heartbeats before she looked away from him. He could see the self-consciousness fill her expression and realized it was because she determined that he must have thought what just happened was a mistake … but she was wrong. 

“I want to go back to being the two people in these photos. I want this again.” Liam held up the pictures. When she looked at him again, he saw the surprise in her eyes, like she couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I want this … I want us. But I want to slow down because I want us to be sure when we go in, if not for our sakes, then for Sophia’s.” 

At his words, a tear trickled down Amara’s cheek, and he reached up, brushing it away with his thumb. “I didn’t think … after what I’d done—”

“When I told you I was leaving the past in the past, I meant it, Amara,” Liam interrupted. “I just need to know if you want the same … that you’re willing to try.”

Amara took in a shuddered breath as her tear-filled eyes searched his. And then she nodded. “I want the same,” she whispered. 

Liam dropped his hand from her face and curled his fingers around hers. “Then we take it day by day once we get back home … and we’ll see how things go.” 

***************************************

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[amandablink]

Such a difficult situation! Gladly Liam and Amara are finding their way back... (For Sophia's sake, at least).

I can't wait for they being together again, they deserve it so much 🥹

Best Kept Secrets

Best Kept Secrets - A Lot of Learning To Do (Chapter 17)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: An unforeseen encounter with the past proves that even the best-kept secrets eventually make their way into the light. 

Title inspiration: Perfect - Rachel AO

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x F!OC

A/N: Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading most of this. Please excuse any errors. 

Rating: M • Warning: This series will contain NSFW material. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

Liam stared down at Amara, who was frozen in place as she held the door to the north wing open, looking up at him in stunned silence. Her complexion was slightly pale, her eyes were puffy and rimmed red, and her cheeks were blotchy and still glistened with the remnants of tears she’d attempted to wipe away only moments ago. 

Liam cleared his throat and finally broke the silence. “Hi,” he said quietly. 

“Hi …” Amara’s voice came out slightly cracked and just above a whisper. 

“May I come in?” Liam asked. 

Amara bit her lip to keep it from trembling as she slowly nodded and stepped aside. Once he was over the threshold, she softly shut the door; her palm rested against the wood as she closed her eyes, trying to rein in her emotions, but she was failing. 

Liam paused at the entryway into the living and kitchen area to wait for her; he glanced over to see her back still to him and her head slightly bowed. “Amara?” He watched her stiffen at the sound of her name from his lips before lifting her head; she raised a hand to her face, seemingly wiping more tears from her cheeks as she let out a breath.

Amara turned, not meeting his eyes as she gestured for him to go ahead. 

Liam walked to the sofa and lowered himself down as he studied her. When Amara sat, she left an ample amount of space between them; she tucked herself into the corner, pulling her knees to her chest. He could tell she was nervous. More than nervous. 

“Where is Sophia?” Amara asked quietly.

“She’s with Imogen in my quarters,” Liam answered. “I figured it would be easier for us to talk without her here.” She nodded her agreement, still not looking at him. “I, uh …” He cleared his throat; he was nervous too, although he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. “I wanted to come talk to you about Bradshaw and what happened …” She offered another silent nod. “I wanted to let you know that the situation with him has been dealt with and handled. He won’t be a problem again. For anyone, least of all us.”

“Thank you,” Amara said through a cracked whisper, and her brows knit as she continued to fight against the wave of emotions threatening to drown her. “For everything you did … to get Sophia out of that.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Liam replied. “But I think we need to talk about the statement that was made …” He watched her tense at his words. “Amara … why would you do that? Why would you willingly throw yourself under the bus like that?” 

Yes, Daniel had told him why, but Liam needed to hear it from her. 

“Because … because it was the right thing to do.” Amara shook her head; her brows creased as she tried to blink away the rising sting in her eyes. “I know it’s not what you wanted … but I couldn’t let them scrutinize you … and, in turn, Sophia … for what I had done.” 

“We could have figured out something else. You didn’t need to make yourself a damn martyr.” 

“There wasn’t another way …” 

Liam watched her, studied her; she stared straight ahead and he could see her jaw tick. And in the deafening silence that lay between them, he could hear her struggling not to let her breath stutter as she visibly fought back her tears, trying and failing not to let him glimpse that struggle. 

“Are you alright?” Liam asked. He knew it was a silly question, but his goal in coming there was not only to have a conversation with her about everything but to get her to open up. He’d been told by both Riley and Daniel how she’d completely shut down in the last month since everything happened. She still wouldn’t meet his gaze as she nodded in response to his question. “Amara, look at me.” At his words, she started to lose that battle to control her emotions; he watched her chin tremble as her eyes welled to the brim with tears. “Look at me,” he said more sternly. Her brows knit and her breath hitched; she hesitated before slowly turning her head, finally lifting her eyes to his. “Are you alright?” he asked again, his voice softer and laced with a touch of concern. 

That was all it took.

Amara shook her head in answer to his question as that thread of control she was barely clinging to snapped; a sob escaped her as she covered her face with her hands. When Liam instinctively shifted closer to her and she felt his arms wrap around her for comfort, she completely broke down. Everything she’d been trying to hold in over the last month — hell, the last two years — came pouring out all at once, causing what little composure she had left to crumble from beneath her. 

Liam had never seen her this way. Amara was a wall, even two years ago. She was an immovable wall of practiced impassiveness, honed from years of depending on nothing and no one but herself. He’d seen glimpses beyond that wall two years ago, more than she had ever allowed anyone before, and he’d been given those same glimpses again when she returned. At that moment, however, the wall had completely shattered. 

Despite everything that had happened, it broke Liam to witness it. He pulled her closer, curling one hand around the back of her head and his other rubbed her back in an attempt to try and calm her as she cried into his chest. 

Tucking his head, Liam brought his lips to her ear. “Amara, breathe,” he whispered. His words didn’t appear to be of much help; she cried harder, her breath hitching between sobs that she couldn’t seem to control. He drew back slightly, cupping her face in his hands and forcing her gaze to his. “Breathe.” 

Amara grasped his wrists, trying and failing to take a full breath as she squeezed her eyes shut. “I-I … I’m … sorry, Liam,” she choked out through another sob.

“I know you are.”

Liam pulled her back to him as she continued to whisper broken apologies through cries; her one hand was still clutching his wrist and he could feel it trembling. Daniel told him she’d been struggling with guilt, but he never expected this. 

It was consuming her, strangling her from the inside. 

“I know that you’re sorry,” Liam said softly. 

“You must … hate me,” Amara cried.

Liam felt an immediate lump swell in his throat at her words. “I do not hate you, Amara.” 

“I-I didn’t — I should’ve —” Amara’s words were choked off by another sob. “I-I’m so sorry.” 

“Shhh,” Liam pulled her tighter against him, resting his chin atop her head as he closed his eyes. “I know.” 

And he did know. 

There wasn’t a single part of him that doubted her remorse, doubted how horrible she felt, or doubted how badly she wished she could go back and do things differently. 

Liam wasn’t sure how much time passed as he sat and held Amara until she finally started to calm down some; her breath continued to hitch but her cries had quieted. 

Reaching over, Liam grabbed a couple of tissues from a box on the coffee table and he glanced down at her still tucked against his chest, offering them to her. She took them before she slowly sat back, wiping her eyes; she kept her gaze cast downward, fidgeting with the tissues now in her hands. He could both see and feel the guilt still seeping out of her, though. 

“Are you ok?” Liam asked.

Amara nodded, but her brows knit as her breath stuttered. “S-Sorry about …” She trailed off, gesturing to herself. 

“You don’t need to apologize.” 

“I do,” Amara said with a nod as her eyes filled with tears again. He knew she didn’t mean just about her breakdown; she was still referring to everything else. 

“Amara, please stop apologizing,” Liam said. “I know that you’re sorry. You don’t need to keep saying it.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a breath. “Look …” He paused, searching his mind for the right words as she finally lifted her apprehensive gaze to his. “I know this past month has been hard on you … not only because Daniel and Riley both told me that you haven’t at all been yourself but because the times I saw you, I could see it myself. And I’m not going to lie and say that it’s been easy on me. It hasn’t. It’s been … overwhelming and difficult, among other things. But we need to move past all of this … not only for both of our sakes but Sophia’s as well.” When she subtly shook her head and looked down, he reached out, gently grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her gaze back to his. “Talk to me.”

Amara’s breath hitched. “I don’t know how you can even look at me,” she choked out. “Let alone sit here … and be civil toward me after what I did.” 

“Because I don’t want to keep dwelling on what happened, Amara,” Liam answered. “As I said, I know that you’re sorry. I believe you. And I forgive you.” 

At those last three words, more tears fell. I forgive you. Hearing him say them flooded her with relief … but also more guilt. “I … I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” Amara cried, shaking her head. 

“You do. And you have it,” Liam replied. “Me forgiving you and you forgiving yourself is the only way we’re going to move forward. It’s in the past and it needs to stay there because nothing good is going to come from either of us living there. There’s nothing either of us can do to change what’s already been done.” 

The past month that Liam had to reflect on everything had shown him just that. Sure, he could remain angry and resentful toward her and the situation, but no good was going to come of it. And Amara could continue wallowing in her guilt, but nothing would come of that either except to destroy her.  

Sophia deserved better than what dwelling on the past would do to her parents. 

“I just want us to figure out a way to move forward together.” When she glanced up at him with surprise in her eyes, Liam realized how what he’d said may have sounded. “For Sophia, I mean …” 

Liam hadn’t thought about them, not in that sense anyway. It was clear from her reaction that Amara hadn’t expected him to either. 

Yes, he missed her and he missed where they were and what they started to rebuild before everything happened. Of course he did. He hadn’t just been dealing with the rollercoaster of emotions from discovering he had a child he knew nothing about over the past month; he’d also been dealing with the heartbreak over what felt like losing Amara for a second time. He couldn’t just shut off his feelings for her. He loved her. But those feelings were something he’d have to deal with at another time.

As far as where they stood and what the future held for them, if anything at all, Liam wasn’t sure. They needed to focus on one thing at a time, and right now, that was rebuilding a foundation from scratch and getting themselves back to a certain place for Sophia’s sake. 

“I know we have things we need to discuss and figure out,” Liam said. “I’m here … and your home is in New York, so—”

“I’ll stay here,” Amara interrupted.

Liam reared back and furrowed his brows. “What?”

“Now that her existence has been made public … I don’t think anyone here would approve of me taking her back to the States, including your council.” Amara took in a shuddered breath. “We both know that if it came down to it and they pushed you hard enough … you’d be able to keep her here …” 

Liam felt a tightening in his chest and his own wave of guilt crashed over him as his mind flashed back to the last conversation they had in his study a month ago and what he’d said to her. 

“By all technicality — because of who I am, who she is, and where you happen to be right now — I have every legal right to keep Sophia with me. I don’t want it to come to that, but if you try to leave with her, I will do what I need to do to not only ensure the safety of my child but that I maintain a relationship with her as well. Do not put me in a position where I have to show you how much power I truly wield, Amara, because you will never look at me the same again.” 

