A Princess in Maine

by Jen McLaughlin

  “You don’t have to do this.” Jeremy took a step closer to Joseph—which didn’t go unnoticed. “Why don’t we just talk about this? Were you ordered to hurt her? If someone else is guilty, we can work together to turn them in.”

  “Hurt her?” Joseph asked, resting his hand on his hip. No, on his gun. Apparently a knife wasn’t enough to make Joseph feel confident in his ability to keep Jeremy at bay. Good. That meant he was nervous. “Why would I do that?”

  “Cut the crap. I know you were hired to.”

  Joseph raised a brow. “Maybe you were hired to.”

  Jeremy blinked in confusion. “I—”

  The bedroom door behind Jeremy opened, cutting him off.

  “Joseph?” the prince called out from inside the room.

  Joseph tightened his grip on his gun, not taking his eyes off Jeremy. “Yes, Prince Phillip?”

  “I need to speak with you, please.”

  Panic filtered into Joseph’s eyes.

  That panic was dangerous.

  Jeremy had a split second to decide what to do. But immediately, he knew that he needed to stop the threat. He cursed himself. His instincts had been off again—after all, he’d liked Joseph. Hadn’t even suspected him for a moment. In fact, he’d assumed it was Michelle. He’d assumed she’d withheld information about security maliciously, when really, Joseph had been bluffing all along.

  The guard’s hand shifted, pulling the gun out of the holster.

  “Get down!” Jeremy shouted to the prince, lunging at Joseph.

  The other man brandished his weapon, but Jeremy was on him too fast for him to take aim. He slammed Joseph’s wrist on the floor, sending the knife skittering toward the staircase, where it perched itself precariously at the top of the steps. Joseph’s finger had been on the trigger of the gun, ready to shoot, and a deafening boom filled the hallway.

  The bullet thudded into the plaster to the left of them and sent dust flying into the air. Through the echoing in his ears from the shot, there was shouting. It might have been his name. Chelsea? Was she home?

  In an instant, the other guards arrived on the scene. Someone else returned a shot their way and almost hit Jeremy. Arms closed around his throat, and he was hauled back forcibly. Theodorus was holding him, while Henning helped Joseph to his feet and asked him if he was okay.

  Joseph stood, putting on a good act, looking affronted. “I caught him outside Grace’s room with that knife,” he said, pointing at the weapon.

  “He’s the one who had the knife,” Jeremy managed to say before Theodorus tightened his grip, cutting him off.

  “I have no idea what he’s talking about. I found him outside Grace’s door, acting weird, and asked him what he was doing.” Joseph shrugged, looking bewildered. He played the part well. “Then, next thing I know, he’s on me, trying to kill me, telling you to stay back.”

  Jeremy tried to speak, to tell them what was really going on, but Theodorus continued to tighten his grip on Jeremy’s neck, to the point that Jeremy thought he might black out. He was going to die protecting a damn prince who didn’t even know who the real monster was.

  No. He’d promised Chelsea forever, and he’d damn well give it to her.

  He was going to survive, whatever it took.

  Chapter 26

  “Jeremy!” I shouted, after getting over my utter shock at the gunshot that had boomed throughout the inn. I had no clue what the hell was going on, but if someone was trying to hurt the man I loved, they’d be answering to me.

  I bolted up the stairs with my heart in my throat, beating even Michelle. In my frantic rush, I tripped over my own feet, hitting the staircase on all fours. Breathing heavily, I pressed a shaking hand to my heaving stomach, taking a second to steady myself.

  Gasping, I lurched to my feet and continued up the stairs before the second gunshot was fired. When I skidded at the top of the landing, Jeremy was struggling to free himself from one of the prince’s guards.

  “Stop!” I screamed. “Get off him!”

  “Your husband attacked a Talius guard and was lurking outside Grace’s door with a weapon,” Phillip said, to me as much as Michelle, who was picking up a knife from our kitchen that was on the floor. “We’re trying to calm him down, to get some answers, but he won’t stop fighting.”

