#Drake walker x mc

[argylemnwrites]

WIP Abandoned No More Tag List Clean Up

Alright, thought I'd be back posting in November, but election results in my country left me not wanting to write about anything political or related to reproductive choices/family planning. But, now that the sting has faded to a dull ache of inevitability, I figure I might as well dive back in.

Given that it has been years since I posted, I figure a tag list clean up is warranted. Apologies, this seems like my most recent list, but I could be very mistaken. As usual, this will be opt in. If I don't hear from you by December 3rd, I will take you off my tag list(s). A like means "leave me where I am."

All Choices: @forallthatitsworth @mom2000aggie @kingliam2019 @lovingchoices14

TRR/TRH: @motorcitymademadame @iplaydrake @princessleac1 @twinkleallnight @marshmallowsandfire

@axwalker @sirbeepsalot @iaminlovewithtrr @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @hedgehogs-dilemmas

Drake x MC: @rubiwalker @walkerdrakewalker @petiteboheme @mskaneko

ICWAM: @sunnyxdazed

FoF: @burnsoslow @monstercyclops

OH:  @mskaneko

Bryce x MC: empty

ROD: @burnsoslow @mskaneko @brightpinkpeppercorn

Logan x MC: @iplaydrake

Colt x MC: empty

RCD: empty

Seth x MC: empty

MOTY: empty

Levi x MC: empty

Blades: @marshmallowsandfire

Mal x MC: @brightpinkpeppercorn

TF series: empty

James x MC: empty

TWC: @burnsoslow @agentnatesewell

Nate x f!detective: empty

Mind Blind: @burnsoslow

Grayson x f!button: empty

[angelasscribbles]

Savage Love Chapter 38: Here Comes the Bride?

Series: Savage Love

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake

Rating: R         

Warnings: Mature themes

Word Count: 2,169

My other stuff: Master List.

The moment we were back on Cordonian soil, and I was free of Madeleine, I texted Liam, asking for an immediate meeting.

He responded instantly. Come to my quarters. Leo is here now.

I made my way to Liam’s private suite. He was alone with his brother. He swept me into his arms, pressing me close to his body as he whispered, “I was worried about you. I’m so glad you’re back.”

I melted into his embrace for a moment before remembering that I was there to give my official report about what I’d learned in Hidar. Noting that no one else was present, I asked, “Should we wait until the entire team is assembled?”

Liam shook his head. “We can brief them later on the parts they need to know. Tell us what happened in Hidar. Was Lena there?”

“No. She wasn’t. Was she in Rivala?”

Leo looked at Liam, who nodded, then turned to me and said, “She wasn’t home, but her mother was. Her mother turns out to be my mother. My biological one, I mean.”

“Oh wow! Oh, Leo.” I crossed the room and sat on the couch next to him so that I could throw my arms around him. “That must have been so hard for you! Are you okay?”

He returned the hug quickly, then released me as he answered. “Yeah…I mean, no, not really, but yes. Liv was with me. I’ll be fine. It’s a lot to process, but the short version is that when Eleanor was alive, she let my mom see me secretly. The plan was for her to take me and Liam with her when she went back to Auvernall for Lena. Obviously, that never happened and Helena ended up adopting an alias and raising the baby herself.”

“That is a lot!” I sympathized.

“That’s not the biggest bombshell,” Liam interjected. “Turns out Constantine wasn’t the baby’s father and that’s why she ran away.”

Oh, boy. The hits just kept coming. I stood and turned to Liam, my eyes tracking across his face, looking for signs of distress. “And how are you handling that news?”

“I’m not judging her if that’s what you mean, and I don’t blame her either. Our father isn’t an easy man to love and I’m sure he wasn’t a great husband. The bigger twist is who she was having an affair with.”

My head swiveled between the two men. “Who was it?”

Leo answered. “Jackson Walker.”

“Drake’s father?”

“Yes.”

My heart dropped. “Does he know?”

Liam gave me an understanding smile as he reached out and took my hand in his. “You’re worried about him.”

“Yes, Liam. I’m worried about all of you! This is a huge shock for everyone, I’m sure, and it’s not even the biggest issue in your life at the moment.”

The biggest issue was the threat to life and limb that the Via Imperii posed. Not to mention Liam having to get up to speed on becoming king since he’d had the crown unexpectedly thrust upon him just days before.

I filled them in on everything that had happened in Hidar.

“Wow.” Leo grasped a handful of his own hair as he took in the information. “First, we find out we have a sister, then I find out she’s not my sister, and now we have a brother.”

“One that’s been weaponized against us,” Liam added.

“We can try to extract him when take them down. Give orders that he isn’t to be killed,” I offered. “Maybe he can be deprogrammed.”

“Maybe,” He replied doubtfully.

“It’s worth a try,” Leo argued. “We don’t know what he’s been told or how he feels about any of it.”

“Great.” I nodded, “I’ll make sure the team that breeches has his photograph and understands he’s to be taken alive.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Are we ready to breech?”

“Hopefully soon.” Getting their brother safely out of Via Imperii control added yet another layer to my resolve to take down the entire thing, not just the local branch.

“Did you learn anything else that we need to know?” Liam asked.

I shook my head.

“Well, I have news. While you were gone, I received the same invitation to join the Via Imperii that Leo received.”

“I don’t suppose you’d be open to playing along by accepting the invitation and pretending to—”

“Absolutely not.”

I suppressed a sigh of frustration. “You are expected to pick a bride at the end of the week!”

My time was running out.

“That seems unreasonable given that I just took over the role of crown prince less than a week ago.”

“About that.” Leo interrupted. “I’ve met with father and we agreed to a course of action. I’ll be officially announcing my pick and my abdication at the same time. So technically, the goal of me finding a wife will be satisfied, so hopefully the suitors won’t feel they have wasted their time.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant!” I nodded my approval. “Announce your choice first, so that the suitors and their families don’t feel tricked, and then announce that you’re stepping down so that the Via Imperii don’t see your choice as a threat.”

“That’s great!” Liam’s face brightened. “Then I can just wait until next year to pick a wife!”

“Yeah…. sorry, but I pitched that idea to dear old Dad, and he insisted that you choose someone now.”

“But—”

Sympathy passed across Leo’s face. “I get it. But I also agree that it needs to happen now.”

“Why?”

“Because you have to be engaged to ascend the throne and let’s face it…. Our father is getting worse by the day. He needs to retire. This morning he was sharp as a tack, but by lunchtime he thought I was Uncle Fabian.”

Liam uttered a string of swear words that I would have sworn he didn’t know.

“I know. And I’m sorry. If I hadn’t dropped this in your lap—”

“What? No!” Liam shook his head adamantly. “Your hand was forced, Leo. It’s fine. I don’t mind picking up the crown. It’s just the marriage part…” he trailed off as his eyes found mine.

The desperation in his eyes killed me a little. He had to marry, there was no choice about that. The only choice was who. He didn’t want to marry someone he wasn’t in love with.

He was in love with me.

That thought sent warmth cascading through me. It wasn’t the time to think about that, though. “What about just pretending to pick Madeleine? You can always break the engagement after we take down the—”

“That won’t work.” Liam shook his head. “A marriage contract must be signed at the conclusion of the selection ceremony. I would need cause to break it.”

“Proof that she’s a member of an organization trying to take over the government ought to do it, right?”

“The wedding is two weeks after the engagement,” Leo broke in. “If you don’t take them down quickly enough, then she will be queen, with access to classified information and places inside the palace. We can’t risk it.”

Liam stepped closer to me and took my hand in his as his eyes searched my face. “Does the idea of me marrying someone else do nothing to you, Riley?”

“I….” I had no easy answer for him, or for myself. I had no issue with him getting fake engaged to Madeleine for the purpose of taking down the bad guys. Hell, I’d accepted a proposal or two in the course of my career. But the idea of him actually marrying someone…. anyone…. bothered me far more than I was willing to admit.

My personal feelings aside, choosing any of the other suitors was going to get him killed. I stared into his eyes as all the available options fell through my mind. The thought of him being hurt…. Or worse... sent all my professionalism flying out the window.

“Of course I don’t want to see you marry someone else,” I said softly before snapping back into work mode and stepping away from him. “And there’s the added wrinkle that if you choose anyone that the Via Imperii doesn’t approve of, her life will be in danger. Not to mention yours.”

“I’m open to ideas.” His voice was suspiciously devoid of emotion.

There was only one answer, and we both knew it.

“Choose me.”

A storm of emotions chased each other across his face. “I want to, Riley but I can’t ask you to—”

“You’re not asking. It was my idea.”

“Yes. However, I know that you don’t actually want to get married.”

Leo stood from the couch. “I should go. Let you two sort this out.” He stopped on his way to the door to lean in and whisper to me, “Don’t let your intractable stubbornness get in the way of your happiness, double oh seven. Tell him how you feel.”

Once we were alone, we turned to each other, the air around us laden with emotion. “I can’t choose you, Riley.”

“Yes, Liam, you can!”

A sad smile flittered across his face. “I’ve made no secret of my feelings nor my intentions. I would marry you tomorrow if that’s what you wanted.”

“It is what I want.”

He shook his head. “As I said, you would be expected to sign an iron clad marriage contract upon acceptance of the engagement. One you would not be able to break later. Agreeing to marry to take down the Via Imperii will not constitute adequate cause to terminate the contract, as you will have entered into it knowingly and willingly, no matter your motives.”

I stepped closer to him as my heart began to thud in my chest. My eyes locked on his, drinking in all the longing and desperation that I found there. “I understand that.”

Hope flashed through his eyes. “You’d have to actually marry me.”

“I know.”

He stepped into my personal space, his eyes searching mine. “You’re prepared to spend the rest of your life with me?”

I shrugged, trying for a nonchalance that I did not feel. “Unless we can take them down in the next six days.”

“Is there any chance of that happening?”

“To be honest, we could take down the Cordonian branch right now.”

“But?”

I traced my fingers down his face and across his lips, my eyes taking in his hopeful expression.

His hand reached out to grasp mine. Bringing my fingers to his lips, he kissed each one individually.

My voice was thick as I whispered, “They’ll just come back. New people will take their place and you’ll never be safe.” I cleared my throat and forced a smidge of professionalism into my voice. “We have to cut off the head.”

It was the only way to keep him safe long term. It might take the Via Imperii months to years to regroup and set up a new branch in Cordonia, but regroup they would and Liam would be their first target.

His eyes lit up with delight. “You’re worried about me.”

“Of course I am.” Pulling my hand out of his grasp, I scoffed. “I’d be an idiot not to recognize the danger. Not only will they want to realize their original ends, but they’ll be out for vengeance on the monarch that helped take them down.”

“Do you always worry about the long term repercussions of your missions? Or do you usually just complete the assignment and get out?”

I stared at him in consternation. I didn’t want to answer that because the truth was that I never worried about what happened after I left. I took down my target. Cleaning up the aftermath was someone else’s job. Leo’s words echoed through my head, and I suppressed the smile that fought to bloom across my face. With a shake of my head, I lost the fight. “You’re incorrigible, you know that? I see what you’re doing.”

“What?” He grinned as he reached for me and pulled me back into his embrace. “Tell me you’re not acting illogically because you love me.”

“Shut up,” I breathed as my head fell back, giving him access to my neck and anything else he wanted.

He was right, but I wasn’t ready to say it out loud. I couldn’t.

Maybe it was a toxic trait. Maybe it was a self protection mechanism. Maybe I was just bad at relationships. Or maybe it was my equally strong feelings for his best friend that kept those three little words off the tip of my tongue.

Spoken out loud or not, my feelings…. And yes, it was time to admit that I had them…. My feelings for him were driving my decisions, not my professional ambition or my years of experience as a field agent. Leaving him vulnerable to assassination was simply not an option for me.

I would do whatever I had to do to ensure his safety, and I didn’t care about the cost.

[prettyboisteveharrington]

Don’t take my heart don’t break my heart. Don’t… Don’t throw it away

Have a short Drabble based on book two’s love confession between Drake and Mc

Drake Walker x MC ( Rose Throne)

Word count: 856

Thorne… Meet me on the hotel balcony tonight. We need to talk ~ Drake.

As you made your Way up to the hotel balcony all you Can Think about is Drake and how much you love him. How much you need him.

Drake. Drake. Drake.

You stand and look out at New York. You are thinking about what you are going to say to him, you want him to know how special he is to you, how wonderful he makes you feel but you don’t want to mess it up.

You hear footsteps behind you and turn around and see him.

As you finally see him it feels like your heart is beating ten, twenty if not a hundred times faster than it normally does.

You drink in his presence, from the lights illuminating his face to his Golden eyes that remind you of a glass of whiskey near the fireplace.

‘Hi’ you say breathlessly

‘Hey, Thorne’ Drake says he would Seem very composed if you didn’t know him like you do. You see through the cracks. You can tell that he’s nervous just like you.

He takes a few tentative steps forward, his eyes locked on yours.

‘We need to talk… About Us’

‘Yeah, we do’ you agree and nod your head.

You take a step towards him as well. You take a deep breath. You can do this.

