“The doctors hope he will make a full recovery. His pelvis was crushed, so he will be in for a lot of physical therapy... will probably be a slow, painful process. But he will make it, so that’s the most important thing.”
“Yes, it most certainly is.” She paused. “Gabe, it’s probably not the best time, but what is going on?” Her mind raced with all the possibilities. Please don’t let him be married. I don’t think I could make it if I had to deal with something like that again.
He sighed. It seemed like an eternity before he continued. “Look, Genevieve, I know this is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me that I never meant to hurt you in any way, okay?”
Her pulse slammed inside her chest. “Go on.”
“My name is Gabe Rafferty, not Roberts. My father is the King of Delnovia, a small European country. I’m his oldest son, which makes me the Crown Prince—first in line for the throne.”
“You’re a prince? Are you serious?” Her mind couldn’t seem to wrap itself around that possibility.
“Yes, I’m serious. Before I came to Forest Grove, my father told me he would give me six months before I had to take over as king. I wanted six months of normalcy before my life changed forever. So, I found a small town in America where I could just be a normal guy. Be Gabe Roberts.”
She couldn’t process this. A prince? Could this really be true? “So, either you are telling me the truth, or this is the craziest lie I’ve ever heard.”
“Look me up online. My real name is Gabriel Rafferty, Crown Prince of Delnovia. My father is King Phillip Rafferty, and my mother is Her Royal Highness Queen Gwendolyn Rafferty.”
“Oh, I will. Don’t worry.” She raked a hand through her hair. “Even if you are telling me the truth now, why lie to me the whole time we were snowed in together? I told you everything about my personal life... EVERY SINGLE THING. And you didn’t even tell me your real name.” Her stomach rolled. I think I might be sick. “I just can’t deal with this now. I hope your father recovers quickly.” She hung up the phone. She sat down on the couch and wept.
* * *
Gabe stared at the phone. I can’t believe she hung up on me. I knew she would be mad, but I didn’t expect this. He rolled his shoulders and let out a deep breath. Well, it’s done. I told her the truth. He took a deep breath and went to find his family. He rounded the corner of the long corridor to see his mother and brother, Gideon, standing there talking to the doctor. Gideon waved Gabe over.
“What did you find out?” He held his breath waiting for Gideon’s response.
“The surgery went great.”
Gabe let out a deep breath. “Thank God. Can we go see him?”
“Mother just went into the recovery room to sit with him,” said Gideon. “The doctor said only one person at a time.”
“This is great news. Great news.” Relief swept over him. I wish I could call Genevieve.
Gideon lightly punched him on the arm. “Why the down face, brother? You should be happy.”
Gabe frowned. “I am happy.” He looked away. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.” Gideon looked at him knowingly. “You were worried about having to take over, weren’t you?”
“No, it’s not that.” He smiled sheepishly. “It’s Genevieve, the girl I told you about.”
Gideon grinned at him like an idiot. “Did you come clean?”
“Yeah and she told me she couldn’t deal with this right now and hung up on me.” Gabe sighed. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, she lives on a different continent. Would it even have worked out anyway if I had told her from the get-go?”
Gideon looked at him thoughtfully. “Well, since I do know more about women than you, do you want my honest advice?”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “You wish. But yeah, give me the truth.”
“Let her go. If she cares, she’ll come around. They say all women want to marry a prince right?” Gideon chuckled. “Sounds to me like the woman who doesn’t want to be with you, the prince, might actually be the right woman for you, the man.”
Gabe let the truth of that statement sink in. “You’re right. That’s why I’m scared I’ve ruined everything.” He shook his head. “How did I get into this mess?”
Gideon slung his arm over his brother’s shoulder. “You didn’t know what would happen. And I would have done the same thing in your shoes. Let’s go grab some coffee, then maybe Mother will be done, so we can visit Father.”
Gabe walked with his brother to the cafeteria and tried to focus on his family. I need to be here for them, not worried about what happened in Forest Grove. As much as he tried to tell himself that, he knew it was no use.
