Summer smiled in the darkness. “That sounds good.”

  “And if I don’t,” Nic said, humor clear in his voice, “you can smack me and tell me to pull my head out of my ass.”

  Summer started laughing. “I will hold you to that.”

  “Of course, if you’d rather do something less, ah, confrontational,” he said, pressing hot kisses against the column of her neck, “I’m sure we can figure out other ways to distract me from my workaholic tendencies.”

  “Oh?” she teased, wriggling slightly, pressing her naked flesh against his until it was obvious that he was feeling… distracted. He growled, nipping at her jawbone, and she shivered.

  “Summer?” he breathed into her ear.

  “Hmmm?” She wrapped her arms around him, her fingertips digging into his back muscles, encouraging him to get even closer to her.

  “Will you marry me?”

  She froze, yanking away. “Wait. What?”

  In the faint light, his eyes blazed like torches. “I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Harry. I never want to feel the fear I felt this morning—the fear that I might lose you forever. Stay with me. Be my wife.”

  She swallowed hard. This was it. The big moment.

  She ought to be more afraid, but she wasn’t. For the first time in a long time, she felt completely sure.

  “Yes,” she whispered, then took a deep breath and repeated, more clearly and in a strong voice: “Yes, Nic. I’ll marry you.”

  Nic groaned, crushing her to him. “I’ll do everything I can to make you and Harry happy,” he said.

  “You better,” she teased, then kissed him, hard. “You do that just by being you—the real you, the natural you. We’ll figure it out from there.”

  “Damned right,” Nic said. Then, from there, they moved together, bodies pressed tight, mouths meshed, sealing their promises with the passion that burned through them.

  Epilogue

  The engagement party was intimate by royal standards—just Nic’s best friends, and Summer’s best friend, and of course Nic’s parents, as well as some other extended family and friends. They held it at the palace, away from prying eyes and paparazzi. The announcement of Harry as royal successor had caused about as much of a brouhaha as he’d expected, but thankfully the press seemed to be embracing Summer as the future princess of Mynia, and honestly, they’d fallen in love with the sunshiny little boy as their future heir. The island was expecting a lavish wedding, so he and Summer couldn’t simply sneak off somewhere and get married. That said, this was something they could keep fairly private.

  Even though it was an engagement party, Harry was the undisputed center of attention. He had a bunch of new toys, some puzzles, and some books. He wound up sitting on one of his grandparent’s laps, demanding stories, when he wasn’t zooming around with a stuffed animal or car in one of his chubby little fists. The entire party kept an eye on him, playing with him or talking to him. Harry obviously had an entire family of “aunties” and “uncles” who were ready to dote on him, whether he knew it or not. It warmed Nic’s heart to see his son being so readily and enthusiastically accepted.

  “Summer, we wanted to give you this,” his mother said to Summer, as they all looked on. His father presented her with a box. She opened it to find baby clothes.

  “They were some of Tom’s baby clothes,” his mother said simply, and he saw Summer tear up as she gave his mother a hug.

  “Thank you,” Summer said, and he knew she understood just how important it was, how much of a show of acceptance it was to get a gift that revealed Tom, the son they didn’t usually discuss with outsiders.

  “Hey, there.” Nic looked up to see Rachel, looking at him with a grin. “Congratulations. I knew you’d do the right thing.”

  “Thanks. You’ll be coming out for the wedding, right?” he confirmed. “You’re maid of honor, after all.”

  “I might come to Mynia for more reasons than that,” Rachel said. “And I can’t wait. You’re making Summer really happy. She always wanted the career, but she wanted that family… wanted to show Harry a family where his parents loved each other, like she had before her folks died. She would’ve made it work as a single mom, and she and Harry would’ve been fine, but this is better than she could’ve dreamed.”

  “I always want to make Summer happy,” Nic said solemnly. “And from now on, every day is going to be about showing her how much I love her and Harry, and how I support their dreams. I’m not going to mess up like I did, not ever again.”

  “Damned right you’re not,” Rachel said, with mock ferocity, then she winked. “Kidding. Sort of. You seem to have your priorities in line now, and we both know our girl wouldn’t let you pull any more shenanigans anyway.”

  He laughed. It was true. Summer had as much as promised that she’d smack some sense into him if he got too much into his own head and lost track of what was really important.

  “What’s so funny?” Erik asked, hands in his pockets. He was flanked by Ben. Nic made a mental note to spend more time with his friends when he could.

  “Nothing. Just commenting on Summer keeping Nic in line,” Rachel said, causing all the men to chuckle.

  “She is small, but fierce,” Ben agreed. “The best kind, I’d say. How is she adjusting to life as a princess-to-be?”

