Page 75 of Princess and Country

Three years later

Icaught sight of myself in the mirror facing the dressing rooms. In the last three years, I felt like I’d aged thirty years. At twenty-three, I’d lived many lives already. The one before fame, the one when I was part of Carter Hills Band, and the after-Carter-Hills-Band—where I became a widow and a single mother in the stretch of a few months. When I quit the band, after that show in Australia three years ago, I never thought it’d be the smartest decision of my life. The one that would carve the rest of my life’s path. Never would I have thought life was giving me an out to spend the much-needed time with my fiancéturned husband before he dropped dead at the same age as I was now.

I slid the back of my hand across my forehead, wiping off pearls of sweat. The store was looking good, but I had still many hours left to put in before the big opening.

“All done,” Carter said as he picked Jack up in his arms. My little man wound his arms around his uncle’s neck. “You and I, we’re going home, buddy. Give Mama some time alone. I think she deserves it.” He turned to face me. “All the boxes are here. You won’t have to do any heavy lifting.”

After Jeff passed, Carter cleaned up his act and stepped in as a father figure for Jack. After all these years, we were still best friends.

I named my son after his daddy’s stuffed bear—Jack-the-Bear. The one that brought Jeff joy, comfort, and peace while growing up.

“How will I ever be able to thank you?”

Carter winked. “You could kiss me. For old time’s sake,” he said, half-serious, half-joking.

I slapped his arm. “Don’t be silly, we were never meant to be together.”

Carter’s smirk vanished from his handsome face. His eyes were still the color of the sea before a storm, but now his face was more angular, his cheekbones higher, and his mass of dark hair gave the man he became a boyish look. When I looked at my son, I saw both Carter and Jeff in him. He was the perfect mix of them both. My heart flipped every time I thought about it.

I still believed Jeff was Jack’s biological father, but there was still a possibility he wasn’t. I gave Carter the result of the paternity test in a sealed envelope after my son’s birth, but he hadn’t opened it yet. Or I didn’t think he had.

I sighed and draped my arms around the two most important men in my life.

“You know I’m right. One day you’ll realize I’m not the one for you. But I’ll always be your best friend. No matter what. You’re stuck with me, Cart. And I’m stuck with you. We’re family. Forever. Nothing else matters.”

Carter closed his eyes for a minute, pressing his forehead to mine, and sucked in a breath. “Maybe one day you’ll be the one realizing we were actually meant to be together.” Something passed through his melted-steel gray irises. “We don’t need to talk about it right now. This little man needs to be fed and put to bed for a nap.”

Carter’s lips brushed my cheek.

“You two behave, okay?”

“Okay, Mama,” my baby boy said with the cutest smile, his chubby cheeks glistening in the light of my shop. My shop. I still had a hard time believing it was real.

“Come home when you’re done, Dah. I’ll cook dinner. You need a night off. We’ll be at my place.”

I nodded, too tired to argue. Carter was right. I needed to take care of myself for a change.

“I’ll see you both later.”

I kissed Jack on the head and walked my family outside. It wasn’t even noon, and the sun was already shining high on Green Mountain. I loved spring. Flowers. Grass. Sunshine grazing skin. It filled me with so much happiness.

My gaze traveled around Main Street. People were roaming around, enjoying their day, gathering in front of all those cafés, ready for lunch.

In our little town, Main Street was the place to be. During the summer months, it filled with tourists. All year round, it was the busiest place in Green Mountain. Looking for a restaurant? Main Street. Grocery shopping? Main Street. General store? Main Street. And in days from now, looking for a wedding or evening gown? Dahlia’s Bridal Shop. On Main Street.

I relaxed my shoulders and breathed in the warm air. Every spring felt like a new chapter in my life. As if everything could be possible once the warm weather chased the winter away.

Full of hope—and joy—I turned on my heels and walked back inside my store. It looked charming. The walls had been painted a shade of powder blue, and the ceilings were made of recycled dark wooden planks. The dressing rooms, circling a white pedestal with a three-panel floor-to-ceiling mirror, bore silvery curtains. It was everything I’d ever dreamed it would be. A princess’s kingdom, as Mama would say. This morning, I received boxes of gowns and wanted to hang most of them by the end of the day.

It was a miracle Carter came back to town, before going to Europe next week, at the same moment I desperately needed his help with Jack. He always appeared on my doorstep when I needed him the most. I liked to think that Jeff was guiding Carter, helping me from wherever he was.

My parents still lived in White Crest, so I saw them every few months. And usually, I was the one driving there, instead of them coming here, which, with a two-year-old, complicated things a little. But hey, I was the one who moved to Green Mountain when my life burned to ashes after Jeff’s death and the press found out about the pregnancy and assumed the nastiest of things.

I couldn’t stay in our home.

The ghosts from our past were impossible to chase.

I needed a fresh start. A place to call my own.