The Billionaire Prince’s Surprise Son by Leslie North

7

Summer felt like the world’s most self-conscious Cinderella. The queen herself had taken her shopping, some super-private boutique where she was catered to like… well, like a princess. They’d chosen a shimmering midnight blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and a flowing long skirt. A pair of killer Christian Louboutins, in a matching blue with peep toes and dramatic bows at the back of the heel, completed the look.

The price tags made her stomach drop like she was on a roller coaster, but the queen waved it away, putting it on Nic’s account. “Someday you’ll be representing Mynia, and this will all be old hat,” Isabella said, with a small grin. “At least, that’s what I hope. You and Harry are so sweet.”

“Thank you,” Summer said, trying not to squirm at the compliment. “You and the king have been wonderful, too.” She struggled with how to word it. “Less… formal than I would have expected.”

Isabella smiled. “That was always because of the boys,” she said. “Frederick and I wanted to make sure that our family was just that, a family. There are so many royal families where the image and the role become more important than the actual people. We never wanted that.”

Summer nodded, then mentally paused. The boys? As far as she knew, Nic was an only child.

“Let’s make this a full girl’s day, shall we?” the queen continued, her eyes twinkling, before Summer could ask anything. “It’s been ages since I’ve had a bit of a spa day.”

Which is how Summer found herself at a small but luxurious spa, getting a massage, which felt like heaven to her shoulders and arms, sore from lugging Harry around, and her feet, which were usually a wreck from hours spent doing rounds at the hospital. She was in a little cocoon of happiness when a hair stylist came in, taming the wild shoulder-length waves of her hair into something that looked elegant and sexy, and then a cosmetician artfully applied her makeup. She looked at herself in the mirror, eyes widening with surprise. She looked good. Still like herself, but completely glamorous at the same time. The effect was compounded when she got dressed.

She was meeting Nic at the hotel where the gala was being held, and because of her impromptu spa day with the queen, she was headed directly there to meet him. They’d talked about going together, but Nic realized that it would cause too much of a commotion, too many questions. She and Nic still needed to have a meeting with the head of Royal Communications and some ministers, about how and when they were going to roll out the identity of the new royal heir. In the meantime, they would limit public appearances with Harry and Nic together: it was simply too easy to see the similarities between the two. For tonight, she was just going to meet Nic there as his colleague and casual date.

The hotel was on the other side of the island, one of the expensive resorts that overlooked the sea. It was gorgeous, a pair of shiny towers rising up out of the white sand beach, all black and silver and sleek. She rode the glass elevator to the rooftop, doors opening to a party in full swing, with men in expensive tuxedos and women in a rainbow of fancy gowns. Summer tried not to swivel her head to look at everything at once.

Just be cool.The last thing she needed—and Nic needed—was for her to draw attention to herself, and show just how poorly she fit into this crowd.

She was sipping at a flute of champagne one of the caterers had offered when Nic arrived. He stepped out of the elevator, looking like a million dollars in a tailored black tuxedo, every hair in place, his blue eyes piercing as his gaze swept the room. She could hear conversations stop immediately, then murmurs explode as they recognized the Crown Prince’s arrival. She couldn’t blame them: Nic looked mesmerizing, every inch the handsome royal. People fawned over him. Women tried to catch his eye. People shook his hand, drawing him into conversation. He worked the room, slowly making his way over to her.

This was so outside of her comfort zone, it might as well be outer space. Part of her felt like ducking out the service elevator and fleeing back to the house. But Nic was determined to spend time with her, to get to know her again, and given his schedule, this might be one of the best times for them to accomplish that. Besides, the important thing was this was his world. If things worked out—if they worked out—this was going to be Harry’s world, too. If she couldn’t manage a simple gala, it would bode ill for their future.

No pressure.

Nic finally made it to her side, nodding hello to someone before focusing on her. He seemed to pick up on her stress and gave her a comforting squeeze around her shoulders. “You doing all right? I’m sorry about the separate entrances,” he apologized.

“It’s fine,” she said truthfully, glad that all that attention hadn’t been focused on her—not until they had more answers about whatever the heck they were. “Really. No problem.”

“What do you think?” He gestured around the room.

