The King | Maxon Schreave

Chapter Eleven

Hello everyone, and thank you for your patience when it came for waiting for this chapter. I have been overwhelmed by university work, and then the holidays, but here is Chapter Eleven of The King! I hope you will like it, please don't forget to leave reviews and comments, it's so important to me in order to improve my writing. And again, a big thanks to my beta-reader for her incredible work. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

The following afternoon I stood on the tarmac at the Angeles airport with a bouquet of white lilies in my arms and was eager to finally see my promise again, after two days of separation. I had gotten out of the car without heeding Palmer's advice, so he stayed not far behind me, and nervously awaited the landing of the royal plane, specially sent back to Carolina to pick up America and her family.

After my discussion with Officer Leger, insidious thoughts had entered my mind. Despite the assurance of his new relationship with Lucy, and the irrefutable fact that America was now my fiancée, I could not help but imagine the worst. With the distance between us, even for such a short time, it was not easy for me to feel reassured when I was alone at my desk, with only the company with large files to deal with and a hot cup of coffee to help keep my eyes open. Several times I had been fiendishly tempted to send Leger on a distant mission somewhere between Hansport and Waverly. But reason had always caught up with me, reminding me of the pain I would cause America if I exiled one of the people dearests to her heart, when she needed support from her loved ones more than ever. And once again, my unconditional love for her had failed me, without a single ounce of regret... At least that's what I had hoped.

A sudden roar pulls me out of my dreary thoughts, and in the distance, I can see the plane landing on the runway and slowly approaching the red carpet on the asphalt. After a few minutes of technical manoeuvres, the door finally opens to reveal two guards, then the silhouette of America behind them, dressed in the linen trousers I had given her after our first date. Hurrying to the bottom of the stairs, I pick her up between my arms, barely has she put one foot on the ground to make her swirl, to my delight to finally see her again.

"Maxon!" she protests, laughing.

"Hello, my dear," I said, kissing her.

"Good afternoon, Mr Schreave. I have missed you," she replied, placing a hand on my cheek.

Loosening my embrace, I grasped the bouquet of lilies left to Palmer and held it out to her while she blushed slightly.

"You shouldn't have," she murmured, breathing in the scent of the flowers. "Do you know that they are the symbol of Carolina?"

"Of course, I do! They're also a symbol of royalty, perfectly suited to your new status," I replied with a wink.

"Obviously," she mocked. "But really, it wasn't necessary..."

"This is one more way to prove my love to you."

"You hope to corrupt me with material goods?" she scoffs.

I laugh, still amused by her impertinence which I missed so much, even in such a short time. We turn around to greet the other members of the Singer family, who always seem astonished by the surrounding luxury - the carpet under our feet, the servants hurrying to get all the stuff out of the hold, the private jet gleaming in the setting sun, and the two dark sedans waiting to take us all to the new house. We get into the first car while Mrs Singer, May and Gerad get into the second and once seated I cannot help but take my fiancée's hands between mine, so much I have missed the silky touch of her skin over the last few days.

"The departure wasn't too difficult?" I asked, kissing the joints of her fingers.

"A little," she admits. "Leaving our house behind, with all the memories it holds, was not easy. I just hope Kota won't mess everything up."