‘Drake… Liam proposed to me tonight’

‘Oh’

Drake face falls and you can see the hurt in his eyes for a brief second before he composes himself and his face turns stoic.

‘I’m very happ-‘ Drake starts to say even if his facial expression betrays him. He looks like you just ripped his heart out and shattered it into a million pieces.

It hurts to see him like that. So broken. You take a deep breath and you reach out and gently take his hand in yours

‘I turned him down Drake. I told him i’m in love with you’

‘….What?’ Drake says and he looks surprised

You give his hand a squeeze.

‘From the first moment i saw you I was drawn to you. Sure we didn’t get along at first but there was something about you that kept pulling me back to you’ you say and smile at him

‘Thorne do you really mean it? Liam could give you so much more than me. Hells he could give you anything you wanted. You could have Cordonia and be Queen. Do you really want to settle for less than you deserve… Settle for me?’ Drake searches your eyes for any hint of a lie

You step towards him again your eyes are glossy. It hurts to see Drake like this. It hurts to hear him speak so ill of himself.

‘I hate when you do this. It hurts Drake’

Drake looks at you concerned

‘Rose I-‘

‘I don’t want a kingdom or be Queen. What i want is You. It hurts me greatly that you can’t see how much you have to offer’

Drake seems lost for words as looks at you with a vulnerable expression on his face.

You stand on your toes and lean in to kiss Drake’s left cheek

‘You are Incredibly handsome’

You lean in and kiss his right cheek

‘ you would do anything for me’

You stand on your toes and kiss his forehead

‘You are the first person i think about when i wake up and the last person I think about before I fall asleep’

You lean in and kiss his nose

‘The only person i want to be with is you. I’m yours Drake. Completely. Do you want me too?’

‘I do. Thorne how can I not want you’ Drake says and caresses your cheek with his hand, his hand trembles and you lean into the touch. Your eyes trace his lips before you look into his eyes again

‘Then what are you waiting for?’ You say and lean into him, your lips are inches away from his

His lips meet yours in a searching kiss as he wraps his arms around your waist.

There’s a look of gentle, astonished joy on his face as he pulls away. You lean your head against his you are unable to stop smiling.

You look into his eyes

‘I love you Drake Walker. I have loved you for a long time. Always will. Nothing and no one could ever change that. You are it for me. My soulmate. My marshmallow’

Drake’s eyes are glossy and his smile is wide

‘I don’t know what I could have possibly done to deserve someone like you Rose Thorne. But I will never stop trying to be worthy of you. I love you with every fiber of my being and I will always give you my all’ Drake says earnestly unable to look anywhere but at you

Drake takes your hand and kisses it gently

The two of you sit down on the ground, your head rests on Drake’s shoulder as you both watch the sunset.

[camillemontespan]

the best mistake he never had [drake x Camille AU] [part four]

Lily burst into the house, trying her best not to cry. It was rare that Camille shouted at her and it had been a shock to the system for the five year old.

Camille preferred disciplining by talking. No corporal punishment, no shouting. She wanted to take the time to understand her daughter and explain why certain behaviour wasn't acceptable.

But seeing Lily with Drake had filled her with so much anxiety that she couldn't help it. She had shouted at Lily.

Lily went upstairs to find her grandma. She wanted comfort.

‘Grandma?’ she called.

‘I’m in bed, sweetheart!’ Gisele replied. ‘Come through.’

Lily entered the room. As soon as her grandma set eyes on her, her face fell. ‘Ohhh mon petit Fleur..’ she whispered. She reached out for her granddaughter. ‘Come here.’

Lily sniffled and climbed onto the bed, careful not to disturb her grandma too much as she looked so delicate. She gently laid her head on her chest and inhaled Gisele's scent of jasmine perfume and instantly felt her mind quieten.

‘What’s happened?’ Gisele asked quietly.

Lily sniffed. ‘Mommy shouted at me because I was brushing Lone Star and talking to Drake.’

She felt Gisele stiffen but she didn't question it.

‘And she said I shouldn't speak to strangers,’ Lily continued. ‘Because strangers are bad but Drake was nice.’

Gisele cleared her throat and cuddled Lily deeper. ‘It’s just you and your mommy,’ she said softly. ‘She wants you to be safe and since you don't know Drake, he is a stranger to you. Yes, he can be a nice man but that doesn't mean you should speak to him unless your mommy or I are there.’

Lily bit her lip. ‘That’s unfair on him and Lone Star.’

Gisele chuckled despite herself. ‘Lily, are you just mad because you want the horse?’

Lily turned and pouted. ‘No!’ she protested.

Gisele smiled and pressed a kiss on Lily's head. ‘You don't speak to someone you don't know unless you have your mommy or me there, okay? That's not just a rule for you, that's a rule for all children.’

Lily sighed. She knew she couldn't protest against that if the rule applied to all children.

She was a child who obeyed rules and liked everything to be just right. She rarely strayed from the safe path.

Lily also felt things deeply and that often meant she didn't want to upset anyone. She especially didn't want to upset Camille because Camille was her entire world.

She didn't want to upset her mommy, ever.

If that meant no more Lone Star or talking to Drake, then she wouldn't go near them again.

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

That evening, Drake was back in his local bar, where he tended to spend most evenings.

Yes, he had work at the ranch in the early mornings but Drake had since admitted to himself that he was basically a high functioning alcoholic and he could deal with a sore head and dry mouth if it meant he could drink whisky and forget about all this shit for a while.

This shit being meeting his daughter for the first time today and Camille's anger about it.

Fuck.

Drake downed his whisky and gestured to Leo, the bartender and friend, for another.

‘You alright man?’ Leo asked, frowning as he began to pour Drake another. ‘You’re quieter than usual.’

Drake smirked. ‘I’m fine, Leo.’

Leo raised his eyebrows and passed Drake the glass. He studied him for a moment, his green eyes roaming Drake's face.

‘So I heard Camille is back,’ he said bluntly. ‘And a mini Camille too.’

Drake gripped the glass. ‘Leo. Shut up.’

Leo proceeded to dry the wet glasses, not once taking his eyes off Drake. He didn't understand him. Sure, Leo was not a family man, he was allergic to commitment. If a woman he slept with had gotten pregnant with his baby, he would have run a mile.

But Drake wasn't like Leo. Drake, although a bit of a loner and hardly a womaniser, was the kind of guy who looked like he would want a relationship and a kid. The women he had dated in the past had always been long term.

Plus she was Camille Montespan. She was in Leo’s spank bank.

He loved her name. Fucking sexy and French.

Anyway, who in their right mind would reject Camille Montespan? She was the town sweetheart. Always friendly, always up for a laugh, drop dead gorgeous.

Pretty much every guy in Applewood had had a crush on her at some point, Leo included.

You sleep with girls. You marry women like Camille Montespan.

If Camille had slept with him and had his baby, Leo would gone against all of his instincts and settled down with her. Because you don't give up the chance to be with a woman like her. Even Leo knew that.

So why the fuck did Drake fuck it up?

He didn't know what had happened five years ago with Drake and Camille. Drake never spoke about it. Had it been a drunken fling? A secret romance?

All Leo knew was that Camille and his daughter were Drake's sore spots. You could insult him about anything and he would shrug it off, acting like he didn't care. But if you mentioned Camille and his daughter, Drake would turn defensive.

Before Leo could respond to Drake, the door opened and in walked Maxwell Beaumont.

‘Hey Leo!’ he greeted him as if Leo was the best thing in the world at that moment.

Leo smiled. ‘Hey Max. What can I get you?’

‘Ooohh.. a pina colada please.’

‘Coming right up, good sir!’ Leo said. Maxwell always ordered a fancy cocktail and it was always interesting to see what he would order his time.

Drake sipped his whisky and cast a glance over at Maxwell who was studiously scrolling through his phone and making a point not to speak to Drake.

‘How are ya doing, Max?’ Drake finally said, breaking the horrible silence.

‘Fine,’ Maxwell replied, his voice montone.

Leo eyed the two of them as he shook the cocktail shaker, wishing Drake would just stop trying.

Ever since Camille left town, Maxwell swore never to talk to Drake again. He was Camille’s best friend and incredibly loyal to her. If you hurt Camille, you hurt Maxwell.

He was like sunshine personified with everyone except Drake. Even though Drake understood, it didn't mean that he liked it.

‘So I saw Camille and Lily today -’

‘Don’t even say their names,’ Maxwell interrupted, his voice like ice. ‘Don’t you dare.’

Drake's jaw set. He picked up his glass of whisky and downed it before gesturing to Leo for another.

However, Leo was staring at Maxwell with his mouth open, cocktail shaker gripped tightly in his hands. He knew Maxwell hated Drake but Jesus Christ, he was quick to the punch.

‘Sorry..’ Drake muttered, taking a sip of his drink.

‘No, you don't say sorry to me,’ Maxwell said, his voice starting to rise, ‘you say sorry to Camille. But you won't because you really don't give a shit about her.’

Drake exhaled. ‘Leo, can I have another drink?’

Leo coughed and picked up the whisky bottle, pouring him another. He then served Maxwell his Pina colada, hoping the two of them wouldn't fight right here at his bar.

Drake downed the whisky.

‘Yup, get drunk like you always do…’ Maxwell muttered, his lips brushing the straw in his glass. ‘Classic Walker.’

Drake was up on his feet in an instant. ‘Right man, you got something to say? Fucking say it.’

‘Woah, calm down!’ Leo panicked. ‘You’re going to upset my other patrons…’

‘Who, Bill at the back? Drake hissed. ‘He doesn't give a shit.’

Maxwell sipped his Pina colada, cool as a cucumber. He looked away from Drake , not bothering to give him any eye contact. Drake stared at the side of his face.

‘You know it's none of your business what happened between me and Camille right?’ he asked, keeping his voice neutral. Unfortunately , his voice was slurring now thanks to the whisky he had downed.

‘I know you're her fucking guard dog who needs any excuse to jump but you don't know the ins and outs of this. You weren't there.’

Maxwell turned to look at Drake. His eyes were narrowed. ‘Excuse me?’ he whispered.

‘So guys, you watch the Texans game on Sunday?’ Leo asked, his voice high. ‘Great game -’

‘I get she's your friend and you are sticking by her but you don't know the full story so you can't exactly make your mind up about me,’ Drake continued. ‘You’re judging me without actually talking to me about it.’

Drake had a secret. Despite acting like he didn't give a shit about anything, he hated it when people judged him. All he wanted was to be accepted but people rarely did.

Maxwell rose so he stood over Drake, which wasn't hard as Drake was sitting on the bar stool. The tables would turn if Drake stood up because he had a clear five inches over Maxwell.

So he stood up.

Maxwell stared up at him, his eyes flashing. ‘I was there to pick up the pieces after you took her heart and ripped it into two,’ he said quietly, his tone dangerous. ‘I was there to listen to her as she told me how cruel you were, how you said it had been a drunken mistake, that it should never have happened. She was broken up, Drake. She felt like shit, like nothing-’

‘I didn't mean to make her feel like that!’ Drake burst out. ���I didn't word it correctly-’

‘She told you that she was pregnant with your baby and you told her you didn't want anything to do with her!’

‘It wasn't meant to come out like that!’

‘Guys, please, can we stop?’ Leo interrupted, desperate for peace.

‘She always stuck up for you!’ Maxwell shouted, pushing Drake in the chest. Drake stumbled back, catching himself on the bar. ‘When everyone in school took the piss out of you, called you names, ignored you, she was there to defend you! She thought you were a good guy!’

‘I am a good guy!’ Drake shouted back. ‘I made a crappy decision but I am a good-’

‘No, you're a selfish asshole,’ Maxwell cut in. ‘You could have stood by her. You didn't have to say you'd step up and be a dad but for fucks sake, you could have at least paid her child support!’

There was a horrible, thick silence.

Leo looked between the two of them and exhaled. ‘Guys. Get out of my bar.’

Drake swallowed. ‘I.. I offered to pay her child support and she said she didn't want anything from me.’

Maxwell stared at him. ‘You should have ignored her and done it anyway. But instead you wiped your hands clean of them. Happy to stay in Texas working on that ranch and drinking yourself stupid at night. That's what you chose, Drake.’

Drake shook his head and raised his hands. ‘I can't take this anymore -’

‘Good,’ Leo interrupted, his voice sharp. ‘Both of you are done. Get out. I won't ask again.’

Drake grabbed his denim jacket and pushed some dollars at Leo. ‘Sorry Leo.’

Leo nodded mutely and took the cash. ‘Sober up, Drake. And you, Maxwell,’ he eyed Maxwell who was downing the last of his pina colada. ‘Don’t talk shit about something you don't know about.’

‘But I do!’ Maxwell protested.

Leo pointed at Drake who was now leaving the bar with his shoulders heavy and head low.

‘You clearly don't.’

