“You’d better put on some makeup and fix your hair,” Mara said, rich amusement in her voice. “Not that Prince Christian will care one way or another. He seems to approve of you no matter what.”
Cheeks burning at her mother’s teasing, Noelle raced upstairs to change out of her stained blouse and finish packing. If a couple new pieces of lingerie found their way into her suitcase as well as a sexy black lace nightgown, that didn’t mean she had changed her mind about staying focused on business.
Since Christian was dressed casually in jeans and a gray sweater over a white collared shirt, Noelle decided against her original choice of a tailored burgundy suit and slipped into black skinny pants, a denim shirt and her favorite pair of black flats.
To show her mother that she didn’t intend to go all out for Christian, Noelle applied black liner on her upper lids and enhanced her lips with a brilliant red. By the time she emerged from her bedroom with her suitcase, Christian had Marc dressed, his hair combed and teeth brushed. Noelle didn’t marvel at how he’d accomplished so much in such a short period of time. She merely sent him a grateful look and headed downstairs.
Christian’s driver fetched their suitcases while she settled Marc in the backseat and slid in after him. A moment later Christian joined them, his body solid and reassuring at her side. The worry and doubts that had plagued her these past few days abruptly lost their power. As the car began rolling down her driveway, Noelle sighed and squeezed Christian’s arm.
“Thank you for coming with us.”
He covered her hand and smiled. “No thanks necessary. I’m happy to be with you and Marc.”
It wasn’t a calculated line to impress her, but the unadorned truth. Noelle’s heart expanded. Suddenly her decision to break off their engagement appeared like the worst one she’d ever made. Christian loved Marc. And she loved Christian. The truth flashed in her mind like a neon sign. Of course she loved him. She’d never stopped. For five years she’d ignored the truth by focusing on maintaining a balance between her career and being the best mom she could.
But her realization came too late. She’d already agreed to marry him and then called it off, freeing Christian from any moral obligation he might have felt toward her and Marc.
Christian tugged on the dark green scarf she’d knotted around her neck. “Where’d you go? You’re a long way off.”
“Sorry.”
“Marc and I were just discussing our plans for New York. He’s very excited to go to his first baseball game.”
“I packed my glove,” the boy announced. “So I can catch a home-run ball.”
“Actually, we’ll be sitting behind home plate so you’ll have to catch a foul ball instead.”
“Foul balls!” Marc exclaimed, kicking his feet. “And the zoo.”
“Bronx or Central Park?” Christian asked.
“Both.”
Noelle laughed. “You’re going to be busy.”
“It’ll be fun. I’ve never had much opportunity to sight-see in New York. Every time I’ve been there it’s been for business.”
“I think I’m a little envious of you two,” Noelle said and meant it. Ever since finding out she had an investor for her ready-to-wear line, she’d been caught up in all the deal’s details. Now, she wished someone else could take care of business while she hung out with her two favorite men.
“Mama has to work.” Marc grinned past her toward his father, and the two shared a special moment that excluded Noelle.
“Mama has to work,” she agreed, so glad her son had this wonderful man in his life to love him.
Eleven
When the pressure changed in the jet’s cabin, Christian stretched his legs and glanced toward his son. Despite his excitement at visiting New York, Marc was a good traveler. Considering the boy’s abundant energy, Christian had worried that Marc would be a restless terror. At the beginning of the flight, he’d settled right down with crayons and a coloring book. Later, Noelle and Christian had taken turns reading to him for an hour after which he’d had lunch, napped and was now quietly enjoying a Disney movie.
This had offered plenty of time for Noelle and Christian to talk. By mutual consent, they’d not strayed into any tricky personal topics while their son sat nearby. Instead, Noelle had laid out her business plan and asked Christian for feedback.