“Has Snow White Drifted?”
The photo beneath it was even worse. It was a shot of her being ushered to the car, her hair messy, her makeup all but gone. And of course there was the sloppily buttoned shirt, which the paper had conveniently circled for their readers’ viewing ease. Under that was a smaller photo of Garrett standing at his front doorway in bare feet, his hair a mess and his clothes wrinkled. “We do look like we’ve been shagging,” she told Garrett.
“It’s not that bad. For all the press knows, we could have been out for a run.”
She tossed the paper off the bed and switched the phone to her other ear. “Yes, I often run in a skirt and sandals.”
“My point is, no one can know for sure what we were doing. Besides us, of course. Now if we’d made a sex tape that was leaked to the press…”
“Bite your tongue,” she said and he laughed.
“Don’t worry. It’ll blow over.”
She wondered how his family was reacting to the press. But he’d already told her that he no longer spoke to them.
“When was the last time you talked to your father?” she asked.
Her question seemed to surprise him. “Where did that come from?”
“I’ve been thinking about family a lot lately. I was just curious.”
“I haven’t spoken to him since the day I purchased his land.”
“You bought his farm?”
“It was the first piece of property I ever owned. They were in trouble. They had a bad crop, and with their debt, he wasn’t able to pay his taxes. The land was about to be seized and put up for auction. I bought it, thinking that I would present it to him as a gift. He and my mum could live there until the day he died and never have to worry about money again.”
“He must have been so grateful.”
“He tore the deed in half and threw it back in my face. He told me that I was no longer his son.”
Louisa gasped. “He didn’t!”
“He said he didn’t want my charity.”
The idea that he would do that to his son made Louisa’s heart ache. And all Garrett had done was try to help. “You must have felt horrible.”
“My father was always a proud man, but I admit I never expected that reaction. I thought he would finally see that my choice to go to college had paid off. That I’d made the right decision. He always told me that the land would someday be mine. I guess that only applied if I became a farmer like him. Instead he preferred that it be purchased off the auction block by some stranger rather than by his own flesh and blood.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I can’t imagine how much that must have hurt you.”
“It was a feeling of resignation more than anything. And maybe in a way a relief. He had drawn his line in the sand. I could finally stop trying to please him.”
“You at least tried to talk to him, didn’t you?”
“There wasn’t much point. He made his feelings clear.”
“But…he’s your father. I’m sure he still loves you.”
“Well, it’s too late now.”
“It’s never too late, Garrett. If you don’t at least try to heal the rift between you and he dies, it will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“Why this sudden interest in my family?”
“Anne told me something about our father the other day, and…” Tears welled up in her eyes again and she swallowed back a sob.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“It’s not looking good.” She told Garrett what Anne had said, and it took every ounce of energy she had not to fall apart.
Garrett figured he would be relishing the news of the King’s permanent vacation from the throne. Because even if he didn’t die, it sounded as though he would never be healthy enough to rule again. Which meant that Garrett was a shoo-in for that position Louisa had mentioned. At the very least, Garrett should have been relieved that finally all of his hard work was going to reap benefits.
Instead he felt like a piece of garbage.
He used to see the royal family as nothing more than an obstacle. A united front made up of faceless individuals he was determined to conquer. That attitude had suited him just fine—until he’d gotten to know them. Now everything had changed, and the idea that he could have been so greedy and shallow, so manipulative, disturbed him deeper than he could have imagined. He used to be a good person. He used to have principles, used to care about people.
He was revolted by the man he had become.
But he couldn’t deny that he was really starting to care about Louisa. When she told him about the situation with her father, her voice so full of grief and fear, Garrett would have moved heaven and earth to take away her pain. To make it better. And quite frankly, it scared the hell out of him.
He didn’t have time for attachments like that, time to worry himself with other people’s baggage. He preferred to keep his life simple and uncomplicated. And by choosing Louisa, that was what he believed he was getting. A sweet, demure, shell of a woman who would be easily manipulated and more or less trained to be exactly the kind of wife he wanted. The less seen and heard, the better.
Instead he got a feisty, passionate and independent woman. One who was about as likely to follow his “rules” as he was to don a tutu and become a ballerina.
Maybe she was his punishment for all his selfishness, his ruthless attitude. The thing is, she didn’t feel like a punishment. Was it possible that she might actually be a blessing in disguise?
Twelve
Louisa lay in bed most of the night, tossing and turning, her mind working a million miles an hour. The idea of losing their father, and the possibility of Anne giving up her baby, was almost too much for her to bear. There was nothing much she could do for her father but be there to support him. And she could only do the same for Anne.
Early the following morning, she went to Anne’s room to check on her. Louisa knocked, and when Anne answered she looked like death warmed over. “Feeling sick?”
“Does it show?” Anne asked wryly, letting her in, then she crawled back into bed and burrowed under the covers.
