The Keys' Prince (The Royal Heirs) (15 page)

“I’m sorry to have left you alone for so long,” Dario said, trying to join her on the sofa.

First, he moved Wyatt’s gigantic paws and attempted to get him to scoot over. When that didn’t work, he lured the dog off of the sofa with a treat so he could take his spot.

As soon as he’d made room for himself and comforted Wyatt, who’d let out a dramatic sigh and groan after being forced to settle on the floor, Dario put Stella’s feet on his lap and began rubbing them.

“No worries. Wyatt kept me company,” she said, settling in for another one of Dario’s terrific foot rubs. “Do you realize that you’re setting this up so that I’m always going to expect a foot rub when we’re on a sofa together?”

Dario smiled, and if Stella wasn’t mistaken, he blushed as he continued to massage her toes and arches.

“Not to be nosy, although I suppose if we’re going to carry off our little charade I’m going to have to know as much as possible, but you didn’t sound too happy on most of your phone calls,” she said, hoping he’d feel comfortable enough after all of these years to confide in her.

To make this work, they were going to have to be totally open and honest with each other. A lot had happened since they were teenagers-in-love twenty-five years ago.

“I know you need to know things. A lot of things. And I want to tell you. It’s just that I don’t even know where to begin,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair, which from the looks of it, he’d been doing quite a lot of during his lengthy conversations.

“Let’s try from the beginning,” she said, glad they had ten hours to go before landing in Kristianico. They’d need every second. “Maybe we should start with what’s been going on between your father and Uncle Carlos. I heard you mention his name several times, and it wasn’t with a pleasant, endearing tone.”

“That situation hasn’t changed at all. Nothing is ever endearing when it involves my uncle,” Dario said, his jaw tightening.

Stella felt his entire body stiffen at the mere mention of his uncle. Not a good sign. The Dario Stella knew was the epitome of calm, cool and collected. One of the things she’d always taken comfort in was that he took things in stride. Even when everyone around him was whipped up, he somehow remained stoic. If he was this tense, things must be really bad with Carlos.

“If I remember right, didn’t your uncle renounce his claim to the throne years ago?” Stella asked, wondering if perhaps that had changed during the last two decades.

“Good memory. And yes, he did,” Dario said, taking each of her toes between his thumbs and index fingers and massaging them.

The sensation he created was so intense that Stella could hardly keep from jerking away her feet. She’d always been sort of ticklish, but this could very well send her over the edge.

“Carlos’ latest scheme is to insist that his son, my cousin Alberto, be made king. And of course, good old Uncle Carlos would be more than willing to take over as regent until Alberto is trained and fit to rule on his own.”

“Alberto and you get along well though, right?”

“Yes, we do. We’re still like brothers. I’ve already talked to him twice while we’ve been in the air, and, as I suspected, he wants absolutely nothing to do with his father’s schemes.”

“Then I don’t understand. Why doesn’t Alberto just tell Carlos that and refuse to go along with his father’s plans?”

“Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But that’s not the way it works in a royal family. There’s a distinct pecking order. A power hierarchy, if you will. Nothing wreaks havoc on that structure like a king without an heir. So Carlos sees an opportunity he’s not going to pass on.”

“Alberto doesn’t have an heir, does he?” Stella asked, knowing that he couldn’t have a child or else she’d have read about it in all of the media outlets, especially since Dario didn’t have one. The world was fascinated with helping the Magnus men make heirs.

“Not yet, but he and his fiancé Sophia will probably be expecting before they even walk down the aisle. She’s had all of the tests you know, and is good to go.”

“What tests?” Stella asked, although she had a good idea she knew exactly what Dario was talking about. Surely they didn’t still do such archaic procedures.

“You know what tests. The fertility tests.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. They’re still doing those?!” Stella asked, feeling bile rise in her throat.

“Yep. As you know, Princess Grace and Princess Diana complied. Not sure about Kate though. They have a big enough family that whether or not she and Will conceived wasn’t much of an issue. And, of course, we now know that that wasn’t a problem for them anyway. Modern times or not, monarchs still must ensure their family’s reign.”

“But what about adoption? What about surrogacy?” Stella asked, beyond appalled that this sort of thing was still an issue.

“There are now legal provisions for those options, at least in Kristianico, and children born by surrogacy or adopted can ascend to a throne. Also, the brothers and sisters of a ruling monarch and their children are now in the succession hierarchy. But nothing beats a naturally conceived and born, legal heir. They’re uncontestable. So, in Kristianico, all prospective princesses and queens are still tested. For the record, I don’t agree with it, and I do hope to pass legislation through Parliament that ends the requirement.”

“But what about me? Does that mean because we’re making this look like I’m going to be your queen that I’m going to have to be tested too?” Stella asked, feeling queasy at the prospect. Not that she had anything to hide. Dario was well-aware of her limitations. And nothing had changed since she’d had the damn test a quarter of a century ago.

“As you probably recall, I didn’t fare too well the last time I was tested,” Stella said, drawing the oversized sweater coat she was wearing tighter around her middle. All of this political bullshit totally frosted her nerves.

“Whether or not your uterus is still tipped or perfectly straight means nothing to me as long as it doesn’t cause you any discomfort or health issues,” Dario said, leaning down and planting a loving kiss on her forehead.

The heat from his lips spread from Stella’s head, down her neck and into her chest, soothing her heart. She was touched that he remembered her condition. That he was concerned only with how it affected her health and well-being reminded her yet again why she’d fallen in love with this man when she was sixteen and why she’d fallen for him again in her forties.

A tipped uterus complicated her ability to conceive and then carry a child full-term. She wasn’t exactly queen material in the produce-an-heir department, either.

