by Holly Rayner
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I think the baby’s coming.”
Immediately, Jeanette went into action.
“Joseph?” she called, her voice calm and reassuring.
Maggie’s dad stuck his head into the room. “Yes, dear?”
“Can you turn the oven off and start putting the food away?”
Looking from his wife to his daughter, Joseph grasped the situation immediately, rushing to clear the kitchen while Jeanette talked Maggie through her first contraction. While Maggie rested, her parents made a few phone calls and packed a small bag.
By the time Maggie got to the hospital, she was convinced the baby was almost there. The nurse who got her settled in her room laughed kindly.
“You’ve got a ways to go, hon.”
The nurse was right, and it wasn’t until a few minutes before midnight that Maggie was able to hold her newborn daughter in her arms. Exhausted but deliriously happy, she held the tiny baby and studied all her little fingers and toes.
She glanced at the clock and realized that her real Christmas present—along with her gorgeous, perfect daughter—was knowing that the man she loved was well and thinking of her, and the wonderful life they’d create together.
She wished that man was with her. He was missing the birth of his daughter, the child he didn’t even know he had. Maggie sent a quick, silent prayer out that wherever Raffaele was, he was safe and sound, and that he would soon be able to come back.
Chapter 20
Raffaele
The Prince dropped his bag in his room and took a deep breath. In almost two years of service, he’d forgotten what luxury looked like. He wanted nothing more than to take a long, long shower, then sleep for four days.
For the past twenty-one months, Raffaele had lived in a bunk house with too many other people; the peace and quiet of his own home was both welcome and a little disconcerting.
He had appreciated his time in service. It had given him a perspective he never would have found otherwise, both of his fellow citizens and of the world at large. He’d done a lot of thinking over the past almost two years, and he knew what he wanted now.
Most of his thoughts off-duty had been occupied by the woman he hadn’t seen in far too long. The unit he’d served with had been under strict orders to keep his presence a secret, and even though the people he’d served with had been able to call home from time to time, Raffaele had been forbidden from calling anyone but his parents and his uncle.
He’d pushed back only once, the previous Christmas, when he’d insisted that he needed to send a letter to Maggie. He’d promised his uncle and his father that he wouldn’t bring up contacting anyone again for the rest of his time as long as he was allowed to send that one note.
Raffaele had stuck to that bargain, and although he’d thought of Maggie every day, he hadn’t said anything about contacting her again for the next year. He’d hated not being able to contact her, but it had been the right thing to do.
He wanted to call her now, but digging around his room, he realized he no longer had her number. His cellphone had been replaced by a newer model, but no one had thought to transfer the contacts list.
Raffaele wondered if his secretary would have her number. He doubted it—he’d made all of his calls to Maggie directly from his cell. But, there might a record of BienVille’s number, or, if nothing else, he could find that online.
Raffaele did some research in the small office attached to his bedroom and discovered the restaurant’s number in an old calendar in a desk drawer. Feeling a great sense of relief, he calculated the time difference and realized Maggie wouldn’t have started dinner service yet. She was probably deep into prep for that evening. But if she couldn’t talk, at least he could speak with the maître d’ and leave a message for her.
Raffaele dialed the number quickly and waited impatiently for the phone to ring. There was one ring, then a click, and then a recorded voice stated that the number he had reached was disconnected.
He tried again, and got the same recording. He was sure it was the correct number, but he couldn’t think why it would be disconnected. The possibilities worried him.
Raffaele shook his head. He needed to figure out a way to contact Maggie, but he couldn’t think how. He returned to his bedroom and sat heavily on the edge of his bed, dropping his head into his hands.
There was a soft knock on his door, and his mother entered the room. Raffaele stood quickly, and embraced his mother for the first time in almost two years.
She held him for a long moment, then stepped back to study him. “You look tired, my dear.”
Raffaele found a smile for her. “It was a long flight.”
Elena nodded. “And you were away a long time.”
“Not too long, I hope.” Raffaele hoped his mother could help him. “Mother, do you remember Maggie Bechet, the chef from New Orleans?”
If his mother was surprised, she didn’t show it. “Of course. A lovely woman and an excellent chef. As I recall, you two were rather close.”
“We were.” Raffaele asked a question he wasn’t sure he wanted an answer to. “Did she try to contact me after I left?”
His mother thought about it. “I don’t believe so, or at least not that I’m aware of.”
Raffaele sat down heavily.
“I’d hoped she called and left a message, or at least her number.” He looked up and found his mother watching him with a questioning look. “I lost her number and the restaurant’s phone is disconnected.”
His mother laid a hand on his head, stroking his hair. “You love her, don’t you?”
Raffaele laughed bitterly. “Yes. A fact which does me no good if I can’t talk to her. I left Maggie alone, Mother. I disappeared without a word.”
