Prince's Babies: A Royal Baby Romance Boxed Set

by Ella Brooke

  Mateo winked. “I wouldn’t mind some sugar.”

  Hanna arched a brow and leaned against the doorframe. “Really? I mean, really?”

  “Maybe not. But I wanted you to know that Ariana and I are just a couple of minutes away, if you need us.”

  “Where is the blushing bride?” Hanna asked pointedly.

  “She’s putting her mark on the apartment. It needs a bit of a… feminine touch.”

  “I have a hard time imagining the prince and princess of Artigua bunking down in an apartment in this part of town… Hell, in any apartment to be had in Shreveport, Louisiana.”

  “You’re welcome to come over.” Mateo’s eyes lifted as he heard a low, tremulous note coming from the Sam’s room. “I didn’t realize you had a roommate.”

  “How could I not? Do I look like the kind of person who is upwardly mobile, here?” Hanna chuckled as she stepped away from the door. “You’re very proactive, I have to say. We’re on for the doctor next week, right? They gave me a call.”

  “That’s exactly right.” Mateo’s gaze fixed on the hallway leading to Sam’s room. “Your roommate is very gifted.”

  “That’s true. Sam and I have known each other a long time now. Since my second year of college. I don’t think I would’ve made it through my mom’s death alone.”

  “I’m glad you had her, then.”

  Hanna fought a smile and led Mateo to the kitchen. “I’ll get us some drinks. Do you want anything?”

  “Whatever you have.”

  Hanna nodded. She reached for a bottle of red and poured two glasses. “Got to get my kicks while I can, hm?”

  “I suppose you do.” Mateo took the glass she offered. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this. I know you had your reservations.”

  “It’s a little like going into business with someone. You’re putting your trust in them, hoping things will go smoothly.” She sipped her wine. “I don’t think you can ever really know, though.”

  Mateo leaned back against the counter. “No, I don’t suppose you can. It seems more like getting into a relationship to me.”

  “Imagine that.”

  “You’re always taking a leap of faith when you meet someone new. Can you trust them? Will they take care of your heart?”

  “Trust is definitely important…” Hanna trailed her finger around the rim of the glass as she found herself caught by his eyes. What color were they, really? The color was like the flecked dark green of Baltic amber. “I think just as important though is having some commonality or companionship with the person you’re with. Passion stems from finding one of your own, you know? Someone who really gets you.”

  “Maybe. I haven’t ever really met anyone like that.” He paused. “I finally watched your video, you know. The one you did for your surrogate profile.”

  “Oh? Do I come off well?”

  “I’d just wondered what you’d said in it that caught Ariana’s eye. I think it must’ve been how you talked about your love for art. I must be a dimwit, not understanding that before. You’ve built your life on being able to create. You’re passionate about it.”

  “You sound surprised. Did you think I was working the world of art for its famed job security?”

  “No.” He laughed. “I just suppose I wish I had that kind of passion in my life.”

  “You do. For unicorns.”

  Mateo wagged a finger at her. “You tease.”

  “I’m not a tease. I’m giving you my body for a year. You’re the tease.” Hanna clicked her tongue. “Knocking up another woman. With your sweet-faced fiancée right next door.”

  “She’ll be at the doctor’s appointment, not I. You could say she’s the one knocking you up.”

  Hanna drained her glass and poured another. “Now you’re just making it weird.”

  “What? Ariana likes you. I could imagine you two becoming quite close. If it were me, and some man had to step in to fill my role, I‘d be jealous. I have no shame admitting it.”

  “Maybe you should.” Hanna lowered her lids halfway. “But it doesn’t matter, does it? It’ll be your child. Both of yours.”

  “It will. I just feel some concern for her. A man should take care of his woman.”

  “That’s a perfectly antediluvian sentiment,” Hanna drawled.

  “You think a man shouldn’t exercise his superior strength, or in my case, reach and privilege to ensure the people in his life are taken care of?”

