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“All right,” Felicity said. There was only one thing to do that would draw everyone’s eyes away from her daughter. So she turned on the stair and kissed Rafael.
Right there.
In front of everyone.
He let it go on for a long moment, then pulled back, his face a mix of irritation and desire. “Didn’t they tell you? We’re not allowed to kiss.”
This life—it might not be worth it after all. Maybe Rafael should feed her to the media and save himself.
4
It was far easier to exit the plane with a sleeping baby, Rafael discovered. It was past midnight when they landed, and under the cover of darkness, they swiftly came down the airstair and stepped right into the waiting SUVs. Unlike in the States, there was a line of five cars waiting for them—Rafael chose the third one at random. The caravan whisked them off through the capital and to the palace.
Despite the late hour, there was a small crowd gathered outside the drivers’ entrance.
“What are they doing here at this time of night?” Felicity asked, resting one hand on Hope’s little knee. The toddler was still asleep in her car seat.
“It’s members of the media. They’ll have been watching for us to return, but since there wasn’t any fanfare when we arrived, they’ll run a story tomorrow about how we secretly deplaned. There were protestors waiting on the ground at the airport. The motorcade timing went off without a hitch so they’ll be upset they didn’t get a chance to engage.”
They pulled up to one of the back entrances of the palace, one that had a direct corridor to his private residence. Rafael climbed out and stretched, Felicity following close behind. She rubbed at her eyes. This was a moment he could take advantage of.
“Let me carry Hope inside,” he said, and before Felicity could protest, he’d gone around to the other side of the vehicle and reached in to unbuckle her. Felicity hovered nearby as he lifted her carefully out of the seat. The toddler’s head lolled forward, and he pressed her cheek to his shoulder.
She was burning up.
“She’s hot,” he said, marveling at the wave of worry that washed over his skin. “It feels
like a fever.”
Felicity had stepped away for a moment to gather the diaper bag. “Oh no,” she said. “I thought she felt a little warm when we got off the plane, but—”
At that moment, Hope lifted her head from Rafael’s shoulder, looked at him with glassy eyes, then threw up all over the front of his shirt.
He froze.
Rafael had two nieces, thanks to his brother Armin, but the girls had been adopted into the royal family when they were six. And his other brother, Artur, was expecting a baby with his new wife, but the child hadn’t been born yet. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. Not that he was expected to deal with, anyway. For one long moment, his mind drew a complete blank.
And then he sprang into action, walking quickly into the entrance of the castle. There was one small tick against the pavement, followed by another—and then Felicity hustled up next to him sans her high heels.
“Oh, poor baby,” she cooed, reaching up to smooth Hope’s hair. “And poor you—”
He led them down the hall and into the first door on the right, which was the entrance to his quarters. Past the entrance was a large living room and he took Hope over to the sofa, laying her down against a pillow. Some of his staff had come in behind them, and as Felicity knelt down next to Hope, one of them went for a thermometer. It took them less than two minutes to determine that yes, she did indeed have a fever—and a fairly high one.
Rafael went to change his shirt, coming back in clean clothes to find Felicity still fretting by the side of the couch. Hope rested against the pillow, looking quite flushed. “Maybe some Tylenol,” Felicity said, and someone jumped to get it for her. “But in the meantime…” A frown crossed her face.
“What is it? Do we need to call in a doctor?” He still felt at a loss.
“I don’t think so, but Joy can’t be around Hope.” Felicity glanced up at him, her eyes wide. “Or around us, either, if we’re going to be caring for Hope and exposed to her germs. Joy’s immune system was compromised after a surgery she had last year. I’m worried about containing the sickness.” She looked around as if she were going to find her own rooms right there in the living room. “Where should we go? Where are we going to sleep?”
“Don’t worry,” Rafael said. “I’ll talk to the nurse. She can get Joy settled in her own suite. We’ll stay here in mine.”
Felicity blinked at him. “Here?”
“Yes. If you’re worried about spreading the infection, then this is the best option. The nanny can step in once Hope is recovered.” He’d offered Felicity an entire staff to care for her sister and Hope, and though she’d agreed to a more robust team to help her sister, she insisted on caring for Hope with the help of a single nanny.
“All right,” said Felicity. “Do you have a…room for us?”
He laughed, keeping it quiet so as not to disturb Hope. “I have plenty of rooms. I can have my staff move in some nursery furniture within the next fifteen minutes.”
