Page 65 of Redemption of a Prince

The biggest thing she needed to do was make certain everything was in place to hand over to her successor.

As she worked to organize it all, Nikki tried not to relive the time at the mountain home. Where Ezekiel had become Zeke again. Where they’d kissed and talked about a future together.

A knock sounded on the side door.

“Come in,” she called.

A very tired looking Kari came through the door.

“How’s the king?” Nikki asked, standing up and moving to hug the boss who’d become her friend as well.

“He’s holding his own last I heard.” Kari sunk into one of the chairs. “I don’t know why you left the hospital, but I think you left before we found out he survived the initial scare.”

“There were reasons,” she answered vaguely.

“I figured there were. I wondered if you were asked to leave because you’re not a member of the family yet.”

Nikki snorted. “I won’t ever be a part of the family, but no, I wasn’t asked to leave. I left on my own. I’m not a member of the family, and it didn’t feel right for me to be there.”

“Except you are a member of the family, at least as much as anyone who isn’t actually married to a family member. Everyone knows you and Zeke have history. At least everyone in the family does. I don’t think the public has any clue. No one knows why your relationship ended, but you were clearly very important to him, and you still are or I wouldn’t have seen pictures of the two of you holding hands as you exited the helicopter.”

A tear snuck down Nikki’s cheek. “Well, whatever had started between us is over. For good this time.”

It would be so nice to unload to Kari. To anyone really. To have a true friend she could tell everything to.

Another tear followed the first.

Kari reached out and covered Nikki’s hand. “What could have possibly happened between the time the queen asked Gid and me to leave and the time we all came back in fifteen minutes later?”

Nikki shook her head. “I can’t talk about it.”

“A state secret?” Kari laughed lightly. “The reason why Gid was supposed to be king but now Zeke will be again?” She clamped a hand over her mouth. “No one is supposed to know about that.”

The tears came more quickly. “I can’t talk about it.”

“I’m right?” Kari’s incredulity mirrored Nikki’s own at confirming her boss’s hypothesis. “What happened between you two?”

Nikki shook her head, unsure about how much she could actually bring herself to share.

“Zeke was ineligible to be king,” Kari said slowly. “You’re involved somehow. But he’s not ineligible anymore.”

Through her tears, Nikki could almost see the wheels turning in Kari’s head.

“Did you have Zeke’s baby?” Kari voiced the conclusion as she came to it.

Nikki closed her eyes.

“You did, didn’t you? That’s why he can’t be king. Why you two broke up. You gave birth to his baby, then gave the baby up for adoption. Didn’t you?”

With a sigh, Nikki nodded. She didn’t much care about the nondisclosure paperwork at the moment. Not with Kari. “Yes and no. Which is a complicated answer. I was pregnant. Zeke and I were dating and had slept together more than once. I truly believed Zeke was the baby’s father.”

“And he and the king and queen have believed that this whole time, too?” Kari’s words were gentle.

“I don’t know when they found out, but the queen told us that Ezekiel isn’t the baby’s father.” She sighed. “I know how that makes me sound. We’d broken up for several weeks. I had a one-night fling with a guy I had a crush on who was shipping out with the military a couple of days later. Ezekiel and I got back together. It was weeks before I went to the doctor, over two months, really. She gave me her best guess as to the date of conception and neither one was in the window. I never gave serious consideration that it wouldn’t be Ezekiel.”

“But the queen told you he’s not the father?”

Nikki nodded.

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