by Leslie North
Hard to hold onto as well, apparently.
“Thanks for calling, Edward,” Marcus said. “It’s nice to get positive feedback, and hearing it come from you really means a lot.”
Marcus said goodbye to his brother and hung up the phone, but Edward’s words and veiled message wouldn’t leave him be. He and Kyra had really clicked. They were a good team, and they would make great parents. Sure, relationships took work, but everything that was worth anything took work.
He was willing to work to maintain their relationship, but she’d given up. She’d pushed him away.
But had he given up too easily? He could have fought a little harder to make her give him another chance. He’d always felt unstoppable when he was with her, so why was he letting anything stop him now?
“Roland,” he said to his driver, “turn around please. Head to Hotel Sovalon.”
He had to make Kyra see what he saw. What Edward saw. The two of them could have a future together if she’d just give him a chance.
When Roland pulled up to the hotel, Edward didn’t wait for the car to be in park before he hopped out. The exhaustion from a long day dissipated, and he was energized with the hope of working things out with Kyra and moving forward together. She was the only woman he’d ever really felt a strong bond with. It was as if she were meant just for him, and he was not going to let that get away.
He hurried into the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh floor, his whole body buzzing with anticipation. The minute the doors opened, he pushed through and raced down the hallway to Kyra’s room.
“Kyra,” he called, rapping firmly on the door. “Kyra, please let me in. We need to talk.”
She didn’t answer him, so he continued to knock on the door. “Kyra—”
The door opened, and a woman in a housekeeping uniform stood in front of him.
“Where’s Kyra?” he asked, confused.
The housekeeper stared at Marcus with awe in her eyes.
“Are you Prince Marcus?” she asked, her voice betraying that she was clearly a fan.
He didn’t have time for this.
“Have you seen the woman who’s staying in this room?” he asked.
She blushed and shook her head. “No” she said. “Whoever was staying in this room checked out this morning.”
Checked out? But where could she have gone?
“Thanks,” he muttered to the googly-eyed young woman and scurried back downstairs to the lobby.
“Did a Miss Kyra Rogers check out this morning?” he asked a man at the reception desk.
“Let me check that out for you, Prince Marcus,” the man said. He stared at his computer, then looked back at Marcus. “Yes, she did. About two hours ago, it seems. She asked for a cab to the airport.
Marcus felt cold. Kyra was going home to Atlanta.
And if she got on a plane to the US, he may never see her again.
Filled with dread that he’d already missed Kyra, he ran back out to the Bentley.
“To the airport, Roland, and please step on it.”
“Yes, sir,” his driver said, and they sped away from the hotel toward the airport and a chance at a future with Kyra. He only hoped he wasn’t too late.
14
Sovalon’s small airport was abuzz with travelers. Marcus pushed his way through crowds of women in business suits and casually-dressed vacationers. He noticed a man pushing a baby stroller, and a sense of even deeper urgency propelled him toward the departures board.
He’d figured out her itinerary thanks to an online search, and now he scanned the screen until he found the flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, which was the first leg in her trip back to Atlanta.
“Boarding.” He read the word aloud, the sound of it deflating him completely. Kyra was already on the plane.
He was too late. He’d missed her.
Marcus’s shoulders slumped, and his hands hung limply at his sides. A sense of loss overwhelmed him, and as he was about to turn around, he heard a familiar voice.
“Marcus.”
“Kyra,” he said in surprise, her name coming out more like a breathy whisper. Dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt and looking as gorgeous as always, she stood in front of him with luggage at either side of her. She looked as shocked to see him as he was to have found her here. Overtaken with sheer joy, he ran to her and hugged her. At once, he stood back cautiously, his wits returning. “You’re not on the plane,” he said.
“No,” she said. “I had planned to be, but as I was standing in line to check my bags, I decided I couldn’t go home without talking to you first.”
“Oh?” he asked, unable to steal his eyes away from her beautiful face.
“I realized I was wrong about you,” she said, looking shy.
“In what way?”
“I should have listened when you tried to tell me that night out with the investor was all about business.” She revealed to him what Neil had told her over the phone this morning. “You really sealed the deal, Marcus,” she told him.
He nodded, stunned by her words of affirmation.
Marcus watched as Kyra began twirling her hair, a nervous habit of hers he’d noticed before. It was endearing.
“I was wrong about my sister too,” she went on. “I’ve been doing the same thing to her as your family does to you. Letting the past keep me from seeing the way she’s grown and changed. You opened up my eyes to that with Maggie, and I have to thank you.”
Marcus stepped a few inches closer to her, wanting so much to take her in his arms, but Kyra had more to say.
“I should have had more faith in both of you,” she said. “I realize now that I let my fears take over, blinding me to the things I knew about you—the things I had come to trust, no matter how it all appeared on the surface.”
Marcus took her hand and kissed it then grinned at her. “Did you miss your flight just so you could apologize to me?”
With tears in her eyes, Kyra nodded. “I guess I did,” she said and sighed. A look of consternation came over her face then. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
Marcus looked Kyra straight in the eyes. “I guess I realized something too,” he said. “I realized I had to fight for what I really want, and what I want is you.”
