But what if she wanted nothing to do with him and his new role in life?
In many ways, it was far easier and far better when he didn’t have to choose.
20
The king had woken up, or so the rumor mill stated. Nikki breathed a prayer of gratefulness at the news.
At Kari’s invitation, she’d slept in one of the many spare bedrooms the palace housed and would remain for a few days while she played catch-up after the ice storm and the king’s surgery. Fortunately, she had enough clothes, thanks to her suitcases from the mountain home.
After a restless night’s sleep, she went to her office.
After working for nearly an hour, a message popped up on her screen. She was wanted in the Office of the Crown Prince.
Great. Had Ezekiel convinced Kari to fire her after all?
Releasing a breath, Nikki headed upstairs to his office. Once there, his assistant had her sit in one of the chairs for what seemed like half an eternity.
She had other things she could be doing while she waited. If she’d known it would be so long, she could have waited to leave her office until closer to the time he’d be available.
Commotion behind the door caught her attention. Ezekiel’s assistant’s brows pulled together in confusion as he looked at the door.
Whatever it was, his assistant must not know.
“Ms. Major, you can go in now.”
Nikki nearly jumped. He must have gotten a message of some sort on his screen because she hadn’t heard anything.
Was that a...
Before she could complete the thought, Nikki went through the door.
Ezekiel stood on the other side of the room in a sitting area near a window. “Please, have a seat.”
He sounded formal and polite, but Nikki didn’t sense the hostility she’d expected.
She eyed him warily, but took the seat he indicated.
“I need to apologize to you,” he started. “But we also need to talk about a lot of things. First, I’m sorry for how I reacted at the hospital the other day. All I can do is tell you that I was completely overwhelmed, thinking my father was already gone, and suddenly I was king - something I wasn’t supposed to be. It’s not an excuse, but it’s how I felt at the time. I still should have reacted better.”
That was the last thing Nikki expected him to say. “No need to apologize. I understand. It was overwhelming and sudden, and then your mum dropped a bombshell on you. I’m not sure I would have reacted any better.”
“I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t upset me, on several levels. That you never told me. That I’m not her father. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. I love her, and that will never change, no matter what the DNA says. I talked to my parents years ago about being named her guardian if something were to happen to both of them, and they agreed. My desire for that hasn’t changed.”
She hadn’t known that, but it didn’t surprise Nikki. “I’d be happy if that happened. I mean, not that it would mean your parents were both gone, but that you’d be the one to raise her if they were.”
“I understand what you mean.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands between them. “But what I really need you to know is that I forgot something important for those few minutes and most of the next day.”
She felt cautiously optimistic. “What’s that?”
“That I love you.”
Her heart stopped. “What?”
He looked up, earnest love shining out of his eyes. “I love you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You really mean that?”
“I do.”