The Billionaire Prince’s Surprise Son by Leslie North

19

Nic slept fitfully in his childhood bedroom at the palace, determined to give Summer and Harry space after his decision the previous night. He didn’t doubt that she’d follow through with her threat—that she’d leave, taking Harry with her. And he couldn’t blame her. She deserved more than he had given them. She deserved the love and attention of a man who could put her and Harry first and foremost, above everything else.

It was early morning, and after tossing and turning, he finally admitted that he wouldn’t be able to get any more sleep. He showered, then got dressed in some clothes he’d left here, a pair of jeans and a T-shirt from the L.A. hospital where he and Summer had spent their residency. It was salt in his wound, but he still reached for the faded soft cotton shirt. It was like punishment he deserved.

He wandered down the hallway, unwilling to face his parents, and equally unable to go back home and feel the empty hole left by Summer and Harry’s absence. He found himself going deeper into the residence, to a portion of the palace he rarely returned to. He opened the long-disused-but-never-forgotten door.

Tom’s bedroom.

They’d removed the hospital bed that used to dominate the room, replacing it with a simple full bed that he couldn’t remember Tom using. Other than that, though, it was similar to Nic’s room—it hadn’t changed at all. The walls were a soft gold, reminiscent of sunshine, the curtains and comforter as blood-scarlet as Mynia’s flag, shot through with more gold. On an entertainment center with a large TV, there were old video game consoles, showing no signs of dust… the cleaning staff was still doing their job, keeping the relics of his brother’s life as spotless as when he’d been there.

I’m going to be a doctor, Nicky.

Nic forced himself to look at the books on the bookshelf. There was plenty of fiction—mostly sci-fi and fantasy, Tom’s favorite genres—but there were also lots of scientific textbooks. Pre-med. Tom had looked into getting into school sooner, but his body had rebelled, despite the brilliance of his mind. Nic had taken pre-med classes specifically to share with his brother, even though the double-major with international relations had been a tough challenge.

I promise you, Tom, I’ll be the doctor you wanted to be.

He could still remember Tom’s single tear in response to that promise. By that point, Tom couldn’t speak. He’d died too soon after.

Nic sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing his hands over his face. He didn’t know how to keep doing this. He just knew he couldn’t stop.

“I wasn’t sure where to find you,” his father said, framed in Tom’s doorway, looking concerned. “I’d heard you might have had a bit of a disagreement with Summer. Is everything all right?”

Nic grimaced, hanging his head. “She’s leaving.”

“She’s leaving?” his father echoed. “Does that mean she’s taking Harry with her? What in the world happened?”

Nic winced, every muscle tensing. “I blew it,” he said after a long pause. When his father stayed expectantly quiet, Nic huffed out an exasperated breath. “I should’ve known I couldn’t make it work.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I can’t give them what they need!” Nic exploded, then winced. He was upset, but his father didn’t need him lashing out. “They deserve more. More attention. More time than I can devote to them.”

“Then you need to make time,” his father said somberly.

“I can’t even handle what I’ve got going on now.” He rubbed at the knot at the base of his skull. “When I’m not at the hospital, I’m doing policy work. There are fundraisers and galas and public appearances. There’s…” He swallowed, then finally spat out the words he’d been dreading. “There’s too much on my plate. Summer deserves more than a husband who falls asleep at his desk. Harry deserves a better father than one who barely makes it through playtime without getting called away to a meeting or a patient emergency.”

There was more, an underlying fear. But Nic couldn’t voice that. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

His father sighed, then sat next to him on the bed. “Son, I love you more than you will ever know,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “So this is said with love. What you’ve just said?”

Nic nodded.

“Is horseshit.”

Nic jolted like he’d been shocked. “What?”

“I’ve devoted most of my adult life to Mynia,” he continued. “I know how important it is. But I would walk away from the throne in a second for your mother and for you. I hope you never felt like I would do otherwise. Family comes first.”

“I’m doing this for family,” Nic rasped. “I’ve known how important being Crown Prince is! Since I was a kid, I’ve been getting ready for it. We’ve got an entire country to take care of. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do to help them. To help you.”

His father put a hand on his arm, his expression gentle and understanding. “And what about being a doctor, Nic?”

Nic fell silent.

“You were always a highly intelligent young man,” his father continued. “It threw your mother and I when you decided to pursue medicine, but we have always supported you, and neither of us were surprised when you were so good at it. That said, I will admit I have been worried, watching you spread yourself so thin. You can’t keep this up. No one could.”

Nic felt the truth of those words deep in his chest. He gritted his teeth. “I made a promise,” he whispered. “Tom… always wanted to be a doctor.”

“Yes.” His father’s voice bobbled for a second, then steadied. “That was his dream. You can’t live his life for him. You can’t sacrifice your happiness just because you survived.”

Nic felt tears stinging at his eyes, burning like acid. “It’s not just that,” he said, although he felt oddly vulnerable at having his private fear, his private grief, revealed. “I’m a good doctor. What would we have done if doctors hadn’t been there for Tom?”

