Leopold, Part Six: A Royal Heartbreakers Romance

by Renna Peak

  After a minute, when Calder still hasn’t returned, I can’t take it anymore. I toss down my napkin and follow him up the stairs.

  I find him leaning over Noah’s crib, tucking the blankets around him. Our son is still fast asleep—a small wonder, considering how much his father is fussing over him.

  “He’s fine,” I whisper to Calder. “Come back downstairs.”

  “I could have sworn I heard him cough.”

  I lean over the crib and press the back of my hand to Noah’s forehead. “He doesn’t feel warm.”

  Calder is silent for a long moment. Finally, he steps away from the crib and runs a hand through his dark hair.

  “We shouldn’t have taken him outside,” he says, his voice low. “It’s too cold out there. And now he’s ill.”

  I frown. “What in the world are you talking about?”

  “He coughed,” Calder insists again. “I knew this would happen. I knew he didn’t have appropriate clothes for this kind of weather—we shouldn’t have taken him outside at all. I think I might take him back down the mountain. The ER at the local hospital should still be open, and I—”

  “He does not need to go to the ER,” I say, struggling to keep my voice hushed. “Maybe he coughed, but he doesn’t have a fever—”

  “Not yet,” Calder says. “But in a couple of hours he might. And look—it’s starting to snow again.” He waves a hand at the window. “We shouldn’t have come up here. And we shouldn’t have taken him outside—”

  “First of all, it was your idea to take a trip for the holidays,” I remind him. “And secondly, why do I get the feeling that every time you say we shouldn’t have taken him outside, you really mean me?”

  Calder’s lips tighten. “Well, I did tell you he wasn’t bundled up enough—”

  “I don’t believe this!” I say. “Are you really accusing me of not being careful enough with our son? Of making him sick?”

  “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m simply suggesting that perhaps he should have stayed indoors—”

  “He’s not even actually sick!” I’m growing more exasperated by the second. And pissed. How could Calder think that I’d ever put our son in danger in any way?

  “But he could be,” Calder says. “And if this snow gets any worse, we won’t be able to get back down the mountain. No, I think the best thing to do is to get him to a doctor as soon as possible.”

  “No way,” I say, stepping in front of the crib so that Calder can’t reach Noah. “You’re not taking Noah anywhere. What the hell has gotten into you? You’ve been acting weird all day.”

  “Step aside, Lily,” Calder says, and his expression is dead serious. “I’m taking him to the ER—”

  “Over my dead body,” I say, and I hope my expression shows just how much I mean it. “You’re not touching him, not when you’re being crazy like this.”

  “I’m not being crazy.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “Lily—”

  “NO. You’re not touching him.”

  My temper finally gets the better of me, and I practically shout the words—which, unfortunately, wakes our poor son. As our anger hangs in the air between us, Noah begins to wail.

  Immediately, guilt surges through me. Dammit, Lily. You know better than to fight in front of your sleeping baby. Calder and I fight so rarely, though, that I wasn’t prepared for this. I turn around and scoop up Noah in my arms, trying to calm him.

  “Hush, little one,” I murmur to him. “Everything’s all right. You’re safe.”

  I can practically feel the guilt rolling off of Calder beside me. When I glance up at him, he looks like he feels just as ashamed as I do.

  “Lily…” he says softly.

  “Don’t,” I whisper back. “Please, Calder. Just drop it.”

  I don’t want to fight in front of our son—not now or ever. Calder and I definitely have some things to discuss later, but my first priority is to make Noah feel safe again.

  “I’m sorry,” I say to the little bundle in my arms. “Go back to sleep. You’re safe. Your mommy and daddy were just having a discussion.” I gently stroke the dark, downy hair on his head. “Hush, now.”

  It takes a few tense minutes, but finally, I’m able to calm him again. When he eventually drifts off to sleep once more, I slowly lower him back into the crib. I’ll need to wake him again soon—the doctor said to stick to a regular nap schedule as much as possible—but hopefully he’ll have another half hour of peaceful sleep in the meantime.

  After I’ve tucked the blankets around him again, I turn back to Calder.

  He’s on the far side of the room, slouched in a chair near the window. His elbows are on his knees, his face in his hands.

  My heart tightens at the sight of his slumped shoulders. I didn’t mean for it to come to this.

  Slowly, I walk over to him. Honestly, I’m still not even sure what we’re fighting about—or what has come over Calder. When I’m next to him, I reach out and brush my hand against his cheek. “Calder…?”

  He raises his face, and in his eyes I see a darkness I haven’t seen in a long, long time. Instantly, the tightness around my heart becomes almost painful.

  “What is it?” I ask. “Calder, please tell me…” I sink to my knees next to him. “I’m sorry I raised my voice. I just don’t understand…” I take a deep breath and search his face. “Noah’s just fine. A little shaken, perhaps, but I truly don’t think he’s sick.” I grab his hand. “Please, please tell me what’s wrong.”

  He stares at me for a long time, the shadows never leaving his eyes. After a moment, he pulls his fingers out of mine, then raises both of his hands to my face.

