The Prince's ASAP Baby

by Holly Rayner

  She started running warm water in the bathtub. After setting a towel down and removing her clothes, she stepped inside. She felt her body temperature rise. It was a good feeling. This was the calmest she’d felt all morning. She looked out the window. The sky was bright pink. They’d been talking for at least an hour. She couldn’t believe how quickly everything had changed.

  “He loves me,” she whispered. “He really loves me.”

  She was secretly happy Luiza had called. If she started pushing the dominos down, eventually Filipe wouldn’t have to choose, anymore. Luiza would choose for him. Eva couldn’t help but feel like that would be for the best. He wouldn’t have to feel guilty if Luiza left him. Maybe nobody ever had to know that his marriage was fake to begin with. Couldn’t they cite “irreconcilable differences?”

  Then again, she didn’t like to see Filipe hurting. She may have thought his reputation was far less important than he did, but seeing him this upset was disturbing. She wished there was something she could do to help, but royalty was out of her element. She was relieved the conflict rested an ocean away. She’d never have to face it head on.

  There was a knock at the bathroom door. The tub was almost full. She turned off the water.

  “Come in,” she said.

  Filipe opened the door.

  “Oh,” he murmured. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, closing her eyes and relaxing further into the water. “Just trying to stay calm. All of this anxiety and arguing can’t be good for the baby.”

  Filipe nodded.

  “I’m sure you’re right,” he said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I definitely need to eat more,” Eva said. “Can you reheat my food for me?”

  “Sure thing,” he replied. “Should I leave this door open?”

  Eva shook her head.

  “No,” she said. “I think I need to clear my head.”

  “Do you still love me?”

  Eva laughed.

  “You abandoned me for five months and my feelings didn’t go away,” she said. “They aren’t going to fly out the window just because your wife called.”

  “Don’t say that,” he said. “It makes me feel bad.”

  “Why? Because you can do anything you want and I’ll still love you?”

  “That isn’t true,” he protested. “I’m never going to hurt you like that again. I swear.”

  “I believe you,” Eva said. “Honestly, Filipe, I do.”

  Filipe shut the door slowly and retreated to the kitchen.

  But she didn’t know if she actually believed him or not. Did he really think showing up and apologizing was enough? He had to prove it. If he loved her as much as he said he did, he shouldn’t have any problem leaving Luiza. It should be a no-brainer. She had a hard time understanding why it wasn’t.

  Maybe he was lying to her. Maybe, now that he knew she wanted to keep the baby, he was just trying to save his fatherhood. Maybe, when it was all said and done, he’d claim he never loved her at all.

  And how was she supposed to believe Luiza didn’t have feelings for him? She was reacting exactly like a jealous wife would (and should). Granted, she sounded like a terrible woman. But maybe Filipe felt guilty.

  The pieces just didn’t add up. If Filipe wanted to do the right thing, he needed to leave Luiza. If he wouldn’t, Eva couldn’t trust him to be a father. She’d have to make him sign away his parental rights and leave. Either that, or they’d have to share custody. But she wasn’t going to lie. The world would know she and Filipe had a child together—one way or another.

  It was all so overwhelming for a pregnant woman. She wished Filipe had come back sooner. Or that he hadn’t come back at all. Everything would have been so much easier. She had no idea how to deal with his political problems. How did she end up right back in a world filled with unrealistic expectations? What was she bringing her daughter into?

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she whispered, rubbing her belly. “It’s all going to be okay, no matter what he decides. We’re going to be together, me and you.”

  She pulled herself up from the floor of the tub and grabbed the towel she’d put aside. When she was dressed and ready, she opened the door. Filipe was just putting her reheated plate of food on the table, having added more eggs and French toast. She didn’t realize until that moment how hungry she was. She hadn’t eaten anything the night before. Eva wasn’t the type to eat when she was anxious.

  “Think he’ll call?” she asked as she sat down. “Maybe Luiza didn’t say anything.”

  “Oh, she did,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time. Eat your food.”

  Eva did as she was told. She was ravenous. Ten minutes later, her food was gone. He hadn’t reheated his plate or eaten more than a few bites. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other. Filipe wrung his hands, got up, and began pacing.

  “You need to calm down,” Eva said. “How old are you, anyway?”

  “Twenty-nine.”

  “Yeah, that’s too old to be concerned about a phone call from your dad.”

  “You don’t know my father.”

  “I think maybe I do.”

  Then, his phone rang. Filipe pulled the device from his pocket, saw the number, and answered immediately. This time, he didn’t bother using speakerphone.

  “Padre?”

  “You have some explaining to do, Filipe.”

  His father was loud enough for Eva to hear the entire conversation. She didn’t bother telling Filipe. She didn’t want to miss anything.

  “I can explain, Papa.”

  “Luiza just showed up here,” his dad said. “She was ranting about you and some lovechild. She said you don’t love her anymore, and you want a divorce. What is going on?”

  “I didn’t say any of those things,” Filipe said. Eva could tell he was trying very hard to stay calm. “You need to hear both sides of this story, Papa.”

  “Is your marriage over?”

  Filipe was quiet for a moment.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “That depends on what happens next.”

