Small Town Girls Don't Marry Secret Princes: A Small Town Contemporary Christian Romance (Beaches of Trumanville Book 2)

by Carol Moncado

  “Ready to talk about it?” Mama Beach asked gently several minutes later.

  Lani settled into the big chair in the living room with a tissue in one hand. “So, you know the whole doll thing?”

  Mama Beach nodded from her seat.

  For the next ten minutes, Lani told her about the whole trip, up until the wait on the plane. Her aunt didn’t seem surprised when Lani mentioned the royalty thing.

  “I saw the pictures on Facebook,” Mama Beach told her. “I recognized the young man you were with. Prince Harrison of San Majoria, but that can’t be all there is to this or you wouldn’t be so upset.”

  She sucked in a breath then blew it out. “His grandmother told us we’re already legally married in San Majoria. Some ancient law about staying in hotel rooms together, whether anything happens or not.”

  Mama Beach nodded slowly. “That certainly complicates things, doesn’t it?”

  “His parents agreed that I can’t be held liable for a law in a country I’ve never been to. All I need to do is sign the divorce papers because Harrison is still legally married even if I shouldn’t be. It’s not really a divorce. There were never any vows, but it can’t be an annulment for some reason.” She stared at the tissue, tearing it into strips.

  “What else?”

  “Harrison will be exiled. He can’t ever go back home. I don’t understand the particulars about it. Some treaty with his brother-in-law’s country in the 1700s or something. Both countries had a similar law put into place about the same time. Eyjania apparently repealed theirs at some point, but San Majoria never did. It’s one of those things that had a reason at one point, but it’s been long forgotten in general, and just never repealed. Like how you can’t sit on a curb and drink beer from a bucket in St. Louis. It’s ridiculous, but it’s still the law.”

  “Since it’s still the law of the land, their form of government would have to repeal it and make it retroactive or you’re still legally married to the prince in his country.”

  “Exactly.”

  Mama Beach sighed and said something Lani didn’t think she’d ever said before. “Then I’m afraid I have no real advice for you. Except to pray.”

  Lani had been - and had no plans to stop. Ever.

  Harrison sat on the steps to the apartment over the bookstore.

  Dinner the night before had gone well, and his parents had avoided the topic of being married. Harrison had walked Lani to her car and said goodnight, like a gentleman.

  He still hadn’t kissed her and didn’t know when he might get the chance.

  Her Monday had been so busy, he’d only seen her from a distance. The movie had started filming the outdoor daytime sequences. Lani had told him she’d have him help her - doing whatever it was she was doing, but he was never able to get to her, and she didn’t answer her texts.

  “Hey.”

  He looked up to see Lani walking toward him. She looked happy to see him, so that was something. He stood as she neared.

  “What are you doing here?” She stopped just short of the stairs. “I saw all of your text messages, but I didn’t have time to respond. I’m sorry about that.”

  “I understand. You were busy.” He shrugged. “I thought I’d see if I could at least walk you home, but I didn’t know where else to find you.”

  Lani smiled as she passed him to go up the stairs. “I’d invite you in for coffee or something, but I don’t have any decaf, and I need to get to bed. My sister spent like ten minutes in this same apartment with a guy and ended up married to him a week later thanks to the paparazzi.”

  “Well, the good news is, we’re already married, so they can’t force us into that.”

  She actually laughed, though not much. It didn’t even sound forced or faked. “Good point. Come on in.”

  “Besides, didn’t it look like your brother-in-law proposed to your sister? I remember seeing the tabloids and wondering what really happened.”

  Lani closed and locked the door behind them. “He pretended to stumble up the steps to make her laugh and ended up on one knee at the top. She helped him up using her left hand, and they came inside. The only pictures they published made it look like he proposed, and an ‘unnamed source’ gave details of the wedding.”

  “Which they went through with?”

  “Yeah.” She set her bag on the table and sank into the big chair in the living room. “I didn’t quite understand all of the details, but they’re deliriously happy so it all worked out.”

  “That’s good.” He sat on the small love seat. “How did today go?”

  “Fine.” Her head leaned back against the chair with her eyes closed. “We were able to keep everyone happy with the crews in and out of a couple of the stores. One has been completely revamped so it looks like a bakery when it’s really a candy shop, so they won’t do any business at all, not even their usual deliveries because they can’t use anything.”

  “I hope they’re getting paid.”

  “I think so. I’m not really sure of the details. They’re probably hoping that increased exposure for them and the town will make up for anything they lose this week.”

  “Makes sense.”

  They talked for about twenty minutes then Lani sat up but with her shoulders slumped in exhaustion. “I hate to be a party pooper, but I need to get to bed.”

  Harrison stood and held out a hand to help her up, hoping she’d at least let him give her a hug. “I was only going to give myself ten more minutes anyway.”

  She took his hand, letting him tug her to a standing position.

