Her Betrothed Prince CHAPTER2 by Jennifer Brunner (best e ink reader for manga TXT) 📖

Chapter 2
Landon’s P.O.V.
***
The first steps I took in the door were shaky. As I took off my jacket, I let my eyes roll around the room, searching.
The house had a musky scent. It also had no sense of personality, a dead cell.
As I walked I saw no pictures, no ribbons, no awards, nothing.
I couldn’t get this girl off my mind. I kept running the dream over and over like rewinding a movie and playing it for seven hours straight.
She was beautiful.
I let out a sigh and my mother looked at me. She knew that I didn’t want to go through with this scandal. I feel sorry for who ever she is.
She probably has a boyfriend and was probably running away with him right now.
“Would you like anything to drink?” I nodded as Mick Jacobs ushered us into his kitchen. “She should be home in about five-ten minutes.” He shrugged, like it was no big deal that he basically sold his daughter to his high school friend’s son. He walked over to a cabinet and grabbed a crystal cup.
He went to poor me some liquor but I raised my hand and shook my head. “Water is fine.” My voice was scratchy.
“Landon doesn’t drink.” My mom interjected proudly.
“Er, what is your daughter’s name?” My father asked.
“Um, Symphony Ray. She is beautiful. Looks just like Anna did at sixteen.”
“Sixteen?” I asked.
Her father cleared his throat, “Well, yeah, um, she’ll be seventeen in four days.” Great, now I feel like a pedophile.
I heard a car pull up, heard the door slam shut, and saw Mick leave the room.
I sat down and put my head in my hands, sighing hard. My mom put her hand on my shoulder. “Landon, are you okay?” I muttered something that even I didn’t understand. I rubbed my hands up and down my face. “You’ll be okay kiddo.”
My humorless laughter boomed around the room. “It’s crazy!” I lowered my voice “Why do I have to get married to a stranger? I am twenty-two; I’m still young—Hell, I just turned twenty-two yesterday.” I stood, throwing my hands in the air.
“What?” I heard a familiar voice say. “No. Not to some stranger. I refuse to-to—” The words of that silver voice were cut off. I started walking towards the door but my father put a hand on my shoulder.
“Sit.” He commanded. I obeyed silently. “As you probably heard, she just found out also.”
“I know nothing about her.” I stated looking him in the eye.
“You have the rest of your life to find out whatever you want to know.”
“Ugh.” I looked away in disgust. “We are not in the fucking nineteenth century!” the words busted out and I didn’t recognize where they came from.
“Landon!” My mom chided me. “That girl from your dream is not real.” I groaned. Why did I have to tell her? “She will not just come in and you will not just run in the sunset with her. You will marry Stephanie—“
“Symphony.” I interjected.
“I—What?” She held her hand to her chest.
“Her name is Symphony Ray.” I said taking a drink of my water.
“Crystal.” My dad said knowing my mother was about to push me over the edge. “He is not a thirteen year old boy anymore. Maybe we should let him make his own choice.” On and on it went. My parents didn’t argue exactly. They never really did. My mom would say something to make my dad break every time and case closed—Mom got what she wanted.
Mick walked in about two minutes later looking pissed. “She had to change. She will be down in a few.” My parents and Mick engaged into a conversation about something random while I stood and murmured that I had to use the bathroom and asked where it was located at. “It’s, er, down the hall, to your right.”
I left the kitchen and walked straight to the front door. I opened it slowly. I walked out the door and around the house and I saw that, behind it was a fenced in park.
I smiled as I saw a tree house that was right in front of the fence. I laughed when I saw the little boy tugging on a girl’s shirt with his ice cream covered hands, begging her to go up there.
“No Chandler.” She said looking up. She was about my age, maybe younger. The little boy was probably three or four. “That is not apart of the playground. Go play with Gordon.” She shooed him away, laughing. She slowly walked over, noticing that I was watching her.
“Cute kid.” I gave her my best smile.
“Thanks.” She said a hint of laughter in her voice. “He’s not mine.” She said sounding kind of awkward. Her brows knitted together as she took a deep breath. “Are you a new neighbor? I don’t think I have seen you before.”
“Oh! No, no. I, um, I’m just visiting my dad’s friend, Mick Jacobs. Do you know him?” I asked pointing towards the house.
“No.” She shook her head. “But I know Symphony. Actually I’m filling in for her right now. See, she watches the Kipp boys. She’s really sweet.” She paused, taking in a deep breath. “Is she home? Have you met her yet?”
“Yes and no. She is upstairs in her room.”
“Oh.” She looked past me towards the street. “Hey Trey!” She squealed, waving her hands back and forth. I looked back and saw a black dude, wearing a sequenced yellow tank top. He waved then dived into a bush.
I looked back at the girl with questions written on my face. “Um, he’s gay. That is mine and Symphony’s best friend, Trey.”
“You’re one of Symphony’s friends?” I asked quietly.
She held her hand over the fence. “I’m Lisa. Lisa Darulo.” I shook her hand.
I smiled. “Landon Taylor.”
She squealed again. “The Landon Taylor? As in His Betrothed Princess, Landon Taylor?”
“Yep. The one and only.”
“I loved that movie. It was so romantic.” She sighed dramatically. “I can’t believe you wrote the book and the movie! I mean you are so young!” Her voice was really irritating.
“Well when your dad’s a big movie producer, it’s not that hard.” I looked at my watch. “Um, excuse me, I have to go inside. My fiancée is waiting for me.” She instantly looked bummed. “Sorry.” I said as I big scream came from the two boys on the playground.
Lisa turned around just as the bigger boy, Gordon, pushed Chandler down off the platform.
Chandler fell and bursted into tears. Lisa ran over to them as Gordon yelled at her. “This would have never happened if Symphony were here!” And he ran from the platform down the trail before Lisa could even reach Chandler.
She sucked at watching kids.
I walked back around the house thinking to myself, Symphony seems great. Kids adore her. Bonus for me.
I slid open the door silently and stepped in looking up as I did so, hearing the creak of the stairs.
There she was. My betrothed princess.
“You.” I said with a growing smile on my face as I remembered her face from my dreams.

Text: Aug. 2010
Publication Date: 08-12-2010

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Dedication:
to my friends. what ever you do dont let anyone push you around... love you all!