Page 98 of Tabloid Princess

“Then I’ll fight for you. I’ll make them know you are.”

The sheer determination in his tone broke me one final time. “When are you back from Paris?”

“Thursday.”

“That long?”

“Is that a little pout I see there?” He kissed my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth.

“No.” I smiled and took a deep breath. “Would you like to come over on Saturday and meet Daisy?”

His eyes flew wide open. “Really?”

“I thought that’s what you wanted?”

He chuckled, his lips pushing against my forehead again. “I had a whole arsenal of tricks to try to convince you.”

I met his gaze, my heart thrumming. “Well, I can’t have you keep turning up at the office, that was painful on every level. And anyway,” I lifted an eyebrow, “you’ll have a six-year-old to impress, so the fight isn’t over yet.”

A gentle knock came from the other side of the door and he groaned, his lips swiftly pressing into mine. “The Eurostar waits for no man, not even a prince.”

“As is right.” I wanted to wrap my arms around him and never let him leave.

He was gone too quick. In his place he left an aching wanting I didn’t know how to deal with.

Unknown territory had flourished into unknown everything.

Twenty

“Okay sit.”

Nana looked at me in confusion. Daisy was far better behaved. Her bottom instantly hit the kitchen chair.

Oh God. I needed to hurl.

The kitchen seemed too small.

The entire house couldn’t hold in my crazy.

And it was crazy—at the highest level.

“What is it, Leia? You look like you’re about to have a full-blown panic attack.”

I tried to calm myself down but sweat just seemed intent on gushing out of every pore on my skin.

“I’m trying.”

“Sweetie, what is the matter?” Nana actually looked like she might call an ambulance. Maybe they could take me to a hospital for people suffering with breaks from reality.

“Mummy?”

Daisy’s call seemed to calm me. I turned for her. The little bundle of blonde curls who constituted my entire existence.

“I’ve got a friend coming.”

Nana’s chin dropped so low it almost hit the table. “A friend?”

I turned so only she could see me and rolled my eyes.