  That was my man. A fighter.

  Jeremy met my eyes as Theodorus choked him, and he jerked his head toward Joseph.

  I ran toward them, but someone caught me, holding me back.

  “Let go of me,” I hissed.

  Phillip hesitated, but nodded once, and then Henning, his other guard, released me.

  Joseph slowly backed up and slid a lock pick out of Grace’s door. There was only one reason Jeremy would have started a fight, and that was because…

  The pieces clicked together.

  Joseph saw me watching, and froze. He started backing away.

  And then he took off running.

  “Stop him!” I shouted.

  Henning went after him, and had him pinned to the floor within seconds.

  “Joseph is the person who’s been trying to hurt Grace to postpone the wedding,” I said. “I’m willing to bet that Jeremy saw him outside Grace’s room and tried to save her. Look at the door! Joseph must have picked the lock before Jeremy caught him, and you’ll probably find the rest of his kit if you search him.”

  Michelle reached into one of Joseph’s pockets and pulled out the set. “She’s right, Prince Phillip.”

  Jeremy flung Theodorus off and struggled to his feet. Theodorus almost put him back on the floor, but Phillip held up a hand.

  “She’s right about Joseph. I caught him trying to break into her room, and tried to stop him,” Jeremy rasped.

  Grace whipped open the door, looking furious. “What’s going on out here?”

  “Shut the door!” Jeremy and Prince Phillip shouted at the same time.

  Gasping and jumping slightly, Grace slammed it shut again.

  Joseph snarled from the floor. “Lies. I am the one who caught him. Clearly, he put the kit into my pocket to frame me. Who are you going to believe: me, or an American?”

  “It’s easy enough to prove who is telling the truth and who isn’t,” I said immediately, locking gazes with Jeremy.

  He steadied himself. His hair was wild and standing up, and he had a bruise forming under his eye already. I’d kill them for hurting him.

  “Are you okay?” I asked him.

  “I’m fine,” he said. Then he looked at Phillip. “When Grace had an allergic reaction, even after we thought we’d cleared out the peanuts in the house, Chelsea and I decided to place a discreet camera in the hallway to keep an eye on things.”

  I pointed behind the prince, smiling. “See that vase? It’s a camera. The feed is backed up to the same cloud as our other security cameras, so you don’t have to worry about anyone lying to you. All of us can see what really happened soon enough.”

  Joseph’s face turned red, and he spat out a lot of French words. Henning and Michelle zip-tied his wrists and stood over him, looking disgusted. It was over.

  I rushed to Jeremy’s side, touching his face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  He nodded, his jaw tight, and he didn’t look at me. He just watched Joseph intently. “I liked him, Chels. Even worse, I trusted him. I missed all the damn clues.”

  “Yeah. I know.” I swallowed. “Me, too.”

  He shook his head and pulled free of me. “It’s not the same.”

  Then he pulled his phone out, dialed 911, and turned around.

  I frowned at it. For the first time in a while, I wasn’t sure what was going on in his mind…

  and I didn’t like it.

  Chapter 27

  Later that night, Prince Phillip was pacing, and I watched as he elegantly turned on a heel. “I cannot believe I had a corrupt man in my retinue. How did I fail to see the snake in my nest? How could I have missed this?”

  His words echoed Jeremy�
�s from earlier.

  I glanced at Jeremy. He still looked pissed off.

  Grace watched her fiancé, her cheeks pale and her lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. If anything, it’s mine.”

  “Nonsense.” Phillip knelt at her feet, grabbed her hands, and rested them on her thighs. She didn’t look at him, but instead stared at the fireplace. “It’s my job to protect you. To keep you safe. I was the one who hired Joseph, not you.”

  “But you only needed to hire him because of me. Because people don’t want us to get married.” She bit her lip. “If you’d picked someone better suited to being princess—”

  “There is no one better suited to be my wife than you,” Phillip interrupted gently, squeezing her hands. “I can’t bear to hear you say that. I would sooner give up my country than you.”