  “I think that’s true of anyone who’s a person. You take care of those you love, period. It’s not an obligation. It’s part of the gift of being close to someone.” Hanna sighed. “Or that’s the way I was taught.”

  The cello playing had stopped, Hanna noticed suddenly. Sam’s steps came softly across the wooden floors. She gave him a wave and gestured to the wine bottle. “Want a glass?”

  “No, thanks.” Sam scratched the back of his head. To Hanna’s amusement, he was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. Mateo’s eyes fixed on him. “I thought I heard the doorbell.”

  “It was Mateo, not dinner.”

  “Pity.” Sam shrugged and offered Mateo his hand as though he had no idea this man was the prince. “Good to meet you, though.”

  Mateo reached in and met Sam’s hand, squeezing firmly. Sam grimaced a little and looked to Hanna with raised brows.

  “This is Sam. He’s the one you heard playing before. Stick around for any amount of time, and you’ll hear him playing some instrument.” Hanna tried not to laugh as Sam pulled his hand back and rubbed it. “I’ve gotten used to it. I barely hear him anymore.”

  “That’s flattering.” Sam slipped past them and started to make coffee.

  “And you’ve been living with her since college?” Mateo asked him.

  “I’ve known her since she was in college. We moved in together… I think it was the same year.” Sam looked to her.

  Hanna nodded. “Within the year. But not the same calendar year.”

  “And… how did you meet?” Mateo’s voice was tense.

  “Under a bridge,” Sam said.

  “You’re awful,” Hanna said.

  “It’s true.” Sam closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of coffee. “I was selling portraits. I’d sketch them for people while they waited. I wasn’t having much luck, but she bought one. I still have it. She gave it back to me when we moved in together.”

  “That worked out pretty well for you.”

  “It did.” Sam poured his coffee. “We didn’t move in right away. We met later when I was playing a bar she was at. Got on after that. But eventually, it just made sense.”

  “What a lovely story,” Mateo said.

  Hanna pressed her fingers over her lips.

  “I sure think so,” Sam said flatly. When the doorbell rang, he took his coffee and went to answer it.

  “You can stay for dinner, if you like,” Hanna offered.

  “No. I don’t want to leave Ariana waiting.”

  Mateo left for the door. He breezed past Sam and the delivery boy. Sam sighed heavily and gave the delivery boy a cash tip.

  “You got that fuckin’ boy thinking I’m straight,” Sam said irritably before taking a breadstick and tearing into it.

  Hanna just laughed and took the stick from him to take a bite.

  “It’s not funny. He likes you. You know that, don’t you? He’s jealous.”

  “Oh, he is not.” Hanna sat on the arm of the chair. “He’s just an incurable flirt.”

  “An incurable flirt who thinks we’re boning,” Sam grumbled.

  “I’ll get the silverware. God, I’m hungry.”

  “I would’ve given you a different answer about this surrogacy if I’d known there was something between the two of you,” Sam said.

  Hanna came out of the kitchen and gave him a fork. “Hush. This isn’t a problem. He just has boundary issues, and trouble being told no.”

  “Well, that just sounds like a wonderful situation.” Sam raked his eyes over her. �
�And you’re telling me you don’t have any interest in him? Mr. Tall, Dark, and Aggressive?”

  “I don’t! If I thought it was going to be a problem, I would’ve mentioned it when we talked.” Hanna took the box marked “chick parm” and opened it up. “C’mon. Don’t worry.”

  “I’ll do nothing but worry, thank you.” Sam opened up his dinner and swirled spaghetti around his fork.

  “Whatever makes you happy, Mom.”

  Chapter Seven

  Mateo

  Ariana jumped as Mateo slammed the door shut.

  “Have a good walk?” she peeped.

  “Fine.”

  Ariana rose and looked a bit like she wanted to say something. He’d been in a mood ever since he’d left Hanna’s apartment two weeks ago, and Ariana was walking on eggshells. Mateo didn’t mean to take things out on her, but he didn’t know anyone in this goddamn ingrown hair they called a city.