  “What are you talking about? You’d better start making sense, Filipe. Your mother is worried sick.”

  “I’m coming home,” he said. “I’ll explain everything when I see you. Until then, please stop listening to Luiza. The woman is more overdramatic than Aunt Catherine.”

  “You’ve never said anything bad about her before.”

  “That’s because I knew you didn’t want to hear it,” Filipe said. “Look, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Make her leave. I don’t want her upsetting Mamma.”

  “I think it’s a little too late for that. She’s family. I’m not going to make her leave.”

  “That woman isn’t family,” Filipe spat. “She’s a hazard. Mamma is exhausted. She needs her rest. Tell Luiza to go home. She can come back tomorrow. I’ll see all of you then.”

  “You’d better have a good explanation for all of this. And there better not be a child involved or so help me…”

  “Padre, please. Tomorrow.”

  “Fine.”

  Filipe hung up the phone, dropped it on the couch, and turned to Eva. She was sitting on the edge of her seat and listening intently.

  “So…”

  “We’re going to Europe,” Filipe said. “I hope that’s all right with you.”

  “You want me to come?” Eva asked in shock. “Why? I’ll just make things worse.”

  “You should meet them,” he said. “It might help them understand.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused in my life,” Eva stuttered. “Are you telling them the truth or not?”

  “I haven’t decided yet,” Filipe admitted. “Get packed. It’s a long flight.”

  Eva stared.

  “I’m serious,” he said. “Let’s get going.”

  She grabbed her duffle bag from the closet and began stuffing clothes inside.

  “You’ve lost your mind,” she
called to Filipe.

  “Maybe so,” he said. “But it’s worth it.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Twenty-four hours later, Filipe’s private jet touched down in Benici. Eva was relieved to be on the ground again. She’d never been on a plane before. In fact, she’d never left the state of New York.

  Now, she was in another country with a prince. And she was pregnant. It had only been a year since she’d moved away from her parents. She could hardly believe it. Her stint as a law student felt like a lifetime ago.

  They’d barely talked since breakfast the day before. Filipe was clearly fighting an inner battle, and Eva didn’t want to make it worse. She was fighting demons of her own. She was going to meet royalty today. She had no idea what to say. What if they banished her? How would she get home?

  That’s not going to happen.

  “You remember how I told you my parents live in a normal house?” Filipe asked.

  “Yeah,” Eva said.

  “You should probably know that my version of normal is a bit different than yours,” he told her. “It’s technically called a grand family palace.”

  “You said you didn’t live in a castle.”

  “It’s a palace,” he said. “It’s very much like a mansion in your country.”

  “That’s not normal, Filipe.”

  “It is to me.”

  One of the pilots opened the exit and lowered a set of stairs.

  “We’ll be flying home tomorrow,” Filipe informed the pilot. “Be ready for us first thing in the morning.”

  Eva felt a little better. At least they wouldn’t be staying indefinitely.

  “I prefer New York to Europe,” Filipe told her as they left the plane. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

  Eva was going to respond when she caught her first glimpse of Benici.

  “Why?” she breathed. “This is so beautiful.”

  There were rolling green hills, hundreds of beautiful trees, and gorgeous blue skies. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before.

  “It’s just nature,” Filipe said. “You can get the same thing in upstate New York.”

  “That’s nothing like this,” she replied. “This is amazing.”

  Filipe led her down the stairs and into a black car that was waiting on the landing strip. Inside, Eva was surprised to find the rosy-cheeked driver who’d picked her up before in New York.

  “Hi, there!” she said.

  “It’s nice to see you again, miss.”

  “Hans is my other driver,” Filipe explained. “He primarily works in Benici, but I occasionally bring him to the city.”

  They sped off into the rolling hills, Eva so impressed with the view that she paid little attention to the prince. He seemed to have drawn inward again. She guessed he was thinking about how his parents would react to meeting her. She was clearly pregnant. There was no hiding it.

  Twenty minutes later, the car pulled into a large, extravagant drive. A huge home came into view. Eva thought it had the same class and charm as the White House—except that it was much bigger and older-looking.

  “This is where your parents live?” she asked, unable to peel her eyes away from the house. “This isn’t normal, Filipe. I promise.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” he said as the car pulled up to the house. “Plenty of homes in Benici are bigger than this.”

  The car came to a stop. Filipe stepped out and opened her door. She took his hand and he led her up the front steps and into the parlor.

  His parents were waiting.

  Filipe’s father was a tall, thin man with a shock of black hair and dark brown eyes. He was pushing a wheelchair, which held Filipe’s mother. She was wearing a bandana around her head. Eva assumed she’d lost her hair as a result of chemo treatments. She was thin and pale, but pretty. Her eyes were green and, Eva thought, kind.

  These weren’t the two people Filipe had described to her. They seemed far from demanding. In fact, their expressions held more concern than anger.

  Just as she was about to say something to that effect, a tall woman with curled blond hair and too much makeup came stomping into the room.

  “Filipe!” she cried, throwing her hands up in the air. “You brought your girlfriend! How charming. I was looking forward to meeting her.”

