Moments in Between

by DalishEssence

You know, I never once resented my best friend and that's saying a lot, considering he's the Crown Prince of Cordonia. That changed the night Camilla Myers walked into our lives and changed them forever. She was supposed to be one of his suitors. She turned out to be everything I'd never known I wanted. And for the first time... I resented my best friend. (Royal Romance Drake POV)

37. Chapter 37

Meet the Myerses

I looked out the window as our plane soared through the skies.

Much like our morning at the hotel, the plane ride so far had been quiet; all of us tired, many of us hungover and/or jetlagged. Those of us that had the stomach to eat did, and the rest of us passed. Many slept, while others talked quietly amongst themselves. Myers had been swept away by Bertrand and Madeleine to discuss something about the dress fittings, so I had a chance to catch up with my sister, who sat in Myers' empty seat.

She had dark circles under her eyes, and she looked a bit pale, but still wearing the biggest smile I'd seen in a while. "I had so much fun last night. I didn't realize how much I missed a night out with other adults after Bartie was born."

I chuckled. "I'm glad you had fun."

"I did. It was nice to get some me time. I love Bartie, but…" I followed her gaze to where Bertrand was sitting next to Myers, a few feet away. "It feels nice to be reminded that I'm not just his mom… you know? That I was a woman long before I was a mother."

I took a deep breath. "Right… Would Bertrand have anything to do with that reminder?"

Savannah blushed. "Yeah…"

I clenched my jaw instinctively, biting back a sigh. I had to remind myself that my sister was a grown woman - her own woman, as she'd just pointed out. "I'm happy for you. That, y'know, things are working out between you."

Savannah frowned for a moment, but she shook it off quickly. I still noticed though.

"What?" I asked. "Something wrong?"

She sighed. "Well… things have been going well between us, but… well..."

I sighed. I knew it. Bertrand had managed to screw up somehow. "Listen, I know… I know you like him, and that he's Bartie's dad and all... But I just want you to know you don't have to rely on Bertrand if you don't want to, okay?"

"But-"

"You know I have your back, sis. And hell, you raised Bartie by yourself for the last couple months… I'm just saying… you don't need a man to raise your kid."

"Drake-"

"And you'll always have my full support. Whatever you need, I'm there."

"Drake!" She whispered harshly. "Will you shut up and just listen to me?"

A few of the guys turned back to stare at us, including Myers and Bertrand. Savannah smiled at them. "Sorry everyone!"

"Sorry. I'm sorry." I said once everyone had turned back to whatever they were doing. "I'm listening."

Savannah sighed. "I just… I want to move forward with Bertrand. I want us to be a family. But I don't know how to do that… There still seems to be this wall between us…"

"Well… why do you have to be the one to do all the work? He should work on tearing down his walls himself." I frowned, a little miffed.

"That's rich, coming from you." Savannah scoffed. "I'm sorry, but from what you yourself told me, Milla had to work pretty hard at tearing down your walls."

I shook my head. "It's different, and you know that. Me and Myers were… complicated. I fought her at first, yeah, because of Liam… But once I realized how I felt, I stopped. I met her halfway."

Savannah rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Well… it isn't like Bertrand isn't meeting me halfway. He is."

"Is he really? Because you're practically telling me the same thing that you told me a couple weeks ago for the Costume Gala, about how you can't get through to him."

Savannah sighed. "Yeah, and you were so much more empathetic and open-minded for that conversation. You actually listened to me that day."

Now, it was my turn to sigh. "I'm sorry. Really. I want to listen to you, I do. It's just… It's hard when you feel like your sister's the one doing all the work in this relationship. And, I don't know… it sucks to feel like she's not being treated right."

"Drake…"

"I get that you like him. Hell, I know you love him. And he probably loves you too, sis. He'd be crazy not to. But if I've learned anything with Myers is that love's only part of the equation. You need to work hard on your relationship too. But I feel that in this case, you're the one that's shouldering most of the weight. You're trying too hard to make this work, and Bertrand's not trying hard enough…"

Savannah sighed. After a moment, she admitted somewhat reluctantly, "Maybe…"

I placed my hand over her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. She rested her head on my shoulder.

"I just want you to be happy, sis. You deserve all the happiness in the world."

"Thanks, big brother."

---

We touched down on Cordonian soil at 3 p.m., what with the time difference and all. After arriving at the palace, servants immediately took our luggage and escorted Myers' friends to their rooms. Once we stepped into the foyer, we were surprised to find Gladys there to greet us. "Welcome back, Your Grace, Drake!"

"Heh, sounds a lot better without the 'sir'." I chuckled.

Gladys winked at me good-naturedly.

Myers sighed in what appeared to be relief. "Thank you, Gladys! But… why are you here at the palace? Is everything okay at the estate? And why are you calling me 'Your Grace' again?"

"I arrived here earlier to help Duke Bertrand and Countess Madeleine with the wedding arrangements! Don't worry, I left the estate in very capable hands." Gladys answered. "And since we are at the palace, and therefore bound by royal protocol…"

"You can't call me Camilla here." Myers finished.

"Exactly so, Your Grace. Now that you're here, we'd best get to work straight away! There's still so much to prepare for the wedding!" Gladys said encouragingly.

Myers groaned.

Madeleine, in the meantime, got into business mode right away. Actually, I wasn't sure if she ever turned it off. "Yes, you have confirmed the set-up time with the orchestra and ordered-"

"Extra cocktail napkins for the reception? Completed this morning." Gladys nodded.

Madeleine actually smiled. "Finally, someone around here has risen to my level."

"Greaaat, so… I guess you guys have it all under control!" Myers gave them a thumbs up. "So, since you don't really need our help, we're gonna go rest a bit before my parents come in."

Because her parents, and my mom, were coming in tonight.

At this very moment, Victor and Wendy, and her mom and the infamous Armando, were on a plane to Cordonia. They'd be arriving later this evening, and Myers and I would treat them to dinner. A dinner where I would be meeting them… her parents… face to face…

I was already sweating buckets.

"Of course, Camilla. Leave the details to me and Gladys." Madeleine's voice brought me back to the moment. "I have enough on my plate making sure you're not marrying Drake in a burlap sack in the back alley of a pizza restaurant without your… help."

Myers nodded slowly. "That was weirdly specific, but sure. Thanks, Madeleine, for having everything under control."

I watched as her lips twitched, but she remained serious. "Of course, Camilla. It's my job, after all. What you should be concerning yourself with is the bigger picture."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maxwell asked.

"The public would like a glimpse into the wedding planning process, so I've arranged for a press opportunity for tomorrow morning, before the ceremony rehearsal."

"What kind of press opportunity?" Hana asked.

"A photo op at Ana's bridal boutique in the city. I booked it out for the morning, so the press can observe Camilla's planning."

Myers snorted. "I'm sorry, but what else is there to plan?"

Madeleine shrugged delicately. "Well, you have your final fitting - which Drake can't be present for, of course - and then a small interview with Ana and your inner circle, where you present your wedding processional, presumably from said inner circle." Madeleine raised a judgemental eyebrow. "You have chosen who will be in your wedding processional?"

"Um…" I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.

"Of course we ha-" Myers looked at me. "No?"

I shook my head.

Madeleine let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, Dra-"

"Seriously, Drake?! We're getting married in two days!" Myers yelled.

I turned back to look at Liam and Maxwell. "Myers..." I rolled my eyes. I literally only had three close friends, one of which was apparently in her bridal party, so I honestly thought I didn't need to ask. But I figured that, instead of telling her that, it'd be better to calm her down. "I'll ask them tonight."

Myers sighed. "Fine."

Madeleine considered us. "Very well. As long as you have said people on board by tomorrow morning. Anyhow, after the photoshoot with Ana, we will have time for a quick luncheon before the ceremony rehearsal in the cathedral at 2 o'clock. Now, if that is all, Gladys, Bertrand and I still have a lot of work to do. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon. I will see you all tomorrow bright and early. We will meet here in the foyer at 7:45 a.m. sharp." With that, Madeleine turned promptly on her heel and walked away.

My phone vibrated. It was a text from Maxwell.

"Hey, I told Madeleine we were going shopping after the wedding rehearsal!

Hana and Liam have to pick up Milla's gifts

😉😉😉 "

I looked at him and nodded.

Myers ran her fingers through her hair, still looking at Madeleine's retreating silhouette. "O...kay, then." She turned to me. "Babe, I desperately need a nap if I'm going to be awake enough to greet my parents today… and to meet your mom!"

"Oh, but Milla, didn't you promise your friends a tour of the palace?" Hana asked.

Myers smiled. "Oh, Hana, I may not remember much, but I do remember they were pretty much in the same boat I was, so I'm gonna guess they're all fast asleep right now. The tour can wait for a bit. You should go get some rest as well."

"Yeah, I'm beat." Maxwell said.

"At least you can rest, Maxwell. I have to go meet Regina and some other dignitaries." Liam commented.

"Yeah, but at least you didn't drink your body weight in alcohol and aren't still hungover right now." Myers countered.

Liam chuckled. "Touche, Camilla. Anyhow, I should really get going. I will see you all for the welcoming dinner for Bianca and Camilla's parents." He nodded, before walking away.

"See ya…" Myers said sleepily. She took my hand and turned, nearly colliding with a couple of servants carrying a giant oak table.

"Hold on, I'm losing my grip!" A tall man with glasses said.

"Then hurry up and adjust. We don't have all day!" His coworker responded, impatience clear in her voice.

The table started slipping, but Myers swooped in to help. She gripped the table and held it as the servant adjusted his handle on it. I moved in to help as well. Myers shot me a grateful look.

"Thank you, Your Grace!" He smiled gratefully.

His coworker looked at Myers in shock. "Wow… not just any noble would help a couple of palace servants!"

Maxwell chuckled. "Milla's not just any noble."

We both let go of the table and stepped back. The servant shot us an apologetic look. "Terribly sorry for the trouble, Your Grace."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Myers told him. "It wasn't any trouble at all."