  “Hanna and I will be going to the doctor tomorrow,” Ariana managed after a minute. “Maybe you’d like to go.”

  “I don’t think that would be advisable. It’s good that you two are able to do this together, though.”

  “Yes. It’s been nice getting to know her.” Ariana paused. “You haven’t talked to her yet, have you?”

  “What do you mean?” Mateo sunk into a large reading chair.

  “Our hopes have been realized. The in-vitro took.” Ariana smiled beatifically. “She’s pregnant.”

  Mateo’s head spun. He was deeply glad he’d been sitting down. While he’d been caught in his long sulk, their plans had continued without him, and now Hanna was pregnant with his child. He had the urge to leap up and head over to her apartment, but what would that do? She would probably be angry with him for being distant. He should’ve been there, holding her hand as the doctors slid his genetic material inside her.

  Hanna teased, but she was right that he was rarely denied what he wanted. And it was hard for him not to want more of her than he was allowed. There had been an attraction between them from the moment he’d seen her in that coffee shop. If he were honest with himself, if he’d watched her video before coming to America, that in itself would’ve held him fast in her grip. The way she’d held her knees together, the way she smiled, the way her eyes flashed, talking about how she loved being able to own and run her own little art collective.

  Mateo hadn’t picked up a brush in years. His parents had felt it was a waste of time, and so he’d let it fall to the wayside. Abandoned it in favor of more fleeting passions. They were mere arousals, simple distractions. He’d had little hope that something permanent would even come of this marriage, given the falseness of the whole thing. And yet here he was, staring down the barrel of fatherhood.

  “Well?” Ariana said. “Are you coming? You should.”

  “I don’t think so. It might be strange for Hanna to see me at an appointment like that. I’ll go speak to her later.”

  “I hope you do.” Ariana twisted her fingers and sighed. “I had really hoped you two would get along better. You seemed to have so much in common.”

  “That’s a bit of a strange hope from my fiancée,” Mateo pointed out.

  “Oh.” Ariana flushed. “Is it? I just want everything to go well. I’ll tell her you’d like to meet up.”

  “Please do.”

  Mateo picked up book from the table beside him and began to thumb through it. A few minutes later, he heard Ariana’s heels clicking against the floorboards on her way out. He stared emptily at the book for nearly an hour before heading out to find somewhere to get a decent drink.

  “What can I get you, your highness?”

  Mateo looked up at the bartender, a cheerful, dark-skinned fellow with a brightly colored bandana around his head and dangly silver earrings.

  “That’s a hell of a suit you got on there,” he said, grinning and toying with an earring. “You don’t see such swanky clothes on the men in here often.”

  “Well, thank you. How about a Kir Royal, if we’re going with the theme?” Mateo joked.

  “Comin’ right up.”

  The bartender’s name, he learned, was Davide. He served with a smirk, if not a smile, and listened as Mateo poured out his complaints about his parents and his upcoming marriage, but not about Hanna and not about the baby. Some part of him still wanted to protect them from public knowledge.

  “Arranged marriage in this day in age is all kinds of messed up,” Davide said. “But you’ve got tons of money. Why not tell your parents where to go?”

  “It’s not that easy. I’ve tried all my life to give them their due honor, respect—”

  “They’re your parents, not gods.”

  “Someone should alert them to that fact. I suppose part of growing up is realizing our parents aren’t infallible. Both of my older sisters… They never come home. And it’s not because they’re avoiding responsibility. It’s because Mother is so damn hostile.”

  Davide shrugged. “Sounds like she could use a Valium or four.”

  “Probably. I could slip them into her coffee. She has an addiction. That woman drinks about ten cups a day.”

  Davide poured a shot of vodka and slid it over to Mateo. “Seems to me a rich, powerful man like you couldn’t possibly not be in charge of his life. You sure you’re not exactly where you want to be?”

  “I’m sure,” Mateo said tersely.

  “No?” Davide shrugged. “Then maybe you should do something about it.”

  “I wish it were that easy.”

