Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys) (14 page)

Milly
came over and silently began chopping with her. It was a
companionable quiet between mother and daughter, not awkward, like
usual. When they finished, they arranged everything on a gigantic
platter with dips and set it out in the living room.

“
Thank
you for your, help, Calista. I couldn't do all of this without you.”
Callie was touched by her mother's uncharacteristic words. What was
going on? “By the way, I know I had my misgivings at first.
But Henry? He's a keeper.”

Callie
blushed. “Mom, don't get ahead of yourself. It's still very
early days.”

“
I
know honey. But even your father knew something was different about
this guy. And he's about the only boy you brought home since Tom
that he's actually liked. I reckon he's turned my thinking around.
That, and I can see how happy you are, and how he treats you. It's
all a mother could want, a man to cherish his daughter. I know you
think I'm overbearing sometimes, but I've only ever wanted you to be
happy.” Callie spontaneously hugged her mother.

“
Oh
mom, I can't tell you how much it means to hear you say that.”
Both mother and daughter had tears in their eyes. “I feel like
we've turned a corner, and I like how it feels with us now. Can we
keep it
going?”

“
I'm
sure going to try my best, Callie.” Wow. Her mother had just
called her Callie, not Calista. For the first time in her life.
This was big.

“
You
don't have to call me Callie. Calista is OK, if it's you saying it.”
Milly gave her hand a squeeze.

Henry
had come in to see if he could help and witnessed the exchange
between mother and daughter. It was a Christmas miracle.

Jackson
came in to the kitchen to announce that their part of dinner would be
ready in about ten minutes. The women went into action and finished
setting the table. They began bringing out the side dishes and
preparing for the meal.

Everyone
was once again seated at the table. It was truly a feast, and Callie
couldn't be happier. It had turned out to be a wonderful day. She
was blessed to have cousins who were also
her
friends, which made holidays even more special.

Once
everyone was seated, Jackson asked them to bow their heads for a
blessing. Milly touched her husband's arm, and she took over.

“
Dear
Lord, we thank you so much for the gift of your love and redemption.
We celebrate your birth today with a feast fit for the King of Kings,
prepared in love by this family who serve you. Thank you for
keeping everyone safe and healthy and happy. Thank you for the many
blessings you've bestowed upon us as a family. We think of those
who've gone before us. And we welcome our newest members. We look
forward to the new year with hope and faith in our hearts. In
Jesus' name we pray, Amen.”

Everyone
said Amen. It was a lovely blessing and obviously heartfelt. Callie
shared her mother's sense of gratitude and of faith. She was very
confused about her situation with Henry but was trusting that God's
will would be done and that things would work out as they were meant
to.

Dishes
were passed around, and teasing was made about who was having how
many servings, all in jest and fun. Henry complimented the cooks on
the meal, which was delicious.

After
the dinner, everyone helped to clear and clean up, then retired to
the living room for a little break before dessert. Jackson put
National Lampoon's
Christmas Vacation
on and
everyone laughed at the favourite family movie. About 20 minutes in
to the movie, Callie's phone rang. It was Erin. Odd, she hadn't
expected to hear from her til tomorrow.

“
Hey,
what's up? I thought you'd be passed out in a turkey coma by now.”

“
What
is up with you? And why is your parents' house on TV right now?”
Callie thought she'd misheard for a moment.

“
What?
What are you talking about?”

“
Callie,
go to the front door and take a peek outside the peep hole, but
don't, under any circumstances open the door.” She did as Erin
asked and couldn't believe what she saw outside.

There
were several news trucks and a bevy of photographers parked outside
her parents' house. What on earth was going on?

“
Callie,
are you looking?”

“
Yes,
I'm looking. What
is this?
Why are they here?” Callie sounded perplexed.

“
You
don't know.” Erin let out a sigh. “Oh wow, I can't
believe I'm telling you this. But here goes. It's Henry. He's not
who you think he is.”

“
What
do you mean? Erin, this is all completely surreal. What are you
trying to say?
”

“
I'm
saying that Henry is actually Prince Henry of Laurenia, and the
fourth son of King Rupert and Queen Olivia. You're dating a prince.
And apparently the paparazzi figured out where he's at, and it's a
slow news day, so you're it.”

Callie
heard the words Erin was speaking but they weren't quite registering.
What?

“
Turn
on the local news channel.” Callie walked into the kitchen and
turned on the small TV her mother kept on the counter top. And there
it was, her house on the news. With the reporter outside talking
about how the Prince had spent several weeks in the Keys and that
they suspected a romance with a local.

“
Callie,
are you there?”

“
Yes,
I'm here. I'm stunned. I don't know what to say.”

“
So
he never told you he was a Prince?”

“
No.
Somehow it never came up.”

“
I
wonder how they found him.” Callie thought about it.

“
I
think I know. We ran into Brian last night in Key West. And he was
with someone who Henry knows through society circles. It had to be
one of them.”

“
So
what are you going to do?”

“
I
don't know. I guess I'd better get Henry and figure it out.”

“
OK.
Well, just let me know what's going on. Do you need me to come
back?” Erin was a true friend.

