~~Gage~~
Hello, insecurity, my old friend.
By the time the combine ended, I wasn’t sure if I’d made a good or bad impression. I’d talked to so many team reps and performed whatever pattern or task they requested a million times over. The work I’d done with Tanner had improved my accuracy and footwork. Now my future was out of my hands. I’d done the best I could do.
I couldn’t afford to fly to New York for the draft, so I waited at home. Mason, on the other hand, received his invite the day after mine and landed an agent. He flew first class to the draft. He was expected to go in the first or second round.
I was expected to go in the seventh if at all, but I’d take the seventh round. Riley, Tiff, and Easton kept me company through the next grueling day and a half. We cheered when Mace’s name was called early in the second round as a pick by the Seattle Steelheads. Mace was staying in town. I couldn’t be happier for him.
On the second day, the draft moved much faster with little of the hoopla of the first round. Tanner joined us halfway through the fifth round. He came bearing pizza and one of his signature shit-eating grins. He knew something none of us knew, and I dared to hope what it might be.
I was sick to my stomach but trying not to show it. When my phone buzzed toward the end of the seventh round, my heart slammed in my chest. I fumbled for the phone with a sweaty hand. This could be the call.
It wasn’t. In fact, it was better than that.
The text message read: Good luck. I’m pulling for you.
Alisa’s name showed at the top of the screen. For the first time in the past two days, I grinned. Riley stared at me expectantly. I shook my head, and he sighed.
“It’s Alisa.”
“Oh.” Riley exchanged a glance with Tiff but neither said anything.
Me: Thank you.
Before I was able to type a longer response, my phone rang. I stared at the caller ID in disbelief. This had to be a joke. I turned to Tanner, whose smug smile indicated he’d known all along, and the bastard had let me torture myself with worry.
“Well, fuckhead, answer it.” Tanner pointed a finger at the phone and smirked.
With a shaking hand, I brought the phone up to my ear. “Hello.” Fuck, but I sounded like a sniveling wuss.
“Gage? This is Brandon Miller, coach for the Seattle Steelheads. How do you feel about staying in Seattle, playing some football, and backing up Tanner for us?”
How did I feel? Fuck. How did I feel? Was he fucking kidding me?
By now Riley and Tiff had caught on. Even Easton, who wasn’t up on football draft procedures, watched me expectantly. Tanner continued to preen like the proud papa whose son had finally fulfilled his potential.
“Gage, are you there?”
I stared at the TV screen. I could see on the banner at the bottom the announcement that the Steelheads’ pick was in. I’d never in my wildest dreams imagined I’d be playing for Seattle and backing up one of the masters of the game. To make things even more incredible, the offensive coordinator was Tyler Harris, a former Steelhead quarterback, a superstar in his own right, and a brilliant football mind. I might not get much playing time, but I’d be given the time to learn and grow. Down the road, I could make a shot at being a starter somewhere.
“Gage!” The coach’s loud roar snapped me back to reality. Tanner snickered.
“I’m here, Coach. I’m sorry. I was speechless for a few there. I would love to play for the Steelheads. It’s a dream come true.” My small group of friends hooted and hollered, and I couldn’t stop grinning.
Life was good. Even better, I’d heard from Alisa.
She didn’t respond after I thanked her, and I tried not to read too much into her seemingly innocent text. She didn’t text again and congratulate me. Regardless, not much could rain on my parade today.
Now tomorrow might be a different story.
~~Alisa~~
Royal life was everything I expected it to be and nothing like I expected it to be.
The first month was such a whirlwind of obligations and studying all things princess, from manners to my lineage to expectations to British history. I didn’t have time to think beyond getting through the day without screwing up or committing some social faux pas.
I was followed everywhere, hounded day and night by media, and put on a tight leash. I hardly did anything without the permission of someone higher up the food chain than I or an official representative of that food chain.
My stepmother glared at me with distaste every time she saw me, and my father was oblivious to her machinations to make me look bad and herself look better. My father applauded her efforts to turn my sow’s ear into a silk purse.
There were endless balls and engagements and public appearances. I’d had my feet stomped on by many a tottering member of British gentry. My hand had pumped countless sweaty palms. And I’d suppressed multiple yawns listening to speakers drone on about subjects I cared nothing about.
Yet there were many things I loved, such as the ability to affect change because of the power my position wielded. I embraced multiple crusades, as my father called them, ranging from animal welfare to the plight of the unfortunate and disabled. My father approved of my charity work and rewarded me with a proud smile and a word of praise here and there. I’d even caught him bragging to some of his cronies about my dedication. My causes were what drove me to be the best princess I could be.
It didn’t hurt that I had all the latest designer clothes and attended endless parties. On the surface, I enjoyed the dancing and even the flirting, but when I was alone in my room, the hollowness in my chest overwhelmed me. If only Gage were here. I missed him terribly. Tiff filled me in occasionally on him, but I hadn’t made contact with him since the draft. I didn’t dare. Besides, nothing was keeping him from contacting me, but he didn’t. He probably hadn’t really loved me, just the sex, and I needed to get over him and move on. I was working on it.
I was often thrown together with the young son of a duke. Ted was a viscount and a very nice man. We become fast friends. We’d often sit in a corner of the room, heads together, and commiserate with each other at these events, Ted had a quick wit and was thoroughly entertaining when he was out from under his father’s iron rule. He became my bestie in my new life, and I don’t know how I’d have made it through those first weeks without him.
