Twenty-four hours later, Filipe’s private jet touched down in Benici. Eva was relieved to be on the ground again. She’d never been on a plane before. In fact, she’d never left the state of New York.

Now, she was in another country with a prince. And she was pregnant. It had only been a year since she’d moved away from her parents. She could hardly believe it. Her stint as a law student felt like a lifetime ago.

They’d barely talked since breakfast the day before. Filipe was clearly fighting an inner battle, and Eva didn’t want to make it worse. She was fighting demons of her own. She was going to meet royalty today. She had no idea what to say. What if they banished her? How would she get home?

That’s not going to happen.

“You remember how I told you my parents live in a normal house?” Filipe asked.

“Yeah,” Eva said.

“You should probably know that my version of normal is a bit different than yours,” he told her. “It’s technically called a grand family palace.”

“You said you didn’t live in a castle.”

“It’s a palace,” he said. “It’s very much like a mansion in your country.”

“That’s not normal, Filipe.”

“It is to me.”

One of the pilots opened the exit and lowered a set of stairs.

“We’ll be flying home tomorrow,” Filipe informed the pilot. “Be ready for us first thing in the morning.”

Eva felt a little better. At least they wouldn’t be staying indefinitely.

“I prefer New York to Europe,” Filipe told her as they left the plane. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

Eva was going to respond when she caught her first glimpse of Benici.

“Why?” she breathed. “This is so beautiful.”

There were rolling green hills, hundreds of beautiful trees, and gorgeous blue skies. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before.

“It’s just nature,” Filipe said. “You can get the same thing in upstate New York.”

“That’s nothing like this,” she replied. “This is amazing.”

Filipe led her down the stairs and into a black car that was waiting on the landing strip. Inside, Eva was surprised to find the rosy-cheeked driver who’d picked her up before in New York.

“Hi, there!” she said.

“It’s nice to see you again, miss.”

“Hans is my other driver,” Filipe explained. “He primarily works in Benici, but I occasionally bring him to the city.”

They sped off into the rolling hills, Eva so impressed with the view that she paid little attention to the prince. He seemed to have drawn inward again. She guessed he was thinking about how his parents would react to meeting her. She was clearly pregnant. There was no hiding it.

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled into a large, extravagant drive. A huge home came into view. Eva thought it had the same class and charm as the White House—except that it was much bigger and older-looking.

“This is where your parents live?” she asked, unable to peel her eyes away from the house. “This isn’t normal, Filipe. I promise.”

“You’ll get used to it,” he said as the car pulled up to the house. “Plenty of homes in Benici are bigger than this.”

The car came to a stop. Filipe stepped out and opened her door. She took his hand and he led her up the front steps and into the parlor.

His parents were waiting.

Filipe’s father was a tall, thin man with a shock of black hair and dark brown eyes. He was pushing a wheelchair, which held Filipe’s mother. She was wearing a bandana around her head. Eva assumed she’d lost her hair as a result of chemo treatments. She was thin and pale, but pretty. Her eyes were green and, Eva thought, kind.

These weren’t the two people Filipe had described to her. They seemed far from demanding. In fact, their expressions held more concern than anger.

Just as she was about to say something to that effect, a tall woman with curled blond hair and too much makeup came stomping into the room.

“Filipe!” she cried, throwing her hands up in the air. “You brought your girlfriend! How charming. I was looking forward to meeting her.”

“That’s enough, Luiza.”

“No, that’s hardly enough!” Luiza shouted, almost spitting at him. “We’ve barely been married for a year. You cheated on me. Not only that, but you’ve gotten another woman pregnant. How could you?”

“Stop acting like you didn’t know,” Filipe said, glaring at her with a kind of hatred Eva had never seen before. “You were more than willing to along with it when you could claim the baby was yours.”

“What is he talking about?” Filipe’s father asked. “Luiza, you knew about this?”