The man looked at her quizzically for a moment, before nodding. They went on their way, disappearing into the next room.

Myers turned to us. "I haven't seen them around the palace before."

"Many workers were hired to prepare for the wedding. The crew will be working here all day." Gladys answered, before looking at her watch. "I must also go, Your Grace."

"Of course, Gladys. Thank you so much for everything."

Gladys nodded. "It's no trouble." She curtsied before excusing herself, and soon disappeared behind the servants.

At that moment, Maxwell let out a massive yawn, which then prompted Hana to yawn, although much more delicately.

"Okay, I think I'll definitely take your suggestion, Milla." Hana smiled. "I'm going to rest a bit."

"Yeah, me too." Maxwell nodded. "See ya at your parents dinner."

When we were finally alone, Myers turned to me. "Your room or mine?"

"Mine's closer." I told her.

"Okay, then, let's go."

I took her hand and led her to my room. Once inside, I locked the door only to find Myers already wiggling out of her clothes. She turned just as she kicked off her jeans, and caught me staring at her.

"Like what you see?" She grinned.

"Always." I nodded.

Myers blushed, but still moved forward to undo my buttons and take off my shirt. Then, she pressed a soft kiss to my lips, before jumping into my bed and stretching luxuriously.

I laid down next to her and Myers cuddled into me. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her even closer. Myers hummed happily, closing her eyes.

"How long do we have before we have to be at the airport?" I asked.

"... I don't know, a couple hours?" Myers shrugged.

"Do you know what time their plane's coming in?"

"Six." She buried her face in my chest.

"What about the terminal?"

"Four." A hint of annoyance crept into her voice.

"And the gate?"

"19B." She groaned.

I nodded. Myers sighed. We lapsed into silence for a moment, before another thought popped into my mind.

"Didn't you promise the guys a tour?" I asked.

Myers groaned. "... We can give them the tour when we get back. All together. Two apples, one knife."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Bertrand."

"You're a true Cordonian now, huh?"

"As of a month ago, when I was granted citizenship and a new duchy, yeah." She groaned.

"Did you-"

"Draaaake!" Myers moaned. "Why are you still talking?!" She lifted her face to meet my eyes, pouting.

"Oh… sorry. I just… I don't know, I wanted to…" I rubbed the back of my neck.

Myers pulled her head back up a bit, narrowing her eyes. "Babe… are you okay?"

"Yeah, no, I'm fine." I shrugged.

"Are you… are you, maybe, a little bit nervous?"

"I don't get nervous, Myers." I leveled my best deadpan stare at her.

"Oh, please, I remember plenty of times I've made you nervous, Mr. 'Oh-No-We-Musn't'." Myers rolled her eyes teasingly.

I chuckled. "Okay… you got me there."

Myers smiled up at me, resting her chin on my chest. "Come on, talk to me, Drake. Since you won't let me sleep…"

I sighed. "Maybe I am a little nervous. About meeting your parents."

Myers ran her finger through my hair. "Aww… have you never met 'the parents' before?"

"Not once, Myers. No one else has gotten remotely close to… well, this."

"So you're telling me you're not in the habit of proposing to girls after taking a bullet for them?" She feigned shock.

"Well, there was this one time in college…"

That caused Myers to chuckle. She lifted herself up onto her elbows, pressing her hand against my cheek, suddenly serious. "You don't have to be nervous." She whispered. "You're everything I've always wanted in a partner, in a husband. My parents know that. That's why my dad and Wendy already love you."

I sighed. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Myers nodded. "All Dad and Wendy ever wanted was for me to find someone that makes me happy. Someone who understands me, respects me, and supports me. And they can see that you do all those things for me and more."

I sighed, trying to shake off the nerves. I cupped the back of her neck, softly pulling her towards me, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you." I whispered softly.

"Always. I love you, Walker."

"I love you, Camilla." I pulled back to look at her then. She gave me that angelic smile that crinkled her eyes and made those dimples appear. "Sleep."

Myers cuddled into me happily. Within minutes, she was asleep with her head on my chest and her arm draped over my stomach, her breathing soft and calm. I held her tightly, stroking her hair, before soon following.

---

At 5 o'clock, Myers' alarm rang. She turned it off with a groan and we jumped in the shower real quick. Before we knew it, we were off to pick Myers' parents up from the airport in a palace limo - which I was pretty sure was bulletproof - with Mara and a team of King's Guard following in another car behind us.

"You know, you didn't really need to wear a suit for this…" Myers began, eyeing my blue jacket. "Last I checked, Cordonians don't have rehearsal dinners." She straightened the skirts of her dress.

I shrugged. "I know… but I just figured, for the sake of making a good first impression."

"Okay… well, you look handsome."

"Thanks."

"How did Maxwell manage to find you the same exact suit?" She pondered, running her hand down my arm.

"I honestly don't know." I took her hands and laced our fingers.

"He's a little bit magic, isn't he? When it comes to fashion, at least… and dancing." Myers squeezed my hand.

"Yep." I nodded.

"Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for humoring me in picking our parents up." Myers began, "I know we could've simply sent a car for them and met them back at the palace…"

"It's nothing, Myers. How long has it been since you've seen your parents anyway?"

"My dad and Wendy… I think it might've been a couple weeks before I came to Cordonia?" She grimaced. "And Mom and Armando… last Christmas?"

I raised my eyebrows. I didn't know what surprised me more, that she hadn't seen her mom in almost a year or that she willingly spent Christmas with her.

"What?" Myers looked at me. "What's that look on your face for?"

I shrugged, a small smirk on my face. "Nothin'... Just can't believe you willingly spent the holidays with your mom." I chuckled.

Myers rolled her eyes. "I just went to visit on the 25th. And admittedly, it was a pretty short visit."

"How are things going with her, anyway? Have you talked to her at all since that night at the hospital?" I asked.

"We've… we've been texting. But we haven't really talked again, no." Myers sighed. "She's been asking about the wedding and the dress, and the flowers, and the music, and she has an opinion on everything!" Myers groaned. "And I know she won't like my first dress, and she'll think it's too simple or too modest or whatever… And I've mostly been repeating myself by having to remind her that Madeleine and Bertrand are the ones who are doing the actual wedding planning, and she keeps on saying how she's 'so amazed' that I don't really seemed concerned with what they decide for our wedding, and I just think to myself, 'Gosh, mother, I've been busy unifying a country, I don't have time to pick out personalized stationery for the save-the-dates!'" Myers rambled, before burying her face in her hands. "I mean, wasn't she listening when I told her we were inviting our guests personally?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Well… we've technically invited the Great Houses personally, but the rest of the court did get save-the-dates…"

"I swear to god, Walker…" She fixed me with a stern glare.

I couldn't help but chuckle, taking her hand once more, and we both laughed. "Myers, you have almost infinite patience. I'm sure if you can tolerate Maxwell, you can tolerate your mom."

"Hey, that's not fair to Maxwell." Myers giggled. "What about you? When's the last time you saw your mom?"

"Two years, maybe. Savannah and I flew to Texas for the holidays a couple years ago."

"Wow, and you're lecturing me about not seeing my mom for a year? Hypocritical much?" She teased.

"I still talk to my mom regularly, Myers." I shot back, and she simply rolled her eyes.

The rest of the ride passed quickly, as we laughed and talked.

"So… have you given any thought to who you're going to choose for your groomsmen?" Myers asked.

"Uh… not really. I was thinking of asking Maxwell… and Liam. To be my best man." I couldn't help but wince a little, wondering if it was actually a good idea after everything that happened.

"Drake… I know Liam will be happy to. Despite everything that happened… he loves you like a brother. I'm sure he'll be happy to be your best man."

I sighed. "I don't know if 'happy' is the best word for it…"

Myers clicked her tongue. "You know what I mean… It's going to be okay, Drake." Myers tangled her fingers in my hair and pulled me down to press a kiss to my forehead.

"Thanks, Myers." I shook my head. "What about you?"

"Hana is my best friend so I asked her to be my maid of honor."

"You didn't ask Hailey? Or Mari Jo?"

Myers shook her head. "No… I actually talked it over with Hailey when we got engaged and she said she'd happily hand the reins over to Hana. She wanted to avoid the whole speech-giving in front of an entire royal court, so… she's happy simply being one of my bridesmaids. And Mari Jo doesn't believe in marriage."

I frowned. "It's marriage, not Santa Claus."

Myers rolled her eyes. "Drake! Cool it with the judgement for a second."

"Sorry."

"What I meant is that Mari Jo doesn't agree with the concept of marriage or pledging eternal monogamy. She loves me, she's one of my best friends, and she respects and supports me in my decision to get married, but she doesn't wish to be included in the ceremony. As her friend, I respect that."

I nodded. "Okay…"

"And I also asked Savannah to be one of my bridesmaids."

My eyebrows shot up. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah! We're gonna be family soon, and honestly, I really care about her." Myers blushed. "Is that okay?"

I pressed a kiss to her temple. "It's more than okay, Myers. I bet Savannah was thrilled."

"She was. She was absolutely beaming during the fitting."

"When you told me you were going to the fitting with Savannah, I figured it was because you wanted her opinion on the dress."

"I did, but also because she's one of my bridesmaids." Myers grinned. "Anyway, I have a bridal party of three… which means you're gonna have to pick another groomsman to walk with Savannah down the aisle."

I shrugged. "That's easy. Bastien. I actually asked him when we visited him in the hospital."

"Then we're all set! Hey, you could ask everyone tonight, after dinner!" Myers grinned excitedly.

"Sure, Myers."

At that moment, we felt the car slowing down and realized we'd finally arrived at the airport. Myers blazed through it, pulling my hand the whole time, before arriving excitedly at their terminal. She checked her phone. "Okay, so they should've landed by now…"

"It's gonna take a while for them all to get through security and baggage claim." I told her. "Wanna get some coffee?"

Myers shook her head. "You go. I'll just wait here." She sat down, her knee bouncing nervously.

I sighed, sitting down next to her. "Nah, it was mostly to distract you."