Liam had been so angry and emotional during that conversation that he hadn’t even realized the vehement threat his words truly were. And it was clear she hadn’t forgotten them, either. “You know I would never do that to you, right?” he asked, and she looked at him apprehensively. “I’d never keep her with me out of spite, Amara. What I said when we last spoke … I said out of anger … out of fear and uncertainty. But I need you to believe that I wouldn’t — I couldn’t do that to you or her.” 

“That aside … I don’t … I don’t want to take her away from you, Liam,” Amara shook her head. “I don’t want to take any more time away from you. I don’t want her to go weeks or months without seeing you. I don’t want to put either of you through that.” 

“But what about your life there? Your company?” 

“What’s best for her is to have access to you, so my life there doesn’t matter. As far as the company … I don’t know. I have to look into some things … but that’s not exactly at the top of my list of priorities at the moment.” 

To say Liam was surprised would be an understatement. Not that he was complaining; he wasn’t. Knowing that she was willing to stay there to allow him to see and be with Sophia any time he wanted … he was beyond grateful. But the way in which she was so willing to uproot her entire life without an ounce of hesitation left a heavy weight on his chest. 

Was Amara willing to do it because she wanted to or was this a choice she made out of guilt, a choice she’d come to regret in the future?

“We can talk about it, Amara. We don’t need to jump to any decisions right now.”

“I’m not … I’m not jumping to decisions. I’ve thought about it. This is what needs to be done … for both you and Sophia.” 

“And what about you?” Liam asked, and she looked at him questioningly. “I appreciate you being willing to do that. Truly, I do. And I’d be lying if I said I don’t want that because after this past month, the idea of not seeing her every day … It’s not easy to imagine. But I also don’t want you to give up your life because you feel like you have to.”

“Sophia is my life, Liam.” Amara’s breath stuttered again, and if he didn’t already know, the conviction in her tone would have made him believe it. “I don’t have much I’d be leaving behind in New York—”

“I think Daniel might take offense to that,” Liam cut in with a quip in hopes of lessening the tension in the air. He thought he saw the corner of her mouth begin to curl, but it was gone a heartbeat later. 

“I just mean … Sophia has more here than she does there. She has family here, more of a support system. And most importantly … you. And you being … you and who you are … you don’t have the luxury of making this kind of sacrifice. I do. I won’t be the reason you two miss out on time together … not again. So I will stay.” 

It was clear her mind had been made up and Liam wasn’t about to argue it. Truthfully, it was something that had been on his mind a lot over the past month, wondering what was going to happen and how things would work when she left — not if she left because he had every reason to believe she would. Now, it was like a weight had been lifted. He still wanted her to know that it was her choice, however. 

“If that’s what you want to do … and you’re sure …” 

Amara nodded. “It is. And I am.” She swiped the tissue against her stuffy nose. “I have things I’ll need to figure out … like finding a place … and I’ll have to make a trip or two to New York to tie up some loose ends and get our things, but ��”

“Finding a place and getting your things is nothing you need to rush to figure out or do,” Liam said. “You’re more than welcome to stay right here for as long as you want and need. And when you need to go to New York, the jet will be at your disposal.” He heard her let out a subtle scoff, but it wasn’t subtle enough. “What?”

Amara shook her head and glanced away from him, chewing the inside of her lower lip to keep it from trembling as her emotions started to get the better of her again. “I don’t know why or how you’re being so nice to me,” she said through a cracked whisper. 

Liam mindlessly slipped his hand into hers. “Because I care about you,” he said, not an ounce of hesitation in his tone, and she looked at him again. “You’re the mother of my child, Amara … I’m not going to cast you away. As I said … I don’t want to dwell on the past. I want to focus on Sophia … on the here and now.” When she glanced down at their intertwined hands, he cleared his throat and gently pulled his hand away. “I know we have a lot more we need to talk about … but for now …” He was sure she still had questions and worries regarding the statement now being released, what exactly that meant, and the next steps. He had his own. But they could deal with those another time; he didn’t have all of the answers at the moment anyway. She nodded her understanding and agreement. “How about, if you’re feeling up to it … you join Sophia and me for dinner tonight.” 

Amara glanced at him again, seeing in his eyes the invitation for exactly what it was. An olive branch. A first step. “Ok.”

Liam nodded. “I have some things I need to do, so no need to rush. Take your time.” With that, he stood, looking down at her. “I’ll see you in a little while.” 

****

Standing beneath the spray of the shower, Amara let the hot water run over her, hoping to wash away her tension and exhaustion so she could appear somewhat put together at dinner. It had been a couple of hours since Liam had left and she’d still been struggling to get her emotions under control as she replayed their conversation over and over in her head. 

When Amara opened the door and saw Liam standing on the other side, she didn’t know exactly what to make of it after the month of silence between them. She assumed he’d be even more angry with her than he already was given the statement made that morning, half-expecting him to yell that it wasn’t what he had wanted and that she had no right to interfere. 

Instead, Liam had decided that he wanted to let bygones be bygones. In a surprising twist Amara didn’t see coming, he’d forgiven her. She was still trying to wrap her mind around it, to make sense of it. Yes, she understood his reasoning for wanting to leave everything in the past and saying that it was the only way they could move forward, but given what she had done … what she had kept from him … his forgiveness felt undeserving. She would need to try, however, to do what he asked … try to forgive herself, if not for him, for Sophia.

Amara tilted her head back, letting the water hit her face and wash away the tears that continued to fall. She turned so the spray hit her hair as she took in a breath and let it out slowly. 

****

After drying her hair and getting dressed, Amara stepped out of her bedroom inside the north wing and walked down the hall toward the living area; she didn’t know what time Liam wanted her to meet him. 

As she neared the entryway, Amara’s brows furrowed when she heard voices; when she stepped into the archway, she saw Liam sitting on the floor with Sophia as she played. 

Liam’s eyes flickered up to see her, and he smiled sheepishly. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

Sophia looked over her shoulder, and a toothy grin spread across her face as she turned and toddled toward her. “Mama!” she squealed with a clap of her hands.

Amara smiled, the first genuine smile Liam had seen from her in some time, as she bent down and scooped her into her arms. “Hi, baby girl.”

Sophia tucked her body into her mother as she rested her head on her shoulder. Liam smiled at the sight. “I hope you don’t mind the intrusion,” he said. “She was asking for you, so I figured I’d bring her down and just have the kitchen bring dinner here.”

“That’s fine,” Amara nodded. “And I don’t mind.” 

Sophia’s head popped up from her mother’s shoulder and she turned toward the sound of Liam’s voice; another toothy grin emerged as she looked back at Amara, pointing at him. “Dada.” 

“Yes,” Amara smiled, smoothing her hand over her hair as she kissed her cheek. 

Sophia wriggled from Amara’s embrace a moment later; she set her down and she headed to Liam, falling into his lap and pointing. “Mama,” she said as she looked up at him with her big blue eyes. 

“Uh-huh,” Liam chuckled with a nod. 

Sophia looked back at Amara and pressed a tiny, stubby finger to Liam’s chest. “Dada.” 

“Yes, baby,” Amara nodded, meeting his gaze. “That’s your daddy.” 

Sophia continued to glance between the two of them as her broad grin grew. She carried on with alternating her pointing and making introductions that she didn’t understand weren’t needed. 

Liam realized why she was doing it: it was the first time she had been with them in the same room together. It was as if some small part of her somehow knew and understood that this was how it was supposed to be. 

The two of them met gazes again as Sophia pushed herself off Liam’s lap and started back toward Amara, both knowing. 

****

After dinner, Amara sat on the sofa, watching Liam play with Sophia; he crawled around the floor chasing after her as she belly laughed. It was the first time she’d seen him in his role as a father, the first time she’d gotten to watch them interact together. And while it made her heart feel like it was going to burst at seeing how happy his presence made their daughter, it also brought a fresh wave of guilt from seeing what they both had missed out on because of her choices. 

It was hard to imagine being able to move forward from her guilt when new bits of it added themselves to the already heaping pile. She remembered what Liam said, however … how the only way for them to move forward was to leave the past in the past. 

Liam sat, chuckling when Sophia mimicked him and sat down, letting out a breath just as he did. A moment later, she yawned, and he glanced at his watch. “I suppose she should be getting ready for bed soon.” 

“Yeah,” Amara nodded, not having realized what time it was. 

“Can I still take her back to my quarters? Or do you want her to stay here?”

“She can go with you,” Amara replied. “She was supposed to stay with you tonight anyway.” 

Liam nodded and looked back at Sophia. “You ready to get your pajamas on?” Sophia answered with another yawn, and he chuckled. “Come on, little love.”

Amara smiled at the term of endearment, feeling her eyes prick as she watched him stand and scoop Sophia up. She blinked the tears away as she rose from the sofa; she walked over and Liam tilted Sophia down so she could kiss her cheek. “Goodnight, baby girl.” 

Liam headed for the door and Amara followed; when he stepped into the hall he turned to look at her. “You’re more than welcome to come join us for breakfast if you’d like.” 

Amara stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Ok.” 

“I’ll shoot you a text when she wakes up,” Liam smiled.

Amara nodded again, and he offered her one in return before he turned and headed down the corridor.

*******

“So … how have things been going?” Drake quietly asked Liam as they stood near the bar cart inside his quarters. 

Liam glanced over his shoulder to where Amara sat on the sofa between Riley and Daniel while Sophia played in front of them; he’d invited everyone for dinner so both he and Amara could have some adult interaction besides the ones they had with each other. “Good,” he nodded, turning his attention back to pouring his drink. “We’re just … doing as much together with Sophia as we can.” 

It had been a week since the statement and Liam and Amara’s talk. In hopes of letting some of the frenzy surrounding the news die down, he had taken that week to himself; it was more so to avoid having to leave the palace and deal with the press and the slew of questions he was sure they would throw his way. 

Truthfully, Liam wasn’t sure exactly how to handle it. As Amara had suspected, any reports about the situation had focused more on her and what was considered her betrayal to the King than anything else; they painted her as the villain in the story, crucifying her for not only keeping a father from his child but an heir from its kingdom. He wasn’t sure how to go about taking the negative attention off of her that she had so willingly placed on herself. 

Instead of worrying himself with a solution, Liam had spent the week working on rebuilding that foundation with Amara. They’d been together every day since their talk, spending time with Sophia within the confines of the palace. They alternated between his quarters and the north wing and Sophia staying with one or the other at night. 

It was the moments when it was just the two of them that threw Liam for a loop, however. That first day after their talk, they agreed to both be there to do things together with Sophia, like put her to bed. And it was in those quiet moments once she was asleep in one of her rooms in either his quarters or the north wing that he found himself struggling most with his feelings. They always lingered behind for a half hour or so once Sophia was asleep, talking quietly, neither seeming eager to rush out the moment those little eyes were no longer watching. And he found himself hating how they went their separate ways after spending each day together as a family. 

As much as Liam was enjoying that time with them all together, parting at the end of each day made it feel … not right in a sense. It felt like there was still something missing from the picture as a whole. He pushed those thoughts and feelings aside, however, knowing the importance of rebuilding that foundation before even thinking about venturing down that road. 

