The Marcelli Princess

real world. At least he did.”

“So now what?” Francesca asked.

“That would be my question,” Mia said. “I’m trying to reconcile who he is with who he was and figure out where Danny fits in all this.”

Brenna raised her glass. “I’ll give you this-none of the Marcelli women are boring.”

“Something we can cling to,” Katie said. “I’m not sure that helps Mia, though.”

Mia drank more wine. “I might be beyond help. Right now I’m dealing with crazy situations. Rafael is Danny’s father. I can’t change that, even if I wanted to, and I’m not sure I do. He’s interested in his son, which is a plus, but what do I know about him?”

“You were once in love with him,” Katie said. “Does that count for anything?”

Mia tried to laugh, but instead made a sound suspiciously close to a sob. “Not when you consider that the man I fell in love with was supposedly a notorious thief with a reputation for killing the competition.”

“Maybe you sensed his goodness,” Francesca said.

“I’m not that intuitive,” Mia muttered.

“Are you attracted to him now?” Katie asked.

Brenna rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Of course she is. Did you see the man? Did you think about him being naked?”

“Of course not! I’m a happily married woman.” Katie sipped her wine. “I would never do that.”

Mia looked at her, as did Brenna and Francesca. Katie sighed.

“Okay. Maybe. For a second. Yes, he’s pretty amazing in the studly department, but that’s no excuse to give in a second time.”

“Ah, isn’t knowing how good the sex was and could be again going to work against her?” Brenna asked.

Katie looked at Mia, who sighed. “It doesn’t help,” she admitted.

“Trouble,” Francesca said. “All this is trouble. But you’ll get through it.”

“I don’t see a way not to. I’m just glad Joe is around.”

“Did you call Mom and Dad?” Katie asked.

“Yesterday. They’re understandably shocked, but happy. I begged them to stay in China. Rafael will still be around when they get back.”

“He’s staying that long?” Brenna asked.

“I don’t have exact dates, but I got the impression he would be parked here for a while. Even if he heads back to Calandria, there are going to be visits back and forth.”

“So you have time,” Katie said. “You can consider your options. Think with both your head and your heart.”

“Don’t make the same mistake twice,” Mia said, and meant it.

“I have something for you, Danny,” Rafael said as he entered the family room.

Mia sat on the floor with the boy on her lap. They both looked at him and smiled, Danny with more excitement than his mother.

“What is it?” Danny asked as he eyed the long, cloth-wrapped package. “A truck?”

“Better than a truck. I had it sent over from the palace.” Rafael knelt on the floor and peeled back the quilted fabric. When he’d exposed the gold-and-jewel-covered scepter, he paused expectantly.

Danny stared at the scepter. “What’s that?”

“The royal scepter of Calandria.”

Danny looked at his mother. “What’s that?”

Mia cleared her throat. “Well, it’s a very important and beautiful part of your heritage. It symbolizes who you are.”

“I’m Danny.”

“Okay, yes, but you’re also your father’s son. Which makes you his heir.”

“I’m the Crown Prince of Calandria,” Rafael said, determined to be patient with the child. It was not his fault he didn’t already know this. “I will rule as king and you will rule after me.”

Danny considered that, then asked, “Where’s Calandria?”

Rafael had come prepared. He pulled a European map out of his pocket and spread it on the floor. “Here is Italy and France. This is Spain. This is the Mediterranean and here is Calandria.”

Danny stared at the island and wrinkled his nose. “It’s small. Can I be the heir to a bigger place? What about Australia? Mommy and me read all about it in a book. There are kangaroos and crocodiles. I want to heir Australia.”

As he spoke he reached for the scepter and slammed it against the floor. Rafael winced.

“Okay then,” Mia said, grabbing it from him. “Maybe we should put this on a shelf until you’re a little older. Why don’t you go see Grammy M in the kitchen? I know she’s making cookies. Maybe she’ll let you help.”

“Okay.”

Danny scrambled to his feet and ran off to the kitchen. Mia turned to Rafael. “Sorry about that. He’s still pretty young. I don’t think he’s grasping the whole ‘heir’ thing, which isn’t a huge surprise as the rest of us are having trouble with it as well.”

“He will have to learn,” he told her, remembering how many responsibilities he had had when he had been little older than Danny was now. He needed to get the boy back to Calandria, where his real education would begin.

But that journey was a few weeks away. He had best remember not to rush his plan.

“You have done well with him,” he told Mia. “A woman alone with a child, especially a boy.”

“Hardly alone. Once I knew I was pregnant, I moved back here. It worked out well. I had help and I’m close to the campus for my studies.”

“What happens when you graduate from law school?”

“I’ll get a job and move to Los Angeles. By then Danny will be in kindergarten.” She paused. “Well, that was the plan. I guess now I’ll be discussing things like that with you.”

“There is plenty of time for that,” he said. In truth she would most likely still get a job in Los Angeles. The only difference was that her son would be in Calandria.

But that conversation was for much later. First he had to convince Mia to trust him…and seduce her into wanting him again.

He looked forward to both activities, especially the latter. He still found her most appealing, although he’d never been able to say exactly why. She was attractive, but great beauties populated his world. She was more intelligent than most women of his acquaintance, not that he set a great store by a woman’s mind.

No, it was something else. He remembered the feel of her skin and how that had aroused him. Her scent, even when she was fresh from the shower, had lingered in his mind long after she had disappeared from his life. He had been with a great many women and most of those encounters blurred. Oddly, he remembered nearly everything about making love with Mia, and that remembering made him want to be with her again.

If she were someone else, someone with even minor titled connections or the daughter of a great leader, he would consider making their marriage a permanent connection. But she wasn’t, and when it came to whom he would have more children with, he had to consider his obligation to the throne. Still, they were together for now and he planned to enjoy every minute of it.

He reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb against her knuckles. “You have been most patient and understanding.”

She smiled. “Not much choice there. You’re Danny’s father. The prince thing is a bit of a shock, although it doesn’t come close to the one about you not being dead.”

He shifted closer and let his gaze drop to her mouth. “Are you glad I’m not dead?”

“Of course.”

“I can say the same about you. I was most distressed when they told me you were gone. And later, when I thought you’d been killed…” He hesitated just enough to give the words a sincere ring. “Mia…I had just found you.”

“Found is strong,” she murmured. “I was sort of thrust upon you by the agency. I was there to do a job.”

“As was I. Instead we found each other.”

He spoke easily, mostly because it was all true. He had been delighted to find her. He’d known about the