Myers hummed happily, leaning in to me. "Aww… Thank you."

We waited for a while in companionable silence, until a small flood of people began to exit the terminal. Myers immediately stood on the tips of her toes, searching through the crowd.

"Do you see them?" I asked, also looking around.

"Not ye- There they are! Dad! Wendy!" Myers began to jump, waving her hands in the air, decorum be damned.

I looked in the direction she was pointing to, and saw my mom next to her parents, looking tired but happy. Wendy, in the flesh, pulled on her father's sweater, before running towards us.

"Mom!" I raised a hand, taking Myers' with the other and practically dragging her towards them.

"Drake!"

"Wendy!" Myers ran with her arms outstretched.

"Milla!" Stepmom and daughter met in a hug. Wendy squeezed her tightly, her eyes filled with tears.

When we reached each other, I wrapped my mom in a tight hug, damn near lifting her off the floor.

"God, I missed you!" She pulled back and cupped my face. "Look at you! You're all grown up!"

"Look at you, Mom! You look great!" I hugged her again, for a long moment, before we both pulled back.

"Oh, honey, you look beautiful!" Wendy cupped Myers' face and pressed a kiss to her cheek, before pulling her back into a hug. "Engagement has done wonders for you! Oh, let me see the ring!" They immediately pulled apart, and Myers outstretched her hand. Wendy squealed. I noticed that Myers' dad was waiting patiently behind, looking at both of them affectionately.

Milla broke from Wendy's hold, and hugged her dad tightly. Their reunion was more whispered and quiet, but the bond they shared was clear for everyone to see. Wendy wiped her face as she looked towards the two of them. Then, from behind Myers' back, her dad glanced at me curiously, whispering something to Myers.

"I'm so happy you made it, Mom!"

My mom laughed. "It's taken me this long to meet this Camilla I keep hearing about… I wasn't going to miss the wedding." She shot Myers a playful look, as she broke apart from her dad.

Myers stepped up shyly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Thank you so much for coming, Mrs. Walk-"

Mom immediately shook her head. "Please, we're about to be family in two days. Call me Bianca."

Myers beamed at her, and tentatively reached out to hug her. Mom clapped her back warmly.

"Now, I know we just met, but I can already tell we're gonna get along famously." Mom told her.

"Me too! It's so nice to meet the woman who raised Drake." Myers looked at me adoringly.

Mom looked between the two of us, her smile growing. "It's nice to meet the woman who'll put up with him for the rest of her life." She teased. "Oh, but we're being rude, dear. Drake, step forward so you can meet Wendy and Victor."

I stepped forwards, trying not to rub my neck nervously.

Wendy gasped. "Is this him?!"

Myers laughed, taking my hand. "In the flesh. Dad, Wendy… this is Drake!" She squealed a little bit as she said my name.

I smirked at her, before offering my hand to her parents. "Wendy, Vi-" I was engulfed in a hug.

Oof. For such a small woman, she's surprisingly strong.

"No handshakes here for my future son-in-law. We're a hugging type of family." Wendy said. "Oh, honey, it's so nice to finally meet you! You're even more handsome in person, too!" She squeezed my bicep. "Ooh, and strong too!"

Myers simply laughed, as Wendy let me go. Good, I can breathe again. I cleared my throat, still offering my hand towards her father. He didn't really seem like the hugging type. "Sir."

Victor nodded slightly, offering me a smile. "Drake. It's nice to finally meet you, son."

"Yeah, likewise."

"How's your shoulder?" He asked.

"All healed."

"Good. I'm glad."

"He's very tall, Milla." Wendy commented.

Myers laughed. "Yes, I know, Wendy."

"Did you know that children inherit their father's stature and their mother's frame? Bianca, our grandchildren will be gorgeous!" Wendy squealed, looking at the two of us tenderly.

"I'm gonna agree with you there!" My mom laughed.

"Let's, uh… give the kids time to get settled before we start pressuring about grandkids, okay?" Her father said.

"So, how was the flight, Mom?" I asked.

Mom shrugged. "Eh, it was okay. After a 6-hour layover in Newark, a little turbulence was nothing."

Suddenly we heard, "Julia, there she is! Nuestra hermosa Camilla!" I looked up to find a tall, dark-skinned man pointing at us.

"Where? I don't- Ah! There she is!" A prim older woman with straight, jet-black hair that came to graze her shoulders walked towards us. "Camilla, my darling!"

I heard Myers' audible gulp, before she took a deep breath and plastered on a smile… her duchess smile. "Hi, mom!" Myers stepped up and her mother wrapped her in a hug. Myers returned the hug, somewhat awkwardly, before warming up to it.

I felt a strong hand clap me on my shoulder. "And you must be the famous Drake Walker." The man gave me a beaming smile. I nodded, and he took my hand and shook it eagerly. "A pleasure to meet you, Drake. I am Armando Sánchez, Camilita's stepfather."

Myers broke away from her mother and quickly returned to my side, wrapping an arm around my waist, laughing nervously. "Right… Armando." She nodded, but offered him her hand.

He shook her hand with both of his warmly, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Camilita bella, you are as beautiful as ever. Being in love suits you."

"Thank you." Myers kept nodding, before turning back to her mother. "Drake, this is my mother, Julia. Mom… this is Drake."

I tried my best not to squirm as her mother's piercing eyes seemed to run through me. "Ma'am…"

Her mother raised an eyebrow, before fixing on a smile. "Drake. It's… nice to meet you."

"You too." I squeezed Myers tighter for support. She squeezed right back.

"Mom, Armando, have you met Bianca?" Myers asked.

"Of course! We had the pleasure of meeting her in Newark." Armando nodded.

My mom also nodded in confirmation.

Myers nodded. "Okay, um… Now that introductions have been made, should we go?"

Choruses of "Yes, let's!" rose from everyone.

I moved to help my mom with her suitcase, and Armando with his and Julia's luggage. Their 4 suitcases a stark contrast to Victor and Wendy's one. In fact, Julia and Armando were a stark contrast to Victor and Wendy in general.

"So, how was the flight?" Myers asked.

"Fine, honey."

"Dreadful, dear."

Wendy and Julia spoke at the same time, and both women looked at each other.

Myers looked back and forth between them, letting out an almost inaudible groan. "Okay…"

Wendy shook her head. "I thought it was fine, hon."

Julia scoffed. "You didn't say that during those bouts of turbulence. I could barely sleep, scared out of my mind. I'm surprised I didn't break Armando's hand with my squeezing."

Armando merely laughed. "Now, to be fair, you did bruise it, love."

"I'm… sorry?" Myers said.

Victor shook his head. "It's fine, Milla. We're here now, which is all that matters."

"I agree wholeheartedly!" Armando said enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around Julia's shoulders. "We've made it to one of the most beautiful countries in all of Europe, our Camilita is in love, and her wedding is just two days away! What's a little turbulence in comparison?"

"Exactly, dear." My mom agreed.

"Hear, hear!" Wendy said.

"I suppose…" Julia agreed, before turning to Myers. "So, how're the wedding plans coming, dear?"

"Here we go…" Myers mumbled under her breath. "They're coming along fine, Mom. We're going to a boutique tomorrow for my final fitting and an interview with Ana De Luca, where we'll be overseeing all the final details."

"Tomorrow? That's cutting it awfully close, don't you think?" Myers' mom pursed her lips.

"Julia…" Armando sighed.

"What? I'm only saying, I think it's a bit too close for comfort." Julia defended herself.

"Well, we've been busy, Mom… The Unity Tour ended a couple days ago with the festival in our duchy, and-"

Julia squealed. "I still cannot believe my daughter has a duchy!"

"Duchess Camilla has a marvelous ring to it." Armando agreed.

Myers rolled her eyes. I took her hand and squeezed in silent support. Patience, Myers, patience. She smiled at me and squeezed back.

Her mom, meanwhile, continued. "... I always knew you were meant for great things, dear. The second you were born, you just radiated potential. I felt as if you were just born under a lucky star, and you were meant to shine."

"... Thanks, mom."

"... Even if things with you and the prince didn't exactly work ou-"

"Mom!" Myers hissed.

"Julia!" Both Armando and Victor yelled at the same time.

Wendy merely shot me an apologetic look, shaking her head slightly. My mom raised an eyebrow in question, and I was really hoping she hadn't taken offense. Wendy noticed, and mouthed "Sorry…" to my mom. Mom merely nodded, still looking a little peeved.

Myers squeezed my hand even tighter, as if she was desperately trying to reassure me. She looked up at me as we walked, searching my face, her own with a tinge of worry. She's just like that, her eyes seemed to say. Please don't take it personally.

I laced our fingers and brought the back of her hand to my lips, kissing it softly. It's okay, Myers. I'm okay.

Myers gave me a sad half-smile.

We made our way out of the airport and to the car. At that moment, I was really grateful Mara and the team had followed us in another car, because all of Armando and Julia's luggage would not fit in the trunk of the limo. After everything was loaded, we drove back to the palace in awkward silence.

"So… how's Ian?" Myers asked eventually. I shot her a questioning look, as did my mom, and she clarified, "My brother."

"Ah." I nodded.

"Oh, he's fine, dear." Her mother replied with a forced smile.

"And where is he tonight?" My mom asked.

Julia's smile grew a little tighter. "Still in New Jersey." She turned to Myers. "He told me to tell you he's really sorry he couldn't come, but he's really happy for you."

"Yeah, I bet." Myers rolled her eyes.

"He really is sorry, dear. Armando just couldn't leave the business unattended, and since Ian's so terrified of flying anyway… he offered to stay." Her mom continued.

Myers shrugged. "Yeah, I get it. Don't worry about it."

"He's 20 years old, he can't still be that scared of flying." Victor said, shaking his head slightly. "And if he is, he should be able to get over it for his sister's wedding."

"Victor…" Wendy groaned.

I internally seconded her groan. I had a feeling things were about to get very awkward.

Julia scoffed. "Well, maybe if his father had been more present in his life, he would know that it's not some silly fear, but a verified phobia."

