Prince of Midtown

by Jennifer Lewis

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “I must find her. She quit her job and now she’s moved out of her apartment. She left no forwarding address and I…” Words failed him as he scanned her face, hoping she could help.

  Understanding dawned in Carrie’s sharp and compassionate eyes. “I think she said something about going to her parents’ house in Connecticut until she finds a new place. They live in Stamford. I have the address upstairs. Come on up and I’ll give it to you.”

  Sebastian drove his own car to Stamford. He didn’t want a driver idling nearby, glancing at his watch. Even his Alfa Romeo seemed wound-up and jumpy, and the traffic on I-95 ratcheted his blood pressure higher as the day stretched into late afternoon.

  What if she wasn’t there? He’d thought about calling but decided not to. If he were Tessa, he’d slam the phone down on himself.

  What he had to say could only be said face-to-face.

  He hated GPS, but as he drove into the labyrinth of the old coastal city he turned it on and punched in her address. Neat brick pseudo mansions lined clean, quiet streets. Already he found himself scanning the sidewalks for signs of Tessa.

  He turned again, onto a sloping street of older wooden houses, and again into a street of modest homes facing a weedy basketball court.

  Sebastian snapped to attention. Basketball. Could this be her old neighborhood? There were people on the streets and he was tempted to stop and ask about Tessa, but the GPS told him to keep driving, so he pushed onward.

  It finally brought him to a stop in front of a tiny, mint-green cottage, surrounded by a chain-link fence. A huge oak tree towered over the tiny structure, shading out all possibility of grass in the postage-stamp-sized lot.

  Tessa grew up here? When she’d said she came from a modest background, he’d imagined an ordinary suburban home with a grassy yard and a large dog. And a garden shed the size of this house.

  But as he stepped out of the car and rounded the oak tree he saw a familiar slender form, bent at the waist, her tempting backside jutting toward him.

  Joy surged through him. “Tessa.”

  She glanced up, startled. She held a paintbrush between her teeth, and quickly removed it as she registered his presence. A can of red paint sat on the sidewalk. She unbent herself to reveal a half-painted metal mailbox.

  Then she went back to painting it.

  She didn’t say anything at all.

  Sebastian approached her, his heart so full it could burst. “Tessa, I’m here to offer my most humble apologies. I know you didn’t leak the story and I should never have accused you. I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart.”

  She didn’t look up. He thought for a second that her hand trembled, but it kept moving, making strokes of red paint over the battered metal of the mailbox.

  An emotional outpouring of Caspian words flooded his brain, but he forced himself to slow down and think in English.

  “Faris leaked the story. I suspect she did it to come between you and me.”

  Her hand paused in its brushing motion, muscles tight. “It really doesn’t matter who leaked the story.” She stared at the mailbox. “I don’t even care if you believe it was me. It won’t make any difference in the long run. You’ll turn the company around and everything will be fine.”

  Her voice was flat. Lifeless. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and loose strands fell to cover her face, hiding her from him. The air had cooled and she wore a gray sweatshirt, but he could still see the tension in her neck and shoulders.

  Was she afraid to turn and look at him?

  Pain jerked through him and he stepped forward and grabbed her arm holding the brush.

  She felt warm and alive, and already sweet relief cascaded through him. He’d found her.

  When she glanced up, her wide green eyes brimmed with tears. Distress shadowed her lovely features and her usual glow had dimmed almost out of existence.

  His chest constricted. “I’m so, so sorry.” The words fell from his lips. Almost meaningless. They weren’t the words he wanted to say. That he needed to say.

  “You’re on my mind day and night. My flesh aches for you and my heart craves you close.” His voice trembled as hope and longing overflowed.

  She blinked, startled. Two fat sparkling tears rolled from her beautiful eyes.

  He reached up and brushed one away with his thumb. He inhaled deeply.

  This was no time for caution or royal dignity.

  “I love you, Tessa, and I can’t live without you.”