* * *
After leaving the hospital, Gabe talked his brother into grabbing a drink at one of the pubs they would occasionally visit. Lornigan’s Irish Pub was an old establishment in Turnkey Row Gardens, which was just off the beaten path, enough so that the tourists usually missed it. Benjamin, the owner of the pub for the last decade, was very accommodating and always put the princes in the back corner of the bar in order to keep them away from curious eyes.
Gabe sipped his Guinness and watched as his brother devoured a bowl of Irish stew. “Did you not eat anything today?”
Gideon looked confused. “Um... I ate a sandwich at the hospital, plus my regular lunch and breakfast. Why?”
“You are swallowing that stew so fast I’m not sure you are even tasting it.”
Gideon grinned. “I’m tasting it.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin and waved over the waitress. “Can I get an order of the shepherd’s pie, please?”
The waitress smiled a megawatt smile. “Coming right up, sir.” Gabe sucked in a breath. Please don’t curtsy. He let out a relieved sigh when she gathered up Gideon’s empty bowl and walked back toward the kitchen. Gideon munched on some saltines and eyed his brother curiously.
“I know I’m lovely company, but you seemed like you had something on your mind that you wanted to discuss.”
Gabe rolled his eyes. Gideon knew him too well. “I just wanted to get your opinion on some things.”
Gideon smiled like an idiot. “The girl or being king?”
Gabe frowned. “Both.” He took another sip of his beer. “Something Genevieve said keeps ringing in my head.” He paused. “Well, this was when I was lying about father being a businessowner, not a king, but...”
Gideon laughed. “A businessowner.”
Gabe wadded up a napkin and threw it at his brother. “It was a good cover story.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, she said father, being such a good businessman, wouldn’t consider turning the business over to me unless he was confident that I could do it.”
Gideon nodded. “Good point. What do you think about that?”
Gabe raked a hand through his hair. “I think she’s right.” He paused. “I mean, father is a good king. Probably the best Delnovia has had, except for King Richard.”
“God rest his soul,” said Gideon.
“And if father thinks I can do a good job and that I’m ready to be king, then I think I need to be man enough to rise to the challenge and prove to him I am ready.”
Gideon’s grin disappeared. He looked at Gabe thoughtfully. “Hmm. Sounds like you need to prove it to yourself, too.” He sipped his drink. “And sounds like Genevieve really made you think.”
Gabe nodded. “She did.” He held up his glass. “So, a toast to being the future king of Delnovia?”
Gideon clinked his glass against his brother’s then smiled. “So, now that you will be king, does that mean I can have your residence?”
Chapter 15
Genevieve handed a stack of books to Mr. Pearson. He was a retired Army colonel who loved to read about war. “Enjoy, Mr. Pearson.”
“Thanks, Genevieve. You have a great day.” Mr. Pearson tipped his veteran’s hat at her with a smile.
Genevieve smiled thinly. She hadn’t had a great day since Gabe’s phone call. She’d looked up the re
al Prince Gabriel Rafferty online and found that he and her Gabe were one and the same. She’d picked up the phone numerous times to call, even if it was just to check on his father, but then put the phone down. What good would it do? He’s a prince for goodness’ sake. He lives a continent away. I’m some little small-town librarian who’s never even flown. There is no future with him.
Tilly walked up and put her arm around Genevieve. “You either need to call him or get over it. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
“Like what?” Genevieve forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
Tilly put her hands on her hips. “You are not fine. You are miserable. Why don’t you just call him already? Cut the guy a break.”
“A break? He lied to me. More than once.”
“Okay, so he did. But he had a good excuse.” Her eyes widened. “He’s a prince, Gen. A prince.”
“And I’m sure he has plenty of women falling at his feet. I don’t have to be one of them.”
Tilly rolled her eyes. “Oh my gosh, would you give up your pride just a little bit? The guy cares about you. Call him, go see him, do something. Or say you are done with it. But quit moping around and just wallowing in it.”
Her cheeks flushed. Tilly’s right. I just don’t know if I can risk being hurt again like I was by Jeffrey. If I can’t trust Gabe to be honest, then how could we ever have a relationship?