  “I love you for that, but that’s not fair.” She looked at him, tears rolling down her face, and I looked at Jeremy, who looked as invested in their relationship as I was. “Maybe we shouldn’t get married. We could just—”

  “And have my son be illegitimate?” Phillip said, scowling, gently touching her belly. “Absolutely not. I…I…” After a frustrated moment, he switched to French.

  I looked at Jeremy, who watched me with a weird look in his eyes, but turned away as soon as our gazes locked. He’d been acting odd all night, like he somehow blamed himself for the attacks on Grace. It made no sense. This was on Joseph, and only Joseph. I stood, walked over to him, and held out my hand. “Can we talk?”

  “Sure.” He stood, took my hand, and led me to our suite. As he shut the door, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “You tell me.”

  “What?” he asked slowly, stepping back.

  “This isn’t your fault.”

  He didn’t bother to deny that he felt like it was. “I feel like I should have seen this coming from a mile away. He was right there with us, every single day.” He leaned back against the door. “I’m losing my touch, Chels. It’s my job to see this shit, to catch it before it reaches you, and I failed.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not your job. Not anymore.”

  “Maybe that’s the problem.”

  I froze. “What are you saying? Do you want to go back to the DEA?”

  “What? No.” He dragged his hands down his face, and let out a laugh. “Look. I’m just saying that maybe I don’t have a job or a purpose. All I bring to the table is that I can keep you safe when your past kicks you in the ass, and watch over you when you’re asleep—because any other time you handle it on your own. Everyone knows that’s all I can give you, and I didn’t do my job this time. I missed it.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He seriously thought that was all he offered me? Protection? Bullshit. “You think you’re only good at watching over me? Keeping me safe? Please. I could do that myself, and I do it better on my own with no distractions or weakness. I’m not some little girl who needs to be protected.”

  He held his hands up. “I don’t mean to imply you can’t take care of yourself. I—”

  “I don’t need you to keep me safe, Jeremy. That’s not why I keep you around, and you’re a fool if you think otherwise.” I poked his chest. “I need you to remind me of the things that make life good. You’re proof that the world isn’t all that bad. I need you to hold me, to love me, to kiss me…I need you to share my bed, to wrap me in your arms, and never let me go. I need you to comfort me when I cry. And…I need you to reach tall things off shelves, because I’m too short to get the stuff that’s up there.”

  He laughed. That was a good sign. “Chels—”

  “And I need you here, with me, because…because…” I swallowed. I hadn’t been planning to tell him like this, but it was as good a time as any, right?

  “I need you here with me, Jeremy, because I’m pregnant.”

  Chapter 28

  Jeremy stared at her, not moving, not breathing, not even blinking. Had she just said…was she…? No. That couldn’t be true. Could it? No. “Holy shit. Are you sure?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “How?” he asked, his voice cracking.

  Her brows furrowed, and she put her hands on her hips. “Well, you see, when a man and a woman fall in love, and get naked in a bed together, and he puts his pe—”

  “Chels.”

  “Okay, okay. I don’t know,” she admitted. “Maybe I missed a pill or two with all the craziness of the wedding? I tried thinking back to figure it out, but, to be honest, I don’t know.”

  “It’s a miracle.” He smiled. “Our little miracle.”

  She bit down on her lip and nodded. “Yes. But I’m kind of freaking out. I know nothing about pregnancy, and sore boobs, and sleepless nights, and babies, and puking, and crying, and what if I suck at being a mom, and what if my dad—?”

  “Shhh.” When Chelsea started on one of her nervous rants, there was only one way to calm her down. Jeremy closed the distance between them, cupped her face, and kissed her. When he pulled back, she opened her mouth, about to continue on, but he pressed his thumb to her swollen lower lip. “We’ve got this. We’ll do this the same way as always.”

  She nodded. “Together?”

  “Damn straight.” He fell to his knees, cupping her stomach with his hands, and looked up at her with wonder in his eyes. “We’re having a baby?”

  She nodded and laughed, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Yes. I took a test today.”

