PRINCE CHARMING: A Stepbrother Secret Baby Romance(12)
“I love all of it,” she said. “Really, it’s beautiful, Mom.”
“Good, because while you’re here, you have to always look your best,” Melinda told her. “There’s lots to do these next few months and so many people for you to meet. We have to make a good first impression.”
Olivia’s nerves tightened, her hand started to sweat, and her heart thudded in her chest as if it were trying to escape. “I know, it’s just so different.”
“You’ll learn to get used to it. Now, today you’re going to go with Quincy into the city, then tomorrow night there is a dinner to meet with all the high-ranking officials of the court,” her mom explained as they walked to the men. “And then, next week, there is another ball that will be held for many of the citizens of the city so that they can see their future queen and princess.”
“That’s all, huh?”
Melinda held her daughter’s face in her hands and smiled as she kissed her forehead. “I know, sweetie, it’s a bit much.”
“No, it’s fine, Mom. I’ll be just fine. Quincy has been great so far.”
“Good. His father will be pleased to hear that. Well, we have to run. We’re meeting with the caterer and musicians today, along with a few other legal matters that must be addressed if I am to become a full-fledged citizen of Bijoux.”
Olivia hadn’t thought about that, but her mom would no longer be a citizen of the US. “As long as you’re happy, Mom, that’s all I care about.” She squeezed her mom’s hands before turning back to see if Quincy was ready to go.
The stare-down with his father had gotten worse, and both men were glaring at each other though they smiled. Melinda called out to Lamont, oblivious to the tension, and asked if he was ready to go. Lamont tugged on his grey suit jacket and nodded as he turned to his soon-to-be queen.
“For you, my love, I am always ready,” he said, and Olivia felt her heart flutter at the look they gave each other. “Quincy, Olivia, we shall see you both at dinner.”
Olivia simply nodded as Lamont and Melinda headed for the front doors with at least ten men trailing behind them. Her mom was too in love to notice all the people around her and the king. She wished she didn’t notice the bodyguards that had suddenly appeared near her and Quincy as soon as they reached the front doors.
“The weather is wonderful today,” Quincy commented as he glanced up at the partly cloudy sky. “Shall we walk into the city?”
Olivia glanced down at her heels and bit her lip. “Sure. Have to get used to walking in these things anyway.”
“Sir, we advise that we take the car,” a man in a black suit said quietly next to Quincy.
“And I say we are walking, Theo. I’m sure there is no one waiting in the crowd to assassinate me.”
“But sir, your father—”
“Has already left. We are walking, and we will be fine,” Quincy said, sterner this time. “Now then, Princess Olivia, care to take a stroll with me?” He offered his arm again, and she took it. Time to meet the Isle of Bijoux.
***
More clouds had moved in overhead as the prince and princess made their way into the city, but Quincy hardly noticed them. He was too busy studying Olivia’s reactions to everything he pointed out as they walked. The city was breathtaking. Even he couldn’t complain about what his father had accomplished during these last few decades as king. Before, buildings had been dull, plain stone and crumbling from age, but everything was now brightly painted and restored to better than its former glory.
It was like walking through a vibrant painting filled with living colors. Tropical fauna grew everywhere there wasn’t a building, making it feel as if the city was truly part of the jungle it had been built in. The flowers that bloomed were large, and Olivia was constantly reaching out to feel the petals and smell their sweet scents. Vines grew along the stones, reaching the rooftops and climbing up and over. Trees lined the streets, offering shade to those beneath their palm leaves and speckling the cobbled streets with sunlight.
“This is amazing,” Olivia whispered again. “These buildings are fantastic! Look at this architecture and the archways, the exposed stones. I’ve never seen anything like it!”
Quincy’s face lifted in a smile. At least she’d been able to make his day better after the tense conversation with his father that morning. Lamont had asked if he’d had a chance to look through the folders of potential wives, but he hadn’t even touched it. Finding a wife was the last thing he wanted to do, and while he was busy with Olivia, he would keep putting it off. Seeing to his soon-to-be sister was just as important in his mind.
“There is another part of town I think you will truly enjoy,” he said and tugged at her hand. “This way. Even the streets are painted down there. It’s like you’re walking into the heart of the isle.”
He caught her sideways glance and the way her smile widened. “You really do love this place.”
“I never said I didn’t.”
“No, I guess it’s just the marriage thing that bugs you,” she said quietly.
Quincy didn’t answer. This woman was more perceptive than he originally thought, and he wasn’t sure he liked it right then. “I love my home and my people,” he told her. “But an arranged marriage feels wrong to me. I haven’t really lived yet, and to marry someone I don’t know?” He squeezed her hand, forgetting that he’d been holding it in the first place, and they came a sudden stop.