by Jeannie Moon
Hearing his sister talk about Tony like that made the upcoming wedding all the more real, and it changed the way he saw his sister. She wasn’t a kid or a gawky teen, she was a woman in love.
When Nick left home for college, Josie was still in grade school. Buck-toothed and awkward, she was smart as a whip and funny as hell. Yeah, she was a pain in the ass, too. But as she grew up, Nick was proud of not just the beauty she became, but mostly the woman who treated everyone she met like a friend. She was choosing life in a fishbowl, and all he could think was that Tony was a lucky sonofabitch to have a partner like Josie along for the ride.
“I’m glad,” he said. “All I care about is that you’re happy. And for the record, he’s the lucky one.”
Josie settled her head on his shoulder, and Nick took her hand.
“So what about you, big brother? Are you happy?”
He hesitated, but then gave it up. There was no point in lying. “I’m fucking miserable, JoJo. I miss Lila so much, and I don’t know if I’ll get her back.”
“She’s not going to keep you from the baby,” Josie’s reassurance was unnecessary.
“Oh, I know. She’d never do that. But I want her, Josie. I want us.”
“You love her?”
Nick dropped a kiss on his sister’s hair, just like he’d done a million times before. “I do.”
“Then we have to figure out how to fix things between the two of you.” That was JoJo. Ever the optimist.
“Groveling is not out of the question.”
“Sounds like a smart man,” Josie said. “Lila went to the country house with Anton’s sister yesterday. She won’t be back until just before dinner.”
“At which time she’ll start avoiding me.” The wedding was in a little less than a week, and Nick’s goal was to keep the peace. He wouldn’t push.
“Nah. She thinks you’re coming tomorrow.”
“Why would she think that?” Josie was up to something. Great.
Josie grinned. “I might have gotten the dates wrong. On purpose.”
“You did?”
“I have a plan,” Josie’s smile was as bright as the sun. “It’s going to be incredible. A fairy tale.”
“Will I have to grovel?” he asked.
The future queen belly laughed. “Maybe just a little.”
* * *
Lila smiled as she dropped her bags on the armchair in her bedroom and flopped on the bed. She and Princess Marie Therese, Anton’s sister, had just spent a dreamy two days at Granville Cottage in the Belgian countryside.
Cottage. It was an old stone mansion set outside the city of Bruges, with high ceilings, eight bedrooms, and several fireplaces. She and Marie took walks, relaxed in the gardens, and planned some surprises for the bride-to-be. There wouldn’t be a big bachelorette party, but they had some fun things planned for the time leading up to the big day.
The tap at the door startled her. Josie was supposed to be at an event with Anton, and Marie had gone to her apartment on the other side of the palace, so Lila wasn’t expecting anyone. “Come in?”
It was Silvia, the head of staff. “Excuse me, Mademoiselle. His Majesty and Mademoiselle DeMarco would like you to join them in the garden. They want to discuss some wedding plans.”
“Oh, okay. Wait. Now?” Lila looked outside—it was starting to get dark. From her window she could see the brightly lit face of the clock in Sterren’s city square; the lights switched on when the sun went down. Unlike the sparkling capital city, the palace garden had few lights.
“Yes, miss. Now.”
“All right.” Silvia left the room and Lila checked herself in the mirror. She ran a brush through her hair and dabbed on some lip gloss. Fortunately, she was wearing a simple navy blue linen dress and cardigan, so she didn’t have to change.
Josie and Anton were very easygoing, but the staff was a little uptight. Lila didn’t feel stifled in the palace, but there were aspects of protocol she was still adjusting to. One was that a person never had an audience with a member of the royal family looking like a slob.
The walk to the garden was short, and on her way out to the grounds, she saw Lucky, Josie’s rescued dog, asleep on an 18th century chair. He was curled up, his head settled on a beautiful silk pillow that Lila figured was also an antique.
The dog had the life.
She made her way through the large sunroom and exited the palace through a set of massive French doors. Every day she was there, Lila pinched herself. Mostly it was for Josie. This would be her home.
Wandering through the garden, she inhaled deeply. Everywhere she looked, fall flowers were blooming. Even in the fading light, beds filled with bright orange, yellow, and red flowers filled her vision. Pink and yellow roses were still blooming on the garden walls and trellises, decorating the air with their scent.
But something was definitely up. She was in the middle of the garden, where a large stone fountain dominated the space. The top edge of the fountain pool was designed to double as a bench, and Lila decided to sit when she saw a small box wrapped in neat white paper and tied with a white satin bow.
Still no Josie or Anton. Just a small gift.
Picking it up, Lila gave it a little shake. There was a bit of movement on the inside, gentle shifting that let her know whatever was in there filled the space. However, there was no explanation for the gift being there. No note. It might have been a gift from Josie and Anton, but there was no way she couldn’t know.
Without any warning, the entire garden lit up. Tiny lights had been strung in the trees, along walls, and through the rosebushes, illuminating every inch of the grounds with twinkling lights. Maybe this was what they wanted to show her.
But there was still no sign of Josie and Anton. Standing with the box safely in her grasp, Lila turned in a slow circle, marveling at the beauty the lights brought to the garden. It was like standing inside a fairy hill—magical and wondrous. She heard footsteps behind her and turned, expecting to see Josie.
Instead, her gaze fell on Nick.
Josie had told her he wasn’t getting in until tomorrow. So either his plans changed, or Josie hadn’t told her the truth. Lila was betting on the latter. He walked to her, slowly and purposefully, causing her breath to catch. He was dressed simply in jeans and a button-down shirt. If she sent him out on the street he’d blend right in. That was until whoever he encountered got a look at his strong face, or experienced his twinkling eyes. Then he’d stand out.
