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“Since you loved him not knowing anything about his birth parents and background, then it meant you accepted him just as he was, an orphan who became a busy doctor. So now that you’ve found out he’s the son of a king, why does that make a difference?
“He loves you and wants you to marry him. Isn’t your love more important than what he’s going to do in the future as long you’re with him?” Lanza used her brilliant logic to get to the heart of the matter in a hurry.
“I don’t know.”
“As I recall, you’ve always maintained that marrying a commoner would make a marriage between the two of you more interesting. Remember that he was a commoner until just a week or two ago. Learning that he’s a future king really spices up your whole relationship. Think about that for a while before you push the greatest love you’ll ever know out of your life. That kind of love only comes once in a lifetime.”
A shiver passed through Fausta’s body. Nico had texted those exact words to her.
Lanza kissed her cheek. “I love you and know you’ll work it all out. Now I have to get back to Rufy.”
“Bless you for listening to me.”
When her sister disappeared, Fausta walked around, trying to come to grips with what Lanza had just said. But her sister had been kind about it.
What she’d really implied was that Fausta was being selfish, always dreaming about what she wanted. She expected Nico to stay in Domodossola for her sake when the life he was born to happened to mean he was the uncrowned Prince of La Valazzura. The orphan boy was the son of a wonderful king. Nico could also do great good for his country and honor his legacy.
Yet he had dared to love her! He’d let her into his life and had told her all his secrets. He’d fought for her. He’d declared his love and had even bought her a ring he probably believed wouldn’t be good enough for her. And what had she’d done? Thrown it all back in his unforgettably striking face.
When she put herself in Nico’s place, she realized that in rejecting him, she’d done the worst thing anyone could do. To expect so much of him would mean holding him back from his destiny if he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon Fausta did a lot of soul-searching. By evening she was done with tears and realized that life without him was no life at all.
She checked her watch. By now he was probably on his way home from the hospital. Though she could phone him, that wouldn’t be enough. She needed to see him face-to-face and tell him how much she loved him, beg his forgiveness for the way she’d been reacting. He needed to know all the secrets of her heart she’d kept from him.
After she took a shower and dressed in a sleeveless white sundress, she left the palace and drove to his apartment in the other part of town. On the way she picked up some food at her favorite deli for them to enjoy.
Since she knew his car, she parked along the street and would wait until she spotted him, then follow him inside. Fausta was sick with excitement and running a fever at the thought of being with him. Once she got her arms around him, she’d never let him go.
* * *
Nico’s last patient didn’t leave until 6:10 p.m. He had half a dozen calls to return, but he’d make them after he drove home. He’d texted Fausta during the drive to Domodossola and didn’t expect to hear from her. But he was following Pippa’s advice and wouldn’t leave her alone.
Tomorrow night he planned to drive over to the palace and call her from outside her private entrance. He’d keep after her until she responded. These thoughts and more filled his mind as he reached the parking area of his apartment and hurried inside.
It was a hot night. No sooner had he gone into the kitchen for a cold glass of water than he heard a knock on the door. That was a surprise. Maybe it was Felipe.
He hurried to the door and came close to going into cardiac arrest to see Fausta standing there in all her golden glory. She held a sack in one hand, her purse in the other. In that filmy white dress with the spaghetti straps, he thought he’d never seen anyone so breathtaking.
“Nico—” Her anxious blue eyes searched his. “Will you forgive me for bursting in on you like this? I was sitting out in my car waiting for you to come
home. I brought dinner if you want some, but if you’d rather be alone—”
“Come here to me.” He pulled her inside. In an instant he relieved her of the purse and sack, then picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch. She half lay against him as he hungrily covered her mouth with his own.
Nico no longer had cognizance of time or surroundings. The fire that had been kindling over the weeks burst into flame. Her kisses intoxicated him. She held nothing back.
“I love you more than you’ll ever know, Nico. I want to be your wife,” she cried breathlessly. “Forgive me for being so cruel to you.”
He lifted his head. “Cruel?”
“Yes, my darling. I’m ashamed of the way I’ve treated you. I’ve had issues and hang-ups about my life as a royal and I’ve let them come close to ruining my relationship with you.”
“What’s made you change since last night?”
“Lanza.”
“I don’t understand.”
