21. Advise
21
ADVISE
B efore going to bed that morning, I decide to call my mom. I have only talked to her via text since I arrived. Part of me is still pretty upset with her for keeping me away from my father. I get why she did it—it wasn't just to protect me, but she also wanted to protect my dad and his wife. I'm sure I would've been hard on their marriage, especially in the earlier days. But it still would've been nice to grow up with my dad. I wish I could've gotten to know Lucien and now who knows if I'll get the chance. And Julien is my favorite person. I wish I could've grown up with him.
Still, I try to push my negative feelings aside as I dial Mom's number. She picks up right away.
"Madeline, how are you?"
I can hear the eagerness in her voice, which makes me feel sick to my stomach. I should've called her sooner.
"Hey, Mom. I'm doing good." I peek out the window of my bedroom. From here, I can see the steam rising from the blue pool water. Julien is doing a cannonball into the water, which makes me shake my head. It's in the thirties today and he's wearing nothing but swimming trunks. Out of all the vampiric traits I could've gotten, why didn't I get immunity to the cold?
"That's good to hear," Mom says. "I've been worried about you. Your father has called a few times to update me on how you're doing, but it's nice to hear from you."
"I need to talk." I step away from my window. "I could use some advice."
"Really?" Mom's voice brightens, making me feel even guiltier for not calling her sooner. "I would love to help you out however I can."
I chew on my bottom lip, trying to think of the right words. "I have to get married." I blurt out the words so fast, that they're nearly unintelligible.
"What?" Mom asks.
I sigh. "Sorry. I, uh… well, you know that vampires have laws about succession and marriage."
"No, I didn't," Mom says. "But it's not surprising. Succubi and incubi also have similar laws. It's part of the reason I never got married. I didn't like any of the options available."
I snort.
I'm not surprised Mom was unimpressed with her options. Incubi men aren't exactly my type either.
"Well, there are a lot of laws about it." I begin to pace the room. "And, since I am currently the heir to Dad's throne, I have to follow these rules. And I have to choose a husband."
"Oh, and you need my help picking a guy?" I can hear her smile. "Madeline, you called the right person. Send me over pictures—oh, or better yet, let me come meet them."
I roll my eyes. "That's not what I need. I can choose myself, thank you very much. But I just mean, I have to choose now . Dad is giving me until the end of the month to decide."
"Oh." Mom lowers her voice. "Do you need me to talk to your father?"
"No." I run my fingers through my hair. "I just don't know what to do. I'm not ready to get married yet."
"But there is a guy you like?" Mom asks.
"Yes. But it's complicated."
"Meaning there are two guys." She's smiling again, I can tell by the tone of her voice.
"Mom!" I groan, sitting down on the edge of my bed. "There is only one guy. Well… there are two guys. But one doesn't count because he's not eligible to become my husband. He's not a royal. I like him, but he's made it clear that we can't be together. But the other guy is a royal."
"Say no more," Mom says. "I understand. So, the royal that you're considering is a guy you like, correct?"
"Yes. I like him." I think of Damek and can't help but smile. "But, Mom, I barely know the guy."
"Then take a chance, honey. If I had the chance to do things over, I would have," Mom says, then pauses. "Did I ever tell you about my first love?"
"No." I chew on my fingernail. "I thought Dad was your first love."
She chuckles. "No. There was an incubus that I was rather fond of. But because my father was trying to force me to marry him, I rejected him. A few weeks later, I changed my mind, but it was too late. He had already married somebody else."
"What?" My stomach sinks. "You think that could happen with Damek?"
"Maybe, I don't know. I'm just saying that you should take a chance," Mom says. "Don't have regrets like me, okay? If you have feelings for this guy, tell him . I don't want you to be alone. You should be happy. Besides, I want grandchildren. Lots of grandchildren."
I can't help but laugh. "Okay, Mom. I'll get right on that."
"Be sure that you do," she says sternly. "Please invite me to the wedding."
"You know I will." I sigh. "I'm not cutting you from my life. I just needed a little time to adjust to everything. I was kind of blindsided, you know?"
"I know. And I am so sorry about that. I have made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime. But, Madeline, honey, you are not one of those mistakes. I will never regret having you," Mom says.
"I know." My heart swells. "I love you, Mom."
"Love you too."
As soon as I end the call with my mom, I pull up Damek's contact information and hit the call button. It's kind of late, so I'm not sure if he will answer or not, but it only rings twice before the line picks up.