“Riley’s been worried about her, but she seems better,” Drake noted as he gestured toward Amara. 

“I told her we needed to leave the past in the past,” Liam replied. “She’s coming around.” 

Amara did seem to be better in the time since their talk, but Liam could still sense the guilt weighing on her some. Save for the one or two moments when he’d caught her emotions getting the better of her, she did her best to mask it, however. 

“And … things between you two?” Drake questioned.

“It hasn’t been brought up,” Liam responded. “We have other things to focus on at the moment.” 

Drake nodded, knowing the quick response meant that Liam wanted to drop the subject. The two of them rejoined the others in the living area, sitting in the two armchairs across from the sofa. 

While they talked over drinks and simultaneously played with Sophia, Riley couldn’t help that tendency — one no doubt drilled into her during her time working for Amara back in New York — to wonder what their next steps were as far as dealing with the aftermath of the statement. 

“So,” Riley said, looking from Amara to Liam. “Have you guys figured out how you’re going to handle the press?” 

Amara cast her gaze downward; she had no answer to give. They hadn’t talked about it at all and she wasn’t going to assume what Liam’s intentions were. She hadn’t even turned on the television or opened a newspaper since the statement was made, not wanting to see what was being said, but she had her guesses. Her first clue was the way Liam immediately turned off the television or made the newspapers vanish before she could catch a glimpse of the headlines each morning she’d met him and Sophia for breakfast; it was obvious he was trying to spare her feelings. 

Liam looked at Amara for a moment before glancing at Riley. “I … I don’t know, honestly.” They all knew he’d intended for the statement to go much differently. “I don’t know how to get them to shift their … focus and attention.”

Amara knew by focus and attention that he meant her.

Liam’s eyes shifted to Daniel, half curious, half expectant. Daniel cleared his throat and shifted on the sofa. “Well … that’s going to depend entirely on you and what you want them to see.”

Amara glanced over at him and then at Liam, meeting his gaze for a moment before he looked back at Daniel. “What do you mean?” 

“If you want them to focus on you raising your daughter as co-parents, you need to show them where your priorities are,” Daniel explained. “If you want the people and press to forgive her and move forward, then you need to show them that you’ve done the same.”

“By letting them see the three of us together,” Liam said in understanding.

Daniel nodded. “Wherever you go, the press is sure to follow to try and catch glimpses of you. And if you get tossed any questions, which we know is inevitable at this point once you step beyond the gilded gates of the palace, then you give them a brief account of the truth — that mistakes were made but you’re putting the past behind you because it’s what’s best for everyone involved, most importantly, Sophia. You can even toss in that you two are co-parenting amicably. And you leave it there and just focus on yourselves after that. They’ll have no choice but to follow suit eventually, especially when they’ll have no proof of the contrary. Plus, everyone loves a good comeback story … usually. So, hopefully doing that will draw in the attention that the press is looking for from the people.” 

Liam and Amara met gazes, a silent understanding passing between them as they both nodded.

***************************************

Perma Tags (if you’d like to be added or removed for this story, please let me know): @zaffrenotes @cocomaxley @emichelle @sweetest-marbear @indiacater @gibbles82 @the-soot-sprite @ladyangel70 @esmckenzie @dcbbw @burnsoslow @deb-1106 @bbrandy2002 @charlotteg234 @neotericthemis @foreverethereal123 @choiceskatie @sirbeepsalot @gnatbrain @openheart12 @sincerelyella @superharriet @queenrileyrose @aestheticartsx @kingliam2019 @indiana-jr @bascmve01 @rainbowsinthestorm @emkay512 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @forallthatitsworth @walker7519 @iaminlovewithtrr @amandablink @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @princessleac1 @21-wishes @appleone @tessa-liam @pixelatedpassion @malblk21 @lovingchoices14 @nestledonthaveone @forthebrokenheartedthings @nomadics-stuff @differenttyphoonwerewolf

[amandablink]

So beautiful!!!

for @choicesfandomappreciation's secret pal event, i got @tessa-liam! here's a liam and riley (and chance the corgi) for you, i hope you like it and happy holidays!! ❤️

bg & silver medal from pb official art bc i was too tired to draw it by hand lol

[amandablink]

Sometimes i feel like life is Betrand bringing me every day the same letter saying that Liam won't be mine and I won't be queen.

(And "leave the court now" is like "stop with the TRR thing and go to work".)

😅

[amandablink]

Own, this is a extreme level of fluffyness!! So cute!

Liam getting his own family always make me fell like 🥰😍😻.

Thankful

A/N: I wanted to do a Thanksgiving fic, so here’s some fluff that no one asked for, lol. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading and @dcbbw for looking over a good chunk of it.

This is part of my Always You universe.

Warnings: none.

Perma Tags (if you’d like to be added or removed, please let me know): @zaffrenotes​ @cocomaxley​ @gardeningourmet​ @gibbles82​ @annekebbphotography​ @sweetest-marbear​ @indiacater​ @liamxs-world​ @classylady1234​ @texaskitten30​ @the-soot-sprite​ @ladyangel70​ @esmckenzie​ @emichelle​ @dcbbw​ @burnsoslow​ @bbrandy2002​ @sirbeepsalot​ @debramcg1106​ @gnatbrain​ @ofpixelsandscribbles​ @openheart12​ @sincerelyella​ @superharriet​ @aestheticartsx​ @forthebrokenheartedthings​ @kingliam2019​ @indiana-jr​ @bascmve01​ @rainbowsinthestorm​ @darley1101​ @charlotteg234​ @alyssalauren​ @txemrn​ @neotericthemis​ @queenrileyrose​ @emkay512​ @kat-tia801​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @gkittylove99​ @choiceskatie​ @forallthatitsworth​ @queenjilian​ @walker7519​ @hopelessromanticmonie​ @iaminlovewithtrr​ @amandablink​ @mainstreetreader​ @mom2000aggie​ @foreverethereal123​

Continuar lendo

[amandablink]

You all are really appreciated! Thanks for the amazing work and for all the magic you bring with your stories. ❤️

Thank you fandom writers!

We wanted to take a moment to thank all the talented writers in our fandom who inspire us daily. We continue to be amazed at just how many of you are out there! Even as we become smaller, new writers are always popping up, and it's delightful to see!

If you've written one fic or a thousand, you matter and are an essential part of our community! Never discount the impact you can have. As a writer, I have received messages from readers who have read my work for a distraction or as a pick me up as they go through very trying times. Trust me, our works do much more than we think.

You don't need to have a huge masterlist or huge following to touch someone, and you never know how special that can be!

So, THANK YOU! You're the reason we're here, and we can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Elsa & Kathy

@choicesfandomappreciation

[amandablink]

Funny because my first thought was romancing Drake 🤣 Gladly I fell in love with Liam during the chapters... No regrets ❤️

Sent by anonymous

‘I have tried so many times to replay TRR series and romancing different options (Usually Drake or Hana) but it always makes me physically ill, Liam will always be my one true, only love’

POST/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT THE MOD’S PERSONAL OPINIONS!

[amandablink]

The Royal Romance FanArt Appreciation.

Man, I may be a writer but I cannot do digital art. Im not talented and I am always in awe of those who are!!

I don’t know who made this (if you recognize it as yours Omg you rock!) but I wanted to share it here because it’s gorgeous!

It depicts our fav gang very well (if you choose the dark haired Liam). I love how Maxwell is dabbing in the first photo and Drake looks totally Drake. 😂

I’ll be sharing more FanArt as I come across it!

Thank you to whoever made this!

[amandablink]

YES!!!!

Well, almost happening, but you got it...

…Sometimes Not (Part 10)

Love is Ruthless

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #3, “Well … that was unexpected.”

Title inspo: Foolish - Forest Blakk

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Always You story. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.  

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x OC (Reyna)

Rating: T • Warnings: None but some mild language.

Word count: 2500

Catch up here

Pushing open her apartment door, Reyna stepped inside with Liam following behind her. She slung her bag over the back of one of the stools at the counter before heading to the living area and flopping onto the sofa. 

“Tired?” Liam chuckled as he sat next to her.

“No,” Reyna smiled. “Just need to sit for a minute. We did a lot of walking today.” After walking around Battery Park earlier, the pair headed to Coney Island. “Are you hungry?”

Liam looked at her, mirroring her grin as they tried to read each other’s thoughts. “Pizza,” they said in unison. “Jinx.”

Reyna pulled her phone out of the pocket of her sweatshirt and brought up the website of the nearest establishment; after a few moments, she set her phone down beside her. “Should be here in about 25 minutes.” 

Liam nodded as he stood from the sofa; he walked to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator before returning to the living area. “Here,” he said, handing her one as he sat.

“Thanks,” Reyna grinned. 

Reyna subtly glanced over at Liam. He’d been in the city for a week, and while she intended to finally talk to him during his visit, she hadn’t been able to. Every time they hung out, she’d build up the courage to bring it up, and then something would interrupt them.

The first day they met up, their time together was cut short when Liam got a phone call and had to go back to his hotel for an unplanned virtual meeting. They met up later that evening for dinner, but Reyna struggled to talk herself back into it after the moment had been ruined earlier.

The following evening, while at her apartment, just as Reyna talked herself into broaching the subject, Daniel showed up. He was a tad tipsy and had taken an Uber from the bar he’d been at to her place to tell her all about the terrible date he’d been on. After telling them his dramatic tale, he ended up passing out. Liam helped Reyna get him to the spare bedroom before he left to go back to his hotel.  

The next day, Reyna had been intent on bringing it up; she had the entire conversation planned out in her head. After Liam arrived at her apartment that afternoon with lunch, she was about to bring it up when Maxwell called to tell him that he’d just heard from Drake for the first time in nearly three years. That, of course, threw Liam for a loop and altered his mood entirely … along with her plans.

Reyna didn’t attempt to bring it up in the two days that followed; she wanted to make sure Liam was in the right headspace for the conversation. Tonight, however, was his last night in the city before he’d be heading home. It was a now-or-never situation. She had to tell him tonight.

As a silence settled between them, Liam shifted his gaze in her direction; he noticed that Reyna had been acting off all week. Whenever they were together, she seemed a little on edge with her thoughts seemingly occupied by something else most of the time. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with his confession. They’d talked via phone calls and video chats since then, but this was the first time they’d seen each other in person since that trip she made to Cordonia. He was worried that what he’d confessed in a moment of weakness when he was unable to keep quiet about his feelings any longer — something he regretted doing almost instantly — had now made things awkward and weird. 

The truth was that Liam was left feeling both guilty and humiliated by his confession. Not only was it something he sprung on her out of nowhere but something he didn’t put any thought into, which was why it had come out in a frustrated word vomit. He’d spent the time since working on coming to terms with the fact that she no longer felt the same. 

Glancing at her again, Liam took note of the way Reyna’s leg was bouncing nervously. His eyes flickered up and he knitted his brows when he saw the contemplative expression she wore as she stared straight ahead. “Are you alright?” he finally asked.

