Royal Rage

THE PROTAGONISTS

Maximilian Cromwell, King of Henfordshire

Aria-Grace Cromwell, Queen of Henfordshire

Jack Kershaw, former cowboy, now farmer, close friend of the royal family

Henfordshire
Cromwell Palace

King Maximiliam’s rage erupted, his voice echoing through his opulent study. “That is an outrage! Unbelievable! Among our own!”

Aria-Grace, with a sigh, stepped toward her husband. She knew how to soothe him, even when his temper flared. “Darling, calm down. It’s not so bad. Jack said…”

Maximilian’s face flushed, his anger unabated. “Not so bad? Not so bad!?” he repeated, his voice sharp as a freshly honed scythe. “My dear, you heard Jack’s words, but perhaps you weren’t truly attending. That boy’s mother and her entire asylum-bound band of terrorists—they caused catastrophe for us a mere decade and change ago, though it feels like yesterday! Stripped us bare, left us destitute and adrift after we barely escaped by the skin of our teeth. Not so bad? Ha! I can scarcely imagine anything worse.”

Aria-Grace’s hands snapped back, her patience waning. “Well, we made do. I have a loving family as well, who jumped right in to help us, and if anything, it helped broaden our childrens’ horizons living somewhere OTHER than your kingdom! And I didn’t realize living near MY family in beautiful villas and mansions THEY provided us with was such an unbearable hardship for you!” Her tone was icy.

“Queen of my heart, that was most decidedly NOT what I meant! Of course, your family was our saving grace, and they are always a delight.”

“Delight? Guess ya hadn’t met her mother yet then…” Jack’s grin faded as he faced the icy glares from Aria-Grace. Instant regret washed over him. Aria-Grace’s swift punch landed in his gut, extracting a dull huff from him.

“My mother simply dislikes jackasses, JACK,” Aria-Grace snapped, her usual poise forgotten. “You were the president of all asses until Izzy managed to straighten you out. So shut your mouth, Kershaw!”

“I happen to enjoy my time with my wife’s entire family, Jack. Including her mother, who happens to like me a great deal, as does her father.” Max added unamused.

Jack sounded up; his voice weary but firm. “Insanely happy for ya, but listen guys, before my brain self-destructs at whatever sad interpretation of a turtle fight this is supposed to be, I am tired of chasing our own tails here, so lemme remind ya that I said the boy and his dad have nothing to do with what the mother did. They were victims too and still are. They lost everything too and had to go into exile out of shame. Liam is seriously chewin’ on all those memories comin’ back, that kid has a really hard time with it, really down on himself, last thing he needs is you giving them grief now about something he told me in confidence. I came to ya, trustin’ y’all be kind about it, just didn’t want ya to hear it from somewhere else, nobody likes to get sideswiped, and the more ya try to cover some old nonsense up the faster it usually comes back up, but now don’t go and make me regret placin’ my trust in ya being forthcoming with this or it may well be the last time.”

“Oh Jack, don’t be so melodramatic. Max is merely a little upset, completely understandable, and I am sure he doesn’t mean it. We appreciate your function as a liaison between us and the stable staff. But even you would have to understand this news is a tough pill to swallow.”

“Well, then maybe I should go and let ya two swallow that big pill in peace, as long as the boy and his dad are okay. Ya can’t just go and be mad at him, Max, ya can’t. I need to hear ya tell me that ya won’t do anything silly before I leave or I am gonna lose all respect for ya, Yer Majesty.” Jack shrugged, planting his hat back on his head, about to turn to leave.

