Diamonds or Dirt?

Chapter 21: The Deal

Rylee's POV:

I am so overwhelmed right now. Last night was amazing, this morning was amazing, and now I'm meeting with the King. How am I supposed to deal with all of this at once? I close my eyes for a second right after entering the room and I look over at Sam who is looking everywhere else.

"Hello Miss Kane. Mr. Dalton." The King says when he sees us. "Please have a seat." He says gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk.

We sit and look at King Edward waiting to hear what he has to say. "I trust you slept well." he says trying to be polite. I can tell Sam is about to answer when I cut him off.

"With all due respect sir we would really appreciate it if you would tell us why we are here so we can get home to our families." I say looking Edward in the eye.

"Yes Miss Kane of course." He says standing up and walking around to lean against the front of the desk. "I know you both understand that what went on last night at the party was no small matter. Toby is no longer a member of the royal family and the reason behind that needs to remain a secret."

"We understand." Sam says speaking for me.

"Good, now of course we will give you something in return for your silence. I have an offer to make that I believe you will like." Edward says smiling.

"What is that?" I ask.

"Since Toby will no longer be living in the ranch house since it is being paid for by the royal family’s money I would like to offer you the deed to the house and land and insure that all expenses will continue to be paid for with my money. Also you would have permanent visas that would allow you to travel here whenever you please, even live here if you want. In return all I ask for is your silence and one more thing." He says smiling mischievously at the last part.

"What is it you want?" Sam asks.

"Miss Kane this is 100% up to you, but I would like to adopt you as a member of the royal family, I heard about your childhood and I would like to be a father figure for you. This would all be kept very quiet and only my family and whomever you choose to tell would know about it. I've never had a daughter and I am very fond of you. This would also insure that you have a very comfortable life ahead of you. Please consider my offer. You do not have to agree now, but I would appreciate a hasty decision. I know this may be a shock to you, but I feel it could benefit us both." He says.

I'm sure my mouth is hanging wide open in shock as he sits there and looks at me intently. I close my mouth and then I start laughing. I keep laughing hysterically as both men stare at me. Sam looks amused and Edward looks sad. I calm myself down and then I say, "You aren't serious are you?" I ask him still choking back laughter.

"Yes I most definitely am." He says and that stops my laughter immediately.

I look from his face to Sam's face. Both are looking at me for an answer that I'm not prepared to give. "I- I'm going to have to think about it." I say stumbling over my words.

The king smiles and says "that's all I can ask. Thank you."

I just smile and nod my head. "Shall we fill out paperwork?" He asks and calls for his lawyer to bring in the necessary documents.

I signed my names more times than I can count and then it was finally over. The King had our bags picked up and we are on our way to the airport. I keep replaying the whole thing over again in my head. I still can't believe he wants to adopt me! What is so special about me?

Every time I come up with a reason I quickly shoot it down. I'm sure it will benefit him in some way to have a daughter. What should I do? I don't want to make him mad, but adoption... the word seems scary now.

Sam's POV:

Rylee is so quiet. She hasn't said a word since we left. She has a blank look on her face as she stares out the window. She doesn't even seem to notice my thumb rubbing the back of her hand. I know she is thinking about what the King asked her. I keep thinking about it too.

Would it really be so bad for her adopted dad to be the King of England? She would never have to worry about money again. She would have 2 brothers that would be good for her. She would have a mom that treats her right, and she could be happy and worry free.

Then again what if she decides I'm not good enough for her. I wonder and I furrow my brow. I don't notice that Rylee has snapped out of it until I feel her fingers tracing the wrinkle on my forehead. I blink and look over at her.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks me.

"Rylee, I think you should take the Kings offer. I think it would be good for you. I know it could change things between us, but you would finally have a good family. A family that loves you. I love you and I want what’s best for you." I tell her.

She thinks about this quietly for a minute. "Sam there are many ways that this could be good or bad. Sure the good seem to outnumber the bad at this point, but I need to think about this more, and don't you think for one second that this would change anything between the 2 of us. I will love you rich or poor. I would even love you if you were ugly." She says and then she leans in and whispers in my ear, "You looks do help though." She kisses right behind my ear and I sigh releasing all the stress I've been bottling up inside for the past week.

She pulls away and turns towards the window again and I lean over and trail light kisses from her ear to her shoulder and she smiles and relaxes. I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me. Her head rests on my shoulder and she cuddles up next to me for the rest of the ride.

When we get to the airport our bags have already been checked and we pick up our tickets. We go through the King's special security check and board the Kings private plane. As soon as we get settled Rylee turns to me with an evil smile on her face.

"What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?" I ask her and her smile just gets bigger.

She turns to look out the window and ignores the question. After we take off Rylee turns back to me. "Sammy have you ever kissed a girl on a plane before?" She asks me sweetly.

"No Rylee I haven't." I say leaning closer to her, "But I can fix that real fast."

My lips touch hers softly and before I know what’s going on she moves into my lap and her hands are in my hair. I let her take control. She normally goes with whatever I do, but I like this side of her. I put my hands on her waist and rub little circles on her bare skin with my thumb. She pulls away and that smile is back on her face.

She lightly kisses me on the lips again before moving over to behind my ear. She kisses it lightly making me exhale sharply. She trails kisses down until she meets my shirt and then back up again. When she makes it back to my ear she pulls away.

"I can't wait to get home. I want to see your house, your ranch, your room, I want to know everything there is about you. Flaws and all, because I love you Sam and I want to know everything there is to know about you."

She pulls away and smiles down at me. Her words strike a chord deep within me. She is going to stay is the first thing that runs through my mind. I'm not going to lose her as soon as we get back, and with that thought I pull her as close to me as I can and kiss her softly on the lips before leaning back the seat and cradling her against my chest.

We both drift off to sleep and my dreams couldn't have been sweeter.

***

We woke up hours later. It is dark outside the window and my phone says its 12:30. The plane has come to a stop and the noise that woke us up was the voice on the intercom telling us we had arrived. We exit the airport and find a car waiting on us with our luggage already packed. We get in the car and I watch Rylee the whole ride.

When we reach the ranch the man opens the door for me and I reach in to help Rylee out of the car. After we tip the driver and grab our baggage I sweep Rylee into my arms startling her. She wraps her arms around my neck and looks at me confused.

I walk up the porch steps and I carry her right up to the door. I put her down and cover her eyes with my hand. I open the door and lead her inside before removing my hand. "Welcome to my home." I say as she looks around the room.

She looks back up at me and asks, "Can it be mine too?"