Page 47 of Royal Secret

Gripping the steering wheel, I navigate through the heavy traffic with a single-minded focus. The dashboard clock ticks away, the nausea slowly climbing in my belly once more. It’s only when the car hums to a stop at a red light that realization crashes into me — I’ve missed my period.

A cold shock runs through my body, and without conscious thought, I find myself pulling into the parking lot of a pharmacy. My hands shake a little as I swipe a pregnancy test from the shelf, avoiding eye contact with the cashier who rings me up.

The drive home is a blur, my mind racing faster than the car. My mother won’t be home for hours; she’s always been the type to bury herself in her work, something I’ve inherited along with her stubbornness.

Once inside the safety of our small, cluttered house, I waste no time. The sound of the package tearing open seems too loud in the silence. Instructions are skimmed, then read again more carefully — I can’t get this wrong. And then, it’s just waiting, watching the little hourglass icon blink on the digital screen.

Positive.

The word stares back at me, unyielding. A tiny plus sign confirming a new life, changing everything. I stumble back against the bathroom wall, the test clattering to the floor as myknees give out. This isn’t how I pictured motherhood — alone, scared, and the father…

Jakob.

My heart aches with the enormity of the decisions yet to be made. Fear coils tightly around my resolve, but deep down, the decision has already been made — I’m keeping this baby. Single motherhood may not be ideal, but I have enough love for two.

My hands tremble as I reach for my phone, scrolling through my contacts until Ginny’s name pops up. She’s been my rock since childhood, the sister I never had.

“Hey,” she answers. “How are you?”

“Hey, Gin. You’re off work today, right? Can you come over? I… I need you.” My voice breaks, betraying the chaos within.

“Of course. I’m on my way,” she responds without hesitation, and suddenly, the heaviness crushing my chest eases just a fraction.

I sit curled up on the couch, the positive test on the coffee table like some sort of judgment. Ginny’s arrival brings a gust of fresh air into the room, and because this is so hard to say, too crazy to even wrap my head around, I just go for it.

“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out before pleasantries can be exchanged, my walls crumbling.

Ginny doesn’t say a word, just pulls me into a hug that speaks volumes. We stay like that for a moment, her strength seeping into me.

“Jakob doesn’t know.” The words tumble out, laced with a bitterness I can’t suppress. Bergovia and its prince took so muchfrom us — my family’s history a tangled mess of lost titles and forgotten nobility. “Why should he ever know?” I add.

But Ginny doesn’t answer, and we sit in silence, the question hanging in the air between us. Her eyes — steady, unwavering — meet mine as I unravel the turmoil that’s knotted inside.

“What?” I ask.

“Every child deserves a father, Court. Or at least, the chance to see if their father is good enough to be in their life.” Her voice is soft but firm. “You of all people know what it’s like to grow up with that void.”

She’s right. Even though I barely remember my dad, his death so long ago it feels like his life might have been a dream rather than reality, I know she’s right. My heart has been an echo chamber for longing, the emptiness a constant hum through every milestone I faced alone. The thought of my own child facing that same hollow ache clenches my insides.

“Seeing Jakob will reopen wounds,” I murmur, the lingering taste of betrayal bitter on my tongue.

“Maybe so,” Ginny concedes, squeezing my hand gently. “But this isn’t about you and Jakob anymore. It’s about what’s best for this little one.” She nods toward my still-flat belly, her gaze tender.

I take a deep breath, feeling the walls I’ve built around my heart tremble. A father’s love is a foreign concept, one I’ve cobbled together from books and movies, but it’s a dream I can’t deny my child. Even if that father isn’t perfect, even if he hurt me… maybe he will be good for this child.

“Okay,” I whisper, the word a key unlocking a future I hadn’t planned. “I’ll tell him. Not for me, not for us, but for our baby.”

“Courage, Courtney.” Her hug is fierce, protective. “And who knows? Jakob might just surprise you.”

“Or he could be the royal jerk I remember,” I say, trying for lightness despite the storm clouds brewing within me.

“Then he doesn’t deserve either of you.” Her eyes blaze with loyalty. “But you’ll never know unless you try.”

After she leaves, I’m left in the quiet aftermath, the reality of motherhood settling over me like a mantle. It’s empowering and terrifying all at once. With a shaky exhale, I acknowledge the truth — I want this baby to have everything I didn’t. And that starts with knowing their father, no matter how daunting the prospect.

“Okay, Jakob,” I speak into the silence, a vow to the life growing within me. “You’re going to be a dad. Let’s see if you’re up to the task.”

CHAPTER 26

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