He returned to the ballroom. Maria-Therese was dancing with Leo while his two children ran around them in a circle.
She would be the perfect princess, an asset to Alvernia, but he loved Emily. He couldn’t deny the truth any longer.
He needed to talk to his fiancée and tell her how he felt. His love for Emily might not make a difference to Maria-Therese, and if not, he’d stand by his proposal to her. But if it did…
His heart pounded so loudly he was certain the entire ballroom could hear.
Perhaps this story could have a happy ending after all.
*
The next morning in her hotel, Emily packed her suitcase, showered and dressed. She wore jeans and a T-shirt, the only non-work clothes besides pajamas she’d brought to Alvernia.
Not one tear fell. And hadn’t for eight hours. Progress.
Finally.
No more hiding away from reality. No more pity-parties. She needed to make the long journey home to San Diego.
And get her act together.
She checked her room one last time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Satisfied everything was packed, she left a tip for the housekeeping staff, put her purse over her shoulder, and then wheeled her luggage out of the room.
Her heart might be broken, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t function. Okay, the past few days had been impossibly hard. Somehow she’d managed to finish the engagement video, and thanks to Addie and Nick, Emily hadn’t been alone. They’d provided food, an unending supply of chocolate, and shoulders to cry on. She thought about stopping by their room to say goodbye, but she didn’t want to wake them.
Emily rode the elevator to the first floor. The doors opened, and she stepped into the lobby.
People milled about. Chatting, laughing, living. Classical music played, but a sad ballad about broken hearts and new beginnings would better match her mood.
Hard to believe only two weeks ago, she’d arrived with Addie. So much had changed since then.
Everything really.
She was unemployed and broken hearted now. Two things she never would have imagined herself being.
Focus.
She walked to the front desk and checked out of her room using her personal credit card. Her corporate one no longer worked. At least the agency hadn’t canceled her airline ticket, but she’d received an email from Human Resources saying to pick up her personal belongings and return her ID badge, parking pass, and laptop.
The woman handed back Emily’s credit card. “We hope you enjoyed your stay.”
“Your hotel is lovely.” She didn’t know what else to say when a part of her wished she’d never heard of Alvernia or…him.
Luc.
Her eyes stung. She stared up at the frescoes on the ceiling and blinked the tears away. She’d cried enough.
She straightened. “Where do I wait for the taxi I hired to take me to the airport?”
“Take a seat. When your driver arrives, the bellhop will call your name.”
“Thank you.”
As Emily stepped away from the front desk, she heard her name being called.
Addie ran from the elevator and hugged her. “I was hoping you hadn’t left. You didn’t answer my texts.”
“I muted my phone last night and must have forgotten to turn the sound back on.”
“Did you sleep?”
“A little.” This morning had been the first she hadn’t watched the sunrise.
Addie’s gaze narrowed. “You look better.”
“I feel better.” Not a lie. Emily didn’t feel as hopeless this morning. She didn’t have an action plan, but the thought of making one no longer paralyzed her. More progress.
“Don’t go home. Come to Paris with us.”
She loved Addie and Nick, but Emily needed a break from seeing two people so much in love. For the first time, she knew what she was missing out on by being alone. She wanted to find love once her bruised and aching heart healed.
Someday it would. At least she hoped so.
“Thanks,” she said. “But I need to go home, turn in the things that don’t belong to me and pick up my personal belongings.”
“Don’t even think about writing a resume and applying for jobs. You need a break. A vacation.”
Emily nodded. That much she’d figured out in between sob-fests. “I’m going to take a staycation. I can’t remember the last time I played tourist in San Diego and doing that fits my new budget.”
“You’ll have fun.”
She was thinking her stay-at-home vacation would be more of a distraction than fun. “Thanks for coming to Alvernia. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here.”
“Thank you.” Addie grinned, then counted off on her fingers. “I got to travel to Europe, see my husband, stay in a fabulous villa, dress up like a princess and visit with cute kids. This has been the second best trip of a lifetime.”
“Your honeymoon in Fiji was number one.”
“Thanks to you. I’m sorry things with Luc didn’t work out.”
“I’ll put him behind me and be standing tall soon enough. Just need to wash my big girl panties and put them back on.”
Addie smiled. “That sounds more like the Emily I know.”
Good. The wussy, sad, heartbroken person she’d become wasn’t someone she liked being. “I’ll text you when I get home.”
“Ms. Rodgers,” the bellhop called.
“Time to go.” She hugged her friend. “Have a fabulous time in Paris. Send me a postcard.”
“Enjoy your staycation.”
Emily followed the bellhop outside. No cars were parked in front of the hotel. “I thought my ride was here.”
The bellhop pointed down the street. “It’s coming.”
She saw a carriage being drawn by four white horses. “I didn’t order that.”
“I’ll double-check.” The bellhop ran inside.
The carriage resembled a pumpkin coach, only white not orange and with royal blue cushions. The uniformed driver wore an old-fashioned white wig complete with a ponytail.
Romantic.
Like Cinderella.
A vise tightened around her chest, squeezing her heart like a fist. She struggled to breathe.
Oh, no. Don’t lose it.
The carriage stopped in front of her. A bride must be riding this to her wedding.
The thought cut Emily like a knife. She’d never been into fairy tales or one true love or happy endings. Damn Luc for making her want those things.
