Rylee stumbled at that realization, and when Nate reached for her, she had a choice. She went with her gut instinct and believed what her heart was telling her. Nate was good and honest, and whatever reason he had for keeping his secrets could be explained. Grace was right. She deserved happiness. She chose to believe that the Nate she’d come to know was the same man she saw before her. When his hand touched her cheek, she closed her eyes and fell into his touch.
Nate’s arms wrapped her in his embrace, and he gave a relieved sigh. “Oh, Rylee.” His voice broke with emotion, and he rested his chin on the top of her head. She felt his body shudder. “I didn’t know if you would come.”
Rylee looked up, and her return smile was filled with all the joy that was in her heart. Somehow, she’d be brave enough to take what she wanted. She was still terrified of what a life with Nate would entail, but a life without him, she couldn’t even conceive. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Nate nodded. “I understand. And I will. Come inside.”
Nate took her hand and Rylee walked inside the plane and into a different world. Everything her eyes touched on was gold, plush, and obviously expensive. Before she went any further, she turned and asked, “You really are a prince?”
Nodding, Nate shrugged adorably. “Yes. I am.” He held up his hand with about an inch of space between his thumb and index finger. “But a very minor one.”
Rylee’s cocked a brow. “There’s no such thing as a minor prince.”
With a flourish of his hand, Nate said, “I know this can be a bit overwhelming, but this isn’t me, Rylee.” He took her hands in his and held it over his rapidly beating heart. “You know me.”
Rylee ran a hand down the lapel of his suit and felt him shiver from her touch. “The Nate I knew wouldn’t be wearing a suit that cost as much as my car.”
Nate grinned devilishly. “I’ve seen your car, Rylee. That’s not saying much.”
She scoffed and gave him a playful punch on the arm. “Hey, don’t hate on the Hyundai. I’ll have you know I’m only the second owner.”
Nate chuckled. “Oh, excuse me.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her exactly the way she liked. Hard and deep. Taking her face into his hands, he stared into her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you.”
Her eyes glistened. “You hurt me, Nate. When I found out about Kiersten, I questioned whether our relationship was real or was it all for show.”
He pulled her down on the cream leather sofa and onto his lap. “I know Kiersten told you about the three of us. She thought you knew, and I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to tell you. When I moved here, I was running away from home with a broken heart. But it was more than that. I told you I come from a large family and that is true. Sometimes, it can be stifling. I’d just had four years of college and coming back home to all the rules and expectations, on top of Milo and Kiersten, was too much for me to handle. I asked my parents to give me some space, and you know how I came to be in Denver.”
She looked up into his eyes and said, “I’m not sure I know a Nate like that, or why you would be interested in me?”
Nate smiled and his eyes grew serious. He took his phone out and pulled up a photo, then handed the phone to her. It wasn’t a very flattering picture. She had toasted marshmallow smeared on the side of her face. “Why did you take this picture?”
“Because that night, with the firelight flickering about your shimmering hair, and the happiness radiating from your eyes, I had to capture the memory of the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Honey, it’s all me. Prince or shop owner, I’m the man who will love you until the end of time. If you’ll allow it.”
Rylee pressed her lips together and stared at the beating pulse in Nate’s neck. Her lashes fluttered up and she asked, “You love me?”
Running a finger along her jaw, he said, “Look into my eyes, Ry. I want you to see the truth. I never want you to have doubts. I love you. Only you. I know now that I never loved Kiersten the way a man loves the woman he wants to cherish for the rest of his life. Because that’s the way I love you.”
Rylee found the truth she was looking for in Nate’s eyes. Her stomach rolled and she grabbed Nate’s arms when the plane started to move. She turned her confused gaze to his smiling face. “What’s going on, Nate? We’re moving.”
Nate’s anxious gaze met hers. “I suppose it will depend on your answer. I’m either kidnapping you, or I’m taking my fiancée home to meet my parents.”
Rylee blinked. “Your…” was all she got out before an announcement came over the sound system asking them to buckle up for departure. Stark terror hit as the plane’s speed and engine noise increased.
Nate sat her beside him and snapped her seatbelt into place before snapping his own and taking her hand. “You’re shaking, honey. Are you a nervous flyer?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. Each breath was a rapid pant for oxygen. “I have no idea. This is my first time.”
“Rylee. Breathe, honey.”
Wasn’t she breathing? You have to breathe, right? Dots appeared behind her lids and she began to float. When the plane left the ground, so did her stomach. She felt a tug at her waist and Nate lifted her up and settled her back in his lap. Her arms went around his neck and her head burrowed under his chin. Calming strokes on her back slowed her breathing until she was once again back in control and pink with embarrassment. A finger under her chin tipped her head up to gaze into Nate’s concerned eyes. “You’ve never flown before?”
“No, never,” she admitted, and then she realized she’d missed something important before her freak out. “What did you say?”
Nate’s head tilted. “I asked if you’ve never flown before.”
Rylee shook her head. “No, before that.”