King Maximiliam’s gaze bore into Jack’s. “No! No, Jack, no! I believe I have demonstrated to my beloved wife and to you that I am more than willing to accommodate even the most unthinkable of circumstances, bending the rules when necessary. I even went so far as to fabricate the claim that YOUR daughter is MINE, ensuring sweet darling Vivienne could be a princess like her siblings, shielded from the fallout that the truth might bring. This arrangement allows you both to spend as much time together as you desire. I stake my reputation on this deception; if anyone were to uncover it, the consequences would extend beyond poor Vivienne. Our entire household would bear the burden, for my reputation serves as the currency of House Cromwell. However, I cannot harbor the husband and son of a usurper! They sought to end our lives. I was present during that harrowing event, as was Aria-Grace. We witnessed the terror firsthand, praying that our gates would hold and our guards remain steadfast. With two small children asleep upstairs, the horror was palpable. As a father of a young boy yourself, you can surely comprehend the gravity of the situation. I personally know other former nobles and royals whose possessions were incinerated, leaving them destitute. No, Jack. NO! The boy and his father must depart. They must relinquish their positions and leave our country. There is no place for them within my kingdom!” His voice reverberated off the gilded walls, resolute and unyielding.

“What the…?! Oh hell naw, ya can’t do that to the boy, to his dad — or to me! I trusted ya, Max! Dontcha go usin’ that against them and me now! Naw, ya can’t. No way!” Jack was shocked and angry.

The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to slice with a dagger. King Maximilian, his face flushed with anger, stood stiffly, breathing heavily for still unvoiced anger. Queen Aria-Grace, her regal poise unwavering, faced him squarely. Jack Kershaw, the former cowboy turned friend of the royals, shifted uncomfortably near the grand fireplace, caught in the crossfire.

“I agree with Jack, Max! Enough! You are NOT sending the boy or his dad away and that’s that! I will not let you!” AG’s voice trembled, but her resolve was unwavering. “I stand by your side for all decisions you have made and may make, backing you up with a smile and a graceful wave, but I will veto that decidedly! That boy, Liam, told Jack on his own volition; nobody would have ever found out. Honesty should NEVER be punished, let alone so severely! I do not condone this, and I hope it is but a momentary outburst of anger, and you will come to your senses! Otherwise, you and I WILL have a problem, a gigantic one and I WILL tell both William and Victoria about this. Those kids practically live at the stables, they know Roland Hawthorne and obviously both know Liam, so they will not side with you on this either.”

“Yeah, what she said,” Jack chimed in, his eyes darting between the monarchs. “If she don’t tell Vic and William, I sure as dirt will. Well, ball’s in yer court, Yer Royal Majesty. And hey, for what it’s worth, I came in properly this time. Asked for ya properly with all yer names and titles, had them announce me, waited my legs into my belly for ya to be ready for me, followed all the niceties before a man can finally get to talk to ya. That gotta count fer something, you may well make an honorable man out of me yet. Rejoice and sing hallelujah.” Jack tried to lighten the mood, but Max was not susceptible for it.

Maximilian’s anger surged, his knuckles white with tension. “Fantastic, Jack,” he seethed. “Would you like a cookie as a reward, merely for doing what you should have been doing all along? Other people find themselves in jail for far lesser etiquette and rule transgressions at a royal court!” His words hung in the air, a storm gathering within the opulent walls of Cromwell Palace.

“Well fine, then ya get a cookie too, Yer Majesty! Hell, I’d even share mine with ya.” Jack snapped back.

“Gentlemen!” AG’s voice held a mix of concern and reproach.

“Well now, Max,” Jack drawled, his accent thick as molasses, “way I see it, I’m right there with AG on this one. That young’un told me in confidence, and I passed it along to ya in the same hush-hush manner—just so you wouldn’t be blindsided. Did us both a favor, see? And it’s clear as a blue sky that the boy ain’t got no ulterior motives. He looks up to ya, nearly jumps outta his boots whenever one of ya steps near them stables. So, reckon you’ll have to take my word for it, trust my gut. Take a breath, ease them shoulders, maybe pour yerself a healthy swig of that fine whiskey over yonder, and ponder on it. Nothin’s happened, nothin’s gonna happen. Just a kid with a past, like we all got.” Jack’s eyes held a glimmer of earnestness, a rare moment of vulnerability in the grand halls of Cromwell Palace.