Reyna looked at him. “Fine. Why?” 

“That is a lie,” Liam chuckled. “You’re doing the anxious leg jiggle and you look like you’re trying to solve world peace.” She offered a smile that he noticed didn’t reach her eyes. “Seriously, Rey, what’s wrong?” 

Reyna let out a breath and shifted her body on the sofa to face him. Now or never. “I … I need to talk to you about something …” 

“Ok …?”

“It’s something I’ve been meaning to bring up all week, I just … I haven’t found the right time,” Reyna explained. He nodded as he stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. “It’s about what you said when I was in Cordonia. Your … confession.” She watched him stiffen uncomfortably at her words, and she let out a breath. “Listen, I know you said not to say anything, but I need to tell you why I didn’t push harder to respond and—”

“Rey, don’t,” Liam interrupted. “Can we please not do this?” 

“I just need you to hear me out because—”

“Stop,” Liam pleaded as he shifted his position on the sofa. “Please … stop talking.” 

“Liam,” Reyna admonished.

“Reyna, you don’t have to do this. Really.” Liam sighed, running his hand through his hair. 

“Do what?”

“Give me an explanation out of pity,” Liam said as he threw his hands up in frustration. He didn’t want to sit there and watch her suffer through trying to explain herself. She didn’t owe him an explanation of any sort. “I get that three years went by … that your feelings changed and our chances slipped away. I just … I just want to move on from it and not think about it.”

Reyna stared at him, both puzzled and frustrated. She’d been hesitant enough about telling him, having to build up the courage just to do so because that fear she had still lingered. She’d chosen to do it, however, because she finally conceded that the risk was worth it … he was worth it … they were worth it. And now, here he was, begging her to stop talking when she was finally ready to pour her heart out and tell him everything … because he had come to the conclusion that she simply fell out of love with him over the years. 

What the hell am I supposed to do? Reyna thought as she closed her eyes and let out a breath. I have to tell him tonight. Then, an idea struck. She hadn’t known what exactly she was going to say or how she was going to say it, and clearly, she hadn’t started out well since the conversation seemed to be over before it began. But there was a way for her to tell him how she felt and show him how wrong he was without having to say anything at all. 

“Stay here,” Reyna said.

Liam watched her stand and disappear down the hall, leaving him flustered on the sofa. As he muddled through the thoughts filling his head, a knock came on the door. 

“I’ll get it,” Liam called out, assuming it was the pizza she’d ordered. He rose from the sofa and pulled his wallet from his back pocket, opening it up and fanning through the cash inside; he slipped his thumb between the bills to hold his place as he opened the door. 

Liam froze when he saw Luca standing on the other side … holding a bouquet of roses.

The two men stared at one another. They’d never met face-to-face, but they knew exactly who the other was, both in real life … and Reyna’s. 

Liam cleared his throat as he stood a little taller. “Luca, right?” he said, extending his hand for a shake in an attempt to be polite. 

“Right,” Luca nodded, shifting the bouquet of roses into one hand while he shook Liam’s with the other; he gripped it a little tighter than necessary as he held Liam’s stare. He certainly didn’t expect to see him there.  

“Luca?” Reyna questioned from behind Liam. Both men turned to look at her, meeting her surprised gaze as it flickered between them. “What … what are you doing here?”

Luca slid his eyes to Liam then back to her. “Can we talk?” 

“Uh … sure …” Reyna nodded. “I’ll be right back,” she said to Liam before she stepped into the hall to join Luca, closing the door behind her. 

Liam could feel his heart racing as he stared at the door. Are they …? He let out a breath. Perhaps this is what she wanted to tell him. Maybe … maybe they were getting back together … or already were, and that’s what she was trying to explain. His heart sank at the thought. Too curious and nosy for his own damn good, he took a step forward and quietly pressed his ear to the door.

In the hall, Reyna’s eyes dropped down to the bouquet in Luca’s hand, and his gaze followed. “I, uh … brought these for you,” he said as he handed them to her.

“They’re beautiful,” Reyna replied somberly; she had a guess as to why he was there. “What … what did you want to talk about?” 

“Us …” 

Inside the apartment, Liam drew back from the door. He’d heard enough. No, he didn’t know the whole context of their conversation and he wasn’t going to continue to listen in; it wasn’t his place. Regardless, the evening had taken a turn. 

Liam chugged the remainder of his water bottle before heading down the hall to use the restroom; he was biding his time. When he returned to the living area and Reyna still hadn’t come back inside, he thought it best to leave them be and go back to his hotel. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a quick message to Bastien that he’d be out front in a few minutes. 

Just as he slipped it back into his pocket, the door opened, and Reyna stepped inside, holding the roses. “Well … that was unexpected.” She noticed he was standing, lingering near the door. “I’m sorry about that.”

“You’ve nothing to apologize for,” Liam said. “I think I’m going to head out.”

“What?” Reyna said, feeling a slight panic at his words. “Why?” 

“I’ve still got to pack for my flight in the morning and you’re heading to the mountains with Aunt Elsie bright and early, so …” 

“Liam, I hope you don’t think … Luca stopping by, that wasn’t—”

“Rey, it’s fine,” Liam interrupted, knowing she was going to attempt to explain again. He moved, stopping in front of her, and resting his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want anything to ruin this friendship we finally got back. I’d rather you be in my life as my friend than not have you at all. I can’t go through that again. So, it’s ok. Really. You don’t need to say anything else.” 

Reyna stared up at him, once again puzzled and frustrated; she sorted through all the jumbled words she both wanted and needed to say but was too bemused by what was happening to speak. 

“I’ll see you when you get to Cordonia. Have fun on your trip, and tell Aunt Elsie I said hello,” Liam halfheartedly smiled before leaning down and kissing her cheek. 

With that … Liam left the apartment, leaving Reyna standing in a still-stunned silence as she stared at the door he’d just walked out of. What the hell just happened? She let out a breath as she glanced down at the roses in her hand. Luca had come there intending to see if there was a chance they could work things out; why he had that thought after all this time she didn’t know. He said that once he saw Liam there, he knew there was no point. He apologized for dropping by unannounced and left. 

With a grumble, Reyna threw the roses onto the counter and headed to her room. She flopped down onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow as she let out a muffled frustrated scream. She sat up a moment later and her eyes landed on the item she had come to retrieve to give to Liam; she had tossed it on her bed in surprise when she heard Luca’s voice carry down the hall. 

As she stared at it, Reyna decided she wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet. She’d finally talked herself into doing this and she was going to be damned if she let it go without Liam knowing the truth.

*******

Early the following morning, the SUV pulled up to the jet on the tarmac at JFK. Liam slipped out of the backseat and followed behind Bastien, who had his bag. 

As Liam made his way up the stairs of the jet, a horn blaring startled him; he whirled around and furrowed his brows when he saw the familiar black Navigator belonging to the Aldridges screech to a halt alongside the jet. He slowly made his way back down the steps as Reyna came into view from around the vehicle. 

“Rey?” Liam said as she approached him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving with Aunt Elsie this morning?”

“I am. I made a pit stop here on my way to pick her up.” 

“A pit stop for what?” Liam asked.

Reyna stared at him, forcing herself to not hesitate with this. “You think that you have me and my feelings all figured out—”

“Rey—”

“Shut up, Liam!” Reyna barked in exasperation, and his eyes widened in surprise. “You’ve said enough. It’s your turn to stop talking,” she said. “I will respect your wish to not say anything not just because you won’t listen to me but because neither of us has the time to stand here right now and hash all of this out. But I need you to read this …” She revealed a book he hadn’t noticed was tucked beneath her arm and held it out to him; it was what she went to grab from her room last night before they were interrupted.

Liam took it, furrowing his brows; it looked familiar, but he couldn’t place why at the moment. “What is it?”

“You think I simply fell out of love with you over the years … but hopefully reading this will make you understand. It will tell you everything you need to know. Promise me you’ll read it.”

“I …” Liam met her gaze again with both hesitance and confusion but nodded. “I’ll read it.” 

Reyna eyed the book for a moment; it held her entire heart … and now it was in his hands. She let out a breath as she glanced back up at him. “I’ll be off the grid while I’m with Aunt Elsie … but I’ll see you when I get to Cordonia in a week. You have until then to read it … and then we’ll talk.” 

Reyna perched up on her tiptoes, and Liam instinctively leaned down; she kissed his cheek before turning away, walking back toward her vehicle without a backward glance. He watched her disappear behind the SUV before it drove off the tarmac a moment later. 

Liam glanced down, realizing he was looking at the worn brown leather cover of a thick journal; he turned it over in his hands, examining it as he made his way onto the jet. 

***************************************

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[amandablink]

That ending!! Hang in there, Rey!

…Sometimes Not (Part 9)

Holding Out

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #2

Title inspo: Neverland - Ross Copperman

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Always You story. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.  

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x OC (Reyna)

Rating: T • Warnings: None but some mild language.

Word count: 2495

Catch up here

Inside her apartment on a Friday night, Reyna sat curled up on her sofa, staring out the window. The television was off and no music played, leaving her to only her musings. Since her return from Cordonia two weeks ago, a trip in which Liam spilled the truth of his feelings for her, she found herself like this every night — drowning in silence and her thoughts. 

Reyna continued to talk to Liam as normal; they called, messaged, and video chatted … and not once mentioned what he had said. He said that day that he wanted to forget it, to act as though it didn’t happen, and that’s precisely what they’d done. 

Despite trying to say something in response, merely getting out his name before he abruptly interrupted her, the truth was that Reyna didn’t know what she was going to say had he let her continue. She knew what she wanted to say … that she loved him, too, that she never stopped; no matter how much she wanted to say it, she couldn’t. 

Reyna’s heart was playing a game of tug of war between what she felt and what she feared. 

And that fear was winning. 

A knock pulled Reyna from her musings; she threw the blanket off her and stood from the sofa, walking over to the door. When she glanced through the peephole, she let out a quiet breath as she stepped back and opened the door, forcing a smile. “Hi, Dad.” 

“Hi, Princess.”

“What are you doing here?” Reyna asked as she stepped aside to let him in; she noticed the large white paper bag in his hand and the heavenly smell that came from it. 

“Well, I was hungry,” Gideon said as he set the bag on the counter and turned to look at her. “And since your mother is out of town with your Aunt Sophie for the weekend, I thought you’d like to have dinner with your old man. I stopped at Lido’s,” he grinned. 

“Thank you,” Reyna smiled. 

As Reyna grabbed two plates from a cabinet, Gideon pulled the containers from the takeout bag. The real reason he stopped by her apartment that night was because he’d noticed in the two weeks since their return from Cordonia that she seemed … off. She was silent on the flight back, not uttering a single word except for when, after being unable to take it any longer, he asked if she was alright, and she responded with a simple “fine.” She’d canceled having dinner with him and Catherine four times since they’d been back, saying that she was tired. Catherine invited her along on the little weekend getaway she was taking with her sister, but Reyna politely declined the invitation. 

It all left Gideon wondering if something had happened in Cordonia between Reyna and Liam. So, he decided to invite himself over with some of her favorite food in hopes he could get her to open up.

