don’t know if I can handle a stampede of photographers bursting through the door every day. I’m not sure I can handle questions about the baby’s father, questions about my decisions, questions about my feelings for Margot.
Sure, my phone has lived in a drawer and I’ve avoided reading anything online since Hunter’s story broke, but that doesn’t solve anything.
Do I really want this to be my life from now on? Hiding in back rooms because I’m afraid of being trampled by bloodthirsty photographers?
When Margot drops her hands from her face and meets my gaze, I know she can read me like a book.
She already knows I’m not sure, and I watch her heart break in front of me.
18
Margot
I should have known it was too good to be true.
The minute Prince Dante walked into my life, I should have been the one running in the other direction. My therapist has been telling me to live my life with as much routine as possible. Avoid extreme emotions. Keep myself out of situations that might cause me to harm myself until I’m strong enough to handle them.
And what do I do?
I run head-first into Prince Dante’s arms.
Cracks splinter across my heart as Dante stares at me across the bakery. The distance between us grows, and I’m not sure anything can bridge it.
How stupid of me to think that he would want my child! He doesn’t even know me!
How could I presume that another man would step into that role? Why would he?
Not only that, how could I ask Prince Dante to give up the life he’s created for himself for me? Being with me is so much more complicated than being with anyone else. I’m damaged, in more ways than one, and all my flaws are displayed for the whole world to see.
He doesn’t even know the biggest flaw of all. He doesn’t know the secret that I’ve been hiding from everyone, including Ivy.
I turn away from him. I can’t withstand his stare any longer. His eyes are like an assault on my heart, throwing dagger after dagger into my chest.
Taking a trembling breath, I try to talk myself down. At least this happened now, and not after the baby is born. At least I have a few months to get used to being on my own again. At least I know how he feels for sure.
Isn’t it better to know now, than to find out later?
Then why does it hurt so fucking bad?
I lean against one of the stainless steel trolleys, sucking a breath in through my teeth. I slide a hand over my stomach, drawing strength from the life growing inside me.
I always knew I was on my own. All Prince Dante gave me was a quick distraction.
That’s what I tell myself, anyway. I ignore the pain in my chest as my heart starts to break all over again.
Alone, alone, alone.
He doesn’t even know the truth about my disease. Once he finds out, he’ll run. I know he will. And it’ll be my fault, because I didn’t have the guts to tell him.
Guilty, guilty, guilty.
Then, a warm, strong hand sweeps over my back. I inhale Prince Dante’s scent, leaning into his touch. He spins me around to face him, cupping my cheek in his hand.
When he crushes his lips against mine, I sob. The Prince wipes my tears away with his thumbs, kissing me harder. Trembling against him, I don’t want to give in to the love he’s offering.
I want to lock myself away and never see anyone again. I want to suffer on my own. I never want to feel this disappointment again. Even for the few moments when I thought he was walking away, it hurt too much to face.
But Prince Dante wraps his arms around me, and I have no choice—I never had a choice with him. As soon as he walked into my life, he had my heart in the palm of his hand.
Pulling away from his kiss, I stare into the Prince’s eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“Kissing you.”
“Why?”
“Because you deserve to be kissed.” His body is hard as he pulls me closer. His arms circle protectively around me, and I feel safer than I’ve ever felt before.
He wants to be let in, but I’m still hiding so much. Beckett is the father, and I have an incurable disease. I don’t deserve his love.
Guilty, guilty, guilty.
Another tear falls from my eye, and he kisses it away. “Stop crying.”
“I thought you didn’t want this. The media. The gossip.” My