“Yes. I would have to fully agree with Jack.” Queen Aria-Grace confirmed.

Maximiliam’s voice trembled as he confronted Aria-Grace. “How can you regard this with such nonchalance? You lived through it! That boy—chasing after our precious daughter, a matter that vexes me greatly—is related to one of the intruders who breached our palace, threatening our lives. Including Victoria’s, who was but a wee toddler back then! And now I am expected to embrace the fruit of that devil’s lineage? It’s bad enough that he’s a mere stableboy, sneaking about with the princess royale. You advised me to let them be, and I complied. But this, this is too much!” His complexion flushed crimson once more.

His harsh words hung in the air like a lingering specter. AG’s eyes welled up, and she whispered, “You are impossible! If you truly proceed down this path, then I have nothing to say to you—at least not for a very long time! How can you be so cold-hearted? The boy is a child, the same age as our son. He was a mere toddler when all that transpired. How dare you hold him accountable? How dare you blame an innocent child, Max? Need I remind you that your parents, kind as they may have been, forced me into motherhood while you stood idly by? You were no toddler then; you were a grown man! So, what would you have a small four- or five-year-old boy do, hmm? HMM? His father tried to intervene and was shot for it! Tell me, Max!” The room seemed to hold its breath, awaiting his response.

Max’s resolve remained unyielding. “That is entirely different,” he defended himself. “And I am not willing to hear any more. My decision stands! The boy and his father will be escorted to their apartment, then to the airport posthaste! Today!” His words echoed through the room.

Jack, the former cowboy, stepped forward. His eyes met AG’s briefly, then Max’, and he spoke softly, yet with conviction. “Listen now, Max, chill. Dontcha go makin’ silly decisions that could ruin two innocent people’s lives out of anger. Sleep on it one night and let it simmer. Y’all see then, this ain’t so bad.”

Maximiliam’s anger surged forth, his words slicing through the air with regal disdain. “YOU would not comprehend any of this. You never possessed anything worth defending, and your heritage—a tangled web of mediocrity—pollutes your legacy, if one can even dignify it with such a term! Various children with various women, for Christ’s sake! And it would be novel news indeed if anyone ever dared to threaten you or your family. If such a calamity befell you, if someone dared to approach Izzy and your son with guns and knives, THEN we might entertain discussion! But I assure you, Jack, your perspective would swiftly shift.” His voice, once velvet, now bore the edge of a sharpened blade.

“Ah, rub mah face in me bein’ blue collar now?! If anyone were to ever dare threaten my family, they would have to answer to me IMMEDIATELY, not over a decade and change LATER! What good is this supposed to do now, so long after the fact?! And revenge on two innocents who just happened to be related to someone who was involved? That’s the dumbest pile of steamin’ manure I ever heard of!”

Maximiliam’s anger flared, his words honed to a cutting edge. “You don’t even possess as much as a blue collar. You exist day by day, devoid of purpose, amassing whatever paltry funds come your way!” His disdain dripped from each syllable, a venomous reminder of their stark differences.

Jack’s eyes narrowed; his sun-weathered face unyielding. “Well now, Your Majesty,” he drawled, his voice as rugged as the desert plains, “seems to me you’re mighty fond of lookin’ down from that high horse of yours. But let me tell ya somethin’: I’ve seen more dust storms and cattle drives than you’ve had fancy banquets. And reckon I’ve learned a thing or two about honor and decency along the way. So, before you go spoutin’ off about blue collars and such, remember this: Sometimes it’s the dirt under a man’s fingernails that tells the truest tale. And I tell ya somethin’ more: me, I wouldn’t need no creepy vamp to do my biddin’ for me, had I known AG already back when that happened, I would have taken great pleasure in annihilatin’ that rapin’, lyin’, cheatin’ lil brother of yours myself for what he done to AG and I would have butchered him nice and slow!” The tension in the room crackled like a lightning-struck saguaro, and for a moment, two worlds collided—the polished court and the wild frontier—locked in a silent standoff.

