What was he doing here?
After a long hug, he shifted Mary to the side. “Do you think I could talk to your mama for a minute?”
Mary nodded as they walked toward Jacqueline Grace. “Jacquie my mama an’ Kiara my sister, now.”
“I know. That’s what I’d like to talk to her about.” He set Mary down. “I’d like to ask her if I could still be your daddy, too.”
Before Jacqueline Grace could process what he was saying, David dropped to one knee, ring box in his hand. “Will you marry me, princess?”
David’s heart was in his throat as he waited for her answer.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds, Jacqueline Grace nodded. “Of course!”
Before he could take her hand to slip the ring on, she’d wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over.
The room filled with cheering and laughter as David tried to stay upright.
“Let me up, love,” he whispered.
“Sorry.” Jacqueline Grace released him.
Before he stood, he took her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger. “This was my great-grandmother’s on my mother’s side. She and my grandfather were married for seventy years. I hope it’s all right that it’s not some royal heirloom.” Suddenly he wasn’t so sure. Maybe he should have gone with a piece from the San Majorian vault, but he wouldn’t have had a chance to look for himself. He didn’t feel right giving her one from the New Sargassian jewels.
“It’s wonderful.” The tears shimmering in Jacqueline Grace’s eyes were happy ones, if the smile on her face was any indication.
He stood and pulled her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I was wishing you were here,” she whispered.
“I didn’t even go home,” he confessed. “When we were released, I knew I could catch a flight to the States, but I didn’t have time to go back to the barracks to grab my bag. I really hope someone here has some clothes I can borrow.”
She loosened her hold. “I kind of like the uniform.”
David chuckled. “Not if I don’t change clothes for the next week.”
“Good point.”
“Kiss her!”
David didn’t know who yelled but decided to go with it. “I can do that.”
The kiss stayed short and sweet in deference for the others gathered. He’d kiss her better later.
Tugging on the sleeve of his shirt drew his attention downward. Mary’s brows knit together. “You’ll be my daddy again?”
He rested his hand on her head. “Yes. I’ll be your daddy forever.”
“An’ Kiara’s daddy?”
Kiara stood next to Mary.
“I’ll be Kiara’s daddy, too.” Kind of. He needed to talk to Jacqueline Grace about that. He wouldn’t be able to adopt the girls legally for a while, if ever, thanks to archaic laws his father wasn’t sure he was willing to change because of some of the other implications that would go along with the changes. David didn’t understand all of it.
But that was a problem for another day.
In the end, it wouldn’t really matter. He’d love the girls and take care of them just the same whether the papers said they were legally his responsibility or not.
The rest of the group started to gather round, and he was separated from Jacqueline Grace. Eventually, he helped put both girls to bed before going to find her in the sitting room on the main floor.
“Did they know you were coming? Do they have somewhere for you to stay in this place?” she asked as he slid his arms around her waist and tugged her back against his chest.
“Your father knew,” he murmured, kissing the side of her head. “I’d imagine your mother did. I really don’t have any other clothes, though. We let out later than expected, and I couldn’t grab anything and still make my flight.”
“I’m sure someone has something you can borrow.”
“Want me to wear a uniform to the wedding?”
She shrugged. “Probably.”
“What would you rather have?”
“Remember the day we met on the beach? The girls said later we were twinsies.”
All he remembered was that she’d looked amazing in denim shorts and a flowy white shirt.
“You wore jeans and a white button-down shirt.”
He thought about kissing her then.
“I really liked that look, but I doubt we can get away with it for the wedding.”
“Probably not, but maybe we can recreate it for private engagement pictures.”
She tensed in his arms.
“What is it?”
“Where is this wedding going to take place? If one of us was the heir, it would be a given, but we’re not. Would your parents accept it if the wedding was in San Majoria?”
He tightened his hold on her. “When I told them I planned to propose to you, I also told them the wedding would be wherever you wanted, and we’d have a reception celebration in the other country.”
Her head leaned back against his shoulder. “Or we could run off to Athmetis and just have a celebration in both countries.”
David laughed. “That’s a possibility, I guess. Did your father ever have the civil contract officially dissolved on the basis that I lied about my identity?”
“I have no idea. It’s not legally binding in San Majoria anyway.”
More was the pity. Now that he had her in his arms again, he didn’t want to let her go.
She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck. “I’m so glad Mary got lost that day.”
“Me, too.” He kissed her softly.
“I’m glad my father sent you along as my undercover bodyguard.”
“Me, too.” He kissed her again, longer this time.
She moved back just enough to say something, her lips brushing against his as she did. “I just didn’t know you were also a prince.”
David grinned against her lips. “I was an undercover prince.”
Jacqueline Grace laughed until he captured her lips again with his own, kissing her as though his life depended on it.
When the kiss finally ended, she whispered, “How about a short engagement?”
He kissed her again, this time hard and fast. “You read my mind, princess. You read my mind.”
