I thought about it.
When?
Let's go to McGinty's at 5:30.
See you there.
I hoped he had a good explanation.
When I got there, he had a table near the entrance with a pitcher of beer.
I didn’t waste time saying hello or asking how he was. “So when you were talking about your father dying and inheriting the family business..."
"I was talking about inheriting a kingdom, yes."
"It makes sense that you were talking about your legacy now."
"You don't know what it's like, waking up every morning and checking my phone, expecting someone to text me that my father is dying."
"It's Stage 4 metastatic cancer. So yeah, you're going to be afraid on a daily basis that you're going to inherit a crown."
"I know."
I didn't know what to say. I felt like I knew so much about him and his heart, but I knew nearly nothing. He was a prince.
I was a commoner. I had family back in Tappahannock Valley
and grew up in Camden. I'd grown up without heat in the winter, which was part of why I’d moved to Florida when I got the chance.
He was the result of hundreds of years of Italian civil war and had a kingdom with a history that went further than I could even trace my family tree.
"It's a lot to take in," I said. "What does that mean for you? You're supposed to pop out a ton of kids, right, for the line of succession? I don't even think I want kids."
He rubbed his eyebrow with his right hand. "I think I'll have kids in the future."
"It's one of your primary duties, though, producing heirs."
"It's not one that I need to get to today or even tomorrow."
"You can't be serious with a commoner. You should be marrying some girl with a dozen names and royal blood."
"You're what I want." He gestured with his hand. “It’s just you.”
I crossed my arms. "What if you aren't what I want? Did you ever consider that?"
"You have something inside of you that is unlike anybody I've ever met. I'd like to explore it further."
I thought about the fire that I felt inside of him, the caged volcano that was waiting to erupt. "I should break up with you. Being a prince isn't something you should have concealed."
"Don't you think it was nice not to think about how many bodyguards are around me and staying inside of a security perimeter? Because you didn't know, they've been blending into the crowd. I doubt you could pick their faces out of a line-up. Now that you know, we'll have to be more visibly careful about security."
My mouth was dry. "You're assuming that we'll stay together."
"I know we will," the arrogant prince said. The confidence in his voice made it sound like it was a foregone conclusion. His hand engulfed mine. "Don't you want to know how good we can be together?"
"I do," I whispered.
"Let me show you." He kissed my hand. "We can be happy together."