Rise: Populations Crumble, Book 2 by Gandy, A. (read book .txt) 📕

Patrick follows without question until we’ve rounded a bend in the trail a few minutes later. “Everything okay?” he asks, his voice breaking the wooded stillness.

“Not really, but it will be.” I give him a reassuring smile. “I wanted to talk to you about something, though.”

“Anything. What’s up?” his tone is light, but I can hear the worry underneath.

“I think it’s time we tell Teddy and Faith who you are. I don’t want to keep it from them, and it would be nice to have someone in the know to talk to.”

His mouth is set in a grim line, and he’s silent for a few more minutes as we walk amongst the towering, red-and-gold-leaved trees. To my surprise, when he speaks next, he doesn’t argue—despite his obvious reservation.

“Okay, we can tell them.” He sounds resigned.

Stopping, I spin to face him. “Are you sure? I know it’s a big deal for you. We can talk about it more if you want.”

“Yes, I’m sure. I appreciate your honesty, and your desire to be upfront with your family. You’re already keeping this from the rest of the world—I won’t ask you to change who you are to keep my secret from them, too,” he says, jaw set in determination.

I roll what he said over in my mind, taking in the weight of it. I hadn’t thought about it before now, but he’s right. We are living as the O’Roarkes currently, which is neither my nor his legal name. Part of me accepted that because I wasn’t ready to tell anyone else that he’d duped me. But part of me wasn’t willing to dive into the political ramifications of who he really is. It’s easier to pretend to be an O’Roarke than to be a Royce. Guilt washes over me when I realize that I’ve been enjoying the benefits of the same deception I’d wanted to crucify him for.

“I think I owe you an apology, Patrick.” My voice comes out low, humbled.

His eyebrows shoot up. “What? Why would you owe me an apology?” He crosses the divide between us, invading my personal space. He reaches up and smooths a piece of wayward brunette hair back from my face, and my stomach flip-flops.

My mouth has gone suddenly dry, so I have to swallow before I can answer him. “Well, I was so angry at you for not telling me who you really were—and I do think that was justified anger—but, I turned around and slipped right into it with you, and never even realized that I was being a hypocrite. I’ve only been a Royce for, what, a week and a half?”

I look up at him, and he gives me a single tense nod, but doesn’t interrupt me.

“The pressure I feel from your family’s political position is huge, and I’ve only been part of the family for a short time. Nobody even knows who I am, or cares. But you . . . this is your whole life. Your whole future, and the expectations of an entire continent of people.” I pause, the weight settling more fully in my mind. “I guess I understand more now why you wanted to be free of that for a while. And I’m sorry I judged you for that decision.” I look up, and his face is so serious, I can’t tell what he’s thinking.

The moment drags on, until I can’t take it anymore. “Would you say something, please?”

He doesn’t speak, but he does wrap his hand around the back of my head, and pulls me in for a sudden, fierce kiss. I freeze at first, unsure, but after a moment I relax into his hard chest, my hands softly resting against his warmth. He backs me up, and I feel the rough bark of a tree lightly against my back. Letting go of my head, he brackets me in with both arms between him and the trunk, and after a moment pulls back, resting his forehead against mine.

My lips are tingling, and my brain is blank from the sudden display of passion. At some point, I’d clenched a hand into the soft fabric of his t-shirt, pulling him in closer, and I force myself to let it go, but leave my hand pressed to him where I can feel his heart pounding.

His voice is rough with emotion when he finally says, “Thank you, Sadie. Thank you for understanding,” and then he crushes me to his chest in a bear hug. I hug him back and close my eyes to soak in the moment, my own heart pounding to match his.

A throat clears, and both of us pop our heads up. “You have an interesting definition of ‘finding a lunch spot.’ ” Teddy quips, an amused note in his voice.

Patrick steps back, but instead of releasing me, he slips an arm down around my waist, holding me lightly against his side. “Well, we are newlyweds, what do you expect?” he jokes, giving no hint of the tension that was simmering between us seconds ago.

“Yeah, yeah. Still my baby sister, so, keep it to yourself.” Teddy waves dismissively, and Faith elbows him in the ribs.

“Ignore him. Did you find a spot to eat?” She seems lighter, and I hope that means she confided in Teddy, but I won’t meddle and push it further either way.

“Yep, right over there.” Patrick points to a nice, clear spot I hadn’t noticed.

“Perfect!” Faith drags Teddy by the hand, and he shakes his head at her enthusiasm.

After we’ve set out the blanket and all helped ourselves to our lunch feast, I give Patrick an encouraging sideways glance. He’s just taken a huge bite of a deviled egg and gives me a shrug. I giggle at his goofiness. It’s nice to see he has a relaxed and silly side, too.

Our lighthearted moment is interrupted by sudden music blaring from Patrick’s pocket.

“What the heck?” he mumbles around a half-chewed deviled egg as he tries to dig his mini-tablet from