12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Bren

Nervous didn't even begin to describe how I felt as I pulled up to the castle gates and was then let in. I sat in the back of a sleek, black town car driven by a man wearing a black suit with an earpiece, like he was some sort of secret service agent.

Which he was. Only he wasn't protecting the president, he was protecting the royal family.

Royal Guard.

What was the name of the group of people that protected the royal family? I had no idea. I suppose I would have to learn.

The car had shown up exactly when Kalwin said it would, with an apology that Kalwin couldn't make it himself. I hoped that he would be greeting me, because I was way out of my element here. I snuck a glance at the car seat that had been placed next to me. The base of the car seat had already been in the car when it picked me up. I didn't know how the driver or whoever knew the make and model of my car seat, but I didn't question it. The car seat had snapped in perfectly, and off we went.

The car came to a stop, and I sucked in a breath. The driver got out and came around the side. The door opened up. I stepped out into the sun.

The entrance to the palace was grand, featuring a massive set of double doors made from some sort of wood that gleamed in the sun. The intricate carvings displayed the Swena crest. Large, floor-to-ceiling windows lined the first floor, letting in light and giving a glimpse of the lavish life within the royal walls.

The driver handed me the car seat, and I looked at it under my arm. The palace was magnificent, absolutely massive. I couldn't fathom how many rooms there were in there. I should have looked it up online. I had looked at some pictures to see what to expect, but I hadn't wanted to scare myself. Now I felt wholly unprepared.

The massive door, at least twenty feet in height, opened up, and Kalwin stepped out. He smiled when he saw me. Warmth spread within me, and my muscles loosened. He had always had that effect on me, and neither time nor distance had changed it.

"Thank you for coming," he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to pick you up."

"It's all right. You're here now." My voice shook. I hadn't meant for that to happen.

"Please don't be nervous," he said. "We're just a regular family."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the home of this "normal" family.

"Well, except that we're royalty and we live in a palace. But come meet my brothers first, before you worry too much. They will set you at ease. I promise it will be fine."

"Okay. How do I address everyone?" I stage-whispered. I should have known this sort of thing. Did they have classes on how to address royalty?

"By their first name, except for Cort and his husband. They are His Royal Highness."

"Okay, I can remember that, I think."

I let Kalwin carry the car seat and looped my arm into his. We walked quickly through the halls. We were passed by staff members who were all dressed in black. We might have gone up a flight of stairs or two. I couldn't keep track. There was so much to see and so much to look at. I could spend hours just staring at the artwork in this place. So much history here.

"I'll give you a grand tour later, but I thought you might want to meet everyone first."

"That's fine," I said.

We stepped into a room, and something about the space was calming. Normal. The room was large, probably larger than my entire apartment, but it was set up with comfort and children in mind. There were couches, a bookcase with books that looked like people actually read, and children's toys littered the floor and lined the walls. A couple of bouncy seats and a playpen were also there. There was even a container of blocks spilled on the floor. This was more my style. The toys might have been more expensive than what I could afford, but this was the type of thing that was normal to me.

"Where is everyone?" Kalwin asked the man on the couch.

I had to do a double take. He was nearly identical to Kalwin except for being slightly smaller in stature.

"We didn't want to overwhelm Bren. It's just myself and Cort here. Well, and our husbands."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm fine. I think. It is all a bit… overwhelming," I said. I couldn't find a better word for it. This had to be Kalwin's identical twin brother. He smiled warmly when he saw me and gave me a hug.

"Welcome to the family," he said. He peeked into the car seat. "This must be little Neale. Oh, he's precious. He looks just like Kalwin."

I laughed. "Probably just like you, too."

He laughed with me. "Yes, I suppose that's true. Both of my children came out looking like their alpha father, as if I hadn't carried them for nine months."

"Right," I said. "It doesn't seem fair."

"How are you doing?" he asked, laying a gentle hand on my forearm. The sincerity in his tone and the concern on his face nearly brought me to tears.

"I'm fine. A little overwhelmed, but fine." Here I was showing off my stellar vocabulary skills.

"How was the move? I can't imagine traveling that far with an infant."

"We managed. He did so well on the flight. I think the time difference is still affecting him, but honestly, it all feels like one long day anymore."

"Not sleeping well?"

I shook my head. "Regular infant schedule. I think I've gotten one four-hour stretch of sleep since he was born."

"Goodness. I remember those days." He squeezed my hand. "I know this is a lot, but I promise you that we will support you and Kalwin, no matter what the future looks like. You're part of the family now."

"Thank you," I said.

Kalwin put his arm around me and held me close. I felt like family then, like these people really were the kind, loving people that I needed in my life—that my son needed. Another man came up. He had to be another one of the brothers.

"I'm Cort. It's nice to meet you."

My eyes went wide. Should I curtsy? Was I supposed to curtsy? Was I allowed to shake his hand?

He chuckled.

"Okay, I can see that you're not sure what to do. In this room, royal protocol doesn't exist. I'm just a brother meeting my brother's partner."

"Okay," I said. "It's nice to meet you, Your Highness."

"Just Cort," he said and winked. "This is my husband, Thomas. Our son is napping, or he would be here playing with the blocks he left out."

Thomas rolled his eyes. "You're not going to let me live that down—that I put him down without having him pick up the blocks. It was either that or we have a full-on meltdown. I was not ready for a full-on meltdown today. Not after yesterday."

"Yesterday?" I asked, more out of nervousness than curiosity.

"We had a royal event that didn't go the greatest. Turns out toddlers don't want to be photographed every minute of every day. Who knew? At least the photos turned out humorous, and we'll have something to laugh about with our grandchildren."

They were parents just like me. Just like Kalwin. Regular people dealing with regular things, just slightly differently. It was easy to settle onto the couch and get to know each of them. Iain and Xavier told me about their two children, Thomas told me about his and Cort's child. Meanwhile, Kalwin held my hand. After a while, he got up and brought me some water and he held Neale in his arms. We spent the afternoon just sitting and getting to know one another.

It was beautiful.

Until dinner.