Royal Secret #2: Royal Secret, #2

By Ember Casey and Renna Peak

A hot one-night stand. A secret baby. An unforgettable royal romance.

 

The secret is out.

 

Lord Xavier has just learned that his wild one-night stand with Lauren a year ago resulted in a son.This changes everything. And Lord Xavier is about to discover exactly what it means to be a father…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Casey Peak Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Jun 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393384465

Book preview

Chapter 1

Xavier

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My mouth is suddenly, startlingly dry.

There’s a rushing sound in my ears, and shadowy spots are dancing across my vision. It feels like an invisible fist has my throat in its grip, squeezing the breath out of my body.

I must be dreaming, I think. I could have sworn that Lauren just said Noah is my son.

But I feel perfectly awake. And the look in Lauren’s eyes assures me this isn’t some twisted sort of joke.

My eyes fall to the child in her arms—dark-haired, pudgy cheeked, fast asleep and completely oblivious to the fact that his mother has dropped the king of all bombshells on me.

I… I don’t know what to say. My brain isn’t even done processing this. I can’t have a child. We can’t have a child. We used protection. I’m certain of it. I never go without.

Lauren nods. I know. But there are no guarantees, even with condoms.

But… My mind is looking for any excuse, any shred of proof that this child isn’t mine. But even as I scramble for an explanation, my eyes are locked on the infant, and I feel the truth. If I’m being honest, I felt it the first time I saw him out in the garden—a link. A sense of connection I didn’t have a name for.

Until now.

This child is my son. My son.

I never expected this. Never wanted this. Never thought…

I back away, shaking my head. This is too much at once. I need a chance to process. To think.

I… I clear my throat. Give me a moment.

Lauren shifts the child’s weight in her arm. I’m afraid I don’t have a moment, my lord. Stephan wants me out of the palace immediately.

I’ll deal with Stephan, I assure her, but that weasel and the loss of her job is the least of my worries. I just need a moment. To understand.

I turn and stumble out of the room, nearly running over Leo.

Whoa there, Cousin, he says. Is something wrong?

I answer him with a grunt, not even bothering to look back.

I need some fresh air. And a strong drink. And…and a lot of other things I haven’t grasped yet. Right now, the first two things are a much higher priority.

Fortunately, one of my cousins’ recreational parlors isn’t far from here. And I happen to know they keep the liquor cabinet fully stocked. I stumble down the corridor, shoving into the room.

None of my cousins are here at the moment, for which I’m grateful. I barrel toward the liquor cabinet and grab a bottle of single malt whiskey, pouring myself a generous glass.

I have a son. A long, burning swig slides down my throat. A son. Another swig. I’m a bloody father.

It makes me dizzy, all of it.

But as the initial shock of this revelation wears off, other questions begin to emerge.

Is it possible the child belongs to some other man? Should I ask for a paternity test? My father will probably require one, whether I want to pursue the matter or not.

But the logistics of that give way to an emotion I wasn’t anticipating—anger.

Why didn’t she bloody tell me I have a son?

She said the child is three months old. That means she’s known our one-night stand resulted in a child for at least a year. And in all that time, she never thought to reach out to me, never thought to mention to her child’s father that he even existed!

My glass is empty. I pour myself another, then stalk across the room cursing under my breath.

Why didn’t she tell me? Did she think I wasn’t fit to be a father? Did she think I’d abandon my own son? Does she think so little of me?

I jerk a hand through my hair, then turn to the window. Suddenly, I’m having trouble breathing again, and I grab the window latch and thrust it open. Then I gulp in a breath.

Only an hour ago, my biggest care in the world was getting Lauren into bed again. But in the space of a moment, my entire world flipped upside-down. I don’t even know how to begin putting it right-side up again. Good God, I’m supposed to go back to Wintervale today, back to my normal life.

But my life will never be normal again.

I lift my glass to my lips, taking a long drink. Out of the bottom corner of my eye, down on the palace grounds below me, I catch a flicker of movement.

I lower my glass and look down. From here, I can see the grand driveway that curves from the palace to the city down below. And there’s a figure walking swiftly down it, one arm dragging a suitcase and the other holding a bundle to her chest.

Lauren.

She’s leaving. After dropping that bomb on me, she’s already trying to walk out of my life again.

I push away from the window, leaving my glass of whiskey on the sill. And then I run from the parlor.

I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I know this—there’s no way in hell I’m letting her go.

Chapter 2

Lauren

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Ishouldn’t have said anything to Xavier about our baby. He never needed to know. For the past year, I knew I was on my own, and I never gave it a second thought.

I still have no idea where I’m going to go. I can only hope that my experience in the palace will help me find another job somewhere. Maybe at a hotel or something.

At this moment, I only need to worry about getting off the palace grounds. It’s hard to believe how massive they are, and my arms are aching before I reach the end of the driveway.

You thought you could just run away? A voice booms from behind me. You give a man news like that and then you run? Xavier comes up to walk beside me. We need to talk.

There’s nothing to say. I adjust Noah as best as I can against me. The baby sling helps, but now I wish I’d taken the time to use it before today. There’s clearly a learning curve, and my shoulder is aching already.

You should have told me. You owed me that. You should have come to me and told me I had a child.

I stop walking, turning to him. And how exactly would I have done that? You didn’t exactly bother to leave your number—

Nor did you—

"You didn’t even bother to give me your name. And you certainly didn’t ask for mine." I cannot believe how entitled this man is—he really thinks I owe him? After all I’ve been through in the past year?

I don’t bother to wait for his response, instead turning on my heel and continuing toward town.

Where will you go? His voice is low now, without the angry edge it had only a moment earlier. You should at least allow me—

Let’s get something straight, Xavier, I say, stopping once more to look up at him. You don’t get to tell me what I ‘should’ or ‘should not’ be doing. You have no right—

I have every right, he says, interrupting. As the child’s father—

I think you mean ‘sperm donor.’ I shake my head. You have no rights. I shouldn’t have even said anything.

Had you told me a year ago when you found out—

I didn’t know who you were!

Noah lifts his head and bounces it hard against my chest, almost as if