Alex kept his gaze on Rebecca. His wife. Just thinking those simple words sent a thrill through him. After a year of waiting, she was finally his, bound to him forever, by more than just their love.

The cool glint of his wedding ring – a reminder she was his, and one that he spent far too much time looking at with a goofy grin on his face – was currently pressed against his love’s hand where they were twined. He’d spent most of the flight staring at his wife. His wife, however, had paid him no attention whatsoever.

She had another doctor appointment, this one in Masillia. She was visiting the hospital as part of her charity concerns, which would also allow her to slip away for another round of tests. Unfortunately, Alex could not be there with her.

Duty was a bitch at times.

Alex pushed her wavy chestnut hair back over her shoulder, and leaned in to press a kiss to her lavender-scented skin. “It’ll be all right, darling.”

She stretched her neck, giving him more room. “I know. I just wish we could finally find out what’s wrong.”

You and I both. He’d never tell her, but the pain she went through each month gutted him, and he was useless to help. He couldn’t fathom that, even in today’s day and age, they still hadn’t figured out why Rebecca was in excruciating pain each month during her period, and in continued pain when her period had finished. She was in pain month-round, year-round, almost every damn day.

“It’s normal.”

“Every woman is a little different. This is just how the Princess’s body works.”

“You can handle a little pain, can’t you?”

He’d heard it all, either with Rebecca or from her as she relayed one doctor’s opinion after another. Why was every fucking doctor so unwilling to believe her pain might be indicative of something else? Even a royal – one who was meant to give birth to the next heir to the throne – wasn’t exempt from being shrugged aside by a doctor. Even female doctors hadn’t taken her seriously, and had just sent her home with pain pills.

Useless. The fucking lot of them.

Rebecca curled towards him, her gaze finally drifting from the plane window. Even restricted by seatbelts, he still pulled her against him. Thankfully, the royal airplane had large, comfortable seats, and easily accommodated their cuddling tendencies. “I’m scared, Alex.”

Fear stung him, sharp and fast, and he gripped her tighter. “I know, darling. I wish I could take it away for you, do something to help you.”

“You help me every day, especially those days I’m hurting.”

He kissed the crown of her head. “I wish you weren’t going alone.”

“The agents will be with me.”

“You know I don’t mean protection. You need someone supportive in the room with you. I’ll see what’s going on with Lorenzo, and then try to make it over.”

“You’ll just draw attention to everything.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

Her head tilted up, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly parted. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No.”

“Alex–”

“I’m not an idiot. I realize that the scrutiny the press is already putting on you is often suffocating. I know it would be worse if they found out you may not be able to have children.”

“Then why do you want everyone to know?”

He brushed a finger down her cheek. “You’re not the only woman in Valleria going through this. Though the public might be shocked in the beginning, they will support you in the end.”

She put two fingers over his lips. “I know what you’re saying, but I just can’t. I just can’t say anything. I’m not strong enough for that.”

What the hell? “What do you mean you aren’t strong enough? You’re one of the strongest women I know.” He cupped her face, forcing her brown eyes to lock with his own inky black. “Those days before our wedding, you showed everyone how strong you are, and how dedicated you are to our family, to Valleria, and to duty. You’re wonderful.”

A half-smile lit her lips. “Thanks, Alex. I appreciate that. I hear what you’re saying, I truly do. But I feel like I only have so much strength to go around. I need to show our country strength, our family strength. I feel like I can’t relax unless I’m alone with you.” She sighed. “And I’m so exhausted by this. Exhausted by the tests, by more tests, by the inconclusive results. Why can’t anyone find out what’s wrong with me?”

His blood chilled to ice, but he kept his grip steady. It wouldn’t do to show her how afraid he was for her and, selfishly, for himself as well. He was terrified of losing her to some unknown serious illness, and he just couldn’t imagine his life without her. “I don’t know. I wish I did. You’ve no idea how much I wish I did. How much I wish that my power, such as it is, could do you some good.”

He gave her a hard kiss, her lips yielding to his immediately, her body pressing closer. “You listen to me, Mrs. Santoro.”

A grin split her face; she loved it when he called her that.

“We’ll find out what’s happening to your brilliant, gorgeous body. I promise you.”

“You don’t make promises lightly,” she reminded him.

“No, I do not.” He brushed his thumbs against the apple of her cheek. “I do want you to think about something, however.”

She frowned slightly. “What?”

His words were careful and considerate; he’d been rehearsing the speech in his mind for weeks now. “I would very much like you to consider telling someone else.”

“Alex–”

“Don’t answer now. Just think about it. For those times when I can’t go with you to the doctor’s or to the hospital, I want someone we trust with you, holding your hand and supporting you.”

She bit her lower lip, and rolled it between her teeth. “Well, er, there are other people who know.”

He blinked. “Who? And why the bloody hell aren’t they with you now?”

She turned her face and his hands fell away. “Cat and Grace. They know. I-I was upset one day, when we were holed away in the bunker during the threat against Cat and the family. I told them both what happened.”

“And you don’t think either of them would come with you in my stead?”