“Oh my God, Jack!” AG froze, horrified, then ran out of the study, leaving her husband and Jack in the midst of their cockfight, staring each other down, faces inches apart, Jack breathing heavily, clearly fuming with unbridled anger, barely able to hold back while Max’s eyes were spraying angry sparks.

In that charged moment, Max’s polished facade crumbled. Jack’s words and his wife’s reaction had chipped away at the king’s elegant veneer, revealing the burden he carried—the weight of a kingdom resting on his shoulders. Despite his middle age, Max’s soft, slender features still held a boyish vulnerability, a stark contrast to the rugged lines etched into Jack’s face. The former cowboy leaned against a bookshelf, two worlds colliding in that dimly lit room—the courtly and the untamed—each man standing firm, their emotions laid bare.

Jack sighed, drawling in his thick accent. “Sorry ’bout that. Didn’t mean to dredge up old wounds. Ya just made me so mad with yer stubborn threats and insults… I am sorry, Max.”

Maximilian’s eyes glistened, shoulders trembling under the weight of vulnerability. As he turned to face Jack, raw emotion etched across his features, he spoke with measured eloquence.

“You, single-handedly, have unearthed my deepest vulnerability—the one facet of my life I yearn to undo. A grievous lapse in judgment cost me everything anew, just when I had painstakingly reclaimed our home, our titles, and our possessions. The knowledge that it was my very own late brother who did the most unthinkable thing to my beloved wife … And I wasn’t there for her the way I should have been and she just left me. The loss of Aria-Grace brought me to my knees, particularly because I knew it was my own doing.” Maximilian covered his face with both hands, his breaths ragged against the backdrop of a softly lit room.

“Like I said, I am sorry ’bout bringin’ that up. But it does go to show ya not all bad things are done intentionally. You did a bad thing back when too, by not dealin’ with it as ya should have and ya lost AG in a big way. Ya don’t have to tell me ya loved her, then and now, but it happened anyway. Ya gotta trust me on this, Liam isn’t like his mother, nor is Roland. They both worship ya, like I told ya. I worked with both, I see them a lot and I dare say I am a good judge of character. Those two are fanboys of the royals to a degree it’s disgustin’ sometimes how they talk about ya as if ya were a sort of god.”

Max nodded, his expression a blend of resolution and regret.

“Very well,” he conceded. “The boy and his father may remain. However, I insist they keep their distance from my children—especially, but not limited to Victoria. That much you must grant me.” Maximilian turned to Jack, meeting his eyes straight on, his voice softer now. “And I apologize, Jack. I was out of line, insulting your heritage and dismissing your hardships. It was rude and uncalled for. My sincerest apologies.”

“Thank Max, appreciate that. And not to argue with ya some more and open yet another can o’worms here,” Jack scratched his scruffy beard. “But ya see, Victoria’s miserable when at odds with Liam. Let ’em be friends. We don’t own our kids, Max. They decide who they like, and your daughter decided she likes him well ‘nough. Liam’s kind, ain’t no golddigger, I guaran-damn-tee ya that much. That kid’s as honest as they come, if ya stuck a hundred bucks in his pocket and rolled him down a steep hill, that kid wouldn’t rest until he climbed back up to hand it back to ya.”

“Look, I know how life goes, Jack. I knew all along that William and Victoria are outgrowing their baby shoes quickly. They don’t need me anymore, they are starting to do more and more things without me, which already hurts to tell you the truth for I love my children, even the one I didn’t father myself, and since you allow me to love Vivienne as my own, I don’t mind you doing the same for my Victoria. Plus, AG has convinced me that our children having good relationships with non-nobles is good for them. But I do wish good solid partners for them for whenever that becomes a topic, hopefully not too soon. Maybe they don’t have to date or marry royals or nobles, even though that would be ideal. But if commoners, must it be a stable boy whose mother was killed during an assassination attempt on our entire family? That is just too much, Jack, you have to admit that.”