She smiled, a little strained. “It’s gorgeous,” she said honestly. “A little intimidating, but…”

“Don’t feel intimidated,” he quickly said. “You look amazing. I’m proud to be here with you.” His grin was quicksilver, his blue eyes shining. “I’m lucky to be here with you.”

She felt her cheeks heat with a blush, whether that was from the compliment or the sparkling wine, she wasn’t sure.

“C’mon. You should see the view,” he said, tugging her towards the rail. She gasped. The sun was setting into the water, the sky melting from a fiery orange to salmon to a deep purple-violet before finally turning to the deep darkness of night. It was breathtaking.

“Look who decided to show up,” a male voice teased.

Summer looked over her shoulder to see two tall, handsome men with matching grins, zeroing in on Nic. Nic immediately broke out into a rueful grin in response.

“Man,” Nic said, shaking his head. “They’ll let anybody in these days, won’t they?”

The three burst into a shared laugh, shaking hands, giving each other those one-shoulder “bro-hugs.” Then the two men looked at Summer with obvious curiosity.

Nic put his arm around her shoulders, almost protectively, and smiled at her with enough fondness that she felt her stomach flutter and heat.

“This is Summer Rand,” Nic said. “We were residents together, in California, and now she’s a fellow at the hospital here in Mynia. We were fortunate enough to reconnect.”

“Ah.” The first guy’s look was assessing. Summer sent Nic a prompting look.

“Right. These are my two best, oldest friends,” he continued. “Prince Erik Devlin, and Prince Ben Durand.”

“Princes?” Summer squeaked. “Both of you?”

“Don’t hold it against us,” Prince Erik said with a wink.

“And please,” Prince Ben added, “just Ben and Erik. Let’s not stand on ceremony.”

“Ah, Your Highness.” A platinum blonde woman in a shimmering silver gown interrupted apologetically. “If you have a moment, a few members of the bank’s board would love to have a word?”

Nic shot a sheepish look at Summer. “It’ll just be a moment,” he leaned closer, whispering in her ear. Then he spoke more clearly. “I’ll just leave you in Erik and Ben’s hands. I promise, I won’t be long.”

“You do what you need to do,” Summer assured him. It was part of his job, she imagined, and she didn’t want to get in the way of that. It did make her a little uncomfortable, though. The woman escorted Nic towards a group of older men and women who greeted him enthusiastically. She watched as he shook hands, his smile warm and winning. Every person seemed to bloom under his attention.

“I see he’s still a charming bastard when he wants to be,” Erik noticed wryly. “Was he like that in California?”

“Like you said, when he wants to be,” she echoed. “He’s got a wonderful bedside manner, can make any kid or parent feel at ease. It’s part of what makes him a great doctor.”

“It’s what makes him a great Crown Prince,” Ben said. “The guy was born to be king.”

She smirked at him. “Aren’t you technically all born to be king?”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me.” Erik rolled his eyes, then grinned at her.

“Yes, technically,” Ben said instead. “But even when we were kids, you could tell—Nic just had skills. Smart, earnest, well-spoken.”

“Kept us from getting in trouble a slew of times,” Erik added. “He’s got this trustworthy vibe.”

She nodded. She’d certainly felt that way about him.

Until he left.

“So you knew him when he was growing up,” Summer said, shaking off the negative path her mind was starting to wander down. “I’ll bet you have some great stories.”

Erik’s grin widened.

Half an hour later, Nic made his way back to Summer’s side. “I’m so sorry,” he said, rubbing her bare shoulder lightly with his fingertips. “That took a bit longer than I’d hoped.”

“That’s fine,” she reassured him. “Erik and Ben here have been sharing stories about your summers together.”

“Oh?” Nic’s eyebrow quirked as he surveyed his friends.

Ben’s laugh was deep and rolling. “Rest assured, nothing too bad.”

“We were saving the worst for blackmail purposes,” Erik joked.

Nic shook his head, smiling ruefully. “I’ve done the royal rounds,” he said, “met all the requisite patrons, and now I’m starving. Want to get out of here?” His sky-blue gaze was heated.

“All right,” she said. “What did you have in mind?”

She wondered if he was going to suggest something else to complete the fairy tale experience. Some luxurious restaurant for a sumptuous eight-course private dinner? Or a gourmet picnic somewhere? She wasn’t sure if she was excited or exhausted. She felt so out of place.

“If I’m being honest,” he said, in a low, shiver-inducing voice, “I could murder a pizza right now.”

She couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. “You really haven’t changed, have you?”

He sighed. “I may be a prince, Summer, but it doesn’t change who I am. I’m still the Nic you knew.” He gestured at the opulence surrounding them. “I just… have this too.”

She took a deep breath. “So, about this pizza.”

His grin was everything.

* * *

After saying goodbye to his friends, Nic took Summer down the boardwalk, near the hotel. It was lined with cute, touristy shops, cafes, and restaurants. It was still high end, especially with that proximity to the hotel, but it didn’t make her feel as out of place as the swanky gala had. Even though she was wearing a ball gown and he was wearing a tuxedo as they headed for a pizza place. Their bodyguard grabbed a small box of individual pizzas and handed them over before discretely hanging back, giving them some privacy while still keeping a watchful eye. Nic lead Summer to a bench overlooking the water, away from any curious onlookers who might recognize the Crown Prince. The moon glinted on the surf. They opened the box and dug in, laughing.

“It’s no Santa Monica, huh?” she said, around a mouthful of cheesy goodness.

He shook his head. “And it’s no Giovanni’s,” he admitted, referring to one of their favorite haunts. “But still—you can’t beat pizza and the beach.”

She tilted her head, studying him as he mowed through his own slice. “You keep surprising me,” she murmured. “Mostly because you’re not surprising me.”

He blinked, swallowing a mouthful of pizza. “That makes no sense.”

“Tonight was the first time I saw you in full ‘prince’ mode,” she said. “People were gobsmacked. I mean, shouldn’t you have a bodyguard or something right now? How are you not swarmed with paparazzi?”

“Mynia’s not that big a kingdom,” he answered, smiling. “For the most part, people are respectful. And I’ve been lucky. So how am I not surprising you?”

She made a vague gesture around the promenade, the hotel, his tux, “I can still see the Nic I knew, you know? The guy with the dry sense of humor, the one who can eat his own body weight in pizza, the man who likes terrible horror movies with ridiculous special effects.”

The man I fell in love with. But no way was she saying that out loud.

He stared at her for a long second. “That’s what I always loved about you,” he said, and she had to force herself to ignore the sheer thrill those words shot through her. “You didn’t have all this… this royal stuff clouding the picture. You always saw me for me.”

She thought that was one of the sweetest, and saddest, things she’d ever heard. “I just wish you’d trusted me enough to tell me the truth.”

“I should have.” His voice was sliced through with regret.

“So. Where does that leave us?”

She knew she probably shouldn’t be getting too heavy, if they were just getting to know each other again. And to be honest, the fellowship was only for a year. If she were being smart, she should keep in mind that he’d abandoned her once, and keep her distance. There was no telling what kind of relationship they’d have after a year. She had Harry to think about, too. She needed to protect her heart, and her kid.

“There is something I want to say,” Nic said, as he wiped his hands and mouth with the napkins from the restaurant. His expression was serious. “It’s my fault that you couldn’t get a hold of me, and that made it hard for you to take care of Harry. I don’t ever, ever want you to be in that position again.”

“Well, I know where you are now…”

He held up a hand. “I’m going to give you a trust. Now, before you say no,” he continued, essentially cutting off her protest, “this has no strings attached. This is your money, to use however you see fit, to take care of our son.”

She felt her back straighten. “Why?”

“I want to see where things go with us,” he rasped, his light blue eyes glowing silver in the moonlight. “I want to be with you, Summer. But only when—and if—you’re ready. And even if, somehow, things don’t work out between us… I don’t want you to feel obligated to me, just to take care of Harry.”

She swallowed against the knot of emotion in her throat. It was thoughtful. He so easily could’ve taken the power imbalance between them and used it as leverage, made her do what he wanted, made her fight for her own freedom. But instead, he took the most precious care to make sure she felt safe and independent… and that their son was looked after.

She couldn’t help it. She melted a little, her heart pounding in her chest.

“I’ll…” She huffed out a tiny, courageous breath. “I’ll try, Nic.”

He smiled, and she leaned forward, just a little. He met her with a sweet, soft kiss that held more promise than urgency, focusing more on the future and less on regrets.

“Small steps,” he said, with a sexy, lopsided smile.

“Small steps,” she echoed, then smiled. “Now, let’s get back before Harry drives your parents up a wall.”