"I was as present as you allowed me to be. If I had been more present, believe me he would at least have some direction about what to do with the rest of his life." Victor said pointedly.

"You never questioned Milla's direction when she was in New York waiting tables." Julia spat.

"Because Milla had graduated college and she was just finding her footing." Her dad said simply. "Ian, on the other ha-"

"Ian is also still finding his footing." Julia said through gritted teeth.

"Ian could have done that in college. Hell, even community college would've been enough, as long he did something with his li-"

"Enough!" Myers' yell cut through their argument. "God, you've been here for less than an hour and you're already arguing in the same passive-aggressive way you used to! Is it too much to ask that you both be civil? I'm getting married in two days and I do not need the stress of your constant arguing on top of everything else Drake and I are dealing with!" Myers' chest rose and fell agitatedly.

I reached out and took her hand. She squeezed it as she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, before releasing.

"You're right, Milla. I'm sorry." Her dad said after a moment.

"Me too." Her mom added. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't know you were so stressed… I thought, since you weren't planning the wedding-"

"I'm not planning the wedding because I've been busy touring my country trying to unite it, Mother." Myers cut her off, her tone clipped with annoyance.

"But you always seemed so together in your interviews and such."

"Yeah, that's because I have to, or otherwise risk sending the entire country into a panic." Myers mumbled.

"Oh, Milla… I'm sorry. I didn't know things were that dire…"

Myers' jaw dropped.

Uh oh… I knew that look.

"You 'didn't know things were that dire'?" Myers stared disbelieving at her mother.

"Myers…" I tried pulling her hand back.

"Milla, honey…" Wendy also groaned softly.

"Milla…" Victor sighed.

"No! No! No!" Myers pointed a finger in each of our directions before turning back to Julia. "You 'didn't know things were that dire'?! Remember when I called you in the middle of the night, attempting to fix our relationship? Yeah, I bet you do, but do you remember I was calling from the hospital? After Drake's surgery? That surgery wasn't a routine appendectomy, Mother! It was to remove a bullet from my fiance's shoulder! A bullet that was meant for me that he jumped in front of, during the first attack against the monarchy! Since then, I have seen an apple orchard that was over a hundred years old burnt down to the ground, and a bombing that resulted in King Liam's dad, King Father Constantine dying. That's how 'dire' things are! That's why I haven't been stressed with flower arrangements and seating charts; because I'm busy helping my friend unify our country against terrorists that want to overthrow him! Oh, and did I mention that the man behind all the attacks was my former press secretary?!"

I pressed my lips together, holding back a sigh. My mom sat next to me, covering her mouth with her hand, probably to cover her gaping. Wendy was rubbing her eyes, wincing. Victor's face was impassive. Armando was comforting Julia, whose eyes were wide and shining with tears.

"Camilla, I understand the stress you are under-"

Myers scoffed. "Sure you do, Armando."

"But," he continued, raising his voice slightly,"that does not justify you speaking to your mother like that." Armando said firmly.

Myers rolled her eyes. "Then maybe she should be better informed before she says tactless things like that."

"Maybe she would be, if you deigned to speak to her more than once a month." Armando answered.

"Do not speak to my daughter like that, Armando." Victor warned.

"Your daughter needs to be kinder to her mother, Victor." Armando answered.

"Oh, will all of you stop?!" Wendy shouted. "This is the first we've seen Milla in months, the first time we're meeting Drake and Bianca, and you're all fighting?!" Wendy clasped the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply. "I know we have problems that aren't going to resolve themselves in a day, but right now is not the time to pick fights with each other. Not when the kids are already under immense amounts of pressure, and that's not even counting the wedding jitters. They need us to get along and support them while we're here."

Victor was the first one to sigh. "You're right, dear."

Julia scoffed. "Of course she is."

"Julia, your attitude is not helping things." Wendy told her. "I believe you owe Milla an apology?"

"What, me?!"

"Yes, you! You should've known about what she's going through-"

"How can I, when she calls me once a year? I wouldn't even have known she was in Cordonia if it wasn't for Victor!"

"Because you're her mother." Wendy answered simply. "You should be able to be the bigger person, and you should've tried harder to be closer to her. Now, with that said," Wendy turned to Myers and shot her a pointed look. "You also owe your mother an apology, young lady. It's not acceptable that you take your stress out on others, no matter how critical the situation."

Julia sighed. "... Fine. Milla, I'm sorry… for not knowing what you were going through."

I took Myers' hand and shot her a pointed look.

Myers sighed. "Thank you. I accept your apology… and I'm sorry, too. For yelling at you. It was wrong of me to take my stress out on you."

"Thank you." Julia sniffed.

"I think you're forgetting someone, honey." Wendy said, looking from Myers to Armando.

Myers sighed. "I apologize to you, too, Armando. I understand you were defending your wife."

"I was defending your mother, Camilita." He said softly. "Please, try to remember that. Despite everything that happened… remember she loves you."

Myers clenched her jaw and nodded tightly.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

---

Once again, Gladys greeted us when we stepped out of the car. "Good evening, Your Grace. Drake."

"Good evening, Gladys." Myers smiled.

Servants immediately rushed to help Myers and the ladies step out of the car, while others moved to carry her parents' luggage.

"Unfortunately, King Liam has been detained in a meeting, and so has asked me to give your parents a tour of the palace before dinner." Gladys told us. "The rest of your friends are waiting for you in the foyer."

"Thank you, Gladys." She turned back to her family. "Bianca, Dad, Wendy, Mom, Armando, this is Gladys, our majordomo. Gladys, this is Drake's mom, and these are my parents."

Gladys curtsied. "Wonderful to meet you all."

Her parents and my mom all murmured their agreements.

"Now, if you'll please follow me…" Gladys began.

"But, our bags…?" Julia asked.

"They shall be placed safely in your rooms." Gladys answered, before leading us inside.

I took Myers by the crook of her elbow and held her back. "Hey. Are you okay?" I whispered.

Myers shook her head. "No… I'm mortified. I can't believe I lost my temper like that. And in front of your mom, too! God, what must've she thought of me?"

I chuckled. "Don't worry about that. Hell, she probably thought you weren't afraid to stand up for yourself, or for others you care about."

Myers groaned, and leaned in to hug me. I wrapped my arms around her waist, rubbing soothing circles on her back. After a moment like that, she reluctantly pulled away.

"Come on… we should get going." She told me.

I nodded and together, we caught up with our parents.

As soon as the doors were opened, I watched as Myers' parents' eyes all widened as they looked around. Victor's eyebrows shot straight up into his forehead, while Wendy and Julia's jaws fell. My mom simply looked around disinterestedly.

"There they are!" Maxwell shouted.

"Mom!" Savannah ran towards Mom.

"Savannah!" Mom met her halfway and wrapped her arms around her. "And where is my grandson?"

"Oh, he's with Bertrand tonight." My sister told her sheepishly.

"Hey, Mrs. Walker!" Maxwell also ran to my mom.

"Oh my lord, is that little Maxwell Beaumont?" Mom broke away from Savannah, and pulled Maxwell in for a hug as well. "Honey, I have to thank you for everything you did for Savannah." She whispered.

"Aww, you don't need to thank me for that!" Maxwell told her.

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. M!" Jaime also shouted, walking up to Victor and Wendy.

"Jaime!" Wendy wrapped him in a warm hug. "What're you doin' here, hon? Milla told us you weren't gonna be able to make it!"

"It was a ruse, Mrs. M. I wanted to surprise her." Jaime winked at her.

"Jaime. It's nice to see you again." Victor shook his hand.

"Yeah, you too, Mr. M."

"Mom, this is Hana Lee." I told my mom, introducing her to Hana. "Hana, this is my mom, Bianca."

"Nice to meet you, Bianca!" Hana flashed Mom an award winning smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Hana!" My mom smiled back. "Drake and Savannah have told me a lot about you."

"Wendy! Victor!" Hailey also stepped up to hug both of them.

"Hailey! How're you doing, sweetheart!" Wendy asked."It's been too long, hon."

"Way too long!"

Wendy leaned in conspiratorially, "So, where's this boyfriend of yours? Milla told me you moved in with him after she left."

"Oh, he's right here! Bryan!"

Myers cleared her throat politely, shooting a pointed look to the rest of the guys.

"Oh, sorry, hon." Wendy smiled sheepishly.

The rest of the guys stepped up, and Myers began the introductions, pointing at everyone in turn. "Guys, this is my stepmom, Wendy, and my dad, Victor. And this is my mom, Julia, and her husband, Armando. Parents, these are my friends, Hana, Maxwell, Savannah, my future sister in law, and you know all the rest."

"Actually, we don't, Camilita." Armando said, gesturing to himself and Julia.

"Ah… sorry." Myers said. "Mom, Armando, this is Jaime, his wife Karen, Hailey and her boyfriend Bryan, and Mari Jo, Jacob, and Daniel. They're my friends from New York."

"So, you were Milla's roommate?" Julia asked, shaking Hailey's hand.

"That's right, Mrs. uh…"

"Sánchez." Julia told her.

Awkward…

I shook my head, and after everyone shook hands with everyone, Gladys suggested the tour. She began leading all of us through the castle, and for a second there, I almost felt like a kid on a museum field trip or something.

"All of the living quarters are in the west wing - so that is where your rooms will be - and in the east wing, we have the National Cordonian Gallery. In days past, this was the throne room, the center of power where the reigning monarchs would hold court. But once the new throne room was built, this became a gallery devoted to important relics like the Cordonian Crown Jewels-"

"Those are over there!" Maxwell interrupted, pushing the whole group to a display case that held the orb and scepter.

As everyone followed Gladys through the halls of the palace, Maxwell signaled for me to pull back with a hand.

I slowed my pace, allowing everyone else to walk up front, and fell back to where Maxwell was whispering with Hana and Savannah.

"Hey, so how did it go with Milla's parents?" My sister asked excitedly.

I sighed. "You know when you go to a friend's house and their parents start fighting in front of you?"