“Okay yeah, I can see where ya comin’ from, but that boy is solid. Quiet kid, polite, raised to mind elders and to be helpful. He ain’t greedy and he don’t steal. I tested that just recently with him. Honest soul, especially for a hormonal 16 year old, wasn’t that long that I had one of those on my hands myself, so the mindset of a young boy is still very fresh in my mind, and while I can’t take too much credit for how Jackson turned out, I did my part and like to think I know a thing or two about a thing or two there. I ain’t saying plan a weddin’ for yer Vic and Liam, they’re way too young for such nonsense, but don’t limit Vic’s choices. I don’t know why she picked me to be her emotional trash can and BFF, but that girl’s got dreams Max, sky’s the limit, and if ya try to put her in a gilded cage with all yer restrictions, you’ll lose her. Victoria reminds me a LOT of her momma in that aspect. AG always been sweet as pie, unless ya cross her and then … Oooooh-wwwwheee, ya better start running and fast at that. Or she’ll run and ya lose her. Don’t ask me how I know that. Then again, you would know firsthand too. I am not tryin’ to tell ya how to be a father, y’all are much better at that than I am, but I am remindin’ ya of facts so ya don’t end up at odds with yer kid.”

Max’ facial expression was somewhere between angry, sad and confused, giving him an almost comical expression as he glared at Jack, who shrugged, smirked and offered.

“How about I pour us a stiff one, huh?”

Max facial expression softened into the faintest hint of a smile.

“Just go ahead already, Jack. You have been circling the Bourbon like a vulture, dropping enough hints. I’ll have a few bottles send over to you again to help with your cravings so you don’t feel obligated to come see me just to drink my bar cart empty. Just go ahead and pour us some. I am going to need it to undo what you did to my wife.”

“What I did? Whatcha mean by that? I didn’t do nothing to AG. You didn’t need mah help to piss her off, you done gone a mighty fine job on yer own there.” Jack snickered.

“Perhaps, but it was you who broached the subject we never discuss. That very revelation drove her away. Now, I find myself compelled to rectify the situation.” Max retorted.

“Oh, right. Yeah, well, sorry ’bout that. I can go talk to her. I don’t mind. Matter of fact, I feel bad now, lemme do that right quick. You pour us some, I’ll be back soon, guessin’ AG just needs to yell at me to get it out of her system, maybe land another hard punch or two in my gut, then she’ll feel better and will be all sweet to you while I’ll leave with the outline of her shoe sole imprinted on my rear. Don’t mind bein’ the fall guy here, at least it would be deserved for once.”

“Very well, go ahead then Jack. I hope you didn’t carelessly offer it hoping I would dissuade you, for I won’t. Up the stairs right by the door to the private parlour, top floor, the first door to your right leads our personal suites. The guards know you, but shall anyone give you grief, tell them the King himself granted you access. My guess would be that AG will be by the window, looking out at Cromwell Stables, contemplating whether she wants to imaging riding me over with Kismet, my Bold Pleasure or your Sorrel.”

“All right, I’ll go take the heat from AG, but I need to hear ya say it, Max. I need ya to look me in the eye, man to man, and assure me that there won’t be any repercussions for Liam and Roland.” Jack’s gaze locked onto the king’s, searching for sincerity. Max raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve already given you my word, Jack. My word is my currency. But if you need reassurance: Liam and Roland may remain, in the kingdom and in their positions. I won’t betray their trust, or yours. I have heard my wife and you on it, I acknowledge that I let bad memories and maybe even fear and resentment momentarily cloud my judgement, the boy and his father must not pay the price for other’s sins. I like to hold myself to much higher standards than that, and I apologize for my outbursts. I have heard you about Victoria’s interactions with young Liam, I will take that into consideration, but am not ready to commit to any opinion as of yet. For now, assume all remains as it was until I tell you otherwise. Let’s drink to that, old friends that we are. We are friends, aren’t we?”

