by Tiana Cole
She looked at the clock again, noting he was thirty minutes late when he rushed inside with a harried look on his face. Amanda was on her feet in an instant and at his side. “What’s wrong, Alex?” Cradling his face, she tried to get him to look at her.
He wouldn’t.
“Alex? What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” She fidgeted her hands and bit down on her bottom lip nervously.
Shrugging off her touch he dropped down on the sofa and buried his head in his hands.
Not knowing what to do or how to respond, Amanda walked over to the chair in the corner and waited. Something was going on, and judging by the hurt now lancing her heart, that something had to do with her. I should go, she thought and stood again, pulling the food from the oven and setting on the counter. Alex could eat. Or not eat. It, apparently, wasn’t her problem anymore. It’s a good thing I never got comfortable enough to leave my things here. “I’ll see you around, Alex.”
“Wait.” That was all he said for a long time while her hand hovered over the doorknob, waiting for him to say something. Anything. “I just found out Stefan’s been involved in a car crash on a back road near Lucerne. He was in Switzerland for business and now…,” his words trailed off and she heard the pain and worry in his voice. “He’s in critical condition and being taken to the hospital in Silmaña.”
“Oh my goodness Alex, I’m so sorry.” Instantly she was at his side, previous hurt gone, gathering him in her arms. “What can I do?”
“Nothing. I need to get home immediately.”
“Of course. I’ll pack a bag for you. How long will you stay?”
“I don’t know.” The look he sent her wasn’t impossible to identify with his pain mixed in. “Have a seat Amanda. We need to talk.”
Standing slowly as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest, Amanda curled into herself and waited for him to say the words she felt was coming. “Just say it, Alex. Don’t draw it out.”
“It’s not that,” he touched her arm. “God, it’s nothing like that. Please.”
Nodding, she walked back to the empty chair on the other side of the room and took a seat right on the edge. Her skin began to cool as she avoided his gaze by focusing on the tips of her black ballerina flats.
“I’m not just going home because of Stefan’s accident. My brother, as the oldest, will be the next King of Silmaña. But since he is in critical condition and it is unclear whether he will survive, I must return home. It was the deal I struck with my parents.”
His words left her chilled down to her bones as she realized that she knew absolutely nothing about the man she’d fallen in love with. Refusing to look at him, she stood and prepared to leave. What was left to say? “Okay.” The word, barely audible, didn’t come easy for her. Inside she felt broken. Shattered.
She felt him draw closer but still avoided his gaze. “That’s all you have to say?”
“What is it that you want me to say, Alex? That I feel like a fool? That you’ve completely humiliated me and hurt me beyond belief? Because all of that is true but it doesn’t undo any of this.” Hot tears fell as easy as raindrops, sliding down her cheek in a steady stream of pain and heartache.
“That was never my intention Amanda.”
Squeezing her eyes tight to fight off more tears, willing them to stop, she held up her hand. “It doesn’t matter Alex, or whatever your real name is. That’s what happened.” Tears pushed down deep where they belong, she straightened her spine and tilted her chin up. “You should go pack so you can get to your brother. I hope he’s alright.” She stopped at the open door and turned back to Alex. “Goodbye. Oh, excuse me,” she looked up and spotted his neighbors at the door. Dressed in black suits. “Security?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Barreling between them in her haste to get away from Alex, Amanda waited until she was back in her shoebox apartment before she let more tears fall.
Guess I did it again.
Chapter 8
Alex felt dead inside as his jet touched down at the private airstrip in Silmaña. He’d spent most of the flight worrying in equal parts about Stefan and Amanda. Sleep had been impossible because every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Amanda’s pain. The hurt in her eyes, the missing light. The strength she showed, trying not to cry and show how much he’d hurt her. He would deal fix things with her once his brother was better.
If she ever forgives me.
Once the plane was on the ground and the hatch open, life became a flurry of activity. Various employees of the palace boarded the plane to assist him with dressing in his official royal garb for the waiting cameras and his assistant stood close, taking notes and giving him a few notes for the press.
The trip through the airstrip was quick, just as his statement to them had been. He refused to tell them where he’d been or what he’d been up to, only saying he was there to check on Prince Stefan and stay by his side until he was up and walking around. A blinding smile that sent cameras flashing and then he was in a limo that was part of the royal caravan, speeding to the hospital. Praying like hell that Stefan would make it.
By the time he flew through the doors to the emergency care unit which was heavily guarded, his chest heaved as he took in the red teary eyes of his mother the Queen and his brother’s wife, Princess Elena. Rushing to them, he pulled them both in his arms, offering all the comfort he could. They fell apart in his embrace, sobbing so hard their bodies trembled violently. “How is he?”
“Oh Alexander, his brain is swollen and they’ve put him in a coma. They have no idea what to expect. He could be perfectly fine or he cold be brain dead!” Elena broke down once again, collapsing in a chair along the wall.
Alex clenched his jaw to bite back the curse that hovered on his lips. His brother, so strong and full of life, was in a coma. Dammit. There was absolutely nothing he could do to fix things, other than be here for his family. “It will be alright. Stefan is in the best care possible.” All they could do was wait and worry and hope for the best.