Maxwell and Savannah groaned sympathetically, nodding their heads, while Hana just looked at me blankly.

"That bad?" Maxwell asked.

"Wait, Milla's parents started fighting in front of you and Milla?" Hana asked.

"Myers' mom and dad started arguing, and then Myers got into it, and then Myers' stepdad got involved, and they pretty much stopped when Wendy had to step in." I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Drake." Hana reached out to give me a quick one-armed hug.

I shrugged, hugging her back. "It's okay."

"Hey, at least they weren't fighting because of you, right?" Savannah smiled awkwardly, trying to look at the upside.

"Heh. Right."

"She's got a point. Milla's dad and Wendy seem to like you!" Hana grinned.

"Now you just have to win over her mom and stepdad." Maxwell added.

"Armando doesn't seem so bad…" Savannah said, looking in his direction. "He seems… pretty nice."

"Yeah! And Milla's mom… uh..." Maxwell hesitated.

"She looks…" Savannah tried to help him out, circling her wrists and index fingers, looking for the right words. "Cultured?"

I grimaced.

"Drake…" Hana squeezed my shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry. I'm sure Milla's mom will love you once she gets to know you."

"I don't know, Hana…" I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.

"If everything that happened with my parents taught me anything, is that parents will always want their children to be surrounded by people who care. My parents didn't like Milla immediately, until she proved to them that she had my best interests at heart." Hana explained.

"Hana's got a good point, Drake!" Maxwell grinned. "You just have to show Milla's mom how much you love her! Milla, that is, not her mom."

"And that's pretty obvious to anyone who looks at you." Savannah teased. "Everyone can see from a mile away how much you love her."

"He actually smiles when he's with her." Hana chuckled impishly.

I couldn't help but blush a bit, and shook my head. "Yeah, yeah…"

"Look, he's blushing!" Maxwell pointed out.

"Awwww!" Hana and Savannah teased.

I glared at them. "Okay, I'm walking away now."

After that, Gladys led us to the west wing, through the different rooms…

"... The ballroom is still under extensive, ah… renovations, for Duchess Camilla and Drake's wedding." Glady cleared her throat. "But right this way is the Royal Throne room. This is where the King sits to meet with foreign dignitaries and their people-"

"So shouldn't the King be here? You said he was stuck in a meeting." Wendy looked around.

Gladys shot her an amused look. "King Liam holds his meetings in the comfort of his study. This room is for mostly ceremonial purposes. In the old days, it used to be that peasants and nobility alike had to pay their respects by kneeling and touching the hem of the king and queen… But ever since the successful assasination of Queen Kendra in the year 1600, that was outlawed."

"Wait, so you're saying a queen got killed here?" Daniel looked around, spooked.

"No, she was killed in the ancient throne room that, as I said before, is now the National Cordonian Gallery." Gladys said nonchalantly. "And through here is the portrait room of the Cordonian Royal Family. It holds paintings and, more recently photographs, of all of the royals dating all the way back to Queen Kenna Rys-"

"Oh my god, she looks just like the actress who portrayed her in the Crown and the Flame!" Hailey shouted.

"Spooky." Jacob agreed.

... until we finally came upon the Royal family's dining room.

Gladys pushed open the doors and led us inside. "The Ruby Dining room was built in the 1700's and is mostly renowned for hosting the terms of the peace treaty between-."

"My stomach and food?" Maxwell interrupted with a grin.

"I was going to say, 'between Cordonia and the as-of-yet burgeoning country of Auvernal', but I guess that works too." Gladys winked at him. "And that concludes the tour."

"Thank you so much Gladys!" Myers grinned at her. "This tour was much more… complete, than the one Maxwell and Bertrand gave me when I first got here."

Maxwell gasped exaggeratedly. "Milla, how could you say that? I showed you my favorite bathroom!"

Myers chuckled. "Anyway, that's the tour! Right, Gladys?"

"That's right, Your Grace."

"It was all very beautiful. Thank you for the tour, Gladys." Julia said, prompting all the rest of us to thank Gladys.

"Thank you!"

"It was really informative!"

"I learned a lot!"

"The palace is beautiful!"

Gladys chuckled as we all quieted. "Thank you all. I'm very glad to be of service. Now, please, make yourselves comfortable. King Liam should be here soon, and dinner will be served momentarily." Gladys gestured for all of us to sit down, before stepping to the side to speak with a servant.

Myers gestured to the table. "Well, shall we?"

Everyone agreed and shuffled to their seats. Servants immediately began to place small trays filled with different appetizers while we waited.

Myers immediately reached for the bruschetta, while Hana helpfully explained what they all were to her friends. "In the cups you have chicken curry, and that on the plates is bruschetta-"

"That's Italian, right?" Mari Jo interrupted.

"That's right!" Hana beamed at her.

"And what's that on the spoons?" Karen looked at it dubiously.

"Oh, that's deconstructed shrimp ceviche." Hana told her kindly.

Myers nearly choked on her bread. She coughed out a laugh, locking eyes with Maxwell, and then with me. I handed her a glass of water, unable to help my indulgent smirk.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Her mom asked.

"Fine, mom. Just… Hana reminded me of something."

Hailey clapped her hands. "Story time!"

Myers looked at Maxwell. "Well, you tell it better than I do…"

Maxwell grinned. "My genius can't be denied. Okay, so, waaaaaaay back when-"

"A couple months ago…" I interrupted, rolling my eyes.

"Aww…" Maxwell pouted.

"Drake, come on, don't be a killjoy. Go ahead, Maxwell." Myers nodded to him encouragingly.

"So, during the social season, when Milla was still competing for Liam's hand, it was our turn to host the King and court." Maxwell began.

"Was this the famous Beaumont Bash Milla told us about?" Bryan asked.

"That's right! Stay tuned for your invite next year!" Maxwell winked. "Anyway, we get home and we realize there's been a mix-up with the catering company!"

"We had no food and literally 200 guests the next day." Milla added. "So Maxwell came up with a brilliant-"

"Horrible..." I added.

"Brilliant idea for the appetizers." Myers shot me a playful glare.

"He took the nobility's penchant for pretentious food," I added, "and suggested-"

"Caviar and paprika appetizers!" Myers cut me off.

Everyone immediately pulled different faces, all torn between disgust and curiosity.

"Caviar… and paprika?" Myers' mom swallowed.

"That's right! And don't forget the garnish!" Maxwell winked at her.

My mom rolled her eyes, shooting me that look. It's almost as if she was saying Riche people and their weird, fancy food, amiright?"

I chuckled and nodded.

"So there we were, Drake, and Maxwell, and I, all cramped in the kitchen…" Myers began

"... dumping caviar on these ceramic serving spoons-" I continued.

"You mean, 'delicately scooping it up-'" Maxwell cut me off.

"And sprinkling them with paprika." I added.

"And then we actually served them at the party and people actually ate them!" Myers finished.

"They… ate it?" Karen looked mildly disgusted.

"Oh yeah, raved about it actually." Myers giggled.

"All thanks to Maxwell." I added.

"Aww, Drake!" Maxwell grinned at me.

"Oh, definitely!" Myers agreed. "What was it he told them? That it was a 'deconstructed delicacy of caviar cultivated from pampered fish…'?"

"There was something about the Swedish fjords and Providence in there too." I pondered, trying to remember his exact words.

Maxwell cleared his throat, turning serious as he looked around the table. "'What you have there is a deconstructed delicacy of caviar cultivated from pampered hake fish of the Swedish fjords with paprika harvested from a micro-nursery in Provence'." He looked down at us from over his shoulder, before breaking into his classic, easy-going grin.

Myers clapped, prompting the others to clap as well. "That's it! He completely sold it to them as something exotic and expensive, and they ate all of it!"

We all laughed, conversation flowing easily as we made our way through the rest of the appetizers. It wasn't until a moment later when Liam stepped through those doors, and everybody stood immediately, almost as if it were a reflex.

Liam immediately shook his head. "Please, everyone, don't get up on my account."

Jaime and their group looked to Myers questioningly, and sat back down when she nodded.

My mom stood. "Liam! King Liam now."

"Bianca?" Liam rushed over to her and engulfed her in a hug.

"Oh, honey! Look how you've grown! I haven't seen you since…" Mom grimaced, but tried to hide it quickly.

Since my dad's funeral.

Liam nodded, smiling kindly at Mom with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "How have you been?"

"I've been well. How are you? I'm… I'm so sorry about Constantine, dear."

Liam cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"I know he would've been proud of you, son." Mom patted his cheek.

"Thank you, Bianca."

Mom hugged him quickly again, before sitting back down.

Myers then gestured to her parents, and stepped towards Liam. "How was the meeting?"

Liam chuckled. "Long." His stomach grumbled loudly. His jaw dropped, looking over Myers' shoulder to all of us at the table. "My apologies." He said, embarrassed.

Myers merely chuckled. "Well, for the sake of your stomach, I'll make this brief. Liam, this is my dad, Victor Myers, and his wife Wendy Myers. And my mother, Julia Sánchez and her husband, Armando Sánchez."

Liam's eyes widened ever so slightly, before he fixed on a friendly smile. "Mr. Myers, Mrs. Myers, Mrs. Sánchez, Mr. Sánchez." He reached out and offered his hand. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet Camilla's parents."

Victor cleared his throat, shaking it warily. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"It's a pleasure to be here." Wendy added, giggling when Liam took her hand and kissed it.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, Your Majesty." Julia offered her hand next.

"Your country is an absolute marvel, Your Majesty. As is your, ah, home." Armando finished.

Liam chuckled. "Please, call me Liam. There's no need for such formality here."

"Very well, Liam." Wendy said.

Liam gestured to the table. "Shall we?"

"Of course." Julia nodded.

They all sat down again, and soon dinner was served.

"Oh, these mashed potatoes are…" Julia tried to turn her grimace into a polite smile.

"A Cordonian specialty." Myers told her, a warning edge in her voice.

"They are delicious. As is the duck." Armando complimented.

