Lone Prince (Royally Unexpected #7) - Lilian Monroe Page 0,52

head to my chambers and find Eyvar waiting for me. He greets me with a quick bow of the head before combing his fingers through his beard.

“What is it, Eyvar?” I push the door to my chambers open, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

“Miss Reed has requested access to the new office tomorrow.”

“Already? Doesn’t she want to spend time with her grandmother?”

“She seems to value her work, sir.”

I grunt. Of course she does. I know this about her. I nod to Eyvar, jerking my head to the door. “The staff should have set aside a room near the lavender sitting room. Confirm that it’s ready and tell the garages to be ready to send a car for her whenever she requests it.”

Eyvar bows his head and disappears down the hallway. I close the bedroom door, feeling excitement curl in my gut.

Leaving Rowan at her grandmother’s house felt like a goodbye—but what if she wants to be near me, too? Maybe she has more than just work pulling her here to the castle.

The kiss we shared on the plane felt like more than just lust. It felt like a deeper connection growing between us. Like two souls intertwining in a way I’ve never experienced before, even with Abby.

I just don’t know if Rowan feels it, too.

21

Rowan

My grandmother is asleep when I arrive at the small three-bedroom house in the center of town. As I step inside, a nurse greets me. She introduces herself as Alice.

“I’ve been expecting you,” Alice says. Her cheeks are round and rosy when she smiles, and she leads me down the hallway to a tidy, compact bedroom. She sweeps an arm at the small room. “This is you.”

I smile, nodding in thanks. Gone is the luxury of the palace. There’s no four-posted bed and chrome-plated fixtures. No floor-to-ceiling windows and meadows of snow and ice.

I’m back to reality.

“My grandmother?” I ask.

Alice leads me down the hall. When I poke my head inside my grandmother’s room, my heart squeezes.

She looks older than I remembered. Deep wrinkles line her face, and her skin looks pale and clammy. I tiptoe inside and leave a soft kiss on her forehead before retreating back to my laptop. Back to my work, where life is simple. When I’m focused on my business, my emotions make sense.

I twist and turn all night before waking up at dawn and fixing myself a cup of coffee. When I poke my head in my grandmother’s room, I walk to her bedside and curl my fingers around her icy hand.

Grandma lets out a sigh, opening her eyes to smile at me. “Rowan,” she says. “You didn’t have to come here.”

“Of course I did.”

“How is everything at the palace? Did Vikki help you get settled in?”

“It was perfect, Grandma.” I smile, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I got all the information I needed. But how are you?”

I try to keep the concern from my face, but my grandmother lets out a soft chuckle.

“I look that bad, do I?” She squeezes my hand, and I’m relieved at the strength in her grip. “You’re just like your mother. Worrywart. Always wanting to carry the world on your shoulders.”

“I’d hardly say that,” I reply.

Grandma snorts. “No? When that bastard left the two of you out in the cold, your mother straightened her shoulders and stayed in Farcliff for a better life, even when I told her to come to the Summer Palace with me. She was determined to do it on her own. Said she could provide for you without having the memory of that man tainting her future.”

I frown. “I thought she stayed there because she wanted him to be with her.”

Grandma shifts in her bed, sitting up with a grimace. “Hardly,” she says, fire shooting from her gaze. “He left your mother high and dry as soon as she told him about you. She got a better job in Farcliff than we could offer her at the palace, so she took the hard road of doing it on her own. She was a fighter, Rowan.” My grandmother stares at me, clear blue eyes sparkling. She shakes her head, lifting a crooked finger to stroke my cheek. “And you’re just the same. You think you have to do everything on your own.”

“I don’t,” I say weakly.

“No? You just built your architecture business by yourself for fun?”

“I wanted…” I trail off. What have I been doing? What do I want? I’m not even sure anymore. Three months