  Tessa blinked rapidly, trying to clear her eyes. She couldn’t see through the mist of tears and she wanted to make sure she was really awake and right here on the planet earth. She barely believed this scene could exist outside of her imagination.

  Sebastian’s face hovered inches in front of hers, his forehead creased with concern and his dark, expressive eyes fixed on hers.

  I love you.

  Surely she hadn’t heard those words. But they echoed in her ears, off the great oak tree, off the faded aluminum siding of the house behind her.

  Her stunned silence seemed to encourage him. He took her hand in his. The warmth of his touch was like a shot of adrenaline to her heart, which kicked inside her chest.

  Painful.

  He raised her hands and kissed her knuckles. Which, she noticed with embarrassment, were smeared with red paint.

  “Each day without you has shown me how much I want you in my life. How much I need you.” His intense, dark gaze stole her breath. “I know you ended your relationship with Patrick and I…I beg you to come home with me. I want you by my side, every day, for the rest of my life.”

  Tessa’s mind swam as shivers of amazement skittered over her flesh. Could he really mean it?

  The sound of a car horn a block away yanked her back to the present. To the tiny front yard with its chipped mailbox. The ordinary street with its motley collection of the least-valuable real estate in Stamford.

  She gestured around her. “Sebastian, this is where I come from. I’m not royal, or aristocratic, or any of the things you’d need in a…partner.”

  She didn’t say the word wife. He hadn’t asked her to marry him.

  “Where you come from doesn’t matter. I come from Caspia and I’m in love with an American woman. Nothing is more natural than two people falling in love. You and I are meant to be together. I know it in my soul.”

  He squeezed her hands and the truth of his words echoed in her heart.

  The screech of hinges made her glance up to see her mother in the doorway of the house.

  “What’s going on out here, dear?” Her mom came out of the doorway and down the single step.

  Tessa tugged her hands and Sebastian released them. “Um, Mom, this is Sebastian Stone. He’s my…boss.” Her face heated. “My former boss.”

  Sebastian strode forward, past the paint can and up the cracked front walk. He looked huge in the minuscule front yard. He also towered over her tiny, gray-haired mom, who pulled her sweater about her to ward off a sudden September chill.

  He held out his hand. “Mrs. Banks, it’s an honor to meet you.”

  “Sebastian Stone…the prince?”

  He bowed slightly. “At your service, madam.”

  “Well.” Her mom smiled, a flush lighting her smooth cheeks. “Tessa has told us a lot about you. She had a lovely time visiting your country and I told her she was silly to leave her good job.”

  Tessa swallowed.

  “I think she was absolutely right to quit.” Sebastian’s voice rang out in the quiet neighborhood.

  Tessa froze.

  “I’ve been wasting her talents on filing and office duties, when she’s capable of so much more.”

  He took her mother’s hand in both of his. “Mrs. Banks, did you ever think of moving to a warmer, more cheerful climate?”

  Her mom hesitated, looking confused, then turned back into the house. “Harry, come here, dear.”

  Tessa shoved a hand through her
hair, which wasn’t a good idea since it was in a ponytail and her hand had paint on it. Her heart thudded so loud she was sure they could hear it. What on earth was Sebastian doing?

  Her father shuffled forward, using a walker because of his advanced osteoarthritis. He hesitated at the step, and Tessa moved to help him down, but Sebastian beat her to it, offering his strong arm for support.

  Her mom patted her dad’s arm. “Harry, it’s Tessa’s boss. The prince.” She hissed the last word as if it was some kind of hint.

  “Pleased to meet you, young man.”

  Tessa smiled as her dad’s rich, self-confident voice echoed in the air. He wasn’t intimidated by anything, least of all royalty. He and Sebastian shook hands. “My daughter tells me you have a beautiful country.”

  “Caspia is indeed the loveliest place on earth. I think you’d like it very much if you were to visit.”

  “I don’t doubt it. We’re dreading another winter. I can feel its teeth already. We’re trying to figure out how to move to Florida.” Her father laughed.