As the two of them ate at the counter, between small bouts of silence, they caught each other up on their work week. Despite him being there, he could tell she was still slightly distracted by something. 

Once done with his meal, Gideon nursed a glass of scotch as he waited for Reyna to finish. He watched as she slid her plate back, still leaving half of the chicken piccata. “I’ll save that for lunch tomorrow,” she said, noticing him giving her a curious look.

“Not much of an appetite tonight?” Gideon questioned.

“S’pose not …” 

Gideon set his glass down, shifting on the stool so his body faced hers. “Are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you?” Reyna looked at him and her brows furrowed in confusion. “Did you really think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been acting oddly since we left Cordonia?” She leaned back against the stool, resting her hands in her lap. “Did something happen?”

“No,” Reyna answered as she met his gaze; he didn’t believe her and she knew it. “Maybe …” 

“With Liam, I’m guessing?” Gideon asked, and she nodded slowly. “Did you two have an argument?”

“No.”

“Then what happened?” 

Reyna dropped his gaze; she closed her eyes, staying silent for a moment as she searched her muddled thoughts. “It’s probably not a secret to you that I never stopped caring about him …” 

“Not particularly,” Gideon smiled softly.

“I tried to fight it … but he’s in my head even when he’s not supposed to be. It shouldn’t be this hard to let go … especially with all the time that’s passed since we were … anything.” 

“Well, if it’s so hard to let go … perhaps that means you shouldn’t.”

Shaking her head, Reyna sighed. “After we reunited in Paris … I promised myself that no matter what, I would bury my feelings for him to save our friendship. To save … myself. It just … burying it made things seem easier between us. It made getting our friendship back on track easier. I excused any slip-ups I had as just that … a slip-up. A mistake. I’d said that we shouldn’t venture down that road again when we had a lapse … and he agreed. And because neither of us had said anything … barely mentioning that part of our past at all … I thought we were on the same page. It’s been four years … I figured anything he may have felt for me before had to be long gone by now. I convinced myself — just as I had for all those years — that what I felt was one-sided. Unrequited. And doing so made it easier for me to push my thoughts and feelings away when I was with him.” She let out a breath. “But when we were in Cordonia … the morning before we left, he was acting odd. I asked what was wrong and he didn’t want to tell me … but I pushed and poked until he did … not expecting him to snap and tell me that it was too hard to pretend I was nothing more than a friend to him, that there wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t still in love with me … and that it had become too difficult for him to keep it in any longer.” 

Gideon would be lying if he said a spark of both joy and triumph didn’t fill him, but he managed to keep his expression unreadable. “And what did you have to say in response to that?”

“Nothing,” Reyna answered. “He asked me not to say anything.”

“What?” Gideon questioned. 

“He wanted to act like what he’d just said didn’t happen … and he begged me not to say anything back.”

“Well, I think it’s safe to say that he only asked that of you to save himself from what he thought would be rejection,” Gideon said. He knew for a fact how Liam still felt about Reyna. “But what would you have said?”

“Truthfully?” Reyna met her father’s gaze again. “I don’t know,” she shrugged, and his brows furrowed. “When he first said it … I just stared at him. It was like I couldn’t speak … like I was choking on everything I wanted to say. I … I don’t know what I’d have said if he didn’t stop me.” 

“Reyna, do you love him?” Gideon asked, despite already knowing the answer. 

“I love him,” Reyna answered without hesitation, saying what she couldn’t to Liam. “I still love him so much that it hurts. It hurts to be around him and not tell him or show him how much I love him, but … I’d rather suffer in silence than to …” She trailed off, shaking her head. 

“I guess I’m not understanding,” Gideon said. “You know how he feels now, that it’s not one-sided, so why can’t you just tell him that you feel the same way?” 

“We tried that already. We let our guards down and we crossed that line … and I lost him in the end. I can’t lose him again, Dad. I won’t …” Reyna’s words were choked off by her throat tightening at the mere thought; she shook her head as her vision blurred. “I can’t go through losing him again,” she whispered as her tears started to fall. “I won’t survive it a second time …” 

Gideon stared at her. He remembered all too well Reyna’s state four years ago when she came home from Cordonia broken-hearted. He remembered how she changed, how she turned to the bottle to try and numb her pain, how she was a shell of the woman she was before that summer away. She spiraled into a darkness that he was afraid she wouldn’t come out of. As a father, it was both heartbreaking and frightening to watch; he saw his daughter suffering and breaking and there was nothing he could do to take that pain away, nothing he could do to help because she had shut everyone out, including him. 

Even though Reyna eventually made it out of that pit of despair in the end, she was never the same. For three years Gideon watched her try to move forward with her life, but a piece of her was missing, a part of her soul gone. And she remained that way until the day she returned home from that trip to Paris; once reunited with that missing piece of her heart, he saw life breathed back into her. 

Gideon realized at that moment what it was that scared Reyna most about giving a relationship with Liam another chance. “To save … myself,” she’d said. “I won’t survive it a second time …” She wasn’t just afraid of losing him again if things didn’t work out, but of what losing him would do to her; she was afraid of falling back into that dark place and the lengths she would go to rid herself of feeling that pain and loss for a second time. 

It was clear that Reyna’s love for Liam was all-consuming. If it was anyone else, Gideon would be concerned; he’d probably tell her to let go, that he didn’t want her to travel down that road again either out of his own fear of seeing her as broken as she was before. But this was Liam, and he knew that he felt that same all-consuming love for her. 

As much as Liam was a half to her whole, Reyna was his. 

And Gideon needed to encourage her not to let a fear of the unknown dictate her life.

“What if it could turn out better than you ever imagined?” Gideon asked, and Reyna looked at him as she wiped her cheeks. “Yes, there’s a chance it could go sideways, but there’s an even bigger chance that it could give you something not just extraordinary but that you’ve always wanted. Liam laid his cards on the table. He told you how he felt … that after all this time, he still loves you. The only thing standing in the way, Reyna, is yourself. You cannot let the what-ifs ruin a chance at a future with the one person you’ve ever truly loved.”

“We can’t,” Reyna’s breath hitched. “I can’t.”

Gideon covered her hand with his. “Look at me,” he said, and she lifted her tearful gaze. “You can. Liam was willing to take the risk of telling you how he still feels about you because he thinks you’re worth it, that what you two could be is worth it. I understand your reservations after what you went through last time … I know how hard that was on you. But it was just as hard on Liam yet he still took that leap. For you. Don’t let that fear guide your choice in this because what you two have … it’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing, Reyna. You’re not going to find it with anyone else.”

Reyna covered her eyes with her hand as a quiet sob escaped her, and Gideon leaned forward, wrapping his large arms around her; he cocooned her in an embrace as he rubbed her back. She knew he was right, that she shouldn’t let this fear of hers make decisions on her behalf, and she didn’t want it to, but getting past that fear was another story.  

After a few moments, Gideon drew back and met her gaze again. “Things are different now. It’s not the same as it was four years ago. You’re different people in a different set of circumstances. But the one thing that hasn’t changed over time is how you feel about each other and how happy you make one another. And I know you, Reyna. If you don’t give yourself and Liam this chance … you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life …”

*******

Sitting on the sofa inside her apartment on a Thursday evening, Reyna ran her palms along the length of her denim-clad thighs. She was waiting to hear from Liam; he was coming into town after spending the last two weeks making multiple state visits, and he said he’d call as soon as he landed. 

In the three weeks since her conversation with her father over dinner, Reyna allowed both his words and advice to slowly sink in. After receiving the call from Liam last week that he was planning to visit, she spent the following few days convincing herself that she needed to talk to him, that she needed to finally tell him how she felt. 

Reyna had spent that entire day rehearsing different ways to bring it up and things she could say; she knew it was pointless and that all of it would go right out the window once he was standing in front of her. 

Nervous didn’t begin to describe how Reyna was feeling about taking this leap again, but she knew her father was right: if she didn’t try, she would end up with nothing but regrets. 

The alert of an incoming call startled Reyna from her thoughts; her heart raced when she saw Liam’s name flashing across her phone screen. Knowing he must’ve arrived and that she was that much closer to her confession caused her nerves to spike. 

“Hey, you,” Reyna greeted him.

“Hello.”

“You’re here?”

“Yeah. Just got off the plane,” Liam replied. “I know we were going to meet up tonight, but these past couple of weeks finally caught up with me. I’m on the verge of crashing and I don’t think I’d be much company tonight. Could we meet up tomorrow after I get a good night’s worth of sleep?” he chuckled. 

Reyna felt herself deflate. Sure, she understood, but now she was going to have to spend the rest of the night building herself up again to talk to him … and convincing herself that this wasn’t some form of divine intervention or sign from above to just keep quiet. 

“Rey?”

Reyna cleared her throat. “Sorry, I’m here.”

“So, raincheck for tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Reyna answered. She closed her eyes, letting out a quiet breath. I’ll tell you tomorrow. “Tomorrow is good.” 

***************************************

Perma Tags (if you’d like to be added or removed for this story, please let me know): @zaffrenotes @cocomaxley @emichelle @sweetest-marbear @indiacater @gibbles82 @the-soot-sprite @esmckenzie @dcbbw @burnsoslow @deb-1106 @bbrandy2002 @charlotteg234 @neotericthemis @foreverethereal123 @choiceskatie @sirbeepsalot @gnatbrain @openheart12 @sincerelyella @superharriet @queenrileyrose @aestheticartsx @kingliam2019 @indiana-jr @bascmve01 @rainbowsinthestorm @emkay512 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @forallthatitsworth @walker7519 @iaminlovewithtrr @amandablink @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @princessleac1 @21-wishes @appleone @tessa-liam @pixelatedpassion @malblk21 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @lovingchoices14 @nestledonthaveone @forthebrokenheartedthings @nomadics-stuff @differenttyphoonwerewolf 

[amandablink]

Drake added, "perhaps, one day, you will get the opportunity to find her again, and be given the chance to re-write that story."

YES!!!

Turning the Page  

Chapter 3 – Regrets 

Choices, The Royal Romance, AU

Series Premise: As Riley Brooks journeys through life as a single parent in New York City, an epiphany strikes as she contemplates the future for herself and her two-year-old son. 

Turning the Page Masterlist 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except William Brooks (Rys) and Matteo Magro, who belong to this series. 

Category: On-going series, contains angst/fluff/depression 

Rating: M🔞Warnings - crude language – not Beta’d - please excuse all errors. 

Words: 2487 

Turning the Page 

Regrets – Chapter 3 

Chapter Summary: Maxwell meets William for the first time as Riley continues to confide her truth to her Cordonian friend. Olivia attends a Royal council meeting at Liam’s invitation. Madeleine announces her pregnancy.  

Music Inspiration:  I Want to Know What Love is, Foreigner 

A/N1: In this alternate universe, after King Constantine orchestrates two individual scandals to humiliate and entrap Riley Brooks and Olivia Nevrakis in shame, Madeleine Amaranth secures her position as the Queen of Cordonia. Riley, as the King’s mistress and Olivia, in self-imposed exile. Tariq is never found. 