“Hell yeah, I’ll drink to that,” Jack grinned. “AG knows ya well, she was right—you just needed to vent, I get that, we all need that sometimes, but hearin’ ya say everything’s okay is a relief, even though I had faith in ya, or I wouldn’t be here. I respect ya a great deal, Yer Majesty. You’ve always treated me well and with respect, even though I know I gotta be fingernails on yer chalkboard most the time.”

Max chuckled. “You’re most certainly an acquired taste, Jack. But I enjoy our exchanges immensely, even when we do not see eye to eye. You serve me the truth straight; I never have to wonder about hidden agendas with you. In my position, that’s invaluable—a rare relief.”

Chuckling, Jack tipped his hat, accepted the glass of whiskey Max had poured after all while talking, the two men clinked glasses, Jack downed it in one gulp, then with a sigh placed the glass down and headed upstairs.

Aria-Grace was exactly where Max guessed she would be, looking surprised at Jack.

“Yer husband sent me up.”

“Oh? Max must really feel guilty. And so should you. Seriously Jack! What the fuck?!”

“Yikes, that don’t sound very queen-like right now.”

“I don’t feel very queen-like. I feel like kicking your ass after punching you in the nads!”

“Dayum, girl. Ya sound like an ornery ranch hand now, Yer Majesty. I know what I said wasn’t nice, but it was the truth. So, leave them nads be, will ya, woman? My wife might still have some use for ’em yet.”

“Did Max come to his senses? Please tell me he did or I will go right back down there and tear his hair out!”

“Leave the royal hair on that royal head, AG. I reckon so. He just been needin’ to vent, like ya suspected. Never thought he even knew how to get angry. Never seen him like that, or I might’ve just kept all that to my own damn self, like I probably should’ve to begin with.” 

“Oh, Max can be angry, he is very passionate about certain things, but he usually doesn’t let it consume him like that. He was right though, I do remember that day too and it was the scariest thing I have ever lived through, hands down. So, what exactly did he say?” AG wondered.

“Said ‘oh, very well, the boy and his father may remain in their positions and my kingdom’,” Jack tried his best to imitate the King’s proper and elegant high Oxford English with always the proper enunciation and pronunciation, before sounding like the cowboy he was “Followed by more royal banter sayin’ we’re all good.”

“Oh good! If he said it like that, it’s all good. I thought so, but as stubborn as he was earlier, I honestly wasn’t so sure.”

“So, which horse ya decide on for me, to flatten me into the ground with, huh. Sorrel or Kismet?” he nudged her and she smiled.

“Oh no, Max told you about my guilty pleasure dreaming when mad at someone? Oh, that man….!” Aria-Grace was partially shocked, part amused.

“Wondering how many times I been trampled to death by hooves in your mind.”

“Oh, you don’t want to know.” she giggled, he chuckled along, then got serious.

“I am sorry, AG. For bringing that up. I really shouldn’t have.”

“No, you shouldn’t have, but it’s okay. You weren’t wrong about what you said. Jack, what is really going on with my daughter and that stable boy? Should I worry? I don’t want to limit her more than she already has to be, since my children are held to very different standards and have so many rules to follow, but I also don’t want her to have to go through what you and I went through with a love that just wasn’t feasible. I think we both understand how lucky we got that we both managed to find a way to make the mess we created work out in the end. I don’t want that for any of my children.”

“I think yer worryin’ too much. She’s 15, he’s 16, both still kids, both very childlike in their minds, still kids at heart. Neither one of them comes across as very … ya know … interested in broadening their horizons with each other in the adult way anytime soon. I could maybe see a stolen kiss eventually, but that’s as far as those two dreamers would go. If even that. Liam is very scared of that whole royalty thing, almost as scared as he is of pretty girls especially when they actually try to talk to him, and Vic is a very well-mannered young lady for the most part, too busy looking for a dream prince on a white horse at sunset to even realize there are actual boys out there to be romantic with. I think ya got a couple more years before that becomes something to watch for. Ya know I am keepin’ my eyes out for yer brood.”