  Harrison wrapped his arms around her as she sagged against him, his arms coming around her waist.

  “This is nice,” she murmured.

  He wasn’t holding her tightly and her hold was loose as well, but she was right. It did feel nice.

  “I could fall asleep right here.”

  Surely she didn’t mean it like it sounded. “Say the word and that can be arranged.”

  She gave a light snort. He loved that she could still be herself around him. “I mean standing up leaning against you.”

  “So did I, but I’d probably have to pick you up and carry you to your bed sooner or later, though. We couldn’t stay here all night. I’m only partly joking though.”

  “I know. I know the consequences of all of this are far greater for you than me.”

  Harrison rubbed a hand up and down her back. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” He’d been doing everything he could to avoid thinking about what would happen if this didn’t work out.

  She shifted until she was standing closer to him and wrapped her arms a little more tightly around his waist. “I want to see if there’s something here. I want there to be.”

  As he embraced her, the tension coming off of her became more noticeable.

  “Is there something more than just your job going on? I should have noticed before, but the tension in your back is kind of insane.” He used his thumbs to rub over her shoulder blades.

  She was silent for a moment before speaking. “There is something more going on, but I don’t want to talk about it. Just someone on set that I’d rather not deal with. That’s all.”

  His hands stilled. “Someone giving you a hard time?”

  “Not really. I haven’t talked to him at all.”

  Him? An ex-boyfriend maybe?

  “I don’t want to think about him, much less talk about him.” Lani swayed back away from him. “Thank you for that. It wasn’t quite like a Mama Beach hug but very nice nonetheless.”

  “A Mama Beach hug?”

  She explained about her aunt with the reputation as a crazy, huggy lady.

  “I’d like to meet her. I think we could all use a hug like that sometimes.”

  “Agreed.” Lani let go of him and started for the door.

  Harrison stopped in front of it, reaching out to cradle her face in his palm. His fingers threaded through her hair as his thumb brushed agains her cheekbone.

 
“Good night, Lani.” He wanted to kiss her.

  More than anything.

  Except not more than he wanted the relationship to work out.

  So instead of kissing her, he leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead.

  “Good night,” she whispered.

  And he left.

  10

  The next night, Lani wasn’t surprised to find Harrison waiting for her on the stairs to her apartment. Getting him onto the set wouldn’t be hard, but she hadn’t been able to find the time to get him cleared.

  “Hey.” She felt better than she had the night before but she was still exhausted.

  And still wondering when he was going to kiss her.

  “How did today go?”

  “Fine. Everything’s gone smoothly as far as I can tell.”

  Except for Louis being there. She hadn’t heard he was directing until the morning before. Apparently, the other director had to back out the week before.

  No one on set knew she’d met Louis before. She’d never talked about what happened with him, not even with Madi, her older sister and best friend, who knew more about what happened than anyone but Mama Beach.

  She certainly wasn’t about to ruin the movie-making process for her sister, not now.

  Lani had sent one of her sister’s books to the one real friend she had left in the HEA TV world. Not because she wanted it to be optioned for a movie, but because she thought Dani would like it.

  Dani showed it to her bosses and here they were, with Madi’s book being filmed in their hometown.

  Putting that out of her mind, Lani walked past Harrison and up the stairs to her apartment, with him in tow.

  He closed the door behind them as she kicked off her shoes and set her things down.

  Once again, she sat in her favorite chair while he took the love seat.

  They talked about her day and how it had gone. He told her about the television show he’d binged.

  “And then,” he leaned forward like he was telling her a secret. “The twins went to college, and all of their friends went with them, and they lived on the same floor.”

  Lani laughed. “I’ve seen every episode of 2 Cool 4 School at least a dozen times. I was one of the few people who knew Alex and Chris Slate were really Alexander and Christopher Bayfield. I grew up with them, remember?”

  Harrison winked at her. “But I made you laugh.”

  She laughed again. “Yes, you did. Thank you.” There wasn’t much for her to laugh about the last couple of days. Not with Louis around all the time. She didn’t think he’d seen her, but that didn’t mean he knew she was working on the movie.

  He might not even remember her, but Lani suspected he would.

  “Want to talk about it?” Harrison asked softly, reaching over and taking her hand. “About whatever or whoever is bothering you?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet. Maybe another time. I’m hoping it’ll turn out to be nothing.”

  “Promise you’ll call me if you need me, though. If this guy, whoever he is, bothers you?”

  After hesitating for a second, Lani nodded. “I will.”

  He turned her hand over and linked their fingers together. “I mean that because you’re my friend and not because of the whole relationship thing. If you need me, I’m there for you. Because of this person or you run out of gas or anything else.”

  Lani gave him a half-smile. “Given that I can measure my commute in feet right now, that’s pretty unlikely.”

  It was Harrison’s turn to chuckle. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do.” She didn’t focus on the alternative meaning of her words. “But thank you. I appreciate that you have my back.”

