Wedding Vows: Say I Do. Rebecca Winters

little sign at the top of my bathroom mirror. It said, “One day you’ll be king. Remember.”

      A moan escaped her throat.

      He turned to her. “I agree it was a terrible thing to do to a child. Uncle Vittorio was no different. If anything happened to father or me, the line of succession would go to him and eventually Chaz.

      “At times he could be cruel, even abusive. He was a man who believed in corporal punishment to curb any rebellion in his son. When Chaz started drinking too much, I understood. He came to me when things got bad with my uncle. I often covered for him. That’s why he gave me that ring.”

      Darrell’s stomach lurched remembering what Phillip had said about the boys’grandfather being mean. How awful they had to live in such close proximity to him.

      “My uncle was very ambitious, and still is. He would do most anything to be king, and has resented the fact that Chaz died instead of me.”

      “That’s horrible,” she whispered.

      “In order to honor my promise to Father to marry Isabella, I’d hoped she could get past this and agree to go ahead with the wedding while believing you are his birth mother.”

      “I still don’t understand why you haven’t told her the truth.”

      He eyed her balefully. “Because up to now it’s been less complicated this way. The truth wouldn’t change the fact that I fathered a son with a woman from my past. That’s what has hurt Isabella.

      “However once my uncle learns of Phillip’s existence and discovers you didn’t give birth to him, he’ll enjoy humiliating you and the memory of your sister. It could bring up a lot of unnecessary pain which could end up hurting Phillip. As it is, I fully expect my uncle to rally the cabinet to repudiate me and my bastard son, forcing me to step down so he can be king.”

      The air got trapped in her lungs. “Your own uncle would do that?”

      Lines of strain bracketed his mouth. His expression haunted her. He unexpectedly moved toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “The new millenium hasn’t changed the nature of some men,” his voice grated.

      “Does your mother know the wedding is off?”

      “Yes.”

      “Does she know about Melissa?”

      “Yes.”

      “I’m glad you told her the truth, but she must be devastated!”

      “I’m not going to pretend she’s happy about my broken engagement, but one look at Phillip caused her to accept him as her grandson. That in itself is an indication of where her true heart lies.”

      She bit her lip. “There’s absolutely no chance of Isabella changing her mind?”

      “None. If there were no Phillip, we would have gone through with the wedding and done our best to make a good life together. But Phillip’s existence has changed destiny. Now Isabella will have a chance to find the kind of love she’s seen with some of her friends’ marriages.”

      Darrell’s eyes played over his face. “And what about you?”

      “Does it matter? After what I’ve told you, you have every right to loathe me. As my father once told me, a king has no friends because every decision he makes offends someone.”

      Darrell didn’t want to hear about all the damage his father and uncle had done to him. “Let’s leave my feelings out of it,” she blurted. “What’s going to happen when the country hears you’re not getting married?”

      “I guess I’m going to find out. It’ll be on the five o’clock evening news.”

      “Already?” The thought of Alex being forced to abdicate tortured her.

      “I’ve just come from a cabinet meeting where I explained the situation and gave a statement to the press. If there’s a groundswell of resentment against me, I’ll step down.”

      “What exactly did you tell them?”

      When she heard everything she felt ill.

      “This is all because of me.” She buried her face in her hands. “My trip to Bris has ruined your life.”

      “It gained me a son, Darrell,” his voice shook. “No man could receive greater news.”

      Her head flew back. “But you’re no ordinary man—” The tears streamed down her cheeks. “You’re a king who might have to give up everything.”

      His eyes blazed with green fire. “You gave up everything for Phillip. Do you regret it?”

      “Of course not!” she cried.

      “Then we understand each other,” he said on a note of finality.

      While she stood there shivering, his cell phone rang. He answered it and spoke in Romanche for a few minutes. When he clicked off he said, “Something’s come up. I have to get back to my office. Tell Phillip I’ll phone him as soon as I’m free.”

      She watched his hard-muscled body leave her bedroom. The second she heard the outer door close, she flung herself on the bed and sobbed. Fifteen minutes later she was still agonizing over the reason for his broken engagement when she heard her animated son calling to her.

      Jerked back to the present, she rolled off the bed and stood up, smoothing the hair out of her eyes. “I’m in my room, sweetheart. What is it?”

      “You won’t believe it. Dad got me a dog! It’s a St. Bernard from that monastery in the Alps I told him I saw on television. It’s the kind I always wanted. He’s beautiful.”

      As her son came running into the bedroom, he was crying for happiness. A St. Bernard was his dream dog, but the condo didn’t allow pets, not even miniatures.

      “I’m going to train him how to save me and bring me drinks in a keg.”

      Darrell was in too much emotional turmoil to respond.

      “He’s almost all white and he’s an older puppy because the monks weren’t going to sell him, but they did it for Dad. I told him we wouldn’t be back until after the wedding, so he’s going to take care of him. But I wish we never had to go…Can I keep him, Mom?”

      He wanted her permission.

      “Mom?” he asked tentatively. “You’ve been crying, huh. Did you tell Dad to send the dog back? Is that why you didn’t come inside the vet’s office?”

      “No, sweetheart. Of course you can keep him.”

      “Then what’s wrong? Did you two have a fight? Where is he?”

      “He’s in his office working.”

      After calling off a royal wedding the entire country had been looking forward to, he was probably trying to put out a dozen fires at once.

      “Can I phone him?”

      “After the great amount of trouble your father has gone to, I know he’d appreciate a call from his son thanking him for the dog.”

      “I love you, Mom.” Almost knocking the wind out of her with his hug, he reached for the phone.