Chapter 3: The Duty Of The Heir (Book 3): Chapter 3

Rutland

‘I was practically rolling on the couch, laughing so hard,’ Sasha, with her lively spirit, recounts a particularly hilarious event from the party, setting off a round of laughter. The party’s buzz is kind of winding down, and here I am, tucked away in the kitchen with her and my sister Amber. We’re swapping stories, laughing over tonight’s crazy moments.

‘You guys are like, perfect for each other, Amber,’ I say, totally admiring the love she shares with her husband.

‘It’s like, a match made in heaven,’ Sasha says with this big grin on her face.

‘You two are just nuts together,’ I throw in, and we all burst out laughing.

Amber looks at me then, all curious. ‘So, when are you heading back to Wesbury, Aisling?’

‘Thursday morning,’ I say, and there’s this little twinge of sadness inside me. Time with family always flies too fast.

‘Why not Sunday?’ Amber’s eyes are all puzzled.

I shake my head. ‘Can’t. I wanted to leave Saturday, but Duke’s not down with me staying another Friday here.’

‘We hardly get to see you, though. Why’s he being like this? Why didn’t he come with you?’ Amber’s digging now, her concern all over her face.

‘Just work stuff,’ I say, keeping my voice light, even though there’s more to it.

‘I don’t buy it,’ Amber says flat out, and Sasha’s nodding like she agrees.

I let out this breath, spilling the beans. ‘Okay, truth? Duke’s not big on parties or anything. He only does a few, you know?’

‘Why’s that?’ Amber’s pushing for more.

‘Are you kidding? You knew this about him before we even got married,’ I say, feeling this defensive edge creeping in.

‘I get it, I met him in Cayland,’ Amber tries to smooth it over.

‘He’s just into his Cayland scene, that’s it,’ I say, trying to brush the whole thing off.

‘But hey, we’ve got till Thursday, right?’ Sasha jumps in, flipping the script.

‘Yeah,’ I agree, kind of relieved to switch topics.

‘But I’m at work during the day,’ Amber says, a bit apologetic.

‘What about nights?’ I ask, hoping we can make some plans.

Amber starts listing her evening routine – dinner, kids, homework, showers. It’s a lot.

‘Yeah, you’re right,’ I say, feeling the disappointment.

‘We should just tell the guys to step up, you know? They can handle the kids while we have some fun,’ Sasha suggests, all hopeful.

‘That could work,’ Amber says, warming up to the idea.

‘Let’s do it. Let’s plan something for this week,’ I say, feeling hopeful again.

Sitting cross-legged on this queen-sized bed in the guest room later that night, phone pressed against my ear, I’m trying to wrap my head around what Mom’s saying.

‘Wait, Duke actually showed up at the café today?’ I can’t hide the shock in my voice.

‘Yep, you heard that right,’ she confirms.

I frown. ‘But why? What was he doing there?’

‘He was just checking in, making sure everything was okay,’ she says.

I shake my head, baffled. ‘I can’t believe it. He never does stuff like that.’

‘Well, he did this time,’ Mom says, like it’s no big deal.

‘And we just talked an hour ago. He didn’t even mention it,’ I say, feeling kind of thrown off.

‘He doesn’t have to tell you his every move, Aisling,’ she points out.

‘I guess not,’ I sigh, still trying to get it. ‘Were there many people there?’

‘A bunch,’ she says.

‘I bet they were surprised to see him,’ I say, trying to picture it.

‘Totally. You should’ve seen their faces,’ she agrees.

‘What was he really doing there?’ I can’t help but ask again.

‘Just making sure we were fine. He even talked to some customers,’ she says.

‘He talked to people?’ That’s so not like Duke.

‘Yeah, just small talk,’ she repeats.

I pause, still processing. ‘And you’re not surprised by this?’

‘Not really,’ she says like it’s nothing. ‘Anyway, how was the ceremony today?’

‘It was incredible, Mom. I’m so glad I’m here. Did you see the pictures I sent?’ I switch gears, eager to share.

‘I did. You looked amazing in that hat,’ she says warmly.

‘Really?’ I can’t help but smile.

‘Absolutely stunning,’ she assures me.

‘Thanks, Mom. Everyone kept saying that,’ I say, feeling a bit of a glow.

‘Did a lot of people show up?’ she asks, her voice all warm and curious.

‘Yeah, it was packed. Kids running around everywhere. Everyone’s having babies. All my childhood friends are now married with their own little ones. They’re super busy,’ I tell her, feeling this wave of joy in my voice. ‘I was the only one without kids, but I was totally okay with it.’

