Page 20 of Redemption of a Prince

But until he saw her from across the street the night Gen took him for chili dogs, he hadn’t seen her in years.

They simply didn’t run in the same circles.

She wasn’t a member of the aristocracy, so she wasn’t invited to many of the formal events at the palace. Her parents had disowned her, and she’d been taken in by a friend’s family after the baby was born.

But the reality was, there hadn’t been much reason to see her.

Not since they weren’t in a relationship anymore.

She’d told them it was too painful to be a part of their lives at the beginning, and they hadn’t pushed.

Then it was a year later. Then two. Then a decade.

And now nearly half their lives.

By the time she made it to her feet, he’d made a decision, though not a fully conscious one.

He wrapped his arms around her.

For the first time ever, he held a woman in his arms.

The last time, they’d been teenagers, practically still kids themselves.

Nikki’s arms found their way around his waist, and they simply stood there.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, shocking even himself.

“I’ve missed you, too.” Her arms tightened around him.

The feeling of her there with him felt more right than almost anything ever had.

And yet, it was wrong on so many levels.

There couldn’t be a future for them. Not with their past.

Nikki sucked in a deep breath and took a step away from him.

He let his arms drop to his sides.

“I needed that. Thank you.” She turned and pulled a tissue out of the box. “But we need to get to work.”

Zeke motioned toward a small conference table. “Why don’t we work over there?”

It would be less formal and more comfortable than one of them on either side of his desk.

A minute later, they settled in, and she handed over a file. “All right. Here’s where we are in planning the Trilunium Resort.”

* * *

Staringat the pile of clothes on her bed, Nikki blew out a breath.

What exactly did one pack when going to the royal family’s mountain home with your crown prince ex-boyfriend who was also the father of the child you gave up for adoption?

It wasn’t a romantic getaway. Not even close. The mountain home wasn’t far from where the winter Trilunium resort would be built.

Nikki hadn’t realized it until after she started, but not only would there be a full amusement park and resort on the plains not far from New Ancora, but another resort was being built in the mountains.

It wouldn’t be a theme park, but would have skiing and other snow-based activities during the winter and then season-appropriate mountain activities the rest of the year - hiking, camping, and things of that nature.