Letter to Readers
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining Princess Jacqueline Grace, Dave, Kiara, and Mary in Her Undercover Prince! I appreciate you and hope you enjoyed it! This is the fifth book in the Crowns & Courtships series!
Next up is Princess Esme! Clearly something has been going on with her and Prince Gabriel, and you’ll find out what soon! The preview and blurb for The Spare and the Heir is coming soon (and if you update this file as soon as Kindle says there’s a new one, it’ll likely be in there). Until then, you can click here to see the cover preorder or swipe for the excerpt!
I love what I know of their story and can’t wait to discover the rest of it! I do know there’s far more to Gabriel than his Playboy Prince reputation would suggest!
I do know New York doesn’t do fireworks in Central Park at the Fourth of July (but they do at New Year’s) but it worked for the story ;). The theater where Lion King is shown also doesn’t appear to have boxes but… sometimes you tweak things :D.
HEA-TV
I’ve mentioned this before but it’s getting better! It’s still VERY MUCH a work in progress, but it’s being worked on (and hopefully, by the time this releases, most of the Crowns & Courtships books will be done).
It’s found at www.hea-tv.com (that’s the name of the Hallmark type channel in this universe, remember?) you’ll find “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Carol Moncado’s Fictional Universe... & More”! There’s a “universe” timeline where you can see how everything fits together. Each book will have (or already has) it’s own timeline. There’s book wikis with character and location/business lists (what was that restaurant again?! ;)) with each entry as a glos
sary term so you can hover over it to find out more about that character/place, along with summaries of what that book was about. Hello, SPOILERS! :D
There aren’t any character or location/business wikis - yet. But eventually.
Previews
Next up you’ll find that preview for The Spare and the Heir, Book 6 in Crowns & Courtships along with more information about it.
After that, you’ll find chapter 1 of Good Enough for a Princess, book 1 in the Montevaro Monarchy series which is FREE on all retailers! Though it was two series ago, that book is the beginning of the events that lead to Reclaiming Hearts. The two timelines merged in King Benjamin’s story, with his book picking up just a few hours after Benjamin’s last appearance in Prince William and Maggie’s story.
Many of you have likely already read Finding Mr. Write, but if not, it too is FREE on all retailers!
Serenity Landing Book Club
What is that?! It’s the Facebook reader group that started last summer! I’d love to have you there! It’s easier for you to see what’s posted than on a Facebook page and we do fun stuff! There will be discussion questions after the release of a book, sneak peeks of the next one, general discussion, and chances to win copies of books and other goodies! I’d love to have you there!
Other Stuff
I see a meme floating around Facebook from time to time that tells readers what they can do to help their favorite authors. Buying their next book or giving a copy away is kind of a no-brainer, but the biggest thing you can do is write a review. If you enjoyed Her Undercover Prince would you consider doing just that?
I would LOVE to hear from you! My email address is [email protected]. To stay up-to-date on releases, you can sign up for my newsletter (there’s fun stuff - like getting Loce for the Ages free! You’ll also get notices of sales, including special preorder pricing! And I won’t spam!) or there’s always my website :). You can find my website and blog at www.carolmoncado.com. I blog about once a month at www.InspyRomance.com. And, of course, there’s Facebook and my Facebook page, Carol Moncado Books. But... the way pages work, sometimes very few people (often 1-5% of “likes”) will see anything posted. I keep trying to find the best way to get to know y’all and “spend time” together outside of your Kindle - at least for those of you who want to!
Thanks again!
Acknowledgments
They say writing is a solitary endeavor, and it absolutely can be. Sitting in front of the computer for hours on end, talking to imaginary people.
And having them talk back ;).
But the reality is no one walks alone. Since I began this writing journey over six years ago, I can’t begin to name all of those who’ve helped me along the way. My husband, Matt, who has always, always believed in me. All of the rest of my family and in-loves who never once looked at me like I was nuts for wanting to be a writer. Jan Christiansen (my “other mother”) has always believed in me and Stacy Christiansen Spangler who has been my dearest friend for longer than I can remember.
Ginger Solomon, author of One Choice and a bunch of other fantastic books (but One Choice is still my favorite!), has been invaluable with her proofreading services. Check her books out!
Then there’s my writer friends. Bethany Turner (have you read The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck yet?!) and Mikal Dawn (AH! Count Me In!) have both been so wonderful the last few months keeping me laughing and my spirits up. Then Jennifer Major, a Canadian no less ;), who does life with me and loves me anyway! There’s Jen Cvelbar (writing as Jennifer A. Davids and the best case of misidentification ever, not to mention best conference roomie - and had a new book come out! YAY! Jacqueline Grace read A Perfect Weakness - and you should, too. There’s my MozArks ACFW peeps who laugh with me, critique, and encourage to no end. Then there’s the InspyRomance crew, the CIA, my Spicy peeps (you know who you are!), and all of the others who’ve helped me along on this journey.
And Emily N., Ginger L., and Tory U. who are both INVALUABLE to my writing process! I have NO IDEA what I’d do without the two of you!
