WRONG PRINCE
AN ACCIDENTAL PREGNANCY ROMANCE
LILIAN MONROE
PREVIOUSLY TITLED KNOCKED UP BY THE WRONG PRINCE
CONTENTS
Foreword
1. Cara
2. Cara
3. Theo
4. Cara
5. Theo
6. Cara
7. Theo
8. Cara
9. Theo
10. Cara
11. Theo
12. Cara
13. Theo
14. Cara
15. Theo
16. Cara
17. Theo
18. Cara
19. Theo
20. Cara
21. Theo
22. Cara
23. Theo
24. Cara
25. Theo
26. Cara
27. Theo
28. Cara
29. Theo
30. Cara
Epilogue
Shouldn’t Want You
1. Willow
2. Sacha
Also by Lilian Monroe
Copyright © 2020 Lilian Monroe All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the author except for short quotations used for the purpose of reviews.
Resemblance to action persons, things living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
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CARA
ONE DIFFERENCE between regular people and royalty is that regular people knock before entering your home.
Royals, on the other hand?
Knocking isn’t part of their vocabulary.
The only warning I get that Prince Theo is at my house is the sound of a vehicle pulling up outside and the driver cutting the engine.
I assume it’s one of my parents’ friends or maybe a member of our household staff, and I ignore it.
The Crown Prince of Argyle bursts through the door in a blaze of abs and windswept hair, tearing the sunglasses off his bronzed face as he scans the room. A soft breeze follows after him, fluttering the edges of his linen shirt.
“Cara!” he calls out. I stand up, putting my book down on the sofa beside me. He flashes me a brilliant smile. “Come on. We’re going.”
Every word Theo speaks is a command. He was born a king, and a part of me likes when he speaks like that. There’s something attractive about confidence and power, even though I’d never be caught dead saying that out loud.
I’m more of the ‘don’t tell me what to do’ kind of gal—or at least that’s what I tell myself. The fluttering in my belly begs to differ.
I frown. “Go where?”
The Prince’s white linen shirt is unbuttoned, revealing his chiseled chest. He’s wearing teal swimming trunks and a pair of white leather boat shoes. He nods toward the open door, grinning.
“It’s the summer solstice. We have a tradition to uphold.”
My heart thumps uncomfortably. I thought our traditions had died when Prince Luca’s accident happened. That day, everything changed.
Three years ago, my betrothed, Prince Luca—Prince Theo’s little brother—jumped off a cliff into shallow water and broke his back. Luca has been trying to recover from his injuries in Singapore, undergoing countless operations and hours of physical therapy.
And me?
I’ve been shut out. Languishing on the other side of the world. Begging him to talk to me, and then slowly accepting that it’s over between us.
At first, I wanted to be there with him. The first year was hell. I called, and called, and called. I cried. I sent letters and messages. I sent him care packages and made sure to try to speak to him every day.
We have a special Post Office box, where we’ve been exchanging messages since we were kids. I checked it every day for a year, hoping he’d have sent me some note, some parcel, some sign that he cared.
Every day, it was empty.
Luca pushed me away. Slowly but surely, he stopped answering. The rest of the royal family backed away from me as my engagement to Luca fizzled. I didn’t just lose my fiancé, I lost all my closest childhood friends.
Luca, Theo, Beckett, Dante—all four brothers became strangers to me. It nearly killed me.
I even went to Singapore a year after the accident, but Luca refused to see me.
The second year, I was in a daze. I don’t remember much, except sleeping a lot and not eating much. The past three years have been the loneliest of my life.
It’s only in the past six months that I’ve started coming around again. Slowly, I’m starting to feel like myself again. I’m making plans for the future. Plans for myself.
But Theo’s standing here in front of me as if nothing at all has changed.
It has changed, though. Being pushed away by Luca is what finally made me decide to leave this Kingdom. I have to. It’s the only way I can move on from all this.
Next week, I’m flying to the United States to pursue my dream of becoming a singer. I’ve applied to two dozen colleges for voice programs and haven’t heard back from any of them, but that won’t stop me. I’m done with letting people push me away and beat me down. I’m stronger than that. I’ve stared into the abyss, and now, I’m walking away.
I’ll go to Los Angeles and work in a restaurant while I try to make it as a singer. I’ll plead with record executives. I’ll sing in dirty dive bars. I’ll do whatever it takes, even if my parents think singing is beneath our family name.
I need to go. Do something for myself. Pursue a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl—a dream that predates Luca, and Theo, and all the heartache that the royal family brought me.
Knowing that I’m leaving is the only thing that has kept me going.
Up until two minutes ago, I thought I’d never see the Princes of Argyle again. I thought all four brothers had turned their backs on me after Luca’s accident.
Apparently, I was wrong.
I clear my throat, combing my fingers through the ends of my long, brown hair. “Your Highness—”
“Cara,” Theo huffs, shaking his head. “Come on. Stop standing there like we didn’t spend every moment of our childhood together. Get your bathing suit on and get in my car. We’re sailing around the islands.”