  “She’s taking to it like a duck to water,” Nic said. “She’ll be taking a permanent position as a doctor, and she’ll be acting on a task force on Mynia’s foster care system.” He grinned. “And of course, we’ll be spending as much time as possible together.”

  “That reminds me,” Rachel said, gesturing at Summer, “I meant to ask her about possibly getting a job here. Excuse me.” She rushed to her best friend’s side, and Nic was gratified to see his fiancée’s excited expression. Having her best friend here would be wonderful for her, and anything that made his future wife happy made him happy.

  My future wife. God, that had a nice ring to it, no pun intended.

  “Your son is a kick,” Ben said, smiling as they watched Nic’s father feeding him slivers of cake, making a mess of both of them in the process. “Thinking of having more of them? Give Harry a few siblings in the near future, perhaps?”

  Nic grinned. “We’re not rushing into anything. She’s got to settle into her new job, and new lifestyle, and I’m still carving out a work-life balance. I want to spend more time getting to know Harry. When we’re ready, we’ll probably have more children, but for now, we just want to enjoy each other.”

  “I’ll bet,” Erik said, and Ben nudged him hard, until Erik started laughing. Nic chuckled, shaking his head.

  “What about you two?” Nic asked. “I’m not the only prince here, and besides, you guys have been bachelors for a while. Thinking of settling down?”

  Immediately Erik and Ben started spluttering out protests. Nic kept laughing at them.

  “Maybe it’s time I start interfering in your love life,” he mused.

  Summer tapped on his shoulder. “Can I steal my fiancé for a moment, gentlemen?” she asked them.

  Nic didn’t even wait for their response, he simply tugged Summer with him down the hallway to a private sitting room. Before she could say a word, he started kissing her passionately, tugging her close to him. After several minutes, they broke apart, breathing hard.

  “That wasn’t what I meant to pull you aside for, but I’ll take it,” Summer said, as he held her tight. He could feel her heart beating in her chest.

  “Sorry. What did you need?” he asked.

  “Give me a second. Your kisses make me forget things.”

  He smiled, kissing the top of her head. That was exactly the sort of thing he wanted to hear.

  “Oh! Right. Your brother’s clothes,” she said.

  “I saw my parents had given you that,” Nic said.

  “I was honored,” Summer said, emotion thick in her voice. “But I wanted to make sure you were okay with it. Is it going to, you know, bother you…?”

  Nic blinked. “You mean, because it will remind me of Tom?”

  She bit her lip, then nodded, studying him carefully.

  It was incredibly considerate of Summer to worry about him. He stroked her hair. “I had eighteen years with my brother. Some of them were hard, but all of them were worth it—that’s something I had forgotten. And I also had never considered, until I thought about you and your family, that I had Tom longer than you had your parents.”

  She let out a small, sad sound. “It’s not like grief is quantifiable,” she said softly.

  “I’m not trying to say that it is,” Nic agreed. “I’m just saying, I can focus on the loss, or I can focus on how lucky I was. I can choose to be obsessed with fear and try to control everything, or I can choose to do the best I can and value that. I can choose to try to isolate myself, or I can choose to embrace the woman and son who love me.” He kissed her again, with all the love he felt.

  She smirked. “Say, does that door have a lock?”

  He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “What did you have in mind?”

  Before she could respond, they heard the buzz of a cell phone. After quickly checking, it turned out to be Summer’s. She read the text, looking concerned. Nic felt his body tense in response.

  “Emergency at the hospital,” she said, frowning. “An accident, involving a child. Since we’re short-staffed, they’ll need me. Is it all right if…?”

  He swallowed. He thought about how, so recently, he’d already be running down the hallway, heading for his car and the hospital. He’d be convinced that he had to go fill that role.

  It was important… and Summer could handle it.

  “Go ahead,” he said with a kiss. “I’ll bundle up Harry with his stuff, get him fed, then get him bathed and to bed. Don’t worry. We’ve got this.”

  Summer’s smile was bright. “Yes,” she agreed. “Because we’re a family.”

  End of The Billionaire Prince’s Surprise Son

  Undercover Princes Book One

  The Billionaire Prince’s Surprise Son, 15 July 2021

  The Billionaire Prince’s Pregnant Fiancée,

  22 July 2021

  The Billionaire Prince’s Fake Girlfriend, 29 July 2021

  PS: Do you love bad-boy billionaires? Then keep reading for exclusive extracts from The Billionaire Prince’s Pregnant Fiancée, The Billionaire’s Fake Engagement and The Billionaire Prince’s Stubborn Assistant.

  Thank you!

  Thank you so much for purchasing my book. It’s hard for me to put into words how much I appreciate my readers. If you enjoyed this book, please remember to leave a review. Reviews are crucial for an author’s success and I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to review the book. I love hearing from you!

