Princess of Estoria (Royal Brides Book 2) Page 10

  “Call in,” he said, winding an arm around her waist.

  “You know I can’t.”

  His hands dropped away and irritation flickered across his face. “Why did you make a joke each time I brought up the possibility of you leaving your job and spending more time with me?”

  She shifted. “Because I know you aren’t serious.”

  “I am serious,” Andres insisted.

  “Sure you are.”

  “I’m not kidding, Angela. If I asked you now, would you?”

  The conversation had taken an unexpected turn. She averted her gaze to the breakfast spread to avoid his penetrating look. She felt as if this were some kind of test.

  “I can’t quit my job. You know that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’d rather not,” Angela answered, laughing to make light of the situation. An argument was definitely pending.

  “Why not?” he pushed.

  “Why would I? So you can lord over me?”

  The question was said in a half-joking manner, but his eyebrows snapped together. “Is that what you think? That I want to lord over you?” Before she could answer, he continued. “Maybe I’m just tired of this goddamn sneaking around. Every time I come see you, we stay in a hotel room.”

  “I thought you were fine with this arrangement.”

  “No, I’m not fine. I want to see you more often. I want to take you out. I want you to come with me to Estoria. I want to fly you to Paris for dinner or the Caribbean on vacation. I don’t always want to be holed up in a hotel.”

  “So this is about you?” She marched across the room in search of her messenger bag and purse. Where had she dumped them last night when she arrived?

  “No, it is not about me!” His voice got louder, his accent thicker.

  She swung around. “I’m having fun, the way we are. I don’t want or care about any of those things you mentioned.”

  “Well, maybe I do.”

  Angela’s heart rate ticked up. “Why? Why are you suddenly so adamant that we move beyond what we have? Why are you trying to get me to quit my job? I don’t want to lose myself and who I am. That’s not me. I’m not arm candy.”

  “Then I’ll give you a role in one of The Crown’s companies.”

  “Give me? If I took a position in one of your companies, I’d want to earn it.”

  “I have every confidence in you. You did a great job with my firm. The COO was very pleased with your recommendations.”

  “Thank you, but that’s not the point. What happens when you no longer want me around? I have to go job hunting again. Meanwhile, I’ve given up all the years I put in at Myers-Gomez? No thanks.”

  “Your role in my firm can be added to your résumé.”

  “I’m not interested.” He was right, but she refused to budge. “Frankly, considering how busy we both are, I think we see each other plenty.”

  “It’s barely enough.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that one day, every few weeks won’t be enough. Spending time together only when our schedules can coincide is not enough. One day you’ll have to make a decision about how important this”—he gestured between them—“is to you.” That sounded like a threat.

  “And so will you.”

  Both of them stared at each other with heaving chests.

  “I think I should go now.” She spotted her messenger bag on the sofa and marched toward it, but Andres was faster.

  He grabbed her arm. “I want more than a fling with you. Do you want me to say it?”

  “Say what?”

  “That I love you? That the reason I want you with me all the time is because I need you. Te amo. I love you, Angela. Does that make any difference?”

  She hadn’t expected him to say that, and the urgency in his voice called out to her. “I-I’m just not open to the arrangement you mentioned,” she said in a quieter voice. “And I love you, too.”

  He pulled her into his arms and buried his fingers into her hair at the base of her neck. She held onto him tight.

  “I know you’re afraid of the media scrutiny. We can work through that or continue to keep our relationship a secret.”

  Angela rested her cheek against his bare chest. “We can’t do that forever. Eventually, we’ll have to go public if I move to Europe.”

  “So you’re open to it?”

  She hesitated. Was she?

  Finally, she nodded. Though she downplayed its importance, she hated the distance between them and wanted to see him more often. More mornings waking up together and having breakfast. More dates. More touching. More kissing. More everything.

  He kissed her temple. “I picked out some houses. Two in Spain and a villa in Estoria you might like.”

  “You’ve already started looking? You’re serious about this.”

  “Yes, I am very serious.”

  She angled her head to get a better look at him. “I promise to think about it, but let’s not spend the time we have left together fighting. We can figure out the details later. Can we just enjoy each other for now? Please?”

  He smiled through his disappointment. “Okay, mi amor. But I’m not giving up. I can be very persuasive.”

  He gently kissed her on the lips, and then they sat down to eat breakfast.

  16

  Angela walked up the driveway of her parents’ house. Her sister’s red sedan was parked outside the garage, and she groaned inwardly. Three months had already passed since she moved in.

  She entered the two-story home, the five bedrooms and six baths a downsized version of the home she’d grown up in. Her father’s career in the music business had been very lucrative, and she’d wanted for nothing growing up in a house that was way too big for a family of three.

  She found her mother in the open kitchen, stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce. Tessa Lipscomb was short, full-figured, and had a lovely pecan complexion. Her thick hair was currently covered by an Ankara print headwrap Angela had brought back for her from Africa.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  Tessa turned. “Hey, honey.”