[choicesficwriterscreations]

TRR F/AotW: May 5 - 11, 2024

✒️ = Fanfic | 📱 = Text Fics/Edits | 🎨 = Fanart Ⓜ️ = Mature Content 18+ | 🔥 = Explicit/NSFW 18+ 🏳️‍🌈 = LGBTQIA

HANA LEE

Reader Fatigue ✒️🏳‍🌈 | Hana Lee x Kiara Theron - @lizzybeth1986

Rose Gold ✒️🏳‍🌈 | Hana Lee x Kiara Theron - @lizzybeth1986

LIAM RYS

All For Love ✒️ | Liam x MC, F!OC & M!OC - @rosesnink

Capitulo (Series) ✒️ | Liam x MC - @belencha77 Chapter 13: Emociones Nuevas Chapter 14: Un Baile Para Recordar Chapter 15: No Olvidemos Esta Noche Chapter 16: Regata Real Chapter 17: Carrera Hasta El Final

Turn The Page (Series) ✒️ | Liam Rys x F!OC - @tessa-liam Chapter 12: Come Back To Me

MULTIPLE PAIRINGS

All That She Wants (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️ | Multiple Pairings - @angelasscribbles Chapter 5: Consequences Liam Rys x MC, Liam Rys x Olivia Nevrakis, Drake Walker x MC

The Royal Romance Retelling (Series) ✒️ | Multiple Pairings - @eadanga Chapter 8, Part 3 Liam Rys x MC, Drake Walker x MC

Main F/AtoW List: May 5 - 11, 2024

[georgiesgirl1223]

Marry Me

Song:https://youtu.be/p_IwENcMPOA

I wrote a little Drake x MC story based on Thomas Rhett's song Marry Me

Word count: 1503

Drake sat in the mahogany leather chesterfield in the center of his dark room. The faint beams of the early morning’s dawning sun leaked in through the drawn curtains of is large bedroom windows, casting dusty shadows around him. The day he had been dreading for the past couple months was finally upon him and he had since been able to sleep. Sitting there he stared out into the dark void through heavy red swollen eyes, everything around him fading until all he saw was darkness surrounding him. Reaching down next to him, Drake retrieved the nearly empty whiskey bottle from the ground by his feet, pouring the rest of its contents into the rock glass he had clutched in white-knuckled hand. Tossing the empty bottle aside he took a large gulp of the brown liquid, the liquor no longer burning his dulled senses. 

Tears streamed down his puffy face as he thought back to the day, he had spent with Kennedy Olsen in New York City, talking about ideas of their perfect wedding as she helped him chose a wedding gift for his best friend and King, Liam. He remembered every detail perfectly, every glint her eye, every twitch of her lips as she described her perfect day. He transferred himself back to that wooden bench as he replayed the scene over in his head, like a reel of a constant torturous memory. The spark in her eyes told him she wanted to get married and every detail she described was his perfect scenario. Drake remembered her words perfectly. She wanted something small out in the country with her granddaddy preaching the service. He recalled that she wanted to carry magnolias because they were her mother’s favorite, and it would feel like part of her was there as she watched her daughter’s wedding from heaven. She had it all planned out to every minor detail and Drake could picture himself there in his black suit and black tie. He would take a sip of whiskey straight from his flask to calm his nerves before stepping up front to the alter, brushing his tears away from his cheeks before anyone would notice. Drake could perfectly see himself in her vision and his heart couldn’t help but fly. Yes, Kennedy Olsen wanted to get married, the only problem was, she didn’t want to marry him. 

Anger and regret boiled under his skin, impatiently rocking forward in his seat. Drake felt like he was spiraling into a pit of darkness and despair, tossing the half-full rock glass at the wall, the crystal shattering on impact and the brown contents stained the white wall. Running his hands over his head, Drake fisted at his hair, letting out a painful cry as the memories of her flooded his mind, slowly tormenting him into a mentally instable state. His constant sobs tortured his exhausted body as hot tears rolled down his flushed face.

Standing he paced the floor of his suite, the gut-wrenching memories making it unbearable for him to sit still. He remembered the first night he almost kissed her. Kennedy had accompanied him to a local bar at one of the many cities they were visiting during Liam and Madeline’s engagement tour. He remembered how close they were sitting to one another and the flirtatious touches she would give him. Every soft touch of her silky skin burned into his flesh, awakening his senses. Each touch pushed his feelings further away from the mutual friendship they shared and into something more, something he was trying so hard to deny. They had been drinking when Kennedy suggested playing a few rounds of never have I ever. Of course, she was able to tease his true feelings out of him with every statement, revealing to her and himself that what was between them was more than friendship. He remembered how she leaned into him; her intoxicating scent of lilacs livened his senses as she placed a gentle hand on his knee. Drake’s body trembled, he was freaking out, he knew that they were friends, but he had thought of kissing her for forever. Leaning in and meeting her halfway, Drake’s lips were only centimeters apart from hers when her phone chimed with a message from Liam, interrupting their almost kiss. The second time he almost kissed her was when they were playing pool. He recalled how sexy she was leaning over the pool table, how he pulled her in close to him, only to be interrupted by the bar keep telling them it was closing time. Maybe if he would’ve had enough courage to kiss her then, he wouldn’t be where he was now. She was all he craved, and he would’ve given anything to just be able to hold her, but he could never reveal his true feelings, not when she was there for his best friend. Still fervently pacing the room he paused, hazily glancing around. Every emotion he had bubbled to the surface and it was becoming too much for him to handle. Setting his stare at the wall next to him he balled his fingers into a tight fist, drawing it back before throwing all of his weight into his swing as his fist connected with the wall, drywall crumbling to his feet as he withdrew his bloody hand. 

Of course, she didn’t want to marry him, what did he have to offer her really, nothing compared to what Liam could. He was never good enough for anybody or anything, especially not when he was constantly walking in Liam’s shadow. How could he ever compete with a prince, a king? That’s just it, he couldn’t, and Kennedy proved that. 

Drake always thought that Kennedy felt the same way, why else would she flirt with him? The small touches, the flirtatious words, and how she had leaned into him as if to kiss him, he knew it wasn’t just all in his head. But, when Liam announced their engagement, he knew it was too late. She didn’t want to marry him.

Now it was the day of her wedding, the day Drake had been dreading since they announced their royal engagement. Pulling himself together he put on his black suit and black tie, splashing cold water on his exhausted face and swollen eyes. Walking on autopilot down to the gardens, Drake saw the lavish decorations and the nearly five-hundred white chairs set up across the grounds, it was nothing like how Kennedy had described her wedding day to him. Glancing around him he saw her daddy and granddaddy, excitedly pacing the ground in front of him. Drake knew her daddy must have been dreading this day, but he’s not the only man giving her away today. Reaching his hand in his inside jacket pocket and retrieving his filled flask he took a strong shot of whiskey, the burn rushing down his throat was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He took a seat in the back as the dozens of people began to flood in. He’d try to make it through without crying so nobody would see. Kennedy wanted to get married, but she didn’t want to marry him.

Unable to be there any longer, Drake left, trying to put as much distance as he could between him and the palace. On his way through the empty corridors, Drake passed her suite, standing there he stared at her door, picturing her on the other side in her gown. He could’ve burst in right there and then to confess his feelings to her, and god help him he wanted to, but he couldn’t do that to her. Instead he would let her have her happiness, the happiness she found with another man, keeping his feelings to himself, never letting her know that Liam wasn’t the only man that loved her. Staring at her closed door for one moment longer, he whispered ‘I will always love you’ before rushing off. 

Thirty minutes later Drake found himself in a small local bar just outside of the bustling capital. He loosened his black tie, pouring a shot of whiskey from his flask and into his coffee cup, swirling the liquids together before taking a sip. Resting his elbows on the counter, he hung his head in his hands, forcing his dry tears back as silent sobs jerked his shoulders. Yeah, she wanted to get married, but she didn’t want to marry him.

On the countertop next to him, his phone vibrated to life. Picking up his phone, the bright screen illuminated to life, scorching his puffy eyes as the blurry words came into focus. A lump formed in his throat when he opened the text, noticing it was from Kennedy. He read the text, it was only one word long, but it simultaneously made his heart sink and flutter, both terrifying him and making him smile, wondering what she needed to say. He looked at his screen again, rereading her one-word text.

Drake….

[whatisreggieshortfor]

The Royal Heir’s Royal Romance

Drake x MC

Heir x OC

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Here Comes The Sun ☀

Here Comes The Sun - Part One

Series Title Song Inspiration - Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles

Book - TRR AU

Pairing - Liam x ??, Drake x Riley

Series Summary - Two lost souls longing for hope stumble upon each other in a random encounter. When fate brings them back face to face, can what should be a devastating situation end up bringing the sunshine back for both?

A/N - This takes place two years after the end of book three, but Constantine lived. TRH is non-existent.

A/N2 - Thank you so much to @ao719 for reading through everything and all your amazing advice! I'm once again incredibly thankful 💚

Warnings for this Chapter - language, drinking, slight fluff

Most characters belong to pixelberry.

Liam sat in a corner of a crowded bar alone and nursed his glass of scotch. Since his ascension two years ago, he had very little time to himself. This was one of the rare occasions he managed to escape for a night, clad in a ball cap and dark shades to shield himself from prying eyes. He needed a retreat, time away from the throne he sat upon and hopefully with enough alcohol, the troubles that consumed his mind.

He hadn’t felt like himself since before his coronation. That’s when the wedge had formed between himself and one Riley Brooks. He had publicly chosen another, knowing the scandal against her was a farce. Despite Liam's attempts to explain his thought process to her, he could tell that the damage had been done between them. He thought with time they would fall back into that pattern they used to have, but that never happened.

She held Liam at an arm’s length for most of the engagement tour, constantly avoiding his invitations to spend time together. Yet, he still proposed to her the first chance he got. He knew just from the way her face broke what her answer was, yet he remained hopeful until the very last second she would accept. That’s when she told him she had fallen into the arms of another, his best friend at that.

At first, it devastated Liam, although he would never tell Riley that. He wanted her to believe he was happy for her, for them. But inside, it completely ripped him apart. He started avoiding social situations, deeming the Crown needed more attention; and it did, at first. But, as the wedding quickly approached, Drake sat Liam down and they had that talk that was long overdue, much to Liam’s dismay.

Liam didn’t want to talk about it, he only wanted to be left to suffer alone. He truly meant that he found no faults with either Drake or Riley for finding love with each other. Instead, he placed the blame on himself for being a fool and thinking himself and Riley had reconciled. It embarrassed him. He became so engrossed in the delusional fairytale he built in his mind and ignored all the signs of her change of heart. The conversation with Drake actually helped; generous amounts of alcohol, a couple of heated statements, and several hours later, the men reemerged. Liam was not completely healed, but well on the way to reconciliation.

The day of Drake and Riley’s wedding, Liam pushed aside his pride to stand beside his best friend and unbiological brother as his best man. Even though things hadn’t turned out the way he hoped, he wanted to be there for Drake. Oddly enough, that is the day Liam finally accepted that he and Riley were not meant to be. Watching Riley walk down the aisle to an emotional Drake put it into perspective; she was never his to keep, but only a lesson to be taught. Sure, she may have come to Cordonia for him initially, but the way she and Drake looked at each other at that moment told Liam all he needed to know.

As days turned into weeks and then months, his pain fizzled and eventually faded out. It was no longer something he had to deal with daily. Liam, Drake, and Riley grew quite close, although the first couple of months were indeed rocky. They were expecting their first child together, and it elated Liam to see his friends expand their family. The title of “Uncle Liam’ was one he would be proud to wield.

But since Riley turned him down, Liam had not entertained the idea of romance in any form. Not particularly by choice, but the Crown took up a lot of his time. With no Queen to rule beside him, his workload was twice as much.

Physically, it didn’t bother him. He wasn’t a kind of man who just needed to get off. If that were the case, he could easily fix the problem. But lately, he felt voided and alone. He just wanted a connection; someone he wouldn’t feel like he was burdening with his problems.

Drake and Riley had each other and were busy with their own duchy and living life as newlyweds. Maxwell had his book and stayed plenty busy with his newly found duties within the Ramsford estate. Hana had been traveling between Shanghai and Cordonia, helping her father secure various business deals. Everyone around him was busy, and although he was as well, he hadn’t had a conversation about himself, or how he was truly doing in months. He was aching for that kind of human interaction, past the fake smiles and general pleasantries he endured day in and day out.

Liam had come out for a drink to get away and clear his head. On top of feeling lonely, Liam was struggling to process some unexpected news he received earlier in the week.

A couple of years ago, doctors gave Constantine very little time to live. At first, the Royal family accepted the results and planned to make the rest of his time count. Upon a routine physical checkup, they found the tumor had shrunk on its own, in what doctors could only call an act of God. They immediately started a rigorous routine of radiation and chemotherapy, and at the end they cleared Constantine of all illness.

He had since been in remission, not a problem in sight, thriving even. That is, until he went to the doctor due to him not feeling well. They found his cancer had returned, unfortunately much stronger than before; the second, and third opinions all stated the same. It would take another miracle to heal him, and doctors told the family they needed to prepare themselves for the worst.

Although the two had problems in the past, he was still Liam’s father. Constantine wasn’t always the power hungry man driven by fear. Liam remembers family picnics in the hedge maze with his mother, father, and Leo; filled with smiles and laughter as their father chased himself and Leo around. The man who winked at him during his meetings, the man who sat Liam on his lap occasionally when he would sign legislation. Those moments were small, but memories Liam cherished. That’s the man Liam was mourning, not the man fear turned him into.