“Thanks Jack. Listen to me, mother hen, to think once upon a time I left my two kids with their father, I had barely any connection with them, unable to bond with them, and now I would gladly take a bullet to avoid either to ever suffer a broken heart. Not to mention I was seriously considering NOT having Vivienne at all. I can’t even think about that right now.”

“Preachin’ to the choir, AG. I ain’t one to point no fingers at ya, I got my boy, Jackson, who grew up without a father, thinkin’ he was an orphan, while I had every reason to know otherwise I just didn’t wanna deal with it and did nothin’ about it until way later when I finally pulled mah dang head out of my rear end. Had some of the best years of my life raising that boy until I blinked and suddenly he was all grown up. Now I am all the way over here, he’s so far away and all that time he and Bri weren’t seein’ eye to eye, I couldnt’ even hug that kid, had to give him fatherly advice over the dang phone. My middle one has to live a double-life like some secret agent. Ask me if I am happy with my parenting resume so far. At least I think I am doing everything right with Cody, but that’s probably because of his momma and her family bein’ so involved or I’d find a way to screw that up too. Whatcha said earlier about me havin’ been the president of the jackass club ain’t wrong, Izzy did straighten me out something fierce, as did Connor.”

“Do you think if we would have tried harder, you and I could have made it work, like Jackson and Bri seem to? Sometimes I look at those two and can’t help regretting some choices. I find myself rooting for them even though I don’t really have any business to. No dog in that fight as you would say.”

Jack stared into AG’s eyes for a while, before answering.

“I know whatcha mean, girl, I go there too sometimes, but it’s a dark place and no good can ever come of it, so I try to stop myself moment I notice. Tell ya the truth, nah, if I am honest with myself, no I don’t think we were really meant to be together. I think we found each other to help each other, cos be both needed helpin’ badly, but like friends as we are now. I needed to be with you to find Connor, I was desperate for a best friend like him, and he changed my life for the better. You and I needed to have Viv together, I still don’t fully understand why, when I look at that kid I just know it. Then you went back to whom ya belong to, to become the queen you were always meant to be, I followed you and our daughter here and found my Mrs. Right basically on yer doorstep. Well, actually, my Mrs. Right found me and told me so, cos at that time I was not ever gonna get into another relationship ever again, but Izzy stole my heart, put the pieces back together, then ripped my head off and then screwed it back on right. I think it was always supposed to go that way. Call that what ya want, divine intervention, fate, luck, serendipity, but it was meant to be just like that.”

“Yeah, thanks Jack. All that sounds absolutely right. You and I were meant to be, just not as we thought, but like this, as we are now. And I will say too that I adore the way my children connected with you and you with them, and I have to be careful with your little heartbreaker of a little boy or I get serious baby fever. Jack …. I have one big favor to ask of you. Max and I will have to tell William and Victoria about Liam’s past, the other two are too young for that kind of stuff and they weren’t even alive yet when it all happened. Could you be there when we have that talk?”

“Ya betcha. If ya want me there, then I’ll be there. You can count on it.”

AG leaned forward, kissed his cheek, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. They lingered like that for a moment, her head against his shoulder, his chin resting on her head.

“Well, I best head on back down, told yer husband I’d have a drink with him.” Jack sighed as he let go of her again.

“I’ll join you. I’ll spare my hubby the squirming. You’ve put me in a good mood, and I’m feeling generous. My original plan was to freeze him out until he came to his senses, but since he already did, no need. Unless he says something that upsets me again.” AG smirked like the feisty young woman Jack had once fallen head over heels for, in, what now felt like another lifetime.

“Cruel girl. Lucky yer not married to King Henry VIII or ya’d be a head shorter by now.”

“No Jack, if a Cameron woman would have gotten a hold of old Henry VIII, we would have set HIM straight. That’s how history would have gone, and we would have had a lot more queens ruling rather than egoistic men ruining everything and just starting wars.”

Both of them laughing, Jack winked at her, then lead the way to the door, opening it for her, letting her step through gallantly.