* * *
Genevieve poured herself a glass of red wine, snuggled up under a thick blanket, and let her mind drift as she watched the fire burn. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when the doorbell rang. Red wine sloshed out of the glass and onto her couch. “Great...” She blotted the stain with the blanket. “Coming!” She yelled at the door. Probably Tilly coming to try to cheer me up.
She pulled the door open, and her heart jumped into her throat.
Jeffrey stared back at her. He held out a huge bouquet of red roses. “Hi.”
Genevieve couldn’t seem to form words. Her mind whirled. Why is he here? What does he want? She cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?” The words came out shakily.
Jeffrey took a step forward. “I’m so sorry to show up like this, but I needed to see you. Can I come in?”
“No, you cannot.” Fury rose in her chest. Her hands were shaking. “And I don’t want your flowers.”
“Genevieve, please...” He took a step back. “Okay, fine. Just listen, then?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
Jeffrey paused, fiddling with one of the rose petals. “What we had, well it meant something to me. You meant something to me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my, um, situation, but I wanted you to give me a chance.”
I can do this. I’ve been waiting to do this. “Jeffrey,” she cleared her throat and tried again. “Jeffrey, you don’t have a situation. You have a family. Or at least I’m assuming you still do.”
“But my wife and I were having problems and–”
She held up a hand. “I don’t care. A married man who is a good man either fixes his problems or gets a divorce first before he dates other women. He doesn’t go on a dating website, lie to someone, and make them fall in love with him.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve been saying this so many times in my head, but now I get the chance to say it to you.” She paused, building up her courage. “You were wrong, and you broke my heart. In spite of that, I forgive you. I have to forgive you, or I will keep suffering for what you did. Now, I never want to see you or talk to you again. Never, ever show up at my home again. Do you understand?”
He looked down at his feet. “Yes, I understand.” His eyes filled with tears. He looked down at his feet. “You have to believe me. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too.” She waited until he looked up to make eye contact with her. “Goodbye, Jeffrey.” She quietly shut the door. For the first time in a long time, she felt free. Free from the guilt, free from the shame. She really was done with him.
* * *
Genevieve called an emergency friend meeting at The Moonlight Café. Tilly arrived first and was looking like her happy, healthy self since she’d gotten over the flu. Sarah arrived a few minutes later. Genevieve ordered everyone a round of coffee and cheesecake on her, since she’d made them come out that evening. She recapped the entire Jeffrey incident.
Sarah shook her head. “I can’t believe he had the nerve to show up.”
“I can’t believe it took him this long to do it,” said Tilly. She sipped her coffee. “If he had any sense, he would have been beating down your door to apologize from day one.”
Genevieve rolled her eyes. “He is too prideful to do that. You should have seen him standing there with those flowers. As if that would be enough for me to take him back.” She flipped her hair back from her face. “He’s lost his mind.”
Sarah watched her thoughtfully. “It’s kinda funny, though.”
Genevieve frowned. “What do you mean?”
Sarah took a big bite of her cheesecake then swallowed. “Well, a few weeks ago, this is all you wanted. An apology. Some sign of remorse.” She shrugged. “I mean, maybe even a reconciliation? You did like him a lot.”
The thought of being with Jeffrey after finding out about his family repulsed her. “I would have never reconciled with him. Never.” She hesitated. “But I guess you are right. I did really want an apology.” She laughed. “Okay, who am I kidding? I wanted him to beg, grovel, cry...write my name across the sky, put out a public apology. I wanted to know he was hurting.”
Tilly nodded. “And now you do.” She paused. “So, how does it feel?”
Genevieve let those words roll around her head for a moment. How does it feel? “Honestly, kinda like a hollow victory.” She tilted her head. “I mean, yes, it feels good to know he’s sorry. It feels good to know he’s ashamed and wants me back. But it doesn’t make him the man I thought he was. And that’s what I loved. The man I thought he was.”
Sarah reached for her hand. “That’s right, love. He’s not that man.”