The two had since cleared the air for his hand in scandalizing Riley, and Liam had granted him forgiveness. It wasn’t easy, but the two had since moved on and re-established that father-son bond Liam wished he had as a younger man.

To have that taken away from him, and with no real emotional support behind him, he felt like he was drowning. Everyone around him kept having good fortune, and although he was the one who got to wear the Crown, he envied their happiness. All he had was stress, regret, and depression, mixed in with polite laughter and fake small talk. Friends were present, but he felt like he couldn’t express to them his desolate feelings. He didn’t want anyone to worry about him, and he especially didn’t want to dampen everyone’s uplifted spirits. But he truly felt like he was being enveloped by storm clouds, shielding any type of sunlight or happiness to be found.

Liam downed the rest of his scotch in one gulp and signaled the bartender for another. As he waited, he glanced behind him to survey the crowd of people. Most looked happy; smiling and carefree, not a worry in the world. He felt a brief bout of envy to these strangers, even for something so minute. He surveyed the area but stopped short when he saw a woman in a booth by herself.

She wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans, her dark hair falling past the edge of the table in soft waves. It covered a majority of her face as she gazed into her drink before her, casually swirling the straw around the glass, but her troubled expression was still unmistakable to Liam. He watched her lightly dab under her eyes, and felt his heart twinge for this random stranger, clearly having a day similar to his. Something drew him to the woman, he guessed it was the fact that they were the only two in the vicinity not having a good time.

As his scotch arrived, he asked the bartender if he knew what the woman had been ordering. The man nodded, and Liam asked him to make one, who returned shortly later. Liam accepted the drink with a puzzled look, as it was electric blue, but took the glasses and turned to make his way over to the stranger.

He bobbed and weaved across the dance floor, all the while silently scolding himself for approaching the woman to begin with. What the hell am I doing? She probably wants to be alone, he thought to himself. She’s going to think you’re some kind of weirdo. Maybe I should turn around.

Before he could ponder further, the woman looked up and met his gaze; her striking beauty momentarily took Liam aback. Porcelain skin that slightly shined in the bar lighting above, showcasing a slight tinge of pink on her chiseled cheekbones. Her eyes were the brightest shade of blue he had ever seen; clearer than a bright sunny day, deeper than the ocean floor. But more than beauty, Liam saw the sadness she felt reflected in her gaze.

The two never broke eye contact as Liam walked directly over to her. He sheepishly smiled as he made it to her and sat the drink in front of her. She did not accept nor deny his offering, only eyed it suspiciously. “Uh… Hello… Not to sound forward, but… would you… like some company?”

She continued to stare at the drink. After a moment, she snapped her head up to Liam. “If you’re trying to drug me, most people usually have a little secrecy in their plans.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “What? No! I’m not drugging you!”

She considered him warily. He doesn’t look dangerous, but isn’t that how it usually goes? It’s always the charmers, she thought to herself. “You taste it.” She retorted as she sat back and scooted the glass toward him.

“Okay, sure.” He took a generous sip of the liquor, but scrunched his face at the sour taste as it hit his tongue. “What the hell is in that thing?” He asked as he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

The woman laughed. “What’s not in it?”

“What is that?”

“That is called an AMF where I come from… As in, Adios Motherfucker.”

“I can see why! It’s certainly… strong.” Liam grimaced. The two shared a small smile before Liam cleared his throat. “Um… so… May I sit?”

“Oh… uh… sure….” She replied as she accepted the glass from Liam and took a large drink. “Are you gonna stay all incognito, or-”

Liam quickly pulled the glasses and hat off his head as he sat across from her. “Sorry about that…”

“No problem. But you must be important if you’re hiding in a bar.”

Judging by her foreign accent and line of questions, Liam realized this stranger was not aware of his status. In a moment's decision, he decided to keep it that way. “Just… avoiding a nuisance, is all.” The woman nodded her head, but turned her attention back to her drink. “ I ah… I couldn’t help but notice that you seem rather… sad.”

“Not sad, per se… Just…” She sighed. “I don’t want to bore you with my sap story.” She laughed half heartedly.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I myself am feeling… a lot. Perhaps we could share stories?”

“Is this your plan? Approach the saddest looking girl in the bar because she’s vulnerable, and you think she’s going to let you hit it?” She crossed her arms over her chest and arched her brow.

“No! Absolutely not!” He shook his head as he became flustered. “Perhaps this was a mistake. I’m very sorry to have wasted your time, ma’am.” He went to stand from the booth but stopped when he felt a hand on his forearm.

“I… I’m sorry… I was joking…” It was Liam’s turn to eye her suspiciously. “Okay, mostly…” She realized her hand was still on Liam and quickly returned it to her own vicinity. “If you want to stay, you can… “

Liam nodded and smiled at her. “Perhaps now that you know my intentions aren’t to bed you, we could start over?” She nodded with a subtle grin. Liam over exaggeratedly situated himself in his spot and cleared his throat. “Hello, madam. I am Liam, it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” He said in an overly formal tone as he extended his hand across the table to her.

She responded with an accent of her own as she returned his gesture. “Why yes, a pleasure indeed.”

“What brings you to an establishment such as this?”

“While traveling, I came across this parlor and entered, seeking relaxation.” She responded through a giggle.

Liam returned her laughter before he spoke in his regular voice. “Travels? Where are you coming from?”

“You wouldn’t know it even if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“Okay…" She crooned. “Steelville, Oklahoma.”

“... Alright, you got me. I have no idea where that is.” Liam chuckled. “But US, though?”

“Yep, and don’t worry, nobody does. It’s the epitome of small town USA.” She answered before taking a sip of her drink. “You?”

“Here.”

“Ah, so local, then?”

Liam nodded. “Born and raised.”

“That must have been amazing. It’s so nice here, the views, even the people.”

Liam hesitated, but only briefly. “It’s certainly been… something… So, what do you do for work? Where are you staying?”

She held up her hands. “Woah there, one question at a time, that’s the rules.”

Liam furrowed his brows. “Rules? What rules?”

“Didn’t you know? There’s ‘approach a random stranger and strike up a conversation’ etiquette.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t make ‘em, I just follow 'em.”

Liam chuckled. “Alright, work?”

“I… actually don’t have a job yet. I… might’ve got on the plane with no plan in place, just whatever I could carry with me and whatever was in my bank account…”

“What? Why would you do that?”

“Hey, rules.”

“But you answered! It’s a whole new question!”

“Rule two, answer for an answer. So, it’s my turn to ask.” She stated with confidence. “What do you do for work?”

Liam swallowed thickly, but picked up his drink and took a generous sip to hide his momentary panic. “Uh… business. I’m a business… person."

“Oh, what kind of business do you do?”

“Ah ah ah… answer for an answer, remember?” He smirked.

She rolled her eyes, but he saw the small smile that crept across her face. “Fine, your turn.”

“The plane with no plan. I need some elaboration there.”

She took a deep breath and looked away from him before she quietly responded, “I just… wanted to experience someplace new. I got an impulse and followed it.” with a shrug.

Although Liam knew there was more, he dropped it. “Alright, your turn.”

“Hmmm…” She tapped her index finger against her chin. “You said when you sat down you were feeling… a lot. What’s that about?”

Liam’s smile faded. “It’s… a lot to explain…”

“Well, I’ve got time.” She responded with a shrug. “But we will need more drinks.”

Liam’s grin reassembled, which she returned with one of her own. He ordered them more drinks, and the two easily got lost in conversation. It flowed so easily with her, like he had known her for a majority of his life, despite her early assumptions. A part of him wanted to be skeptical about sharing pieces of himself with a stranger, but she was so endearing Liam couldn’t help himself. She was incredibly attentive while he spoke; she acted completely invested in what he was saying. And since she didn’t know who he truly was, he didn’t have to question her motives; it was nice.

And he found himself transfixed by her. Her mannerisms, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, how her full lips dimpled at the edges. He would be lying if he said he didn’t want to kiss her, because he did, desperately. But he was content in having the companionship he had been aching for in a listening ear.

He told her everything. About misreading Riley’s feelings, his father’s illness, and some of his other stresses minus the Crown; even down to his slight frustration at his breakfast being too well done. She listened and responded appropriately to everything he said; never once did she belittle Liam’s feelings or worries, only listened with the utmost attention as he poured himself out to her.

She seemed a little less open to start, but loosened up after a couple of drinks and shared minor details about herself with him. He understood her reservations and never pried her for any answer. If a subject seemed touchy, he quickly diverted the conversation elsewhere. Although they were strangers, never to see each other again; Liam learned a lot about her just by her body language, and could tell she was thankful when he had done so.

“Okay… Okay…” She laughed, “favorite movie?”

“Easy, Pulp Fiction.”

“Never seen it.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “What? How? Everyone has!”

“Well, I haven’t.” She took a large sip of her drink before she added. “I don’t really like action movies. I like stuff that will uplift my spirit when I need it.”

“Alright, what’s your pick, then?”

“... You’re going to judge me!” She exclaimed with an ear to ear grin.

Liam held his hands up. “I would never.”

“Okay, fine…” She relented with a heavy sigh. “... Elf.”

“Elf?” Liam asked while fighting to keep his face impassive.

“Yes, Elf.”

“As in the Christmas movie?” She nodded in response and the two looked at each other intently for a second before Liam’s face broke.

She pointed at him, “See?! I knew you’d judge!”

“No judgments!” He laughed. “Are you a fan of Christmas?”

“Yes. I love Christmas. It’s the best time of the year. It’s the season of giving, and the lights! I love festive lights!”

“It’s not Christmas, but there is a festival of lights in Valtoria once a year. It’ll be within the next couple of months.”

“Valtoria?”

“It’s a duchy within the country, not too far from here.”

“I have to learn all of this. I know I do. But I’ve been worried about… everything else since I got here.” She chuckled halfheartedly and downed the rest of her drink.

Before he could stop himself, Liam reached across the table to take her hand in his. “If I can do anything to help, please just say the word.”

She looked up and met his gaze. The two locked eyes and a flash of electricity passed between them, but both ignored the sensation. She quietly responded, “Thank you, Liam.” with a squeeze to his hand.

As the night went on, their glasses piled up in front of them, and their casual glances seemed to have more… heat behind them. She had moved to sit in the booth next to Liam, and he noticed she seemed to get a little more daring with the more alcohol she consumed. He didn’t want to scare her away, but the urge to kiss her increased with every passing second.

She knocked her napkin off the table and both bent down to pick it up. As they sat up, two sets of blue orbs locked on to each other, acting as a magnet; slowly pulling them closer and closer until their lips made contact. The kiss wasn’t rough or demanding, but gentle and comforting. Liam felt his heart stir, a brief flicker of electricity radiating through him at the touch. The music and commotion faded away behind them, as they lost themselves in that tender moment.

As it broke, Liam leaned his forehead against hers. “You’re full of surprises.” He whispered through a grin.

“I try.” She shrugged. She gazed up at him through her lashes, her flushed cheeks apparent even in the dim bar lighting.

Liam lost himself in her eyes and couldn’t fight the urge, so he leaned forward and captured her lips again; this time the chemistry and need was more palpable. Their tongues met in the middle and danced together in harmony. It felt exciting and new, yet comfortingly familiar to both, like they had done so a hundred times prior.

Liam broke the kiss, practically panting. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and searched her lust blown eyes before he asked, “D-Do you want to get out of here?” He watched her demeanor change entirely, as if his question had pulled her out of her passion and alcohol induced daze. Her eyes went from filled with desire and longing to agony and regret.

“I… No… I shouldn’t…” she responded in a quiet voice as she backed away from his embrace. “I-I-m sorry… I should’ve-“

Liam held up a hand to stop her. “No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I don’t know what came over me… I’m not usually so… blunt.”

“I… it’s not you… You’re clearly very attractive, but I’m just not ready for… that.” She looked away and shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I led you on and-“

“Don’t apologize. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

She snapped her head over to him with a shocked expression. “... Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Wow… that’s… very sweet of you… thank you.” She smiled.

“You sound surprised.”

She shrugged. “Most guys don’t know what ‘no’ means.”

“Well, I’m not most guys. My parents instilled in me a deep respect for women and their rights regarding their bodies.”

“You definitely seem… special.” The two shared a small smile before she quickly snapped herself out of it. “I… I should go, though… It’s getting late.” She muttered.

Liam nodded and watched her stand and grab her bag. She turned around to walk away, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out. “Wait!” His eyes widened and he silently scolded himself for his volume, but he continued anyway. “Could I get your number?”

After slightly hesitating she smiled and nodded, much to Liam’s delight. The two traded devices and entered their number into the others. Liam took his phone back and couldn’t hide the wide grin that was on his face as he stared at the number before him. He wasn’t sure why, but knowing he could contact this beautiful stranger again made his heart flutter.

He snapped himself out of his daze and noticed while she entered a number, she left no name. He furrowed his brows and lifted his head, “Hey, you forgot-“

But she was already gone.