Murmurs of agreement rose from the table.

"Thank you, Armando." Liam nodded, a glint of curiosity in his eyes as he looked from Armando to Myers.

"I'm looking forward to the pie. I can't wait to try these famous Cordonian Rubies." Wendy chuckled. "This cider's lovely."

"You'll love it, Wendy." Milla smiled at her. "Once you taste it, you won't want to bake your pies with any other apple."

"Can't wait, sweetheart."

"Wendy, you bake?" My mom asked.

Wendy nodded, humming in assent since her mouth was full.

"Wendy here is the best baker." Myers told us.

Jaime hummed his agreement. "Mmm. I can attest to that. That cake she makes for Milla's birthday? It's heaven on earth."

"It's chocolate on chocolate on chocolate." Mari Jo added. "It's sooooo good."

"Oh, you kids will make me blush." Wendy blushed, true to her word.

"And she only makes it for Milla's birthday." Victor looked at his wife lovingly. "I'm her husband, but what do I get? Not her chocolate cake."

"You get my red velvet cake." Wendy looked back at him in the same loving manner.

"Mom bakes a chocolate cake from scratch too!" Savannah said.

"Did someone say bake-off?" Maxwell grinned.

"What do you say Wendy?" My mom grinned at her impishly.

Wendy smiled, but shook her head, her mouth still full.

"Oh, Wendy won't deviate from tradition, ever. Tradition here being 'chocolate cake = Milla's birthday'." Hailey told us.

"Perhaps I could persuade you to make it for us before you go?" Liam asked. "Before you return to the US? It may not be her birthday, but Camilla's wedding would be a special occasion, wouldn't it?"

Wendy finally spoke. "You can definitely try, hon." She grinned teasingly at him.

"Hey, remember the time there was a blizzard for Milla's birthday?" Daniel asked.

Immediately, all of her friends groaned, nodding.

Hailey turned to the rest of us. "So, it was, like, three years ago? And New York was hit by this massive blizzard. We were literally snowed in, the bridges were closed, the subway wasn't running… Suffice to say, it was bad."

"We were all crammed inside Hailey and Milla's apartment, me and Jaime and Karen trying to replicate it for Milla so she'd cheer up a little bit…" Jacob continued.

"While Hailey and I was distracting Milla in her room with board games and tequila-"

"Daniel!" Myers brought her hands to her face, her face red.

"What?" He asked, shrugging.

"When all of a sudden, we hear a knock at the door." Karen added. "I open it and in come Wendy and Victor, both of them covered in snow, practically soaking."

Hana's jaw dropped. "But… how did you get to New York with the blizzard?"

"We were already in the city. We'd actually driven in the night before and were staying in a hotel." Victor told her.

"But!" Hailey added, shooting Myers' dad a pointed look. "What he isn't telling you is that they walked, like 15, 20 blocks from their hotel to our apartment… in a blizzard! All to bring Milla her cake!"

"And what do they find when they get there? Milla… absolutely shitfaced." Jaime chuckled, before looking at Liam and then at my mom, Wendy, and Myers' mom. "Um, excuse my language."

Liam merely chuckled. "It's okay, Jaime." He looked at Myers impishly, before turning back to Jaime. "And what happened next?"

Jaime visibly relaxed. "Well, Hailey had to drag Milla into the shower, splash her face with cold water and such to sober her up while we cleaned the mess we made in the kitchen."

"Then when Milla came out, still a little drunk. She started crying while eating half the cake, before passing out." Wendy finished with a laugh.

"You weren't mad?" Hana asked.

Wendy shook her head. "Not at all, honey."

"Wow, talk about a cool mom." Maxwell grinned at Wendy.

I couldn't help but notice how Julia pulled a face at that.

"I was turning twenty-two, so it was already legal for me to drink." Myers explained to Hana.

"She's actually a pretty funny drunk." Wendy added, grinning at Myers.

"Guys, my future mother in law is sitting right there and I'm trying to make a good impression." Myers shot them a playful 'dirty' look.

Mom merely laughed. "Oh, don't mind me, dear. I like a girl who can hold her drink."

We all looked at each other, remembering the bachelor party, and in that moment, everybody at the table was grinning.

Or, well… almost all of us.

Julia sighed. "You never told me that, Victor…"

Myers' dad shrugged, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "You wouldn't have approved." He said simply.

Julia sighed again, reaching for her glass of wine.

There was a moment of tense silence, before Armando tried to break it. "Nothing like a good shot of tequila to liven up a party, right?"

"Right…" Hailey chuckled, smiling at him nervously.

"I prefer whisky." Myers shrugged. "It was just too expensive for us back then."

And… the awkwardness is back.

"That was the Drakiest sentence that ever Draked, Milla." Maxwell teased.

"Hey!" I mock-glared at him.

The table laughed, the ice somewhat broken. We finished eating in silence, before the dessert course was brought out: a good slice of Cordonian apple pie. Myers smiled, her eyes intent on Wendy's face.

The older woman closed her eyes as she tasted it, covering her mouth with a napkin before speaking. "Mmmmmmm! This pie is amazing! It's the best apple pie I've ever tasted! I must have the recipe."

"Told ya." Myers grinned.

"Wow… No offense, but… it's better than yours." Victor nodded, happily taking another bite.

"It's so good, I can't exactly take offense when you're just stating the truth." Wendy shrugged.

Liam smiled. "I'm glad you like it. I can speak with the palace chef and ask her to give you the recipe."

"Thank you, You- Liam." Wendy cleared her throat. "That would be wonderful!"

"Consider it done." Liam nodded.

Conversation slowly faded and silence took over as everyone ate. Soon, we'd all finished our desserts and Liam stood. "Now, would anyone like to join me in the parlor for a digestif?"

Everyone immediately stood, and followed Liam to a small parlor in the next room. Servants walked around with trays of different liquors, as everyone broke into different, smaller groups. Myers wrapped an arm around my waist and whispered, "So… do you wanna do it now?"

"I was thinking of waiting until aft-"

"Nope, you're doing it now!" Myers cleared her throat. "Hey, everyone! Drake and I have something to a-"

"Oh my god, you're pregnant!" Wendy shouted.

The color drained from Myers' face, as everybody immediately broke out in loud well wishes and congratulations.

"Oh my god!"

"Milla!"

"A baby Myers!"

"Baby Walker!"

"Guys! Guys! I'm not pregnant!" Myers yelled, raising her glass of whiskey to drive the point home.

Everyone let out a disappointed "aww…"

Myers rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Drake wanted to ask some of you…" Myers looked at me. "We have to pick our wedding processional and we were hoping to do it now, since we're all together."

"Oh!" Several people murmured.

"So," Myers nodded, looking at Hana. "I've asked Hana to be my maid of honor and she said yes! She's supported me from the moment we met, whether it was helping me pick out a dress, learn the Cordonian Waltz or giving the best advice ever. I couldn't be more thrilled that she agreed to be my maid of honor!"

Hana nodded. "Of course! Milla is my best friend, my first real friend, I'm so honored and humbled that she asked."

Our friends and family clapped softly.

Myers continued. "Hailey has been my best friend from the moment I tripped over the threshold of our dorm room. She's been with me through it all, from helping me pass General Chem 1, to driving a taxi boat at 2 a.m. to the Statue of Liberty, to helping me pack for what would turn out to be the wildest adventure of my life. So of course, I had to ask her to be one of my bridesmaids." Myers smiled lovingly at her friend.

"And since I apparently can't say no to this crazy woman on anything, I had to accept." Hailey giggled.

Myers grinned. "And I love you for it. And finally, my future sister, Savannah, has also accepted to be my bridesmaid."

Savannah grinned, and chuckled nervously when everyone turned to stare at her. "I appreciate it so much, Milla, and I'm so glad my brother found you! You're both perfect for each other in every way, and I'm so happy to get to be a part of your special day."

Choruses of aww's went around the room and everyone clapped.

Myers smiled at her sweetly, before turning to me. "Now, Drake…?"

I lifted my arm to rub the back of my neck, and then caught myself and put it down. "Um…" I looked at Liam. He looked back at me attentively. I took a deep breath. "Liam, you've been like a brother to me ever since we were kids. I couldn't ask for a better best friend. When I think about this wedding, the only thing that really matters to me are the people. You're the only person who's always had my back. So… will you be my best man?"

I didn't miss how Liam glaced quickly at Myers, who was looking at me, and a shadow passed over his eyes. It quickly vanished, however, and was replaced with a wide smile.

"Drake, you're like a brother to me too. Standing beside you will be a privilege and an honor."

"I…" A lump settled into the back of my throat, and I had to clear it. "Thank you."

I walked towards him, and we hugged it out. I knew how hard this must be for him, but he'd agreed to it nonetheless. And that meant the world to me.

When we pulled away, I turned to Maxwell. "Maxwell."

"Yeah?" His eyes widened, and he almost immediately began vibrating with excitement.

"I know I'm not always the easiest guy to get along with-"

"Yeah?" He nodded eagerly.

I chuckled. "But I'd really like it if you could be one of my groomsmen. This year has been tough, but you've really been there fo-"

"Oh my god, yes!" Maxwell practically tackled me, wrapping his arms around me and squeezing me tightly.

I clapped his back, and whispered. "I know I don't always say it… but you're one of my best friends, Maxwell."

"You're one of my best friends, too!" He 'whispered' back. "And I'd love to stand next to you on your wedding day!"

Everyone clapped as we pulled apart.

Myers' dad raised his glass, and toasted. "To Drake and Milla, and their wedding party!"

"To Drake and Milla!"

"Drake and Milla."

Myers returned to my side and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "That was so sweet." She whispered. "Maxwell's reaction was everything." She smiled tenderly.

"I know…" I nodded.

"I know he got to you, you big marshmallow." Myers pinched my cheek.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Shouldn't you go mingle or something?"

Myers laughed. "We both should. I'll see you later?" With that, she pressed a kiss to my cheek and walked off.