Argyle is a Caribbean kingdom, complete with white, sandy beaches and waving palm trees. The Kingdom consists of about seventy islands, ranging from land masses the size of Cuba to small atolls with nothing but a single palm tree on them.
Nearly every year since I was seven years old, I’ve sailed around the Kingdom with the four Princes of Argyle. It takes just over two days to do it, and it’s been a highlight of my year, every year, since I was a little girl.
Three years ago, our tradition abruptly stopped. Luca had just had his accident, and we didn’t know whether he would recover. Sailing around the islands didn’t seem right.
Our yearly sailing trip was yet another thing I mourned.
Prince Theo, the eldest of the Princes of Argyle, stares at me, eyebrows raised. “Well?”
“I thought…” I clear my throat. “I didn’t think we were doing that anymore.”
“Look, Luca might be refusing to talk to you, but it doesn’t mean we aren’t friends. We’ve done this every year since we
were kids. It’s tradition.”
“Dante and Beckett?” I raise my eyebrows, wondering if his two other brothers will come.
Theo shakes his head. “You know how Dante is. Won’t even come out of his office to see the sun. He’s developing a new security plan for the palace, and he says he’s too busy researching. Beckett is away for the month on a trip across Europe.”
“You want to do it without them and Luca?”
“It’s the solstice,” Theo says, as if that explains anything. “I’m sick of tiptoeing around the castle. Ever since Luca’s accident, all of Argyle has been in mourning.” He snorts, shaking his head. “No one died! Luca is fine. His physical therapy is going well, even if he refuses to talk to us. The doctors think he’ll walk again.”
I arch my eyebrows. Luca walking again? That would be nothing short of a miracle. If he recovered, would he want to pick up where we left off?
Would I want that?
The churning in my gut tells me no, I wouldn’t. I’m leaving Argyle next week. I’m doing something for me. I’m pursuing my dreams, not falling back into the arms of a man who didn’t want me. Maybe he never wanted me.
It’s over between Luca and me. Has been for a long, long time. His recovery won’t change that.
“Come on, Cara,” Theo continues, taking a step toward me. “I’m sick of it. I need to do something fun. Something normal.” He takes a deep breath, spreading his palms toward me. When Theo’s sharp, blue eyes land on mine, he arches his eyebrows. “I want to hang out with someone I’ve been friends with for years. Like old times.”
“It’s not like old times, though, Theo,” I say softly.
Something flashes in Theo’s eyes. He’s always been the quiet one. The dutiful one. But there’s a fierceness in his gaze that makes me pause.
He snorts, shaking his head. “What, because Luca had an accident and decided to turn his back on you? On all of us?” Theo scoffs. “We’ve been trying to reach out to him ever since he left for Singapore, Cara. Three. Years. He thinks he’s being some kind of saint for suffering alone, but he doesn’t realize how much it hurts for the rest of us. I’ve seen how much you’ve been hurting. He’s my brother, but he has no right to treat you like that.”
The truth in his words makes my eyes prickle with tears. No one has acknowledged how much pain Luca has caused me. My mother tells me I should just try harder to get Luca to come back to me. My father mostly just avoids talking about it.
I know what my parents’ unsaid words mean, though: my betrothal fell apart, and it’s all my fault.
My mother won’t get her ‘in’ to the royal family. My father’s sponsorships and business will continue to falter. Our family will slowly slip out of Argyle’s elite, and I have only myself to blame. I didn’t do my duty. I couldn’t close the deal.
I failed.
So, I’m leaving.
For once in my life, I’m not going to do what’s expected of me. I’ll leave my home and chase my dream. I’ll sing every day and pursue something I never thought I’d have. I’ll look for adventure. I’ll seek out the unknown. I’ll have experiences I could never have imagined.
But when Theo stares at me with those crushed velvet eyes, I hesitate.
Our solstice sailing trip is tradition. It wouldn’t hurt to do it one last time, would it?
For old time’s sake.
I didn’t think anyone understood how heartbreaking it’s been to watch Luca turn his back on me and be completely powerless to do anything about it.
Theo understands. I can tell by the way he’s looking at me right now. His eyes are asking me to come with him. To sail around the islands and pretend that none of it ever happened.
And one last time, that’s exactly what I’ll do. This sailing trip will be my final goodbye. My last look at the islands of my home before I leave on my first big adventure.
I try to gulp past a lump in my throat and finally nod. “Okay.”
Theo’s face breaks into a blinding smile. He crosses the room in three strides and wraps his arms around me, spinning me in a circle. I yelp, clinging onto his broad shoulders. He smells like salty sea air and a fresh summer breeze. His skin is warm under my touch, and it sends a tingle of energy coursing through my hands. When he sets me down, my cheeks are burning.
Prince Theo is the heir to the throne, and although we grew up together, I’m not used to touching him. I was always promised to Luca, and the other brothers kept a respectful distance.