Elena sat next to him. “She’s in New Orleans?”
Raffaele nodded and shrugged, saying, “I think so.”
“Then go find her. Go to the restaurant and see her.”
“You don’t want me to stay home?”
His mother smiled. “Of course I do. But if Maggie means that much to you, then you need to find her.”
Raffaele kissed his mother on her cheek. “Thank you. I promise, I’ll be back as soon as I’ve talked to her and worked things out.”
Raffaele wasn’t able to leave until the next morning, but he was on the jet at the earliest opportunity. He’d slept a few hours, said hello to his father, and repacked a bag. He actually beat the pilots to the hangar and was waiting for them with coffee when they arrived.
He arrived in at the small airport outside New Orleans early that afternoon and rented a car. He could have had a driver and a limo, but it would be easier to get around the city this way, and time was of the essence.
The Prince drove to BienVille as quickly as he could. He hoped that Maggie would be happy to see him. Raffaele knew it was a real possibility that she had moved on, but he hoped that she had figured out what happened and had waited for him.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a crowd outside the restaurant, and it looked like the lights were off. Maybe Maggie had changed the day they were closed?
Raffaele parked the car on the street, and walked up to the front door. As he got closer, he saw a sign hanging in the window that read ‘For Lease.’
He looked around wildly, suddenly noticing that the sign with the restaurant’s name was gone, and the furniture he could see through the window was covered with drop cloths.
Raffaele returned to the car in shock. Maggie had closed the restaurant. She would not have done that unless something serious had happened. He was worried even more now, and was unsure of how he would find her.
He sat behind the wheel of the car, thinking. Where else would she be? They’d talked about her favorite places, making plans to visit some of them. Maybe one of those…
Raffaele suddenly realized that it was only a few days until Christmas.
There’s a place Maggie loves to go during the holiday…with t
he lights and the carousel, Raffaele remembered.
Maggie had talked about it after the first time they’d made love, and he’d promised to spend Christmas with her.
Raffaele quickly looked up directions to City Park and drove there. The place was crowded and he wasn’t sure where to start, so he simply started walking, looking through the crowd of people to try to find her.
An hour later, he was losing hope. He’d covered the park twice, and had waited in some places where the crowds were the thickest for long minutes, hoping that she would walk around the corner or cross on the path in front of him.
He stopped and leaned against a tree. He wasn’t sure what to do next. He’d walk through the park one more time, and then go regroup. Maybe if he waited outside the entrance…
A movement caught the corner of his eye, and something about it was familiar. He took a step forward, then another, and then he recognized a petite woman with beautiful brown hair tumbling down her back.
“Maggie!”
Raffaele took off running before he lost her again. He called again, louder, and this time she turned. Raffaele caught the surprised expression on her face, and then he looked more closely at what was in her arms.
A baby?
He almost stumbled but kept his feet. His eyes widened and he kept moving, though all he could think about was why the woman he loved was holding a baby.
Chapter 21
Maggie
Maggie pressed a soft kiss to her baby’s head.
“Your daddy wanted to spend Christmas with me here, so I could show him this place. I know he can’t be here, but having you is like having a little part of him here. And I’m so glad you’re here.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Even though I really wish he were here.”
She sighed and shifted her daughter as the baby wriggled.
“Okay, sweetheart. I know. Let’s get you home.”
Maggie’s forehead scrunched up as she thought she heard someone call her name. No, that was definitely someone calling “Maggie!” She turned around to see a tall, dark-haired man dashing through the crowd toward the carousel.
Maggie didn’t believe it at first. She saw him, and heard his voice, but her mind was almost certainly playing tricks on her. Raffaele couldn’t be here.
She stood frozen as he ran toward her, and then she saw his eyes widen in shock as he saw the baby. She saw the realization and the question. By the time he reached her, all Maggie could do was throw her free arm around him, holding him tightly.
“Maggie,” he murmured, half joyful prayer, half question.
“I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again,” Maggie said, her voice choking on tears. “She’s yours, Raffaele. We have a daughter!”
They clung together, careful of the baby, until finally Maggie pulled back so she could see his face. He stared in wonder at her and softly cradled Maggie’s face with one hand while he reached one finger on the other hand out to touch the baby’s cheek.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Maggie whispered, like if she talked too loud, he would disappear.
“I looked everywhere for you. I drove past the restaurant. I expected to see a line out the door.”
Maggie shook her head. “BienVille closed six months ago, Raffaele.”
Raffaele pulled back from her in shock. “But why? That restaurant is your heart and soul.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t have a choice. I had a baby; it was impossible to keep restaurant hours and take care of her. Plus, our rent went up and it was getting harder to keep up with food prices. Something had to give, and it was the restaurant.”
Maggie saw Raffaele’s confused and troubled look.
“I’m still working as a chef, just for someone else right now. Maybe, one day, I’ll have my own place again.”
