Page 21 of Romancing Rayne

“Three hundred and thirty-four,” Rayne announced when she took the last step onto the landing. “Holy shit. That’s Big Ben!” Rayne rushed into the room before I could stop her.

Ten steps in she came to halt, causing me to nearly knock her over in my quest to stop her and warn her of my last surprise.

“Ghost,” she whispered. “Is that? Is that um . . .”

“Ghost! You finally made it, mate.”

9

Rayne

My eyes must’ve been playing tricks on me. It had to be the altitude and dehydration.

“Your Royal Highness. Or is it Duke now? I could never keep all your titles straight.” Ghost stopped and looked over at the beautiful brunette standing in front of us. “May I?” The man nodded, and Ghost continued, “Your Royal Highness. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Ghost placed his arm around my waist, preventing me from swaying on my feet. What in the world was happening?

“This is my wife, Rayne. Rayne, this is Spike Wells and his beautiful wife, Meghan. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” Ghost unnecessarily announced.

I wasn’t sure why Ghost was calling Prince Harry that silly name, but anyone with a television or the internet would know who the couple was. Hell, I remember watching the man grow up and had read the tabloid headlines about him.

I was at a loss. I wanted to kill Ghost. Did I bow or curtsy? Was I allowed to speak to them? Thankfully, the woman stepped forward and extended her hand.

“Very nice to meet you, Rayne. Please call me Meghan.”

I took her hand, relieved she was so kind. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I apologize, I’m a little shocked to see you both. I’m afraid I wasn’t told we’d be meeting you or I would’ve dressed for the occasion and possibly brushed up on royal protocol.”

Meghan didn’t let go of my hand and tugged me away from Ghost.

“Don’t be silly. I’ve had hours of training and I still get confused. Up here, away from prying eyes, we are simply Harry and Meghan. It is nice to be normal every once in a while.”

That was so nice of her.

“Thank you.”

“So, Rayne, did you enjoy your walk up the tower?” the prince asked.

I hoped like hell I wasn’t blushing. Now that Meghan had released my hand, I clasped both in front of me to mask how badly I was shaking.

“I did. This is amazing.”

“It truly is. Was Oliver helpful in answering all of your questions?”

“He was. Thank you for allowing me to see such a wonderful treasure.”

“It’s the least I could do for the man who saved my life.”

Ghost had saved the prince’s life?

“I think you’re overstating the situation, Spike,” Ghost chimed in. He always did that—downplayed his heroic efforts.

“Don’t let this bloke fool you. We were pinned down by the Taliban, almost completely surrounded. We’d called in an airstrike and, seemingly out of nowhere, Ghost, Truck, Beatle, Blade, Fletch, Coach, and Hollywood came up on our position. At the time, none of them knew my identity. I was commanding a troop of eleven men. I kept most of my face covered at all times, not wanting to be recognized. Ghost and his team held off the advancing Taliban, and we were able to fall back to safety. It was a good thing, too; the airstrike had been delayed. If it weren’t for the team, we all would’ve been dead. Oliver, over there, included.”

“Wow. I had no idea.”

“It wasn’t until we were back on post debriefing when the team found out who I was. Even then, none of them treated me as anything more than a fellow soldier. No one cared I was in line for the throne. I was Spike Wells, nothing more. I am forever in their debt.”

“There’s no debt, Spike. You’re just lucky we were nearby and could save your sorry asses.”