A/N2: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week #51, Prompt 1 – "There isn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for you.” 

A/N3: My submission for @choicesseptemberchallenge2023, @midnightmelodiz, Day 30 – Home, Heart, “I’m here for you. Always.” 

Brooklyn Heights, New York City 

The tapping sounds of rain pelting on her bedroom window startled her awake. Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was crying herself to sleep after talking with Maxwell. 

Riley glanced at her clock on her bedside table, 2:30 a.m. She sighed and laid her head back on the pillow. She closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would take her, but it did not. Instead, her thoughts returned to the conversation she had with Maxwell the previous evening. 

‘He misses you so much. He is not the same without you.’ 

The rain picked up its pace, now pounding against the glass with intensity. Riley rolled over and gazed at the window, watching the droplets slide down the pane. 

‘You have no idea how much he loves you.’ 

Just like last night when speaking with Maxwell, her tears fell once again. 

‘He’ll be happy to know that you came back. That you want him too.’ 

Riley jumped when the thunder roared, and a flash of lightning filled her room with light. That is when she heard Li’s little voice from down the hallway; he was crying.

“I’m coming, Li Li.” 

Riley climbed out of bed and quickly threw on a robe before heading towards his room.  

Approaching his bed, she cooed, “Hey, little one.”  

“Did the storm wake you?” 

William sniffled and held his arm out to her; his other arm wrapped tightly around his Scooby-doo plushie. 

Riley smiled and scooped him up, cradling him close to her chest. 

“Don't worry, I’m here for you. Always.” 

Riley rocked him in her arms, gently swaying side to side as he laid his head against her shoulder. Once William fell back to sleep, she tucked him back into his bed. 

“Mommy loves you very much,” she whispered.  

"There isn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for you.” 

Riley once again felt tears stinging her eyes. 

“I love you, Li,” she breathed, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.  

Thinking of Liam, Riley crumbled to the floor. The memories and guilt overwhelmed her once more. 

Cordonian Royal Palace, Capital, Cordonia 

It was early Wednesday morning when Liam sat down with Regina for an early breakfast in the dining room. Today, the Royal council was set to meet with a new member; which will be an interesting surprise for the members. 

Liam smiled to himself as he stirred sugar into his black coffee and looked across the table at Regina. He could sense that something was on her mind and was surprised when she told him that Madeleine wanted the press conference re-scheduled for Friday afternoon. 

“Friday, why so soon?” Liam challenged his stepmother. 

Regina looked at him with a stern expression. 

“Liam, the sooner you and Madeleine make a public statement, the sooner the rumors will stop.” He was aware of the rumblings at court. 

Liam scoffed. “The rumors? We are not having a child!” 

The final time he told Madeleine that he would never consummate a child with her, she decided to conceive a child with her lover. As per the Cordonian arrangement that was legally agreed upon, any child born outside of the Royal marriage would become the heir under the Queen’s guardianship. 

Madeleine was well aware of the one stipulation that the King had added to this contract. Liam had the definitive authority to legally name his heir.  She also knew he would also be expected to abide by his duty as monarch and produce an heir. 

“Liam, I understand that this is a sensitive topic for you. But it is imperative that you perform your duty as King and husband. Regardless of how you feel about her, the rumor has already spread through the nobility that you are unwilling or unable to produce a child. With Madeleine now pregnant, the two of you need to come forth through the media to the people of Cordonia. We need to put a stop to the rumors before it gets out of hand.” 

Liam squared his shoulders with a warning expression. 

“I am the King; my birthright. If I say the rumors are false, they are false.” 

“And the people will believe you, but the nobles will not. They will continue to question your ability to produce an heir.” 

“Then let them question. It is not their concern.” 

Regina sighed and folded her hands on the table, “Liam, please. This is important and...” 

“Enough!” Liam slammed his fist down and stood up menacingly. 

“If you are concerned about the image of the crown, then I suggest that you recommend to Madeleine that she must address the nobles at court herself. Let her explain the decision she made; let them see her for what she is for themselves.” Liam spat. 

“I am not concerned about the image of the crown, Liam. I am worried about you. Ever since Riley disappeared, you have been miserable.” 

Liam didn’t reply. Preferring to remain silent, he knew she was right. 

“I have spoken to Drake,” Regina continued. “He agrees with me. The only time you smile is when you talk about Riley. It has been almost three years. You need to let go of her and move on. You have a kingdom to rule.” 

Liam’s jaw tightened at her words. 

“Regina, I know you mean well, but I cannot do that; I will not do that. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.” 

Liam bowed to Regina and turned towards the grand staircase. Climbing the staircase two steps at a time, at the third level, he turned to the right towards his study. 

Brooklyn Heights, New York City  

Cracking another egg into the bowl of ingredients, Daniel began to quickly whisk the pancake batter while the griddle got hot. Looking up to see Riley carrying William into the kitchen, he stopped stirring to rush over to pick up his Godson. 

“Good morning, buddy. How are you today?”  

William laughed excitedly, “dan dan!” As he wrapped his arms around Daniel’s neck, Riley sat down at the kitchen table after pouring herself a cup of coffee. 

“Are you going to watch me make pancakes?” William nodded and let Daniel seat him in his booster seat next to Riley. “How is Mommy doing, buddy?” 

Daniel looked over at Riley who sat looking out the large kitchen window next to the table. She was in deep thought and when she heard the familiar voice greet Daniel, she turned towards William. 

It was past midnight when the trio arrived back at the brownstone after walking home from the pier. Daniel had invited Maxwell back home to stay and crash, instead of him having to cab back to his hotel. 

Considering there were plenty of words left unsaid, Maxwell agreed quickly in the hope of learning more about his friend. She was clearly struggling; he was genuinely concerned about Riley’s state of mind. His heart broke watching his friend last night; she looked so defeated. Her ‘bright light’, snuffed out. 

“Good morning,” Maxwell sing-songed, but stopped abruptly in the doorway upon seeing the little blond-haired boy sitting beside Riley. 

“Hey, Max. I hope you are hungry.” Daniel acknowledged and invited him to sit. 

“Thank you... yes, I am starving.” Riley slowly raised her eyes to meet his; “would you like some coffee?” 

Maxwell answered, “please and thank you, little blossom.”  

As Maxwell looked at the little boy once more, time stood still. He was frozen in place staring at the little boy drinking from his sippy cup. Max's mouth open... he was speechless. 

“This is Liam’s son. His name is William.” Riley whispered, her voice trembling. 

The resemblance was uncanny – the same piercing blue eyes, the same hair color, the same expressive features. 

The boy was undoubtedly Liam’s son; a mirror image of his father, back in time. 

Maxwell’s heart skipped a beat. He remembered Riley’s heartbreak as he held her in Bossina cathedral as the newly married King and Queen passed by, walking back up the aisle.  

Liam, his childhood friend, had devastated Riley’s world the night he chose another. 

The scandal and shame she had to endure during the engagement tour.

He remembered the pain in Riley’s eyes when she announced that she would stay in Cordonia as his mistress. Just to remain in his life and to live as a secret; she would be bound by a cordonian agreement. 

And now, standing in front of William, he understood why Riley disappeared; leaving Liam and Cordonia behind.

William looked up to Maxwell with those familiar eyes, a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty in his gaze. 

Maxwell knelt beside William at eye level and smiled warmly.  

“Hey there, William. It's a pleasure to meet you.”  

William hesitated for a moment, but then gave Maxwell a tender smile, mirroring his father's charm.  

Riley went on to explain her dire situation to Maxwell. That Madeleine, if she found out about William, could and would threaten to take him away from her.  

That was why she called upon Maxwell for help, knowing that he was the only person she could trust to keep her secret and remain a connection to Cordonia.

Maxwell's mind raced as he tried to figure out a solution. He could not bear to see Riley go through more pain. And he could not ignore the innocent child who had unknowingly become a potential pawn for Madeleine.  

“We'll find a way, Riley." Maxwell assured his friend.  

"William deserves to know his father. And you deserve to remain part of his life and Liam's.” 

Maxwell sat beside Riley and wrapped his arms around her as more tears flowed. 

Maxwell couldn't help but think that William was not just a split image of his father. But also, a reflection of the love that will always exist between Riley and Liam. 

Royal Council Meeting 

The silence was deafening. 

Then, the murmurs began. 

As Olivia Nevrakis confidently strode into the boardroom and settled into her seat on the left-hand side of the King, she exuded an air of self-assurance. Her posture was erect, and her green eyes held a determined gleam. Olivia was known for her ambition and determination, and she was unapologetic about her presence in the room. 

When Queen Madeleine walked into the room, her regal presence commanded attention. The murmurs circulating the room were at once silenced as her gaze swept over the attendees, her expression initially neutral but with a discerning eye. 

When her eyes settled on Olivia, a storm seemed to brew within her. A flash of irritation crossed Madeleine’s features and her brow furrowed. It was clear that something about Olivia's presence had struck a nerve. In a moment of tense confrontation. Queen Madeline 's voice cut through the room.  

“You," she spat. Her tone sharp and commanding.  

“Leave this room at once.” Madeleine glowered unabashedly. 

Olivia, never one to back down from a challenge, met the Queen's demand with her own fiery resolve.  

“I have every right to be here, your majesty,” she retorted, her voice unwavering. 

“I am a member of this council by royal decree, and I will not be dismissed.”   

Liam watched with his hands steepled, seated with a stoic demeanor; observing the unfolding drama with keen interest. As king, and husband to Queen Madeleine, he had his own role to play in the proceedings. His impassive expression gave little away, but his trained, watchful eyes took note of the reactions of each council member to the unexpected clash between the Queen and Olivia. Notably, his queen’s subtle glances with her father, Godfrey, the Duke of Karlington. 

Clearing his throat, everyone turned to their King.

"Thank you all for your attention. The Queen has a statement to declare concerning her 'situation'. "

Madeleine spun around and glared at Liam. "Yes... yes I do."

Speakeasy, Duchy Domvallier, Cordonia 

In the heart of Duchy Domvallier, hidden behind an unassuming facade, lay the notorious Speakeasy known as the ‘Midnight Reverie’. It was a place where the world outside faded into obscurity, and where secrets were exchanged amidst the smoky haze of jazz-filled nights.  

A perfect getaway for King Liam and his trusted childhood friends, Drake and Rashad. The three of them had grown up together, forging an unbreakable bond that transcended their differences in station. Here, beneath the flickering candlelight, they could shed their titles and be ordinary men. 

Rashad started off the conversation. “Why did Beaumont fly to the States?” 

“He mentioned that he was going to a concert in Madison Square Gardens,” Drake responded. “He sends his regrets, though.” 

“Gentlemen, tonight feels like a night for confessions. Let’s start with our own regrets. Drake?” Rashad questioned. 

“My biggest regret is not completing my degree at University.” 

Rashad nodded in understanding, contemplating his own. 

“For me, it’s the time I spent chasing wealth and status instead of cherishing the moments with my family. Those are years I can’t get back.” 