  “I thought I was fine,” he says, and there’s a rawness to his voice that makes my entire body ache. “I thought I was past all of this, but…”

  “Past all of what?”

  He swallows, and his eyes beg me to understand. “Past this fear.”

  I shake my head, still not comprehending. “What fear?” I understand worrying obsessively about Noah—how could I not?—but this seems to go beyond that.

  “Lily…” His hands tighten on my face. “The day our son was born was the worst day of my life. His birth is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me, but that day…” He shakes his head as if trying to shake away the memory. “When you were stranded at the estate, when I couldn’t get to you…and then thinking I’d lost you and our child…” His breath comes out in a shudder, and his fingers tighten almost painfully on my cheeks. “I still have nightmares about that day. And I’m afraid every morning when I wake that those dreams are true, that when I roll over in bed you won’t be there. That our son never made it past his first breath. My God, there are days when I look at you or at him and I’m suddenly seized by this paralyzing thought that this is the dream, that I’ve created this delusion for myself to deal with the loss of you. I think part of me doesn’t quite believe that I could ever be this blessed.”

  “I promise I’m real,” I whisper, lifting myself up on my knees. “I promise all of this is real.”

  He nods. “I know. Deep down, I know it is, and most of the time, I’m able to cope with it. It’s just that being here…” He glances out the window. “I thought I was fine. But when I woke and saw that it had snowed overnight, I couldn’t stop thinking about the roads—about how easily they might become impassible. How we might be cut off from emergency vehicles, just like on that night. I became completely seized by the fear that something might happen and that we wouldn’t be able to get to help.”

  I can still hear that fear in every word he speaks. I lean closer to him and grab him by the back of the neck, pulling his face to mine.

  “We’re safe,” I murmur against his lips. “Both Noah and I are perfectly fine.” I brush my nose against his. “And I need you to understand that I would never, ever put Noah in a situation that I thought would harm him—”

  “I know that,” Calder says. “Honestly,
I do. I never should have even suggested otherwise. I just haven’t been able to think straight all day. I keep replaying that night in my head, keep seeing you on that sofa with all that blood—”

  “I’m here, and I’m safe,” I tell him again. “And Noah couldn’t be safer. There’s nothing to fear.” I’ll say it a thousand times if that’s how many times he needs to hear it.

  His lips find mine, kissing me deeply. My fingers lace behind his neck, holding my face to his. I never want to let him go—and judging by the desperate way his mouth moves against mine, I don’t think he plans to let me go, either.

  “We’re safe,” I tell him again when we pause to catch our breaths. “How could we be anything but safe with you here to protect us?”

  A slow smile spreads across his lips, and now there’s a small light shining through those shadows in his eyes. That tiny shift is transformative, and I can almost see the stress start to melt off of him.

  He clears his throat. “Perhaps I’ve been a bit too protective today—”

  “A bit?” I raise my eyebrow.

  “Perhaps a little more than a bit,” he admits.

  “You’re still the best husband I could have asked for,” I say. “And the best father Noah could ever want.”

  “Only because I have you here to tell me when I’ve lost my head.”

  I smile. “We work best as a team.”

  Across the room, small whimpering sounds rise from Noah’s crib.

  “That didn’t last very long,” Calder says.

  “Well, it was nearly time for his nap to be over anyway,” I say, raising.

  Calder rises with me, apparently unwilling to take his hands off of me just yet. Together, we walk over to the crib.

  “Why don’t we take him downstairs?” I say. “We can all enjoy our Christmas Eve meal together.”

  Calder nods. “May I carry him?”

  “Of course.”

  My entire body warms as I watch him take our son into his arms. Once Noah is settled against his chest, I stand on my toes to give Calder a tender kiss on the cheek.

  “Merry Christmas,” I tell him.

  He leans down and returns the kiss. “Merry Christmas to you, too.” His eyes drop to Noah. “And may there be many, many more to come.”

  Mistaken Bonus

  A bonus Mistaken short story from Renna Peak!

  A note from Renna: The following short story features an extended epilogue from Forgiven, the final episode of the Mistaken Series. If you haven’t yet started Mistaken, the first two episodes are available free everywhere!

  A Surprise Wedding

  My memory isn’t what it used to be.

  I still remember some things, but obviously, it’s impossible to remember what I might have forgotten. Certain memories that have a tinny feel—almost a metallic sheen to them. I’m not completely sure what it means, but for the most part, my spotty memory also doesn’t seem to matter.

  I’m much more concerned about the present and future if I’m being honest. Particularly now that Michael is here. I want to make sure Jen and I have the best possible now—and that we make all the memories together that I’ll need to last me the rest of my life.

  Jen has told me we were married. That it happened when I was in the military hospital—that she had somehow arranged for the ceremony to happen in my room.

  But I don’t remember it at all.

  I smile and nod when the topic comes up—though I’ll admit, it’s been rare—but I have no recollection of that day.

  I’m pretty sure Jen knows, and she swears that wedding doesn’t matter. It likely wasn’t a legal marriage, anyway, so she says it’s no big deal.