‘You’ll be in their shoes soon enough,’ she says, and I can hear her smiling through the phone.

‘I hope so, Mom. I can’t wait to have my own kids and bring them to family get-togethers. It would mean so much,’ I admit, feeling this bubble of happiness and excitement in my chest.

‘God’s got this. It’ll happen for you,’ she says, her optimism totally catching.

‘Oh, and guess who I ran into? Adam. Did I ever mention him to you?’ The excitement’s building up in me.

‘Adam? Who’s that?’ she asks.

‘He used to live a couple of houses down from Dad’s,’ I explain.

‘Oh, the boy you used to talk about all the time?’ she remembers.

‘That’s him! He was there,’ I say, smiling so wide.

‘That’s nice to hear. You had a thing for him, right? I remember,’ she says, acknowledging it.

‘Yeah, he was my first crush. I’m glad I told you about him,’ I reminisce, feeling my cheeks heat up a bit.

She laughs. ‘You sure did. A little blast from the past, huh?’

‘He was so excited to see me, and I felt the same. Did I ever tell you he was my first kiss?’ I ask, a bit hesitant.

‘What?’ she sounds totally surprised.

‘Yeah, Mom. We kissed,’ I confess, my heart doing somersaults.

‘Aisling, you never told me that!’ she sounds amazed, but not upset or anything.

‘I couldn’t tell you back then, could I? You were super strict during my high school years. And that was even before Duke came into the picture,’ I explain, a wave of nostalgia hitting me.

Mom’s curious, as always. ‘So, what did you and Adam chat about?’

‘Oh, we caught up on everything. What he’s up to, my life… Turns out, he already knew a bunch about me,’ I say, feeling a warmth at the memory of our conversation.

‘Is he married?’ she asks, straight to the point.

‘Nope, not married. Seems like he’s one of those commitment-phobic guys, like so many these days,’ I say, a hint of sadness in my voice.

‘Toxic generation,’ Mom sighs, her worry clear.

‘But get this – he works for the State now,’ I add, still kind of impressed by that.

‘Nice. And where are you right now?’ she wonders.

‘Just at the house,’ I reply.

‘And the hotel? When are you heading there?’ she’s full of questions.

‘I’m staying here tonight. They insisted I don’t go back to my hotel,’ I explain.

‘What about Bianca? Is she at the house too?’ she asks.

‘No, she’s at the hotel,’ I tell her.

‘I’ve got to run, honey. I’ll call you when I’m home,’ she says, all love and warmth.

‘Okay, Mom. Thanks for everything,’ I say, ending the call.

I walk into the nursery, where Sasha’s busy changing baby Khaleb’s diaper.

‘Done talking?’ Sasha looks up.

‘That was Mom. She says hi,’ I tell her.

‘Hi, Miss Elena,’ Sasha says with a smile.

‘You won’t believe who showed up at the café today,’ I start, still amazed.

‘Duke?’ Sasha guesses right off the bat.

‘How’d you guess?’ I’m impressed.

‘Just a hunch. He’s not exactly a regular there,’ she explains.

‘You’re too quick,’ I laugh.

‘That’s really nice of him to drop by,’ she says.

‘I’m still in shock. He didn’t even mention it when we talked earlier,’ I admit.

‘He doesn’t have to, you know,’ Sasha says, sounding so casual about it.

I sink into this cozy nursing chair beside the changing table, and I can’t help but think of Duke.

‘Do you miss him?’ Sasha asks, looking over at me with these really empathetic eyes.

‘Yeah, like crazy,’ I admit, feeling this ache of missing him.

‘It’s only been a couple of days,’ she points out.

‘I know. It’s kind of pathetic, right? I’m just so crazy about him, Sasha. It’s gotten even more intense now,’ I say, feeling all open and vulnerable.

Sasha gives me this sweet, understanding smile. ‘You two are amazing together.’

‘He’s everything to me. The love of my life,’ I say, and I can feel my heart just swelling with love for him.

‘So, how are you gonna handle being in Rich Oaks without him?’ she teases me a little.

‘I’ll just have to keep busy, like always. But seriously, we need to have a baby soon, Sasha,’ I find myself saying, feeling that longing more than ever.

‘You’re going to be an incredible mom,’ Sasha says, her voice full of warmth and encouragement.

‘I hope so. And Duke, I can’t even imagine what he’ll be like as a dad,’ I say, trying to picture it.

Sasha laughs. ‘He’ll be indescribable, that’s for sure.’