“Socks are going to be a real letdown after this,” Mia mumbled.
“You did not buy him socks.”
“Not exactly.” She tentatively patted the pony’s neck. “He seems friendly enough.”
“He is very gentle, but with enough of a spirit to be a challenge as Daniel learns to ride more. In a few months, he’ll graduate to a horse, but Gaspare works for now.”
“I love my pony,” Daniel said as he leaned forward and hugged the animal’s neck.
“Keep control of the reins,” Rafael told him. “It is how you control your mount.”
Daniel grinned. “He’s a pretty pony. Can I take him to school to show my friends and Miss Valdrake?”
“His teacher,” Mia said. “Honey, I’m thinking we’re going to wait on pony show-and-tell. Just until we get this figured out.” She looked at Rafael. “You haven’t said what we’re going to do about a stable.”
“The weather is mild enough that the animal can stay out.”
“And in winter?”
Daniel and his pony wouldn’t be here, Rafael thought. But what he said was, “I have a staff to deal with details, Mia. Please, try not to worry. All will be well.”
“I don’t have a staff,” she said. “I’m used to solving my own problems and you’re not helping with that.”
“Do we really need to discuss this now?”
She smiled at Daniel, who urged Gaspare to go faster.
“I guess not,” she admitted. “It’s just…Wow. A pony. The whole prince thing is still something I have to get used to.”
“You will.”
“I guess I have to. What with…” Her voice trailed off.
He knew she referred to her acceptance of his proposal. That she would have to get used to being royal herself. He wanted to reassure her that the job would be much less taxing than she imagined for she would be only have it a few weeks.
“He bought Danny a pony,” Mia said as she paced around Brenna’s office at the winery. “He never said a word. He just announced he had a surprise and then there it was. An honest-to-God pony.”
“It wouldn’t be my first choice,” Brenna admitted, “but hey, he’s royal. Maybe it’s a big fourth birthday thing with his family.”
“I guess. It’s just…shouldn’t he have talked to me about it? I’m Danny’s mother.”
“Rafael is his father.” Brenna rolled her eyes. “I really hate taking the guy’s side against a woman, especially my sister, but this time I think you’re freaking over nothing. It’s a pony. It’s not like he bought him an island.”
“Calandria is an island. As heir, I guess Danny already has that.”
“Okay, then strippers. That would have been a gift to get crabby about. Families do odd things. Grandpa Lorenzo made all of us learn about wine even though I was the only one interested. It happens. Don’t worry about it. Danny is a prince, which is just too weird. Don’t all princes need to learn how to ride? Isn’t it in the prince handbook?”
“Probably. I should Google him again.”
“Rafael?” Brenna asked.
Mia walked to the desk and sat in the large chair across from Brenna’s. “Yeah. I did it once and I was overwhelmed by pictures of him with beautiful young women. It got depressing.”
“Mia, you’re gorgeous and smart and a lot more interesting than any high-society rich bitch he might meet at some charity event.”
“You don’t actually know that.”
“Of course I do. He fell for you years ago and now he wants to marry you. Doesn’t that mean you win?”
Mia rubbed her temples. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. I can’t believe Danny is a prince.”
“It’s a little too late to take back Rafael as his father. You should have thought of that before you did the wild thing.”
“Who knew it would come to this?” She sighed. “Who knew Diego was really Crown Prince Rafael in disguise? My life is a soap opera.”
Mia looked at her sister and drew in a breath. “I said yes.”
Brenna stared at her. “To his proposal?”
Mia nodded. “Last night. I can’t face anything huge or ceremonial right now. We’re going to Las Vegas after Danny’s birthday.”
Brenna stood and clapped her hands together. “I don’t know what to say. My baby sister, the queen.”
Mia stood and they hugged. When Brenna released her, Mia asked, “Am I crazy to do this?”
“I don’t know. Does it feel right? Are you happy?”
“I was until the pony.”
Brenna laughed. “What is it about that damned horse that has you so freaked?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s that he didn’t discuss it with me. He made his own decision.”
“I can understand that, but how many of your decisions have you discussed with him? Mia, it’s been five years since you were last together. It’s going to take a little time to figure out how this all fits.”
“You’re right. Which means running off to marry him isn’t what I should be doing.”
“I don’t want to respond to that,” Brenna admitted. “You have to do what feels right. Rafael is Danny’s father. Whether or not you marry him, you’re going to have to deal with him for the rest of your life.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. How exactly does one work out a custody agreement with a prince?”
“Tell me that’s not why you’re marrying him. To make a custody agreement easier.”
“It’s not.” Mia sank back into her chair. “I haven’t been with anyone since him. I…Katie said I had never fallen out of love with him, which I violently disagreed with at the time, but I’ve been thinking maybe she was right. I have feelings for him. Strong feelings. And he’s a really great guy. I like how he is with Danny and me. He’s open and honest and I still get tingles.”
“So what’s not to like?” Brenna asked.
“That’s what I keep thinking. So I said I’d marry him.”
“You can change your mind. Or put it off. There’s a lot to be said for getting to know the guy you’re going to rule with.”
Mia groaned. “When I think about being with Rafael I get butterflies, but when I think about actually ruling a country, I want to vomit. I look at what Darcy has to go through and I know I’d hate it. She’s just the president’s daughter.”
Brenna sat on the edge of her desk. “If you’re this unsure, then put things off for a while. No one is saying you have to marry him.”
Mia smiled. “But I want to. Isn’t that dumb? I want to marry him. I want to know that for the rest of our lives, we’ll be together.”
“So if Rafael were just a regular guy, you wouldn’t have a problem with this.”
Mia considered the statement. “Apparently not.”
“In this case, the crown comes with the guy. Can you handle that?”
“I sort of have to. Otherwise, I let Rafael go, and I can’t imagine doing that. When I thought he died, I didn’t want to live myself. I ached for months. Being pregnant was the only thing that got me through. I can’t imagine ever surviving that pain again. But the man I loved before was different.”
“In good ways or bad ways?”
“Both. I liked that Diego wasn’t a world-renowned sex object. Plus I have such lousy taste in men. Seriously, Brenna, do you know how badly I could be screwing this up?”
“He’s a prince, Mia. How bad could it be?”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.” She winced. “I don’t want to move away.”
“I’m thinking you’re going to have to live in Calandria. But there’s good news. You could be on a stamp.”
“I was hoping for money, but a stamp works. My God, I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. I guess if I do marry him we’ll move to Calandria fairly quickly. We haven’t talked about it, but it makes sense. I’m sure Rafael has responsibilities, and Danny and I need to start learning to be royal.”
Mia stood and plucked at her T-shirt. “Who am I kidding? I bought this for five dollars at Wal-Mart. The only designer clothes I own are my mother’s hand-me-downs. I don’t do jewelry or know how to waltz.”
Brenna stood and moved close. “You speak about four hundred languages, you’re smart, you’re capable, and