I looked around the room, noticing how everyone seemed more relaxed as they mingled. In one corner of the room, Jaime and his wife were talking to Liam and Hana. On the other, Maxwell was laughing with Myers, and Daniel. My mom and Wendy were no doubt sharing stories of me and Myers as kids, judging from the looks they kept shooting me or Myers from time to time. Victor was deep in conversation with Jacob, Hailey and Bryan. I realized then how only Camilla could bring so many different people together. I mean, I had realized it during the Unity Tour… but here, on a much smaller scale, you could really appreciate it.

Only two people stood a bit apart from the rest.

I took a deep breath… and walked towards Julia and Armando.

Armando grinned when he saw me coming, while Myers' mom just looked at me curiously.

I raised my glass of whiskey in greeting. "Was, uh… dinner to your liking?"

"Everything was delicious." Armando nodded.

"Exactly what you'd expect from royalty." Julia added.

"That's, ah… good to hear. Glad you're enjoying yourselves." I mumbled awkwardly.

"Thank you, Drake." Armando clapped my shoulder. "Of course, I will enjoy myself more after another glass of this delicious wine. Should I get you another drink, love?"

Julia nodded, her lips quirking upwards into a small, yet surprisingly soft smile. "Yes, please."

Armando nodded and set off with a wink.

Leaving me and Myers' mom alone.

I began sweating almost instantly. Julia eyed me curiously, before turning her gaze forward. I followed it and saw it land on Myers, who was gesturing with her hands wildly as she talked to Hana and Mari Jo.

Julia let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a suppressed sigh. "I've… never seen her quite like this."

I snapped my eyes back to Julia, noticing her gaze turn wistful.

"Happy… Smiling… Loud." She chuckled mirthlessly. "Whenever she came to visit us, she was always so serious. It's… strange, seeing her like this now." Julia finally turned her gaze back to me. "I thought nothing of it. Truth be told, I thought it was because she took after Victor. He was always so serious. But now… Now I simply realized I barely know my own daughter."

Um… I scratched my head for something to say… Why was she telling me this?

Julia continued. "I didn't know she could smile and laugh so easily. I don't know her friends, or what she likes to do with her free time… and I don't know how we got here. I knew the divorce hurt her… but I guess I didn't realize how much." She turned to look at me, before shaking her head. "I'm so sorry, Drake, I don't know why I'm telling you this."

"It's okay…"

"Thank you. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. It was not my intention."

At that moment, Armando came back and handed Julia another glass of wine.

Huh… so they were wine people… as opposed to Myers and her dad, who shared a fondness for whiskey, I thought absently.

"So, Drake!" Armando's yell snapped me back to attention. "Tell us about yourself. We're going to be family soon, are we not?"

I chuckled awkwardly. "Ha… right."

"He's got a point, Drake. We hardly know anything about you except the fact that you're the King's childhood best friend and that you took a bullet for my daughter." Julia agreed.

"There's not much to know." I took a sip of my drink.

"Ah, come now, Drake, don't be shy! Tell me, what do you do? Do you have any other family here?" Armando prompted.

"I have a nephew. My mom's coming in for the wedding tomorrow. And, uh… my dad died when I was in high school."

They both immediately hummed in apology.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Drake." Julia nodded sympathetically.

"Me too. I'm sorry you had to go through that, especially when you were so young." Armando added.

"May I ask what happened?" Julia asked.

I couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Myers really did keep them in the dark. "My dad was the Captain of the King's Guard, and he died protecting King Constantine in a failed assassination attempt."

"Oh… I didn't realize… I'm sorry." Julia grimaced.

"It's okay… it was a long time ago."

"So you said you had a nephew?" Armando asked, smoothly changing the subject.

I couldn't help but smile. "I do. His name's Bartie - Barthelemy, but Bartie - and he's 9 months old."

"Awww! He must be so precious! And where is he tonight?" Julia said, looking at my sister.

"He's with his dad tonight."

"Well, I can't wait to meet him at the wedding. And your mother too, of course." Julia beamed at me.

I nearly jumped when I felt a hand on my waist.

"Whoa! Easy, cowboy, it's just me." Myers pressed a kiss to my cheek, before looking at her mom and Armando. "So… what's going on over here?" She smiled pleasantly enough, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Armando shook his head. "We were just getting to know one another, Camilita."

"You didn't tell us Drake had a baby nephew, dear!"

Myers shot me a questioning look. "Um… yeah. Bartie. My mother loves babies." She explained to me.

"I can see that, Myers." I chuckled.

"You'll get to meet him at the wedding, Mom." Myers told Julia. "He's the cutest baby. Must take after his mom and his uncle. God knows he doesn't take after Bertrand."

We both laughed, but her mom and Armando didn't.

"Bertrand…?" Julia raised an eyebrow in question.

"Oh, um… He is- was my sponsor."

"I thought Maxwell was your sponsor." Armando said.

"He was. Bertrand's his older brother. They were both my sponsors."

Julia and Armando nodded, but they still seemed confused.

"And Bertrand is also your brother in law, Drake?"

Oof, that was a loaded question. "Uh…"

"He's Bartie's father, Mom." Myers answered.

"Ah. I see." Julia nodded. "Anyway… Armando and I were about to turn in for the night."

"We're not as young anymore." Armando grinned. "An eight hour flight is enough to knock us out. It's actually a miracle we've managed to stay awake this long."

Myers laughed awkwardly. "... Right. Well, I don't want to keep you. Would you like me to call a servant to escort you to your room? It can get pretty confusing over here."

"If you don't mind… I wouldn't want to take someone else's room by mistake." Her mom nodded.

Myers immediately craned her neck until she spotted Gladys. Gladys noticed Myers and immediately walked over.

"What can I do for you, Your Grace?"

"Gladys, would you mind escorting my mom and Armando to their room, please?"

"Of course, Your Grace. If you'll please follow me?" Gladys asked them

"Thank you, Gladys. Well… have a good night, you two." Julia stepped over to kiss Myers' cheeks twice, before doing the same to me.

Armando merely waved. "Have a good night."

As soon as they left, Myers breathed a sigh of relief. "I need a drink. Come with me?"

"Wait Myers." I held her back by the crook of her elbow.

"What is it?"

"I know your relationship with your mom is… complicated-"

"It is." I felt Myers getting defensive.

"But she doesn't seem like a bad person… she wants to get to know you. She wants to know her own daughter."

Myers rolled her eyes. "Is that what she told you? Because it's what she tells everyone who'll listen. It's what she used to tell Jaime and Karen in high school. But she's never really made any real effort to actually get to know me."

"Well, have you?" I asked.

Myers jerked her head back, her eyes widening.

"Besides that one phone call you made a month ago in the hospital… have you tried to get to know your mom?"

Myers shrugged. "I already told you. We've been texting. I've- We," she motioned with her hand to both of us, "have been busy. It's not exactly the best time to repair over a decade's worth of problems."

"And when will be the right time, Myers? After our honeymoon? When we're thrown head first into running a duchy? After the birth of our first kid?"

"I… I don't know, Drake. I don't know." She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest.

I sighed. "Myers… I know the divorce hurt you. I know you and your mom have… a whole thing, and I know I probably don't even know the half of it."

"That's right. You don't." Myers told me.

"But I know you." I whispered, stepping closer to her. "The Camilla Myers that I know doesn't hold grudges. It damn near drives me crazy how forgiving you are… With Tariq, Penelope, Bastien, even Constantine..."

Myers looked to the floor and swallowed deeply.

I tipped her chin with my fingers, so that she was looking back up at me again. "So why can't you do the same for your mother?"

"I…" Myers bit her lip. "I don't know."

I sighed. "Just… think about it, Myers." She nodded tightly, her eyes on the floor again. "Come on. Let's go get you that drink."

"Don't worry about it." Myers stepped away from me. "I'll, uh… just go get it myself. I think Maxwell wanted to talk- something about the band, so…" She gestured to him, before quickly walking away.

I shook my head as I stared after her.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Drake!" Jaime's voice looked from behind me.

Okay, he had no right to be that silent for his size.

He's a freaking marine, what did you expect? My conscience shot back.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya." He grinned sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." I nodded.

"Hey, uh… everything okay with Milla?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Everything's fine."

"Okay, cool. I only ask because I know Milla has some problems with her mom, so…"

"Yep, so I noticed…" I sighed.

"Listen… I've known Milla a long time…"

"Were you there… when her parents got divorced?" I asked, curious. I knew Myers had told me about it, but she hadn't exactly been very forthcoming on the details.

Jaime shook his head. "Nah. Her parents were already divorced when I met her, and her mom had already married Armando."

"Oh…"

"Milla never really talked about it much, besides the endless complaining when she had to go visit. But listen, what I wanted to say was to just be patient with her. She'll open up eventually."

I sighed. "Trust me, I know…" That seemed to be everyone's advice when it came to Myers.

"You didn't need me to tell you that, huh?" He chuckled.

"Nah… let's just say I've already got some experience in that department."

"Yeah, with everything you guys got going on, I figured you do." He shook his head before shaking the subject. "On the upside, Victor and Wendy seem to like you."

"They do?" I couldn't help the corner of my mouth quirking.

"Yeah, they do. They're good people."

"Yeah…"

We looked around the room in companionable silence, before he clapped my shoulder once more. "Come on, you need a refill."

---

Later that night, I was drifting off when Myers sat up in the bed, resting her elbows on her knees with a sigh.

"Can't sleep?" I asked, sitting up with her.

She shook her head. "No…"

"What's on your mind?" I couldn't help but yawn, shaking my head in an effort to wake up.

"What you said… about why I can't seem to let myself get closer to my mother…"

"Okay…"

"The only thing I can come up with is… because she left. She left me. She took my brother and left me like it was nothing. Like it didn't even hurt her to do so. It's one thing to leave your husband… but to leave your kid?"

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Myers… I'm not defending her or anything, but… you told me you told her to leave without you."

