“I’d like that,” he admitted. As always, he felt the pull of duty, of all his responsibilities…but he would return to them soon enough. For this moment, he was right where he wanted to be.
He kissed her earlobe, then her temple. “I have an idea,” he murmured.
“What is it?”
“A shower,” he said.
They didn’t emerge from the bathroom for an hour.
9
Rafael couldn’t sleep.
Things were going well—he knew they were. But the better they went between him and Felicity, the more he struggled to reconcile all the versions of her that he knew.
There was the Felicity he’d met at first, who had burned so brightly with need for him that he couldn’t resist her. He’d wanted her, too—there was no doubt about that. But it had been the first time a woman had entered his life and seemed to bend all the available light toward her. He had never had the time or the inclination to feel that way before. It just hadn’t been in the cards. Felicity had changed all of that without even trying.
Then there had been the Felicity who disappeared. Who'd went to the United States and given birth to his child without saying a single word to him about it.
And then there was Felicity now. She was a devoted mother, and the more time they spent together, the more he thought she cared about him, too.
It was something he’d have to talk to her about, but not now. For one thing, it was the middle of the night. For another…what they had was too good to risk.
He sat down behind the computer in the private office in his apartments and started it up. There was some searching he wanted to do among the monarchy’s private files.
Specifically, his mother’s.
It only took him a few minutes. To Rafael’s surprise, a compilation had been left for him—by the man who had gotten Felicity out of the country. That’s what the memo attached to the folder said.
The queen of Stolvenia must be a Stolvenian citizen.
An early flirtation of the former king’s nearly divided the country.
It had all been in the past.
Rafael’s own father had fallen in love with an American before he’d married his mother. It was all there, in plain text, black and white.
The monarchy will fall under the influence of foreign nations if the king marries outside the country…
Rafael sat back in the chair, his heart thundering. Felicity had overcome more than he’d ever imagined to get to this point.
But with everything going wrong, why hadn’t she reached out to him?
He lay awake for most of the night. When morning came, he still didn’t have an answer.
* * *
Two nights later, he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. When Hope was in bed for the night, he invited Felicity to sit down at the small dining table he had in his breakfast room. It felt better to have the conversation here, rather than on the sofa. Clearly picking up on the tension radiating from him, Felicity sat with her hands folded and her back straight, worry in her eyes.
“There wasn’t a problem after the zoo, was there?” she asked as he sat down across from her and took in a breath.
“The zoo? No. No, there was no problem.”
She sagged with relief. “Oh, good. I was worried that the answer I gave…”
“The answer was great,” he said, trying to inject as much encouragement into his voice as possible. “You were wonderful. No, this is about…something else.” The longer he dragged this out, the worse it would be. “I came across some information about my mother.”
Her brows knitted together. “Your mother…” It wasn’t exactly a question, and now Rafael knew why. Felicity’s eyes widened. “Oh,” she said softly. “You must know about everything now.”
“Not everything.” Rafael suddenly felt exhausted. “I can understand how she was involved. I can understand how it was easier for you to leave the country, rather than fight with her. But I can’t understand why you didn’t reach out to me.”
“I thought she’d find out.” Felicity never looked away from Rafael. “I honestly thought she had my phone lines monitored in some way. If not that, then she could’ve had someone watching me. I couldn’t take that chance. I didn’t want to risk losing Hope.”
“Risk losing Hope?” That made Rafael’s blood run cold.
Now Felicity did look down at the surface of the table. “I knew about the pregnancy before I left Stolvenia. Somehow, she must have guessed, or…” Felicity shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how she found out. She knew, and before I left she came to see me.”
Was this the kind of power he had access to as king? It had never crossed his mind to play with people’s lives like this. He didn’t want to believe it about his mother…but it was, sadly, in character for the cold, controlling woman he had known.
“What did she say?”
“She said that if I ever breathed a word about Hope, I’d lose her.” Felicity’s cheeks had gone pale at the words, even though the threat was long past. “That…she would take my baby from me.”
The thought of separating a child from her mother like that—it was horrifying, and Rafael’s stomach turned over. That his mother would have even made the threat in the first place…
“I understand,” Rafael said. “At least, I think I do. I haven’t known Hope long, but…” Anger flared in his chest. “If anyone tried to take her from me, they would come to regret it.” In the moment that he said it, he knew it was true.
“I know they would.” That same fire he felt inside was reflected in Felicity’s eyes.”
Well, that was that. That explained why she hadn’t said anything to him. She was only being the same devoted mother she was right now.
“I want to make it up to you.” Felicity raised her eyebrows. “What can I do? How can I make things better for you? Do you need more help—more staff for Hope and Joy? I swear, Felicity. You don’t have to do a thing to prove yourself to me. We can hire more help for you and vet them personally. You can take a break.”
Her cheeks went pink, but even as he spoke she was already shaking her head. “No, that’s—you don’t have to do that, Rafael. What your mother did—”
“It was inexcusable.”
