Frannie crossed the room and took Alessandro’s proffered hand, then joined him to stand on one of the wooden benches. Alessandro waved to Sam, who was in charge of the music, and Sam fiddled with the speakers so the music gradually faded. Slowly, everyone in the room turned to Alessandro and Frannie.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming to our engagement party,” Alessandro said. “Are you having fun?”
A scream rose from the kids, while the adults looked up at the couple with beaming faces. While Alessandro and Frannie fought to keep their relationship private for as long as possible, those who worked at the shelter figured out that they’d fallen hard for each other within a few months of Alessandro’s return from Prince Vittorio’s wedding. And everyone knew the story of how Alessandro proposed. First, he’d faked an emergency at the gazebo. When Frannie arrived, she’d been directed on a treasure hunt. She’d ended up visiting the spots they’d most enjoyed in their two years together on Kilakuru, with the children stationed at each location to hand her clues to her next stop. She’d even been compelled to drive to St. Augustine’s, where Father Jacob handed her a map that led to the shelter. In the end, Frannie found herself in the nurse’s station, in the very spot where she’d been standing when she’d first spied Alessandro entering the compound with Tommy and had uttered a curse word to Chloe.
Alessandro had waited for her beside that window. He asked if she wanted to swear at him. After she gave him a playful swat, he’d knelt in front of her, told her he wanted the treasure hunt to be her last adventure without him, then asked Frannie if she’d marry him. Of course, she’d said yes.
“Many of you have probably heard the rumor that I’m a prince in some faraway land,” he said, which resulted in a roar of laughter. “You’ve been good enough to treat me as you do everyone else who lives here at the shelter, as a friend.”
“Whether you deserve it or not,” Walter called from the back of the room.
“We know who took the last cookie from the dining hall yesterday,” Sam added. “It wasn’t me.”
Frannie laughed, knowing it was likely true. Pearl still worked at the shelter, the last of the full-time dining hall employees. Just as she had on the day Alessandro arrived on the island, Pearl made sure to give him a cookie or two whenever there was a fresh batch.
Alessandro put his arm around Frannie’s shoulders and pulled her close. “I’m not admitting anything.” He looked down at Frannie, winked, then looked to the crowd. “As I was saying, there’s a rumor that I’m a prince. I hate to say that it’s true, but it is. And as a prince, I’m expected to have a very fancy wedding ceremony in a cathedral on my home island of Sarcaccia.”
“That sounds terrible,” Tommy called over the crowd.
“I’m sure Frannie and I will hate every moment of it,” he replied. “We won’t have any red punch and Sam won’t be able to DJ.”
“Oh, stop,” Frannie whispered. “Get to the point.”
“That being said, once the ceremony on Sarcaccia is over, we plan to come here for a second ceremony, one that everyone can attend, right here at Sunrise Shelter. You’re all invited.”
A chorus of cheers rose through the room. After one more long look at Frannie, Alessandro told everyone, “We would, however, like to bring one person with us to Sarcaccia to attend the wedding. We’d like this individual to be part of the ceremony.”
The room grew quiet, then Frannie searched the room until she saw Remy standing on one of the benches near the rear of the hall. “Remy, we’d very much like you to be our ring bearer.”
Silence reigned for a moment, then pandemonium erupted. “We’ll cover all your expenses and you’ll have a place to stay at the palace,” she assured him once the noise subsided.
“You’ll also fly back here with us afterward,” Alessandro said. “What do you say?”
Remy nodded and grinned, then jumped from his bench and sprinted through the room. It took only seconds for him to jump onto the wooden bench beside Alessandro and Frannie, then hug each of them.
“Thank you, everyone, for throwing such a wonderful party for us,” Alessandro said. “Now get back to dancing!”
With a whoop, Sam started the music. Alessandro and Remy jumped from the bench, then Alessandro grabbed Frannie by the waist to swing her to the floor. Instead of joining the crowd of dancers, Alessandro turned to Remy and said, “Why don’t you walk outside with us for a moment?”
“Sure.”
Alessandro smiled as he led Remy away from the boisterous confines of the dining hall, toward the shelter of the gazebo. Though an island breeze blew through the compound, as always, the heat reflecting off the hard-packed dirt made walking across the open area akin to standing on top of a barbecue grill. Once they were settled on the benches, Alessandro looked to Frannie.
Her heart pounded in her throat as she turned to Remy. “The trip to Sarcaccia should be a lot of fun. It’ll give you a chance to get to see what Alessandro’s life is like away from the shelter.”
A wide smile lit Remy’s face. “Thank you for asking me. I…I’m really excited.” He looked at Alessandro, then Frannie. “Ever since I found out he was from Sarcaccia, I’ve read everything I can find about it. You remember when you set up the projector in the dining room and showed the photos of Prince Vittorio’s wedding? It looked completely different from Kilakuru. It was amazing.”
She smiled at the memory. “If you’d like, you have the chance to live there someday.” She waited a beat, then said, “After Alessandro and I are married, we would very much like to adopt you.”
Remy’s mouth dropped into a silent O. Frannie felt tears springing to her eyes as she watched the expression on the face of the boy she hoped would become her son. “There are more hoops to jump through here on Kilakuru, but we’ve already cleared it with your relatives on the Marquesas. It’s entirely up to you.”
“You can take your time to think about it,” Alessandro said. “You should take your time. It’s a big decision and there’s no rush. The offer to go to Sarcaccia and serve as our ring bearer stands either way.”
Remy’s eyes squeezed shut as Alessandro spoke. Finally, he opened his eyes and nodded, then enveloped Frannie in a big hug. She could feel the tears streaming from the corners of her eyes, but she didn’t care. Her world existed in this moment, in this gazebo.