  “That’s enough, Luiza.”

  “No, that’s hardly enough!” Luiza shouted, almost spitting at him. “We’ve barely been married for a year. You cheated on me. Not only that, but you’ve gotten another woman pregnant. How could you?”

  “Stop acting like you didn’t know,” Filipe said, glaring at her with a kind of hatred Eva had never seen before. “You were more than willing to along with it when you could claim the baby was yours.”

  “What is he talking about?” Filipe’s father asked. “Luiza, you knew about this?”

  “Of course she did,” Filipe said. “She’s known the whole time. She has a few boyfriends of her own. One in Barcelona, one in Greece, one in Ireland. Probably one for every country. She doesn’t care that I’m having a baby. She was going to be part of it. She cares that I’ve fallen in love.”

  “You’re going to destroy my reputation!” Luiza cried. “I’m divorcing you, Filipe, and I’m going to take you for everything you own. This whole palace is going to be mine!”

  “That’s not how it works,” Filipe stated calmly. “I’ll be happy to grant you a divorce. I’m tired of faking a marriage with someone who’s only interested in money and status. You’re a terrible woman, and I never should have married you in the first place.”

  Luiza stared in shock.

  “You’ve gone too far this time, Luiza,” he continued. “Our marriage was never valid to begin with, as I’m sure you’re aware, since we never slept together. You won’t get a penny.”

  Her face darkened and went a nasty shade of purple.

  “This isn’t over,” she hissed. “You can’t do this.”

  “I just did,” he said. “Now, get out. You’re upsetting my mother.”

  “I will not!”

  “Then I’ll have you removed from this property and arrested.”

  “Arrested? For what?”

  “For hacking into my voicemail,” he said. “And that’s just for starters. I could also have you arrested for trespassing and harassment.”

  “You can’t do this, Filipe.”

  “Get out.”

  Filipe took a step forward. Luiza took a step back. She seemed to lose her footing. Her confidence was shattered.

  “This isn’t over,” she repeated.

  Then, she passed them and walked out the front door, leaving Filipe, his parents, and Eva standing in the foyer. None of them seemed to know what to say.

  “I thought you had explaining to do before,” his father murmured, breaking the silence. “I don’t even know what to say now.”

  “I never loved her,” Filipe said. “I never wanted to marry her. I just didn’t want Mamma to be upset.”

  “This whole time, you’ve been living a lie? For us?” his mother asked weakly.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I figured that’s what you wanted. You wanted me to marry a royal. And, well, you wanted me to marry Luiza.”

  “I knew you were unhappy, son,” his father said. “But I had no idea you were so miserable. If I’d known…”

  “You couldn’t have. I should have told you sooner.”

  It was quiet again. Then, Filipe seemed to remember Eva was there.

  “Mamma, Papa,” he said, “This is Eva Nightingale. When Luiza wouldn’t give me a baby, I decided to come up with an alternative solution. Eva is the woman I asked to carry my child. I’ve fallen in love with her.”

  Eva blanched. She had no idea what to say.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said weakly.

  “You love this girl?” Filipe’s mother said from her wheelchair. Her voice was mousy, but steady.

  “I do,” Filipe said. “More than anyone I’ve ever known.”

>   “Then you have our blessing,” his father said. “We’re sorry we pushed you to marry Luiza in the first place. It wasn’t right.”

  “I’m just sorry you had to learn about your grandchild this way,” Filipe said.

  “Oh my God!” his father exclaimed. “I’m going to be a grandfather!”

  He rushed forward to shake Eva’s hand. She took it.

  “How far along?” he asked.

  “Five months,” Eva replied. “It’s a girl.”

  Eva looked at Filipe’s mother. Her eyes were filled with tears.

  “I’m going to be a nonno,” his father said again. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I want to meet her,” Filipe’s mother said.

  His father walked back to her wheelchair and pushed her forward. Eva took her hand.

  “It’s great to meet you,” Eva said. “Filipe loves you so much.”

  “Don’t I know it,” she affirmed. “It’s good to meet you, too.”

  Later that day, Eva and Filipe were walking through the gardens behind the palace. Filipe’s parents were inside. His mother was resting and his father was making phone calls. The divorce would be final in less than a month, and Filipe would soon be able to completely wash his hands of Luiza and her drama.

  “I’m happy for you,” Eva said. “You’re finally free.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” she said. “Honestly, Luiza dug her own grave. After the way she acted, I don’t think your parents could have done anything else. I wouldn’t want that woman as a daughter-in-law.”

  “I’m just glad I never have to see her again,” Filipe said. “It’s so surreal. I didn’t think this day would ever come.”

  Eva smiled, but inside she was worried. Filipe was free. She wondered what he was going to do with it. He’d told his parents that he’d fallen in love with her. But would they actually be together? He was still a difficult man to read.

  “I think there’s something we need to talk about,” he said, motioning toward a bench. They both sat down.

  “Go for it,” Eva said.

  “I said a lot of things in there,” he said. “I told them I love you. I told them we’re having a child together. By this time next week, every paper in Europe will want to write an article about us. And we’re going to have to tell the story a hundred times. Maybe more.”