The Prince's Devious Proposal

by Rayner, Holly

  She closed her eyes.

  Leaving the past behind and moving forward without regret had never been her strong suit.

  But she thought of the song she had written about Petr; the hopeful note she hadn’t been able to stop herself from including at the end. This was that note. This was the hope she hadn’t been able to let go of. And that hope was stronger, she realized now, than any anger or bitterness she had felt.

  “Yes,” she said quietly.

  Petr looked at her. “Yes?”

  “Yes, I forgive you,” she said. “And yes, I’ll marry you.”

  His eyes widened and he inhaled sharply. “You will?”

  “You thought I would say no,” she said.

  “I hoped you would say yes,” he said. “But it seemed impossible that I could be so lucky, after everything I’ve done. I don’t deserve a second chance, Naomi. I know that.”

  “Of course you do.” She thought back to what Harry had said to her when he’d persuaded her to try the open mic night. “Anyone who’s willing to put in the effort deserves a second chance. Just because your first attempt ended, that doesn’t mean you can’t try again.”

  “You really are a remarkable woman,” Petr whispered.

  She pressed her lips together tightly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened.

  He saw them anyway. “Are you sad?” he asked softly.

  “I’m overwhelmed,” she admitted. “This is a lot to process. We’re divorced. We’re getting married. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”

  “I just feel grateful,” Petr said. “I know you think I deserve a second chance from you, but I would have understood completely if you’d turned me away without a word. I had prepared myself for that.” He shook his head and let out a nervous laugh. “I feel very lucky right now, Naomi.”

  “So do I,” she said. “I spent the last two weeks wondering whether everything that happened between us was real. I was hurt to think that you were using me for my money, but I was even more brokenhearted at the idea that all those moments were fake. I wanted them to be real.”

  “They were real,” Petr said. “Everything that happened between us was real. I approached you for the wrong reasons, Naomi, but everything that happened after we met was genuine.” He sighed. “Even when I proposed to you that day on the beach…it was part of a dishonest plan, yes, but the truth was that I wanted to marry you. I let myself believe that it was acceptable to go ahead with the plan at that point because my feelings were real. I told myself that I was doing the right thing by everybody.”

  She reached out and took his hand.

  “I was lying to myself,” he said. “I just wanted so much to believe that it could work out.”

  “It can work out,” she said. “We’ll make it work. And this time, we’ll be honest with one another.”

  Petr smiled. “That sounds good to me,” he said.

  He stood upright, pulling her with him, drawing her into his arms, and Naomi allowed herself to sink into his familiar but no less electrifying kiss.

  Chapter 20

  A Year Later

  The wedding was held exactly one year later, to the day.

  It was a small affair, but the preparations had taken weeks. Naomi was surprised to find that Petr wanted the same things she did out of his “real” wedding day—a small, intimate gathering, a marriage at a chapel, a dinner and drinks reception at a private venue to follow. It was easy for the two of them to agree on their plans.

  Of course, there had been other arrangements to make in the meantime.

  A month after their divorce had been finalized, they had moved to Barcelona permanently. Naomi had been surprised to learn that the beautiful house in which they had stayed during their European vacation actually did belong to Petr’s family. It was one of the few properties they hadn’t gotten rid of to deal with their debts. Though Petr had been stretching the truth with his claims of a catering staff—those workers had been let go due to the family’s financial problems—the home was theirs, and Naomi was more than thrilled to move into it.

  She had started to look for a job, but Petr had quickly persuaded her to take some downtime and focus on her music. As it turned out, that had been the right call. The song she had written while staying with Sarah seemed to have loosened something within her, and soon she felt unable to stop.

  Before long, she had written a new album’s worth of music and used a portion of her inheritance from her mother to have it produced. Now it was selling well, and the album as a whole had been very well received. It was earning Naomi enough money that she was able to forego a traditional job and keep writing.

  It was Petr who had been the one to find traditional work. Determined to atone for his scheming by finding an honorable way to deal with his family’s debts, he had applied for high-level business positions and had eventually landed a job as the vice president of a tech company in Barcelona. His salary was enough to begin paying down the family debt.

  Naomi and Petr were thankful to have the money to purchase plane tickets to bring their friends and family to Barcelona for their wedding. It was a small group—Sarah and her family, Petr’s parents, and a few other friends. Much to Naomi’s surprise, the Desert Flowers had made the journey, and she was overwhelmed with excitement at seeing them again. Each member of the band had stopped to hug her, wish her well, and compliment her on the new album, discussing the songs in enough detail that it was clear they had listened to them.

  The wedding was held at the same church where Naomi and Petr had been married the first time, but this time it was much more meaningful. Instead of reciting vows in a language she didn’t speak in front of two people she didn’t know, Naomi had found an officiant to conduct the service in English in front of her friends and family.

