Читать книгу Heiress's Royal Baby Bombshell - Jennifer Faye - Страница 9

WHAT WAS SHE going to do?

Noemi paced back and forth in her luxurious bedroom in her family’s palatial chalet. A gentle fire flickered in the fireplace, keeping her suite cozy. She couldn’t sit still.

So much had happened in the last few months that it made her head spin. First, the pregnancy test had turned up positive. As she’d struggled to come to terms with what this meant to her future, she’d stumbled across the fact that she had a long-lost brother. The realization had jarred her entire world. How could her parents have kept Leo a secret all her life?

An ensuing row between her and her parents had her shouting out hurtful words—words she didn’t mean. And yet now she couldn’t take them back. She couldn’t tell her parents she was sorry and that she loved them.

They were dead.

The reading of their will had succeeded in driving home the fact that her parents wouldn’t be here at the chalet as was their Christmas tradition. But the three siblings intended to spend the holiday together.

It had been strange to meet her brother Leo for the first time, even stranger to hear the contents of her parents’ will. She never would have imagined that the terms of the will would be the way they were. Clearly Sebastian hadn’t either, because when he’d discovered that his parents had given Leo controlling shares in Cattaneo Jewels for six months, he’d been furious. And although Leo had been clearly reluctant, the terms stated that should Leo refuse, Cattaneo Jewels would cease trading and be liquidated. And none of them had wanted that.

But tempers and emotions had risen, and it was all Noemi had been able to do to convince her brothers to think on it and to return here to the chalet in Mont Coeur just before Christmas for the final decision.

Even now, she could only guess at what her parents had been thinking when they’d written the will and its unusual terms. She missed them dearly—most especially her mother. She needed her now more than ever.

Noemi swiped at her eyes as she thought of her mother. And though their last conversation had been heated and hurtful, Noemi didn’t doubt her parents had loved her—even if she had made mistakes along the way. But all the wishing in the world wasn’t going to erase the last angry words that they’d exchanged, nor would it bring them back to her.

Noemi moved to the French doors in her room and stared out at the cloudy afternoon sky as big lazy snowflakes drifted ever so slowly to the ground. It was a light snow. The kind that melted as soon as it touched the roads. And any other time she’d be caught up in the peaceful relaxing view. But not today.

She was running out of time to keep her secret to herself. Her hand pressed to her slightly rounded abdomen. No amount of baggy clothes was going to hide her pregnancy much longer.

And what was she supposed to say to people when they asked who the father was? His name is Max? He has the dreamiest eyes that appear to change colors to suit his mood? And his body is like a sculpture of defined muscles? Or when he laughs it is deep and rich? Even now, his memory brought a smile to her face.

After the most magical night, he’d insisted that it would be best not to exchange full names or phone numbers. She’d hesitantly agreed. Neither of them had been looking for a lasting relationship. And now that she really needed to speak to him, she didn’t know how to reach him. She’d even asked Stephania about him, but she didn’t know him—

Noemi’s cell phone buzzed. She moved to the bed and picked it up. She wasn’t in the mood to speak to anyone, but when she saw that it was Maria, her sister-in-law and close friend, she answered.

“How are you doing?” Maria asked.

“Okay. I guess.” Noemi sighed.

“Really? I’d hate to hear you if something was wrong.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re usually bubbly but lately you’ve been really down. Is it your parents?”

“No. I mean, I miss them a lot.”

“So something else is bothering you?”

Maria had always been good at reading her. And she was the closest thing Noemi had to a big sister. If she didn’t talk to someone soon, she was going to burst.

Noemi worried her bottom lip. “Can I tell you something?”

“Sure. You know you can always talk to me. Is it about the reading of your parents’ will?”

Noemi shook her head and then realized Maria couldn’t see her. “It’s not that. But if I tell you this, you have to promise not to say a word to Sebastian.”

There was a slight pause on the other end of the phone.

“Never mind,” Noemi said. “I never should have asked you to keep anything from my brother.”

“It’s okay. You need someone to confide in and I promise your brother won’t hear a thing from me. Sometimes he can be a bit overprotective where you’re concerned.”

“And when he hears about this, he’s going to hit the roof. He’ll be just like Papa—” She stopped, recalling how poorly her parents had taken the news of her pregnancy.

Even though her parents had had a child in their teens and had given him up for adoption, they’d still been disappointed with her unplanned pregnancy. What was up with that? It wasn’t like she’d set out to wreck her life. She’d thought that out of all the people in the world, they would have been the ones to understand. They hadn’t. And it had hurt Noemi deeply. Worse yet, they’d died before she could ever put things to right.