When the royal family took a late winter break at Crossley Manor, I looked forward to riding horses and getting away from all the scrutiny and critical eyes watching my every move. I gladly rode in the local hunt, relieved it was a drag hunt and they didn’t hunt a real fox.
Riding horses was the one and only place where I excelled and didn’t fall short of my new family’s expectations. Even my stepmother grudgingly admitted I rode as if I were born on a horse. In a way, I had been born on a horse, since I’d been riding before I could walk.
Ted and his family joined us for a weekend, but Ted was afraid of horses, so we mostly hung out in the game room and played cards or dominoes. I hated to see him go, as he was my only true friend in England. He was the brother I never had, and I thought of him as such. He’d never be a Gage, but he was loyal and kind.
One particularly brisk, clear day, I was on a hack, the British term for a trail ride, with my father. We cantered across the hills and through the valleys. My mount was a difficult, high-strung mare who rode like a dream but had to be handled carefully or she’d have a temper tantrum. Annabelle and I got along fabulously, earning me major points with my father, who was a seasoned horseman. We had our love of horses in common, and I used our common ground in an attempt to gain some closeness to him, but he wasn’t a man to display emotions or be close to anyone, even his wife, and she returned the favor.
“How are you feeling about your new role?” he asked me as we slowed our horses to a sedate walk through the woods. We rode side by side on the wide country lane.
“I’m doing my best.”
“That’s all I ask. You’re settling in quite nicely. The king and queen are pleased.” His voice softened, and he smiled a very rare smile. I almost thought I saw pride in his eyes, which made all the strife I’d been through worth it.
“I am humbled.” What else could I say?
“There is a small private matter I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.”
I stiffened to the point where the sensitive Annabelle began to prance in protest. Releasing a deep breath, I willed my body to relax, despite the ominous tone of my father’s statement.
“You’ve met the duke of Lonscape.”
“Yes, Father.” My skin crawled at the mention of the foul man who happened to be Ted’s father. He had a nasty habit of stalking me. When he was in the palace, I kept my suite door locked. Even so, everywhere I went, I found him staring at me.
“The duke and I have been discussing you. We believe you and his son, Theodore, would make a good match. The king and queen agree. A union of our two families would bring together the two largest fortunes in the kingdom...”
He talked on and on, but I heard nothing else, other than he wanted me to marry Ted. Surely, Britain didn’t still do arranged marriages? Yet why was I surprised? Ted and I spent a lot of time together. Perhaps we appeared to be interested in each other as more than friends, and the families were merely helping us along. I’d have to set my father straight on this subject if I dared.
“What does Ted, uh, Theodore, have to say about this?”
“Theodore will be duke one day, and he embraces his duty and understands his obligation.”
I got the jab. Obviously, my father didn’t believe I understood my role or the seriousness of said role. I might not fathom the depth of such a birthright, but I was gaining more insight as time went on.
“He’s aware of this?” I pushed, knowing I shouldn’t. Ted would’ve mentioned something if he’d been aware.
“Alisa, I am very pleased, considering your American upbringing, that such an esteemed family has approved of this union, considering you are foreign-born, and Theodore could have any eligible female in the kingdom.”
I could read between those bolded and italicized lines. Poor Ted had bowed down to his father’s overbearing, controlling presence and agreed to his demands.
“I’m most flattered,” I lied, as my mind worked overtime concocting a way out of this without offending my father.
“I knew you’d be pleased. With a little more grooming, you may well be your father’s daughter. You are gaining an understanding of the meaning of duty. As members of the monarchy, we have a larger obligation to the country than to ourselves.”
How did I respond to that?
“As I said, I’m flattered and humbled by such a generous request. Please tell him so, but I’m not ready for a commitment like marriage. I have so much to learn about being a princess. I can’t possibly add being a duke’s wife to my repertoire.”
“Of course you can, my dear, and he’s not a duke yet. You’ll have plenty of time to make the adjustment. My mother wishes to set a date for late this summer, and the preparations will begin immediately. The ceremony will be broadcast live across the world. That is to be expected. You will double your efforts to learn proper royal and wifely behavior.”
Wifely behavior? My entire body bristled. I’d never been the submissive female type. More like a bulldozer who did as she pleased. I couldn’t live under another man’s thumb, especially with a father-in-law as repulsive and controlling as the duke.
“Alisa, I realize this has come as a bit of surprise to you. I apologize for the haste with which that has happened. The duke assures me his son is quite smitten with you.”
“Ted is a nice man, but I absolutely am not smitten with him,” I declared rebelliously.
I cowered at my father’s stern, disapproving scowl, hating what a simpering female I’d become. I could walk away from all this. Tell them all to go to hell and shove their endless protocol where the sun didn’t shine. But I’d never been one to admit defeat, nor was I ready to give up the princess dream just yet.
“It is done. You’ll prove your worthiness or lose your title. Those are the king’s wishes. It’s out of my hands, Alisa.”
The title I’d just gotten? The one I coveted for insane reasons I didn’t completely understand? I wasn’t ready to give up everything before I’d had a chance to enjoy my new standing.
But I’d already given up everything. I’d walked away from Gage. What could be worse than that? I answered my own question: marrying a man I didn’t love and throwing away any possibility of a second chance with Gage. I didn’t have to belong to Mensa to figure out divorce would not be an option. I’d most likely forfeit my title if I did such a thing.
What was wrong with me? I was thinking about divorcing poor Ted before we ever married.
The only man I wanted in my life was Gage, and he was half a world away.
What a fine mess I’d gotten myself into this time.