“Of course she did,” Filipe said. “She’s known the whole time. She has a few boyfriends of her own. One in Barcelona, one in Greece, one in Ireland. Probably one for every country. She doesn’t care that I’m having a baby. She was going to be part of it. She cares that I’ve fallen in love.”

“You’re going to destroy my reputation!” Luiza cried. “I’m divorcing you, Filipe, and I’m going to take you for everything you own. This whole palace is going to be mine!”

“That’s not how it works,” Filipe stated calmly. “I’ll be happy to grant you a divorce. I’m tired of faking a marriage with someone who’s only interested in money and status. You’re a terrible woman, and I never should have married you in the first place.”

Luiza stared in shock.

“You’ve gone too far this time, Luiza,” he continued. “Our marriage was never valid to begin with, as I’m sure you’re aware, since we never slept together. You won’t get a penny.”

Her face darkened and went a nasty shade of purple.

“This isn’t over,” she hissed. “You can’t do this.”

“I just did,” he said. “Now, get out. You’re upsetting my mother.”

“I will not!”

“Then I’ll have you removed from this property and arrested.”

“Arrested? For what?”

“For hacking into my voicemail,” he said. “And that’s just for starters. I could also have you arrested for trespassing and harassment.”

“You can’t do this, Filipe.”

“Get out.”

Filipe took a step forward. Luiza took a step back. She seemed to lose her footing. Her confidence was shattered.

“This isn’t over,” she repeated.

Then, she passed them and walked out the front door, leaving Filipe, his parents, and Eva standing in the foyer. None of them seemed to know what to say.

“I thought you had explaining to do before,” his father murmured, breaking the silence. “I don’t even know what to say now.”

“I never loved her,” Filipe said. “I never wanted to marry her. I just didn’t want Mamma to be upset.”

“This whole time, you’ve been living a lie? For us?” his mother asked weakly.

“Yeah,” he said. “I figured that’s what you wanted. You wanted me to marry a royal. And, well, you wanted me to marry Luiza.”

“I knew you were unhappy, son,” his father said. “But I had no idea you were so miserable. If I’d known…”

“You couldn’t have. I should have told you sooner.”

It was quiet again. Then, Filipe seemed to remember Eva was there.

“Mamma, Papa,” he said, “This is Eva Nightingale. When Luiza wouldn’t give me a baby, I decided to come up with an alternative solution. Eva is the woman I asked to carry my child. I’ve fallen in love with her.”

Eva blanched. She had no idea what to say.

“Nice to meet you,” she said weakly.

“You love this girl?” Filipe’s mother said from her wheelchair. Her voice was mousy, but steady.

“I do,” Filipe said. “More than anyone I’ve ever known.”

“Then you have our blessing,” his father said. “We’re sorry we pushed you to marry Luiza in the first place. It wasn’t right.”

“I’m just sorry you had to learn about your grandchild this way,” Filipe said.

“Oh my God!” his father exclaimed. “I’m going to be a grandfather!”

He rushed forward to shake Eva’s hand. She took it.

“How far along?” he asked.

“Five months,” Eva replied. “It’s a girl.”

Eva looked at Filipe’s mother. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“I’m going to be a nonno,” his father said again. “I can’t believe it.”

“I want to meet her,” Filipe’s mother said.

His father walked back to her wheelchair and pushed her forward. Eva took her hand.

“It’s great to meet you,” Eva said. “Filipe loves you so much.”

“Don’t I know it,” she affirmed. “It’s good to meet you, too.”

Later that day, Eva and Filipe were walking through the gardens behind the palace. Filipe’s parents were inside. His mother was resting and his father was making phone calls. The divorce would be final in less than a month, and Filipe would soon be able to completely wash his hands of Luiza and her drama.

“I’m happy for you,” Eva said. “You’re finally free.”

“Thanks to you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she said. “Honestly, Luiza dug her own grave. After the way she acted, I don’t think your parents could have done anything else. I wouldn’t want that woman as a daughter-in-law.”

“I’m just glad I never have to see her again,” Filipe said. “It’s so surreal. I didn’t think this day would ever come.”