“It was,” she agreed. “But there’s nothing to be done about it now. Anyway, it’s not caring for my family that I want less of. That’s not a responsibility I feel as a burden. I love being with my sister, and I love being with my daughter. They’re my family.” She dropped her voice a little. “We’re all a family.”
He felt honored that she’d included him in her family, and it made him want to do even more. “Then what can I do? Tell me. The sky’s the limit.”
Felicity looked at him for a long moment. “When I was taking care of Hope and Joy at home, I had my day job, which…it was a lot. It was good, because I got to do work I enjoyed, but there was never much time to take a vacation.”
He waited for more—for her to say out loud what she really wanted—until Felicity laughed, and he realized she’d already said it. “A vacation? That’s what you want?”
“Now, instead of a day job, I have press events and wedding planning. Today, I’m getting fitted for my dress.” Felicity glanced at a clock on the wall. “On top of that, I’m learning so many new rules and protocols that it makes my head spin. So, maybe not a full-blown vacation…maybe something like a picnic. Just…a day off, where we could sneak off with Hope and enjoy each other’s company without any reporters, and no appearances. The way families do. Like normal people.”
It sounded like a fantasy to Rafael. He had hardly spent five minutes out of the spotlight in all his life. But the dream was a tempting one. A day away from all the cameras, and the stress of the referendum, just to focus on Felicity and Hope…
“I guess there’s one other thing.” Felicity suddenly looked shy, and no expression had ever intrigued him more. This was a woman who had turned into a tigress on his kitchen counter. Ther
e was no need for her to be shy. “I’d like a good night of sleep.”
“That should be easy to come by. I can have an overnight replacement for the nanny, and she can—”
“In your arms,” interjected Felicity, her face coloring. “I’d like it if I could stay in your room. Or if you could stay in mine.” She frowned. “It might be easier if I didn’t have to move Hope into one of your guest rooms, but I’d do it if…”
“Consider it done.” He stood up from the table. “We’ll go there now.”
She smiled, and it was like the sun rising in the morning.
Inside of an hour, they’d wound down, changed clothes, and gone into Felicity’s room.
They settled into her bed together and he wrapped his arm around her. Felicity sighed. “This is nice,” she said, and within minutes he could tell she was asleep.
So trusting, he thought. So…
The rest of the thought never materialized, because he was off in dreamland too.
10
“What about a bit of a girls’ night?” Rafael said the next morning, while Felicity watched him climb out of bed and stretch. She hadn’t known until this moment that she wanted to be here for this—all of this.
It had been one thing to move to Stolvenia, to uproot her daughter and sister and leave that little apartment and its relative security behind, but living so close to Rafael and not being with him…well, that had been something else entirely.
She’d spent three years so very sure that she’d never have this. That she’d never see Rafael or Stolvenia again after she left.
She could still remember how furious Rafael’s mother had been. It was a cold, unrelenting fury, and Felicity had known from their first exchange that there would be no debate and no convincing her that Rafael should know. She believed her son should go on to rule the country without any of that kind of baggage, and she’d found plenty of little ways to let Felicity know she was always watching to ensure Felicity didn’t make trouble.
“A girls’ night?” she asked, just in time to save the silence between them from becoming awkward. “What do you mean?”
Rafael rubbed his hands over his face, looking so human it made her heart twist. “I’m not sure I can plan our day off in a timely fashion,” he said. “With the referendum coming up, I’m just not sure that—” He took his hands away from his face and smiled. “I’m not sure that I should be scheduling private days. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a break.”
Excitement fluttered in her chest. “A girls’ night, then?”
“I thought you and Joy could have an evening out. I’ll invite some others, too, make it something of a party.”
Rafael kept his word. Two days later, a car equipped to handle Joy’s wheelchair pulled up in front of the Stolvenian capital’s fanciest restaurant. The sun had set, and the front of the restaurant glowed with gas lamps. A valet stood waiting to take the car—not that it would be needed, with a private driver—and other uniformed staff waited. The velvet ropes lining the entrance were beginning to look rather comforting. Three security guards flanked the ropes.
Joy reached over and squeezed her hand. “This is exciting. Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” Felicity lied. She was. The more Rafael had told her about the guest list, the more she’d known that this was another way for the nation to get to know her. It wasn’t what she’d asked for at all.
Inside, a long table was surrounded by women all dressed beautifully, all talking to each other as if they’d known each other for years. That was because they had. Rafael had invited distant cousins from the royal family, famous Stolvenian artists and artisans, and businesswomen from all over the capital.
It was only a matter of moments before they noticed Felicity and Joy, pulling the women into their circle. One woman, Marta, told Felicity with a breathless excitement that she was foremost in the wedding invitation business in Stolvenia and, in fact, couldn’t wait for wedding planning to go full-steam ahead.
“Yes,” answered Felicity. “I’m excited, too. Also a little nervous. There’s so much to do, and I want to do it well.”