And more.
With him.
But this wasn’t entirely his fault. She accepted her part. She’d been sent to find him a princess bride, not fall in love with the intended groom. He’d put his foundation and his family first. She understood that he had a duty, responsibilities. But she was angry at herself for not being more careful. She was the only one to blame for losing her heart to the prince.
“I made a mistake.”
Luc?
That sounded like his voice. She glanced around, but didn’t see him. Maybe her lack of sleep had caught up with her.
He walked around the front of the white horses. He wore red pants with a gold stripe down the sides of each leg, a white uniform jacket with gold braids on the shoulders and a blue sash worn diagonally across his chest. Ribbons with medals were pinned over his heart. He carried a glass slipper.
A real life Prince Charming.
She forced herself to breathe. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to apologize.”
“Apology accepted.” Nothing he said would change things between them. “I have a plane to catch.”
“Try on the glass slipper.”
“You already found your Cinderella.”
“I did. You. Just took me a little while to realize it.”
His words shattered what fragile grasp of control she had.
“Please. Don’t.” Her voice sounded raw like the hurt she felt. “Leave me alone.”
<
br /> “I can’t. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You lost me. A glass shoe isn’t going to make a difference. I won’t be your mistress.”
“Then be my wife.” He came closer. “I love you.”
Her mouth gaped. Blood roared through her veins.
No. This wasn’t possible. “Maria-Therese—”
“Understands. Turns out she has much in common with my brother, Leo. He’s a widower with two children. My father approves.”
“Where does that leave you?”
He half-laughed. “I pray with you.”
“You need to marry royalty.”
“I have relinquished my title.” He motioned to his costume. “Prince Charming is the only prince I will ever be.”
The gesture touched her heart. But he was also being romantically stupid. “What if I don’t want to be with you? You’ve given up your title for nothing.”
“Not for nothing.” Sunlight sent prisms reflecting off the glass shoe. “If you say no, I’ll whisk you away to a quiet, secluded place so we can go through that fall-in-love questionnaire you mentioned the first day we met.”
She couldn’t give in. Not even if her heart wanted her to surrender. Self-preservation was telling her to run. Fast. “We won’t get far in a carriage.”
“No, but we’d be traveling in style.”
“What about Dream Big Alvernia?”
“That’s under negotiation. Being the family’s scapegoat means I know where all the recent skeletons are buried. Not that I’d betray family secrets, but the King doesn’t know that. His ten million dollar engagement present would go a long way as far as hush money.”
“Hush money to his own son?”
“Relinquishing my title meant being disowned, though my mother isn’t going to let that happen without a fight, and the video you’ve made has insured country-wide support of the foundation.” Holding her hand, Luc kneeled on the sidewalk. “I’ve said the words once, but I’ll say them a million times more. I love you, Emily Rodgers. I love how driven you are. I love how hard you work. I love how you want only the best for others. I love how you kiss. I want to be with you, only you. Will you marry me?”
Logic told her to scream no. Neither had jobs. Luc would end up hating her for giving up his title.
But her heart countered each argument with a reminder of the good times they’d had together, his kind heart and his generosity to the children of Alvernia. Not to mention his hot kisses.
He loved her, and the feeling was mutual.
They might not have a storybook love complete with castles and tiaras, but they would have each other. That was enough.
She smiled at him. “Let’s see if the shoe fits…”
He removed her sandal and placed the glass slipper onto her foot. “A perfect fit.”
“You’ve found your Cinderella.”
Hope filled his eyes. “Does that mean…?”
“Yes.” Joy flowed through her. “I would love to marry you.”
He removed something from his pocket, then slid an emerald engagement ring onto her ring finger. “This ring was given to me by my grandmother, Queen Monique. She would have loved you.”
He stood and kissed Emily, a kiss full of kindness and compassion and love. Her heart sighed, then burst into song. This man was all she wanted. Together they could make a difference in the lives of the children in Alvernia. Maybe in America too.
She pulled back, looked around, realized they were standing in full view of whoever was on the street. “Oh, no. Your proposal is going to be all over the Internet.”
“Yes, but how I want it to be seen. Not shot by strangers and paparazzi. I had Nick run a diversion with the help of Leo and Maria-Therese.” Luc motioned across the street where Brad and the crew stood with their gear. The four men waved. “I asked them to film my proposal. Our kids might want to see it someday.”
Our kids. Emily liked the sound of that, especially if they resembled Luc. But their other kids—the ones they helped through the foundation—might want to see this and attend the wedding.
“A good thing you wore pants, not tights. Otherwise you would have totally embarrassed the kids.”
“It’s not too late,” he said in a playful tone. “I could change.”
“Forget the tights.” She stared up at him with love. “I’d rather you kiss me again.”
“My pleasure.” He grinned. “Would you like a happily ever after with that kiss?”
“Of course, and with the kiss after that and the kiss after that one.”
He laughed. “You can have whatever you like.”
“Well, I’ve got you.” Smiling, she raised her foot to show off the glass slipper. “But since you’re offering, could I please have the other shoe?”
The End
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Melissa McClone has published over twenty-five novels with Harlequin and been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA award. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house. For more on Melissa’s books, visit her website: www.melissamcclone.com
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The Cinderella Princess Page 14