“Relax.” Maria’s voice drew Noemi out of her thoughts. “We’ll figure out how to deal with him.”

“Thanks. But I’ll deal with him.”

“Whatever you want. But you still haven’t told me your problem. Maybe I can help. Perhaps it isn’t as big as you’re imagining.”

“No. It’s bigger.” Noemi’s insides quivered with nerves. By saying the words out loud, it was going to make this pregnancy real. Just like the reading of the will had made her parents’ deaths startling real. Once she told Maria about the baby, there would be no more pretending. In less than six months, she was going to give birth.

“Noemi...”

“I’m pregnant.”

Silence. Utter and complete silence.

Noemi’s heart raced. Her hands grew clammy. And her stomach churned. What was Maria thinking? Was she disappointed in her, too, just like her parents had been?

“Are you sure?”

Noemi nodded. “I took three home pregnancy tests and then I went to see the doctor. It’s official.”

“I don’t know what to say.” There was a pause as though Maria was searching for the right words. “How do you feel about it?”

“I knew I wanted kids someday, but not yet—not now. I’m only twenty-six.”

“And the father, how does he feel?”

“I... I don’t know.”

“Noemi, you’ve told him, haven’t you?”

She inhaled a deep breath, trying to calm her nauseous stomach. And then she launched into how she’d met Max and how stupid she’d been that night. She’d been hurting and not thinking straight. And she thought it would be a good time without any strings.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be all right,” Maria said, though her voice said otherwise.

“Even you don’t believe it. What am I going to do? I’m not going to be able to hide my condition much longer. Most of my clothes don’t fit.”

“I know.” Maria’s voice rose as though she’d just discovered the answer to all Noemi’s problems.

“What?” She was desperate for some good advice.

“You need some retail therapy.”

Noemi’s shoulders drooped. That was the very last thing she wanted to do. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’m very serious. What are you doing right now?”

“Maria...”

“Tell me what you’re doing?”

“Pacing in my room.”

“And that is helping you how?”

“I’m thinking.”

“And so far it hasn’t gotten you any answers. You need to get out of that chalet. The fresh air will do you good. Shopping is just what you need.”

“Is that what you did when you and Sebastian separated?” And then realizing that she was touching on a very painful subject, she said, “Forget I said that. I’m just not myself today.”

“Actually, it is what I did.”

“Did it help?”

“Temporarily.” Her voice filled with emotion. “Enough about me. I hope you know that if I could manage it, I’d be there with you, but trust me, after you buy some Christmas presents and new clothes for yourself that are comfortable, you’ll feel much better. There’s nothing worse than squeezing into clothes that don’t fit.”

Maria had given birth to Noemi’s nephew, Frankie, nearly two years ago. She knew a lot more about pregnancy than Noemi. Maybe she was right. She glanced over at her discarded jeans on the bed. She’d barely gotten them buttoned, but she hadn’t been able to pull up the zipper. And no matter how much she enjoyed her leggings, she couldn’t stay in them forever.

“You’ll do it, won’t you?” Maria prompted.

“Yes, I’ll go.”

“Good. Call me later and let me know how it goes.”

After the conversation ended, Noemi still wasn’t certain that shopping was the right thing to do, but what else did she have to do considering she was at the chalet alone? Her gaze moved to the discarded jeans on her king-size bed. No way was she going to put those on again. Her black leggings would have to do.

She moved to the walk-in closet, hoping she could find something to wear besides her T-shirt. She sifted through the hangers until she strayed across a white long-sleeve V-neck knit tunic. It was loose but not too baggy and it’d go great with her leggings as well as her knee-high black boots.

With her wardrobe sorted, she was ready to head into the village. She would search for some roomier clothes and see what she could find for Christmas, which was only a few weeks away.

He didn’t want to be here.

Not really.

Crown Prince Maximilian Steiner-Wolf, known to his friends as Max, sat in the back seat of his sports utility vehicle as one of his three bodyguards maneuvered it along the windy road in the Swiss Alps. His bodyguard and friend, Roc, sat in the passenger seat while Shaun, a bodyguard of similar stature and looks, sat next to him. He couldn’t go anywhere without at least a small security detail.

Being the crown prince came with certain nonnegotiable restrictions. One of them was his safety. He may insist on traveling but the king demanded that his safety always be taken into consideration. It was a hassle but the guards were very good at becoming invisible unless their presence was required.

