“YOU MADE A FACE!”
Laughs erupted from the break room where the midwives were all enjoying their lunch. Kostas grabbed his lunch and started for his office. This was one aspect of being back in Palaío that Kostas didn’t mind.
In Seattle, he saw patients from the time the practice opened until it closed and then did hospital rounds. His meals were usually snacks from vending machines and sad little sandwiches that he’d picked up from the hospital cafeteria. This clinic took an hour and a half lunch break every day. The nurses on staff always gathered in the break room.
He hesitated at the door to his office. It was lonely, and his feet ached to turn. He looked at the break room. He’d kept to himself, but what if today he joined them?
Assuming they didn’t mind.
He stepped to the door and all the heads turned toward him. But it was Calla’s eyes that he sought. The hazel eyes that haunted his dreams met him with a smile as he raised his lunch bag. “Mind if I join you all?”
“We’ll be angry if you don’t, now that you’re here.” Alexa winked at Calla and Kali. “Besides, maybe you can answer the question of what is wrong with our ketchup.”
“There’s nothing wrong with it.” Calla blew out a heavy breath as Kali and Alexa laughed. “It’s good. It’s just not...”
“Not right.” Kali nodded as Calla’s cheeks heated. “I worked all night making this recipe. It’s my great-grandmother’s.”
“Kali—you and I both know that your husband is the cook in your family.” Alexa nudged Calla before passing the dish of ketchup and the cut-up homemade fries to Kostas.
“You’ve been in the States for so long. Tell us, Dr. Kostas, what is wrong?”
He dipped the fry while holding Calla’s gaze. The tomato paste was delicious. He let out a small sigh as he reached for another fry.
“Well, he likes it. You can leave the island, but you can’t really go.”
He mentally flinched at that statement, or maybe it wasn’t just a mental flinch, since Calla was looking at him with concern. Reaching for a third fry, Kostas dipped the fry and brought it to his lips. “It’s delicious, but it’s not sweet.”
“Sweet?” The other midwives both put hands over their hearts as they looked from Calla to Kostas.
Calla nodded. “Yes. It’s not sweet like the ketchup I grew up with. I mean, it’s good, just not ketchup.”
“It’s Greek ketchup.” Kali shook her head. “Better.”
Calla laughed, dipped a fry in the ketchup, though Kostas noticed it wasn’t the full dip he’d seen her use at the restaurant. “The fries are the best.”
“Pish!” Kali waved a hand. “Tomorrow, I’m trying again. We’ll find something you like.”
“That’s sweet, but unnecessary.” Calla reached for Kali’s hands and squeezed them tightly.
The jealousy and need flipping through him surprised Kostas. The midwives were close. Friends... But he didn’t think he could be friends with Calla. Not really. Not when it wasn’t what he craved. Tomorrow he’d eat in his office, but it was too late to retreat now.
“Guess I should have put a few bottles in my luggage.” Calla giggled. “Can you imagine at the airport? ‘Ma’am, is there anything fragile in your bag?’ ‘Yes, sixteen bottles of ketchup.’”
Her laughter filled the room. It was such a delicious sound. One he loved hearing. “You know a plastic bottle wouldn’t break.”
“But the ketchup in glass bottles is so much better.”
Kostas chuckled and leaned forward. “So it isn’t just the sugar-filled tomato paste, but also the type of container?”
“Sure.” Calla grinned. “If one is going to be a connoisseur, one must have tried all brands and delivery mechanisms. The best is the pumps at fast-food chains.” She brought the tips of her fingers to her lips and kissed them.
The motion was silly, fun, and just so Calla, it made Kostas’s heart shudder.
“A connoisseur of ketchup.” Kostas shook his head as he reached his hand out to Calla. “That is the most ridiculous thing—” He made eye contact with Alexa. Her mouth was hanging open; he cut his gaze to Kali and saw the same look of astonishment hovering in her eyes.
Kostas swallowed as he leaned back in his chair, adding inches of space between him and Calla, when all he wanted was to lean closer. He’d nearly grabbed her hand in front of the other midwives. And they’d both noticed.