  “Caspia is warm and dry year-round, and we treasure people of mature years for their wisdom and experience.”

  Tessa’s eyes widened.

  “We have the highest life expectancy of any country on earth, so you can tell we take good care of our older citizens. If you were to move to Caspia for your golden years, you would find the climate salubrious and the people most friendly and welcoming.”

  “It does sound pleasant.” Her father smiled and glanced at Tessa, obviously as perplexed as she was. “We’d better leave you two young people to your business, right, dear?” He winked at her mother.

  Tessa gulped. She stayed rooted in place while her dad shuffled back inside with her mother fussing over him.

  Once the door was closed, she put her hands on her hips. “What’s going on?”

  Sebastian marched back toward her and took her hands again. Excitement sparkled in his eyes. “If you’re moving to Caspia, your parents must come, too.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He looked amused. “I’m proposing to you, of course.”

  Proposing what, exactly? Her heart beat so fast and hard she couldn’t speak. Which was fine, as she had no idea what to say.

  Sebastian pulled a ring off his little finger.

  Tessa gulped. Was he—?

  He eased himself down so that one knee rested on the concrete pavers of the front walk.

  Blood rushed to her brain and she found herself gasping for breath.

  Sebastian bent his head for a moment, then looked up at her. “Tessa, I wish to spend the rest of my life by your side. I’ve been waiting all my life for you. I know you’re the woman who was born to be my queen one day.”

  Her legs grew shaky. Queen?

  “I promise to be a caring and faithful husband and a loving father to our children.”

  Children? Her heart squeezed.

  “I wish for you to have the happy life you were prepared to move to an unknown city for, except I wish to share it with you in Caspia.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes again. She couldn’t help it. It was too perfect, too wonderful.

  Sebastian cleared his throat. He looked into her eyes with a gaze so filled with emotion that it stole her breath. “Tessa Banks, will you be my wife?”

  The words, thick with feeling, shuddered through her and shook her to her core.

  But no response came to her lips.

  It was too good to be true. It couldn’t be real.

  She shook her head, trying to scatter the thoughts that crowded her like gulls at a beach picnic.

  Sebastian took her hand, and for a moment she thought he was going to force the ring onto her trembling fingers.

  But he didn’t. He squeezed her hand gently and rubbed her palm with his thumb. Then he stood and closed his warm, strong arms around her shaking shoulders.

  “I love you, Tessa. Maybe I’m coming on too strong and trying to rush you too much. It’s okay if you’re not ready to agree right now. Being a queen is not something everyone aspires to.”

  Queen? She’d forgotten about that part. Of course she couldn’t marry him. He’d come to his senses and realize what a horrible mistake he’d made soon enough.

  “I can’t be a queen.” Her voice sounded high and thin as she admitted her failing. “I know I sound like one of your crowd because I went to St. Peter’s, but deep inside I’ll always be Tessa Banks, from right here.”

  The lowering sun threw unflattering harsh shadows over the less-than-elegant surroundings. A group of kids on their way home from school called out to them, whistling and laughing.

  Sebastian resisted her attempt to pull away and tugged her closer. “I know you will always be Tessa Banks, from right here.” His eyes shone. “That’s one of the many things I love about you. You’re down-to-earth and practical and you don’t expect to have life handed to you on a silver platter. You’re warm and funny and brave and beautiful, and I love you exactly as you are.” He stroked her cheek, making her skin hum. “We’ll share a good life together.”

  Oh, dear. Tears filled her eyes again. The worst part was that she believed him. She could so easily picture a full and happy life with Sebastian: nights in his embrace, days in the beautiful Caspian countryside, children running along the palace corridors, breakfast in the royal dining room…

  With the king and queen.

  That splash of cold reality snapped her back to her senses. “Sebastian, I’m sure you would be a fantastic husband and father, but there are a lot of people who’d be very unhappy to see us married. Your mother, for example.”

