Chicago was officially my second home. Nathan was proud of how well I knew the city. The last time Greg and Ruppy were here, I took them to Cloud Gate and Willis Tower. They fell in love with deep dish pizza and American hot dogs. We watched a baseball game together and attended one of Nathan’s concerts. The band shifted to intimate venues as opposed to last year’s arena tour. They wanted to return to their indie roots. They were currently working on a new album. I actually attended three of their recording sessions. It was quite the experience. I finally had the chance to watch Nathan record an actual song. Theo, Cassie, Calvin, and Guy were like a second family to me. They supported us during the tabloid frenzy that resulted from Nathan coming out to the public. Certain media outlets refused to believe that he was gay. They said it was a publicity stunt meant to increase their record sales. They spread false rumors about him. It was awful. Some even accused him of faking the whole thing. The idea of a gay rock star was unfathomable to them.

The tabloids here were incorrigible. They dragged me into their world of deception, lies, and misinformation. According to them, I was a rebellious prince who hooked up with Nathan just to spite my family. The ignorant fools had no idea that my family fully supported our union. Grandmother Emmeline was over the moon. She gave us her blessing a few months ago when Nathan celebrated Christmas with us. He was thrilled to be with a real family during the holidays. His band mates were busy celebrating with their families, so he always ended up drunk at a bar in Chicago every year.

The palace looked like a glittery doll-house during my favorite holiday. I just loved everything about Christmas. Our Queen pampered us to the extreme during the holidays. We gathered in the television room and watched our favorite movies. We also get served a twelve-course meal by our ambitious chef. His meat roast, turkey and cranberry sauce were legendary.

It warmed my heart that Nathan finally found a home in us. In me.

I was proud of him for saying a big fuck you to the media and sticking to his guns. He did a heartfelt interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, effectively taking control of the narrative. He received immense support from the LGBT community who took to social media and defended him. His loyal fans also came through for him. His followers multiplied in number. I volunteered to manage his Twitter and Instagram account while he was busy recording his album. It was a fun experience for me.

It was hard dividing my time between Raplen and Chicago. My business needed my full attention during breeding season so I had to fly back to my estate to take care of things. Nathan joined me a few weeks later. He loved my country just as much as I did. He also enjoyed horse riding and taking care of our shelter animals. We took in more abused horses and mistreated animals. Most of them were brought in from Russia. Lizzie and I ended up buying a piece of land near my estate to house all these poor creatures. Nathan chipped in as well and paid for their food and medical expenses.

We were quite the team. He supported me in my endeavors and I did the same for him. He even participated in the annual Jubilee games a few weeks ago. We wore matching outfits and got teased by team Waverly who also showed up in matching jerseys as well. I finally introduced my boyfriend to my chess, jousting and tennis rivals. He helped me take down Prince Edmond and Prince Augustine in tennis. His filthy language was amusing to me. He screamed a litany of curse words during the jousting tournament because Prince Augustine tried to unhorse me twice. He definitely came prepared this year.

I eventually lost the game to him but I ended up winning the horse race! Nathan must have been my lucky charm because Xena did a fantastic job on the track. She won first place like a boss. I was so proud of my thoroughbred. That was the major highlight of the Jubilee games. As for the main celebration, Nathan surprised everyone by gifting our grandmother a diamond necklace that put my bracelet to shame. His impeccable taste did not go unnoticed. Even Aunt Edith was impressed.

Nathan had to go back to Chicago, so I stayed behind to manage the stables. Our long distance relationship was torture. I needed to find a way to fly to and from Chicago at my own leisure. Greg finally convinced me to buy a private jet, so I did. I also hired a full time pilot and surprised my boyfriend with a spontaneous trip to Italy. We stayed in Rome for a couple of days. Nathan fell in love with the historical city. We ate gelato and took selfies in front of Fontana Di Trevi. We also visited the Colosseum and rented a scooter for the day. We had lunch at Villa Borghese which was a beautiful park filled with lakes and fountains. Nathan confessed that he rarely had the chance to go sightseeing during his travels, so it was fun showing him around one of my favorite European cities.

Over the course of the next few months, we traveled to Spain, Germany, and Portugal. The more we spent time together, the more we realized just how in love we were. Before we knew it, we were celebrating our one year anniversary.

Danny surprised me with a lovely dinner at our favorite sushi restaurant. We both had an incredibly hectic week. The lease expired on his penthouse so we moved to a lovely penthouse in Lincoln Park. It was fully furnished with hardwood floors, a fabulous office, and a media room.

“Let’s make a toast.” I raised my wine glass after dinner.

Nathan was dressed in a sharp Armani suit with a matching emerald tie. He raven hair framed his handsome face. He looked like a GQ model. “Sure. We had one incredible year, yeah?”

“Indeed.” I nodded. “Thank you for singing your way into my life and into my heart.”

He blew me a kiss and we clinked our glasses in celebration. “Thank you for being my backbone these past couple of months. Coming out was not as easy as I thought it would be. Those media assholes put me under a microscope and dissected me like a frog.”

“Tell me about it. You know me. I never really lose my temper but when that TMZ reporter harassed you in April, I was ready to pounce on him like a tiger.”

He smiled affectionately and reached over the table to squeeze my hand. “You are my rock, Charming. I wouldn’t have survived this year without you. I mean it.”