How could they not?
“I know it’s ridiculous.” Calla’s voice was less cheerful now, and that killed him, too.
“But...” She brightened as she looked at Kali and Alexa. “We all have our silly things. Mine is ketchup.”
“Kali’s is snow globes!” Alexa laughed. “She has dozens of them on their own bookshelves.”
“I love when the glitter and pretend snow falls over the little cityscapes. But you collect haunted dolls, Alexa!”
“That was a secret! And they are not haunted—”
“Just ugly,” Kali countered.
The room erupted in giggles as Alexa happily slapped the table. “It started with one sad-looking doll that my youngest just loved. When she outgrew it, I couldn’t get rid of her. Now...well, now it’s a bit over the top.” She shrugged, “But I just see the dolls previously loved by some little girl or boy and then left.”
“You are such a bleeding heart.” Kali winked at the midwife and Kostas thought the women had forgotten him. Until all three eyes met his.
“What?”
“Oh, come on, Dr. Kostas.” Calla’s voice was light, teasing, as her eyes held his. “We all shared what our weird thing was, now you.”
“I don’t have a weird thing.” Kostas took another bite of his lunch as he met each of the ladies’ eyes equally. He hoped Alexa and Kali would ignore the attention he’d given Calla earlier if he focused on everyone now.
“You do.” She grinned as the other midwives nodded.
“Calla is right.” Alexa nodded. “Everyone has the thing that makes them happy, that most people look at a little awkwardly. A movie you watch on repeat that’s embarrassing. A food. A love of weird snow globes—”
“Or creepy abandoned dolls.” Kali countered, and the table shifted.
“Ouch!” Calla’s mouth fell open as she playfully glared at Kali. “That hurt.”
“Sorry—” Kali looked genuinely upset “—I meant to kick Alexa.”
The women laughed again, and he thought for one second that he might have gotten off the hook, but once more all eyes turned to him. He hated to disappoint them. But he couldn’t think of a single thing like what they’d discussed.
His room at the palace was luxurious, but he hadn’t chosen anything. In fact, no one ever asked his opinion on the décor. Kostas forced the last bite of his lunch into his mouth, swallowed, then offered the truth. “I can’t think of a single thing. Being royal means conforming.”
Kali giggled. “Conforming. You used to tell the press exactly what you thought of your father. I didn’t think the Prodigal Prince knew how to conform.”
“It was a hard-learned lesson. But even prodigal princes can learn.” He winked at Alexa then looked to Calla.
She held his gaze for a moment, a look he couldn’t quite understand on her face. He forced his eyes down; it would be easy to lose himself in their depths...again.
And Alexa and Kali would notice a second misstep.
The chime echoed in the break room, and Alexa and Kali both stood. They quickly exited together, making excuses for why the patient was most likely one of theirs and not Calla’s or his. His hope that they might not have noticed the tension between them evaporating on their quickly moving heels.
“You have something.” Calla tapped her fingers on the table. Did she yearn to reach across the table, like he did?
“I don’t. My room at the palace...”
“What was in your apartment in Seattle?” Calla arched an eyebrow. “Not the palace. But what did you always bring home?”
He wished he had an answer for her. Wished he’d branched out more while in Seattle. His apartment hadn’t been a home. It was simply a place he slept. The walls were blank, the cabinets full of white dishes, even the bedspread was a light gray. It held no personality.
“I know you want to hear about the funny mug I bought that said ‘A Wise Doctor Once Wrote...’ and then it has a bunch of unrecognizable scribbles on it. But I don’t have anything like that.”
“Oddly specific mug choice.” Calla boxed up the containers she’d brought her lunch in and stood. “You wanted that mug, didn’t you?”
“It was funny. There was another one next to it that said something far too vulgar for the office, but it made me laugh.” He’d picked both up, nearly bought them, then put them back on the shelf.
Before he could say anything, she leaned close. His heart leaped at the light floral scent. The same scent he’d lost his mind to the night he’d made love to her. The urge to kiss her, to throw all his caution away, raced through him.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you like funny coffee mugs—even if royals don’t buy said mugs.”