“Is there anything I can do?”
She shook her head. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you had decided what to do.”
“About the baby, you mean?”
Louisa nodded and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Not definitively, but I’m leaning toward adoption. I’m just…I’m not ready to do this. Not this way. Besides, I would be a terrible single mother. I’m pessimistic and difficult. The baby would be much better off with someone else. Someone more…maternal. I’m just not cut out to be a mother.”
“Of course you are! You would be a wonderful mother.”
Anne shook her head. “Not now. Not like this.”
Louisa wished there was something she could say to change her mind, but who was she to tell her sister how to live?
“What happened to this family, Anne? How did everything get all screwed up and turned around?”
“It just…happens. Things can’t stay the same forever.”
But she wanted them to. She wanted everything to go back to the way it used to be, when they were all healthy and happy and safe. Now it was just so…confusing. It seemed that the only really good thing in her life right now was Garrett. He made her happy. But it was a sort of happy she had never experienced before. Not with a man, anyway. When she was with him, she felt excited and hopeful and content all at once.
“Just for the record,” Anne said, “I actually think you and Garrett will be really happy together.”
“I think…I think I love him.”
Anne regarded her curiously. “You sound surprised. From the second you met him, you’ve been so sure he was the one.”
“I know, but that was different.”
“Different how?”
“Let’s face it, I’ve said I ‘loved’ at least a dozen other men before him. And yes, when I met Garrett I was convinced it was lo
ve at first sight. He was so dark and mysterious and sexy. But now that I’ve gotten to know him, the real him, I realize how immature and shallow those feelings really were. He’s so much more than what I expected. And what I feel for him now is so much bigger than anything I’ve felt before. Complex and confusing and…wonderful.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“I hope so. A week ago I was absolutely certain that we were perfect for each other, that it was destiny. But what if I was wrong? What if I fell in love with him, but he doesn’t love me back?”
“And what if he does?”
That would be wonderful, of course. “You know, the great thing about being naive is that you don’t think about stuff like this. It’s so much easier existing in a bubble, convinced life is wonderful and everything will work out.”
“Yeah, but you can’t live like that forever. Eventually the bubble will burst.”
Maybe that was what had happened to her. Maybe her bubble had finally burst, because for the first time in her life she didn’t have all the answers. She didn’t believe that everything would be okay.
“By the way, as soon as I can manage to crawl out of bed, I’m telling Chris that I can’t fill in for him anymore. Last night was miserable. Not only did I feel as though any second I would toss all over the podium, but when it comes to public speaking, you’re just better than me. You’re in your element when you’re interacting with people, and let’s face it, I’m not.”
“What if he says no?”
“I won’t give him a choice. It’s you or Aaron, and we both know Aaron won’t want to do it.”
After so many years of wanting her family to take her more seriously, to give her more responsibility, suddenly she was afraid. What if she wasn’t good enough? What if she made another mistake?
She’d spent so much time whining and complaining and never had the slightest clue how easy she had it.
Technically she had been an adult for nine years, but until recently, she hadn’t really grown up. She felt as though now it was finally time. But to grow up she would have to face one of her biggest fears. The one thing she’d been stalwartly avoiding.
“I have to go call Garrett,” she told Anne.
“Is everything okay? You look…I don’t know, like you’re up to something.” She frowned suddenly then asked, “You’re not going to do something drastic are you?”
Drastic for Louisa maybe. “Everything is fine,” she promised. Or at least, as close to fine as it could be under the circumstances.
Louisa dialed Garrett’s home number, but he didn’t answer.
She was about to try his cell when Geoffrey knocked on her door. “You have a visitor, Your Highness.”
A visitor? This early? Then she realized it could be only one person. She raced to the door and flung it open. Garrett stood on the other side. He was dressed for work, a shy grin on his face. He looked delicious.
“Surprise,” he said.
“Thank you, Geoffrey,” Louisa said, grabbing Garrett’s hand and tugging him into her room. The instant the door was closed she was in his arms. She must have looked a fright, still in her pajamas with her hair mussed, but she was so happy to see him she didn’t care.
“I know it’s early. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, I’ve been up awhile.” She pressed her cheek to his suit jacket, breathed in the scent of his aftershave. “And even if I had been asleep, I couldn’t think of a better way to wake up.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I’ve missed you, Princess.”
Her heart overflowed with happiness. “I’ve missed you, too. But how did you get Geoffrey to bring you up here?”
“I lied and said you were expecting me. I know I’ll see you tonight, but I didn’t want to wait that long.”
She really didn’t want to do this, but she had to. “I was wondering if you would be upset if I cancelled our date.”
“I guess that would depend on why you want to cancel it.”