Raffaele shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. “I didn’t know.” He looked at her, brow furrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Maggie’s eyebrows shot up. “So you could have done what?”
“Not about the restaurant. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to have a baby—our baby?”
“How? I didn’t know where you were.”
“But you could have done something. Called the palace or something. I could have done something.”
Maggie took a big step back, putting some space between them.
“Are you kidding me? I tried everything I could! I called everyone I could think of, and they all ignored me. I must have sounded like some crazy groupie. But I tried.”
“You told them who you were?” Raffaele was insistent, and Maggie was frustrated that he couldn’t seem to understand.
“The chef you brought over? Yes, I did. And it meant nothing to them.”
Maggie ran a hand over her eyes.
“I was still a random American, and they said it was national security and they couldn’t tell me for your safety. I even told them I was pregnant and they didn’t listen.”
Raffaele’s expression grew dark and Maggie shook her head.
“There’s no way they could have known I wasn’t a tabloid-driven attention seeker.”
Raffaele shook his head. “Did you try to call my parents?”
Maggie took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
“I did everything I could. At some point, I had to give up and focus on taking care of myself and the baby.”
“But if I’d known…”
Maggie closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to spoil the moment with an argument.
“Raffaele, I understand what happened, but you were the one who disappeared for almost two years.”
“You could have brought the baby to Spiaggi. My family would have seen you then.”
“You mean show up on your parents’ doorstep so they could turn me away? Run the risk of dragging you and your family through some terrible tabloid drama if the paparazzi saw me? Or would you prefer I had taken the risk of me and my family being dragged through that?”
Maggie’s voice rose and she had to take another physical step back to keep herself together.
“No. I won’t apologize for doing the right thing for me, for my family, and for this baby.”
Maggie could see that Raffaele didn’t understand, and she wasn’t prepared to have this discussion. Their daughter picked up on her mother’s distress and started to cry. Maggie bounced the baby gently and faced Raffaele.
“I need to get her home.”
“But I just found you.”
“It’s not about you, Raffaele. She needs to go home now, and so do I.”
Maggie balanced the baby in one arm, and reached in her bag with the other hand. She pulled out a small business card with her phone number and gave it to Raffaele.
“I’ve got to work tomorrow and the next day. Can we meet up after that?”
Raffaele took the card and was silent for a long moment. Maggie wasn’t sure that he was going to respond.
Finally, he said, “I’d like see you again, and get to know my daughter.” His voice almost broke on the word daughter. “I’ll be here as long as you need me to be.”
Maggie nodded. “Thank you. I’ll see you in a few days, then.”
She held herself together long enough to walk out of the park and get their child safely in her car seat, but before she could pull onto the road, Maggie broke down in tears.
She cried both for the joy of knowing he was safe and the fear of not knowing if they could find their way back to each other.
Chapter 22
Raffaele
Raffaele sat in a dark corner of the hotel bar, nursing a drink. He felt awful. Maggie had been through so much. She’d had to assume that he’d forgotten her or that he didn’t want to see her. He realized that now.
She must have felt so alone.
He didn’t blame her for being upset when he’d kept asking why she hadn’t let him know about the baby, and he kicked himself for not seeing immediately that she’d done everything she could.
; He’d shown up thinking that it would be a joyful reunion and that things would be easy. They’d both be happy, and they could move forward like no time had passed.
Raffaele had been so sure that he’d had the worst time of it, being deployed. He’d been the one cut off from Maggie and from his family. He’d felt alone for the first six or so months, until his unit had gotten to know him and learned that he wasn’t the spoiled royal prince they knew from the tabloids.
He’d just thought that Maggie would be thrilled to see him and she’d forgive him for disappearing and everything would be fine.
But, of course, that wasn’t the way life worked. He should know that by now, and no matter how much he wanted to be part of Maggie’s life, they both had to think of another person now. Their daughter came first.
She was right to be upset at him. He’d berated her for not finding a way to get a message to him, but now he realized that he’d done so because he was mad at himself. He’d left her alone.
Raffaele was devastated that he’d missed the birth of his daughter, and even more that he hadn’t been there for the woman he loved. There was no way he could make it all up to her, but he could try.
He might not be able to make up for two lost years, but he could give her back her dream.
Chapter 23
Raffaele
The first thing the next morning, Raffaele called the owner of the building that housed BienVille, renewed Maggie’s lease and paid it for the next year. He got the landlord to agree to send in a cleaning service to spruce things up, and then he hired a local painting company to quickly give the restaurant a fresh coat of paint.
The next thing he did was track down BienVille’s maître d’ and sous chef by calling other restaurants in the city who might know them. He convinced Anna and Joshua to meet him for coffee, and during their meeting, he offered them their jobs back and asked them to help him recruit other staff.