Theo doesn’t seem to notice. He slides his sunglasses on and arches his eyebrows. “Ready?”
“Let me get my swimsuit,” I say. “Meet you in the car.” Excitement curls in the pit of my stomach as a grin tugs at my lips. I slip away from him, rushing up the stairs in my parents’ expansive home. Tearing down the hallway, I run to my bedroom. I take a bag out of my closet and start throwing things in it. A spare swimsuit, a change of clothes, a toothbrush, sunscreen—all the things I’ll need for a two-night stay on a royal sailboat.
On top of my dresser, my mismatched collection of shells and beach treasures is proudly displayed. I touch each item for good luck. Wrapping my fingers around an old, faded deck of cards with frayed edges, I smile. Then, I slip it into my bag. My heart flutters, and I fly down the stairs again.
The Prince is already waiting in the car outside, but instead of rushing through the front door, I make a hard left and move deeper into the house toward the library.
Rapping my knuckles gently on the doorframe, I wait for my father’s deep voice to call out.
“Come in,” he says, and I step through the door.
CARA
MY FATHER IS A TALL, broad man with a shock of shoulder-length white hair. His barrel chest barely fits into shirts, and often he opts not to wear any at all. I’ve gotten used to seeing the wiry, white chest hair sticking out of his dark skin.
Tristan Shoal doesn’t need to wear a shirt. In Argyle, he’s the King of the Sea.
He’s the only Argylian to ever win an Olympic gold medal. Not only that, but he’s the only person—from Argyle or otherwise—to hold the world record for longest unassisted ocean swim.
We used to joke that our family was descended from fish. All of us—my six sisters and I—learned to swim at the same time we learned to walk. My father runs a swimming school here on Argyle’s main island and if he’s not in the library, he’s in the water.
When he sees me, my father stands up. A smile splits his face and he spreads his arms wide.
“Darling daughter,” he says, stepping around his desk to wrap his thick swimmer’s arms around me. “To what do I owe the honor?”
“Just wanted to let you know that I’m heading out with Prince Theo for the solstice sailing trip.”
My father’s eyebrows move up a fraction of an inch. The movement isn’t lost on me.
“Prince Theo?” he repeats.
I nod. “He’s waiting for me outside.”
“After everything Luca put you through, you still want to spend time with the royal family?”
I smile sadly, offering the only explanation I have: “It’s tradition.”
My father sighs, cupping the side of my head with his broad hand. “You’re better than them, Cara. No matter what your mother says. Luca never deserved you.”
Tears prickle at my eyes.
Why would he say that now? After three whole years of torture, he finally tells me what I’ve been dying to hear?
A lump forms in my throat. I haven’t told my father I’m leaving. I haven’t even told him I applied to music schools. I got an interview at The Juilliard School, in New York, and I had to pretend to go visit one of our distant cousins just to attend the interview and audition.
I never heard back, so I assumed I didn’t get in.
Words don’t come. I need to tell him that I’m planning on going, but I don’t know how to say it.
I don’t know where I’m going, or when I’ll be back. I’m leaving the safety of my childhood
home to see what else the world has to offer. I have no plan and only a little bit of money.
I know he won’t approve.
“It’s just a sailing trip, Dad,” I finally manage to say. My voice is small, and the lump in my throat grows bigger. “I’ll be back in two days.”
What I really want to say is, I’ll be back soon. Maybe two weeks. Two months. Two years. Who knows? I need to see what else is out there in the world, without living under the shadow of the King of the Sea. I need to pursue my own dreams, instead of re-living my father’s. I need to be someone other than Tristan Shoal’s youngest daughter.
I need to go.
“Be careful,” he says. “Respect the ocean.”
“I know, Dad,” I smile. “You taught me to swim. I’ll be okay. I learned from the best.”
“Listen to the ship’s captain and crew. Don’t let the Prince convince you to do anything silly. Not too much drinking, and no swimming if you’ve had a few drinks. And—”
“Dad!” I interrupt, laughing. “I’ll be fine.”
His brow creases as he lets out a sigh. “I know. I know. I just worry when you leave my sight.”
My heart squeezes. He’s worried about me going on a sailing trip on the royal yacht, with world-class sailors and all the comforts of the royal family. How will he react when I tell him I’m leaving to explore the world, with no plan and no safety net?
“When you get back, we can talk about the business. Have you given any more thought to taking over the Shoal Swim School? You know I’m getting older and your sisters haven’t shown much interest. I want you to step up, Cara.”
My heart squeezes. We’ve talked about this so many times, and he’s never accepted my refusal. I let out a sigh and shrug my shoulders. “I don’t want to run the school, Dad. I told you this.”
“You’re the best swimmer in Argyle, apart from me. You grew up in the ocean. There’s no one better than you to take over from me, Cara.”
“What about one of my sisters? Christine is at least as good a swimmer as me, and she has a better brain for business.”
Wrong Prince: An Accidental Pregnancy Romance (Royally Unexpected Book 6) Page 1