  Petr had insisted that she walk down the aisle to the song she had written about him, which she had since titled “Destinations.” Though it felt a little silly to get married to her own song, she could see that it meant a lot to Petr. She wrote out a copy of the music and gave it to the church organist, and she had to admit that the song did sound very pretty played on that massive instrument.

  The service was one of the most moving experiences of Naomi’s life. She had thought that her first wedding day had been perfect, but she saw now that she had been convincing herself of that fact. Nothing could compare to the way she felt about Petr now that they had actually faced a challenge together and come through it stronger. She felt confident that they could get through anything now.

  When it was over and they were officially married, they took pictures together at the front of the church, something that had been missing from their first wedding. When they had taken several pictures together as a newlywed couple, they invited first Sarah and her family, then Petr’s parents, to join them for a few shots.

  Petr’s mother embraced Naomi. “It’s lovely to meet you, darling,” she said.

  Naomi, meeting her new in-laws for the first time, felt a little awkward. These people were the former King and Queen of Sovra. They seemed kind, though.

  When the picture taking was finished, everyone returned to Petr and Naomi’s house for the reception. Tables had been set up in the open courtyard, and musicians had set up on the second-floor balcony. Glasses of champagne were poured, and the seafood dishes Petr and Naomi had chosen for the occasion were served.

  Sarah came up to the small table where Petr and Naomi were eating. “I can’t believe this is really your house,” she said, looking around the courtyard. “It’s huge.”

  Naomi nodded. “I can’t quite believe it myself,” she said, giggling. She had been full of nervous energy all day, unable to keep herself from laughing at even the most mundane things. “I’m so glad you’re staying with us for the week, Sarah. You’re going to adore Barcelona.”

  “I’m just excited that you have a beach,” Sarah said. “I’m going to spend ten hours a day out there.”

  “I’ll definitely join y
ou for that,” Naomi said. Not for the first time, she reflected on what a blessing it was to control her own work schedule. As a songwriter, it was easy to decide to put her work aside for a few weeks to finalize her wedding plans and to enjoy Sarah’s visit. She hadn’t even had to ask anyone’s permission.

  “The kids are running around upstairs,” Sarah said. “I hope that’s all right. Harry is with them. He’ll make sure they don’t make a mess of anything.”

  “Of course it’s all right,” Naomi said. “Our house is a kid-friendly place.”

  Petr’s lips twitched in the barest hint of a smile, but he said nothing.

  Sarah returned to her seat beside Mari, the lead singer of the Desert Flowers. Naomi watched as the two of them engaged each other in conversation. There was something thrilling about seeing her sister and her old tour mate bonding, and knowing that they were both here because of her.

  Petr’s father approached their table next. He was a fit-looking man with tidy gray hair and bright green eyes that matched his son’s. Naomi wondered whether this was what Petr would look like when they got older.

  If so, I can definitely deal with it.

  “Congratulations to you both,” Mr. Agridis said. “Welcome to the family, Naomi.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Please,” he said. “Call me Anton.”

  “Anton,” she said, wondering how long it would take her to get used to that.

  He looked at her appraisingly. “I suppose you and I have some ground to make up, don’t we?” he asked.

  Naomi was surprised that he was confronting the issue so directly. “I suppose we do,” she said.

  “No need to discuss the matter now,” Anton said. “We have plenty of time to get to know one another better, you and I. But I want you to know that Petr’s mother and I can see how happy you’ve made our son. That’s worth more to us than anything. We are very, very sorry for what happened—for what our actions put your though. We’re very hopeful that we’ll be able to move past our inauspicious beginnings and become family.”

  Naomi smiled. “Thank you. I’d really like that,” she said.

  Tentatively, he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder, and Naomi was reminded of the way her own father used to do the same thing at the end of a long day.

  “Good,” Anton said. “I look forward to getting to know you better, Naomi.” He smiled and walked away.

  “He means it, doesn’t he,” Naomi said. It wasn’t a question. She could tell by Anton’s face and tone of voice how sincere he was.

  “He does,” Petr said. “They’ve both expressed to me how much they regret what happened. They’re a little nervous to talk to you about it. I think the plan we made was easier to conceive of when we were desperate, and when we weren’t thinking of the person we were targeting as someone real. Now that they’ve met you… They’re good people. It’s hard for them to confront what we almost did. They feel badly about it. They want your forgiveness.”

  “They’ll get it,” Naomi said. “I’m not angry anymore. The fact that you admitted what was going on and put a stop to it before any harm could be done speaks volumes. And besides, we’ve been together for a year now. Our story is so much bigger than just that one chapter.”

  “It’s true,” Petr said. “I only wish you’d had a chance to get to know my parents before the wedding.”

  “So do I,” Naomi said. “But we have the rest of our lives. There’s no reason to hurry things.”

  The musicians struck up a new number. Petr rose to his feet and held out his hand to Naomi. “Will you dance with me?”

  A square of space had been left in the center of the courtyard for dancing, and Naomi allowed Petr to lead her out into it. He took her in his arms and they began to sway slowly in time with the music.