His father took a deep breath. “Did doctors save Tom’s life?”

Nic blinked like he’d been slapped.

“No. They did the best they could, and I thank them for every day that they helped Tom live,” he said, and Nic noticed that his eyes were damp. “They gave him more years than he would have had otherwise, but they couldn’t stop it. And you can’t save every sick child out there, no matter how hard you work. Tom wouldn’t want you to kill yourself, or to give up having happiness and a family, because you lived and he didn’t.”

Nic couldn’t help it. The words unlocked something in him, some deep-seated grief. Like a dam breaking, he found himself crying, in a way he realized he’d never let himself. Even when Tom died, he’d kept this bottled up, and now it was releasing itself in a storm of sorrow.

“You are good at being a doctor, and if you want to keep pursuing it, you obviously can,” his father said, once the worst of the emotional wave had subsided. “And obviously you’re a damned fine policymaker, and I’d love to have you take my place as king when the time comes… but you don’t have to. We can figure out a way around it. What would make you happy?”

Nic took a deep breath, embarrassed that it was shaky. “I’ll… need to think about it. But first and foremost, I need to figure out how to get Summer and Harry back.”

“Well, telling her you love her would probably be a good place to start,” his father rumbled, then his eyes widened. “You do love her, don’t you, son?”

Nic tilted his head. He wanted her, without question. Thinking of Summer’s downy-soft skin, the gasps of pleasure she’d give, the way she’d arch her back against him… and the amazing, loving warmth of their afterglow. The sex was off the charts.

But the affection between the two of them was just as addictive, like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He thought of Summer herself, and the way the sunlight hit her gold-bright hair, her peal of laughter. Her amazing competence, both as a doctor and a mother. The late-night conversations they’d had in the kitchen, snacking on food before collapsing into bed. He enjoyed her company, her personality. He felt better around her.

He felt like a better person when he was with her. And he wanted to be with her all the time.

“Yes,” Nic finally said slowly. “I do love her.”

“And Harry?” his father prompted.

Nic swallowed hard. “I love him, too. But… I get scared. He’s so small. So many things could go wrong,” Nic admitted, looking at the mementos of his dead brother’s life. “What if I lose him? It makes me crazy to even think about it. How did you bear it?”

“You can’t protect yourself from pain or loss. At the same time, you can’t fixate on it, not if you want to have any kind of a life. I mourn your brother, in my own way, every day.” He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. “But I wouldn’t trade one day that I had with him, not even if it meant I wouldn’t hurt. Not one single day.”

Nic let himself be comforted by his father’s words. They probably should have had this conversation a long time ago. But the important part was, he heard them now. It felt like he’d been cleansed, and was emerging, shaky but determined.

He stood up. “I have to find Summer. I need to talk to her.”

“Go get her,” his father said. “And remember—I’m here to talk to you whenever you need me.”

Nic hugged him, then rushed out of the palace, heading for his home. When he got there, Summer and Harry were already gone, as was their luggage. She’d talked about leaving the country entirely. A few calls to her cell went straight to voicemail—she was obviously avoiding him.

Where would she go? He had placed that trust for Harry’s care, so he wasn’t worried about them living on the street or anything. She could theoretically go anywhere, any country she wanted. Hell, she might’ve even taken a private jet and left already. How would he find them?

His brain worked frantically for a moment, then he realized who Summer would talk to, since she didn’t have any family left. He bolted to his office and opened up his laptop, finding the Skype address that Summer had used to call Rachel.

“Please pick up, please pick up,” he muttered.

Rachel answered, then narrowed her eyes at him. Obviously, she’d been expecting Summer, since it was signed into her account. “You’ve got some nerve.”

“Rachel, please, I screwed up badly,” Nic said, hoping she wouldn’t hang up on him. “I want to make this right. I don’t want to lose her and Harry. Can you tell me where they are?”

“I’m on Summer’s side,” Rachel said coldly. “Not yours.”

“I’m on Summer’s side, too,” he countered. “I love her, Rachel. She doesn’t even know that. I don’t want her to go away not knowing how much she and Harry mean to me.”

Rachel’s eyes widened. “Yeah, this is definitely a conversation you should be having with her, not me.”

“Do you know where she is?”

Rachel sighed, then rubbed at her temples. “She’s going to be coming to see me, here in L.A. I told her she could crash here.”

“So she hasn’t left yet?”

“She should be at the airport,” Rachel grumbled. “Don’t make me regret telling you. Because if I find out you used this information and just hurt her more, I am going to make sure you’re sorry you did. And don’t think I’m bluffing. I don’t care if you are a prince.”

“Thank you,” Nic breathed. “I’ll make sure she isn’t hurt, I promise.”

And with that, he hung up, rushing back out to where Felix was waiting.

“Airport,” Nic said sharply, even as his mind raced. “As fast as you can!”

What the hell was he going to say to Summer? How could he change her mind and show her that he truly was sorry, and he wanted to prove through actions how much she and Harry meant to him?

He wasn’t sure. But he had a good twenty minutes before they got to the airport. Hopefully, he’d be able to figure something out by then.