Then she was gone.
Calla looked at the closed office door then back at the small box in her hands. She’d found it in a shop that catered to tourists. After looking in far too many shops for the perfect one.
She bit her lip and tried to make herself walk to the door. He wasn’t avoiding her...at least not like the first week. Instead, over the last week, he’d reverted to the perfect doctor with no time for small talk or lunch breaks. He’d even scheduled clients during his lunch hour.
She was pretty sure he was surviving on granola bars and yogurt. That, she knew, was common in US practices overextended with patients, but taking a break here was a perk. One she had no intention of giving up unless a mother was in labor.
It was hard not to blame the interaction they’d had over ketchup. Alexa and Kali had each privately asked if something was going between her and Kostas. She’d answered honestly...no.
And it had broken her heart to do so.
There was no reason for her to get him a gift. Particularly one so intimate...
It’s a coffee mug, Calla.
But it felt intimate. She knew something about Prince Kostas she was almost certain he’d never shared with anyone else.
Shaking herself, she stepped up to the door. Colleagues could get each other a gift.
Please, Calla.
Justifying wouldn’t change the truth. She’d gone looking for a mug for Kostas. She’d examined funny mugs, sweet mugs, silly mugs, even a few not-safe-for-work mugs. Then she’d found the exact one he’d wanted. The shopkeeper had checked on her after she’d squealed in delight.
Running her fingers over her heated cheek, she shifted the box and raised her hand to knock. Before her hand connected, the door opened and Kostas looked down at her. His dark gaze seemed to trip over her, like he wanted to let it linger but didn’t dare.
Man, my brain really is going overboard!
“You don’t have to knock, Calla. The office is for everyone.”
“Yet you’re the only one hiding in it.” She shrugged, hoping her voice was light. She was teasing...mostly. Calla missed seeing him.
She shouldn’t. But knowing that and understanding why she felt so drawn to the man in front of her were two very different things.
“I could argue that I’m busy and not hiding.” Kostas winked before stepping back to let her into the office.
“But you’d be lying.” Calla winked back as he closed the door.
The air in the office thickened as his eyes held hers. The tension stringing between them felt it might materialize any minute. Though, since Alexa and Kali had asked if they were secretly dating, maybe it was visible to the naked eye.
“I got you something.” Kostas’s words caught her off guard as he slid around the desk, his hip brushing hers.
“I got you something too.” Calla held up the box and laughed as he held out one that was wrapped in fine paper with an enormous bow. It looked like something that belonged on a movie set.
She’d seen pictures in magazines of fancy and, she assumed, empty boxes. Advertisements for gifts she couldn’t afford, but no one had ever wrapped something for her in such a fine manner.
She looked from the plain box in her hand to his package and felt heat creep into her cheeks again. Calla hadn’t even considered wrapping the mug. The difference between them truly on display with two gifts. “I didn’t wrap yours, though. I, um...”
Kostas moved to her side as she held up the plain brown box. His fingers slid over hers as he lifted it from her. Fire coiled in her belly as she fought the urge to lean close. To rise on her tiptoes and drop a light kiss on his lips.
“Ladies first.” His deep voice swirled around her as he picked up the beautiful package.
She reached for the box, surprised by its hefty weight. “You didn’t wrap a box of rocks, did you?” She carefully peeled the tape from the edge of the corner. It felt almost wrong to destroy the pretty wrapping.
When she finally got the paper off, Kostas let out a sigh. “I wasn’t sure you’d ever actually unwrap it.”
“It’s too pretty!” Calla pushed her hip against his. She regretted the connection immediately as her body burst with need.
Turning her head, she focused on the present. Not sure what he would have thought to get her...and wrap like it was worth a small fortune. Lifting the lid off, she couldn’t stop the gasp. “Kostas!” Tears and laughter warred with each other as she tugged the first jar of ketchup from the paper-lined box.
Six jars of ketchup. The real deal.
“No matter how many recipes the other midwives have you try, they won’t be the same as these.”