Max turned his head to the window and stared out at the snowy landscape of the mountainous region with some of the best slopes in all Europe. He was planning to spend a week or two skiing at Mont Coeur before returning to the palace in the European principality of Ostania.

He hadn’t been home in months, but the approaching holidays were a big thing, not only at the palace but also throughout Ostania. And his mother had called, insisting he spend Christmas with them. After all, he was still the crown prince, even though he would never be king. However, the royal family was still keeping up appearances with the public.

Though Max was the firstborn and had been groomed from birth to take the throne of the small European country, no one had foreseen that he would be diagnosed with cancer in his teens. Although his treatment had been successful, doctors informed him that the cure had very likely rendered him sterile. Royal decree stated that the ruler of Ostania must produce an heir verified by a paternity test. From then on, Max knew it was impossible for him to take the throne.

So as not to cause the nation to panic over the future of Ostania, the palace had kept Max’s infertility quiet while attentions turned to preparing his younger brother, Tobias, to become the future ruler of Ostania. No one outside of the court circle knew, and meanwhile, to the world, Max was still the crown prince.

While all of his parents’ attention was showered on his little brother, Max roamed the world. He wasn’t as much of a party animal as the press claimed him to be, but he did know how to have a good time. However, that was all about to change.

The truth was he was tiring of his partying ways. Moving from city to city, beach to beach and resort to resort was growing old or maybe he was getting old. In the beginning, it had been fun. The freedom had been intoxicating, but now he was starting to get a hangover from too much partying. He needed to do more with his life and to do that he had to go home—he had to officially step down from his position as crown prince in order to find his future.

That acknowledgment stabbed deep into his heart. He’d always been competitive. His parents had raised him that way. And stepping aside to let his younger brother take his place didn’t come naturally to him. But it was more than that—it was knowing he was letting down his family—his country.

His stopover in Mont Coeur was to be his last. After he hit the slopes and cleared his head, he planned to return to Ostania to have a difficult talk with the king and queen. It had been put off long enough. Then he would lead a quieter, more productive life.

The SUV slowed as they entered the heart of the resort. Max instructed the driver to pull to a stop outside a ski supply shop. He’d lost his sunglases at the end of last season and he needed a new pair of shades before hitting the slopes.

Not waiting for his security to get the door for him, he let himself out. He’d just stepped into the narrow road when someone with a camera pointed at him. Max inwardly groaned. It was going to be one of those trips where he was besieged for photos and autographs. Normally it didn’t bother him, but right now he had a lot on his mind.

“It’s the Prince of Ostania!” someone shouted.

Everyone on the sidewalk turned in his direction.

Quickly his security guards flanked him. None spoke. They didn’t have to. The serious look on their faces said they meant business. Being recognized didn’t happen all the time. However, it happened more than Max would like.

Security escorted him around the vehicle. He forced a smile as he passed the tourists and then dashed into the shop. He hoped the people wouldn’t follow him.

Inside the shop, the walls were lined with snowboards and skies. In the background, “Let It Snow” played. Colorful twinkle lights were draped around the checkout where the workers wore red Santa hats with white pom-poms on the tips.

Figuring it might be easier to search for the sunglasses on his own, he bypassed the people at the checkout who were openly staring. He turned into the first aisle and nearly collided with a pretty young woman. She flashed him a big toothy smile. He intentionally didn’t smile, not wanting to encourage her attention. He gave a brief nod and excused himself as he made his way around her.

Ever since he’d met Noemi, no other women had turned his head—not the way she had. And yet, he’d let her get away without even getting her number. He’d thought at the time that he would get over her quickly. That’s the way it’d been with the other women who’d passed through his life. But there was something different about Noemi.

She acted tough, but inside where she didn’t want anyone to see, there was a vulnerability to her. She’d let him get close enough to gain a glimpse of her tender side. Much too soon, she’d hidden behind a big smile and a teasing comment.

He could clearly recall her beautiful face. Her brown eyes had gold specks like jewels. And when he closed his eyes, he could feel the gentle touch of her lips pressed to his. With a mental shake, he chased those thoughts to the back of his mind.

It didn’t take him long to find what he wanted and then he strode to the checkout where the pretty woman was standing, pretending to check out a display of lip balm while she stared at him.

He pretended not to notice as he paid the clerk. All he wanted now was to get to his private chalet and unwind. However, when he pushed open the front door and stepped onto the sidewalk, the crowd had multiplied. Flash after flash went off in his face.