  He stood before she said anything. “I think it’s time for me to let you get some rest.” He held out a hand to her.

  As she took it, Lani yawned before she could say anything back. A big, wide-mouthed yawn that rivaled the biggest yawn in history.

  Harrison chuckled as he pulled her to standing position. She willingly walked into his arms.

  She’d been in relationships before, been held by other men, but this felt right.

  Felt better than even Mama Beach’s hugs.

  Lani hadn’t thought anything could be better than them.

  “Thank you,” she told him after a moment. “I needed that.”

  Would he kiss her forehead again? Or her cheek? Maybe the top of her head?

  As she finished the thought, he did just that.

  His hands continued to rub up and down her back. “When this movie wraps up, I’m arranging for you to have a massage. I’d get you one earlier, tomorrow even, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have time.”

  “You don’t need to do that.” But Lani wouldn’t turn it down.

  “I want to take care of you, spoil you some even. You’re my wife, or at least the girl I’m dating, and that’s something I want to do for you.”

  No one had ever said anything like that to her.

  “Thank you.”

  He dropped his hands to her waist and took a step back. “Let me know if you have time to get me on set. As soon as you do, I’ll be there to help you in whatever way I can. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  Lani leaned away from him, letting herself sway backward. “Thanks. I’m going to try to get to the set early tomorrow and get it taken care of.”

  “Just text me.”

  She looked up, into his dark brown eyes, and wondered what he’d think if she kissed him instead of waiting for him to kiss her.

  But she wasn’t that brave.

  Not right now. Not with Louis in town.

  “Thank you,” she told him again.

  “My pleasure.” He took a step back and toward the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, one way or the other.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” She followed him to the door.

  After he opened it, she leaned against the edge as he stepped out onto the landing.

  “Good night.” He tipped an imaginary hat her way.

  “Good night.”

  He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “I’m not leaving until you close the door and lock it.”

  Lani smiled then told him she’d see him tomorrow as she closed the door then locked it behind her.

  It felt nice to have someone care that much about her, but that wasn’t enough of a reason to be his wife.

  But when she fell asleep dreaming about what it would be like to kiss him, she wondered if maybe she wouldn’t like to find out more anyway.

  For a week and a half, Harrison met Lani at the foot of the stairs leading to her apartment. He followed her upstairs, talked to her for twenty or thirty minutes, depending on how tired she seemed, then gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead then left.

  It was going to kill him.

  Not literally, of course, but she was clearly getting more comfortable with him, telling him more about her day every time.

  Except about whoever on set was bothering her. Harrison didn’t think there had been any contact between the two of them, but just knowing this guy was there was enough to set Lani on edge.

  He thought about having a member of his security team get permission to be on set then keep an eye on her and everything going on.

  Before he could make that a reality, Lani appeared looking more worn out than she had any other night yet. If he had to guess, it was more than just one more long day in a series of long days, but he’d have to wait for her to open up about it.

  She didn’t say anything this time as she trudged up the stairs and unlocked the door.

  No sooner had it closed behind him than her arms were around his waist.

  It surprised him, but Harrison recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around her, holding her more tightly than he had before.

  He ran one hand up and down her shoulder blade while the other stayed wrapped tightly around her waist.

  She wasn’t crying, not that he could tell, but he had a f
eeling it could happen at any time.

  After several minutes, she finally began to relax. “Thank you.” Her words were muffled against his chest.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  She turned her head so her cheek rested against him. “Not really. I did finally have a chance to get you on the approved list though.”

  “Good.” He’d be there with her first thing in the morning, help her however he could.

  “Would you mind if we cut this short tonight? I just want to take a shower and get some sleep.”

  “Of course.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you in the morning. I’ll text you to see where to meet you.”

  “Why don’t you just meet me here?”

  “That will work. I’ll be here.” He gave her a light squeeze before letting his arms drop.

  A tired half-smile crossed Lani’s face. “Thank you, Harrison. You don’t know how much I needed that.”

  “Good night.” He left and drove himself home, setting the alarm for earlier than he had in weeks.

  It went off far too soon, but Harrison made himself get out of bed anyway. He met Lani at the bottom of her staircase and handed her one of the cups of coffee he’d picked up on the way.

  “Morning.”

  “Yeah.” She took a long sip. “It is.”

  “Didn’t sleep well?” he asked sympathetically.

  “No. And I’m not really a morning person anyway.”

  “I remember.”

  She’d been up fairly early on the days they traveled, but it had taken her a while to be coherent.

  “Give me about ten minutes, and it’ll be better.”

  They walked together in companionable silence. The streets of Trumanville already bustled with the business of movie making. They went past a checkpoint, using their IDs to get through.

  For the next fourteen hours, he did whatever Lani asked him to do.

  They worked, then grabbed a quick bite to eat before working for a few more hours, then another quick bite, then more work. No wonder Lani was tired at the end of the night.