Winning the Queen's Heart: Contemporary Christian Romance (The Brides of Belles Montagnes Book 2) (25 page)

“Except for making me sound like an invalid, it is about what I anticipated.” She did border on being an invalid, but the world being told that irked her. Christiana dragged her attention back to the screen as Christopher took Alexander’s spot.

“I don’t have much to add, except to thank all of you for the continued support of
2 Cool 4 School.
Neither of us anticipates being involved in an official reunion special at this point in time.” He started to back away then returned. “And for the record, all requests from
BoyzGoneWild
and similar magazines or websites will be met with the same resounding
‘no’
they always have been.”

He turned and walked away, ignoring the shouted questions. Christiana took the remote and turned it off.

“Shall I contact the Office of Tourism? I would imagine the number of tourists will jump in the next few weeks.”

Christiana turned the thought over in her head. “Yes. We need to begin to anticipate the additional tourists, doing our best to encourage the highlighting of our culture and lands while discouraging the exploitation of Alexander personally.”

“Agreed.” Diana picked up the phone and placed the call. After speaking with the Minister of Tourism for a moment, she hung up. “The prince already called them. Or rather Justin did at his request.”

“Good.” Something about the whole thing left her unsettled. Perhaps once she spoke with Alexander, it would help.

Diana answered an incoming call. Christiana saw the smile cross her face. “Yes, sir. She’s right here.” She held out the phone. “It’s your husband, ma’am.”

“Hello?” She did not know quite how to address him.

“Diana told me you heard?” No greeting. Straight to business.

“Yes. I saw your press conference. Have you really had offers from
BoyzGoneWild
?” Whatever possessed her to ask such a thing?

“Just this morning,” he confirmed. She could almost see the grim set of his mouth. “Don’t worry. Neither of us would ever agree to it, much less together.”

“I did not doubt that. I just did not know you received such offers.”

“Many times. Starting about six months before we turned eighteen. We’ve turned them all down.” She heard him blow out a breath. “I’m heading back in a few minutes. As soon as the plane can be ready. There’s not much I can do here except draw unnecessary attention to the hospital and interrupt already stressful times for lots of other people. My family will keep me updated.”

“Very well. I will make sure everyone necessary is notified on this end.”

“I already did.”

“Oh.” Christiana deflated back against the pillows. “I suppose I will see you later tonight.”

“It’ll be late when I get in.” He sounded distracted. “I’ll probably just sleep in my room so I don’t bother you.” Before she could respond, he went on. “I gotta run. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Christiana stared at the buzzing phone. “Good-bye.”

* * *

“You’re fired.”

The words rang over and over in Julia’s head as she drove home twenty minutes after she arrived at work. She’d tried to explain to her boss that she’d gone to the hospital to visit his brother, a former classmate of hers. It was the absolute truth. She’d also hoped to get a chance to talk with Alexander, even for just a minute. Just because.

She wouldn’t have stalked him. Just if she happened to run into him while she was there. Checking up on her old friend really was something she’d been meaning to do anyway. Running into Alexander had been a bonus.

And she had talked to Alexander for just a minute. He seemed to recognize her though she couldn’t be sure. Unfortunately, she’d forgotten about the meeting she was supposed to set up for. Normally, it didn’t matter too much what time she got to work as long as she got her work done, but today she was to have gotten the conference room ready. Julia had even left a message for her boss telling him she’d be late. Their normal procedure. But with the conference room not ready for the meeting it was too much.

By the time she reached home, her headache had reached epic proportions, and her tears had long since left her dehydrated. Once inside the apartment, she sat on the couch, staring into space.

Julia had no idea, how long she sat there before her phone buzzed, but the text from her mom about her trip sent her into a fresh round of tears.

Her Alex had picked the place for their spring break trip. And because he wanted to visit the country where the nice man his mama knew lived, she’d booked the trip to Revenzario. A splurge. One she shouldn’t have made. She knew she shouldn’t have even when clicking the buttons. Sales helped. And the islands were gorgeous. They had a wonderful week and a half planned. They had no idea what Prince Alexander’s schedule was, but she’d planned to look it up when they arrived and hope there might be a good time for them to at least see him in person.

The tickets were paid for. The rental car was paid for, as was the ferry crossing and the deposits on some of the hotel rooms had already been put on her credit card, with money set aside to cover it. None of it was refundable.

Alex would be devastated if they didn’t take the trip. With her help, he’d researched all the cool places to go and painstakingly mapped it all out. He helped pick the hotels and planned to tell all of his friends about it when they returned.

Julia texted her mom back. It was only a few days away, and she’d do her best to keep her job loss a secret until after they returned. No reason to stress anyone else out over her downturn in income.

And maybe, just maybe, Steve would cool down. She’d screwed up. Big time. She knew that, but she’d also been an invaluable asset to the company for some time. Maybe he’d give her another chance.

If not...well, she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.

* * *

Alexander reached for the other side of the bed, not quite awake as he wondered where the warmth he usually found spooned behind his wife had disappeared to. Was Christiana sick?

He opened one eye and looked to see the other side of the bed hadn’t been slept in. Sitting up he realized why. When he got back to the palace in the wee hours of the morning, he’d changed into pajama pants and collapsed into the bed in the room he’d used when they first returned to the palace.