“I keep thinking about what Anne said, about our father. If she’s right, I may not have a lot of time left with him. Not only that, but I think I need to see him for myself, but he’s going to be in England for at least another week. Maybe longer. I’m thinking I should go stay with him. Just a few days.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” he said.
She looked up at him. “You do?”
He touched her cheek. “Louisa, he’s your father. Of course he should come first.”
“I would leave this afternoon and fly back either Wednesday or Thursday.”
“Take all the time you need. I’ll still be here when you get back.”
“You promise?”
He smiled. “I promise.”
“Have I told you how wonderful you are?”
“Yeah, but you can tell me again.” There was a smile in his voice, and it made her smile, too. “I suppose this means our trip to Cabo will have to wait awhile?”
“Are you angry?”
“Of course not.”
She got up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. “You’re wonderful, and I’m going to miss you.”
“You won’t be on a different planet. We can still talk on the phone.”
“I’d like that. In fact, if it’s as bad as Anne has led me to believe, I might just need someone to talk to.”
“In that case, I promise I’ll call you every night.”
“I’m terrified of what I’m going to find when I get there.”
“Whatever it is, you’ll deal with it. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, you know.”
She hoped so. “It would be so much harder going through this alone. I’m glad I met you, Garrett.”
“You wouldn’t be alone. You have your family.”
“Yes, but they don’t see me the way you do. They don’t really listen to me, or take me seriously. But I know that you really care how I feel. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You never have to worry about that,” he said.
She wondered if that was his way of saying that he wanted to marry her without actually saying it. But the truth was, right now she didn’t care what it meant. She was just thankful to have him.
“How much time have you got?” she asked him.
He glanced at his watch. “A few minutes. Why?”
She slid her hands under his jacket and up his chest. “Well, since we won’t see each other for several days, I thought we could spend some quality time together.”
He grinned. “Oh, did you?”
“But if you only have a few minutes…”
He looped his arms around her and walked her backward toward the bed. “I’ll make time,” he growled, his eyes dark with desire.
Though he did eventually make it to work, he was very late.
Garrett did call her, just as he’d promised, and thank goodness she had him to talk to. Because things weren’t as bad as Anne described. They were worse.
In the week he had been gone, it seemed as if her father had aged a decade. He was thin and sallow, as though the life had been sucked out of him, and when she embraced him, he felt frail. Gone was the strong and vibrant king. The leader. And in that instant she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never be coming back. Anne had been right. He’d lost his will to fight. His desire to live. It was a matter of time now.
Oddly enough, the person she felt more sorry for was her mother. She looked utterly exhausted and so brittle that with the slightest agitation, she could easily shatter.
“So, tell me about this new man of yours,” her father said, trying to sound jovial, but his voice was thready and weak.
“He’s wonderful. He’s handsome and smart and fun.”
“Sounds like me,” he said with a wink. “I’m anxious to meet him. I’ve heard good things from your brother.”
It was odd, because this courtship hadn’t been at all what she had imagined. She had expected it to be like a dream, like a
fairy tale come true. Garrett would ride in like a knight in shining armor and whisk her away to a fantasy land. He would wine and dine her and take her on exotic trips. But thanks to security, they hadn’t even had an actual date! And he hadn’t showered her with lavish gifts and attention, like other men. He hadn’t treated her like royalty at all. He’d treated her like…a person. And the strange thing was, she liked it. By acting the opposite of what she had expected, he’d won her heart.
“I know I’ve said this before about other men, but I really think he’s the one. I…I like the way I feel when I’m with him. I like who I am.”
“And who is that?” her mother asked.
“Me. And he seems to appreciate me for who I am.”
“Are you saying I might finally get to walk one of my daughters down the aisle?” her father asked.
“It looks that way,” she said, and oh, how she hoped he could. But if he couldn’t be there physically, she knew he would be there in spirit. In her heart. “He hasn’t actually asked yet, but I have this feeling it might be soon.”
“You’ll let us know the minute he does?” her mother prompted.
“I promise.”
They chatted for a while, her parents carrying on as if everything was fine. They asked how Melissa was feeling, and how Chris was adjusting to having her away from home. They asked about Liv’s research and if Aaron was still assisting her in the lab. They even asked about Muffin, who Louisa had left in the care of Elise, one of the maids. She had small children who loved to play with and pamper him, and an elderly mother who adored him. Of course Muffin, being a total attention hound, was in his glory. He needed someone who had more time to devote to him. Louisa confessed to her parents that as much as she loved him, in light of everything that was happening lately, she might let Elise keep him permanently.
After a while her father drifted off to sleep and her mother motioned her out into the private waiting room next door. As soon as they were there, she pulled her mother into her arms and gave her a big hug.
“What’s this for?” she asked.
“Because you look like you need it.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said, waving Louisa’s concerns away with the flip of her wrist. “I’m just a little tired. And homesick.”
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