The Prince's Cinderella by Andrea Bolter

Author:Andrea Bolter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-11-29T18:45:23+00:00

* * *

Marie wanted to dance for a long time, with no protest from Zander. Eventually, they stepped off the dance floor to check out the desserts. He was sure something had changed within her while they were dancing, although he couldn’t put his finger on what. Now, when he looked over to see if she liked the lavish chocolate fountains, one dark, one milk and one white, Marie was not focused on the sweets. She had a distant, almost scared, look on her face.

“Yes, they’re lovely,” she managed in a monotone voice. “It’s decadent to have three different flavors.”

The words came out of her mouth as if someone else was saying them. While he intended to keep discussing the dessert, he felt an almost undeniable impulse to reach over and take her face in his hands. To kiss her over and over until whatever weighed so heavily in those blue eyes could be cast aside while their lips said everything without talking.

Lately, he’d been giving thought to what was next in his life. What the permanence and obligation of raising Abella would bring him. How and where he wanted to spend his days.

Gazing at Marie’s sweet face and replaying the internal agony he’d perceived in her triggered protective feelings. He was starting to wonder if the devotion he had for Abella couldn’t also extend to a romantic love he might have room for someday.

He subtly pointed to a couple of older women at the fountains who were laughing and making a production of preparing their deserts. Skewers had been provided for guests to create spears of fruit chunks and small squares of cake that they then passed under the fountains to coat them in chocolate. The ladies were discovering that they could pass their creations under not one, not two, but all three flavors of the chocolate, creating a drippy mess that was probably delicious.

“That’s a kind of specialty food that guests tell friends about the next day,” Marie said.

“Exactly.”

Zander’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and while he generally made a rule of not taking calls while he was out with people, the vibrating sequence was specific to a text from Iris.

Abella is ill. I’ve given her medication and we’re sitting up for the time being.

“What’s wrong?” Marie snapped to attention having read the concern in Zander’s face.

“The baby is sick. Have we observed enough here for tonight?”

“From what’s written in the program, it looks like there will be more speeches coming.”

“I’d like to bow out early and get home.” Zander uttered a phrase he’d heard himself say a lot lately.

Nothing could have prepared him for the priority a child would take in his life. He knew that he’d climb mountains or swim oceans for Abella. Giving up the hobnobbing he’d spent much of his adult life doing was easy, and evenings like tonight had become the exception, not the norm.

“Are you going home now?” Marie’s eyes became very round as she asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh. Okay,” she said, opening and closing her fists.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.