  “Are you happy?” Petr murmured as he rotated slowly, holding her tight against him.

  “This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,” she said truthfully. “I can’t imagine anything better than tonight.”

  “It’s better than our first wedding?”

  “I wouldn’t have thought anything could top that, at the time,” she said. “But now that we’re here…yes. This is better.”

  “Do you wish we’d waited to get married and just done it now for the first time?” he asked. “I mean, I know you wish I hadn’t tricked you…”

  “No,” Naomi said. “To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t change anything.”

  “Really? Even though our first marriage was based on a lie?”

  “That’s not all it was based on,” she said. “We were instantly attracted to one another. We fell for each other more quickly than I would have dreamed possible. That was real.”

  “You’re right,” he said. “If someone had told me what would happen between the two of us, I would never have believed them. I barely believed it while it was happening. Half the time, I thought I was dreaming.”

  “So did I,” she said. “And now it turns out it’s a dream we never have to wake up from.”

  The music came to an end. The wedding guests who had joined Naomi and Petr on the dance floor drifted back to their seats.

  Petr hesitated. “Should we have another dance?” he asked. “Or is it time for our toast?”

  Naomi’s heart fluttered with excitement. The toast. It was the part of the wedding she had been anticipating the most, the one thing she had been unable to put out of her mind even as she and Petr had stood before their family and friends and recited their vows.

  “The toast,” she said. “I think it’s time.”

  He smiled, and Naomi could see that he was just as happy and excited for this moment as she was. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her back to their table.

  Neither of them sat down. Instead, Petr picked up his champagne glass and tapped it with the edge of his spoon. After a few moments, conversations around the courtyard died down, and everyone turned their attention to him.

  “Thank you, friends and family, for taking the time out of your lives to be here with us today,” Petr said. “Everyone here is very important to Naomi and me, and we couldn’t imagine celebrating today without you.”

  He glanced at Naomi and winked, and she grinned, understanding the joke. Of course they could imagine celebrating their marriage without their friends and family present—they had done it already. It was just that it was so much nicer to have everyone here with them.

  “Most of you have come a very long way to be here today,” Petr continued. “We’re so thankful to all of you for doing so. And we want you, our closest friends and family, to be the first to share in some exciting news as we embark on the next step in our journey together.”

  He reached down and took Naomi’s hand. She looked up at him and nodded.

  “Naomi and I are expecting our first child in six months,” Petr said, giving her hand a squeeze. “We’re going to have a family.”

  Sarah gasped audibly. Petr’s mother pressed her hand to her heart, smiling, and his father let out a triumphant “Ha!”

  Petr lifted his glass. “To family,” he said.

  “To family,” the wedding guests echoed, lifting their own glasses in response.

  As everyone drank, Petr turned toward Naomi and took her in his arms. “And here’s to you and me,” he said, “and to the beginning of a whole new journey for the two of us.”

  She smiled and tipped her face up toward his. “To us,” she agreed, and he bent to kiss her.

  The End

  * * *

  I hope you’ve enjoyed Naomi and Petr’s story! Keep reading for the first chapter of the previous book in this series, The Prince’s Baby Mystery

  Happy reading!

  Love, Holly x

  The Prince's Baby Mystery

  Chapter 1

  “Charlotte!”

  Charlotte Lange turned to see her leading actress, Emery Masterson, hurrying toward her in a disheveled state. Emery’s makeup was only half appl
ied, and though she was in costume, she still wore her yoga pants under the skirt she would wear for the entire first act. Her hair hung loose down her back instead of being arranged in the elaborate updo Charlotte had worked out with the hair design team.

  Charlotte grabbed her by the elbow. “Are you serious?” she said. “It’s twenty minutes to curtain! You’re nowhere near ready.”

  “Stop worrying, Charlotte,” Emery said. “We have a lot of time. Have you seen the size of the audience?”

  “I’ve seen it.”

  She had been waffling about it, her opinion changing every five minutes. The last time she had looked, it had seemed like an overwhelming amount of people. A frightening amount. The time before that, she’d felt ashamed of how few had turned up.

  I wonder if every playwright is this much of a mess on opening nights.

  “Just get back to hair and makeup,” Charlotte said, giving Emery a gentle push in that direction. “Don’t let me see you again until you’re ready for the stage.”

  Emery affected a fake pout. “So bossy,” she said, but she took off in the direction Charlotte had indicated she should go.

  It was like herding cats. Already, Charlotte had caught two members of her cast sneaking out for cigarettes, even though she had expressly forbidden smoking on performance days. The last thing she needed was raspy-voiced actors choking their way through their lines.

  This wasn’t her first production, and yet she felt more nervous about this play than she had about any of her past ones. She wondered why that was.

  Maybe it was just the fact that she’d been working on this script for so much longer than anything else she had ever produced. It really had been her life’s work so far. Seeing it on stage during the final dress rehearsal last night had been surreal.