Kyra placed a hand over her mouth, and a tear leaked down her cheek. Marcus wiped it away and went on telling her the things he needed to say.
“I want you. I want our baby. I want us to be a family.” He squeezed her hand. “I was wrong to not just be honest with you from the start about that night out. I guess I was afraid you’d judge me or doubt me, so I found it easier to just tell a white lie in the moment. I know now that I have to take the time to communicate openly.”
Kyra listened to him without interrupting, making him feel like his words mattered.
“I wanted to prove to you that I could be a good father and a good partner and then I failed by backing down when I should have fought for you.”
Kyra lowered her eyes.
“Let me correct that mistake, Kyra,” Marcus said. “I want us to be a family. I want to yell it out from the rooftops that you’re mine and we’re having a baby together! I’ll tell anyone off who has a problem with that—the media, my father—that it doesn’t matter what they think.”
Marcus noticed that Kyra’s cheeks were a hot shade of pink. Maybe he’d spoken that last bit a little too loudly. But she was smiling. That was what mattered to him.
“Forgive me?” he asked.
“I do,” she said and threw her arms around his neck. “Forgive me?”
“Always,” he answered. While people rushed past, heading off to their own adventures, Marcus took a moment to enjoy their reunion. They had the adventure of a lifetime in front of them. And now that she’d taken him back, nothing would get in the way of making things work. He would make sure of it.
He took Kyra’s hand. “Will you come with me?” he asked.
“Where to?” Kyra’s face peered up into his
.
He didn’t answer her but just smiled and led her to the waiting car.
Marcus handed Kyra’s bags to the driver who placed them in the trunk while she got settled in the backseat of the Bentley.
“Where to, Your Highness?” Roland asked.
“To the estate home in Havershire please.”
Kyra looked at him, and he grinned. “Sound good to you?”
Kyra’s heart swelled. A trip to the estate sounded more than good. “Sounds wonderful,” she said and scooted close to Marcus.
For the first fifteen minutes or so of the drive, she cuddled into him, grateful she’d decided not to board the plane, glad to be by Marcus’s side. She felt so at peace having admitted her own mistakes to Marcus and was suddenly struck with the urge to do the same with Maggie.
“Do you mind if I give my sister a call?” she asked Marcus.
“Go ahead,” he said and smiled serenely at her. “I don’t mind at all.”
Kyra dialed Maggie’s cell, but there was no answer. She thought about hanging up and trying again later but decided to leave a voicemail. She wanted to get these thoughts off her chest right now.
“Hey Mags, it’s Kyra,” she said. “I wanted to let you know I’ll be extending my trip a bit.” She couldn’t help but smile at Marcus’s reaction—a grin the size of Texas that spread across his whole face. “I don’t want to be too long-winded here, but I wanted to apologize,” she continued. “You were right. It’s time I stop punishing you for your past mistakes. You’re a grown woman and a great mom.”
Kyra paused, realizing she needed to end the call. She didn’t want to be super long-winded.
“Anyway, we can talk more when you have time. Love you, sis. Bye.” She pressed end and put her phone away in her purse. For the rest of the drive, she closed her eyes and snuggled into Marcus, relishing the feel of his comforting arms.
They pulled onto the winding drive of the estate, and memories of their fairy-tale stay here washed over Kyra.
“Before we start to get too cozy out here, I want to talk to you about some ideas I have,” Marcus said as they got out of the car.
“Okay.”
He linked his fingers with hers and led her onto the property toward the garden.
“What would you think of staying on in Sovalon?”
Kyra raised her eyebrows. “Permanently?”
“Yes,” he said. “You and I make a great team. We could run the shelter together, and you could have a huge hand in working with our local nonprofits to bring about the development of governmental policies surrounding women and children’s aid in the region. My dad might be a tough sell, but I’ll bet we can get my brothers on our side. You could be a part of that—if you want it.”
Kyra was quiet for a moment. She let the idea bounce around in her thoughts. She hadn’t even considered it until this very moment.
“I know it would be a huge undertaking and you’re welcome to say no, but I think you’d be amazing in the position,” Marcus went on. He looked anxious, awaiting her response. “If you’re worried about your family, we could fly back to the Atlanta to visit as often as you want.”
She stared at him. He’d put a lot of thought into this idea. He looked so hopeful, seemed so committed to really making things work between them. And he appeared to be sincerely dedicated to the women’s shelter project. It wasn’t just a thing he was forced to do anymore.
But it was overwhelming to imagine uprooting her life in the US and moving here. Could she really just leave her old life behind and plant herself in a whole different country?
On the other hand, could she really see herself leaving Marcus behind? Not to mention, it was a dream opportunity. And with Maggie proclaiming to be able to take care of herself at home, Kyra was off the hook to do whatever she wanted with her life. And, she wanted this.
“What about the media?” she asked, suddenly plagued by the worry that there would be paparazzi following her for the rest of her days, snapping indiscreet photos and publishing trash about her for the world to see.