“No. Though all the recipes have been good but not the same. Thank you.” She pushed the tear away from her cheek as she held the precious condiment. “Sorry, homesickness hasn’t really hit me. But I just got a wave of it. Over ketchup!”
Kostas took the bottle from her hands, putting it back in the box before he pulled her into his chest.
She sighed as his heat wrapped around her. The comfort of the hug, one traveler to another. He’d left Palaío, undoubtedly dealt with homesickness even though he’d been happy to be away from the title of prince, then made a life for himself in Seattle. Did he miss the rainy mornings like she did? The gray sky and moss-covered green buildings?
His home country was beautiful, but it was so different.
She inhaled, loving the scent of sea and mint that floated through her. Kostas. She squeezed him tightly then stepped back.
“All right, enough homesickness.” And wantonness! “It’s not as good as a month’s worth of ketchup—”
“A month? I assumed that would get you through at least six.” He grinned as he opened the plain box she had given him, his mouth falling open as he lifted the mug from the box.
He held it carefully as he spun it from front to back. It had the same design on both sides: “A Wise Doctor Once Wrote...” followed by a bunch of illegible writings.
The silence stretched out as he stared at it.
Had she guessed wrong? Was it a poor gift? Maybe he’d been joking about the mugs. He was a prince, after all.
“It’s a pretty popular doctor mug, and you mentioned this one. I found it...” She twisted the toe of her shoe into the floor as embarrassment crawled through her. Maybe this was dumb. “I just saw it.”
“Calla.” Kostas set the mug down and reached for her. His hand ran along her chin as he pressed his lips together. “It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
“I doubt that.” Calla trembled as his fingers danced along her skin, the need to kiss him screaming through her.
“I’m not lying or stretching the truth even a little. It’s perfect.” He looked at her.
There were so many reasons she should pull back. He’d made it painfully clear that he had no interest in seeing her, at least not on the island. He was a prince, heir to an actual crown, and she was the daughter of two hardworking restaurant owners. She had less than a thousand dollars to her name. Cinderella was a fairy tale.
But tonight she wanted a moment to believe the fantasy. A moment to give in. Lifting her head, she brushed her lips against his.
“Calla.”
She shuddered as her name fell from his lips. She feared he’d pull away, but he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her tightly to him. It felt like coming home, like falling back into the place she was meant to be. It was temporary, but for a few minutes, she was going to cling to the fantasy.
He tasted of mint and the sea, of dreams and everything she couldn’t have. It was precious, and it hurt. Calla flung her arms around his neck. Kostas...this was her Kostas.
Not the prince. Just the man she’d connected with weeks ago.
“Calla...”
This time, when her name slipped between them, it was to end the spell capturing them. She didn’t cling to him, even though part of her wanted to. Instead, she stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself, hoping to keep some of his heat close to her.
“You don’t have to say anything, Kostas. I know this—” she gestured between them “—isn’t what you want.”
He tilted his head, and she saw the flash of pain in his eyes. “The moment I saw you in this clinic, I wanted to pull you into my arms. Wanted to kiss you. Thank the fates that somehow, despite all the odds, you’d landed on my island.”
“But...”
“Royal life isn’t easy, Calla. Fairy tales are fantasy.”
“Actually, the original fairy tales were allegorical morality lessons. The little mermaid turns to sea foam when she falls in love with the prince she can never have.” Calla bit her lip as the explanation bubbled forth.
Kostas reached for her hand, his thumb rubbing along the edge of her palm. “Calla...” He closed his eyes, as if weighing something, then opened them. “If we try this, you’ll be hounded. I need you to understand.”
Her heart raced as the conversation’s turn sprinted through her. “If we try...”
“Maria isn’t the only woman I’ve seen destroyed by this.” He sighed as she squeezed his hand, unsure of where the conversation was heading but wanting him to know that she was there.
“My mother... She left. Royal life was too much for her. She...”
He swallowed and Calla could see the pain radiating through him.
“Mom, Queen Sofia, was so beautiful. She did everything my father and the country had asked of her. But it wasn’t enough. Her quiet answers, her shy smile, were manipulated into stories of her being stuck up. Of her thinking she was better than the rest of the island’s inhabitants.”