“
No,
I'm fine. But I appreciate you offering. I'll keep you posted.”
Callie hung up the phone. As she was about to return to the living
room, there was a small rap at the kitchen door. It was Tom. She'd
never been happier to see anyone.

She
opened the door and Tom entered.

“
Is
Henry still here?
Is he all
right?” The concern he had for his friend was obvious.

“
Yes,
he's here, and happily oblivious to what's going on out there. I
only know because Erin just called me after seeing the house on the
freakin' news! Seriously. A prince? You didn't think that was
worth mentioning?”

Tom
knew she'd be annoyed. And that he'd
probably take some of the brunt of it. He was not wrong.

“
Callie,
it wasn't my place to tell. He came to visit, he needed some R &
R, and just wanted to be a normal guy. He never intended to meet
someone or anything, he just wanted to read and fish and hang out
with a buddy and take a breath. Is that so hard to understand?”
No. Callie shook her head, no.

“
How
did they find him out?” Tom was curious. They'd been so
careful for so many weeks.

Callie
told him about Key West and Amalia and Brian. Tom agreed with her
that it likely wasn't a coincidence.

“
So
what do we do?”

“
Get
Henry. I parked around the corner and cut through your neighbour's
yard from the side street. We can hike out that way and I can get
him out that way. I'll take him back up to Miami to his security
detail.” Callie nodded. I
t
sounded like a good plan but it also meant she'd have to say goodbye.
Now. Her heart was breaking.

“
OK,
I'll get him.”

“
I'll
check out what's going out front and make sure we're clear.”

Callie
took a deep breath and walked to the living room. She stood in the
doorway and signalled to Henry to join her. He excused himself and
followed her into the kitchen.

“
Tom!
Hey,
I didn't know you were
coming by. You're just in time for dessert.” When Tom didn't
smile, Henry knew something was wrong.

“
What's
wrong?”

“
Apart
from a gang of reporters and photographers parked out on the street
in front of the house? Nothing.”

Crap.
It had happened sooner than Henry thought. He looked at Callie,
then at Tom.

“
Can
you give us a minute, mate?” Tom nodded and let himself
outside into the back yard.

“
Callie
...” she put a hand on his arm and stopped him.

“
Hey,
I know. I get it. And this probably isn't the best time to talk
about your life as a prince. Tom has a plan to get you out of here
and I think you should probably just go. It's best for everyone's
sake.”

Henry's
heart sunk. She sounded so matter of fact.

“
OK.”
He motioned for Tom to come back in. “Callie says you have a
plan. Shall we call Biggs?” As if on cue, Henry's cell phone
rang. It was Biggs.

“
Hi,
Biggs. Yes, I know. Tom's here, and he has a plan, would you like
to chat with him?” He handed the phone to Tom and he and
Henry's head of security agreed on a rendezvous point. Tom handed
the phone back to Henry.

“
Not
to rush you, but we should probably leave sooner than later, before
the natives get restless. I'll be outside when you're ready.
Callie, have you got something he can put on, sweatshirt and a hat
maybe?” Callie nodded and turned to go into the laundry room.
She found a freshly washed hoodie and a baseball cap of her father's
and brought them back.

“
Is
there anything you need from the car?” Tom addressed Henry.

“
Nothing
that won't keep. I've got my passport and stuff with me. If you
could get my duffel bag couriered later, that would be great.”
Tom nodded. Henry handed him the keys to the SUV.

“
Will
these do?” Callie held them up for Tom's approval.

“
Yep.
He'll just look like a local. Perfect. Callie, I'll be back for
the SUV tonight. OK, see you outside when you're ready.” Tom
went outside and waited while Henry made his goodbyes.

“
Callie,
I really didn't want things to happen like this. And I was going to
tell you about the whole prince thing today, when we found a quiet
moment. I knew when we ran into Amalia last night that my days of
anonymity here were done. Can you forgive me for not being straight
up from the beginning?” He looked so sad.

“
I
won't lie, it's a bit of a shock. And I'll need some time. But how
can I hold this against you when I'm lying to my own mother?”
Now that Milly and she had been getting along better, Callie was
feeling worse and worse about it all.

Henry
wrapped her in his arms. “I'm choosing to think it wasn't a
lie. More of a premonition. Because if you'll still have me, I want
to stay in touch and figure out whatever this is.”

Callie
snuggled into Henry's chest and felt the full force of the emotion
behind the hug. She looked up at him and nodded her agreement.
“Henry ... can I still call you Henry? I don't know what is
between us, but I'd like to find out and see this through if we still
can.”

Henry
leaned down and gave her a kiss like none before. It was warm and
comforting yet needy at the same time. She felt the fullness of his
heart and gave him hers back. When they finally broke apart, she was
breathless. They just stared into each other's eyes for a few
seconds and then, reluctantly, Henry released her.

“
I
have to go. I'll call you as soon as I can.”

“
OK,
take care. I know you're in good hands with Tom.”

Henry
put on the hoodie and baseball cap, waved goodbye, and headed
outside. She watched as Tom and Henry moved stealthily through the
neighbours’ back yards towards the street around the corner.
And then, they were out of sight. Callie couldn't recall feeling
sadder.