The Royal Contract

Chapter 1174  A blind date

Her eyes watched her son as he moved around the room. Edison had just finished breakfast and demanded that Zach honor his commitment that they would play catch.

It was Zach's fault since he showed him the gift he had brought with him early that morning when her son woke up. Now Edison could not sit still until he received what Zach had promised.

"Can we go to the park?" Zach turned to her, begging with her son. Of course, how could she refuse?

She walked toward Edison and knelt before him, fixing his clothes. "Since you have been a good boy, I will let you go out with Zach. But you have to promise to listen to him." She told him.

Her son rewarded her with a beaming smile that lit the entire room. She could not help but smile as she held her son in her arms. Moreover, she felt it was about time that Zach and Edison had their one on one.

She just hoped that Zach was ready for the responsibility. Although she did not doubt that he had already considered her son in all his plans, she still wanted him to understand the full extent of what he was getting himself into by marrying her.

"Yehey!" Both Zach and Edison shouted simultaneously, clapping their hands in unison.

She grabbed Edison's hat from the rack and put it on his head. Then, he kissed the top of his head before she walked them toward the door, bidding them farewell. "Remember to behave and be a good boy." She shouted, but she directed her words at the bigger man.

"I promise," Zach responded while blowing a kiss in her direction before they disappeared by the stairs.

She could not help but smile, suddenly feeling like her life was perfect. Would it always be like this once she married him? She closed the door and returned to the kitchen to finish cleaning.

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"So, you are going to marry him." The man, still sitting on the counter, drinking his second cup of coffee, asked her.

She had not forgotten this time that he was still in her kitchen, unlike last night. Yes, her friend almost caught them in the act, but he witnessed Zach proposing to her.

"I think so." She answered him. She could not think of any other answer to Zach's proposal. It would seem irrational and insane if she said no to him.

Zach was a good man and a great catch. Not because he was wealthy and came from a good family but because of who he was. She had seen the person underneath the perfection.

And she loved him despite his flaws. He was not perfect as everyone thought, but for her, she was more than she could ever hope to find. She would be crazy to let a guy like him slip away.

"What do you think?" She turned to her childhood friend, asking for his opinion. It would be nice to hear another person's perspective. It would help her better understand her situation and decide for her future and her son.

"I think Zach is a good guy. But still, you barely knew him, right?" Tabby looked at her as he sipped his coffee. "I just feel that you should tread slowly. I don't think you should rush into this."

She understood his point of view. Even she had thought of it before, several times by now. Still, she could not discount what her heart wanted. And it was to spend the rest of her life with not just any man but him, Zachary Andrews.

But hearing his friend agreeing with her assessment of her boyfriend, she knew she was making the right choice if she married him. Still, she could also see the point in waiting a little while and not rushing into a decision.

"Can I ask you something?" She turned away from the dishes she was washing on the sink and looked at her childhood friend. "Have you fallen in love, got married, or divorced?"

She realized that since they had reunited, they never talked about his personal or love life. They had discussed his time in the military. But that was most of it. He never even mentioned a woman in his life.

"Of course, Ria! I had fallen in love twice, but it did not work out." He admitted as he stood up from the table and helped her with the dishes. Then, he went silent as if he was thinking about it.

"So, what happened?" She urged him to continue, wanting to hear his experiences when they were apart.

It was not fair that he had helped her with her situation. She also wanted to see that her friend had his happily ever after. But first, she had to hear his story.

"I fell in love with this young girl I met in another foster house. I think she liked me too. But before our relationship could fully blossom, I was shipped to another foster home." He sadly narrated.

She could relate to that since she had to bounce from one home to another before she could finally live alone. She could not establish a friendship or a relationship since she had to move a lot.

"What about the next one?" She asked since she remembered he mentioned two.

She could feel the frustration of finding the right one but losing the person for different circumstances. That almost happened to her with Zach.

"I met her when I entered the service." His eyes glowed as he recalled his relationship with her.

She believed this girl must have been extraordinary. She could see it written all over his face. But she could not help but feel disappointed that it did not work out with them.

"It saw fireworks when I looked into her eyes. I knew she was the one." Tabby smiled, but the spark was gone in his eyes. "But I received my third deployment. She asked me not to go, but I could not abandon my duty."

He stopped as if recalling the incident was hard enough, but telling them was more painful. Ria could only sympathize with her friend as she moved closer and patted him on the shoulder.

"What happened next?" She asked, wanting to understand what had happened to her friend. Did the relationship end just like that?

"We tried to make it work for a time, but on my next deployment, she made me choose." He looked regretful this time. "I wished I chose her." He suddenly said as he leaned on the counter with both hands and stared at the cabinets before him.

"But I don't know anything else." He continued, shaking his head in the process. "I would have no job if I stayed with her. How could I give her a good life."

"The next thing I knew, she broke up with me. This time, for good. And then, I heard that she was dating some corporate executive." He looked at her like it was the worst thing he had experienced.

But it did not last long as his eyes cleared from their daze. He quickly shook it off and smiled. "But that is in the past. When I ended my last tour, I quit. Then I accepted one of my friends' job in this private investigation agency."

"What happened to her?" She wondered if there was even a remote possibility they could still end up together again.

"I heard she is happy with a kid on the way. She married the executive, and he gave her a wonderful life." Tabby related to her what he probably learned from his investigation.

"Oh! I am sorry to hear that." She felt the need to apologize, seeing the hurt was still visible in his eyes. But she was here now. She would help him forget and be happy again. "Someday, you will find the woman right for you."

"I know. And I am not giving up." He could see a genuine smile on his face. "But for now, I thought of reconnecting with my only family. And that is you and Edison."

She pulled him into a bear hug, happy they had reunited after all these years. Frankly, she thought she had lost him for good, but she was ecstatic to see him walk back into her life.

"I am glad that you are here now." She told him before pulling away to finish the dishes they left in the sink.

"Me too. And remember that I will always be here for you." She smiled at him, knowing that she would never forget that.

Suddenly, a thought came to her mind. "What do you think about going on double dates?" She believed she had the perfect woman that she could introduce to him.

"I don't like it." He knitted his brows at her, looking at her suspiciously. "So, never set me up with one." He warned her.

"What is wrong with going into one?" She asked him. She could not help but wonder if he had a bad experience dating someone he did not know.

"I just don't like you to find me a date. Besides, I am more than capable of finding a woman I like and asking her out." He told her, not conforming with her plan.

But, of course, he should have known that she did not give up easily. Besides, during their younger years, he always had her back. Now, it was time that she did the same thing.

She quickly thought of a plan to set him up with a blind date with a wonderful woman.