“But what if he isn’t okay?”
That was a question Alex refused to think about. If his brother wasn’t okay everything would change. Elena would be relegated to little more than a caretaker and Alex, well he would have to take the path he’d recently discovered he didn’t want. After a lifetime of bemoaning his status as the second born, Alex found himself in Elite, Colorado. He’d figured out what he wanted—and didn’t want—from his life. What he wanted was simple. Amanda. He wished she were here with him now, she would know how to calm down his mother and Elena without minimizing their pain and worry.
She probably hates me. That thought made the knot of dread that had settled in his stomach the moment he’d received the call from Elena, hardened and sank deeper. He lost the woman he loved—without her ever knowing he loved her—and he might still lose his brother. “Elena listen to me, he will be okay. Right now that’s all I want you to focus on. Talk to him and take care of yourself so that when he wakes up, you’re there for him.” Pulling her up from the chair he wrapped his arms around her and dropped a kiss to her forehead. “Now go get some sleep and a change of clothes. Come back this evening.”
She was about to argue but Alex’s expression told her it would be pointless. “Fine. Thank you Alex, you’re a great brother.” With a quick hug, Elena’s small frame was flanked by two royal guards as she made her way to the elevator.
“You handled that very well Alexander.”
Looking over at his mother, Alex sighed and took a seat, covering her hand with his. “Elena is hurting and she needed a push.” He knew what she was getting at but he didn’t want to hear it. Not now. It was too soon. “How are you, Mother?”
She accepted the handkerchief he slipped in her hands and dabbed the tears she allowed to fall. “A mother is not supposed to outlive her children.”
“Alex will be fine. I’ll talk to the doctors, Mother. Why don’t you go home and get some rest?” They’d been at the
hospital for the past twenty four hours, he was sure his father was just as worn out. Alex helped her up and turned her toward the waiting guards, nodding at them to escort her out. “Get some rest.”
At the sight of her retreating back Alex sucked in a fortifying breath and turned on his heels. It was time to see his brother. But first he needed to find the doctor in charge of his care. “Excuse me.”
A young nurse looked up at him and gasped before putting on her prettiest smile. “How may I help you Prince Alexander?”
He fought the urge to roll his eyes. “The name of my brother’s doctor,” he answered more harshly than he needed to and her smile faded. “Sorry,” he muttered apologetically.
“Of course, I’m very sorry about Prince Stefan.” With a sad smile she turned to the computer and smiled. “Dr. Portofino is currently doing his rounds which means he’ll be around soon.”
“That’s not good enough,” he growled, his gaze dark and menacing.
“I know, but all the patients on this floor are in intensive care and they all require the doctor’s help.”
Properly scolded Alex nodded and nearly ran into a small man in a white coat. “Excuse me.”
“Prince Alexander? I’m Dr. Portofino and I’m on your brother’s case.”
With a nod and a sigh of relief, Alex stepped off to the side and asked about his brother’s prognosis.
“The good news is there has been a small decrease in brain swelling, which leaves us hope that he will recover from this.” Smart brown eyes looked up at him, making sure he was absorbing the words. “His brain activity is still strong which is also good news.”
“So what is the bad news, Doctor?”
“Time.”
Alex nodded and listened as the doctor told him the longer it took Stefan to wake up, the greater the chances for brain damage were. “But you have him in a medically induced coma?”
“Right. After seeing the progress your brother made overnight, I think tonight we’ll stop the medicine and see what happens.”
“You mean there’s a chance he might not wake up?”
Dr. Portofino nodded, raking a tired hand through thick black hair. “A small chance. Brain function is my concern at this point.”
“What can I do?” Because surely there had to be something that his wealth and influence could do in this situation.
“Talk to your brother. Keep up conversation. He’s in there and he needs a reason to wake up, to come back to his family.”
Okay. He could do that. “Alright Doctor, thanks for your help.” He watched the small man walk away, feeling a little lighter than when he’d come through those doors. Pulling out his phone he sent a message to his assistant to send dinner to the hospital staff.
With all distractions handled there was just one thing to be done. Go see his brother.
~
“As soon as you wake up you can meet her.” Alex had spent most of the past five days sitting at his brother’s bedside. Talking. And talking. He’d talked so much he was tired of hearing the sound of his own voice. “She’s amazing Stef, beautiful as hell and doesn’t even know it. She loves literature, making a big deal out of holidays and horses, even though she won’t admit to being scared of them.” He laughed, his first one since the morning his world came crashing down. It felt good, even if he wasn’t getting the response he wanted.
“When you wake up I know you’ll mock me as mercilessly as I did when you fell for Elena. God I was such a little prick! “You can’t fall in love with a woman you were forced to marry,” he said, remembering how smug he sounded. “I had no idea. But now I do and I owe you an apology, or maybe you’ll pay me back with wise words to help win her back.” He’d thought about Amanda constantly since he watched her walk away from him, hurt and heartbroken. Because of him. “She’s probably never going to talk to me again.”
“Sounds like you need help from someone who can talk back.”