I don't have a tag list for this one, and I'm not going to assume everyone wants tagged for everything, so I'm only tagging those that have shown interest. If I am mistaken, please let me know and I'll remove you, no questions asked 😊. Or, if you'd like to be added, please let me know.

@choicesficwriterscreations @ao719 @queenrileyrose @tessa-liam @angelasscribbles

[angelasscribbles]

Savage Love Chapter 37: Gone

Series: Savage Love

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake

Rating: R         

Warnings: Mature themes, violence, guns

Word Count: 987

A/N: Wow, I can't believe it's been five months since I posted an update for this! I've known since before I started writing it back in December 2021 how it's going to end. This is the downside of having so many ideas.... I can't work on all of them at once.

That said, this is a bit shorter than my regular chapters, but I just needed to see what Drake was doing while Riley was in Hidar in her quest to take down the Via Imperii and Leo was in Rivala getting the shock of his life. The next chapter will bring everyone back together again in Cordonia.

A/N2: I realize it's been a while and readers may be confused with all the OC's in this chapter, so here's a rundown. Nick is Riley's ex-fiance and also another GIA agent. Frederico Sanchez is Nick's informant. Saguaro Laurent is the head of The Gladius Company. Lorenzo is not in this chapter but is mentioned as a loan shark to whom Tariq owed money and who, on Saguaro's orders, leveraged Tariq's gambling debt to get him to abduct Riley (Tariq failed and was murdered for his failure, Lorenzo is in custody at the palace). Rico Mendez is the son of a former mafia don who wants revenge for Riley using him to take down his father's organization.

My other stuff: Master List.

Series Premise: Agent Riley Brooks is undercover on assignment in New York when she has a one-night stand with a handsome, mysterious stranger. Both of them hiding their true identities, names are not exchanged.  After one scorching night, they part ways, both returning to the duties they have pledged their lives to. Fast forward several months later and Agent Brooks is assigned a new case: investigate and infiltrate any Via Imperi influences in the small, Mediterranean country of Cordonia. Her cover? Posing as a suitor competing for the hand of the crown prince. Her way in? Civilian contractor and cyber security expert Maxwell Beaumont.

Drake…..

Nick and I arrived at the warehouse where we were meeting his contact in the Liberation Core. The one that had gotten me a meeting with the head of the Gladius Company.

The air in the dimly lit warehouse was thick with tension as we made our way through the maze of crates toward their rendezvous point. The echo of our footsteps ricocheted off the walls, adding to the sense of foreboding that permeated the atmosphere.

Nick's informant, a wiry man named Frederico Sanchez, stood waiting nervously near the entrance. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning for any signs of danger. As we approached, Sanchez straightened up and extended a shaky hand.

"Drake," Sanchez said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Nice to finally meet you. Nick here has told me a lot about you."

I nodded curtly, assessing Sanchez's demeanor. I could see the fear etched into the man's face, evidence of the high stakes involved in the mission. Time was of the essence; we needed to infiltrate The Gladius Company as quickly as possible.

"Likewise," I replied as I returned the man’s handshake. “Now let’s go over the plan before we meet with your guy.”

Being on the same page was crucial. If any of these guys got a whiff that this was a setup, we were both dead. Nick would stay in the surveillance van, ready as backup if necessary. He couldn’t be seen by Saguaro or any of the men he’d brought with him from New York. They’d recognize the GIA agent that had brought down their last organization in an instant.

We poured over the plan twenty times, looking for inconsistencies, committing our cover story to memory, and working out the kinks. When it was time to go, I waved goodbye to Nick and got in a nondescript sedan with Sanchez. A quick check-in with headquarters told me that they had picked up Lorenzo’s contact, but he wasn’t talking.

With any luck, we wouldn’t need him to. I was hoping to set eyes on Rico when I met with Saguaro. If he was there, I was giving the order to breach. I knew what Nick’s objective was, but I didn’t give two shits about arresting Saguaro Laurent. It was Rico I was after. The man that had sent a kidnapper, albeit a bad one, after the woman I love.

The American justice system had failed and released a known mobster, allowing him to slip through their security net. But he wasn’t in America anymore. He was on my turf, and I had a literal license to kill.

Rico Mendez would spend the rest of his life in a Cordonian prison, or he would die, and it didn’t matter much to me which one it was. All I cared about was getting him off the streets and keeping Riley safe.

We arrived at the rendezvous spot, but nothing went according to plan.

I found myself in another damn warehouse. This one was on the waterfront and, if our intel was correct, not far from the empty factory that was serving as headquarters for The Gladius Company.

We arrived first and waited. Saguaro and his men were late, which only served to ramp up the already rapidly percolating anxiety in the man at my side.

Sanchez was too damn twitchy. Saguaro picked up on it instantly. He barely glanced at me before fixing Sanchez with a piercing stare. “What’s the problem, Freddy?”

“What?” Sanchez tried to laugh it off. “Nothing. What do you mean?”

Saguaro’s flinty eyes squinted at him, then flicked to me as his hand went to his waist. I had my gun in my hand before he could pull his. “Don’t do it! I really don’t want to shoot anyone today, but I will if I have to. What’s the problem?”

Saguaro moved his hand away from his piece and put his arms in the air. A flash of metal in my periphery caught my attention. “Get down!” I hit the ground just a shot rang out. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down.

Men scattered everywhere. We were outnumbered, but not for long. I could hear Nick in my earpiece giving the order to breach. Sanchez was hit. I drug him with me out of the line of fire, ducking behind a stack of metal barrels as the rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire spattered all around us.

“Hey, Laurent!” I craned my neck to peek around the barricade.

The only answer I got was more gunfire. I retreated back behind the stack of barrels for safety as my team poured into the building.

Now they were outnumbered, and the warehouse was surrounded. Less than fifteen minutes later, Saguaro and his men were cuffed and being loaded into the back of several guard-issue SUVs.

“Johnson, hold up!” I jogged quickly across the asphalt to intercept the lieutenant escorting the head of Gladius Company to one of the waiting vehicles. I grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him roughly up against the car. “Where’s Mendez? Was he with you?”

“Fuck you!” He lurched forward in an attempt to headbutt me, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. I snapped my head sideways, causing him to stumble forward.

I grabbed his shoulders to steady him, then brought my knee up hard into his gut. “I look forward to interrogating you, asshole.”

I beelined for the tactical van. Bursting into the mobile command center, I demanded, “Did we get Mendez?”

“Sorry, man, no,” Nick shook his head. “No sign of him. But the good news is, we got Saguaro and his second in command. There’s a second team sweeping their headquarters now. We successfully took The Gladius Company down!”

He was far too jubilant for what I considered a botched mission. I slammed out of the van with a huff. Goddamn it!

Rico was in the wind.

[prettyboisteveharrington]

So I’m rewriting the royal romance book two and I’m like wow look at all these things I can add but also wow I want more moments between Drake and MC or moments that end differently and no fic has so far pulled me in so I’m going to do it myself 😤

[camillemontespan]

The best mistake he never had [drake x Camille au] [part five]

‘Honestly, Camille, he's a total jerk,’ Maxwell sighed. ‘I shouldn't have gotten so mad but he boils my blood.’

Camille winced and settled down on her bed, tucking her long legs up underneath her. She was talking to Maxwell on the phone, hearing about his run in with Drake last night.

She appreciated how loyal Maxwell was but she sometimes wished he would just let her fight her own battles. He seemed to view her like a delicate flower, someone who could easily break, not someone who was strong and capable.

‘I appreciate you having my back,’ she said gently, ‘but you don't need to fight with him. Just let it go over your head. What's done is done.’

‘He doesn't understand how hurt you were-’

‘He does,’ Camille interrupted. ‘He just doesn't want reminding.’

The call finished soon after that. Camille let out a noise of frustration that sounded like ‘gnnnnngh fuck fuck gnnngh!’ and raked her hands through her hair.

She looked out the window and surveyed the street below. Aside from a few houses and some trees, it was bare and didn't have much to it. Her eyes followed the line of the street until she settled on Walker Ranch up the hill.

Her heart twinged.

In the distance, she saw Drake step outside the ranch. He stopped at his pick up truck.

He began to hose it down and wash it. Camille watched, her eyes focused on him. He looked small from this distance.

She wished she knew what he was thinking. Drake kept a wall around himself, one that she thought she had managed to climb years ago. Scale the wall and get to know the real Drake Walker.

Clearly, it hadn't worked.

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

‘Mommy, can I go ride my bike?’ Lily asked.

‘Depends..’ Camille mused. ‘Have you finished the first lesson sent from school?’

She looked over Lily's shoulder at the laptop screen. Thank god Lily's teacher had been understanding and allowed Camille to take Lily to Texas during school times. Lily was currently being emailed online learning and she was working through it, happy to learn something new.

Happy that Lily had completed her maths lesson, Camille allowed her to take a thirty minute break.

Lily trundled her bike outside and clipped her pink helmet onto her head. After Camille had shouted at her about talking to Drake, she had decided that she was only going to cycle today and NOT speak to anyone under ANY circumstances. Especially if they had a horse.

She hitched her leg over the seat and began to cycle along the road away from her grandmothers house.

Lily cycles up the hill, nearing the ranch. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Drake who was washing his truck.

Nooooo!! she wailed to herself.

Drake looked up and gave her a weak smile. Lily watched him, keeping her eyes narrowed. She was NOT going to smile back. No.

She cycled faster to get away from him. Blinded by sheer determination, she didn't see the small rock on the road. As the front tyre hit it, the bike jolted, giving Lily a fright.

In her shock, she couldn't correct herself in time and without warning, she went flying off the bike.

She let out a piercing scream as she hit the ground.

***********

‘Lily!’

Drake abandoned his truck and ran across the road to where Lily lay on her side, the bike tangled up amongst her legs.

He reached her and sank down to his knees, gently picking the bike off her.

Lily was whimpering with tears streaming down her cheeks.

‘Shh it's okay, honey..’ Drake murmured. ‘Where do you hurt?’

A weird feeling had flooded Drake. He hadn't meant to call her ‘honey’ for one thing.

‘M-my head..’

‘Okay, look at me. Lily, look at me, it's okay-’

‘No!’ Lily shouted. ‘I’m n-not allowed to talk to you!’

Drake closed his eyes and exhaled. ‘Lily, I can help you. Let me just check your head-’

‘Lily!’

Drake turned to see Camille running up the hill towards them.

Fuck.

‘Mommy..’ Lily croaked.

Camille reached the pair of them, her eyes casting along Drake before settling on her daughter. She kneeled down close to Lily and gently scooped her up. ‘Baby, where are you hurt?’

‘My head-’

Camille’s eyes darted to Drake in panic. ‘It’s okay, baby. We'll just have to get you to the hospital just in case -’

‘Am I going to die?’ Lily asked in a small voice.

‘No, baby,’ Camille said softly. ‘You’ve just hit your head and the doctor will need to take a look at it.’

Drake studied Camille, a picture of worry and anxiety, and then looked Lily. ‘You know, she might not need a hospital. It could be okay. Lily, how’s your vision?’

‘Uhhhh..’

‘Are there two of me?’ Drake asked, half joking. He needed to make this light. Make her not worry. Make Camille not worry.

‘Just you,’ Lily told him. She snuggled into Camille, her small fingers gripped on Camille's sweater.

‘Thank god there's only one of me, can you imagine a world with two of me? Awful!’ Drake joked.

Lily giggled. Camille smiled faintly.

‘Right, since you can see only one of me, and you aren't babbling nonsense,’ Drake said, taking control, ‘let’s just get you a cold compress and keep you rested, okay?’

Lily furrowed her eyebrows together, looking rather serious. ‘So, no hospital?’

Drake looked at Camille. ‘She seems fine,’ he said gently. ‘We could monitor her and if she needs medical attention, then hospital it is.’

Camille didn't look convinced. Drake cleared his throat. ‘But hey, you're the boss, Camille.’

He felt he had overstepped.

Camille bit her lip. ‘Okay, let's clean up that head wound,’ she decided, ‘and see how you're feeling in an hour. How's that sound Lily?’

Lily grinned, happy to escape going to hospital.

Camille picked her up carefully and looked up at Drake. He watched her warily, unsure if she was going to give him hell again.

‘Thank you for looking after her,’ Camille finally said.

Drake gave her a small smile. ‘No worries. I'm here if you need anything.’

It was the wrong and most inappropriate thing to say. Camille’s eyes narrowed and she stepped back with Lily in her arms.

‘Let’s get that cold compress, sweetie,’ she said in a clipped voice.

She turned to walk down the street towards Gisele's. Lily looked over Camille’s shoulder at Drake, who stood watching them.

Despite herself, Lily raised her hand and discreetly waved at him. He did help her after all.

Drake smiled weakly and waved back

*******

Camille cleaned Lily up, cleaning the head wound which had stopped bleeding, before gently cleaning her hands that were cut from stones.

‘There, all better now,’ Camille said, pressing a soft kiss on Lily's hand. She gave Lily a cold compress for her head with instructions to lie in bed and relax.

Disaster averted.

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

‘M-mommy?’