  Angela kissed her mother’s cheek and then rested her hip against the island and watched her work. “What are you making for dinner?”

  “This isn’t for dinner. Your aunt asked me to make her some spaghetti sauce. Once it’s cool, I’ll put it in some containers and take them over to her later. Want to ride with me?”

  Angela shook her head. “Can’t. I’m not staying long.”

  Her mother sprinkled herbs into the sauce. “What brings you by? You sounded a little odd on the phone.” She covered the pot and turned down the heat.

  “I have a lot on my mind.”

  Tessa faced her with worried eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  Angela didn’t answer right away. She picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and tossed it back and forth in her hands. Finally she stopped and looked at her mother, who patiently waited for a response to her question.

  “How did you know that Dad was the one?”

  “Oh gosh, that’s a tough question. When we met, he intimidated me. He was a high-ranking record executive, and I was a secretary who worked in the office. We got past that, but he came with so much baggage, we almost didn’t get married. He had an ex-wife, a daughter who hated me, and of course, our racial differences. I wasn’t sure if his white family would accept me or if my Black family would accept him. We had a lot of rocky moments.”

  “But you overcame them.”

  “Mhmm. Because we loved each other. But also because I let him know what I was willing to put up with. People are often unwilling to speak their minds, but honesty is the best policy in a relationship. Being upfront about what I was willing to tolerate helped. I told your father no more wild parties or cavorting around town with strange women all hours of the night and morning. I didn’t want to live out west, so he bought us a house here. He changed a lot for me. When I saw what he was willing to give up, I became confident in his
love and it made me believe we could work, no matter what problems came our way. Why do you ask?”

  “Just wondering.”

  “No specific reason?”

  Angela set the apple on the counter. “I’m seeing someone. It’s serious, but it’s not serious.”

  “I don’t see how a relationship could be both. Anybody I know?” her mother asked.

  “I’m not ready to talk about him yet, but he’s become very important to me. More important than I anticipated. I think about him all the time, and I miss him so much when we’re apart from each other.”

  The truth was, she’d become a little bit obsessed with Andres. Being away from him physically hurt, and her deep emotions terrified her. Feeling that way meant that she was prone to be impulsive and make an emotional decision instead of thinking clearly. She’d been down that road before and didn’t want to make the same mistakes.

  “I can’t tell you what to do, but it sounds like he’s not only important, you’re in love with him.”

  Her chest tightened. “I am, and it scares me.” Despite her flippant attitude during her conversation with Andres, she hadn’t been completely turned off by the prospect of leaving her job and moving to Europe. The problem was, he didn’t ask the question she’d wanted him to.

  He wasn’t talking about forever or a commitment in terms of marriage. Though marriage hadn’t been on her mind before, she thought about it way more often now, and she only saw herself married to him. What he offered was something less permanent, less appealing, and riskier.

  “Love is never easy. It’s messy, complicated, and painful at times. But when you find the right one, it’s absolutely worth it.”

  “You’re saying that because you found the man of your dreams in Dad.”

  Her mother nodded. “True. But the way you talk about this mystery man—who I hope I get to meet very soon—sounds like he might be worth taking on whatever problems arise, too.”

  “Well, he definitely comes with a lot of baggage. The type of baggage that I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with, but I would consider dealing with it for him.” She never thought she’d consider a life in the spotlight again, but she felt that for Andres, she’d be willing to do just about anything if it meant they could be together.

  “Sounds like you’ve already made a decision.”

  Angela laughed. “Maybe. He has quite the big head, too, so I don’t want to make him think that he’s won me over yet.”

  Right then, her half-sister, Rebecca, dragged into the kitchen in flip-flops, sweats, and a T-shirt. Her blonde hair looked unkempt, as if she’d recently woken up, and she needed a trip to the hairdresser as her black roots were showing more than an inch below the blonde on her head.

  “Don’t mind me. You can keep talking as if I’m not here,” she said.

  She opened the refrigerator, and Angela’s gaze met her mother’s. Neither one of them said a word as an awkward silence filled the room, which didn’t seem to bother Rebecca. She whistled as she stood in front of the open refrigerator, searching the shelves.

  Angela was fairly certain that her sister had come in there on purpose to disrupt their conversation and make them uncomfortable.

  She swung away from the refrigerator. “Smells great in here. What’s for dinner tonight?”

  “This isn’t for dinner. Your father mentioned that he might be coming home late, so you’ll probably have to order in or cook a meal for yourself,” Tessa replied.

  “It’s strange how you never cook when it’s just you and me.”

  Unable to remain quiet, Angela said, “She doesn’t have to. You have two hands.”

  Her mother shot her a warning look.

  Rebecca smiled tightly. “I never learned to cook. My mother worked two jobs to support us while my father, our father, lived a luxurious life with his new wife and daughter. You, on the other hand, can probably make restaurant-worthy meals and were probably trained by a chef, am I right?”

  Angela’s lips tightened.

  “Angela,” her mother warned.

