The Keys' Prince (The Royal Heirs) (16 page)

“Stefan, I’d prefer the cars be brought to the edge of the carpet today. That way, Stella can go ahead and get in. I’ll do a quick meet-and-greet along the fence, and you can pick me up over there. Sound good?”

“That’s not necessary,” Stella said, leaning into Dario’s side even closer as they faced the crowd together on the top step. “I’ve got to get used to this, right? So I’ll go with you. I think your people will be pleased and feel better about me if I immediately interact with them.”

At first, Dario didn’t know what to say. Stella’s bravery and willingness to embrace his life the moment she landed was more than he’d have ever asked of her this soon, especially after what they’d been through in their youth. If she was normally comfortable in this sort of situation, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it. In fact, he’d have expected her to do just what she’d suggested. But knowing how much she valued her privacy and loathed the press made her sacrifice and her willingness to overcome her fears reach him deeper than anyone ever had.

“If you’re sure then, babe. But all you’ve got to do is let me know...in fact, we should have done this back in Sarasota. Let’s try this. If you’ve had enough or feel any kind of distress whatsoever, squeeze my hand three times. If we’re separated, and you can’t reach my hand, touch your earlobe until I see you. And I’ll do the same.”

“Got it,” Stella said, smiling but not in the easygoing way Dario wanted to see.

He hoped she’d get a couple of these appearances under her belt with positive results. That was the only way she was going to eventually find comfort in his lifestyle. He knew she’d have bad experiences at some point. Everyone that was part of his world did. But he hoped for her sake that they came later rather than sooner.

He tightened his grip on her hand, and they took the first step together. By the time they’d reached the final step and made their way along what always seemed to be an endless red carpet, Stella’s hand was still quivering.

He paused a moment, turned to her and smiled, doing everything he could to let her know that he’d never leave her side until she was comfortable. 

Normally, various members of his family as well as several of his country’s top dignitaries would have been lined up along the carpet. But per his request, they’d abandoned protocol. He was glad he’d thought of that and had time to call them off. Anything he could do to make the transition easier on Stella, he would do. Neither protocol nor the laws of Kristianico would ever come between them again.

“They’ll hand you flowers and other items,” he said, while looking straight ahead and waving to the cheering crowd who was chanting “King Adonis,” the name he’d chosen to be crowned as. “Feel free to take them and then hand them off to Franco or any member of our joint team, who will surround us at all times. They’ve all been trained, so they’ll know exactly what to do for you.”

Do not eat or smell anything. There’s no reason to take unnecessary chances,” Dario continued, leading them to within a few yards of his people, who were now reaching their hands and arms through the chain-links and chanting Stella’s name along with his.

Thinking Stella could take cues from him, Dario began addressing the exuberant crowd.

For every greeting and wild shout-out, a camera clicked and whirled, catching it all for the world to see within minutes, if not by live feed.

Even as he shook hands and talked to people, Dario turned back to Stella often, making sure she was okay.

She couldn’t look any more stunning. She’d chosen a powder blue, Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress that perfectly hit all of her curves. Her nude-colored Louboutin’s complemented the classic, elegant lines of her dress. He’d given her a delicate, white-diamond chain with a large, pear-shaped aquamarine pendant surrounded by chocolate diamond baguettes, and he loved the way she looked wearing a piece of his family’s heritage. With her sun-kissed skin and chic, blonde bob, she looked every bit a modern queen.

Almost through greeting the last part of the crowd, Dario reached past Franco, who’d positioned himself between them, and took Stella’s hand. To Dario’s pleasure, Stella squeezed his hand just once, not even close to their agreed-upon limit.

If he didn’t know how uncomfortable she was, he would have thought she was enjoying it. For someone who didn’t like this kind of thing, she was awfully good at it. Just like her father had been. All Dario had to do was teach her how to focus on the parts that brought her joy instead of the annoying and, at times, fearful aspects.

