Red- White Royal Blue «A-Z Essential»

“It was a rather undignified way to be caught,” Henry admitted.

Outside, the lights of London glittered like a minefield. And Alex smiled—a real, unguarded, politically catastrophic smile. He was the First Son. He was red, white, and blue. And he was falling, headfirst, for the prince in the grey suit. Red- White Royal Blue

“It’s an act of diplomatic war,” his mother, President Ellen Claremont, said without looking up from the stack of damage reports. Her voice was steel wrapped in velvet. She was in her third year of a tight re-election campaign, and her opponent, Senator Richards, was already using the image as a fundraiser. “A royal rumble,” he’d crooned on Fox News. “Is this the respect the First Son shows our closest ally?” “It was a rather undignified way to be

Something in Henry’s expression cracked. He glanced at Alex—a real glance, not the camera-ready kind. And for a moment, Alex saw past the royal armor to the exhausted, lonely man underneath. He was the First Son

Henry gave him a tight, polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “After you, Mr. Claremont-Diaz.”

The headline the next morning, splashed across every tabloid on both sides of the Atlantic, read:

They knelt on either side of the girl. For a full minute, neither spoke. The girl, sensing the weird energy, looked between them. “Are you two friends now?”