“They would,” she said quickly. “Of course they would. It’s just, well, Cat’s trying to get her fashion line going, and she doesn’t live at the palace anymore.”

“She’s maybe an hour outside the capital, darling,” he said, though he felt the pang of his twin sister’s absence more than most. “You know she’d come.”

“I know, and I know Grace would come, too. But she’s had a difficult past with her own health problems and, well, I just couldn’t ask it of her.”

“You can. You just won’t.”

She started shaking her head, but he continued speaking.

“Then why not tell your mother? You know she’d be discreet.”

“She would, but the press wouldn’t.” Another sigh. “If she came with me to a hospital or charity event, it would look odd.”

“Only if you let it. Look, the press will make of you whatever you want them to. If you show that going around with your mother – whether you’re there on royal business or no – is standard for you, then they’ll accept that. If you honestly wouldn’t feel comfortable asking your mother, fine, but stop inventing reasons to keep people from helping you.”

Her mouth opened as if to speak, then shut again. She blinked, then sagged a little in her seat. “I suppose I am doing that, aren’t I?”

He cuddled her close again. “Not intentionally, but you are doing it. You’re not alone, not now, not ever.”

“Your Highnesses,” a voice rang out over the intercom. “We’ll be landing in Masillia within the next few minutes.”

Damn it, he wanted more time with her. There was never enough time these days. “Are you sure you’ll be all right on your own today?”

“Positive.” She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, stirring his blood. All it took was a whiff of her scent, the barest touch, even the barest thought to arouse him. “Will you be all right today?”

He pressed his temple against hers and took a deep breath. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

“It’ll be hard trying to get through to Lorenzo.”

“Yes, but we’ll do it. He’s never dealt with something as politically contentious as a dock strike before, and we all just want to make sure he can handle it. He can’t use teasing laughter or anger to solve this. Maybe it is a bit much, all of us coming down at once to provide support. The truth is that I haven’t seen him much since our wedding and I miss him, and I want to help him.”

She jostled in her seat as the plane touched down with a mild bump. “You will. See you tonight for dinner?”

“If not before.” He kissed her – God, would he ever tire of tasting her lips? – deep and long, one hand gripping her back, the other in her soft, luscious hair. He pulled back just enough so that his lips brushed hers as he spoke. “I miss you already.”

She smiled. “You’ve become quite romantic since our wedding, Mr. Santoro.”

He pressed her full breasts and curves tighter against him. “What I’ve become is more possessive, Mrs. Santoro.” A hard kiss. “It’s difficult for me to share you and your smiles with the world, and a challenge to know I must sacrifice my time with you for duty.” Another kiss. “I ache during those times without you.” Another kiss. “I dream of you, day and night. God, Rebecca.”

Their breathing was heavy and short, and her voice was shaky. “S-Stop. We can’t do this now, not when we need to deplane. I’ll probably need to freshen up. Why don’t I do that while you, er, calm down.”

She unbuckled her belt and stood, but he pulled her into his lap, her fitted knee-length skirt preventing her from fully straddling his lap.

She tried to push up again. “Alex.”

He shook his head. “Getting up before the pilot turns off the fasten seatbelt sign? I’m afraid I can’t let you disobey a law such as that.”

She giggled. “Alex, we’re stopped. This isn’t a traditional flight. Let me up.”

“Kiss me again and I might.”

“Kissing you almost lead to other things barely a minute ago.”

He smiled wickedly up at her. “Don’t I know it? Kiss me anyway, wife.”

She leaned down, her arms stretching around his neck. “Your wish is my command, husband.” It was a few minutes later that the tell-tale beep sounded in the cabin and they parted.

“Your Highnesses, whenever you’re ready, we’ll disembark,” the pilot announced over the intercom.

Rebecca huffed a laugh, then peered over her shoulder towards the front of the plane. “I think they know we were making out.”

“We should have gone straight to the bedroom when we boarded. We’ll remember that for next time.”

She lightly slapped his shoulder. “And how would that look?”

“Like we can’t keep our hands off each other, which, my darling wife, is fairly obvious to everyone in Valleria, and likely the world.”

She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. “You may have a point.”

He laughed and pulled her close, kissed her forehead, then set her on her feet. “Freshen up in the first bedroom, and I’ll take the second.” She nodded and walked off.

He may not have done a good job of allaying her fears, but she’d be going to her appointment more lighthearted than before; that was something. He only wished he could do more.

Hopefully, he’d be more successful helping Lorenzo.

* * *

John, Lily’s supervisor, appeared in her doorway. “Cecilia, I’d like to see you in my office, please.” He promptly turned away and walked towards his office, his combover flapping slightly as he moved.

Lily sighed and followed him down the hall from her own office. Tucked away in the bowels of the hotel, neither office had any windows, but both were functional. Lily didn’t mind; she’d been lucky to get the position. Years of planning society parties had come in handy when applying for a position as an event planner. True, she had a degree in art history, but it would be of little use to her here.

“Sit down, Cecilia.”

Lily sat carefully while John adjusted himself in his chair and linked his hands over his heavy girth.

“Now then, how long have you been with us? Three years?”

A prickle of unease stung her skin. “Three and a half,” she corrected.