“If you’ll follow me, Your Highness. Your car is ready,” Stefan said, leading Dario away from the crowd by his elbow while Franco took Stella.

Dario waited while their team opened the passenger side of the limousine for Stella. Making sure they had her safely inside before rounding the back of the car, he waved once more at the crowd and then joined Stella in the car.

Not bad for their first appearance, he thought. Not bad, at all.

His future queen was finally here to make a home—with him—in Kristianico.
Dario couldn’t be happier. And he was more determined than ever to make it last forever.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

This was not the Kristianico Stella remembered. It was so much more. Better than even her fondest recollections.

What Dario had done in twenty-five years was beyond amazing. He’d taken a sleepy little Riviera town and turned it into a majestic and modern city by the sea. And somehow, he’d done it all without losing its small town, old world ambiance.

As their motorcade wound its way through the heart of the city, Stella tried to take it all in. For a visually-centered person, it was complete paradise. And she didn’t want to miss a thing.

Antique light posts lined all of the city’s cobblestone and brick streets, each post with a gorgeous basket of flowers hanging from it. Hand-written chalk boards filled the sidewalks announcing each bistro’s daily specials. Outdoor seating at umbrella-covered tables made al fresco dining the obvious choice. Marble fountains rivaling Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers in Rome provided a wonderful water element in the decadent, inner-city gardens and green spaces. Open markets where farmers and shopkeepers peddled fresh fruit, vegetables, homemade bread, flowers and artisan-made treasures were tucked in between bakeries, souvenir shops and historic venues.

A few of the shops and restaurants Stella remembered. But most of them were new—at least new to her. With their rustic, old world aesthetic, she wasn’t sure how long they’d been part of the amazing city Dario had built.

“Oh, I about forgot, Stefan. I need treats for Wyatt. Can you pull up to Wet Noses, please?” Dario asked. He turned to Stella with an adventurous look on his face that made him even more adorable. “You’re going to love this place.”

“I can tell by your enthusiasm alone that I will. So this is where you get Wyatt’s food?”

“It is. But it’s much more than that. Sophia Fordham, Alberto’s intended, owns it, and she’s created something very special. You’ll see what I mean,” Dario said as their car came to a rolling stop along the curb of the last block of Downtown Kristianico.

Stepping out of the car, Stella’s first impression of Wet Noses was the darling Volkswagen Beetle covered in paw-print decals sitting in front of the store.

Now that’s some super-snazzy mobile-advertising, Stella thought, warming up to Sophia before she even met her. A gal that was that kind of creative and business-savvy was a woman Stella would love to get to know better.

“Love the car,” she said, taking the hand Dario offered her as they stepped into the shop.

“Pretty clever, isn’t it? You’re going to love Sophia, too.”

The car was the first sign that Dario was right. But as soon as Stella walked through Wet Nose’s door, she knew Sophia could very well end up being her new best friend. For dog lovers like Stella, Sophia had created a paw-friendly paradise.

She had everything from totally blinged-out collars, leashes and tags, to too-cute doggie T-shirts and coats. There were even raincoats with matching boots—in four-packs of course—and faux fur parkas with Ugg boots. Dog-themed paintings and sculptures as well as hand-crafted water and food dishes filled the walls and shelves. Small-batch, organic biscuits in all shapes and sizes as well as high-end organic foods could be purchased.

A fabulous grooming salon took up the rear of the store. But before Stella could check it out, she found herself wandering through the pampered-pooch Halloween costumes, which included the cutest “hot dog” outfits she’d ever seen. She was definitely coming back to get Wyatt fixed up for the wonderful Halloween ball that the palace always threw.

Still thinking about how adorably goofy Wyatt would look in the hot dog costume, Stella almost walked past a gated area along the back right wall of the store.

“Oh my! Look at these little angels!” She set her Louis Vuitton tote on the floor and dropped to her knees to get closer to the most adorable little dog she’d ever seen.

“What do you suppose it is?” She asked, thinking Dario was behind her.

