“I want this for you, Nic.”
My hands slid to her cheeks and I tilted her lips upward. “I want this too.” I kissed her roughly, drinking in her mouth.
“Now, I want you to meet my daughter.”
I tugged her hand and walked up the stairs.
34
Kenley
I didn’t know when I would get used to traveling in the royal caravan as Nic’s partner, rather than his manager. I didn’t have my pearls, the fitted skirt, or the silk blouse to hide behind anymore. I felt vulnerable and alarmingly unprepared in a linen dress.
We stood on the porch of Sophia’s townhome. The agent who had stayed behind greeted us at the top of the stairs. The stoop was decorated with tropical flowers. There was a potted palm in a ceramic pedestal.
I could hear the laughter of children playing in the park across the street.
Nic rang the doorbell.
I wasn’t supposed to be this nervous. How many times had I conquered awkward and uncomfortable situations? I’d be in the room when the king stared down foreign diplomats. I’d witnessed family screaming matches with the dowager queen. I’d walked in front of protestors who hated a cabinet policy.
But this was the first time I was going to face the mother of Nic’s child. A woman who once had his heart, but didn’t value it. It was easy for her to leave. How could she have been so careless? She smashed the most incredible part of him like it was a crystal vase.
She didn’t know the carnage she left behind with her ruthless exit. She walked out of the palace, leaving me to pick up the pieces. She left me to hold him together. And I did.
I was the one who was cut over and over by the shards.
Nic squeezed my hand one more time before the door creaked open.
“Hi,” Sophia greeted us.
Her dark hair was pulled on top of head in a messy bun. She was wearing yoga pants and a long sheer shirt over a sports bra. She looked undeniably American. I wondered how long it took her to assimilate to life here. She was from a noble wealthy family. It had to be an adjustment.
“Good morning, Sophia.” Nic grinned. I could hear the excitement in his tone. He had been in a perpetual good mood since he met Adaline.
“Hello.” I nodded at her.
“It’s been a long time, Kenley. Come in. Would you like some coffee?” She pulled the door wide open.
“That sounds nice,” I replied. “I’d love a cup? Nic?”
“I’d like one as well.”
We crossed the threshold. The townhome was beautiful. Her expensive taste was everywhere. I wondered if there were trinkets from Nic scattered on the books
helves or the walls. They had a long relationship that had played out in the headlines. There was bound to be evidence of their time together here.
Nic gripped my shoulders and pointed me toward the living room. “Look,” he whispered.
“Adaline is playing with her blocks. Why don’t you show her how to build a castle while I get the coffee?” Sophia suggested.
She left us and we wandered into the room. Adaline was sitting on a pink quilt, holding a wooden block with the letter A carved in the side.
We crouched to the floor. Nic looked at me. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Hi, Adaline.” I studied her cherub-like features. “Yes, she’s perfect.”
I couldn’t believe I was staring at his baby. His daughter was here.