With a cocked brow, Milo helpfully offered, “Yeah, like maybe you were ashamed of her. Or she wasn’t important enough to meet your family.”
Nate groaned. “Thanks, man. I hadn’t even thought of those.” Sitting up, he dropped his head in his hands. “What am I going to do, Milo?”
“At least you know she got home safely.”
Only because he’d blown up her sister’s phone calling to see if Grace had heard from her. He’d felt so helpless and lost. “I owe her sister big time. She didn’t have to let me know when Rylee called her.”
“Have you thought of what comes next?” Milo asked.
Nate turned to his brother with his forehead furrowed. “Next?”
Milo nodded. “Let’s say Rylee forgives your sorry ass for lying. What comes next?”
He’d let Milo have that hit. He deserved it. “Well, I’ll tell her everything. I never want another secret between us.”
With a smile and a nod, Milo replied, “Good answer. If I may offer you a word of advice? I mean, since I am the older brother.”
Nate snorted and rolled his eyes as Milo continued. “If she’s the one, don’t let her get away.” Milo pulled a blue Tiffany box from his pocket, “Don’t ask me how she knew, but Mother sent this to you. From what’s inside, I would assume she knows about Rylee and she approves.”
Nate flipped the lid and his mouth dropped open. A beautiful ring with a round diamond surrounded by sapphires sparkled against the velvet inside the box. He remembered seeing it in the palace vault. “Do you remember how Mother and Aunt Mari would let us go with them when they picked out jewelry for an event?”
Milo smiled and nodded. “Of course. We would try on all the tiaras before we knew they were for girls.”
Nate chuckled at the memory. “Yeah. I always asked to see this ring. I thought it was pretty or something, but it seemed to…call to me.” Nate’s head popped up and he stared at his brother. “That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
Milo shrugged. “I don’t know, Luk. Some of the weird twin stuff we’ve done and experienced could be looked at as crazy, too. Come on, let’s go for a run. By the time we get back, you can go get your girl.”
They were halfway into their run and Nate had things worked out in his mind. He needed to see Rylee as soon as possible. He’d shower when they got back to his house and then head over to Rylee’s. He hoped Grace would let him in, because he wasn’t sure Rylee would. Then he would explain everything and apologize and hopefully, she’d accept his ring.
Nate grinned like a loon as he kept stride with his brother—he should have known his parents would have been notified by his security detail. In fact, he wouldn’t be a bit surprised if his mother’s earlier call had been a fishing expedition. And that had him laughing out loud.
“What’s that for?” Milo asked.
But before Nate could answer, a town car pulled up beside the men. The car stopped and Ian got out, face grim. “Prince Milo, Prince Lukas, please get in. There’s been a media leak and I’m afraid your cover is blown.”
Nate’s heart began to race. “What do you mean?”
Ian’s lips thinned at their hesitation to comply. “We don’t have time. Get in and I’ll explain on the way to the airport.”
Nate’s brows rose. “Airport? No. I’m not leaving. What exactly has been leaked?”
Ian handed him a paper that made his heart threaten to stop. “Rylee. You’ve got to get to Rylee. She won’t know what’s going on. They’ll ambush her.”
Ian gave a curt nod. “I’ve already sent men to her home. What do you want me to do once we acquire her?”
Nate’s eyes went to his brother and Milo grinned. Nate replied, “Bring her to the airport.”
“Ian, would you please make arrangements for Kiersten and me to stay in the States for a few more days. Someplace private.” Milo turned to Nate. “Take the jet. Fly your girl home, away from this mess. I’m sure our PR people are already on this.”
Doubt and fear threatened to overtake him. “What if she doesn’t want to go with me? What if she says no?”
Milo chuckled and slapped Nate on the shoulder. “I would imagine an ancestor or two might have kidnapped their brides.”
Nate frowned. He wasn’t going to kidnap Rylee. Was he?
Chapter 12
Rylee
* * *
Rylee sat in her car and stared at Nate’s front door, wondering if she should wait. Maybe it was too early. They probably weren’t even awake yet. It was barely eight on a Sunday morning.