  Sebastian pressed his face into her neck, which sent a rush of heat flooding through her. “Don’t worry about my mother. She can be silly and snobbish sometimes, but it’s just the way she was brought up. She’s a good person at heart. I know you won’t believe me now, but I think the two of you will be close friends one day.”

  Tessa wanted to laugh. He spoke of the future, so certain it would happen. Her doubts were irrelevant.

  How could you not love that kind of confidence?

  “My father adores you.” He nuzzled her gently. “He offered his full approval of any intentions I had toward you.”

  Tessa jerked back. “You told him you had intentions toward me?”

  “No, but I guess it was written all over my face and he wanted to let me know it was okay.”

  “I guess that was before you all decided that I leaked the story.” She narrowed her eyes.

  “No, it was after.” He grinned. “I guess that’s when Dad knew I was really serious about you. I didn’t believe the leak could be you until I came to your apartment and found you packing up—to move away with another man, I thought—and you were so nervous and evasive. I didn’t know what to think, except that I was losing you.”

  Tessa let out something between a laugh and a sob. “I couldn’t stand to be near you in case you found out how crazy I am about you. I was so humiliated by being in love with you when I thought I was just another notch on your royal bedpost.”

  Sebastian threw his head back and laughed. “You do love me, too! I knew it.”

  She cocked her head. “No one could accuse you of lacking self-assurance.”

  “True, true. But I must assure you that those notches on my bedpost date back to an entirely different generation. Somewhere around the late sixteenth century, we think.” His eyes glittered with mischief.

  “I guess that’s a liability of hanging on to used furniture.”

  His mouth fought a smile. “Caspians are practical people. We’re satisfied with the best of everything and we don’t give it up easily.” He pulled back a little. His dark eyes looked at her steadily. “I know you fell in love with Caspia, as well as with me.”

  “You make me sound so promiscuous.” She tried to laugh, but his serious gaze demanded a real answer. “Yes, I did. I’d never dreamed such a magical place could exist. I confess I’ve missed Caspia al
most as much as I’ve missed you.”

  “Your parents would be happy there.”

  Her chest tightened. How typical of Sebastian to make plans for everyone. “It was thoughtful of you to consider them.”

  “I’m Caspian. Family is the foundation of our culture.” His gaze softened. “And I wish for you and I to create the next generation together.”

  It was lucky Sebastian held her tight, or she might have collapsed into a swoon and cracked her skull on the concrete. Too many dreams coming true all at once could be dangerous for a girl.

  “Your role as queen will not always be easy, since being a monarch does come with responsibilities, but I know you’re resourceful enough to handle your role with grace and ease.”

  She bit her lip. Put like that, as a job, even being queen did seem…doable. She was nothing if not a hard worker. She blew out a long, shaky breath.

  “Let’s try this again.” Sebastian loosened his hold on her, and lifted the hand holding the ring. “Tessa Banks, will you be my wife?”

  She stared at the ring, a gold hoop scrolled with vines. “Yes.” She stared into his dark eyes. Passion shone there, and love, and the promise of the joy they could share. “Yes. I will.”

  He slid the ring onto her ring finger. Her skin tingled as the cool metal settled into place. The ring was far too big, but somehow it felt exactly right.

  Sebastian gathered her in his arms and kissed her with a desperate urgency that echoed her own. Desire and hope crackled through her with electric force.

  She clung to him, to his sturdy strength, as the fear and hurt and sadness that had hounded her home from Caspia wafted away on the late-afternoon breeze.

  She’d hoped for a loving husband to create a family with. Little did she know she’d been working with him for nearly five years.

  She knew Sebastian so well that of course she loved him. She’d dreamed of touching him, of kissing him, of being held in his arms, but she’d never dared to dream of sharing her life with him.

  Her dreams and reality had crashed into each other with explosive force, lighting up a future brighter than anything she could have imagined.

  Sebastian’s tongue sent shivers of excitement chasing through her. Resisting the urge to writhe against him, she opened her eyes. “Hey, I have a reputation to protect in this neighborhood.”