  Angela ignored her. “First of all, our father did what he was supposed to, but your mother squandered the money he gave her every month. If she hadn’t, you wouldn’t have struggled the way you did. Second, I don’t give a shit what you think about me, but you leave my mother alone, do you hear me?”

  “Or what?” Rebecca’s eyes narrowed.

  “Or I will make your life a living hell.”

  “You’ve already done that by being born.” With a malevolent twist to her mouth, Rebecca sauntered out of the kitchen.

  “Why did you do that?” her mother asked, eyes darting toward the open doorway.

  “Why do you put up with her bullshit? You don’t deserve that. Who the hell does she think she is, talking to you like that in your own home?”

  “And who do you think you are, using that kind of language to me?”

  Angela’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.” She knew better than to curse in her mother’s presence, but her sister brought out the worst in her.

  Tessa smoothed her hand over the countertop. “Look, I know it’s not the best situation—”

  “At all.”

  “Let. Me. Finish.”

  Angela’s shoulders slumped lower and she clamped her mouth shut.

  “No, it’s not the best situation, but she is his daughter, and he wants to help her. I’d do whatever it takes to help you if you needed me. So please, have a little more patience.”

  “I’m not as patient as you,” Angela muttered.

  Tessa’s darker hand covered her fist on the counter. “Listen to me, you have a wonderful life, a great job, and now it seems a great man. Rebecca doesn’t have any of that.”

  “Because she doesn’t want to. She doesn’t want to work. She’d prefer to wallow in self-pity and blame everyone else besides herself for her situation.”

  “For now.”

  “How much longer will this continue? She’s over forty years old!”

  “Shh.” Tessa’s eyes darted to the doorway again. “Some people take longer than others to find their way.”

  “You’re being way too kind.”

  “I don’t have much of a choice. She’s in my life for the foreseeable future.” Tessa went to the refrigerator and Angela watched her pour a glass of water. Her sympathy for her mother overrode her anger.

  “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  Tessa shrugged. “It is what is. I can handle Rebecca. I don’t care what she thinks about me or says to me. When you were little, I was determined that she leave you alone, and that remains the same. As long as she’s not hurting you, that’s all I care about.”

  “She can’t hurt me,” Angela said.

  “Maybe. Let’s keep it that way, okay?” Her mother glanced thoughtfully at the door. Then she smiled at her daughter. “Now, back to this mystery man. What are you going to do about him?”

  Angela had come here seeking guidance, but in her heart, she already knew what she wanted to do. She had fallen in love with Andres. Crazy at it seemed, she’d probably fallen in love with him the first night they met. There were days when she no longer knew if she was coming or going. When the thought of losing him made her weak, her body slumped on the couch as she contemplated how to make the ache of needing him go away.

  If their relationship was going to work long term, she’d have to give a little bit more than he did. He was limited by his position as a prince. She, however, had much more flexibility in her life and was now willing to take the leap into the unknown of this unique relationship and see where it would lead.

  “He recently made me an offer, and…I think I’m going to take it.”

  17

  Andres descended from the helicopter onto the helipad in the back courtyard of the palace grounds. His trip to the eastern tip of the island to meet with environmental engineers had taken longer than anticipated.

  Based on the reports he’d reviewed, he’d wanted to visit the site himself. He had
completely dismissed the idea of a casino-hotel and would inform his grandfather of his recommendation. In its place, he believed a marine park that incorporated an underwater observatory as a tourist attraction was a good way to diversify the nation’s income-generating activities. His visit with the engineers confirmed there would be no environmental impact, and the funds generated could be used for conservation and preservation projects.

  He walked briskly toward the back entrance and was mulling the pros and cons of his idea when his grandfather’s secretary hurried toward him. She carried an electronic tablet against her bosom and wore a tailored dark blue dress and low-heeled shoes with stockings. The wind swept her short blonde hair across her eyes, and she brushed away the strands.

  “Good afternoon, Your Highness,” she said, and gave him a quick curtsy.

  “Good afternoon, Agdalena. How can I help you?”

  She fell into step beside him. “His Serene Highness would like to have a word with you in his office.”

  Andres came to a stop in the middle of the tiled hallway. Her harried expression gave him cause for concern. “Did he say why?”

  It wasn’t unusual for his grandfather to request his presence, but it was unusual for his grandfather to request his presence at the end of the day on a Friday. Though the palace was their primary residence, Andres rarely saw Prince Felipe nowadays, unless they were meeting to conduct palace business. That usually occurred earlier in the week.

  “No, but it’s very important, and he’d like to see you right away.”

  Her face gave no indication of whether or not the meeting was about good news or bad news. “All right. I’ll go to my apartment and wash up a bit before I meet with him.” Andres dismissed her with a nod and turned to walk away.

  “He wants to meet with you now, Your Highness,” Agdalena said, her voice a self-conscious squeak.

  Andres turned slowly to face her. “It can’t wait?”

  She shook her head, squeezing the tablet harder against her chest. “No, Your Highness.”

  His eyebrows flew higher in surprise. “All right. I’ll go there now. Thank you.”