But...he leaned back against the headboard. The bedding was the same as Christiana’s room. Had it been when he’d lived in here before? He swung his feet over the edge, grabbed a t-shirt, and walked out into the living area. Diana was at her desk, talking with someone, though he couldn’t figure out whom. She held up a hand to keep him from going into Christiana’s bedroom.

A minute later, she hung up. “It’s good to have you back, sir. How’s your grandmother?”

Alexander shrugged. “Last I heard, she was recovering as well as could be expected, and her doctors anticipate a mostly full recovery though it may take some time.” A thought crossed his mind. “Have you heard something else since I got in?”

She shook her head. “No, sir.”

“Is the queen in?”

“No, sir. She’ll be back in a little bit.”

Did Diana look uncomfortable? “Where is she?”

“Out for a walk. Not a long one, but she wanted to get outside for a few minutes. Dr. McCall’s nurse went with her.”

“Why was the nurse here?”

Definitely shifting uncomfortably. “Dr. McCall was here earlier checking on the queen.”

“Do you know where she is?” Oh, for a normal house. He’d have to change at least into jeans and a collared shirt before he could go find her. Even the baseball hat and sneakers he’d toss on would get him questionable looks.

“No, sir.”

Great. He was ready to walk out in three minutes flat. Morning breath didn’t bother him. No one would be close enough, but he felt the need to find his wife. Alexander trotted through the hallways until he reached the main door out to the garden where he’d proposed and where he’d found her the first day she needed to get out again. One thing he didn’t like about living at the palace was the large staff, many of whom he’d never met personally. He needed to fix that and at least try to get to know them by sight.

Then maybe they wouldn’t look at him like he was nuts when he passed.

He had to stop to open the heavy door, but as soon as he did he saw the person he was looking for.

Christiana walked slowly up the steps with the nurse at her side, but not holding onto her. Alexander gave a nod of dismissal to the nurse. “I got it from here.”

The two women exchanged a glance he couldn’t interpret but didn’t fight him. He wrapped his arm around Christiana’s waist as she went up the last few steps. “How’re you feeling?”

“Fine.” She didn’t elaborate and the walk back to the apartment was quiet. “I think I am going to lay down for a bit. I am sure you have plenty of other things to do.” Something sounded a bit off, and it seemed to Alexander like she was trying to get him to stay out. He ignored her and walked into the room they’d shared for the last couple of months.

The first thing he noticed was that the bedding had been changed to something he didn’t recognize.

The second thing was the IV stand with a bag still hanging from it next to the big recliner.

His hand dropped from her waist. “Is there something I need to know?”

Christiana didn’t look at him. “Diana received a call from Elana’s mother that she came down with the stomach flu. It appears I did as well.”

Everything in him wanted to explode, but Alexander forced himself to take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. “And you didn’t think I should know about this? I would have come straight back. Or did you know before I left?”

“The first round hit about two hours after you left. I would have told you if you had called to speak with me.”

“I did call.”

“Not until you had been gone over a full day. And I was finally sleeping when you did. Diana was right not to wake me.” His wife refused to look at him until she sat carefully in the chair. The nurse moved to her side and helped her take her sweater off. Alexander waited until she’d hooked the tubing back up into his wife’s arm then jerked his head. The nurse rolled her eyes but left the room.

“And you didn’t think I should know that you were sick? Like need fluids sick. After everything else that’s happened over the last couple months?”

“You were taking care of your family, just as you should have been. Your parents, your brother, and your grandmother needed you.”

“
You
are my family now, Christiana! You and the baby. I thought we agreed you wouldn’t keep things about the baby from me anymore!” Red was starting to tinge his vision. What if something had happened, and he’d been halfway around the world? Could he have made it home in time? What if she had...miscarried without him here with her? “I have to go.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, not waiting to see if she called him back. Not sure if he was glad she didn’t.

If only he could just go for a run to burn off some steam. Not around here. There was no place for him to do so on palace grounds. Time to head for the island and the Biacampo property where he could pound the pavement until he had a better grip on his emotions.

Chapter 27

Christiana closed her eyes and struggled to keep the tears at bay. He had slept in the other room. Even when he burst out into the garden, he seemed annoyed, not happy to see her and had not known she had been sick at that point.

This marriage stuff was not as easy as she thought it might be.

It would be easier if her heart never got involved.

Diana walked in, a tablet in her hand. “Ma’am, there’s something I think you need to see.”

“Is it bad?” Christiana asked, unable to keep the weariness out of her voice.

“It’s not good.”

She took the tablet from her assistant. The picture was one from a different angle than what she had seen with her own eyes through the television camera. Alexander hugging the woman at the hospital. Christiana skimmed the article.
Prince Alexander...hugging an unknown woman...not his wife...seemingly long, full-bodied hug...potential extra-curricular activities overseas?

With one hand she squeezed her thumb and forefinger at the corner of her eyes and with the other she handed the tablet back.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“Alexander has not cheated on me.” She did not believe it. She could not. He always made such a big deal out of his family’s commitment to fidelity, out of the fiction the tabloids had made up for him and his brother all those years earlier.

“Something you need to consider, though, ma’am, and we need to discuss with the PR Office is the fact that there will likely be at least one woman, if not more, coming forward claiming to have given birth to his child. Those claims are an unfortunate reality of his former celebrity status and the revelations of that status in the last day.”

“I am aware of the tabloids. I also believe him when he says there is no chance at all that he has any children out in the world. He would not have abandoned them if he did, but I do not believe he did in the first place.”