Royal 2 (Book two in my Selection series)

Chapter 29

I cried as I held tightly to Colton and brushed through his hair with my fingers. I didn't want them to leave.

"It's okay sissy." Colton murmurs quietly and pats at my cheeks to wipe away my tears. I laugh slightly at his gesture and squeeze him closely.

"I'm going to miss you a lot, but I'll see you soon." I say and pull back so I can look at his face again.

"When will I see you again?" Colton questions me with a concerned face.

"Maybe a few weeks but it might be months. You'll be okay though, James is a good housemate right?" I say and chuckle a little.

"He gave me all his old toys." Colton grins revealing two deep dimples that penetrated his cheeks.

"Isn't that nice!" I couldn't help but laugh. "So you won't be too sad if you lived with him forever?"

"Why wouldn't I live with you?" Colton asks again with the same concerning face.

"If Will happens to love me like I do him, then I'll live here and you will be living with Auntie Kathy and Uncle Davy." I say to him. I didn't want to have this conversation but I'd rather it come from me instead of someone else.

"I'll never see you again?" Colton says now his face shaping into worry with tears hinting at the sides of his eyes.

"No, no, no. No, you'll see me again you just won't live with me and see me every day." I whisper and offer him a smile.

"Will you be happy?" He asks.

"Yeah. I will be." I smile and think about what life would be like if I was Will's only girl. If there weren't other girls here to compete with.

"Then I'll be." Colton grins and I stand up with him.

"Thank you, buddy. Let's get out to the others. You all have to leave soon." I set him on the ground and help carry his bags out.

Kathy and James talk outside the gates along with the other families. I make my way to Kathy and hug her tightly.

"I'm going to miss you." I say to her.

"I'll miss you too." She gushes to me and smiles sweetly. "I'll keep up with everything for you and make sure everything goes well, I promise."

She smiles and I thank her then I turn to James who pulls me away by my elbow.

"I have something to talk to you about." He mutters to me before looking around to make sure we were alone. "Will talked to me the second day I was here. He came to me really nervous and looked scared to death. He told me he didn't know where else to go but he wanted my blessing to propose to you one day."

I was speechless. No matter how many times Will may have told me he wanted this or told me he loved me somehow it became a step closer to reality.

"Really?" Is all I manage to make out. He nods and continues to talk.

"And I gave it to him because I see the way he looks at you and I want to look at someone like that. I aspire to be at that point one day and I have no right to tell him no to that." James says focusing his eyes to see my reaction.

I didn't know what to say so I just smiles and look away from him.

"I'm taking that as an excited reaction?" James asks with a small glow in his eyes.

"Yeah." I say and hug him tightly around the neck. I'd appreciated our talk earlier in the week. It made me have a different perspective for getting married soon and being the queen quite possibly. "I love you so much." I say and squeeze him as tightly as my arms could handle.

"I love you too." He says and laughs. "We better head back or they're going to leave without me."

"I'd be okay with that." I laugh and lead him out. I hug each of my family members goodbye and watch them get in the car.

"Goodbye!" I say as James begins to pull the door shut.

"Bye Autumn!" I hear Colton exclaim from somewhere in the car where I could barely see him.

"Bye Colton!" I exclaim and laugh as James and Kathy both wave and the door is shut. The car drives off along with the other families and I smile sadly. The last few days had went by so fast and I just wanted them to be here forever.

"Hey." I hear a voice behind me and I don't even have to turn around before knowing who the voice belongs to.

"Hey." I murmur and smile a bit.

"Let's go back in." Will says and I feel his hand take hold of my own.

"Okay." I mutter. When I turn around I get a glimpse of Josie with tears falling down her cheeks and crying in her friend's shoulder. "You need to go comfort her." I say and nod my head to Josie.

"She has her friends." Will murmurs.

"I don't want you just to be around me because I just don't get along with them all that well." I shrug and follow him inside the palace.

"That's not Why I'm around you all the time and you know that." Will says with amusement in his tone. "But all the other girls have said they don't know anything about you and that you rarely say anything to them."

"I don't really, but I promise I have found friendship apart from the other girls and they've all already set their own friendships." I shrug. "I'm fine I promise. Stop worrying about me." I snap rather harshly.

"I trust you." He says simply and continued. "I think we should watch a movie tonight. We can just wear pajamas and relax until tomorrow when the surprise will be revealed."

"That's a good idea." I say with a bit of a grin. I was still sad and couldn't get my family out of my mind.

"I'll pick you up at your room an hour after dinner so you have time to get un-ready." Will says with a slight smile on his face.

"Okay That works." I lean forward as I laugh and hug him. He pulls me tightly to him and kisses the top of my head before letting me go up to my room. I looked around and the other girls stared at me, glaring. I try and move as quickly as possibly, but a hand catches my elbow. My face turns to meet Will's.

"Don't let them intimidate you. Are you ashamed of our relationship?" He asks with a smirk playing on his face as he kisses my cheek.

"You know you only make this so much harder." I roll my eyes with a smile and push him playfully as I turn back to my room, making it there safely this time.