"Hello." Damek's voice always sounds a little deeper when we talk on the phone.
"Hey." My stomach clenches with nerves. "I need to talk to you, but not on the phone. Can we meet tonight?"
"Why don't I come over right now?" he asks.
I glance out the window and see that the sun has risen completely now. "Isn't it kind of late? I figured you'd be in bed already."
"I'd rather see you than sleep," he says.
I lick my lips. "All right. Then, please, come over."
"Give me twenty minutes," he says, then hangs up the phone.
I glance down at my sweatpants and baggy shirt and run to my closet to get changed. Just as I finish fixing my hair, my phone goes off.
I'm here.
Butterflies tickle my stomach as I make my way downstairs. I'm glad he didn't ring the doorbell because I'm pretty sure Dad and Eden are already asleep.
When I open the front door, Damek is standing there. He has his hands casually tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. His smile widens when he sees me.
"It's really good to see you," Damek says.
"Come on." I grab his arm and gently tug him inside.
"You said you needed to talk." He watches me as I close the door behind us.
"Yes. In the living room."
Damek's hand slowly slides down my arm and he laces our fingers together. I look at our intertwined hands as I lead him toward the living room.
I like him. And I like the way he makes me feel. He's fun to talk to and we get along great. It may not be the best reason to get married, but it is a good foundation on which we could build a good marriage.
But I also kissed somebody else today. And while I'm not sure how I feel about Kaine, I do know that I'm not ready to get married right now. Damek deserves to know how I'm feeling.
When we get to the living room, we sit down next to one another. I wonder for a moment where to start the conversation, but Damek speaks before I can.
"Before you say anything, I want to apologize, again, for my mother's behavior the other night," Damek rushes to say. "When we got home, I set her straight about you. She feels guilty for the way she acted and she will be apologizing to you the next time we see you. I think she thought she was protecting me. But she knows how I feel about you."
How he feels about me.
I chew on my bottom lip.
"I like you, Maddie." Damek's thumb gently caresses the top of my hand. "And I'm hoping that something will come out of whatever this is between us. I've never felt like this before and I'm terrified that something is going to ruin it."
"My father has given me until the end of the month to pick a husband," I say, just blurting out what I called him over here for. Maybe it's just best to be completely honest.
"Wow." Damek watches me with wide eyes. "What are you going to do?"
I shrug. "I don't know. But what I do know is that, out of all the candidates, you're my favorite."
His grin widens.
"But," I say before he can speak, "I don't want to marry somebody without dating them first. I like you, but I want to be in love with you before I marry you."
He nods. "Let me ask you this—are you opposed to marrying me in the future, after we've gotten to know one another better?"
"No, of course not." I tuck my hair behind my ear.
"Leave it to me, then," he says. "I think I have a solution for us that will give you the time you need."
My heart swells. "Really? You'd do that for me?"
"I'd do anything for you, Maddie." He reaches his hand to my cheek and gently caresses it.
I sigh and lean into his touch. "In that case, I have to admit something to you. Something that might make you angry."
"I doubt that," he says.
"I kissed another guy." I carefully watch his face for his reaction, but he just looks at me.
"That's it?" he asks.
I nod. "I just… I thought you should know. When my dad told me that I had to choose by the end of the month, I kind of freaked out a little bit."
"I already knew you were dating other guys. This isn't just about me, but it's about you. This is your life, too. And you should make sure that this is the right decision. If you had to kiss another guy to know how you felt then that's okay." Damek sweetly kisses me on the cheek.
"Thank you." My shoulders slump with relief. "I was worried that you would hate me for what I did."
"Well, I don't hate you. I appreciate your honesty." His brown eyes seem to glow brighter as he watches me. "I am so glad my father was patient with me and didn't make me marry sooner. If he had, I would've missed out on the perfect woman."
I shake my head at him. "Damek, I am far from perfect."
"You just confessed to kissing another man even though you didn't have to. We've never been in a committed relationship with one another. I know that you are going to make a faithful wife one day. I can only hope that I will be your husband."
I chew on my bottom lip to stop the smile.
Damek is such a good guy. It only makes me feel guiltier for what happened with Kaine earlier.
"I really am sorry. About kissing another guy," I repeat, just to make sure that he knows.
"Maddie, it's okay." He leans forward and presses a soft kiss against my lips. "I trust you."
"It won't happen again," I promise him.
He grins. "I said I trust you and I meant it."