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“Okay, Daddy. Thanks.”
I leaned back against the tree and sighed, knowing I was being childish. I could have stayed and hashed things out with Savva instead of running. Heck, I could have married him to keep Agafonza safe, then divorced his ass once the new government was in place. It would have been the sensible, adult thing to do, and would have given my baby a name.
I smiled and stroked my still-flat belly. Maybe I hadn’t wanted to start a family right away, and maybe I couldn’t stand thinking about its father, but I loved the child growing inside me. “You already have a name, peanut. Doesn’t matter who your no-account Daddy is.”
The sudden blast of a shotgun split the air and I jumped to my feet. After tossing the fishing pole away, I raced for the house, terrified someone had gotten hurt. The only game in season worth bothering with was javelina and rabbit, and considering we had stock in the east pastures, nobody was out there fooling around.
When I reached the front of the house, I stumbled to a halt and blinked. Daddy had Savva at bay in the driveway with the 12-gauge from the umbrella stand next to the front door.
Savva looked awful. The dark circles under his eyes needed their own zip code, and his hair was a tangled mass of greasy strands over a face covered in an unkempt beard. He wore a T-shirt printed with a very rude Mexican epithet, and his jeans looked like they’d never seen the inside of a washing machine. The only thing to remind me he was a prince were the expensive loafers on his large feet.
“What in Sam Hill are you doing?” I stomped to Daddy and snatched the gun from his hands.
“Heck, honey. It’s only got rock salt in it.” He smirked then glanced at Savva. “Thought you might want to see if you should keep him before I got out the rifle.”
Whistling softly, he tucked his hands in his pockets and sauntered away.
“Mercy.” I shook my head, then sighed as I faced Savva. “Shouldn’t you be on your honeymoon?”
“Unfortunately, my bride missed the wedding.” He approached slowly, but stopped when I lifted the shotgun in shaking hands. “I waited in Matamoros until I could cross the border into Texas.”
“I…” My throat dried and I swallowed hard. “You gave up?”
“No. That is the last thing I’ll ever do.”
“You just said you did!” I lowered the shotgun and rubbed my face with my free hand. “If you didn’t get married, Agafonza will go back to Russia today.”
Before I could react, he closed the distance between us and took the shotgun from my nerveless fingers. After dropping it to the ground, he cupped my face, forcing me to meet his brilliant blue eyes.
“The thing I wouldn’t give up is you, Damaris.” He brushed a kiss over my forehead. “Nothing else matters. Not Russia, Agafonza, or anything else. It’s only ever been you.”
“I—”
“In approximately seven hours, I will no longer be prince of anything, love. As you refused me when I was royal, may I hope you accept me when I’m not?”
“Holy shit.” I struggled to breathe and grew lightheaded, but he caught me before I could fall.
“And I owe you the greatest of apologies, my dearest. I was only thinking a baby would bind you to me, you see. I am so desperately in love with you and was afraid you’d refuse me. I just…” He smiled wryly and cradled me in his arms. “I suppose you’d say I was shitall stupid, but I promise to spend the rest of our lives earning your forgiveness.”
“Holy…” I blinked up at him and tried to get something coherent to come out of my mouth. “What?”
“I love you, Damaris. Even if you refuse me, I’ll never stop.”
Lord have mercy. All that work he’d done…
In the storybooks, the hero gives up his love to save the world, while a villain would let that sucker burn to see his woman smile.
I knew what kind of heroine I wanted to be, but I wasn’t about to let Savva sacrifice the wellbeing of his people.
“Do we have to be married in Agafonza for you to keep your crown?”
“No. It only requires a legal, witnessed ceremony.”
I jerked free and spun around. Knowing he was probably eavesdropping, I hollered, “Daddy! Get Lucille gassed up. We need to be in Vegas yesterday!”
“Damaris?” Savva moved in front of me and frowned. “Are you unwell? Who is Lucille?”
Before I could reply, Daddy strode past us and said, “She’s already fueled, but we gotta stop in Dallas to pick up your Uncle Todd. I’m thinking we’ll need a credible witness to prove y’all are hitched before the deadline.”