The words tumbled forth as she stepped closer to him and put her head on his shoulder. Just letting him know she was there while he got everything out.
“My father thought it was beneath the palace to respond. She tried to bear it. We’re taught that from the cradle. Duty. Responsibility. Country first. She tried—she did. But...”
“But it was too much?” Calla offered.
“It was. One day she left for vacation and never came home. They never spent another night under the same roof.”
He laid his head against hers. “Even leaving didn’t bring her peace. She died when I was thirteen. She was swimming in the ocean and...” He sucked in a deep breath.
“She was a strong swimmer, but there were reporters on the beach. I swear she couldn’t seem to escape them. In the end, the press trapped her. We think she tried to swim down the shoreline a little and got caught in a riptide. But, honestly, we don’t know.”
“Oh, Kostas.” She pulled him into her arms, gripping him with all her strength. “I’m so sorry.”
He took a deep breath and smiled at her. “She would have loved you.” The words seemed to surprise him. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open, but nothing came out. She squeezed him and kissed his cheek.
“It would have been nice to meet her,” Calla stated, fully meaning it.
Kostas kissed the top of her head and offered her a smile that didn’t fully reach his eyes. “I don’t usually speak of Mom, but I want you to understand—really understand—what dating a royal means.”
“I see.” Calla tried to find the right words. So many emotions were floating through her.
“I wish it wasn’t the case. But your life will be controlled by things that rarely make sense—royal protocols, questions, cameras. Your life won’t truly be your own. And it doesn’t end when we break up, either. You’ll always be the nurse that dated the royal.”
When we break up...
Those words sent ice through her. When not if.
She’d been willing to try it. Willing to see if she could make life work within the confines he saw for himself and the person he cared for. The connection between them was something she’d never felt.
Except, Kostas saw this as temporary—which most relationships were—but she wouldn’t enter one where one partner already knew there was an expiration date.
“I understand.” She swallowed as she looked at the mug on the desk next to the bottles of ketchup. Such silly presents, things that shouldn’t matter. But they spoke of the connection between them. The prince and the nurse... Kostas and Calla.
Her heart ached as she grabbed the box of ketchup bottles and hugged it to her tightly. This was the crossroads, and she wanted to walk the other path, the one that ended with her in his arms again. But not if he thought their relationship was already destined for failure.
She didn’t trust herself to say anything. Instead she looked at the ketchup and then at him. “Thank you for telling me all of that, Kostas. For trusting me with the memories of your mom.” She swallowed the pain and added, “I’ll ration these...well, I’ll at least try.”
“Good night, Calla.” His voice was wistful, like he’d hoped she’d have agreed to a fling. Despite the knowledge that he didn’t see her as a potential partner for life.
Liam hadn’t seen her as a forever partner, either. At least Kostas had said the words up front.
Calla Lewis was worth more than temporary, even if her heart cried out for it.
Kostas had put distance between them and she’d pushed past it. Demanded he acknowledge her. She didn’t regret that choice, but now she’d make sure to protect herself.
“Goodbye, Kostas.”
“Dr. Drakos?” Alexa slid into the office, her head down.
Kostas lifted the mug Calla had gotten him to his lips as he looked at the normally relaxed and chatty midwife. His coffee had cooled in the last hour, but it was the mug he was reaching for, not the coffee.
Whatever Alexa had to say, he doubted it was good.
It was ridiculous that a mug from a woman who’d done her best to avoid him the last two days brought him comfort, but he didn’t question it. Just like he didn’t question Calla’s putting the distance between them after he’d laid out the truth about what dating him looked like. And when she decided she’d had enough, her life wouldn’t go back to normal. At least not while she was on Palaío.
He’d never tire of her. Of that he was nearly certain, though he shouldn’t be. He’d known the woman for one spectacular night and worked with her for a little over two months now. It wasn’t enough time. But his soul knew it.
