The Crown Prince's Bride (Royal Duology 2)

“I always do a test on a checkup urine sample,” he answered. “We can confirm it with a blood test, but I’d trust it.”

A baby. Raoul’s baby. Oh God. This was horrible . . . and wonderful . . . and if she thought things were complicated before, they’d just be ratcheted up to about nine billion.

“And so the problem with the vaccine is that I’m pregnant?”

He nodded. “A lot of vaccines are safe, but some aren’t, or some lack the data to support it either way. I can’t stop you from going, but if you were to get sick, it wouldn’t be just you. It would be the baby, too.” He looked her square in the eye. “If you are going to keep it, that is.”

Of course she was. This wasn’t how she’d planned it, but she wanted children. “I am. But wow. This just . . . changes everything.”

He smiled again. “Babies usually do.” His voice was warm and calming. “I’m sorry about your trip, though.”

“Me too.” She looked over at him. “Dr. Sanchez, you’re the royal physician. Will my condition be . . . that is, I mean to say . . .”

He took her hand. “No. I am still bound by confidentiality, and anything we discuss here is safe.”

She looked into his kind face and let out a breath. “Okay. The baby is Raoul’s.”

If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. “I see.”

“I don’t quite know what to do about that, to be honest. It’s highly possible I’ll be leaving the palace. If I do . . . if I end up away from Marazur, could you recommend a doctor for me?”

“As long as you’re here, you’re my patient,” he said. “And I’ve known Raoul since he was a teenager. Even if the two of you aren’t together, he’ll want the best of care for your baby. You’ll be taken care of, Stephani. I promise. Shall we get on with the rest of the appointment? We want you as healthy and happy as possible.”

He wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm, while Stephani scrambled to make sense of her thoughts. Healthy? Maybe. Happy? How could she be completely happy when her personal life was in such a mess?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The last thing she wanted to do was tell Raoul the news, but since her plans were all going to be cancelled right away, she couldn’t wait. She parked her car at the back of the palace and entered through the servant’s door, stopping at the kitchen first. It was nearly eight and she hadn’t eaten since noon; she’d been so out of sorts after seeing the doctor that she’d driven down to the ocean and sat on the beach, watching the waves break on the shore. She’d needed time to think.

In reality, she should probably be panicking. She and Raoul weren’t together. She’d thrown a monkey wrench into the operations of the monarchy and was about to turn it upside down again. The crown prince was about to have an illegitimate baby. Even if she didn’t reveal the identity of the father, there would probably be speculation.

She should be panicking, but she wasn’t. Because deep down she was happy. Oddly, she kept telling herself she shouldn’t be. She was single, her relationship with the father was in tatters, and all her plans were changing. But she was. Come what may, she was happy that she was going to have a child. Be a mother.

The kitchen staff was still bustling around, but Señora Ortiz took one look at her, grinned, and fixed a plate. The chicken and salad was delicious and exactly what she needed. She turned down dessert, thought of the bottle of vitamins she now had in her purse. Even the way she ate was about to change.

“Is the family still at dinner?” she asked.

“They’re just finishing dessert.”

Nerves bubbled around in her stomach. She had to simply get it over with, didn’t she?

She gave Señora Ortiz an unexpected peck on the cheek. “Thank you for dinner.”

“Of course. You come to my kitchen anytime.”

Stephani went upstairs then, toward the dining room. Raoul and Diego were still seated at the table, chatting, when she stepped to the doorway. Her heart tumbled a little. Her feelings for Raoul hadn’t changed. There was no question he’d disappointed her, but that was added pain. It had done nothing to stop how much she loved him. Now she was going to tell him they were going to have a child together, all the while knowing they would be raising him or her apart.

“Raoul? May I speak to you for a minute?”

He looked up and his face immediately fell into an expression of concern. “Of course. Are you all right?”

She tried a smile, but nerves seemed to be getting the better of her. “I’m fine, but if we could talk in the library, that would

be great.”

Raoul looked at Diego, who also wore an expression of alarm. Did she really look so bad?

“I’ll catch up with you later, Diego,” Raoul said, rising from the table.