I shake my head. “No.”
He frowns. “If you didn’t have sex where did Katya and I come from. You told me babies come from sex.”
“Uh, that’s a little complicated. Mama and I didn’t want to have sex, but we really wanted babies, so we did something called artificial insemination.”
He nods, and I have no doubt he’s filing that term away so he can look it up online later.
“But that’s not really what I wanted to talk about,” I say, trying to get us back on track. “As I was saying, I’m like Alik. I’m gay. And I’ve met someone I love very much.”
Tomas nods. “You mean Jai?”
I smile softly. “Yes, I mean Jai.”
“Is he going to be coming back soon? You’ve been sad since he left. I don’t like it when you’re sad.”
My smile grows brighter. “Yes, I hope he’ll be coming back very soon. But there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about…tomorrow I’m going to make a statement and come out publicly. I’ll be telling everyone that I’m gay and that I love Jai. I want to make sure you’re okay with that.”
He frowns, his forehead creasing. “Why wouldn’t I be okay with that?”
I offer an affectionate smile, tousling his hair as I get to my feet. “Just making sure.”
“Papa?” he says just as I’m starting to walk away.
“Yes?”
“Did you always know you were gay? ...or, how did you…?”
“I’ve known since I was a little older than you. I started to realize I liked boys in the way most of my friends liked girls.”
He nods slowly, glancing down at his lap.
“Tomas…?” I venture warily, recalling what Jai mentioned the night we watched The Sound of Music. “Is there something you want to talk about?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
I smile softly. “That’s okay. I’ll be here if you decide you do want to.”
21
JAI
“Jai! Oh my god, Jai! You have to get in here!”
What the fuck? I don’t think I’ve ever heard Owen this excited about anything. Well, except for the first night I stayed over here before I thought to buy noise-reducing headphones. A word of caution: even in really old brick houses, noise can still travel up through the floors.
My curiosity piqued, I abandon the sandwich I was making and wander into the lounge room where both Jai and Blake are glued to the massive TV. “What’s going on?”
“Just watch!”
I turn my eyes to the TV screen, letting out a small gasp as I see Lukas standing at a podium for what appears to be some kind of press conference. “What the hell…?”
“Look at the banner,” Owen says, pointing at the screen.
The TV’s switched to CNN and at the bottom of the picture is a news banner that reads KING OF KOROVA COMES OUT AS GAY. I almost fall down on the spot, but manage to stumble into one of the plush sofas instead. Seriously, what the hell?
I do a quick mental calculation of the time difference and realize this must be a replay of a press conference that happened hours ago, but even so, I’m on the edge of my seat, my whole body racked with nerves as I listen to Lukas open up to his people—and the world—consequences be damned.
“Eighteen years ago, my father, King Mikhail, put forward a Monarchical Act that was quietly passed by the Houses of Parliament and made into law. It declares that the ruling monarch of Korova must be of heterosexual orientation.” He lets out a heavy breath before continuing. “I consider the passing of this law to be a black mark in Korova’s history. Korova is home to a strong and proud LGBT plus community. It is something that, as king, I take immense joy in fostering. But this law is a backward step, a misguided endeavor to return our country to a less enlightened time. It is essential it be overturned swiftly and without debate.
“Not only does this law legally remove my brother, Prince Aleksandr, who is openly gay, and my cousin, Prince Sebastian, who is openly bisexual, from the line of succession, it also means that Prince Aleksandr would be ineligible to serve as Regent for the future King Tomas should the need arise.”
He pauses for a long, drawn-out moment here, and I can feel it coming. I know what he’s about to say and all I want to do is dive through the TV so I can stand beside him and offer my strength. But as it happens, he doesn’t need it.
“This outdated law also suggests that I am not fit to serve as your king. Because I am a gay man.” There’s an uproarious buzz amongst the gathered reporters and Lukas holds up his hands to ward them off. “Just a moment more, please.” He lets out another breath before continuing with his prepared statement. “To avoid a monarchical and constitutional crisis, my advisors have suggested I delay this announcement until after the law has been overturned. But I have faith in the Korovan people, and I feel they deserve the truth—overdue as it is.
“Thank you, I’ll take some questions now.”
Both Owen and Blake are looking at me, wide-eyed, as Lukas starts to field the reporters’ questions.
“Did you know he was going to do this?” Owen asks.
I shake my head, still numb with disbelief. “I had no idea.”
When one reporter asks, “So, are you saying your marriage to Queen Lesia was a sham?” Lukas’s eyes turn dark with ire.
“Absolutely not. There are many different kinds of love. When I made my vow to spend the rest of my life with Queen Lesia, I meant it with all my heart. But as we know, God had other plans. Now I’ve been very blessed to get a second chance.”
“Are you referring to Jai Winters, Your Majesty?” another reporter asks.
There’s a soft smile on Lukas’s lips as he answers. “Yes, I am.”
More questions are asked and he handles them all expertly, but I’m not really paying attention. All that matters to me right now is the burst of warmth consuming every inch of my body, because Lukas has just told his entire country—the entire world, in fact—how he feels about me.
“Holy shit…” Blake says on a whistled breath.
Holy shit, indeed. I have no idea what’s going to happen now, but what I do know is I need to talk to Lukas. Right the fuck now.
I rush up to my room and grab my phone from where I’d left it charging. Ignoring all the missed calls and texts that are filling up my lock screen, I find Lukas’s contact and call.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself. I just saw…you actually…I can’t believe…”
“Are you mad?” he asks softly.
“Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“I should have talked to you about it first. Made sure you were okay with it.”
I shake my head adamantly, which, of course, he can’t see. “No, baby, no. You didn’t need my permission for that. You were so amazing up there. So brave. It was incredible, I’m so proud of you.”
He lets out what I’m sure is a breath of relief. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. So fucking much. God, please tell me you’re alone right now. I really need to see you. If I can’t be there to fuck you senseless right now I need the next best thing.”