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  About Leslie

  Leslie North is the USA Today Bestselling pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.

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  BLURB

  Desire and duty clash, as a handsome new prince claims the throne…

  After one last night of passion with the gorgeous Clara Campbell, Erik Christopher Devlin, billionaire heir to the Fervian throne, is ready to take his royal duties more seriously. And he’s given the perfect opportunity when his brother is found to be sterile, leaving it to Erik to produce an heir. So when he discovers Clara is pregnant, he does what he thinks is right: asks her to marry him. But he never expected to fall in love along the way…

  Clara dreams of a career in politics, but saving up for her degree isn’t easy. And when a surprise pregnancy prompts a sudden proposal from Prince Erik, Clara is determined to stay true to herself. Still, she can’t deny her attraction to the smoldering prince. Their whirlwind romance puts Clara in the spotlight, where she’s forced to make decisions she could never have imagined. With the fate of her heart, and an entire nation, hanging in the balance…

  Can Erik and Clara’s unexpected romance survive the trials of royal life? Or will their fairy tale come to an end before they can say I do…

  Grab your copy of The Billionaire Prince’s Pregnant Fiancée

  Available July 22nd 2021

  Available for pre-order now! www.LeslieNorthBooks.com

  EXCERPT

  Chapter One

  The wedding had been stunning, as so many weddings at the Nash Conservatory at Kew Gardens were. The arched glass windows looked out on a deep blue, star-strewn sky. The circular dinner tables were decked in ivory and gold cloths, gleaming silverware, and breathtaking floral arrangements. The revelers, those who were left, looked well-fed, dazed, and happy.

  All Clara Campbell wanted was to go home.

  Clara suppressed a sigh as she and the other servers went about clearing tables and carting dishes back to the kitchen. She carried a tray of dirty dishes and glasses to the washer, arms aching with the strain. It had been a long day, in an already long week, and she was knackered.

  She hadn’t planned on picking up a double shift, but a coworker had begged her to cover the wedding because she was feeling poorly, and Clara knew that tips at weddings could be good—especially when there was an open bar. So what if she’d worked a full schedule already this week at The Botanical, one of the Gardens’ other restaurants, and put in some hours canvassing and making phone calls at her favorite political campaign? Every pound she earned was another pound she could squirrel away towards going to uni. Once she earned that political degree, she wouldn’t serve another Bridezilla or dodge another bum-pinching drunk uncle ever again. She’d have a career that she was passionate about. One that could make a huge difference.

  But for right now, all she wanted to do was to head back to her flat, turn on the telly, and fall asleep.

  “All right, ladies and gentlemen. Now that the happy couple have headed off for their honeymoon, it looks like we’ll be wrapping up for the night,” the wedding singer said, in the most sinful, utterly scrumptious voice Clara had ever heard. The crowd had thinned significantly, but the stragglers protested immediately—most of them had partied raucously during the reception itself, and now those who remained tended to be drunk. “Fine, fine,” he conceded. “Just one last song.”

  Despite her exhaustion, she found herself smiling.

  He chose a love song, something slow and soulful. His voice rubbed over her like silk, just like it had all night, and she couldn’t help herself; she stopped mid-task, listening, looking. The singer was tall, with dark honey-blond hair that looked bed-tousled and just a bit wild. He wore a simple suit, but he wore the hell out of it. When he caught her staring, his lips curved into a smile that had her shivering right down to her toes.

  All night, he’d been singing to her, it seemed. Well, that was probably wishful thinking. But from the way their gazes seemed to lock as he performed tune after tune, especially the ballads, she didn’t think she was completely off base. When she’d brought him a glass of water on one of their breaks, and he’d said “thank you” with a warm smile and a hot look of appreciation? She almost fanned her hand in front of her face just from the memory.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been around a man like him, so talented and sexy. And she’d never been around a man who sounded like he was trying to seduce her with his singing.

  What’s worse: it was working.

  The song drew to a close, and she felt a pang of regret. “That’s really it for us tonight,” he said into the microphone, his tie loosened around his neck, and the top button of his white dress shirt open. He looked gorgeous. He winked at her, light blue eyes sparkling like diamonds, and heat flashed through her like a forest fire. “We’re Moonlight Serenade. Have a wonderful evening!”

  With that, the last of the guests finally shuffled out, leaving only the debris from the wedding reception. The band started packing up its instruments, chuckling and talking amongst themselves. Sighing, she turned back to her tasks. The sooner she could get the tablecloths stripped and dumped into the laundry, the sooner she could get home to her flat.

  She was startled when a strong pair of arms started mimicking her actions, helping her take tablecloths off the various tables. “Where do you want these?”

  She blinked. It was him. Sex God Wedding Singer.