Camille had been busy checking in on Gisele who was sleeping at the moment. She slept a lot lately. She was tiny and fragile, like a baby bird.

Camille looked up to see Lily looking pale and quite faint. Alarmed, she stood up and moved to crouch down so she was eye level with Lily.

‘Lily, are you okay?’

‘I feel woozy..’

‘Right, hospital,’ Camille decided. She quickly cast a look at Gisele who was snoring softly. She couldn't leave Gisele by herself - she needed help with moving and she hadn't had anything to eat yet.

But Lily needed medical attention.

Camille bit her lip. She thought of Drake. She really didn't want to ask him. But she couldn't let pride get in the way here. She had to think of Lily.

‘Okay, honey, stay here, I'll be right back. Go lie down beside grandma.’

Lily nodded obediently. Camille rushed downstairs and out the front door, running up to Walker Ranch.

She knocked on the door rapidly.

Drake opened it and his eyes widened. ‘Camille? Is Lily alright?’

‘No,’ Camille burst out. ‘She’s feeling woozy. I need to take her to the hospital but I can't leave grandma-’

‘I’ll take you to the hospital,’ Drake interrupted, ‘and my mom can look after Gisele.’

Camille blinked. ‘I can just take a cab-’

‘No.’

Drake hollered for Bianca who hurried to the door, her eyebrows knitted together with concern.

She insisted on looking after Gisele. Drake gave Camille a smile. ‘Come on, let's go.’

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

Camille sat in the back of the pick up trick with Lily nestled against her. Drake drove, trying his best not to keep looking in the rear view mirror.

Every time he did, his eyes would lock onto Camille's and his breath would catch.

Her eyes were gorgeous. Drake had always thought that. Almond shaped, deep brown like chocolate with golden flecks.

Those eyes were filled with anxiety now. Not for the first time, Drake wondered when Camille had become so tightly wound. She used to be so carefree. Now, she looked ready to pounce just in case the worst happened.

Or maybe she was just a mom who had responsibilities now and she wouldn't rest easy again.

Drake felt his stomach twist. It was his fault she was like this.

They reached the hospital. Camille carried Lily in her arms as they entered the foyer, practically racing to the reception desk.

‘My daughter fell off her bike and hit her head,’ she explained quickly, ‘and now she's feeling woozy.’

The receptionist told them to sit down and a doctor would be with them.

Lily looked around the waiting room apprehensively. She'd never been in a hospital before. The smell made her want to be sick and the worried look on her mother's face made her wish that she'd never ridden the bike in the first place.

She caught Drake’s eye. He gave her a reassuring smile. ‘It’ll be alright,’ he told her. ‘I promise.’

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

Lily had to stay overnight so the doctors could monitor her, just in case.

‘But I don't want to be away from mommy!’ Lily wailed at the doctor, scrambling to get closer to Camille.

Camille took her in her arms and held her close. ‘Shh honey, it's okay -’

‘I don't want to be alone!’

The doctor smiled sympathetically. ‘You won't be alone,’ he said. ‘You’ll have a comfy bed in the kids ward. A few kids are already there, you might make friends.’

Lily shot a panicked look at Camille. She did NOT want to stay overnight.

‘It’s only for the night,’ Camille told her softly. ‘It’s to make sure you're safe. I promise, I'll be here first thing tomorrow morning to pick you up and we can get McDonalds. Would you like that?’

Lily clenched her fists in frustration. She didn't want to argue with Camille but she didn't want to stay here, in this weird smelling place, in a bed that wasn't hers.

But the doctor would make sure she was okay and that meant her mommy wouldn't worry and that was the important thing to remember.

She nodded mutely, accepting her fate.

The doctor smiled. ‘The kids ward is an animal theme!’ he said cheerfully. ‘Do you like animals?’

Lily smiled now. ‘I love animals,’ she said quietly.

Camille squeezed her hand. ‘There you go, baby.’

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

After Lily was taken to the kids ward, Drake and Camille left the hospital.

Camille sat in the front passenger seat and looked out the window quietly, chewing anxiously on a fingernail.

‘She’s gonna be okay,’ Drake said, breaking the silence.

Camille looked down at her hands. ‘We’ve never spent a night apart before. It feels… like a part of me is missing. Something vital. Because she is.’

Her eyes filled with tears.

Drake bit his lip, unsure how to handle this. He wasn't good with crying women.

Come on. Say something to her. Help her feel better.

‘She’s a firecracker,’ Drake said. ‘She’s a strong girl, just like her mama. She's going to be fine and it'll be tomorrow before you know it.’

Camille let out a shaky breath and nodded. ‘I know,’ she croaked. ‘I just want her to be happy and safe and right now it feels like she isn't. What if it gets worse? What if she gets more woozy and gets sick? What if-’

‘Camille.’

Drake pulled the truck over and turned off the ignition. He turned to face her. Tears had started to fall down her cheeks.

He sighed. Slowly, he reached out and gently wiped her tears away. Camille stared at him with wide eyes, her lower lip trembling.

‘Nothing is going to happen to Lily,’ he said softly, enunciating every word. ‘She’s got doctors to monitor her and she'll be sleeping in an animal themed ward. She'll be comfortable and safe. Tomorrow morning, I will drive you to the hospital first thing to take her home. She's going to be fine.’

Their eyes bore into each others. Drake could feel himself getting lost in her golden flecks.

‘Drake…’ Camille murmured.

Drake swallowed. ‘Yeah?’

Camille’s eyes remained fixed on his. Drake couldn't breathe. He could feel his heart starting to hammer inside his chest.

‘Why did you make that decision five years ago?’ Camille finally asked, her voice thick with emotion.

Drake blinked. He hadn't been expecting her to ask him that question.

‘I.. Camille, I can't..’

Camille pulled back. In an instant, Drake could see her closing off to him. She rubbed her wet eyes harshly and cleared her throat.

‘Forget I even asked,’ she said, her voice remote. ‘Don’t know what I was expecting you to say. You didn't give answers then, you're not going to give answers now.’

She turned to look out of the window, her arms crossed.

Drake gripped the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white. ‘Camille, I'm sorry -’

‘Just fucking drive.’

Drake exhaled and turned the key in the ignition. He stole a glance at Camille who continued to stare out the window. Her jaw was set.

Drake had done a good job building up his walls through the years.

Clearly, so had Camille.

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

Drake pulled up outside Gisele's. They had driven in silence which had been excruciating.

Camille unclipped her seatbelt. ‘Thank you for taking us to the hospital,’ she said formally.

She sounded so far away.

Drake closed his eyes. He needed to do it. Now was the time. They were alone.

‘Camille, I wasn't cut out to be a dad,’ he finally said. ‘Can you imagine me as a dad?’

Camille kept her gaze fixed on the window. ‘You ARE a dad, Drake.’

‘You know what I mean.’

Camille shrugged. ‘You seemed pretty happy talking to Lily. Letting her groom Lone Star. Helping fix her up. Trying to help her feel better about the hospital.’

‘She was panicking, I had to say something to help her calm down -’

‘You didn't have to,’ Camille interrupted. Her voice was dangerously rising now.

‘You could have kept your distance. You could have let us just take a cab to the hospital. But you keep turning up and you're slowly getting to know her. And yet you don't want any part of her.’

Drake exhaled. ‘That’s not fair, Camille -’

Camille whipped around to face him, her eyes filled with fury. ‘No, Drake! What's unfair is you showing up all the time without warning! I'm trying to look after my grandma and make sure Lily is comfortable here and I keep looking over my shoulder wondering if you're suddenly going to be in the background. You can't reject me five years ago and never contact me again and then when I visit, you're here! THAT is not fair, Drake.’

Drake slammed his hands on the steering wheel. ‘She fell off her bike, what was I supposed to do-’

‘YOU DON'T DRIVE US TO THE FUCKING HOSPITAL!’ Camille screamed. Drake jumped back in shock.

‘You don't act like a fucking father!’ she continued, her voice high and piercing, every word cutting into Drake like a knife.

‘You don't act all concerned and reassuring! You keep your fucking distance because if you didn't want to be a dad five years ago, you certainly don't want to be a dad now and I can't have Lily falling in love with you like I did -’

‘What?’

That last admission was all Drake picked up on.

Camille instantly went rigid. She turned away and brought her hands up to her face, covering her eyes.

‘Oh god..’ she muttered. ‘Oh god, oh god…’

‘You loved me?’ Drake asked.

Camille didn't answer. She was shaking.

‘Camille, answer me.’

Camille let out a shaky breath. She wound her hands together and not looking at him, she spoke.

‘I fell for you that night,’ she told him. ‘Sounds ridiculous. How can you fall in love with someone in one night? But I've known you for years and always liked you. Thought you were gorgeous in a rugged, disheveled way. But that night, getting to know you, talking till 3am about our secrets and dreams, being together… I fell over the edge. It makes no sense but I guess when you get that feeling, you can't deny it. You called it a drunken mistake but for me, it was a revelation.’

Drake stared at the steering wheel, processing her words. How could he tell her that everything he said to her, after finding out about the baby, was a lie?

It hadn't been a drunken mistake for him, not really. He had loved being with Camille that night. Everything had felt like it was supposed to. Like the universe had aligned.

‘But when I told you I was pregnant and you were so harsh… I realised I was stupid to have feelings for you,’ Camille explained. ‘I felt so rejected. Worthless. I couldn't hear staying in the same town as you, seeing you everyday and I didn't want my baby to grow up knowing you. If you could hurt me that badly, you could hurt her. And I still think that.’

A lump formed in Drake’s throat.

‘Then why did you ask me why I made that decision five years ago?’ he asked.

Camille kept her eyes away from him. ‘Closure.’

Without a word, she got out of the truck. She slammed the door. The sound jolted Drake. He watched her walk away and it felt like deja vu.

[tessa-liam]

Royal Adventures 

Season’s Scrambles

Chapter 2 

Books: Choices, The Royal Romance Finale, Choices, The Royal Holiday 

A Smoke & Mirrors Series Alternate Universe 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F! MC Riley Brooks-Rys

Series Inspiration: Royal Misadventures, Smoke & Mirrors series 1-shot 

Series Premise: 12-year-old Crown Princess Eleanor Rys of Cordonia has officially started her Royal education. Tutors that had been personally selected by His Majesty King Liam Rys and Queen Riley Rys were set to begin her royal lessons, and her days were packed full. The young princess was a natural leader, and the King and Queen could not be prouder.   

Royal Adventures Masterlist 

Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist 

Rating:  M, not Beta'd-please excuse all errors    

Category: On-going series, fluff 

Warnings: swearing, drinking, sexual innuendo 

Most Characters belong to Pixelberry Studios 

Chapter Inspiration: National Lampoon’s ‘Christmas Vacation’ 

Katie Campbell – Theme Song 1989 

Royal Adventures 

Season’s Scrambles, chapter 2 

Chapter Summary: Olivia invites the Royal Family, Leo & Amalas, Drake & Delaney, Alex Cossoy, Hana and Maxwell to the Dukedom of Lythikos to enjoy the winter season for the holidays.  Ellie, along with Drake, Leo and Maxwell decide to have a sledding competition. In secret. Olivia and Ellie conspire to grease Maxwell's sled with a super slippery substance where his sled flies down the hill at an extremely fast speed. 

A/N: My submission for King Liam Appreciation Week 2024, Day 1 - Baklava 

A/N2: My submission for @choicesholidays, @angelascribbles -Week 5- Prompt: New Traditions 

A/N3: My submission for Choices December 2024 Challenge, Prompts: 4-Traditions/5-Baking/8-Spices/21-Tree/26-Hot Chocolate/10-Snow,      All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey) 

@lilyoffandoms 

Words: 2445

 Lythokis Keep, Lythokis, Cordonia 

Carefully laying out the phyllo dough, Riley hummed a Christmas tune as she started to layer the ingredients for Baklava for Liam. The sweet honey drizzle and cinnamon made her mouth water. The smell of his favorite dessert would draw him into the kitchens quickly. Luckily, he was off to fell a talon tree with Leo, Drake and Alex, having left at the crack of dawn, not expected to return until later in the afternoon. 

"Baklava?" 12-year-old Ellie asked, as she watched her mother gleefully preparing her father’s favorite sweet treat. Sitting on the stool next to her mother, Ellie sighed, “I love Baklava,” looking longingly at the sweet confection. 

"Of course you do," Riley chuckled, nudging her shoulder. "I'll try to save you some," as Riley continued to sprinkle chopped pistachios onto the dish. 

"Thanks, Mom!" 

"I want to lick the bowl." Stefan said, jumping up and down. 

"No way!" William cried. "You always get to lick the bowl, Steffie." 

"Stefan, you can't eat it all," Riley said, looking down at her youngest. "This is your dad's and he's going to be hungry after felling that tree." 

"But I love baklava," Stefan pouted, his eyes tearing up. 

Riley looked over at him, seeing the tears in his eyes. She knew that look anywhere. 

"Stefan, no..." she warned. 

"Please?" He begged. 

She shook her head, chuckling. 

"Go ahead." 

"Yessss!" Stefan cheered, leaping into the air. 