“Yes, well, you’ve done a decent job. Clients seem to like you. You work a good nine hours most days, except for when you leave early to pick up your child, though I can’t remand you for that. Not officially, anyway.” He guffawed at his own feeble joke.

Lily just pasted a fake smile on her face. If the man could find fault with someone – and he often found fault with her and women in general – he’d let them know about it.

“So, though you have done a competent job for us over these last three years–”

“Three and a half.”

“Er, yes, three and a half, but I’m afraid we’ll need to let you go.”

Icy fear dripped into her veins. “You’re firing me? Why?”

He cleared his throat. “Well, some might say our bookings are down–”

“Our room bookings are up ten percent over last year, and event bookings are up seven percent over last year. This is a steady increase under my tenure at the hotel.”

At her words, John’s nostrils flared. Before Lily had come on board, the hotel’s revenue had been in a steady decline for years.

“Why are you really firing me?”

He sat back, a pompous man who knew he held all the power. “We need to train someone to take over my position. I’m close to retirement and, since you don’t fit the bill, we’re letting you go and promoting Calvin to your position.”

“Calvin?” The night manager was even more arrogant than John. “Why don’t I ‘fit the bill’, as you put it?”

“Well you have so many things distracting your pretty little head. A man like Calvin wouldn’t suffer such distractions.”

Pompous fucking asshole. “Are you insinuating that because I have a child, I’m not able to oversee this hotel?”

He waved his thick fingers in the air. “Of course not, of course not. Such a thing would be illegal, as you know.” A smarmy grin covered his face.

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, in an effort not to throttle him. “You do realize that Calvin also has children?”

“Oh, but he’s a man, you know, and has a wife to watch his children. You haven’t got anybody.”

Fucking prick!

“You could, of course, take over his position as the night manager.”

She didn’t bother responding, since they both knew it wasn’t an option for her as a single mother. “What is my severance package?”

He shifted in his seat again. “I wasn’t planning on giving you one. Now, you have one hour to clean out your office and leave. Otherwise, I’ll have security escort you out.”

She held her arms even tighter before she uncrossed them and stood. With a bright, fake smile on her face, she walked out.

She entered her office and shut the door, locking it for good measure. When she’d been hired – not by John, who was the owner’s nephew, but by the owner himself – she’d still been breastfeeding and they’d installed the lock to assure her privacy while she pumped.

Now it would be used for her last and final tasks.

She worked furiously over the next hour. She sent brief notes to any upcoming event host, and she sent a note to all the employees – except for Calvin and John, of course – thanking them for their dedication and assistance. She saved pertinent emails. Of the documents she was allowed to make copies of, she did so in order to have a record of them later, in case she needed them. She dumped everything into a box with her few personal momentos, and then sat down to write one final note.

This one to the owner.

She outlined what she’d been told, how she’d been told it. She thanked the owner three times for taking a chance on her and little Lily, and said she was proud to have worked for his hotel.

She also mentioned one of her first stops after leaving the office would be to a lawyer.

She thought about copying John on the message, but decided against it. She did, however, copy the owner’s wife, who adored Liliana. Perhaps it was rash and impulsive, but it needed to be done.

She’d put up with John’s misogynistic ways for over two years, and enough was enough. If she wasn’t strong enough to stand up for what was right, her daughter might not, either. And Liliana definitely deserved a better life than her.

One minute after her hour was up, she gave her office one last look before she grabbed the box and walked out the door.

John was waiting at the concierge desk, his finger tapping his watch and shaking his head. Asshole. Calvin – somehow miraculously here in the daytime – stood grinning disgustingly nearby.

Lily ignored both of them, and walked over to the check-in desk and said good-bye in person to a few of the staff.

As she walked out into the bright sunlight of the fall day, she said good-bye to the valets and porters, and walked to her car. With each step, the adrenaline of the last hour faded and the weight of what had happened began to consume her.

She had a little money stashed away, but it was a very little. It was hard to save when she lived essentially paycheck-to-paycheck. It would be a challenge to pay both rent and Lily’s school, not to mention food and essentials for another month. She’d worked so hard to provide for her and her child, and now all of that was at risk.

What if she couldn’t handle it? What if this was the day she’d finally prove herself an incompetent mother? Her parents had certainly warned her long ago this would happen; they’d never had any faith in her. She doubted now if they’d ever even loved her.

She took a deep breath, and decided not to think about the fact that she was jobless and incomeless, not yet. She’d still have her insurance until the end of the month, and Liliana, as a child, was covered under the national health plan regardless. That was the most important thing.

For now, she’d go home, pick up Liliana early from after-school care, and get ready for Lorenzo’s visit. A different type of fear gripped her as she wondered what he’d say, what they’d both say to Liliana, and how she might react. Her stomach clenched even harder as her two fears collided. Would he use her job loss to gain custody?

No, even as the thought popped in her head, she discarded it. He may not be the man she once knew, but she had a very hard time believing he’d take Liliana away from her.

If he did, though, she would fight. Just as she’d fight against John, she would fight Lorenzo. She would do whatever it took to take care of her child, and keep her near.