  She smiled, and it warmed his heart, and every other part of him. As long as she looked at him like that for the rest of his life, he couldn’t think of anything else he needed. “Damn. A baby. We’re going to have a baby. I love you so much, Chels.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “I hope it’s a boy. Then we can have a girl, and our boy can help me kick all the other boys’ asses when they look at her for too long,” he said, grinning.

  She choked on a laugh. “Let’s get through this first one, please, before we start planning the next.”

  “Okay.” At least she hadn’t said no. “You’re right.”

  She let out a long breath. “And if you want to rejoin the DEA, then I’m okay—”

  “No. Absolutely not.” He shook his head. “I want to be here, with my family.” A warmth hit his heart at that word. Family. He had one. He was going to be a dad. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me with this news. We’re going to have a baby.”

  If he said it enough times, he might actually believe it.

  “I’m so glad you’re happy.”

  “Of course I am. It feels like a dream.” He kissed her belly once, then stood. “You make me so happy. You, and this inn, and this baby. That’s all I need.”

  His mouth met hers, and she clung to him, and everything was right in the world. Any unease he felt earlier faded away into nothing.

  This was it. This was life. This was love. This was happiness.

  He was never letting go.

  Chapter 29

  “We did it,” I said, leaning on Jeremy for support, watching as the bride and groom swayed in their first dance. The lyrics were in French and I didn’t understand a word of them, but the song was absolutely beautiful. The bottom of Grace’s dress swelled out delicately as she twirled around, as if she was straight out of a fairy tale.

  Everything was perfect and they looked so happy. So in love.

  The way he looked at her—

  Damn my hormones.

  I blinked rapidly, looking away, and saw Paul watching me intently. He was in a suit, and was helping with security, so he held a water in his hand instead of his usual whiskey.

  He nodded at me.

  I nodded back.

  The grounds had been transformed into a magical paradise. Lights hung off the tents, and flowers surrounded us on all sides. A dance floor had been laid under the tent, and tables encircled it. The media hadn’t gotten a single glimpse at the event, not even
a single flower petal, and the wedding had been a success. A secret, elegant, private success. One I’d helped plan.

  Phillip whispered in Grace’s ear and she laughed, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Seeing them like that brought tears to my eyes again. “Damn it,” I whispered, swiping my hands across my cheeks. “Pull yourself together, kid,” I whispered to my unborn child, touching my stomach lightly. “O’Kanes don’t cry.”

  “I heard that,” Jeremy teased from beside me.

  “I’ve gotta do it,” I said stiffly, giving the happy couple my back and focusing on my rock. “He’s turning me into a hot mess.”

  “Hot? Maybe. Mess? Nah.” He smoothed my hair behind my ear, and dried my cheek with his thumb. “Besides, you’ve only got nine months of these hormones.”

  “I’m going to die,” I said dramatically, throwing my head back.

  Though out-of-control emotions were pretty much the epitome of a nightmare to me, I knew the result would be well worth it. Or so I kept telling myself, anyway. I pictured what our baby might look like. Would he have Jeremy’s eyes? His hair? The dimple in his chin? Pressing a hand to my stomach, I smiled and ducked my head.

  The kid better get Jeremy’s dimple.

  I still couldn’t believe we were having a baby, and I wasn’t freaking out about it. “Yup,” I said. “Totally worth it.”

  “Now you’re talking to yourself, and smiling,” Jeremy said, his voice lost in wonder. “If anyone dies, it’ll be me. And these mood swings will be the last thing I experience.”

  I lifted a shoulder as the song ended.

  “Chelsea? Jeremy?”

  I turned around, plastering a smile on my face. “Prince Phillip. Grace. Congratulations, your royal highnesses.”

  Grace laughed and smiled at Phillip, who pulled an envelope out of his jacket and handed it to me. “Thank you, Mrs. Holland.” Then he turned to Jeremy and held his hand out. “Thank you, also, for all you did for us to keep Grace safe.”

  “What are you going to do with Joseph?” Jeremy asked, shaking Phillip’s hand.