Riley grinned and finished placing the top layer. She took the pan and placed it into the oven. 

"So," she said, turning to look at her children. "What's on the agenda for today?" 

"Auntie Livie invited Micaela and I to go sledding," Ellie said.  

"Oh really? Okay, before you go, please help your brothers with their skates.” 

"Sure, Mom," Ellie nodded agreeably.  

Riley took a sip of her coffee and walked away to get herself dressed for the winter chill, leaving the kids to their own devices. 

"Alright, boys," Ellie said, walking over to them. 

"We wanna go sledding!" William whined. 

"I'll help you get your skates on," she said. "Then you can go sledding." 

"Promise?" 

“Yes, I promise." 

❄️❄️❄️ 

"Alright, boys," Maxwell said, standing in the middle of the ice rink with Hana and Amalas, holding his nephews' hands. "Are you ready to learn how to skate?" 

"Yes!" Stefan yelled. 

"No!" William cried. "It's cold out here." 

"You won't even notice once you get started," Hana said, kneeling next to him. 

"Really?" 

"Trust me." 

"Alright," William said, nodding. 

"Come on, you two," Riley said, taking their hands. 

"Mom," Ellie said, grabbing Riley's hand. 

"Hmm?" 

"When is Daddy coming back?" 

"In a few hours, sweetie," she replied, rubbing her arm. "He should be done by lunch time." 

"Ok." 

"Now," Riley said, standing on the ice and taking the twins' hands. "Let's go." 

"Wait," Stefan said, stopping. 

"What's wrong?" 

"How do we stay up?" 

"Don't worry," Hana said, sliding next to him and taking his hand. "We've got you." 

"I'm scared." 

"Just relax and don't think about it," Maxwell said. 

"Just like when you're walking," Riley said. 

"Just don't fall," Stefan nodded. 

"Stefan," William groaned, rolling his eyes. "Don't say that." 

"Why not?" 

"You'll jinx us." 

"How would I-" 

"Hey," Maxwell said, crouching in front of them. "Look at me. Do you know who I am?" 

"You're Uncle Maxwell," Stefan nodded. 

"Do you know that I'm not going to let you get hurt? Or your mom or your Aunt Hana?" 

"No." 

"And you trust me, right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Maxwell said, winking at him. 

"Okay." 

"Good." 

"I want to go with you, Auntie Hana!" Stefan said. 

"Me too!" William cried. 

"Ok, ok," Hana chuckled. 

As the twins began to glde with Hana, Riley looked up at Maxwell and smirked. 

"Race you." 

"Oh, you're on, queen Riles," Maxwell said, smirking back. 

They sped off across the ice, the kids squealing as they picked up speed. Amalas slid next to Hana, smirking. 

"How much did you bet on this?" 

"1000 euro," Hana smirked. 

"Excellent." 

Riley and Maxwell were neck and neck, their kids cheering from the sidelines. 

"Last lap, Beaumont," Riley breathily laughed. 

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ri," he responded cheekily. 

Riley laughed and sped up. She passed him and he tried to speed up as well but instead lost his balance and fell on his face. Riley burst into giggles, falling onto the ice as well. The twins cheered, hugging their aunt tightly. 

"You beat Uncle Maxwell!" 

"I told you, Mom's the best!" 

"Thank you, thank you," Riley chuckled, bowing. 

...Meanwhile, Olivia was preparing Maxwell's sled as Ellie watched closely.

"So, it's a secret sled?" Ellie asked.  "What are you spraying on the bottom of the disk? 

"This," Olivia said, holding up a can. 

"What's that?" 

"Graphite oil spray. It's not even for sale in the Capital. It's just something I had on hand." 

"Nice," Ellie grinned. 

"Now, we just spray it on the sled and voila." 

"It's not gonna look too obvious, right?" 

"Don't worry," Olivia said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He won't know until he's already halfway down the hill.... and by then, it will be too late." 

"Perfect," Ellie said, clapping her hands together. 

"Now, we go over the plan again." 

"Exactly, good thinking." Olivia nodded. 

"And if it works, we get to win the bet with uncle Leo and uncle Drake? And they will have to be our personal butlers for a week?

"Yup." 

"But Uncle Drake and Uncle Leo will hate us forever." 

"Oh ... not forever," Olivia chuckled. "Just until the next competition. And they won't win that either. They will not be pleased." 

"This is mean." 

"It's a bit mean," Olivia cackled. 

"But I still think it's a great idea." 

"Good. Now, let's go over the plan again." 

❄️❄️❄️

As Liam, Leo and Alex was returning to the keep, the sun was setting and snow was falling gently from the sky. Riley and the kids were standing on the balcony of the grand suite, waiting for their arrival. 

"Look, boys," Riley said, pointing down the path. "There they are." 

"Where?" Stefan asked. 

"Right there." 

"Daddy!" William yelled. 

Liam looked up, waving to them. Riley and the kids waved back, the kids jumping up and down. 

"Daddy, Daddy!" They shouted. 

Liam walked noticeably faster, the other adults quickening their pace to keep up. He made it to the stairs, climbing them two steps at a time. Once he reached the top, the boys ran and leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly. 

"Hi, Daddy," Stefan said. 

"Hi, boys," Liam chuckled. "Have you been good?" 

"Uh-huh." 

"Yeah, Daddy." 

"I'm so glad." 

"Did you have fun, Dad?" Riley asked, leaning against the rail. 

"I did," he said, nodding. "Leo almost fell off a tree, but other than that, we had a lot of fun." 

"Uncle Leo almost fell?" 

"Yeah." 

"That's hilarious!" 

"You're telling me." 

"Come on, boys," Riley said. "Let's give your father a break and get him some hot chocolate." 

"Hot chocolate!" They yelled, running down the hall. 

"Ahhhh ... there is my beautiful bride." Liam placed a sweet kiss on her cheek as Riley wrapped her arms around his neck. 

"I can't believe this will be our first year spending the holidays here since after our wedding ... and that was our first holiday as a married couple." 

"What special traditions will you make this year, love." Liam wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"I'm ready to make some new traditions with you." 

"Oh yeah, I can't wait, love. So, what did you and the twins do while we were gone?" Liam asked. 

"Went ice skating." Riley grinned.

"Oh really?" 

"Maxwell taught the boys how to skate," Riley said. "He kept them occupied while Amalas, Hana and I had some girl time." 

"Sounds like fun." 

"It was. How was your time with the other men?" 

"It was interesting," Liam chuckled. "Alex and Leo tried to make a tree fort, but Alex fell through the roof." 

"Wow." 

"Yeah." 

"So," she said, stepping closer to him. "Did you bring home the prize?" 

"We did," he nodded. "A 20 foot talon tree." 

"Excellent." 

"Mm-hm," he murmured, leaning forward and kissing her. 

"Come on," Riley said, taking his hand and pulling him to the hall. "Let's get you warmed up. I have a surprise for you." 

"Ooh, what is it?" 

"If I tell you, it's not a surprise, your Majesty." 

"Fair point," Liam chuckled, following her down the grand staircase. 

Once they were in the kitchen, Liam's eyes landed on the counter. 

"Is that...?" 

"Baklava," Riley said matter of factly. 

"Really?" 

"Really," she nodded and smiled coyly. "Made it this morning. Our new holiday tradition: freshly baked, homemade baklava." 

"Oh, baby, you are the best," Liam sighed. 

"I know," Riley giggled. 

"Mom!" 

Riley turned and saw her sons walking into the room. 

"Daddy, do you want to come sledding with us?" William asked. 

"Can't," Liam said, picking up a slice of baklava. "I've got business to take care of." 

"Oh, please," Riley said, looking up at him. "Come play with us." 

"You don't have to convince me," he chuckled, popping another bite into his mouth. 

"Yay! Come on, Daddy!" 

"Ok, ok," Liam laughed. 

They put their jackets and boots on and walked outside. 

Olivia, Ellie, Micaela and Alex were standing on top of a snow hill planning the race, surrounded by lots of freshly fallen snow. Drake, Maxwell, Hana Delaney, were chatting and drinking Lythikos nog. Leo and Amalas met Liam, Riley, William and Stefan to take them to watch the race.

"Are you ready?" Olivia called, looking down the hill. 

"Bring it!" Drake yelled. 

"Oh, you're gonna get it!" Ellie shouted. 

"Alright, let's start this," Maxwell said, clapping his hands. 

"Who's racing?" Maxwell asked. 

"Me, you, Auntie Laney, and Uncle Drake," Ellie said, hopping up and down. 

"Oh," Maxwell said. "Then it's three against one." 

"Yeah," Olivia smirked. "I'm rooting for my niece." 

"Same here," Amalas chuckled. 

"Oh, boy," Maxwell groaned. 

"You've got this, Ellie!" Micaela cheered. 

"We'll win this," Delaney said. 

"Suurre, you will," Drake said. 

"Oh, we will," Ellie countered, nodding. 

Alex placed the circular discs in a line, 10 feet apart for Ellie, Maxwell, Drake, and Delaney.

Olivia and Ellie looked at each other, smirking. 

"On your mark," Alex said, "Get set. Goooooo!" 

They pushed their sleds down the hill, the cold air hitting their faces. Olivia looked over and saw Maxwell's sled was flying down the hill, far ahead of the others. She and Ellie looked at each other, laughing. 

"He's gonna crash," Ellie said. 

"He's not gonna stop," Olivia chuckled. 

"You're right," she sighed. "He's gonna wipe out." 

"Hopefully he'll learn his lesson." 

"What lesson?" 

"Never bet against us," Olivia smirked. 

"Yeah," Ellie chuckled. 

As they neared the bottom of the hill, Olivia saw Maxwell's sled skid off the side, sending him flying into the air.

Maxwell was having a blast, the speed at which he was barreling down the hill was exhilarating.

"Woo-hoo!" He yelled. "I'm flying!" 

"Not for long!" Ellie laughed. 

"Huh?" 

Suddenly, Maxwell's sled flew off the side, sending him tumbling into a snowbank. 

"Maxwell!" Riley cried out, running to him. 

"Ouch," he groaned. 

"What happened?" Liam asked. 

"I don't know. My sled just shot off the hill." 

"He's fine," Riley said. "I'm sure it's not the end of the world." 

"Yeah," Maxwell nodded. 

"Oh, man," Ellie chuckled, nudging Olivia. "Good thing they can't prove anything." 

"I agree," Olivia whispered. 

"You are a bad influence, Liv" Riley said, noticing their devious expressions 

"Maybe." 

"Alright," Drake said, stepping next to the snowbank. "Who wants a turn?" 

"I do!" Ellie cried, leaping into the snow. 

Liam stepped up and stopped his daughter from lifting the fast disc.

"Ellie, hold on a second," Liam said calmly. 

"Why, Daddy?" 

"Because that's not a toy, and it's dangerous." 

"I can handle it," Ellie said. 

"You need to be careful." 

"I will be." 

"No, Ellie. Just use the slower sled." 

"But-" 

"I won't tell you again." 

"Fiiinne," Ellie groaned, trudging over to the slower sled. 

"You know, Li, you never used to be so strict," Leo said, stepping next to him. 

"Well, times have changed." 

"True." 

"I can't risk her getting hurt." 

"Of course not," Leo nodded. "But she's your daughter. She's gonna want to try new things and get out of her comfort zone." 

"I'm aware." 

"So maybe let her have a little more freedom. It's not going to kill her." 

"I'll think about it." 

"Good. But remember, we did a lot of stuff we shouldn't have when we were kids." 

"Exactly.” 

@choicesficwriterscreations @choicescommunityevents @kingliamappreciationweek @choicesholidays @choicesmonthlychallenge @choicesdecember2024 @choicesprompts

📌tags in the comments

[professor-abeloved]

Warmer Than Whiskey [ Drake x TRR!MC ]

Fandom: The Royal Romance Series (PlayChoices)

Characters | Ships: Drake Walker/Original Female Character (My Time At Sandrock)

Summary:

A get-away vacation is just the thing Briar and Drake need this Christmas--but memories, both the good and the bad, don't just fade like footsteps in the snow.

Notes: Choices Fandom Secret Pal Exchange Gift for @tveitertotwrites on tumblr! Briar Boleyn (she/her) belongs to them! It was fun getting to know more about her (as a fellow TRR and Six the Musical fan HAHA!) and it's so cool seeing all your references! You're very creative and organized, friend!! Writing Drake Walker in 2024 gave me immense flashbacks as someone who was around when the first book was still updating, and it makes me want to (re)play the series again, ngl. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! As always, DMs and the k0fi are open for requests/trades <3

cc: @choicesfandomappreciation thank you so much for hosting this and letting me be a part of it all!! you're amazing!!

—

The cabin in the middle of the woods is bigger than Briar thought it would be. It’s also much older, with fading brown paint that the pure white snow can’t quite cover with wooden planks that look as though they’d crumble the second someone so much as breathed on them.

As soon as they get out of their car, Drake watches the surprise flickering on his wife’s face. “Well? What do you think, B?”

