Page 6 of Crowned for His Son

Teo and Valenti sauntered in, eyes the same colour as his examining him keenly.

‘Want to fill us in on what’s going on?’ asked Teo. ‘I mean, she’s hot, sure…but you can’t just ditch us and—’

‘You don’t remember her?’ This came from Valenti.

Teo frowned. ‘Should I?’

Valenti’s droll gaze said he was internally rolling his eyes. ‘She’s the girl. From Arizona.’

Teo’s jaw dropped, but before he could speak Azar raised a hand, directing his next words to his security chief.

‘Follow her. Do not let her out of your sight. I want to know where she goes, who she sees, where she lives. I want to know everything there is to know about Eden Moss by midnight. Understood?’

CHAPTER TWO

‘WE WILL MEET AGAIN.’

The words reverberated in her head as she walked out of her neighbour’s apartment, Max’s warm weight nestled in her arms.

‘Thank you so much for tonight, Mrs Tolson.’

The old woman waved her away, wrapping her thick shawl around her shoulders as she leaned heavily against the door. Eden felt a pang of guilt for her reliance on the old woman, whose robustness had dwindled since her hip operation. It was her insistence that she missed Max and wanted to spend time with him that had made Eden finally give in, but undoubtedly she’d been a godsend in desperate times.

‘I love spending time with this cheeky darling—you know that. And it was only for a few hours.’ She stroked Max’s cheek, earning a drowsy smile from her sleepy son before she glanced at Eden. ‘Do you know what you’re going to do after next week?’

Her insides clenched at the reminder that Mrs Tolson was moving to California, to be closer to her son, and taking Eden’s reliance on her much-needed occasional childcare with her.

‘Something will come up, I’m sure.’

Worry and scepticism creased the older woman’s face, but she nodded, caressing Max’s cheek one last time before stepping back into her apartment.

‘Come by for pancakes in the morning,’ she said, then raised a hand when Eden opened her mouth to refuse. ‘I insist. I need as much Max-time as possible before I leave.’

Feeling a clog building in her throat, Eden nodded and turned towards her apartment door, twenty feet away.

Maggie had thankfully not given her grief over her fifteen-minute disappearing act with Prince Azar. She’d been more curious than annoyed, which suggested she hadn’t heard about Eden’s rude comment to the Crown Prince. It also meant she had much-needed money in her bank account, which would keep a roof over her head for the time being.

And after that?

She swallowed and summoned a smile when Max stirred, rubbed his eyes and delivered a heart-melting smile. ‘Mama?’

‘Yes, baby boy, it’s me.’

His smile widened and his arms wrapped tighter around her neck as she burrowed into his warmth.

‘Mama!’

She laughed, feeling lighter as she went into her bedroom. ‘Did you have fun with Mrs Tolson?’

She tuned everything else out and basked in his sweet, childish babble about Lego and giraffes. He sang half a theme tune of his favourite cartoon as she gave him a quick bath and wrestled him into his pyjamas. Holding him to her chest, she breathed in his sweet baby scent, her heart lifting and swelling with love as he fell asleep.

That same heart squeezed with anguish when she laid him down in his crib, her fingers tracing his cheek before lingering on the dip in his chin. The faintest slash of memory made her breath catch, but knowing it would go nowhere, as usual, she pushed it away and pulled a light blanket over her son.

But as she undressed and readied herself for bed the events of the evening flooded her, giving her no chance to suppress them.

‘We will meet again.’

The titanium-strong conviction behind Prince Azar’s promise shook through her, jostling her confidence. She was certain there was some mistake—because even with the gap in her memory she couldn’t fathom any scenario in which she would ever cross paths with the heir to the throne of one of the wealthiest kingdoms in Europe, never mind make an impact enough for him to remember her. Even in Vegas.

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