She knocked on the door, and in only a few minutes, the woman from the restaurant pulled the door open. Once again, she was struck by the woman’s natural beauty. Rylee’s mouth thinned. She had on a man’s white dress shirt and looked like nothing else.
“Rylee. Please come in. Lukas—I mean Nate—and Milo have gone for a run. But he’s going to be so happy to see you. Oh, where are my manners? I’m Kiersten. We didn’t get a chance for introductions last night.”
Rylee felt her face flush with embarrassment. She followed Kiersten inside. “Yeah, about last night. I’m sorry about that.”
Kiersten smiled and waved away her apology. “Oh, don’t think a thing about it. I loved seeing Milo covered in sauce. Besides, it’s totally understandable. Trust me, that’s not the first time the guys have been mistaken for each other. Let’s go into the kitchen and I’ll make us some tea.”
Rylee got the feeling there was more to that statement. “You’ve known them a long time?” she asked as Kiersten filled the kettle with water from the sink and placed it on the stove to heat.
Kiersten pulled mugs down from the overhead cabinet and it didn’t escape Rylee that the woman number one, knew her way around Nate’s kitchen; and number two, felt comfortable doing it. In nothing more than an oversized shirt. Rylee bristled at the thought of Nate and Kiersten in that shirt.
Unwrapping two tea bags, she dropped each in a mug. “Oh yes, since we were in grade school. I don’t have the easiest father to live with and I’ve always thought of Milo and Nate as my protectors. We’ve always been a threesome. That’s why I had to come and meet you,” Kiersten said with a smile.
But was it really? Rylee didn’t think that was all there was to her statement. “Really, why’s that?”
Kiersten stopped her flittering about to meet her gaze. “Well, when Nate told Milo he’d found the one, we were happy he’d moved on.”
“Moved on?” Rylee asked, unsure of her meaning.
The other woman’s eyes grew serious. “Rylee, I broke Lukas’s heart when I chose Milo. Don’t get me wrong. I love both of them. I just love Milo the way you love Nate.”
Kiersten’s answer had Rylee confused in several ways. But the one she quickly corrected was, “I don’t love Nate.” She should be more concerned about learning Nate was in love with Kiersten, but all Rylee’s mind could handle was how denying her love for him left a bad taste in her mouth.
Kiersten’s eyes softened and she grinned. “Yeah, I denied it for a long time, too. I knew as soon as I admitted my love for Milo, I would hurt them both. I even considered moving away because I didn’t want to come between them. Instead, Nate left. But until he told Milo about you, I still had this guilt around my heart. That’s why it was so important to meet you. Nate said you both were coming to our wedding next month, but I just couldn’t wait.”
That was strange. Nate had never mentioned a wedding. Fingers of doubt began to filter through her thoughts. “When did Nate tell Milo about me?”
Kiersten’s lips tipped to the side as she tried to remember. “Oh, let’s see. Maybe three months ago?”
Rylee’s thoughts automatically picked up on the time frame. Nate loved Kiersten so much that he moved to a different country. And he would have done anything to make Milo and Kiersten happy. Even inventing a supposed new love to ease their guilt. Three months ago, she and Nate hadn’t even started seeing each other. Rylee had to wonder if Nate had had a motive
before he started seeing her. Did he only want someone to take to the wedding and prove he was over Kiersten? If that was the case, then… had anything between them been real? Blood began to pound through her veins. She stood up. “I’ve got to go.”
Kiersten looked up from pouring their tea. “No, Rylee. Don’t go. Nate should be back shortly.”
She didn’t wait. She couldn’t. She sprinted to her car and almost ran over the curb in her haste to get away. Rylee pushed the turmoil in her head aside and focused on getting home safely. And then she could make some sense out of everything she’d learned.
When she pulled onto her road, she was surprised to see a traffic jam. Cars and vans lined the street on both sides. She slowed and navigated through them, curious as to what had happened to cause such a turnout. When she pulled in her driveway and got out, a dozen or more people descended upon her. Microphones appeared in front of her face, and camera flashes blinded her. They were all talking at once, and she couldn’t make any sense of what they were shouting at her. Putting her head down, she pushed her way through the crowd, losing a shoe and some of her hair in the process. Once she reached the front door, Grace opened it and pulled her inside, away from the madness. Chest heaving, Rylee sank back against the door. “What’s going on?” she asked her sister, her eyes wide with confusion.