“This looks so… rustic!” Briar flounces towards the cabin with a picnic basket, examining the rickety front porch in a mix of genuine awe and concern. “Like something out of the Blaire Witch project. Can I even come in or do I need a password to enter sacred Walker grounds?”

read the rest on ao3

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Throwback Fic #6

Toga Party

I am participating in @wackydrabbles​​​ prompt # 129 the prompt “Well that sucks.” will be in bold.

This is chapter 2 of And So… We Met

Series:  And So…We Met The Book:  TRR Pairing:  Riley x Drake /  Liam x Hana /  Hana x ?  eventually Riley x Liam Word Count: 1930 Warnings/ Ratings:  None

Summary:  Campus toga party for Psychology Club to donate sheets to the local homeless shelter.

Original Post: 01/15/22 at 9:42PM EST

Keep reading

[cordonianroyalairlines]

Staking a Claim

Series: Cordonian Royal Airlines

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings for series: Various

Pairing for this chapter: Riley x Drake

Word Count: 2,340

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Language mostly

A/N: This is for the @choicesholidays Valentine's Day prompts: "Be my fake date for a wedding."

The hair color is wrong for my Riley, but this image was perfect!

The copilot twisted around in his seat one too many times, craning his neck as if searching the cabin for something, jostling the pilot in the process.

Liam grunted in consternation. “Drake!”

Drake spun back around, “What?”

“What is your malfunction?”

“What do you mean?” Drake blinked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean what do I mean?” Liam grunted, “We haven’t made it through the preflight checklist because you keep turning around to stare into the cabin! What the hell is so interesting out there?”

“Nothing!” Drake rolled his shoulders, stared blankly out the cockpit window for a moment then turned back to Liam, “Can you see the guy in 12B?”

“What?” Liam’s head swiveled around and then back. “No. Why?”

Drake’s bottom lip protruded as he shook his head. “No reason.”

Liam watched him skeptically. Drake had been visibly agitated since he’d reported for duty. “There has to be a reason.”

“I…he just….he looks a little squirrely. You know what I mean? Untrustworthy.”

Liam’s eyes widened in alarm. “Is he a threat? Do we need to alert security? Did you see a weapon?” He whipped his head around quickly to try and get a good view of the man in 12B. “I can’t see anything. Riley’s blocking my view.”

“Is she talking to him?” Drake’s entire body moved just as Liam turned back around. Their heads collided with a resounding thwack.

“Ow! Fuck!” Liam grabbed his forehead.

“Sorry, sorry!”

“Seriously man, tell me what’s going on right now. I’m calling security!” Liam reached for the microphone but just as he got it to his mouth, Drake slapped it out of his hands.

“No!”

Liam watched in astonishment as the microphone flew out of his grip and hit the window then bounced off the dash. “Are you on drugs right now? Do I need to get another copilot?”

Drake gaped at him. “Seriously? When have I ever done drugs?”

“I don’t know man, but you’re acting really fucking weird.”

Hana ducked her head in to ask, “Are we almost ready? A couple of the passengers are getting antsy.”

“Which ones?” Drake asked.

Hana’s brows pulled together for a moment then smoothed out as she chuckled. “Oh. You know Riley’s ex is out there, don’t you?”

“What?” Drake’s eyes shot to Liam then back to Hana as he denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

A relieved breath whooshed out of Liam. At least he now knew Drake wasn’t on drugs and there wasn’t a terrorist on board. He stifled a laugh. “Sure you don’t.”

“I don’t!” Drake glared at them both.

Hana giggled as she backed out of the cockpit.

They finished the checklist and got airborne, but Drake’s agitation quickly returned. “Do you think he’s better looking than me?”

“Who?”

“The guy! In 12B.”

“How would I know?”

“You’re bisexual, right? You can judge that kind of thing.”

Liam scoffed. “First of all, I haven’t laid eyes on the guy. Second of all, I thought you didn’t care.”

“No, I don’t! I mean….just objectively speaking, out of curiosity….I overheard Hana call him eye candy. He can’t be that good-looking, can he?”

“I dunno Drake, Riley is a ten, so I imagine her ex is no slouch in the looks department either.”

“Great.” Drake huffed as he spun around in his seat again.

“Oh, for the love of God, just go look!”

“I can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“Because then she’ll know I care!”

Liam cocked an eyebrow at him, “So you do care?”

“I mean she’ll think I care!”

“You’re really an idiot sometimes, you know that?”

“I don’t follow.”

“Of course you don’t.” Liam shook his head. “The only person you’re fooling is yourself. Put the rest of us out of our misery and just tell the girl that you like her already!”

“I’m not going out there.”

“Okay.”

Drake tapped his fingers on his knees for several seconds before jumping out of his seat. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Sure you do.”

“I had a lot of coffee before we boarded.”

“Sure you did.”

“Fuck you. I’m going to take a piss.”

“Great. Tell Riley I said hi.”

Drake ignored him as he exited the cockpit and headed for the back of the plane where the restrooms were located. He slid his eyes sideways as he passed aisle 12 and scoffed to himself. The guy wasn’t that good-looking.

He was clean-shaven with a strong jawline, and raven hair swept back and gelled to perfection. Was that an Armani suit? How were his eyes that blue?

He slammed into the lavatory and locked the door to glare at himself in the highly polished silver surface of the mirror as he regarded his deep copper-colored eyes and messy, fly-away hair that barely saw a brush, much less hair gel. He ran a hand across the stubble dotting his jaw. It was a strong jawline, wasn’t it? Should he shave?

The guy in seat 12B looked like a CEO or something. Did she like that type? Drake was far more likely to be found in a tent than a boardroom. Did he even own a suit? He owned uniforms. Didn’t women like men in uniforms?

He made pretty good money as a first officer for Cordonian Royal Airlines.

Not CEO money.

“Fuck!” He spun and lashed out at the toilet. His foot connected to the stainless steel sending a sharp jolt of pain shooting up his leg.

There was a knock at the door. “Everything okay in there?”

Shit! It was Riley! “I’m fine. Dropped my…. Wallet…” Fuck, Walker! What the shit is wrong with you, man? Your wallet really?

“Are you sure because that didn’t sound like—”

“I said I’m fine!”

“Okay. Just let me know if—oh, excuse me what?”

From the other side of the door, a man’s voice murmured something he couldn’t make out then both people moved away.

Was that the ex talking to her? He forced himself to count to twenty so he didn’t just barrel out of the bathroom after them. He took several deep calming breaths like Max had tried to show him last time he had been upset about something. At least he thought it was what Max had done. At the time, he had mostly ignored him.

With an air of calm he most certainly did not feel, he exited the lavatory. His eyes went straight to seat 12B. Empty. He backtracked and ducked into the crew area.

Sure enough, there was Riley standing in the middle of the empty inflight catering kitchen talking to Mr. CEO.

All his jealousy evaporated in an instant as he took in her demeanor. Her arms were folded defensively across her chest and her face was furrowed into a frown. She was shaking her head as she leaned forward, her voice lowered but her entire body radiating her discomfort with the conversation.

The guy reached out and grabbed her arm.

She flinched away.

Oh hell no.

Drake didn’t remember moving but he was suddenly next to them, his hand wrapped firmly around the man's wrist. He flung the other man’s arm away from Riley and through gritted teeth asked, “Is there a problem here?”

The man gave him a startled look then annoyance flashed across his face. “We were just having a discussion.”

“Doesn’t look like the lady’s enjoying the conversation.”

“Mind your own business,” he shook his head dismissively and reached for her again, “Riley, if we could just talk privately—”

Drake intercepted the motion before he could touch her. “If you’re attached to that hand and wish to keep it, then I would strongly advise you against touching her again.”

He jerked his hand out of Drake’s grasp and rubbed his wrist. “Was that really necessary?”

Drake never took his eyes off the man as he leaned his body toward Riley, “Do you want to talk to this guy?”

“No.”

“But, Riley—”

“We have nothing to talk about, Nick!”

Drake angled his body so that he was blocking Riley from Nick’s view. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You heard her.”

Nick looked like he wanted to press the issue, but after taking in Drake’s stormy expression, thought better of it. He straightened his suit jacket with a sharp tug. “Fine. I’ll see you at the wedding. We’ll talk then.”

“You’re not coming to my sister’s wedding!”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’ll be there as Clarissa’s plus one.”

Riley shook her head back and forth. “Seriously? When we were dating, you couldn’t stand her!”

A gloating smile crept across his face. “Jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous?”

“Because you’re not over me, Riley. If you were, you’d have bothered to line up a date for the wedding.”

“I—”

“She has a date for the wedding.” Drake cut in as he casually slung his arm around her shoulders.

Nick turned his gaze to Drake for a long, evaluating moment. “Are you the new boyfriend then?”

“Yep. And I’m only going to ask you once to return to your seat. If you don’t stop harassing the flight crew, I will land this plane and have security escort you off of it.”

Nick’s eyes widened slightly as he huffed out, “You wouldn’t dare!”

Riley ran her hand down Drake’s arm as she smirked at Nick, “He would. He’s very protective when it comes to me. I wouldn’t test him if I were you.”

“Whatever,” Nick bumped Drake’s shoulder as he shoved past them and exited the kitchen.

Drake’s arm was still around Riley as he turned his head to watch Nick leave. “Let me know if he bothers you again and I’ll—”

Riley spun on him in fury, her fists raining blows on his chest. “What the fuck did you just do, Drake?”

His hand flew to his chest. “Ow! What the hell, Riley? I just rescued you from that guy!”

“I didn’t need rescuing, Drake. I can handle Nick. He’s an asshole, but he’s not a serial killer or something!”

Drake scoffed with a shake of his head, “I think the phrase you’re looking for is thank you.”

“Oh yeah? Really?”

“Yeah, really!”

“Do you know what you just did? Do you?”

“Um…got the asshole ex-boyfriend to leave you alone?”

“No, you fucking jackass.” She slapped his arm. “You just told him that you’re my boyfriend and my date to my sister’s wedding!”

“So?”

“So?” She threw her arms up in the air. “So when I show up at the wedding with no date and no boyfriend he’ll know that was a lie and I’ll be humiliated!”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…oh!”

They stood in silence for a long moment, Drake rubbing his chest and Riley fuming. Then Drake quietly said, “I’ll go to the wedding with you.”

“What?”

“I mean….if you want me to.”

“I…”

“I did get you into this situation. Let me make it up to you by getting you out of it. One fake boyfriend slash date for sister’s wedding coming right up!”

All the fight went out of her as she took in the hopeful smile on his face. “I can’t ask you to do that, Drake.”

“Why not?”

“Because the wedding is on Valentine’s Day and I’m sure you already have plans. I can’t ask you to cancel—”

“Pfffftttt.” He waved a hand dismissively in the air. “I do not have plans for Valentine’s Day!”

“You don’t?”

Did she sound hopeful?

“No, I do not. No girlfriend, no friend with benefits, no romantic entanglements at all.”

Except with you.

A delighted smile broke out across her face. “Okay, then.”

“So, we’re good?”

She gave him a flirtatious smile as she flipped her hair and turned to leave. “We’re good.”

“Okay, good.”

He watched her walk away with a contented smile on his lips then followed her out of the kitchen and back to the front of the plane. He glowered at Nick as he passed aisle 12.

Nick returned the glare as he adjusted his headphones and slid down in the seat.

When he stepped onto the flight deck Liam greeted him with smug satisfaction. “That was the longest piss in the world.”

“Shut up.” He slid into the copilot seat without looking at his best friend.

“So how’d it go? Did you get a good look at her ex?”

“Um….yeah… he’s a pushy bastard. I had to tell him to keep his hands to himself and….”

“And?”

Drake released a long-suffering sigh knowing Liam was going to find out sooner or later. Riley would tell Max and Max would tell everyone else. “I’m going as her date to her sister’s wedding.”

“Wow! That’s quite a jump from ‘I don’t like her like that’.” Liam chortled gleefully.

Drake kept quiet but his foot started tapping nervously.

“Oh, shit, there’s more! What is it?” Liam prodded.

“Ah…”

“Don’t make me call Max and find out.”

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

“Come on, what else?”

“It’s on Valentine’s Day,” he answered with a resigned sigh.

Liam practically danced out of his seat. “This is amazing! This is epic! Mr. I will never take a woman out on Valentine’s Day because that’s far too much pressure and it’s all about commercialization anyway is taking a woman out on Valentine’s Day. To her sister’s wedding!”

“Why does this make you so happy?”

“Because I get to say I told you so forever!”

“It’s not even a real date.”

“Sure it’s not.”

“It’s not!”

“Does she know that?”

“Yes! I just said I was her boyfriend so that Nick guy would stop—”

“Wait! Wait! You played the pretend boyfriend card to back off her ex?”

“Yeah…so?”

Liam threw his head back and belly laughed. “You are such a goner!”

Drake pressed his lips into a tight line and returned his attention to the control panel. He wanted to argue, he really did. But he couldn’t.

He was absolutely a goner.

And he was going to have to buy a suit.

Shit.

[dutifullynuttywitch]

Replaying TRR but romancing Drake this time around. I am here for the cynical, sarcastic guy with a fluffy marshmallow heart 🥰 but also, what does he do all day at court?!