“Me too, baby.” I confessed. “You have enriched my life in so many ways. I tip my hat to you for introducing me to deep dish pizza. I told Chef Antoine to make it the next time we visit Lockridge Palace.”

He laughed and told me to finish my wine. Apparently, he had one more surprise under his belt. I followed him to his Jeep and tried to guess where we were headed. He drove down a familiar road that led to the Allstate Arena. He parked in front of the entrance and escorted me inside.

“This is where I first saw you perform,” I remarked, looking around the huge arena.

“Yep. It was the final leg of our tour. I was cranky as hell that night.”

“Really? You seemed fine and fabulous to me. As a matter of fact, you looked incredibly fuckable.” I toyed with the buttons on his shirt. “You made love to the microphone with your mouth and everyone melted into a puddle, including me.”

“Damn. I had no idea you were this into me.”

“Oh, it was lust at first sight for sure,” I admitted. “Your on-stage charisma is irresistible.”

“Speaking of performing.” He cleared his throat, looking nervous all of a sudden. “I rented the whole arena for the night.”

“Oh my! Really?” I gaped at him in shock. My voice echoed loudly in the sports venue. They usually hosted basketball games in here. There was a large screen in the center with a small platform right under it. Nathan nodded and walked over to the mini stage. He climbed up the steps and turned on the microphone.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

“Yes. Loud and clear.” I grinned.

My heart skipped a beat. I was madly in love with this man for so many reasons. This was one of them. He loved surprising me with tiny little love notes and sexy lyrics. I once woke up to him playing the guitar in the living room. He was shirtless and begging to be fucked. His voice was like an aphrodisiac and he knew it.

He picked up his guitar and sat right under the spotlights. “This song goes out to you. I wrote it on the flight back from Raplen. It was a work in progress until two days ago.”

He looked so nervous while he sang. It was absolutely adorable. As always, the song was perfect. It was sweet and melodic. He should definitely add it to the tracklist of his new album. The Moonstones had a brand new hit on their hands.

Nathan had an abundance of creativity. It sometimes kept him up at night. He also composed music on his piano. His peak productive hours were between ten and four in the morning. Coming up with new material was no easy task. It probably took him weeks to finish it.

I whistled and clapped when he finished singing. He surprised me with another song. It was inspired by Raplen so there were plenty of beautiful references to its lush green forests and abundant lakes. Theo suddenly showed up along with Guy and Calvin. They waved hello at me before joining Nathan on the stage. Together, they sang the chorus while Cassie recorded everything on camera. My boyfriend beckoned me with his finger. I blushed profusely and got up from my seat.

“Danny! Come up here. Don’t be shy.”

“Yes. Come to daddy.” Theo gave me a quick hug and motioned for me to stand next to Nathan.

My boyfriend coughed and suddenly got down on one knee. He fished out a jewelry box from his pocket and held it open for me. It contained a beautiful golden ring. An engagement ring.

“Charming will you please marry me?” He proposed while flashing me a hopeful smile.

My heart skipped more than one beat. I stepped forward and feasted my eyes on the ring. The moment felt incredibly surreal.

“Oh, Nathan. The ring is top notch.” I gushed. “Of course I’ll marry you. I’d be crazy not to.”

He slid the ring onto my finger and rose to his full height. “I want to be with you forever.”

“Me too.” Tears stung my eyes as I stared at my new engagement ring.

Cassie and the other cheered us on while we embraced and kissed. I was thrilled to be part of his world. He made me feel loved and cherished. I cupped his face and poured my soul into our kiss. Seconds later, we broke apart, giddy and breathless. Theo rushed to us and hugged us. Then he popped a bottle of champagne in celebration and danced like crazy. We watched him express his feelings via a series of impressive dance moves. Cassie also joined in on the fun. We sipped on our champagne and watched them sing a duet together.

After the song ended, we all said our goodbyes. Nathan grabbed my hand and took me to his car. We listened to King of Leon while he cruised the streets. Chicago was so beautiful at night. Its skyline was stunning. My fiancée took me to our favorite bubble tea shop and ordered two coconut flavored drinks for us. I silently admired my ring while he paid for our beverages.

We parked near the river and watched the moonlit sky. The neighborhood we were in was incredibly peaceful this time of day. Nathan draped an arm over my shoulder and told me stories about his childhood and how he mistook the river for an ocean. He built a raft from scratch and pretended to be a pirate. We swapped stories about monsters and fairytales we used to believe in. Our conversation flowed smoothly. I never wanted it to end. We could talk for three hours straight and not get bored of each other.

“So, where do you feel like going next?”

“How about we go home and watch Roman Holiday on Netflix?”

“Oh, I love Audrey Hepburn.”

“Me too.”

“And I love you.”

“Well, to know me is to love me, so-” My voice trailed off as Nathan leaned in to kiss me.

We made out like teenagers in his Jeep until the paparazzi showed up and interrupted our moment. We were usually careful to avoid them but they were somehow able to track us down. Nathan gave them the finger and pulled out of the parking lot.

There was indeed a price for fame but we chose to pay that hefty price together.

We arrived at our new house in one piece and parked in the garage.

“Home sweet home.”

“Yes indeed.”

My phone suddenly buzzed in my lap. I glanced down to find a text message from Greg..

I’m ready to cash out that favor you owe me - Greg.