The Princess and the Player

She smiled as she cupped James’s face. The face of her future. “Turns out I like my man with a side of trouble. We have a lot of obstacles to leap. We always have. But I think you’re worth it, James Rowling. Jump with me.”

“Are you sure?” he asked cautiously even as he pressed his jaw more firmly into her hand. “You don’t worry about losing out on your fun lifestyle and how Maisey will tie you down?”

Once, that might have been her sole consideration. No longer.

“The party scene is empty and unfulfilling.” As she said the words, they felt right. She’d been growing up all along, becoming a woman she could be proud of, one ready for new challenges. “Maybe someone who hadn’t had a chance to sow her wild oats might feel differently. But I don’t regret moving on to a new phase of life. Just don’t let go of my hand, okay?”

“Never.” He grinned back. “You’re right, by the way. My grandfather’s watch is very special to me. Will bet me that I would ask you to marry me before Gabriel’s coronation and the watch was the prize. I fought like hell to keep it, but in the end, it was only fair to hand it over.”

“But you haven’t asked me to marry you.” Because she’d run off and almost ruined everything.

“No, I haven’t. Allow me to rectify that.” He dropped to one knee and captured her hand. “Isabella Montoro, I love you. I don’t deserve a minute of your time, let alone forever, but I’m so lost without you. I have sole custody of my daughter and it’s selfish to ask you to be an instant mother. Despite all of that, I’m asking you to marry me anyway. Let me treat you like a princess the rest of your life.”

Just when she’d thought he couldn’t possibly get any more romantic, he said something like that. How could she say no? “Before I decide, I have a very important question to ask.”

“Anything,” he said solemnly.

“Do I have to move to England?”

His laugh warmed her. “No. I turned down Liverpool. My heart is in Alma. With you.”

“Oh.” And then her ability to speak completely fled as she internalized what she’d almost missed out on—an amazing man who’d quietly been making her his top priority all along. “Then yes,” she whispered. “The answer is always yes.”

He yanked on her hand, spilling her into his lap, and kissed her breathless, over and over until she finally pushed on his chest.

“I love you, too,” she proclaimed. “Even though you made a stupid bet with your brother that lost you a watch and almost lost you a fiancée. What if I’d said no? Would you still ha—?”

He kissed her. It was a very effective way to end an argument and she hoped he planned to use it a whole lot in the future.

Epilogue

Bella still loved Miami. Thanks to the double Montoro wedding that had concluded a mere hour ago, she’d gotten an opportunity to come back, see her friends and spend some alone time with James. Which was much needed now that they were settling into life with a baby.

James’s arm slipped around her waist as he handed her a glass of champagne. Still a little misty from the ceremony where her brothers had married their brides, she smiled at the man she loved.

Bella sighed a little over the romantic kiss her brother Rafe shared with his new wife, Emily, as they stole a few moments together in a secluded corner. Of course, they probably didn’t intend for anyone to see them, but Bella had been keeping her eye on her new sister-in-law. She’d been a little unsteady due to her pregnancy.

Serafia Montoro, Bella’s other new sister-in-law, toasted Gabriel and laughed at something her new husband said. They were going to be just as happy together as Rafe and Emily, no question.

The reception was in full swing. Five hundred of the world’s most influential people packed the party. The governor of Florida chatted with Bella’s father, Rafael III, near the bar and many other of Montoro Enterprises’ key partners were in attendance.

“You ready to do this with me soon?” James murmured in her ear.

She shivered, as she always did when he touched her. Looked at her. Breathed in her general direction. Oh, she had it bad and it was delicious.

But who could blame her when she’d fallen in love with the only man in the world who got her? The only man who settled the hurricane in her heart. She’d returned to Alma to meet his daughter, who was the most precious thing in the world. And she looked just like her father, which was a plus in Bella’s book. She’d instantly bonded with the little sweetheart.