"I guess a part of me didn't think she'd actually do it. A part of me believed she wouldn't do it. That me refusing to go with her would make her stay." She leaned her head on my shoulder, her voice becoming smaller. "I was 12… I was a kid. And she left me just like that."

"Have you ever told her that?" I asked.

Myers shook her head. "No…"

I took her hand and interlaced our fingers together. "You should. She should hear it, but more than that, you deserve to say it."

"You think so?" Myers looked at me with wide, shimmering eyes.

"I do."

Myers shook her head. "What's the point though? It happened over a decade ago… it's done already."

"Maybe… but you're never going to be able to fix your relationship with your mother until you tell her how much she hurt you."

"But it's going to hurt her now…"

"Maybe… but if she really wants a relationship with her daughter, she'll get over it."

"Isn't that the same thing, though? You could say the same about me… 'if I want a relationship with my mother, I should get over it'."

"It's different, Myers… because she's the one who hurt you in the first place. You said it yourself. She's the one who left. And she should hear how that made you feel."

Myers sighed, and leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. "Will you come with me?" She whispered.

"To the ends of the earth and back, Myers."

That got her to chuckle. "Okay…" In a flash, she kicked off the covers and stood.

"Myers! You wanna go now?"

"Yes. If I don't do it now, I'll lose my nerve." She hastily put on a silk robe, knotting it at her waist. "Besides, you said it yourself, there's never gonna be a 'right time'. Might as well do it now, before…" Myers shook her head, before walking purposely towards the door.

"Your Grace?" Mara called after her.

"Everything's fine, Mara. There's just something I have to do."

Mara considered her for a second, before nodding.

Myers gripped my hand and we walked through the halls, stopping on her mother's door. Myers swallowed, before knocking softly.

"Mom? It's… it's Camilla."

The door opened.

"Milla? What is it, dear? Is everything okay?" Julia fisted her hand in her robe, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"I need to talk to you."

"Right now?" Her eyebrows shot up to her forehead.

"Yes, now. Can I come in?"

Julia looked behind her, towards the bed. "Give me a moment." She slowly shut the door in Myers' face.

Myers sighed. I stepped up next to her and took her hand. A moment later, her mother's door opened, and she moved aside to let us in.

Armando was sitting on the bed, already dressed but still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Camilita, is everything okay?"

"No… not really." Myers said. "And it hasn't been for a while, has it?"

"I'm… afraid I don't understand, dear." Julia said, sitting down on the bed.

Myers and I took a seat on a small couch across from them.

"Stop. You know what I'm talking about. You both do." Myers looked at the both of them.

I found myself reaching for her hand at the same time Armando reached for Julia's hand.

Myers didn't seem to notice. "You told Drake that you wanted a closer relationship with me. I told you I wanted to try to fix it months ago. And yet, we're still here. We're not closer and nothing's been fixed yet. And I finally figured out why."

Julia closed her eyes for a moment, steeling herself. "... Very well. Go on, then." It almost felt like she knew this was coming.

"I…" Myers stopped. She looked at me. I squeezed her hand and nodded in encouragement. She looked at me, took a deep breath and nodded. "I… I don't think I've ever forgiven you… for leaving."

Armando sighed. "Camilita-"

"With all due respect, Armando," I interrupted. "Camilla needs to say this and Julia needs to hear it. You and me? We're just here to support them."

He looked shocked, his mouth open slightly, before nodding.

Julia cleared her throat. "I… didn't realize it was still an issue, dear. You wanted to stay with your father, and when he remarried, you seemed perfectly fine."

"But I wasn't. I mean, I was, Wendy's great, but I wasn't fine, Mom! You left me without a second thought, you took Ian and you left! And then you married him and acted like everything was fine but it wasn't! You didn't even put up a fight in the custody battle! You didn't bat an eye when the judge gave Dad full custody, you didn't fight for more visitation rights-"

"Because I thought you didn't want me to!" Julia snapped. "I thought you didn't want to see me, that you blamed me for splitting our family apart-"

"I did! But I still wanted to feel like I mattered to my mom! Even if yes, I was mad, and yes, I hated Armando, and yes, I blamed him and you for splitting our family, a part of me still wanted to know you wanted me! I needed to know you cared! And I spent years thinking you didn't!"

"I'm sorry, Milla… I didn't know you felt this way… I just… you were always such a mature child, I simply thought…"

"You thought that I meant it when I said I didn't want to see you? You didn't stop and think that maybe it was just the anger and the hurt talking?" Myers wiped at her eyes angrily.

Julia was silent for a moment. "... No… I didn't." She sighed. "Like I said… you were always such a precocious child, always so mature, always speaking your mind…"

"I may have been 'precocious' or 'mature', but I was still a child! I was 12 years old, mother!"

"Well, what did you want me to do, Milla? You were angry and sullen every time you visited, and I just didn't know how to talk to you!"

"You should've tried, Mom! You should've tried!"

"I did try! I called you-"

"You called me once a month, which then turned to every two, then three and so on!"

"Because it's hard when it feels like you're talking to a wall, Milla! A passive-aggressive wall that disagrees with everything you say and rolls her eyes at you."

"That 'wall' was your kid. A kid that you hurt, that you left without so much as an explanation. A kid that didn't have the emotional maturity to understand what you were going through, and simply felt abandoned and unwanted. I mean, can you blame me for being angry?"

Julia sighed. "No… I guess I can't. You're right. I'm sorry, Milla. I'm sorry."

Myers sighed. "Thank you."

"I never meant to make you feel that way… I never meant to hurt you so much." Julia reached out tentatively, her eyes brimming with tears. "You're right. You are my daughter, and I should have tried harder to be in your life. God, Milla, if I could do it over again… I should have explained that I wasn't leaving you."

Myers met her halfway, taking her hand. "I know that now…"

Julia shook her head. "But you didn't know that then. And it was wrong of me to assume you did. I'm so sorry, honey."

Myers exhaled, and wiped another tear that made her way down her cheek. "I know, mom. And I'm sorry, too."

"Camilla, you have nothing to apologize for." Julia shook her head, squeezing Myers' hand tighter.

Myers nodded. "Well… thanks. I just... needed you to know how I felt, if we're going to move forward. I needed to get that off my chest, to clean the slate and start fresh. I want to know you, Mom. And I want you to know me."

"Oh, honey… I want that, too. I want to know you, and what's going on in your life, and I want to support you if you ever need it." Julia squeezed Myers' hand, tearing up.

Myers chuckled softly, tearing up as well, before standing and pulling her mother in for a hug. "I missed you, Mom." I heard her whisper.

I looked behind them to find Armando also wiping his eyes.

"I missed you too, dear. I'm sorry I didn't realize what you were going through before." Julia held Myers tightly. She met my eyes with a grateful look in her eyes and mouthed, "Thank you."

I nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you how I felt sooner." Myers whispered.

Julia pulled back and gripped Myers' shoulders. "We're here now. And I'm here for you now. Okay?"

"Okay." Myers nodded, pulling away. "Armando?"

Armando stood.

"Yes, Camilita?"

"I owe you an apology too… for being a bitch to you for the past… 13 years."

Armando chuckled. "No, Camilita, it's okay…"

"It wasn't." Myers shook her head. "Especially when I know how happy you made my mom. You're actually pretty cool… for a stepdad."

Armando looked like he was going to cry again. "You have… no idea how long I've waited for this moment." He chuckled awkwardly, once again wiping his eyes.

Myers laughed. "Yeah…" She bit her lip, before moving to hug him.

Armando looked stunned, before he returned the hug, awkwardly patting her back. They stood there quickly, before Myers tapped his shoulder. Armando let her go quickly. "Sorry, Camilita."

"It's okay." Myers nodded, stepping back. "Well…" She exhaled. "This has been… cathartic. I'm sorry for waking you guys and all…"

Both her mom and stepdad shook their heads. "I'm glad you came, Milla. And I'm so proud of you… to see the woman you've become." Her mom said, reaching out to hug her again.

"Thanks, mom." Myers hugged her back, squeezing her tightly for a moment before letting her go. "But we should let you rest. And we have an early morning tomorrow." Myers looked at me.

"Okay, dear. Have a good night." Julia nodded.

"Sleep well, both of you." Armando added.

"You too." I said.

"Good night." Myers took my head and began leading me outside.

As we walked back to our room, Myers seemed to deflate. She leaned heavily onto me, as if her energy had been completed zapped. I wrapped an arm around her waist in support, pressing a kiss to her forehead. When we got to my room, she collapsed on the bed, pulling me down with her and snuggling into me.

"You okay?" I asked.

She hummed her assent. "Yeah… just tired."

"That was intense… are you really okay?"

"I am. I feel… lighter. I guess letting go of old grudges will do that to you."

"Yeah… I'm proud of you, Myers." I turned until we were nose to nose.

She smiled softly. "I'm proud of me too. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For prompting me to do that. I don't think I would've been able to do it on my own."

"Nah. You're Camilla Myers. You can do anything. I'm sure you would've done it eventually." I grinned.

"You have waaaaay too much faith in me, Walker."

"Can you blame me? I'm marrying a woman who fought her way through the nobles' social season with no experience, who uncovered a conspiracy against her, and who single handedly united a country."

Myers shook her head. "That's not true. I've done nothing 'single handedly'. You've been there for me every step of the way. And our friends have, too."

"Can't you just let me be proud of the woman I'm marrying, Myers?"

"Ugh, fine. Spoil me, Walker. Shower me with compliments. Sing songs and write ballads in my honor."

"What is it with you and the epic ballads?" I grinned, pressing my mouth against hers.

"Seriously? Is there anything better than a bard immortalizing my name through song?" She grinned against my mouth.

"I can certainly think of a few things…"

That earned me a laugh. "Alright, I might see your point there. But in all seriousness… thank you." Myers looked up at me with shining eyes. "For pushing me, challenging me, for believing in me."

"Always, Myers. Always."

"I love you, Walker."

"I love you, Camilla."

Myers buried her face in my chest, and it wasn't long until she fell asleep, more at peace than she'd probably been in a while. I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, before soon following.