I said I could go on for days, and I could keep going. On and on. I know I’ve forgotten many people and I hate that. But you, dear reader, would quickly get bored.
So THANK YOU to all of those who have helped me along the way. I couldn’t have done this without you and you have my eternal gratitude. To the HUNDREDS of you (I’m gobsmacked!) who pre-ordered and encouraged me without knowing it as that little number continued to climb, you have my eternal gratitude. I hope you stick around for the next one!
And, of course, last but never, ever, least, to Jesus Christ, without whom none of this would be possible - or worth it.
The Spare and the Heir Preview
Available December 21, 2018
Previews are subject to change before release.
“I’ve been engaged since I was three, Mother.” Crown Princess Esmeralda of Islas del Sargasso knew she looked defiant with her arms crossed as she stood in front of the queen’s desk, but she didn’t care.
“And it’s time to plan the wedding.” Queen Carlotta leaned back in her custom-tooled leather chair, designed just for her.
“You mean it’s time for Prince Playboy to settle down and clean up his image.” She sank into one of the wing-backed seats on the other side, a tear leaking onto one of her cheeks.
“Don’t call him that.” Her mother’s resigned tone didn’t carry much threat.
“It’s what all the tabloids call him.”
“And we do not sink to their level.”
“He’s known he was supposed to marry me since he was what? Six? That hasn’t stopped him from dating anyone and everyone with two X-chromosomes.”
Except me.
"And we both know dating is a very generous term for what has been a long series of one- and two-night stands." She crossed her arms as she slouched. “I’m pretty sure the philandering gives us grounds to break off the betrothal.”
“And negate the treaty. We can’t do that,” her mother reminded her softly.
“The treaty is two hundred-years-old.”
“Esme.” The censure in her mother’s voice hurt, but Esme didn’t look up.
“Fine. Fifty-years-old. I still don’t see why I am the one who has to pay the price because of something Great Uncle Harold did.”
“There was no one to betroth at the time. My grandfather was hoping it would all go away by the time it reached this point, but it hasn’t. The second child of this Auverignon generation would marry the eldest child of the other gender in Sargasso. That’s you and Gabriel.”
“I’ve met him twice. The last time he actually leered at me.” And suggested that if the engagement wasn’t called off that he would look forward to being married to her, but saw no reason he would need to stop seeing other women.
"You saw him three weeks ago and spent several days together."
"Under duress. We were hostages, Mother." Though while being held at gunpoint, he'd put himself between her and the business end of the semi-automatic rifle.
Several times.
Esme wasn't sure what to make of that. At one of the dinners before the ordeal began, he'd winked at her.
As they were leaving San Majoria after the debriefings, he'd looked her up and down and a knowing smirk crossed his face. Gabriel hadn't said anything, but he hadn't needed to. Esme's cheeks had heated and she'd fled as fast as a princess could without running.
Because princesses didn't run unless their lives literally depended on it.
Her mother's phone buzzed, and she pushed back from her desk. "He's here."
"What?" Esme hissed, jumping to her feet. "Why is he here?"
"Because the wedding is in a couple of weeks. The press release was sent out an hour ago."
"Mother!" Before she could protest further, the door opened, letting the infuriating man enter.
Gabriel bowed to her mother taking her extended hand and kissing the back of it. "Good morning, my queen."
"Oh hush." Esme knew better than to say shut up in front of her mother. "She's not your queen."
He winked one of those milk chocolate eyes that matched her own. "Ah, but she will be in just a matter of days."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Esme muttered as she stalked back to the seat she'd vacated a moment earlier. Ignoring the flutter of butterfly wings deep in her belly was more difficult to ignore than she'd like.
"Esme." The warning in her mother's voice once again made her feel like a toddler.
"Yeah, Esme. It's gonna be you and me, babe." Another wink.
If Gabriel was trying to endear himself to her, he was failing miserably.
Esme glared at the man. "I have never given you leave to address me so informally." She focused her attention on her mother. "Mother, surely the king of Auverignon knows what a miserably poor plan this is. Can't we simply negotiate a new treaty that is the same as the previous one but without the ridiculous insistence that I marry such a boor?"
Gabriel leaned on the arm of his chair so he was closer to her. "I'm anything but a bore, love."
She ignored his purposeful misinterpretation of what she said. "Seriously, Mother? You're going to chain me to him for the rest of my life?" Where was her father when she needed him?
Far away. Like he always was when Queen Carlotta put her stiletto down about anything.
Her parents' marriage was all the evidence she should need that this was a very bad idea.
Initially, Julian was to have married the original Crown Princess, but Esme's Aunt Clarice had been killed in an automobile accident in the States. After an appropriate mourning period, Julian and Carlotta married. Esme was born soon after.
Her brother didn't come along for another five years.
As she grew older, Esme suspected that was the soonest her mother was willing to be that close to her father and then only because of increasing public pressure for the spare.
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