The Prince's Second Chance
Page 20
“Compared to the sixteen years that we were apart, we’ve only been together for a short while,” he said. “But the past two weeks without you have been the longest weeks of my life and I don’t want to live another day without you by my side.”
She blew out an unsteady breath. “You sure moved through that courtship stage fast.”
“Because I finally realized what I want. And that’s to marry you, build a life and share a family with you, Gabriella.”
She desperately wanted to throw her arms around him and tell him that she wanted that, too. But while her heart was already committed, a tiny part of her brain continued to urge caution.
“Your mother hates me,” she reminded him. “And to be honest, I’m not too fond of her either.”
“I’ve gone through this scenario a few times in my mind,” he admitted. “And never once did I imagine you wanting to talk about my mother.”
She managed a smile, though everything inside of her was a quivering mass of nerves and uncertainties. “She’s not my favorite topic of conversation, but she’s your mother—your family—and you have to know that she won’t be happy about this.”
“She’ll adjust,” Cameron insisted. “Because she knows that I won’t tolerate her interference in my life ever again. She’ll even come to the wedding and smile, because she’s a princess and she understands the importance of duty.”
The steel in his voice was reassuring, but she still felt compelled to ask, “Is that why you’re doing this? Because you think that marrying the mother of your child is your duty?”
“I’m asking you to marry me because I love you,” he said. “Because I’ve always loved you, even when I was too much of an idiot to realize it. And because I want you to be my family—you and Sierra…and maybe another baby.”
Her heart stuttered. “A baby?”
“If that’s what you want,” he hastily amended. “If you don’t want to do it again, that’s okay. But—”
“I’d love to have another baby,” she told him.
“Really?”
“Maybe it’s crazy, considering that I’m now twice the age that I was when I had Sierra, but yes, really.”
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
“I haven’t actually heard a proposal,” she said.
So he went down on one knee beside the bed and flipped open the box. “Will you marry me, Gabriella?”
She didn’t even look at the ring—she didn’t need to. The love that she saw shining in his eyes was all that she needed to see. “Yes, Cameron, I will absolutely marry you.”
He slipped the ring on her finger. “You realize that after we exchange vows you’ll become a ‘princess’ and living outside of the spotlight will no longer be an option?”
“I can handle it.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can handle anything as long as you’re by my side.”
“Then that’s where I’ll be,” he promised her. “Forever.”
Epilogue
PRINCE CAMERON TO WED THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILD?
by Alex Girard
That’s what everyone has been asking since the prince publicly confirmed he was the father of Gabriella Vasquez’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Sierra, earlier this month. The question was finally answered on Saturday night in a beautiful candlelight ceremony at the royal palace.
The bride wore a simple but elegant Nicole Miller floor-length gown of ivory silk and carried a hand-tied bouquet of white gerbera daisies. The groom was outfitted by Savile Row in traditional black tie with royal decorations. The couple exchanged vows before an intimate gathering of family and close friends in the rose garden.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the prince and his bride joined their hands together to cut into the gorgeous three-tier wedding cake created by the mother-of-the-bride (and having indulged in a taste of that exquisite cake, I now understand why Dominic Donatella wants to get his hands on her recipe!).
As the guests ate cake and drank champagne, Princess Sierra offered a first toast to the newlyweds, wishing them a long, happy life together—and wanting to know if they were ever going to give her a brother or a sister.
While the blissful couple left that question unanswered, at least for the moment, there is no doubt that their daughter’s other wishes for them will come true.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8480-1
THE PRINCE’S SECOND CHANCE
Copyright © 2011 by Brenda Harlen
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*Family Business
†Logan’s Legacy Revisited
**Reigning Men
††Back in Business
‡The Foleys and the McCords
‡‡Brides & Babies
§Montana Mavericks: Thunder Canyon Cowboys