Tilly raised an eyebrow. “Do you think your feelings for Gabe change the way you feel about the whole Jeffrey situation?”
Does Gabe change things? He lied to me, too. “I don’t know. I care about Gabe. A lot actually. But he lied to me, too. So where does that leave us?”
Sarah threw her hands up in the air. “But he’s a prince! Not some lying, cheating married guy. His reason for lying... let’s just say, his reason for covering up the truth... is legitimate.”
“I know he’s a prince! But does that justify deceiving me?”
Tilly slowly ate a bite of cheesecake. “I think you have to look at the motives, though. Jeffrey- yeah, lying sleazeball. Cheating husband.” She licked the fork. “Man, that’s some good cheesecake.” She sipped her coffee. “Gabe- handsome prince hiding his identity. It’s not the same.”
Genevieve sighed. “Well, it kind of feels the same.”
Sarah turned toward her. “I love you. I’m saying this because I love you.” She placed her hand on Genevieve’s shoulder. “You have every right to be upset over what happened with Jeffrey. You do. But you can’t let that one stupid guy ruin your chance at maybe finding love with Gabe. Of finding happiness.” She squeezed Genevieve’s shoulder. “Heck, it could ruin your chance of being a princess. Or you can get over it and seize whatever happiness you can get out of life.”
A princess. That doesn’t even matter. The idea was so foreign to her she couldn’t even imagine it. “I don’t care about being a princess. I just want to be happy.”
Tilly took another sip of her coffee. “Do you care about Gabe?”
Genevieve nodded. “You know I do.”
“Then do something about it.”
Sarah held up her coffee mug. “Hear, hear.”
Chapter 16
Gabe knocked on the door to his father’s study. Gabe heard a groan, then a voice barked, “Come in.” Gwen, and Phillip’s physical therapist were all encouraging Phillip to finish co
mpleting a series of stretches.
Gabe watched as the therapist gave his father orders. It’s so weird seeing someone else boss the king around. “Father, I need to talk to you for a moment.”
Phillip looked up at his eldest son with a look of sheer gratitude. He glared at the therapist. “If you don’t mind, I need a few moments with my son.”
The therapist smiled and nodded. “That’s fine, sir, but we aren’t done.”
As the therapist exited the room, Phillip murmured, “I’m sure we aren’t.” Phillip gestured to the chair by his desk. “Have a seat.” Phillip used the silver-handled cane to walk over to the sofa. The cane was sent to him by the King of Spain, who apparently was still trying to make a match between Gabe and Princess Luisa. While Gabe wasn’t interested in the match, he admired the King’s thoughtfulness toward his father.
Gwen looked at Gabe and must have read his expression. She politely excused herself and glided out of the room.
Gabe stared at his father for a moment. Now or never. “I’ve been thinking.” He swallowed. “I’m ready to be king now. Not six months from now. On the condition that you show me the ropes, of course.”
Phillip’s jaw dropped. “Are you sure? Why the sudden change of heart?”
Gabe shrugged. “It’s not that sudden. When I was in Forest Grove, I did a lot of thinking. It’s my birthright. And I know I can do a good job. I think I just had to decide I wanted to be king. Not just that it was being forced upon me.”
“Well, seems like that little trip was worth it, then. I will make a public statement this week.” They both stood and shook hands. Phillip pulled him into a hug. “I’m proud of you, Gabriel. I know you will do a wonderful job.”
“Thanks, Father. I sure hope so.”
* * *
Genevieve said a prayer as she buckled her seat belts. Her hands were shaking so hard that it took a few tries to actually get the belt to buckle. It was now or never. She watched as the sign lit up on the plane instructing all passengers to buckle their seat belts. She took a deep breath and gripped her seat belt. I can do this. Thousands of people do this every day. Her stomach flipped as the plane sailed down the runway and lifted up into the air. More people die in car wrecks than from airplane crashes. She kept repeating that to herself, over and over. Her doctor had mercifully given her a Valium to take prior to the flight, and it was starting to kick in. She grabbed her blanket and let sleep overtake her.
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