Nate’s brows furrowed as he played their conversation over his in his mind. His lips pulled into a smile when he got it. “I said, I suppose what’s going on will depend on your answer. I’m either kidnapping you, or I’m taking my fiancée home to meet my parents.”
“Yeah, that’s the one…” A hopeful spark ignited her fluttering heart and she believed. “Fiancée,” she repeated.
Nate grinned, sat her in the seat, and slid down to his knee. Rylee opened her eyes wide in stunned surprise when a small blue box appeared. Taking her hand, Nate kissed her knuckles and smiled up into her eyes. “My love, would you do me the honor of being my bride, my wife, and the mother of our children, because you are the love of my life.”
Was this really happening to her? Wait… her brows pinched together. “Children?” she asked.
Nate shifted uncomfortably on his bent knee. “That’s negotiable, but I’d like at least three. Your nieces are charming.”
Her heart melted at hearing he liked her nieces. Wait… “And where will we live?”
Again, Nate readjusted on his knee. “You’re killing me, Rylee.”
Her brows rose. “Well, I need to make an informed decision. Answer the question, Prince Nate.”
Nate sighed and rolled his eyes but then his gaze turned serious. “I would like to tell you we can live in Denver or wherever you want, but I can’t. My place is in Tanistan as part of the royal SuMartra family. What I can do is make accommodations for your sister and her children to fly to us for visits as often as you’d like, or if she wishes, she can move to our country.”
Rylee nodded thoughtfully and replied, “She wants to be a nurse.”
Nate’s lips thinned in frustration, but he patiently answered, “We have excellent schools. She can study whatever she wishes, and the girls will be spoiled by my family and the palace staff.”
And there was one other big concern she had to make Nate understand. “Nate, what about my mother?”
His shoulders drooped. “Do you want her to move in also?” he asked.
With a firm shake of her head, Rylee said, “No, not at all. But Nate, my mother is an opportunist. She could make things difficult for your family. I wouldn’t want to be the cause o
f any embarrassment or scandal.”
Nate’s smile returned as he brought her hands to his lips and left a kiss on each. “I promise you, Ry. Your mother will be…contained. She won’t be a problem. I won’t let her touch our happiness. Now, would you please answer the question? My leg’s gone completely numb.”
Rylee bit her lip to keep from laughing. She tipped her head and playfully asked, “I forgot, what was the question?”
Nate cocked a brow and his kissable lips grinned. “You will pay, my little princess.”
Rylee had never felt such joy and happiness. “As long as that’s a promise, then my answer is… wait, is it Nate, or Lukas?”
Rylee squealed when Nate tossed her over his shoulder and headed toward the back of the plane.
“Where are we going?” she asked from her upside-down position, enjoying her up close and personal view of his incredible ass.
His hand landed on her bottom. “I’m going to get my answer. And I know of only one way to assure it’s the correct answer.”
With her hair dangling almost to the ground and a princess-sized smile on her face, she replied, “Oh, goody.”
Epilogue
Nate adjusted his tie, pulling on it with a finger between his shirt collar and neck, trying to make enough space to breathe. He hated the things, but with the number of relatives he had, they would be a constant fixture in the future. He wondered if Rylee felt the same about the heels she’d had to wear with her dress as he did about his tuxedo tie.
The door behind him opened, and Nate didn’t have to turn around. He grinned and asked, “What are you doing in here?” Turning, Nate’s breath wheezed out of him. “Rylee, you’re gorgeous.”
With a smile, she hurried inside and closed the door. “I only have a minute before somebody notices I’m missing, but I wanted to thank you for the beautiful earrings. They go with my engagement ring perfectly.”
Nate took her hands in his and brought the ring to his lips. “And soon, I’ll be adding a matching wedding ring.”
Her shining eyes met his. “Yes, you will. Nate, I never imagined my life could be like this. Everything has worked out perfectly. Grace loves her classes and the girls are thrilled to live in a real palace. Thank you. For everything. I love living here, and your family is incredible. I never imagined my life could be so full.”
He loved seeing that look of contentment on her face. His mission in life was to see that every day. And for her to know that she was cherished and loved. “Are you happy, my love?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he didn’t point out that she was probably mussing her dress. Love burst from her eyes. “Very happy. I have so much to thank you for.”
He brought her face to his and said against her lips, “You have that wrong, darling. And if I wasn’t afraid of mussing that stunning dress, I’d show you my appreciation in a much more personal manner.” He kissed her deeper and longer than he’d intended. But he never had control of himself around her.
Stunned from the passion of their kiss, Rylee grinned slyly up at him, “I believe the wedding planner mentioned something about the bridesmaid dresses being wrinkle-free.”
Nate waggled his brows. “Oh, really? Challenge accepted.” He started back for another kiss when the door flew open.
Milo rushed in, eyes filled with panic. Nate felt his terror. “She’s gone,” Milo said.
“Who’s gone?” Nate asked.
Milo’s eyes were glazed with disbelief and pain. He looked up at his brother, “Kiersten. She’s gone.”