Alex turned at the quiet voice and smiled. “Elena! How are you today?”
Her beautiful face lit up in a small smile. “Better today, thanks. I have a good feeling today.”
Alex stood and pushed her into his vacated seat. “You know something I don’t?”
She smiled at him, a protective hand hovered over her stomach. “You’re in love.”
He frowned. “You were listening?” She nodded completely unapologetically. “She sounds wonderful, tell me more.”
As if he could resist. He told her about meeting her that first day, their long afternoons on the horses and slowly falling in love with her. “Elena I lied to her about who I was.” That broken look in her eyes still haunted him.
“But you told her the truth, eventually right?”
He looked into Elena’s hopeful green gaze, looking big and wide against her brown fringe, and felt sick to his stomach. “I told her the day I left. I thought I had time but I couldn’t let her think I’d just vanished.”
“Instead you let her think you used her? That she never meant anything to you other than a distraction from your real life?”
Hearing it spoken aloud, it sounded worse. “None of that is true, Elena. But it might not matter anymore. She’ll probably never speak to me again and even if she did, I still haven’t told Mother and Father.”
Elena nodded knowingly. The Queen was an awful snob when it came to mixing with the non-nobility and he knew she wouldn’t be happy he’d fallen in love so far below royalty. She sighed and gave a loving look at her husband, lying still in his bed. “You have to worry about your happiness Alex. This life you were born into comes with a lot of expectations and responsibilities, none of which you really have control over. Your heart is yours and yours alone to govern Alex. If Amanda makes you happy, do everything within your power to hang on to her.” Sliding another glance at Stefan, she sighed. “Happiness doesn’t just come to us, Alexander. We have to fight for it.”
Alex spent the rest of the day thinking about Elena’s words. He wasn’t above fighting for what he wanted, in fact he’d spent most of his life doing just that. If it was solely left to his parents, Alex knew he’d be married to some boring but poor royal he didn’t love. He would have some political job that he didn’t want. In short, he would be completely miserable. So he would have to fight for Amanda. There would surely be a fight just to get her to speak to him again, never mind the fight for a second chance.
But first he needed to speak with his parents. Let them know he’d found his purpose in life and it wasn’t here in Silmaña. Before any of that could happen, there were royal duties he had to attend to.
With Prince Stefan out of commission all the duties not performed by the King or Queen, fell to him. That meant welcoming visiting dignitaries and celebrities, showing up for special events that required a royal presence and his most taxing obligation of all, dealing with the Parliament.
Stefan was a natural politician, easily winning over even the staunchest opponent without resorting to threats or dirty tricks. It was the part Alex hated the most, and it was where he currently sat with a tense jaw while two idiots argued over what amounted to nothing.
“What do you think, Prince Alexander?” The question came from the cocky and wealthy leader of the conservative party. Alex didn’t miss the condescension in his tone.
Alex stood slowly, unfolding his large frame and smoothing over all the pins and medals on his Royal Army dress uniform. His gaze pierced through Martez who sat back with a smug smile. “I think you both are quibbling over a small matter that only affects your personal wealth and not the people of Silmaña. You might want to remember why you were chosen in the first place and pass the damn legislation.” The moderates roared their approval at his outburst while the extreme conservatives maintained a stiff upper lip. The rest simply sat back wearing an amused grin.
“But the details matter, something your brother understood.”
“It’s funny you should mention that because according to Prince Stefan’s notes, he wants to s
crap that legislation altogether and propose a new one. You’ll find his newest proposal on your tablets now.” Alex sat down, feeling confident he’d done a good job. By the time the session was over, Alex was more confident than ever that he’d made the right decision.
This life was no longer his.
Chapter 9
One month. That’s how long it had been since Alex, no Prince Alexander, had broken her heart and promptly left the country. And Amanda had spent every moment she wasn’t in class feeling hollow. Numb But she kept it together during the day. From seven thirty in the morning when she arrived at school to go over her lesson plans, until three when she hurried from the building and made her way to her dinky little apartment.
Everyday was the same. She came home and changed into comfy flannel pajamas, curled up on the sofa with junk food she hardly touched and cried until everything hurt. Without fail, she’d fallen asleep on the sofa for the past twenty-nine days, waking up with a stiff neck. And a heart that was still broken.
Still she couldn’t figure out why. Why had Alex lied to her, kept his identity a secret? Did he really think she would tell the world he was a secret prince? Her heart sank, realizing that if he really and truly loved her, he would have trusted her. Would have told her the truth sooner. At least before we slept together. Amanda didn’t have a very modern attitude about sex. For her it always meant something and with Alex it had meant everything.
Or so she thought.
The fact that he hadn’t called her, or texted, told her everything she needed to know. Alex never gave a damn about her. She was nothing more than a distraction for a bored prince. Silly me, I fell in love. The joke was, once again, on her she thought bitterly.
The muffled sound of a ringing phone pulled Amanda from her constant barrage of depressing thoughts and she dug deep in her bag, yanking her phone from the bottom. “Hey Misty.”
“Don’t you ‘Hey Misty’ me when you’ve been avoiding me for at least a week, but I suspect longer.”