“Ah. I see you’ve found Gypsy. Our sweet-sweet Chiweenie,” said a tall, wonderfully curvy woman with olive skin and the most amazing head of long black hair—Armenian, if Stella were to guess.

Stella started to stand up.

“No. No. Stay down there. I was just coming over to play with her anyway when I saw you both come in. I’m Sophia. And you must be Stella. I’ve heard lots about you,” Sophia said, joining Stella on the floor.

“As I have you, Sophia. Your shop is fantastic. I can tell I’ll be spending some quality time here, spoiling Wyatt rotten.”

Stella loved this woman, already. Here they were—Stella in her off-the-runway DVF dress and Sophia in couture skinny jeans, stunning Brian Atwood heels, a perfectly cut white dress shirt and gorgeous tailored jacket with muddy paw prints that were not part of the fabric—curled up on the floor playing with a puppy.

“Do you have a dog?” Sophia asked.

“No. But I’ve always wanted one,” Stella said, knowing that spending time with Wyatt and with Sophia at Wet Noses would be a terrific addition to her life.

“Well, we’ll have to see if we can take care of that then. I’ve always got wonderful little gems like Gypsy and several lovable beasts like Wyatt to find homes for.”

“Can I hold her?” Stella asked, watching as Gypsy whined and pawed at her tote.

“Of course. But I’ll warn you. You won’t want to let her go,” Sophia said, reaching into the playpen and scooping Gypsy into her arms.

After cuddling and kissing her for a moment, Sophia handed the little darling to Stella.

As soon as Stella settled the tiny pup into her arms, Gypsy’s body went limp, relaxing as if this was exactly how she wanted to be carried and who she wanted to be carried by.

What a sweetheart. Stella was a goner.

Sophia had a turquoise T-shirt on her that said ‘Precious’ in Swarovski crystals. And the little squirt lived up to it.

“Well, it looks like we’ll take Wyatt’s food as well as Gypsy. We’ll need the food you’d recommend for her as well as all of her accessories. Oh, and if she’s a chewer, toss in a few toys. Mom will have a fit if she gnaws on the furniture legs in the palace.”

“Oh, Dario. You don’t have to do that. I’m not sure—”

“That you can live without her, right?” Dario asked, knowing her way too well.

Stella thought about that for a minute. The only thing she couldn’t live without was Dario. But this little cutie could be a close second.

“She is awfully cute. But do you think that Wyatt will be okay with her?”

“He’s always up for a new chew toy,” Dario said and laughed in the rare, carefree way Stella loved.

Simultaneously, Stella and Sophia playfully swung at him, both hitting their mark, one on each of his upper arms.

“Ouch. You two don’t play fair.”

“I’ve told you a million times to get that beast in here for obedience training. He really is a total rogue.”

“Hey, you should see Stella with him. He actually minds her,” Dario said.

Stella wasn’t sure which one of them looked more shocked by the news—Stella or Dario.

“Then you bring him in, Stella. At least all hope is not lost for the poor guy.”

“I will,” Stella promised, over the moon imagining how fun it would be showing off her progress to Dario.

“I tell you what. We need to get back to the palace before my mother sends out the Guard looking for us. Sophia, can you give Stella a few days to settle in then gather up everything we’ll need for Gypsy and deliver her, her wardrobe and necessities to the palace? I think you and Alberto are coming over for dinner tonight anyway, right? So we can pick a date then,” Dario said, leaning down to give Gypsy a sweet smooch on the nose.

“Sure. And yes, we are scheduled to be there around seven, I think. With Carlos.”

“So I heard,” Dario said, taking his wallet out of the pocket inside his suit jacket. “I suppose, where Carlos is concerned, we should just get over it, right? He’ll forever be a royal pain in the ass.”

Even though they all laughed at Dario’s pun, the look on Sophia’s face told Stella that although she could laugh about it, she was worried about Carlos as much as she and Dario were.