If Calla had stepped into his arms the other night, told him she wanted to try it, he’d have kissed her deeply. Given her directions to the private entrance of the palace and spent the night worshipping her. He pushed those feelings aside as he looked at Alexa.
“What’s wrong?” He waited briefly then added, “Is it a patient?” He doubted that. Alexa was boisterous and fun, but when a patient was involved, she was all business...and straight to the point.
“I was joking with my neighbor the other day and I said something I shouldn’t have.” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I am really sorry, Your Royal Highness.”
The use of his title sent tingles racing across his skin. He kept his voice low and calm as he stood. “I’m sure whatever it was isn’t that bad, Alexa.”
“They asked how it was working with you, and about the new nurse.” Alexa pursed her lips. “You know how tiny the island can feel. Everyone wants to know.”
He nodded as tension pulled through his belly. Calla. She was an outsider, a beautiful outsider who’d arrived within hours of the Prodigal Prince. “What did you say?”
“That I thought you two would be a cute couple.” Alexa’s sigh echoed in the small office. “It was a joke. I swear. Gossip about colleagues. I didn’t think...”
“Didn’t think what?” There was more to the story and Alexa, normally so talkative and bubbly, was dribbling out the information. She pulled her cell from her back pocket, swiped a few times, and put the phone in front of him.
The Weekly Times, the main gossip source for the island and its surrounding neighbors, had a picture of Calla leaving the clinic. The photo wasn’t overly flattering. There were a million ways they could have gotten a better image...if they’d wanted to.
But the headline made it obvious that the goal of the magazine was not to put Calla Lewis in a good light: Outsider Trying to Infiltrate the Royal Family?
He hated the phrase, but he wasn’t sure how Alexa thought this was her fault. “Alexa, this is unfortunate, but, honestly, little has happened since I got back. So making up a story on a slow news day isn’t all that surprising.” He handed her the phone; he needed to find Calla. Make sure she was okay. But Alexa also needed to know he didn’t blame her.
“Remember the story about Ioannis marrying into the British royal family before he wed Eleni? It was complete hogwash. My brother doesn’t even know the granddaughter of the British monarch. But the headline got clicks and sold ad space, which is all these rags care about.”
“Thank you. I wish I could just accept that.” She blew out another breath and scrolled down the page on her phone before putting it back in front of him. “The words from the anonymous source are my words to my neighbor.”
Calla and Prince Kostas have a chemistry that is evident to anyone near them. It’s like they’re drawn to each other. Magnets circling each other, yearning to get close enough to cling together.
“I thought the magnet reference was clever, but now that I see it in print...” Alexa’s lip wobbled. “I’ll tender my resignation if you’d like.”
“That is unnecessary. I wish I was a normal colleague, but I’m not.”
“I’m not trying to infiltrate anything! Just delivering babies. Excuse me.” Calla’s voice carried through from the front of the clinic, and Alexa turned before he could say anything else. He rushed around the desk and was in the waiting room a few seconds after the midwife. But it was already too late. Alexa was explaining and apologizing.
“It’s no big deal.” Calla hugged the other midwife but kept her gaze away from Kostas, just like she’d done for the last several days.
What he wouldn’t do to see those eyes locked on him again...
“Calla, are you okay?”
She laughed. “Of course, Dr. Drakos. I mean, they could have chosen the picture they snapped of me walking on the beach and not the one of me looking spent in my scrubs at the end of a long day.”
“The beach? When did that happen?”
“Two days ago.” She squeezed Alexa’s hand. “I looked good that morning. Already done my hair and makeup. Very put together, which is surprising since I seem to still be battling a touch of jet lag after weeks.” She yawned as she shrugged.
Kostas crossed his arms at his chest as the urge to pull her close echoed through him. Someone had taken her photo and she hadn’t told him. Why would she?
They were colleagues. Not actual magnets. But it hurt that she hadn’t mentioned it. Hadn’t asked for his aid.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He hated repeating the question. She looked exhausted. And it couldn’t be jet lag. Not after almost six weeks on the island. They’d had a night delivery last week, but otherwise, the tempo at the clinic had been fairly light.