Liam took a slow slip sip of his scotch, his eyes distant. 

“Regrets. I have many, but there is one that haunts me above all others.” He paused; his voice filled with melancholy.  

Drake and Rashad exchanged curious glances before urging him to continue.

“What is it, Liam?” The question asked even though they already both knew the answer.

 Liam's gaze was fixed on a distant point beyond the dimly lit room.  

“My greatest regret is not proposing to Riley on the night of my coronation; scandal be damned.”  

Drake and Rashad again exchanged knowing glances. 

“I thought I had to put my duty before my desires, so when the scandal was broadcast the night of the coronation. I chose another when I had already given my heart to Riley just as she had given her heart to me. When we couldn’t find Tariq to clear her name before the wedding, I listened to my father and the advisors and went ahead with the wedding. Instead of letting her go, I selfishly asked her to stay. But every day since, I have regretted that decision. I should have let her go."

Liam breathed deeply, "then she ended up leaving anyway.” 

Rashad offered a reassuring hand on Liam’s shoulder. 

“Regrets are heavy burdens, my friend. But perhaps it’s not too late to mend that old wound. Life is unpredictable.” 

Drake added, "perhaps, one day, you will get the opportunity to find her again, and be given the chance to re-write that story."

Thanks for reading⚘️

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[amandablink]

So creative!! 🤩

Turbulence

Series: Cordonian Royal Airlines

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings for series: Various

Pairing for this chapter: Riley x Drake

Word Count: 1,534

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Language, sexual innuendo, and mature humor. Barley lemon scented.

A/N: See the series master list for a description of this series.

Also, this is a submission for @choicesprompts Smutember prompt event: We shouldn't be doing this....

“So, what’s up with you and Riley?”

“What do you mean?”

Captain Liam Rys turned to regard his first officer with a raised eyebrow, “What do you mean what do I mean? You two have been dancing around each other since the day she started working here.”

“Exactly,” Drake shook his head, “She works here. I don’t shit where I eat, Li, you know that.”

“Uh huh…” Liam replied dubiously as he returned his attention to the instrument panel and requested permission to take off.

Out in the cabin, flight attendant Riley Brooks was instructing the passengers of Cordonian Royal Airlines Flight 628 to put their seat backs in the upright position and fasten their seatbelts.

Maxwell shuffled up and down the aisle helping people stow their carry-ons in the overhead compartments.

As they buckled themselves into the jump seats, Maxwell lowered his voice so the passengers wouldn’t overhear, “So has he asked you out yet or what?”

“Who?”

“Come on, Ri. You know who. First Officer McSteamy!”

“Please,” she huffed, “That uptight, pig-headed, annoying asshole?”

“That’s the one,” he smirked, “I saw him checking you out when we boarded.”

“Really?” She perked up.

“Really,” Max supplied, “Not that you’re interested….”

“Of course not,” she slid her eyes sidewise at him, “But like how was he checking me out? Like oh, she’s cute or like, you know…”

“Oh, definitely you know!”

“Hm,” Riley leaned back in her seat, her eyes scanning the cabin for any signs of issues she needed to attend to as a slight smile played across her lips.

An hour into the flight, Max was dealing with an overbearing guest.

Riley scooted over to help, recognizing him, “Be nice,” she whispered to Max, “He’s a regular.”

“Yeah, a regular pain in the ass!” Max grunted a little too loudly.

“How dare you!” The man turned beet red, “I demand to speak to the captain!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but that won’t be possible, we don’t-“

“Actually,” Riley interrupted him, “For you, Mr. Lambros, I think we can make an exception!”

“We can?” Max turned to her in astonishment.

“Thank you, my dear,” the annoying passenger gloated, “and you can call me Tariq.” He shot a withering look at Max, “You can’t.”

“Whatever,” Max huffed under his breath as Riley pulled him down the aisle.

Once out of Tariq’s hearing, she hissed in his ear, “I’m going to send Liam out here and you’re going to make sure he stays out here for like, five minutes, okay?”

“Why, Riley? Why would-“ his eyes widened, “Oh! You want a minute alone with Drake! Wait, only five?”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m not fucking him in the cockpit! I just want a few minutes alone for a…conversation.”

“Yeah, right,” Max laughed as he shooed her toward the cockpit door, “Go on then, have your conversation…”

She shook her head as she made her way to the cockpit, pausing outside the door to adjust her clothing and run her fingers through her hair. She pushed the door open, “Captain?”

Liam looked over his shoulder, “I told you, call me Liam. What is it, Riley?”

“We have a disgruntled passenger who’s demanding to speak to you.”

“You know we don’t normally-“

“I know, but it’s Mr. Lambros and you know how he gets…”

Liam heaved a deep sigh. Tariq and his company spent an ungodly amount of money on flights, and they couldn’t afford to lose his business, “Okay, fine.” He flipped a few switches quickly and then stood.

He paused to officially pass control of the flight deck over, “You have the flight controls.”

“I have the flight controls,” Drake answered.

Liam nodded at Riley on his way out the door. She smiled at him but didn’t move.

Dake glanced up at her, “Can I help you with something else?”

“Yes,” she took Liam’s seat, “You can tell me why you run so hot and cold.”

“Excuse me?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Listen, Riley, I like you but-“

“Oh, you like me? Like a friend?”

“Yes, I’m on friendly terms with the entire crew-“

She snorted, “You’re not friendly with anyone, Drake!”

“I…what?” He wanted to be annoyed but inexplicably, it bothered him that she thought he wasn’t friendly.

“I mean it’s pretty common knowledge that you can be a dick.”

He turned in his chair to face her incredulously, “I am not a dick!”

“Actions speak louder than words.”

“That’s…I’m not….since when-“

“It’s okay. I was just curious why you are sometimes uncharacteristically friendly with me, specifically, but if you don’t like me-“

“I never said I didn’t like you!” He snapped.

“And I told you…actions speak louder than-“

Her words were cut off as she found herself suddenly and firmly yanked across the divide between the two seats and into his arms. His lips crashed into hers with an intensity that took her breath away.

She leaned into him, returning the kiss for all she was worth. Her hands landed on his chest, his hands grasped her at the small of her back and tugged her closer.

“We shouldn’t be doing this…” he panted even as he drew her into his lap, his lips trailing down her neck, finding their way into the cleavage that peeked enticingly out from the form-fitting uniform that hugged her curves, setting them off to quite remarkable effect.

“You’re right,” she pulled away and stood up, “We shouldn’t be doing this. Wouldn’t want to ruin a perfectly good working relationship, now would we?”

“What?” his hands reached out for her, but she was already out of reach, “Riley, wait!”

“No, that’s okay, you’ve made your position quite clear.”

“That’s not what I-“

She paused at the door, throwing a smoldering look over her shoulder, “See you tonight at the hotel?”

“Yes…” he watched as she left, head spinning. What had she meant by ‘see you at the hotel’? Had she meant that in a general sense as in see you around? Or was it an invitation for something? And if so, what?

He only knew two things for sure. One, he didn’t date coworkers. It was a bad idea. Two, he was absolutely going to find her at the hotel tonight.

“Gah!” Why was she so goddamned frustrating? He slammed his head forward into the instrument panel. The plane immediately dropped altitude, diving toward the ground as the oxygen masks deployed in the cabin. “Oh, shit!” He frantically worked to right the plane as passengers screamed.

Out in the cabin, Liam had just gotten Tariq settled down and happy again. Max was on his way to serve the now mollified guest a bottle of their best wine when the plane jolted down and to the right with a loud thud. People slammed into walls, luggage poured from overhead compartments and Max tripped forward, grappling with the already-opened bottle as he tried to regain control. It was to no avail. He watched with horror as the bottle flew, in seeming slow motion, out of his hands and directly toward their most difficult customer.

Tariq’s eyes widened as the liquid sloshed out of the top of the bottle in midair, spewing wildly and covering him in outrageously expensive, vintage red wine. “You did that on purpose!” He screeched as he jumped out of his seat.

“Please remain seated and fasten your seatbelts!” Riley called from the front of the plane as she caught herself on the wall, “Just a little turbulence!”

Liam frantically tried to make his way back to the cockpit, but Tariq was blocking the aisle, demanding Max be fired while Max ineffectively wiped at the spreading stain with a cocktail napkin.

Tariq’s face had gone a deep shade of crimson, “Captain Liam, I demand that he be reprimanded!”

“Move you jackass!” Liam yelled as he shoved the man aside in desperation to make it back to the flight deck.

By the time Liam crashed through the cockpit door, the plane was righted, and Drake was on the intercom doing damage control, “Just a little unexpected turbulence. We apologize for the momentary roughness, but it should be clear skies and smooth sailing from here on out.”

“What the fuck was that?” Liam demanded as he retook his seat and started double-checking everything on the instrument panel, just to be sure.

“Turbulence,” Drake answered but he didn’t make eye contact and his face was red.

The door creaked open, and Riley stuck her head in, “Is everything okay in here? Drake was that because-“

“Everything is fine,” he yelled, “It was turbulence! Please return to your duty station crew member!”

Liam’s eyes flicked from Drake to Riley and back again. A broad smile spread across his face as Riley backed out of the cockpit, “Oh, I see. Turbulence….” Liamrelaxed back into his seat; all his panic washed away as understanding settled over him.

“Shut up,” Drake still wasn’t looking at him.

“Turbulence never looked so good,” Liam chuckled as he updated the flight log and triple-checked the instrument panel.

Drake shifted uncomfortably in his seat and then glanced at his watch with a sigh. It was going to be a very long flight.

[amandablink]

It made Liam believe something he’d been long afraid of acknowledging: she didn’t feel the same. 

💔

…Sometimes Not (Part 8)

Turn A Blind Eye

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #3, “Why are you being so weird?”

Title inspo: Enough Is Never Gonna Be Enough - Ross Copperman

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Always You story. Thank you @burnsoslow for prereading! Please excuse any errors.  

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x OC (Reyna)

Rating: T • Warnings: None but some mild language.

Word count: 2500

Catch up here

Laying on the lounge chair, Reyna soaked up the sun on the royal family’s private beach. She had flown in with her father when he came for a week’s worth of meetings to discuss an event being hosted in Cordonia by a charity that he and Constantine were both patrons of. A week in Cordonia with Liam was better than a week in New York any day, so she’d requested time off work as soon as her father told her of his travel plans. 

Suddenly, something eclipsed the sun, casting a shadow over Reyna’s bikini-clad body; she opened her eyes as she slid her aviators down the bridge of her nose and glanced up to see Liam, who had just come from a quick dip in the water. “You’re blocking my sun. And dripping water on me.” 

“Well, excuse me,” Liam quipped. He shook his head, spraying her with the water that flung from his hair.

“Liam!” Reyna squealed as she turned her face away. She lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head and wiped her face.

“Oh, my bad,” Liam chuckled before moving to the chair beside her. He swung his legs up and laid back, tucking an arm behind his head with a content sigh. “I didn’t realize how badly I needed this day off until I had it.” 

“You’ve been stuck in those negotiation meetings for nearly two months. You need more than just a day off.” 