“This.” Grace held her phone up.
Rylee took her phone and read, “SuMartra Princes Caught in Love Tangle.” Her brows furrowed. “Who are the SuMartra Princes?” she asked.
Grace crossed her arms, pursed her lips and said, “Keep scrolling.”
Rylee bent her head back over the phone, scrolled and gasped; it was a picture from last night at the restaurant. She was standing beside Nate right after she’d dumped the bowl over his brother’s head. She scanned the article. “Prince Milo and Prince Lukas SuMartra were…”
The words on the page swam in and out of focus after she read Prince Lukas. Lukas was what Kiersten had called Nate. Her eyes flashed to Grace’s.
“Yep,” Grace said. “Nate, or rather Lukas, is a prince.”
Rylee blinked. How could that be? She looked back down at the caption. “How…”
Grace pointed to the door. “All those people are here to get the scoop about you. They think the four of you were in some type of open relationship or something and had a falling out.”
Rylee shook her head; this couldn’t be happening. “That’s ridiculous,” she said, but was it any more ridiculous than Nate being a prince? “What are we going to do about all of them?”
Grace peeked through the curtain and sighed. “I’ve already called the police. Surely they can make them leave. I’m just glad the girls are still asleep. This could frighten them.”
Before Rylee could apologize, a knock at the door caused them both to jump. “Ms. Haywood. His Highness Prince Lukas sent us. If I may have a word, ma’am?”
Rylee looked at Grace. “His Highness?”
Grace shrugged. “I guess that’s what Nate’s called. Go on, let him in.”
She opened the door and two men in black suits entered and instantly made her apartment seem like a dollhouse. “Ms. Haywood, Prince Lukas would like to speak with you.” He held out a fancy phone.
After finding out what she just had, was she ready to talk to Nate? Her mind wasn’t ready to comprehend all she’d learned, and there was so much yet she didn’t have a clue about.
Grace stepped in front of her and took her hands, forcing her to meet her gaze. “Rylee, talk to Nate.”
Nodding, she reached for the phone and put it to her ear. She tried to keep her tone impersonal, but the quaver in her voice gave away her muddled emotional state. “Hello. Your Highness.”
“Rylee.” She heard the desperation in his voice. “Thank God. I’ve been so worried.”
She wanted to be angry, but the pain in his voice wouldn’t allow her caring heart to stay hardened against him.
“Please, Ry. I know this looks bad, and you don’t know how sorry I am you had to find out this way. It’s all my fault.”
He said he was sorry, but she wondered what he was sorry about—she was hurt and confused about so many things.
Cautiously he asked, “Ry, you’re not saying anything. Are you okay?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure.” And that was the truth.
“Honey, listen. Please. I know you are angry at me. You have every right to be, but give me a chance to explain.”
Rylee was scared of his answer, but she had to know. “Was it all a lie, Nate?” she asked softly.
Nate was quick with his reply. “I didn’t go out of town on business. I just didn’t want you to meet Milo and Kiersten yet. But I’ll explain.”
She shook her head, “No, not that. The last two months. Were we real or was it just an attempt to appease your brother and… Kiersten?” Her voice caught on the other woman’s name.
“What?” Nate shouted into the phone. “No, Rylee. You’ve got it all wrong. Please, you have to give me a chance. Just hear me out.”
Rylee heard someone interrupt Nate and spoke in a low voice before Nate gave a frustrated groan. “Honey, please. We don’t have much time. Pack a bag it’s too dangerous for you to stay at your apartment. Emere will bring you to me.”
Her eyes caught Grace’s. “I’m not leaving Grace and the girls.”
Again, Rylee heard someone speaking in the background. “I’ve assigned a security detail to them, and they will be relocated to someplace safe until this blows over. I won’t let a thing happen to them. I promise you, Rylee, they will be fine. I need to talk to you. I have to get off the phone but please, Rylee. Just…give me a chance.”