  The thing is, it might only be a piece of paper, but it means a great deal to me.

  Our lives have been quiet here in Costa Rica. We live a fairly simple life—our house is small—but we have everything we need. The neighborhood where we live is filled mostly with American ex-patriots like ourselves—friendly, retired people for the most part. And I’ve been sure to vet every single person who lives within walking distance of our house.

  Not that Jen knows about that, of course. We don’t have a computer in our house or even a phone for that matter. I’ve been careful to stay as far away from technology as I can, except for my occasional foray into the local internet cafe to check on my neighbors. But I’ve been careful—very, very careful.

  My need to keep our lives completely under the radar is one more reason that having that piece of paper is a bad idea.

  So, I’m not doing a wedding. Not in the traditional sense, anyway.

  The neighbor two doors to the north is a retired pastor—a widower who moved here by himself a few years ago. I was skeptical of him at first—he seemed a little too eager to make friends—but I’ve run every search on the guy I can think of, and he’s legit. Besides, he was living here a year before Jen and I bought this place, so there’s no way he could be involved with our former lives.

  The next door neighbors on either side of us are in on my plan, too. Actually, the lady who lives in the house just south of us gave me the idea. She had mentioned in passing one day how her son had proposed to his wife, and it had started me thinking.

  I’ve been planning this day for awhile now, down to the last detail. And as far as I can tell, Jen has no idea.

  She comes out of the bedroom and smiles at me. “What are you up to?”

  “Me? Not a thing.”

  Jen must be able to see something of a glint in my eye. Her brows draw together and she playfully narrows her gaze. “I think I know you well enough by now to know when you’re up to something.”

  I can’t help but smile. “You’re a little too suspicious, Jen. But you might be right. Or maybe you’re not…”

  She puts her hands on her hips and gives me a small eye roll before she grins. “This had better not be another one of your let’s go on a hike things where we accidentally leave our wallets at home and have no water after walking four miles up the beach.”

  I give her a sheepish grin. “I promise. It’s nothing like that. And there will definitely be something to drink this time.”

  She shakes her head before she motions at herself with her hands. “Am I at least dressed appropriately this time?”

  I shrug. She’s gorgeous—just like she always is—but she is wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

  Probably not the best outfit for her wedding day—not that I’m going to tell her that. Not yet.

  I give her my own playful narrowing of my gaze. “You might be more comfortable in something a little more…dressy. That white sundress of yours would be perfect.”

  She rolls her eyes, and there’s nothing playful about it this time. “Brandon, you only ask me to wear that dress when you think we’re going to…you know.”

  “Oh, I know. And believe me, there will be plenty of time for that later.” I wink at her.

  She lets out a sound of exasperation, shaking her head. “We can’t keep asking the neighbors to babysit. Especially for that. It’s only going to be a matter of time before they figure out what we’re doing.”

  I chuckle. “Jen, our neighbors have all been in our shoes. And they’re all thousands of miles from their grandchildren. We’re doing them a favor—”

  “That’s what you always say.”

  “No, that’s what they always say.” I smile at her. “Besides, Michael is a dream baby.” It’s true—the boy rarely cries, he smiles all the time, and he’s almost sleeping through the night at only two months old.

  “Well, I’d like to take credit for that, but I doubt my mothering abilities have anything to do with it.” She sighs. “Fine. I suppose we can ask Mrs. Cooper to watch him. She did say she’d do it anytime…”

  I grin. “Oh, didn’t I mention that we won’t need her to watch him this time?” I nod. “He’s coming with us.”

  She tries not to roll her eyes as her smile widens to a grin. “Brandon, you know how I feel about surprises.
”

  “I do. And that’s why I love giving them to you.”

  “Okay, let me change. Are you at least going to tell me where we’re going?”

  “Not far. You won’t even need your hiking boots. Your sandals will be fine.”

  “Fine.” She shakes her head and opens her mouth as though she’s going to say something else, but must decide against it. Instead, she spins on her heel and goes back into the bedroom.

  When she returns a few minutes later, she’s wearing the dress I suggested. It’s a simple, white sundress, but as usual, she looks stunning.

  Jen’s holding Michael in the sling carrier the midwife gave us after he was born. She coos at him, bouncing him for a moment before she looks back up at me with a smile. “So where is it we’re going?”

  I grin at her. “We’re going to our wedding.”

  Read the rest on Renna’s blog at http://rennapeak.com/mistaken-bonus-scene/

  The Royal Heartbreakers Series

  Leopold unfolds over the course of six novels, released every three weeks. Each follows the continuing story of Prince Leopold of Montovia and Dr. Eleanor Parker. Leopold is the first of the Royal Heartbreakers Series.

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  Leopold

  Part One (July 5, 2016)

  Part Two (July 26, 2016)

  Part Three (August 16, 2016)

  Part Four (September 6, 2016)

  Part Five (September 27, 2016)

  Part Six (October 18, 2016) ~ Full-length novel

  All Parts are available for pre-order now

  ANDREW - Part One will be available November 1, 2016

  Royal Heartbreakers Reader Team