Eva smiled, but inside she was worried. Filipe was free. She wondered what he was going to do with it. He’d told his parents that he’d fallen in love with her. But would they actually be together? He was still a difficult man to read.

“I think there’s something we need to talk about,” he said, motioning toward a bench. They both sat down.

“Go for it,” Eva said.

“I said a lot of things in there,” he said. “I told them I love you. I told them we’re having a child together. By this time next week, every paper in Europe will want to write an article about us. And we’re going to have to tell the story a hundred times. Maybe more.”

“I think I’m okay with that,” Eva said. “The question is, what do we do now?”

“I’ve put you through a lot,” Filipe said. “More than anyone should ever have to endure. I made you think I was taking your baby from you. I abandoned you. I don’t know if we can ever come back from that.”

“I know.”

“But, I would really, really like to try.”

Eva’s heart jumped.

“Really?” she asked. “You would?”

“Of course,” he said. “You don’t think I’d do all of this and not be with you, do you?”

“So, what are you saying?”

“I want you to be my girlfriend,” he said. “I want to move to New York on a full-time basis and get acquainted with one another. Once the baby is born, I want to buy a house upstate and start a life together. I want to bring her back here eventually. I want her to know where she comes from. But you’re right. This isn’t normal. I want her to be able to stand on her own two feet.”

“You don’t want her to feel like she has anything to prove to us.”

“Exactly,” he agreed. “We’ll tell her she’s a royal when she’s older. When she’s well-grounded enough to handle it. I don’t ever want her to feel like she has to marry for status or money. I certainly don’t want her to make life decisions based on our expectations.”

“I agree,” Eva said. “But you haven’t really asked me yet, have you?”

Filipe turned to her.

“Right,” he said. “Of course. You haven’t said yes.”

Eva was quiet. Tears filled her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Filipe asked.

“It’s just so much,” she whispered. “I’ve been through so much in such a short amount of time. A year ago, I was leaving school and moving away from my parents. I was breaking out on my own and making a life for myself. I got a job. I tried to be independent. Then, I met you. I lost my job. I got rich and pregnant. I had a man in my life who I loved and couldn’t wait to see as often as possible.”

Filipe smiled.

“But then, you went away,” she said. “You abandoned me. And, for five months, I wondered if you were ever going to come back. I thought you were some playboy who got me pregnant for fun and then left me to figure it out on my own. I thought I was going to be a single mother with no family and no support. I tried everything I could think of to get over you, and nothing worked. You killed me slowly.”

He put an arm around her.

“Eva,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I’m never going to leave you again.”

“Then you came back,” she continued. “You came back and brought treats and told me how much you loved me. You decided to fly me to Europe. You decided to get a divorce, leave your horrible wife, and be free. And now, you’re asking me to be your girlfriend. You want me to move into your penthouse apartment, have our child, and raise it together. You’re asking me to be a family.”

“It sounds like a lot.”

“If you’d told me, that Friday night at Oasis, I’d be meeting the love of my life, I never would have believed you,” Eva said. “I would have laughed until I cried. And a prince? Come on. That’s a joke. That doesn’t happen.”

“Do you need time to think about it?”

Eva laughed and shook her head.

“No,” she said. “I’ve always believed that when you know, you know. And, when it comes to you, I’ve always known. I love you. You’re amazing and kind and thoughtful. You’re going to be an incredible father. And, as much as I hate you for hurting me, I know why you did it. You didn’t want to accept your feelings. You ran from them. There was a time, not so long ago, when I would have done the same thing.”

Filipe looked at her with the same kind of need he’d shown when he’d asked for a baby.

“I love you,” she told him, putting a hand on his cheek. “I’d be happy to be your girlfriend. I’d be happy to move in with you. And I’d be happy to raise this baby with you.”

Filipe moved to kiss her. She held up a finger to pause him.

“Just promise me,” she said, “That you’ll never leave me again.”

“I promise.”

He leaned forward to kiss her.

And everything was perfect.