His hair was short, and he was freshly shaved, every inch the marine. Lila might have missed his roguish scruff, but the man coming toward her was devastatingly handsome.
With him so close, her heart went out of control. There was a rapid thumping in her chest; everything about being near him put Lila’s system on overload.
He finished her off when he kissed her.
It was a surprise, to be sure. Nick’s hands gently cupped her face, cradling it while he stroked his thumbs over her cheeks, and Lila was lost. His mouth moved in a gentle pressure forward and back, with a tiny bit of tongue running along the seam of her lips, asking her to forgive him.
“God,” he breathed into her mouth. “I missed you, Lila. I wouldn’t have been able to stay away one more day.”
Lila was about to break the kiss when something stirred inside her. Something was different. The kiss was a plea, a wish, and it was filled with desperation. He kissed her and kissed her again, awakening her heart, heating her blood, and wrapping her in a warmth only Nick could give her.
“I missed you. Please tell me you missed me, too?” His deep voice caressed her.
“Nick…”
“Please,” he said as he tilted her face toward his. A tear pricked the corner of his eye, and from his expression Lila could see everything had changed. Everything.
Nick was speaking from his heart and not his head.
“I’ve missed you since the minute I got on the plane,” she whispered. “Every second.”
“Thank G
od.”
Nick pulled her close, wrapping his strong arms around her. Resting her head on his chest, Lila could feel the steadiness in him, the strength. But along with that, was the sense that it was what she needed. What had been missing since she left Barefoot Bay.
Releasing her, he surprised her again when he dropped to his knees on the cobblestone path. Lila was still holding the box, and Nick gripped both her hands around it.
“Lila, I still believe that being with you, marrying you is the right thing to do. But not because I feel some kind of obligation. I’ve just come to realize that living without you would leave me empty.”
“Oh, Nick…”
“I know I might have lost you forever, that I might have screwed this up so badly it can’t be fixed, but I’m begging you to forgive me for being such an idiot.”
Before she could say anything, he plowed on. The man was on a roll.
“I love you, Lila. I love you with all my heart and soul. But along with that, I need you. I’m yours. My heart is yours, and I’m on my knees to tell you if you give us another chance, I won’t let you down.”
“You didn’t let me down.”
He nodded. “I did. I didn’t see what you were saying, that this had to be more than a rescue mission. I was too wrapped up in my own sense of duty that I didn’t listen to what you needed.”
The words filled her from toe to top; he said everything she wanted to hear, but more than that, she no longer felt he was trying to do what was right for her, but right for them. They were in this together.
“I love you, Nick. And there’s nothing to forgive. It took me a while to understand, but your sense of duty and loyalty make you who you are. Those qualities will make our family strong, and you’ll be a wonderful father.”
Nick pressed his lips to her belly and held her close. Lila’s fingers stroked his hair, holding him against her as he spoke in whispers to their unborn child.
Rising to face her, he held out the white box.
“Oh, I must have dropped it. I don’t know what’s in there.”
“It’s your engagement ring. You left it in Florida. Will you wear it again?”
Lila smiled and together they unwrapped the package. When the ring was safely back on her left hand, Lila felt right for the first time in months. “We still have some things to work out. Like about the move.”
“What move?” he asked.
“To Washington.”
“We’re not going to Washington. The job wasn’t for me. But I have another offer. You’d have to take two years off from school, but after that, we can figure out what comes next.”
“Where is the offer? I mean, two years is fine, but tell me.”
“I was offered a position with a NATO division.”
That meant they’d stay in Europe. “Seriously?”
“It’s only a couple of hours from here. Now, I know you don’t believe in running from your problems, but I think this could work for us. And you could see Josie whenever you wanted to. Whaddaya say?”
There was no question. This time, Nick was offering her an adventure, not an escape.
“I say YES!” Without missing a beat, Nick lifted her up and spun her around. The weightlessness, the spinning, made her lightheaded.
“You’re sure? I know how much you love Mimosa.”
“I do, and we’ll go back there, but right now we’re stepping into the rest of our lives.”
“I love you,” he said softly. “I promise I’ll never stop.”
“That’s good, because I’m going to love you forever, Nick DeMarco.”
Looking around the gorgeous palace grounds, there was only one thing left to do—go inside and tell his family. They were her family now, the foundation for everything they would build together.
Nick smiled wide and Lila’s heart did a little flip. It was everything she’d ever wanted.
“Are you ready?” Nick reached out.
Looking at his outstretched hand, then looking at him, Lila knew the answer.
“I am. Let’s go.”
About the Author
Jeannie Moon has always been a romantic. When she’s not spinning tales of her own, Jeannie works as a school librarian, thankful she has a job that allows her to immerse herself in books and call it work. Married to her high school sweetheart, Jeannie has three kids, three lovable dogs and lives in her hometown on Long Island, NY. If she’s more than ten miles away from salt water for any longer than a week, she gets twitchy. You can keep in touch with Jeannie, and check out all her books on her website, http://jeanniemoon.com/.
Books by Jeannie Moon
Until You
This Christmas
Finding Christmas
His Forbidden Princess
Weekend With Her Bachelor
The Forever Love Stories
The Temporary Wife
Unexpectedly Yours
The Wedding Secret
The Second Chance Hero
The Boyfriend List
Because I Love You
Kindle Worlds
Castle in the Sand