The call disconnected and she still didn’t really have an answer. She handed the phone back to who she supposed was Emere and turned to Grace. “Nate…I mean, Lukas wants to talk to me. He’s asked me to go with these people.”
Grace nodded, her eyes flashing to Emere, and then she asked, “Are you going?”
Rylee felt a stinging pressure behind her eyes as she looked to her sister for guidance. “I think I need to see Nate. What we’ve had can’t end like this. If I don’t go, I’ll always wonder…”
Grace’s gaze met hers and she couldn’t hide the truth. “You love him, don’t you?” Grace asked.
The tears that had been building ran down her cheeks. Rylee wiped them away and sniffled. “Yeah, I do. But he’s a prince.” She threw her arms up, despairing. “There’s no future in that for me.”
Her sister cocked a brow and scolded, “You don’t know that, Rylee. For once, just believe it can happen. We have all these insecurities because of the way we had to live growing up. We felt as if we never mattered, because our own mother didn’t care enough to stay. All those men she lived off of were more important than her own children. But we do matter, Rylee. We deserve good things to happen to us. We just have to go for them. And accept them.”
The love in Rylee’s heart for her sister was overflowing. Smiling tenderly, she asked, “How did you get so smart?”
Grace grinned. “I had an excellent role model. I may not have appreciated her at the time, but that was on me. You did everything you could. I was the one that made bad decisions. I admit that, and I’ve learned from it. Now I’m going to do something about it. What are you going to do, Ry?” Her sister’s eyes challenged her.
Grace was right. She needed to meet this head-on. With a determined nod of her head, she said, “I’m going to go see Nate.”
With a smile, Grace looked over Rylee’s shoulder. “Good. Now, let’s go get you packed before this man has a hissy fit.”
Dazed, Rylee stood in the middle of her bedroom with no idea how to pack her bag. Grace must have picked up on her confusion because she dug out her suitcase and proceeded to toss in clothes, underwear, and bras. Then she went to the bathroom and came back with her hands full, cramming more into the already-filled case.
The sisters clung together before they left the bedroom. “D
on’t worry, Grace. Nate made plans to keep you all safe. Tell the girls I love them, and I’ll see them soon.”
“I will. Let me know what happens or if I need to send backup,” Grace replied with a quirky grin.
Emere took the suitcase from Rylee and when he opened the door, she was glad to see the crowd was gone. A long black town car sat in her driveway with another impressive man in a black suit standing beside the rear door. She was ushered inside and sank into soft, supple leather that wrapped around her body.
The route they took didn’t go toward Nate’s house, and for a moment, she wondered if she were being kidnapped. Maybe she’d need that backup after all. She grinned and the anxiety she’d been holding onto since she left Nate’s house earlier lessened. “Where are we going?” she asked.
Emere looked at her in the rearview mirror, but all she could see were his sunglasses. “We’re taking you to the prince, ma’am.”
She got the message. They weren’t going to tell her. When Emere took the airport exit, she began to worry. “We’re going to the airport?” she asked.
“Just a few more minutes, ma’am,” Emere said, dismissing her question.
They didn’t take the ramp to the main terminal drop-off, instead taking a side road that seemed to go on forever before pulling through a gate and onto a secondary runway. Ian drove toward a very official-looking plane with a crest and coat of arms on the side. The car stopped at the foot of the steps leading up to the opened cabin door and in the doorway, she spotted Nate. Or Milo. The man staring back at her looked unsure and nervous, but she knew it was Nate. Her heart sank—it was true. Nate really was a prince.
Her door opened and Emere held out his hand to help her from the car. Was she supposed to get on the plane?
“Right this way, ma’am.” Emere led her to the stairs. She stopped at the bottom and stared up into Nate’s eyes. Heart racing, she climbed toward him, never losing eye contact. With each step bringing her closer and closer to his steadfast gaze, her anxieties and fears became a distant memory as she neared the top, because she found the man she…loved.
Over Ruled: On the Wild Side Series Page 9