“Well, lucky for me, someone convinced me to take the whole week.” Liam glanced over at her, meeting her gaze; her amber eyes sparkled under the sun like pools of honey as she smiled at him. 

“So, what time are we going out tonight?” 

“I told Max and Liv we’d meet them down at the beer garden around nine,” Liam replied.

“Leo too?” Reyna asked.

“Yeah,” Liam nodded. “Whose turn is it?”

Reyna chuckled. “Mine.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I am. Last time, it was you in New York. I had to tuck you in after Kismet, but not before you stole my pillow, remember?” 

Liam snorted. “Barely.” 

In the months since their drunken pillow fight kiss, Reyna and Liam made an agreement: no drinking at the same time. It was to help them control what they seemed unable to while inebriated together. One set of lowered inhibitions was easier to manage than two. So they took turns; one would drink, the other would be the designated babysitter for the evening. 

It wasn’t as easy as they initially thought it would be. The one drinking would be more flirty than usual and would go into ramblings while falling asleep that sometimes left the other overthinking every drunken word. It worked well enough, however, leaving the sober one able to ignore what they typically wouldn’t be able to and push their feelings down further. 

Those feelings were about to combust, though. At least for Liam, they were. 

It had been nearly a year since their Parisian reunion and to say Liam was struggling would be the understatement of the century. Whether drunk or sober, he found himself on the verge of spilling the confession of his feelings every time they were together. He thought over time it would get easier to keep them to himself, but it had only gotten more and more difficult. Reyna still seemed content where they were, however. She was the one who said it wasn’t a good idea for them to venture down that road again. Liam took the words as her way of saying she no longer looked at him that way. That helped a little when it came to not saying anything to her about how he felt; his silence was better than the sure rejection that would come.

****

Leaning against the table with his chin resting on his hand, Liam watched Reyna toss back another shot with Leo; he’d lost count of how many that was. 

“Rey! Come dance with me!” Maxwell called out before grabbing her hand and tugging her away from the table. 

When he saw her stumble, Liam reached out and grabbed her. “Careful,” he murmured as he steadied her.

Reyna giggled as she looked up at him with a kittenish grin. “I want you to dance with me.” She gently jabbed him with her finger before letting it trail down his chest.

Liam caught her wrist, shaking his head with a playful smirk. “Max asked you first.” 

“Ever the gentleman.” Reyna winked before turning away to follow Maxwell.

Olivia laughed. “Based on that look she just gave you, I’m pretty sure she’d let you rip her clothes off, but your ass is as sober as a judge and I know you wouldn’t take advantage of that.”

Liam shook his head. “It’s not like that between us.” 

“Why is that, anyway?” Leo asked.

“What?”

“Why are you sober? You’ve had two drinks all damn night.” Liam shrugged; he didn’t need to tell him the truth. “And why isn’t it like that between you two?” 

“It’s just not,” Liam replied.

“But you want it to be …” Liam silently shook his head, but Leo knew better. “Li, you weren’t fooling anyone back then, and you’re not fooling anyone now. Full stop, Max, Liv, and I have a bet going on how long it’ll take you two this time around,” he chuckled, and Olivia nodded in agreement. 

Liam looked at his brother. “It’s not the same as back then,” he shook his head. “Things are … different now.” 

“They don’t have to be,” Leo replied matter-of-factly. “Have you guys even talked about it?” 

Liam looked at him without responding. 

“You haven’t told her that you’re still in love with her?” Olivia asked incredulously. “What the hell are you waiting for?”

“Nothing,” Liam answered. “Like I said, things are different … it’s not like it used to be, not in that sense anyway.”

“So, what I’m hearing is that you’re avoiding talking about it. Got it,” Leo nodded. “Call me crazy, but I don’t think that’s going to get you very far. And it’s not going to win me this bet, either, so I’m gonna need you to get your shit together so I can take Max and Liv’s money.” 

Liam chuckled despite himself. “I wouldn’t hold your breath.” 

“Stop being a chicken shit and just tell her.” 

“That’s easier said than done,” Liam mumbled under his breath. 

****

“Easy does it,” Liam chuckled as he helped Reyna out of the SUV at the front entrance of the palace. 

“Everything is shpinning,” Reyna slurred.

Liam laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist as he guided her toward the steps. “That’s what happens when you get shit-faced.” 

“I’m-I’m not poop-faced.” 

“Whatever you say, Rey,” Leo snorted from behind them. 

After taking her sweet time going up the front steps, the three of them stepped into the foyer. Reyna glanced up at the grand staircase, trying and failing to blink it into focus. “When did you add another staircase? That is a looooot of stairs.”

“Need help getting her to your wing?” Leo asked.

“No,” Liam shook his head. He effortlessly scooped Reyna into his arms as she yelped with a giggle. “This’ll be easier.” 

“You’re so strooooooong,” Reyna laughed as her head lolled against his shoulder. 

Leo snorted. “Have fun with that,” he said as Liam started up the stairs.  

After carrying Reyna inside the south wing, Liam opened the door to her bedroom. He set her down by her bed, holding onto her to keep her steady. “You need to get changed.” 

Reyna closed one eye in what was supposed to be a wink and gave him a thumb … sideways? “Yes, sir.” 

Liam shook his head with a smile. “Are you gonna be alright for a minute while I go grab you some water?” She swayed with a nod. “Ok, I’ll be right back.” 

Liam stepped out of the room and headed to the kitchen; he grabbed two bottles of water and some aspirin to leave on her nightstand for the morning before heading back down the hall.

When he made it back to her room, Liam walked inside to find it empty. “Rey?” he called out. He spun on his heels when he heard something behind him; across the hall, he could see her standing in his room. “What are you doing?” he asked as he approached her.

“I wanna sleep in here.” 

“That’s fine, but you still need to change.” Without hesitation, Reyna began to peel her shirt over her head. “I didn’t mean … never mind.” He set the water and aspirin down on the nightstand before helping her when she got her arm stuck in the sleeve. “Hold still,” he chuckled. Once her shirt was off, she started unbuttoning her pants. “Rey, wait—” He grabbed her arm when she started swaying as she shimmied out of them. Once she was in nothing but her lace undergarments, he sat her on the edge of his bed. “Stay right there. I’m going to grab your pajamas.” He turned and hurried across the hall, grabbing the pajamas from her bed before rushing back to his room; he paused in the doorway as she pulled one of his button-up shirts over her head. 

Liam came in front of her; he lifted his hand, reaching behind her and untucking her hair from the collar as she looked up at him. “This smells like you.” 

“Well, I would hope so considering it’s mine,” Liam chuckled, lifting the shorts he grabbed for her. “Here—” she turned and climbed into his bed “—Or not.” He tossed her clothes on the chair and stepped into the bathroom; he returned a few moments later after changing and laid on the bed next to her, turning on his side. “You ok?” he asked, brushing her hair away from her cheek.  

Reyna opened her eyes to look at him. “I wish you were poop-faced with me.” 

Liam chuckled. “Why’s that?”

“Because I really wanna kiss you right now.” 

“Rey—” 

“And I know you won’t.”

“This is why we said only one of us would drink,” Liam reminded her with a smile. 

“That’s a stupid rule,” Reyna slurred. She tilted her face as she shifted closer to him. “Innit?” 

Liam closed his eyes, feeling her breath on his lips; he was fighting every instinct he had not to give her what she claimed to want. When he opened his eyes and met her gaze again, he offered a rueful smile. “We made the rule for a reason.” 

“I decree we can break it just this once.”

Liam chuckled and shook his head. He wasn’t going to break the rule no matter how much he wanted to. 

Reyna sighed as she shifted back and nestled into the pillow. After a few moments of silence, her eyes began to flutter. “You and I …” Reyna mumbled. “Always almost …”

Liam’s brows furrowed as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “What?”

“We were always on the verge of almost. Never nothing … but never quite something … ”

Liam held his breath for a moment as he watched her drift to sleep. “We were something, Rey,” he whispered. “More than something.” We still can be … 

*******

The following morning, Liam and Reyna sat out on the balcony of the south wing, eating a late breakfast once Reyna had finally woken up. 

Liam had barely gotten any sleep, too consumed by Reyna’s drunken words the night before; that paired with his conversation with Leo from earlier that night when he insisted on him telling her how he felt was all he could think about. He tried clearing his head with an early morning run on the beach while Reyna slept. It didn’t help. He felt more on edge than ever before. 

Reyna noticed how Liam seemed off that morning; he was more quiet than usual and it was obvious that something was weighing on him. She wondered if something happened the night before … if she’d done or said something that had upset him. She sorted through what flashes of their night she could recollect, but nothing stood out. 

Finally, after another bout of silence, she couldn’t take it. “Why are you being so weird?” Reyna asked, and he looked at her questioningly. “You’ve been acting off all morning.” He sighed and looked away from her. “Did … did I do something last night or say something that upset you?” 

“No,” Liam shook his head adamantly. “Not at all.” 

“Then what’s wrong?”

Liam glanced back at her. “Nothing.” 

“Don’t lie to me,” Reyna said. “I know you, Liam. I know when something is bothering you.”

“Rey, really, it’s nothing.” Liam stood, taking his empty plate inside. 

Reyna stood and followed him. “So there’s something …” He gave her another curious look. “You just said, ‘it’s nothing.’ So that means there’s something bothering you.” 

Liam became flustered with both himself and his slip-up, just wanting her to drop it. “Rey—”

“If it’s nothing, then why can’t you just tell me?”

“Because it’s not a big deal,” Liam lied. It was a huge deal, of course. 

“Well, if it’s not a big deal, then why can’t you just say what it is?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Li, you can tell me anything. I’m your best friend and—”

“That!” Liam finally snapped. “That’s what’s wrong!”

“What is?”

“Me having to walk around pretending you’re nothing more than just my best friend and acting as though there’s not a single part of me that isn’t still in love with you!” Liam shouted. Reyna’s brows slightly rose both at his tone and his words. He stared at her for a moment before letting out a breath, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I’ve been struggling every damn day since we reunited in Paris not to tell you, Rey, but it’s just …” he trailed off for a moment before dropping his voice to a whisper. “It’s too damn hard.” 

Reyna stared at him, her own confession on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t get the words to come out because that fear — that stupid gigantic fear of history repeating itself, of losing him again — stifled her voice. 

Liam closed his eyes, running his fingers through his hair before meeting her gaze again; he knew he couldn’t tell her to forget what he’d just said, but by the look on her face — one that filled him with panic — he was certain he didn’t want to hear her response.

Reyna cleared her throat. “Liam—”

“Don’t,” Liam shook his head, cutting her off. “Please don’t say anything. I’m begging you, Rey. Please. I didn’t mean — I think we — let’s just act like that didn’t happen because I don’t — just please don’t say anything.”

Both Liam’s voice and eyes were pleading with her. A part of him was hoping she’d tell him to shut the hell up, that she still loved him, too, but instead … she nodded, complying with his request for her to remain silent.

It made Liam believe something he’d been long afraid of acknowledging: she didn’t feel the same. 

***************************************

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