The responsibility to one’s country. To one’s people. I walked away from it for years, only because I knew it was in the right hands. Grandmother is… formidable,” he said with a smirk that quickly faded. “How can I walk away if it’s on fire?”
It made me think back to the Throne Room in Ademar, how he was sitting there when he couldn’t sleep. “Trying it out for size,” he’d said.
“Auggie,” I started, unsure of exactly how to form my question. But it was important for both of us. “When did it change?” It, of course, being when the Duke of Mayhem wanted to settle down and become a family man, and when this runaway royal decided he might want to become king.
He took my hand in his. “It changed with you. Everything changed with you. To be the man you deserve, the father that Jack deserves, I can’t walk away from my obligations. I may have been playing a part when first we met, but I was only fooling myself, Pea. You restored every broken dream and rescued my happily ever after,” he added, his voice choked with emotion. “You were the one destined to make me a king, Peaches McPhee. And I think I knew that deep down when I picked you.”
I sighed. “So, what does this mean? If I stay here with you?”
“If?” he repeated softly.
“I love you,” I told him. “But what you’re asking…” I trailed off, thinking about how my son would be born with a huge target on his back, not just for Christopher Tyler, but for Cillian Byrne, who frankly sounded way more terrifying.
“Is a lot,” he granted with a nod. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned these last five months, you of all people can handle it.”
I scoffed and looked away. He captured my chin and made me look at him. “Do you know when I fell in love with you?” he asked softly. I shook my head. “In Philadelphia. At that dance studio. You danced with a little boy. Remember?”
I nodded. How could I forget? “Ryan,” we said together. Then smiled. It was such a beautiful memory.
“My Aunt Giselle is a lot like your little brother, Dash. She’s everybody’s favorite, and for very good reason. She was born to be special, which meant she couldn’t be like everybody else. It started out predictably enough. Old Mother had her when she was 47. The Byrne/Quinn rivalry didn’t start with Cillian and me. My dad had it with his dad, Allan. Old Father had it with Allan’s father, Martin. It goes back centuries. And it has always driven Maeve Quinn to protect Aldayne in whatever way possible, so she had a second child late in life, after my dad ran off with my mom, leaving them without an heir. Old Mother decided she could still reproduce, despite the odds. She believed the child would be a majestic male. Instead, she got a soft, sweet little bundle named Giselle.”
He said it with a soft, affectionate smile. There was no sorrow or regret or pity.
“When Giselle was born in 1986, the average life span of someone with Down’s Syndrome was 25 years, so the good doctors told Old Mother that she should prepare herself to outlive her child. The irony,” he muttered, likely thinking of his dad. “Well, that wasn’t good enough for the Queen. She treated her daughter the same way she had treated her other child, with the idea one day she would lead Aldayne to be brighter and better than before. Giz got the finest education she could embrace. She was expected to serve her community, just like the rest of us. She was and is front and center for many, many royal functions. She has never been hidden or reduced. Old Mother made damn sure that if she ever marries, she’s every bit as fit to become queen as I am to become king. Even more so, given she stuck around for the training,” he added with a grin. “She’s a beloved Ambassador for Aldayne everywhere she goes.”
He paused and leaned closer. “But the thing is, she doesn’t want it. She has her own dreams and her own passion, including the Princess Giselle Independent Living Academy she founded. She realized that life looked different for her than for other people around the world just like her. So, she used her resources to create a place for them. She’s on the board of directors and she even teaches a class. It’s