“You can do it well,” Joy said from beside her. “King Rafael is lucky to have you. As queen, you’ll be able to take your HR skills to a new level and get things done on a large scale.”
Marta blinked, still smiling as another woman stepped to her side. “A large scale?” the second woman said, extending her hand for Felicity to shake before turning to Joy. “I’m Oksana, and I’m curious to hear what you’re hoping your sister will tackle when all the dust from the wedding has settled.” She looked so familiar, but Felicity couldn’t place her—not exactly.
“There’s a lot of good to be done, I think.” Joy was in her element.
Marta laughed. “What kind of good?”
“Oh, I just think—” Joy didn’t hesitate. “I think there’s room in Stolvenia for a little more focus on women’s rights. I think the healthcare system could stand to be more universal, covering more of what women need. I was talking with some of our staff the other day, and I learned that women have to pay out of pocket for maternity insurance to cover extra costs. And I’m not satisfied that women are paid equally with men.” Joy laughed. “I could go on forever, but now’s probably not the time.
“That’s quite a lot,” the second woman said, and reached for her purse, tugging something out from inside.
“Wait,” said Felicity. “Are you—”
“Oksana Orlov.” She was scribbling on a notepad now. “The Capital Daily.” She finished writing and slipped the pen and notebook back into her purse. “We’ve heard from your sister,” she said, flicking her eyes back toward Felicity. “What are your thoughts on the matter?” She chuckled softly. “I suppose more than one thing has been brought up, but they all fall under the umbrella of women’s rights.”
Felicity swallowed hard. This was the kind of thing that Rafael always wanted her to steer clear of. It was not her job to wade into controversy, but that didn’t seem to matter. The controversy found her anyway.
Everyone was waiting for her to speak, not least of all Joy.
There was a choice to be made here, and Felicity knew it. She could be political—be the princess—or she could be truthful and stand up for what she believed in.
“I agree with my sister,” she said firmly, even though her heart was racing. Then she clapped her hands. “Now, who’s ready for dinner?”
* * *
Rafael had never been so proud of himself.
He’d given Sara the evening off, and he’d handled things remarkably well with Hope. They had already read five books together, one of them twice at Hope’s insistence. Rafael had done some research on his own about child development, and the studies showed that reading three books a day to your child would give them a big head start when it came to learning to read.
He was rocking this.
“The witch came back again,” he read from the toddler version of Snow White while Hope cuddled against his side, stroking the ribbon around Mr. Bear’s neck. “Now. This witch has come back three times,” Rafael said softly. “Snow White should stand strong and send her away, since she has a bad feeling about her. You should follow your instincts, Hope. It’s part of being a good leader, and a good leader is a strong ruler.”
Hope smiled at him as if she understood. “Ruler,” she said, and smiled wider. The expression on her face melted his heart. He thought it couldn’t melt any further, but then the little girl yawned, leaning her head against his arm.
“You’re right,” he said, closing the book. “It’s time for bed.”
He’d successfully tucked her in, and Hope was asleep when he came back out into the hallway…and found Felicity there, waiting. She opened the door to her own bedroom and dropped her purse inside.
“How did it go?” she whispered. Felicity’s eyes were bright, but there was a pinch of worry in her forehead. He leaned down and kissed her there, willing it away.
“It was wonderful.” He told her about the books they’d read, and the games they’d played, and how easily Hope had gone to sleep for him. “How was dinner?”
“Oh, it was…” Felicity followed him out to the living room, and the two of them sat down on the couch together. “It was very interesting. I met…well, I met a woman who I couldn’t quite place at first, and then Joy—”
Rafael’s phone buzzed in his pocket. “It’s all right. It can wait.” He reached in and pressed the button to dismiss the notification. But the phone only buzzed again, and again.
“Rafael, I think you should know—”
The buzzing was incessant. “I’m sorry about this.” He took the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. Then he looked back up at Felicity. She was staring down at his phone, too.
“Oh, it’s already out,” she breathed.
“Felicity, what am I looking at?”
She sat back against the couch. “You might as well read it for yourself.”
Felicity stared down at her hands as Rafael pulled up the first available link. It was one from the Capital Daily.
The words screamed out of the page at him. FUTURE QUEEN’S SISTER and LIBERAL and COUNTRY READY FOR CHANGE?
The article was glowing, breathless, exciting. But Rafael felt like his chest was in a vise.
He’d wanted things to stay the way they were. He’d wanted a steady ship, on still waters. That was his role, that was what everyone expected of him—that he would maintain the status quo. That was the point of winning the referendum.
But now Joy had upended that. Rafael was used to being the one to steer the debate, to put people’s focus where he wanted it to be, but a wild card had been played.
He clicked back to the first page. Every time he refreshed his phone, another article took its place. The internet was buzzing with Joy’s words, and opinions were flying. There was no way he could stop it now.
European Billionaire Beaus: The Complete Series Page 27