  “That’s the problem with havin’ all that money. Comes with strings, don’t it?”

  “More every day.” Mateo drained his glass then pulled out his wallet and placed several large bills on the counter.

  Davide raised a brow at the amount.

  “Hopefully, that’s just enough to solve a few problems and not bring you too many more.”

  Mateo wasn’t sure what time Ariana would be home, but when he returned, it was dark out, and he was more than a little drunk. He hadn’t wanted to spend more time at the bar with Davide because it was near the apartment, for one, but also because getting too drunk in front of someone so charming… Poor plan. He could find himself spilling more than he’d intended.

  They had rented out the condo next to the loft apartment Hanna shared with that ruggedly handsome Sam (a man apparently allergic to shirts). It was a quaint little place when one was used to a palace, but after Mateo had grown used to the claustrophobic feel of modern housing, he had to admit he liked it. The rooms were small but became familiar quickly. He could hear the neighbors in the condo next door and, occasionally, the people on the street. His time in America so far had been an education on how closely the common people lived to one another.

  Mateo moved up the stairs slowly, careful not to make much noise. He had delusions of showering before Ariana saw him. He’d hate to disappoint the girl with his drinking.

  It was then he heard her giggling and he stilled. A moment later, he’d convinced himself that he’d imagined it and reached the top of the stairs. Peering into the den, he saw Ariana sitting in a chair facing the window and talking on the landline they’d installed. Each of them had their own phones, of course, but Maria always insisted when traveling that they have a dedicated line, in case cell service went out.

  “No, no! Rico!” Ariana laughed. “Don’t tease me! It isn’t fair… Well, no, I’d do anything if I could have you here, but we just can’t. You said you understood… I have to try.”

  Mateo frowned as he tried to wrap his mind around this. Who was Rico, and why Ariana was so friendly with him? She was such a shy little mouse around Mateo and his family. Perhaps a brother? Mateo knew she had two and couldn’t for the life of him remember their names.

  “Shh, no, of course Mateo and I aren’t sleeping together. We barely know each other. He insisted we have our own rooms— I wouldn’t, even if he wanted it. I promise he doesn’t. He sees me like a little girl.”

  Mateo’s heart began
to pound.

  “No, I love you. Only you, Rico. No matter what happens.”

  Mateo stumbled back down the stairs and left the condo at once. He didn’t know where he was going, but he needed to think. How silly he’d been, assuming Ariana had no one who loved her! Just because Mateo didn’t love her, didn’t know her, didn’t mean she had never been loved. And here they were, in this impossible situation cooked up by their families, letting the future speed toward them like a tireless train.

  After realizing he’d walked around the block, Mateo found himself walking up the stairs to Hanna’s apartment. The timing was dreadful, but he couldn’t help himself. Who else could he talk to? Some random bartender he’d just met? Certainly not anyone back home, who would be compelled to tell the queen about what was going on.

  Mateo could hear the plaintive notes of Sam’s cello on the other side of the door, and a meeker part of him admitted he ought to leave Hanna alone. He barely knew her. He knew her even less than he did Ariana. But he pounded on the door anyway. The music continued as the door opened and Hanna looked at him in surprise.

  “Mateo? I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

  “Does that roommate of yours ever go to work?” he demanded.

  “He’s at work now.” Hanna frowned. “Oh, the music. It’s a recording from a few months ago when his group played at a local coffee shop. He’s always practicing or writing music when he’s not at work or doing his charcoal pieces for the art house, so sometimes when he’s not here, I just put it on. It gets too quiet.” She raked her eyes over him. “You’ve been drinking.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Of course.” Hanna stepped back. “Did Ariana— Did she tell you?”

  “She told me some things. Not others, unfortunately.” Mateo stood in the middle of the small apartment. Smaller than his own condo. He could imagine how one might get used to tripping over someone else in this place. “Congratulations.”

  “To you, too.” Hanna gestured to the couch. “Pending fatherhood. For what it’s worth, I think you’re up to it.”