Was something else going on? Was there more than just reporters at the beach? Surely they hadn’t camped out at her place for one thread of gossip.
Finally, her gaze locked on his. “I’m sure it will all blow over soon, Dr. Drakos. No need to worry about me.”
Dr. Drakos. For a few beautiful days, he’d been Kostas again. But since she’d given him the mug and walked away, she’d reverted to Dr. Drakos again. He hated it.
“If it doesn’t...”
“It will.” Calla nodded, dismissing any further concerns.
The door to the clinic opened before Kostas could argue. “Calla, I don’t feel all that well. Can you please give me a quick exam?”
Eleni’s voice pitched higher as she closed the door and then winked at Kostas.
“I do hope Ioannis understands you are just playing the press.” Kostas fisted his hands at his sides as his sister-in-law darted to Calla’s side.
She’d become Eleni’s favorite midwife. Assuming there were no complications with her pregnancy that required him to perform a C-section, it would be Calla delivering the soon-to-be second in line to the throne. The two women got on well, but he hoped Eleni wasn’t expecting more.
She knew far more than Alexa had even guessed at. Though he knew she’d tell no one besides Ioannis. The two had no secrets.
He envied them. That had surprised him.
His and Ioannis’s parents had had a difficult relationship. Theirs was the last marriage of convenience for the sake of the throne. The throne had come first for his father. No matter what.
Ioannis and Eleni doted on their son. Treated him as a son rather than as an extension to the throne that bound them all to Palaío.
And they loved each other so very much.
Being near them had sent jealousy crawling through him. But, as Calla’s plight currently showed, there were costs associated with falling for a royal. Or having someone assume you had.
“What is going on, Eleni? Or are you just playacting for the journalists again?” Calla smiled as the queen linked her arm through hers.
Does Calla understand how unique that is? How Eleni is protecting her, in her own way? How she’d protect her if she and Kostas were—
No. He would not travel that worn path.
“Those aren’t journalists. They are people hoping to capture a picture or story they can sell. Nothing more.” Eleni rubbed her back and cringed. “I went for coffee and figured I’d make an appearance. And my security team can help Kostas’s run a bit of interference.”
She grimaced. “Wow, my back just aches. Comes and goes in waves, but seriously!” She held up her hand before Kostas or anyone else could comment. “I know how far along I am. I know that at this stage I will be uncomfortable.” She sucked in a weighty breath.
“Have you timed the back pain?” Calla asked as she looked at Kostas.
He pursed his lips and looked at the clock as Eleni took a few more deep breaths.
“You think it’s labor. I didn’t even consider it. It hurts, but it doesn’t feel like my labor with Mateo. That one was basically textbook.” She looked from Calla to Kostas.
“Back labor is more common when the baby is in an occiput posterior position,” Kostas offered.
Eleni glared at him then looked at Calla. “Can you please say that in non-doctor-speak?”
“It means the baby is sunny-side up.” Calla’s voice was soft and calm. “So the head is pushing against your back instead of facing your stomach. It means nothing to your baby—they’ll be fine. However, until they shift, or if they don’t, it means labor is going to be tougher for you.”
“Oh, great.” Eleni scowled and grabbed her back again. “Kostas...” she panted as she forced herself to breathe.
“Get Ioannis?” he asked while she worked through the pain. He’d timed the contractions and at this point they were still about eight minutes apart. Eleni was in labor, but she likely had a way to go yet.
“Yes,” she gasped, barely able to keep the bite from her tone. “He put me here.”
“Yes, he did,” Calla agreed. “Why don’t you come with me to the delivery room? I’ll rub your back after we get you set up. It will offer a little relief.”
“At least the press will have something better to discuss than Calla infiltrating the royal family now!” Eleni called out as he started for his office.
Calla laughed. “How sweet of you to go into labor for my benefit, Eleni. Not sure it’s the tactic I’d have taken, but it makes a statement. How will I ever repay you?”
“If you rub my back, I promise to do anything you want.”
Eleni looked up and saw Kostas still standing by the office door, watching the comedy play out. “Ioannis! Now!”