In the world of wealth and make-believe, Royally Kissed follows the tale of Paige Cadwyn, an heiress who believes that no man could ever love her despite her beauty and kindness. And when she falls hopelessly in love with Arthur Huxley, a senior in...
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—fiftyeight—
the art of letting go
"NEVER GONNA CHANGE your mind?"
Arthur's shoulders became stiff, pausing from shoving his clothes into his bag. He then looked up at Cain rather hesitantly – it was as though he was afraid to stare at some deity who was walking among them mortals.
He cast his lashes back down and sighed. "No," he replied, as he continued fixing his things. "I need this."
"Guess so," Cain muttered ruefully. "But think about it – if you let her marry that senator's bastard, then you won't be able to get her back, and she will bear his kids and not yours; basically, she's going to spend the rest of her life with that douche, and you're at some place halfway around the world – maybe in a bar or something, drinking away the thoughts of having her in your arms and shit like you guys are these pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that perfectly fit together. Probably you're sleeping it off with some random girl you met in the woods, but for some reason, you can't just get Paige out of your head. You know what I mean?"
Arthur pulled up a funny face. "No. I don't."
Cain rolled his eyes and plopped on the bed in such a heavy manner that it made the bed wave like the ripples of the sea. "You guys are idiots. You know that right? Come on, man. It's gonna be your loss. Both your loss. Like, even your dad made her swear or something – "
He stilled. "What d'you mean?"
"Oh, you know, that she would watch over you guys when he's gone. Even your old man believes you're meant for each other."
Arthur shook his head, zipping his bag close. "That's easy to say, but given the circumstances, you'd see how messed up it really is. What d'you want me to do? Kidnap her, like nothing happened? Take the chance away from her to be with someone who wouldn't likely make her fucking cry? Does it seem a little arrogant? How can you be sure if we'd work out if I'd try to stop her from marrying the guy, anyway? It may seem like it's not the most logical reason right now, but it will be one day."
That made Cain silent for a moment. And for one second there, Arthur thought the debate was done. But then he mused, "But if she were given the chance, she'd choose you. I know she would."
"I saw it, Cain," he said breathily, licking his lip, "Paige loves him, too. If we have to do the math, it's over; you'd know who's really winning here. Just simply put it like this – we're done. For good. And that's enough for me to know that for once in my life, I've met the love of my life. We don't end up with our soul mates, Cain. Don't believe that shit. Marriage doesn't work like that. Over time, those intense feelings for someone, those would fade away in the long run. What makes the team last long isn't really love. It's the work put into that marriage every single day."