Rylee went to him and laid a comforting hand on his arm. “Milo, I was just with her. She was with her mother in the dressing room. The photographer was going to get some candid shots of the bride with her mother.”
Milo’s shook his head before letting it drop to his chest. “You don’t understand.” He lifted the paper in his hand and gave it to Nate. “She’s left me.” He took a shaky breath and continued, “On our wedding day.”
* * *
Want More?
Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for release info about the next book in the Royal Heirs series, Milo.
* * *
There had only been one woman in Milo SuMartra’s life.
She was his first and only crush,
his first and only girlfriend,
his first and only lover,
and his first and last broken heart.
* * *
But instead of their wedding day ending in a happily ever after, it ended with a short, impersonal goodbye note.
* * *
Now Milo has a choice:
Wallow in his grief and continue to believe in her return while alienating his family.
Or accept she would never come back and build himself a new life with a heart too broken ever to love again.
* * *
Behind the Book Stuff
* * *
Here’s where I get to let loose with behind-the-book stuff you might like to know about my craziness in creating this story. This is raw, unedited, and straight from me. So don’t blame my bad grammar on my editors. See what they have to deal with?
This book had a lot going on behind the scenes. But before I tell you all that stuff, let me tell you how excited I was to be included in this On the Wild Side series with three of my favorite authors. They are a big part of the reason I got into writing, so it was surreal to see my name beside theirs. Thanks to Elizabeth Lennox, Cheryl Douglas, and Jeannette Winters for being my friends, accomplices, and motivators.
I started writing Over Ruled in July. Then we found out some unsetting news about a family member. My first version of Over Ruled went from a romcom to a dramatic fiction story. I write what I feel, and I wasn’t feeling lighthearted and fun. So I started on a new version. It tanked, too. And even a third wasn’t feeling right. Then a week before our family vacation in August, I thought I had it going to a good place. I had over 10K before we left, and I knew I could finish it easily when we got back. But then, we picked Moxie up from the vet where we’d boarded her while gone and he had a quality of life discussion with us. We knew she was struggling. She could no longer see or hear, and she would have times where you could just see she had no idea where she was. Sometimes she’d just stumble around our backyard, not knowing how to get back inside. It was heartbreaking to see and we finally came to grips with what we knew in our hearts. August fourteenth, Moxie was put to rest.
Three years ago, we had to have Moxie’s big sister Powder put down, and losing Moxie was hard. It’s still hard and probably will be for a long time. She was my writing buddy and now I don’t have her, and nothing feels right. So Over Ruled went downhill again. I couldn’t write a romcom when my heart was breaking. Over the next weeks, I tried over and over to find my funny. Now I was starting to panic because I didn’t want to let the other authors down. If my book was horrible, it would reflect on theirs.
I took a week off and didn’t touch my computer. I just allowed myself to grieve and process. When I came back and started over, Nate and Rylee finally got their story. Over Ruled is by far the hardest book I’ve ever written.
Over Ruled is also a dual-purpose book. Readers have been wanting a second generation of the Royal Vow series. This book will eventually be the first book in my next series, The Royal Heirs. If you’re not familiar with The Royal Vow series, it was the first books I’d ever written. My writing has changed and evolved over the years, but that series will always hold a special place in my heart.
I’m so excited to write about the children of those original characters. Ki is still king, and Mari is still queen. I just can’t let that change. You won’t believe how this family has grown. Soon, I’ll post a family tree on my website to keep them all straight. Some of the original characters’ ages have changed, but I don’t think you will notice that. I needed to keep them youngish. Nate–or rather Lukas–is Ella and Zahir’s son.
At the time of this writing, I’m not sure when the next book in
The Royal Heirs series will release. I know you want to find out what’s going on with Milo. I do too! Since this series was unplanned, I’m writing them as I have time between other stories. Be sure to join my newsletter to get release updates.
If you’d like to take part in creating these stories, join my private Lizabeth Scott Readers Group on Facebook. I’m always asking for input on names, situations, plots, feelings, etc.
I hope you enjoyed Over Ruled. I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions. You can always find me lurking about in our private Facebook group or you can email me at [email protected].
Join our private Lizabeth Scott Readers Group on Facebook, where I’m always sharing behind-the-book stuff.
Be sure to check out my website at LizScottBooks.com for a PDF list of all my books by series and some really cool games!
And lastly, but most important, if you enjoyed Over Ruled, please leave a short review on the retailer where you purchased to help others find my books.
Please keep in touch! I’d love to hear from you. You can find out more about me and my books on my website: LizScottBooks.com. Join my newsletter community while you’re there!
On the Wild Side Series includes
Book 1
Game Over by Cheryl Douglas
* * *
Deke had a reputation: big, tough, and bold as brass. Women came to him, he didn’t have to hunt down the action. And it was a good thing, with a nephew at home depending on him, a tattoo business that fed his soul, and a real estate business that made him filthy rich, he didn’t have much down time. He loved what he did and called his own shots. Life was good. Damn good. Until the girl of his dreams walked back into his life and reminded him... it could get so much better.
Over Ruled: On the Wild Side Series Page 10