“Thank you,” Remy said once he released her. He looked from Frannie to Alessandro. “I would love to be in your wedding. And I don’t need to think about it. The adoption part, I mean. My answer is yes.”
“Are you sure?” Frannie fought to keep her voice steady. She desperately wanted him to say yes, but knew he hadn’t had much time to process it. “I don’t want you to feel pressured. Don’t do it because you feel like you have no other choice.”
Remy sucked in his lower lip. She hadn’t seen him do that in almost two years…since soon after Alessandro came to the shelter. “I don’t want you to adopt me because you feel sorry for me.”
“We want to adopt you because we love you,” Alessandro said. “We’ve told you all along that we consider everyone who lives and works here at the shelter a family, but you’re special to us, so special we want to make that family permanent. That being said, it’s up to you. If you decide you’d rather not, we’ll still be here for you. Frannie and I will live here at the shelter until everyone has a home or is old enough to pursue either college or a full-time career on their own.”
Remy’s gaze flicked between them, then he smiled. “I’d be your son?”
“Legally, yes,” Frannie said. “However you want us to describe you, and the way you refer to us, would be up to you. If you were to call us Mom and Dad, we’d be thrilled. If you’re more comfortable with Frannie and Alessandro, that’s fine, too.”
Remy rocked on his heels and considered that. “I think my dad would tell me to call you Mom and Dad. If he knew he couldn’t be here for me, he’d have picked you to raise me. He would’ve liked you a lot.”
“That’s a big compliment, Remy. Thank you. I know he meant the world to you.”
“You should visit Sarcaccia before you make a firm decision,” Alessandro said. “At some point soon, Frannie and I will likely need to move there. If we adopted you, we’d make it a point to visit Kilakuru frequently, but both of us have family in Sarcaccia, and I have duties there. We’d need to know that you’d be comfortable living there.”
Remy’s dark eyes creased in concern. “If we moved to Sarcaccia, what would happen to the shelter?”
“Walter’s teaching job at the shelter is only part-time now that most of the kids have transferred to other schools,” Frannie said. “It’s not enough for him to live on, and the other schools on the island aren’t hiring right now. I was planning to ask him to take over my job. He’d be great at it, and it’d mean he could stay here on Kilakuru if that’s what he wants.”
“He wants to marry Pearl,” Remy blurted out. “He’d stay.”
“He does?” Frannie couldn’t be more shocked. “How do you know that?”
“I heard them talking about it behind the bunkhouse last week. They don’t know I heard. Walter told Pearl they need to wait until they both have steady jobs, but said that when that happens, he’s going to sweep her off her feet and give her lots of babies.” Remy couldn’t hide his amusement at the last part.
“Well, we should make sure that happens no matter what.” Alessandro’s voice made it clear he was as surprised by the news as Frannie…and just as delighted by it.
“My decision is made,” Remy said, his voice sure. “Even if you didn’t want to adopt me, you’re the closest thing to parents I’ve had since my dad died. Wherever you live, I want to be.”
“All right.” Alessandro stood, then put a hand on Remy’s shoulder. “Let’s keep this between us for now, all right? There’s a long process to go through when we return from Sarcaccia. Once we’re a few steps into it, we can surprise everyone.”
“They’re going to love it,” Remy said. A cheer from the direction of the dining hall caught his attention.
“Go ahead.” Frannie stood and smiled at Remy as she wrapped her arms around Alessandro’s waist. “We’ll be there in a minute.”
Once Remy disappeared through the doors, Alessandro said, “Think he’ll keep it quiet?”
“I think he will.” Remy had always been good at keeping his own counsel, except in one instance. “If you don’t count Humphrey.”
“Humphrey moved from his bed to the nightstand,” Frannie said. “Don’t know if you noticed that.”
“I have. Humphrey hasn’t left the nightstand in months. I think it’s a good sign he doesn’t need his camel with him.”
Alessandro pulled her closer. She leaned her head against his shoulder and marveled again at how well they fit. When he’d come home from Vittorio’s wedding and told her how he felt, she didn’t think she could love him more. But she did, every day.
“This will be quite the adventure.” His voice held a note of contentment that made her heart do a slow flip. “I’m glad we’re tackling it together.”
“You’re not scared of the future? There are still a lot of unknowns.”
“Not at all. Whatever happens, you and Remy are my happily ever after.”
She turned into him and gave Alessandro a kiss full of promise. When they finally broke apart, he took her hand to stroll to the dining hall and join the party.
“Dance with me?” he asked.
“Always.”
* * *
THE END
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Thank you for reading The Wicked Prince. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review at your favorite bookseller or book club website. Look for more books in the Royal Scandals series, they’re coming soon!
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Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Isabella, owner of the original Humphrey of Dubai. Remy wouldn’t be the same without you.
About the Author
Nicole Burnham is the RITA award-winning author of over a dozen novels, including the popular Royal Scandals series. All About Romance declares, “Nicole Burnham gives life to a fictional kingdom and monarchy that feel as though they could be real” and “gosh darn it, Nicole Burnham is good…readers should definitely check her out.”
Nicole graduated from an American high school in Germany, then obtained a BA in political science from Colorado State University and a JD/MA in international relations from the University of Michigan. She lives near Boston, spends as much time as possible at Fenway Park, and travels abroad whenever she can score cheap airfare.
Readers may visit Nicole’s website and subscribe to her newsletter at www.nicoleburnham.com.
@NicoleBurnham
NicoleBurnhamBooks
www.nicoleburnham.com
The Royal Scandals Series
Nicole Burnham
Christmas With a Prince (prequel novella)
Scandal With a Prince
Honeymoon With a Prince
Christmas on the Royal Yacht (novella)
Slow Tango With a Prince
The Royal Bastard
Christmas With a Palace Thief (novella)
The Wicked Prince
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The Wicked Prince Page 27