She laughs, but it’s strained. “Do we tell Jasmine you’re her father…or…?”
“Yes,” I answer immediately. “I’ve already missed, what? Five years of her life?”
“She turned five in June. June fourteenth.”
“I would like for her to know I’m her dad. As long as you’re okay with that.”
“Of course. You should know she’s probably going to freak out.” Her face heats up. “I wasn’t kidding about her being obsessed with castles. Did you hear what she asked you about finding a queen?” Her entire neck and face blush crimson, and I laugh at how adorable she is.
“If I recall, she was trying to play matchmaker.” I wink and she shakes her head.
“I read her this old fairy-tale story. It was mine when I was little, and she fell in love with it. Eventually I bought her her own and she makes me read it to her every night, even though she could easily read it herself.” She laughs. “It’s about a princess who has to fight all of these magical battles and eventually gets to her prince so they can live happily ever after.”
I snort at the irony. “When you met me, I was a prince.”
She doesn’t laugh, her expression turning serious. “I didn’t know you were a real one, but my time with you…it changed everything for me. You’re the reason I had the courage to leave the bordello, to travel…it felt like you were my white knight.”
“No,” I disagree. “You were your own savior. I was just along for the ride.”
“Well, nonetheless, over the years Jasmine has asked about her father and I’ve been honest with her, telling her that you were someone I cared deeply about but lost contact with. She even has the picture of the two of us that you took our last night together in a picture frame by her bed. From reading her the book, she’s gotten it into her head that one day I’m going to find my king and she’ll, by default, be a princess, and we’ll all live happily ever after.”
“That sounds like the perfect ending to this story,” I tell her, not even caring what I’m implying.
Her eyes briefly widen, but she doesn’t comment. Instead she changes the subject. “Is there anyone you need to speak to about this new revelation?” Revelation meaning I have a daughter I didn’t know about.
“Eventually I’ll have to make an announcement. It’s a big deal that there’s a blood-related princess. She’s my only heir, and if something were to happen to me, when she’s old enough, she would step up as the queen. But for now, I’ll just need to meet with my family. We’ll keep it quiet, so we can spend time together in peace.” Once everyone knows, questions will be asked, and answers will be demanded.
“Okay.” She stands. “Why don’t we go tell our daughter you’re her daddy and then go from there.”
Chapter Ten
Liam
I’m the King of Lexenburg. I was born and raised to fill this role. Every day I have to make tough decisions that can potentially negatively or positively affect an entire country of nine hundred thousand people. Sure, I have several different advisors who help guide me, but ultimately, it’s me they count on to steer their country right. To make sure it’s economically prospering. We’re one of the smallest countries in the world, but we’re one of the wealthiest. The weight of every decision rests on my shoulders and mine alone, and I’m okay with that. I can handle the stress.
But as I walk toward the kitchen where I’m about to be formally introduced to my daughter, I find my heart is beating erratically out of my chest. My hands are sweating. I have never been as scared and nervous as I am right now.
We step through the door and find Stephanie and Jasmine sitting on a couple bar stools talking and… my mom is with them.
Ah hell.
They hear us come in and three sets of eyes swing over to Natalie and me. Stephanie’s squint in confusion and, if I’m not mistaken, a tiny bit of anger—I’ll deal with her later. My mom’s are filled with confusion, but I can detect a hint of excitement as well. She’s a smart woman and has no doubt figured it out. All it would take is Jasmine looking at you with her blue eyes for you to know she’s mine. And if she smiles, with that dimple popping out, well, that might as well be the paternity test.
I’ll have to speak to my mom. But right now my focus is on the little girl who’s smiling at her mother and me. She has a bit of chocolate on the corners of her mouth and the most adorable milk mustache.
“You were taking so long,” she tells her mom, “that I almost ate your cake.” She slides it over to Natalie and hands her a glass of milk. “It’s the best cake I’ve ever eaten!”