Marcus shrugged and pulled a face. “The reporters will always be there to some extent. I’m a royal, and people are obsessed with knowing everything about my family—where we sleep, what we eat… everything,” he admitted. His demeanor brightened then. “But we can be one of those private celebrity couples who keep a low profile.”
“Somehow I can’t imagine you keeping a low profile,” she said.
“Well, imagine it,” Marcus said. “I’m about to change the narrative about me that’s out there. No more Playboy Prince,” he said, rolling his eyes. “From now on I’m boring old dad prince. Once they see me changing diapers and singing ABCs all the time, they won’t be interested in following me anymore.”
Marcus winked at her, and Kyra had to laugh. “Boring old dad, huh?” She took his outstretched hand and allowed him to wrap her into his warm body.
“Well, maybe not too boring,” he said, a sly look on his face. He leaned in and sealed his lips over hers. Heat crawled up the backs of her arms, and goose bumps rose along her skin. Breathless, she pulled back and looked into his eyes.
“So, what do you think?” he asked, his voice husky.
“I think that sounds just about perfect,” she said and followed him into the house.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
“Look at her,” Marcus said proudly, cradling his newborn daughter. “She has her mom’s pretty lips.”
Kyra gave him a tired but happy look from the hospital bed. “I don’t think we can tell who she looks like just yet, Marcus.”
Clementine laughed at Kyra’s comment. She’d come for a visit with Edward and Marcus’s middle brother, Aldon. The three were as awestruck with baby Lea as her father was. “I think she has your cheekbones, Marcus,” Clem said. “But I have to agree with Kyra, it’s too early to tell.”
“I can tell,” he said and looked lovingly at Kyra. “She’s beautiful. Just like you.” He stroked the cheek of the sleeping bundle in his arms. He never believed that a person could feel so much love for anyone or anything, but staring down at his daughter, his heart felt like it might just burst with adoration. She was an absolute treasure.
“We should let Momma rest,” Clem said to Edward then turned her eyes to Kyra. “I’m sure you’re beat.”
Kyra shrugged.
“She’s alright,” Edward joked. “All she had to do was push a couple of times, right, Kyra?”
“Oh, yeah, it was a breeze,” Kyra said with a note of sarcasm in her voice.
“She was a trouper,” Marcus said. “I don’t know how women do it. I couldn’t survive childbirth.”
His brothers laughed in agreement and headed toward the door. Before Edward left, he pulled Marcus aside.
“Have you heard from Dad at all?” he asked.
Marcus shook his head. “Mom called,” he said. “She’s coming to visit later today, but Dad probably won’t come. Not yet, anyway.” Marcus tried to hide his disappointment, but he was sure his brother saw through his bravado.
“Give him time,” Edward said. “He’ll come around.”
“Thanks for being here,” Marcus said and bid goodbye to his brothers and Clementine. When he re-entered the hospital room, he was struck by Kyra’s beauty as she cradled their darling daughter and nursed her in the hospital bed. How could a woman possibly look so incredibly radiant just after giving birth?
When Lea finished suckling, he reached out his arms for her.
“I’ll take her,” he said. “You rest.” He rocked Lea gently in his arms. “My baby girl,” he cooed. He glanced over at Kyra to see her smiling at him.
“Close your eyes,” he told her, but she shook her head.
“Can’t sleep,” she said.
“Too excited to introduce your family to Lea?”
“Maybe that’s it.”
“When are they getting here?”
“They fly in tomorrow morning,” Kyra said.
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“Then you really should try to rest now so you’re up for a visit when they get here.”
Kyra hadn’t been back home in almost two months, the end of her pregnancy keeping her grounded, not to mention all the work she’d been doing in her position as director of the crisis shelter. She and Marcus worked alongside each other, with him continuing to sit on a variety of boards in the social welfare sector. Part of his job was to represent the monarchy, and the other was to help secure funding for various projects. They each found their work busy but rewarding, but they had made sure to make time to get Kyra back to Atlanta often to visit with her family and make sure all was well with Maggie and Ava. Kyra had been doing everything she could to make sure her sister and niece were financially secure—paying for a day care to help out with Ava when Maggie was working and their mother wasn’t available to help out. Once the baby was ready to fly, he was sure she would continue to make frequent visits to the US.
“I really just don’t want to sleep, Marcus,” Kyra said, beaming. “I’m enjoying this quiet moment, now that everyone’s gone.”
Marcus’s palms started to sweat. If Kyra wasn’t going to close her eyes, then now was as good a time as any to ask the question he’d been wanting to ask for a while now. He pulled a shiny silver box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a stunning four karat diamond, pear-shaped and encircled with tiny diamond studs.
When Kyra realized what he was doing, her eyes grew wide and teary.
“Kyra, I know our relationship hasn’t exactly been conventional,” he began. “It started off with a one-night stand and quickly advanced to the possibility of an instant family, right?”
Kyra laughed through her tears at this and nodded.
“But I feel certain that it must have been meant to be. Without a shred of doubt, I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We can be as conventional or as unconventional as you want from here on out,” he said. “As long as we’re together.”
She squeezed his hand. “Oh, Marcus.”