Dario quit rubbing her feet and lowered his head to his chest before turning to look her in the eyes.

Stella knew without him saying anything, but rather by simply reading his apologetic expression, she’d have to comply and have the stupid test again. She wasn’t about to have his reign at risk because she wouldn’t comply with the law of the land.

She took a deep breath, removed her legs from his lap and sat up beside him. Crossing her legs in a half lotus pose, she reached for his hands.

“It’s okay. I’ll do it. I don’t like it, but I’ll do it. How are we going to convince your family and your people that I’m the real deal, if we refuse to see if I can pop out future princes and princesses?” She quipped, hoping her attempt at humor would relax them both.

“You’re the best, Stella Anastas. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you again, but thank goodness I did it.”

“Thank you, babe. But we both know that neither one of us did anything to deserve the lots we drew in life. So we’ve got to make the most of them, right? And you know me. I like to play with the rules a bit. We might as well make this fun.”

“How is being poked and prodded by a fertility specialist going to be fun?” Dario asked, his tone indicating he wasn’t getting near as much enjoyment out of the situation as Stella was.

“Good point. That won’t be. But messing with the press afterward will be, and you know it. And roughing up your Uncle Carlos could be entertaining too. Once all of this is behind us, I’ve got plans for my father’s trustees that I think you’ll want in on, too. So, one problem at a time.”

“Oh boy.”

“Or girl or both,” Stella said and laughed, glad to cause Dario’s sexy, devilish smile to return.

“Good one. And I say we take as much time as we need practicing. A tipped uterus doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant. It just means that it’s more difficult. We should probably try harder and more often.”

“I like the way you think,” Stella said, reaching for her laptop. “So listen, between baby-making sessions, I’ve got three of my stylists flying in later this week and they’re sending ahead of them several options for my wardrobe. I’ll at least look like your queen.”

“Good. Although, I’m not worried about that. You always look terrific, with or without your stylists.”

“Keep those compliments coming, darling. I need all the ego boosts I can get,” she said.

Nothing made her feel as sure of herself than when Dario showed his approval. When he believed in her, she could accomplish anything. Not that she hadn’t accomplished more than she ever thought possible without him. It was just so nice to be able to share the ups and downs and all of the in-betweens with the man she’d never ever stopped loving. Each victory from here on out would be so much sweeter, and each defeat would be so much easier to bear.

“Duly noted. And oh, I’ve arranged for one of my staff, Tippi, who I think you’ll really like, to be at your beck and call. She’ll be able to tell you everything you need to know about any of the events we’ll be attending as well as help you learn who’s who ahead of each one. Sound good?”

“Excellent. I can cross that off of my list,” Stella said, taking out her phone and literally placing a check mark next to that item. “Let’s see...I’d also like to get out and do some sightseeing. It’s been ages since I’ve been in Kristianico, as you know, and I’d like to see the changes you’ve made firsthand. The farmers’ market, of course. Museums. A few of the shops. All of the gardens. Theatres. The casino. And whatever else you think I’d enjoy.”

“Excellent idea. I’ll let Tippi know. And how about the Magnus farm—Le Nid? You’ve never been there. And I know you’ll love it. I’ll tell you what. Let me get through the coronation and my father’s funeral, and you and I will take a long weekend and go, just the two of us. If you’d like to.”

Seeing the boyish expectancy in his eyes and hearing the uncharacteristic falter in his voice melted Stella’s heart. She knew all too well what it was like to hope someone wanted to be with you for you and not just to be part of the amazing wealth and opportunities that your lifestyle afforded them. Even though they were long past that level of trust with each other, somehow, those deep-rooted doubts never totally disappeared. And that was before they’d tossed in the make-believe-queen part.

“I’d love to. Does that mean we’d be on an actual date? Not one arranged as a photo op?”

“It does. Although, for the record, at least in my heart, every photo op we’ve done—the gardens, the coffeehouse and the beach—have been real dates. And as I recall, I showed you exactly how I felt when you needed to know what I wanted for lunch.”

Stella unfolded her legs and ran her toes through the plush white carpet covering the jet’s cabin. She didn’t know what to say. She looked up at him, smiled and squeezed his hands, hoping her eyes were a peek into her happy heart and mind. There was no way she trusted her mouth to
form the right words. But she trusted and loved Dario, and for now, that would be her guiding star.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ten hours later, Dario waited behind the closed door of his jet. One of his flight attendants would soon be letting him know that the s
tairs and red carpet were in place so that he and Stella could exit onto the tarmac in Kristianico. What were only a few minutes felt like an eternity.

In some ways this still felt like a dream. Not the part about his father dying and that, as a result, he was about to be crowned king. He’d prepared for that his entire life.

The dream was that it was all about to come true with Stella at his side.

From the moment he’d fallen in love with her when they were sixteen, he’d wanted that more than anything. But it was the one thing that had eluded him. Despite with his wealth and power, she’d been out of his reach.

Even now, with her hand in his, and the fact that he could feel each tremor of her nerves ricocheting through her fingers, he was afraid he’d wake up and the dream would be over.

He faced the still closed door to the jet’s cabin and silently vowed to make her happier than she ever thought possible. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to make sure that this time they had their happily-ever-after.

After getting the all-clear sign from the pilot, the attendant popped open the door revealing a glorious afternoon in Kristianico. The sun couldn’t shine any brighter, although it wouldn’t have mattered if it was pouring rain. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people were waiting to welcome home their new king. Judging by how deep the throngs were packed together, pressed up against the fence lining the outer perimeters of the royal family’s private airport, the number was in the thousands.