Page 52 of Twins for the Secret Prince
“But what if he wants nothing to do with me? Withus?” Eva sobbed.
“How about you just take one step at a time?” Ali asked, smiling. “You’ve had some exciting but unexpected news today. Get some rest, and take some time to process it. Once you’re feeling stronger, you can contact the father and tell him the news.”
Eva smiled weakly back at Ali, grateful for her strength and kindness. Then she closed her eyes, the echo of her babies’ heartbeats still echoing in her ears, and fell fast asleep.
CHAPTER 17
PIETER
“How are you holding up?” Jan whispered into Pieter’s ear after they’d congratulated what seemed like the hundredth person that day.
“Fine. Thanks for being here with me,” Pieter replied.
The brothers were at the annual Valor in the Community awards, where they were presenting award recipients with certificates of honor. It was the first royal duty in Pieter’s calendar since he’d come home to Laagestein, and Jan had kindly offered to attend the event with him. Jan’s presence took the edge off for Pieter, and since his brother was so adept at making conversation with strangers, it meant that Pieter’s role consisted of merely shaking hands and offering his congratulations.
True to their word, his parents — or rather, his mother — had arranged for Pieter to return to the Laagestein military. The deal was that Pieter would attend a small number of royal events each year and be a stand-in if Jan was unable to attend. It was the arrangement that Pieter had hoped for, and he was grateful to his mother for making it happen. But as the days andweeks passed, Pieter had to admit to himself that his life felt increasingly empty.
There was an Eva-sized hole in his life. He couldn’t get her out of his head, no matter how hard he’d tried to forget her. He told himself it was better this way, that they’d never really stood a chance of making a go of a proper relationship. But his heart spoke more loudly than his head, and it was telling him that he needed to do something about the situation.
Just the day before, he’d arranged a video call with Derek, hoping to get news about Eva.
“Pieter! It’s good to see you. How are you settling in back at home?”
“Not bad, not bad at all,” he’d told Derek truthfully. Apart from some muttered comments about abandoning his unit for the States, Pieter had made a smooth transition back to his previous life.
“Glad to hear it. We miss you here.”
“Listen, Derek, I just wanted to say again that I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t ideal, me leaving after such a short stint there. You vouched for me, and I let you down.”
His friend shrugged. “These things happen. People here understand that you’re in a unique situation, shall we say.”
Pieter smiled. “I suppose I am. How’s my squad doing?”
“They’re all good. Eva picked up their training, so they’ve not fallen behind.”
Pieter’s heart swelled at the mention of Eva’s name. “Well, they couldn’t get a better person,” he said, his voice thick.
“You were pretty good with them, too,” Derek said kindly.
There had been no more mention of Eva after that, and Pieter hadn’t worked up the courage to ask Derek how she was because he suspected his friend would see right through him. He didn’t want to tell Derek about his feelings for Eva until he’d had the chance to speak to her face-to-face.
Face-to-face.Pieter knew what that meant. So soon after coming back to Laagestein, he would have to go back to Alaska. He had to talk to Eva and tell her how he felt.
After the royal reception line for the awards recipients, Pieter and Jan were due to attend the official celebratory dinner. They were in for the long haul, Pieter knew. These events never just flew by. He needed to talk to his brother about returning to Alaska.
“Listen, Jan, I really need to talk to you about something.”
“Sure, anything. Can it wait a few minutes?”
Pieter slapped his forehead. “I’m so sorry! I completely forgot!”
“That’s brotherly love for you,” Jan joked. “If I hadn’t agreed to come tonight,youwould be the one making this speech.”
“Thank you for your sacrifice,” Pieter said, clapping his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I really mean that.”
“I know you do.”
At that very moment, the guests were asked to take their seats for dinner and an official guided Jan to the back of the stage.
