The Broken Prince (Royal Billionaires of Mondragón Book 3) Read online

  It was delicious, but it didn’t satisfy her. Just like a quick relationship where you get a taste of something sweet, but in the end…it didn’t satisfy.

  She snuck a glance at Alvaro. With the campfire, orange light illuminated his face as he concentrated on his task. He was taking this s’more-making rather seriously. His tongue was tucked into his cheek, and he was watching his marshmallow closely. It would have been adorable on some other person who was not a playboy or a party animal or a spoiled prince.

  “How about some campfire songs?” Oscar said. “Alvaro, why not belt out a tune or two?”

  “I honestly can’t remember any.”

  “That’s all right. I have my trusty phone. Let’s look up some lyrics.”

  Brooke wished Oscar wouldn’t keep making a spectacle of Alvaro, like he was some sort of performing monkey.

  They sang a couple of songs, but Brooke didn’t join in. She was in a foul mood, and the last thing she wanted to do was sing a song about sharks. One more thing: Alvaro could sure carry a tune, but it made Oscar’s out-of-tune singing stand out even more.

  Brooke made an impatient sound and stood, turning to the house.

  “Where are you going?” Oscar asked.

  “Turning in for the night,” she said over her shoulder.

  “We have plenty of s’mores still,” he pointed out.

  “Then you won’t run out, will you?” she said, walking off fast before Oscar could get in a witty comeback.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Tuesday dawned with Alvaro waking in panic, like he needed to be somewhere. And then he remembered: today was the day he would be meeting his family.

  He was meeting his family.

  It was a strange thought. He wished he could fill in the blanks from his past, but that was all still a mystery to him. Well, a mystery that was slightly unraveled yesterday when he did a longer search on the internet.

  Whoever—whatever—he had been in the past was horrible. Oh, maybe not in a he-killed-someone sort of way, but certainly not the someone he had hoped to be. Certainly not the type of guy he would advise Brooke getting with for a serious relationship.

  He groaned. Of all the things he regretted, it was the effect of the internet revelation on his relationship with Brooke. Last night, he’d hoped to have another chance to talk to her, but he could see why she went to bed without talking to him.

  He wished he could undo his past and discover that he was someone better. Someone worth being proud of. The internet articles were plentiful, all painting a picture of a life of excess. He had been linked romantically to other young European royals. His music wasn’t even all that good. He’d played a sample and had to shut it off after a minute. The only silver lining in all this was that he knew he was capable of something better. Brooke inspired him to be something better.

  He got up and showered, changing into boat shop clothes and fully intending to work, but neither Brooke nor her brother was in the main part of the house. He moseyed along to the reception area of the shop. At his entrance, Brooke looked up and then quickly down.

  “Good morning,” he said softly.

  Brooke nodded and then ignored him.

  Smarting from her snub, Alvaro escaped to the repair bay where he found Oscar already elbows-deep into an engine.

  “How can I help?” Alvaro asked.

  Oscar waved him over. “Sure, hop on in. I can show you how to replace a water pump.”

  Alvaro threw himself into the repair. It was better that than hankering for a girl who hadn’t said a word to him that day.

  After the water pump repair, Oscar mentored him on doing a cooling system recharge, and then it was on to gauges that needed replacing. By the end of the day, Alvaro’s back cramped from the contortion. Otherwise, he felt good about putting in the day’s work. He doubted he had ever put in this kind of elbow grease in his former life. There was something satisfying about making a boat work again.

  At six, they wrapped up. Alvaro wondered when his family was arriving.

  As though the universe heard his question, the entrance to the repair bay clanged open. Brooke motioned for a crew of well-dressed people to enter. A woman wearing a rose-pink dress and a matching pillbox hat led the parade. Carrying a little white fluffy dog, she zoned in on Alvaro immediately.

  “Good grief, son,” she said with a faint accent. “What on earth are you doing?”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Brooke watched the reunion nervously, feeling she shouldn’t be there to see something so personal.

  Alvaro surveyed them from the boat, stunned and without a spark of recognition in his eyes. The new arrivals—an older lady, a younger woman, and a man with an expensive leather jacket slung over his shoulder—obviously didn’t ring a bell in his memory.

  Alvaro climbed out of the boat, landing on his boots on the concrete floor. As he approached the group, the woman with the hat searched his face and burst into tears. “He doesn’t remember me!”

  The younger woman rushed to her side, setting off the dog into frenzied barking. This freaked her out, making her step backward, but she stayed close. “Now, now, Princess Nina, the doctor warned that he might not recognize us.”

  “Mother?” Alvaro said.

  “Yes, dear boy,” Princess Nina said, opening her arms in a wide embrace. They hugged awkwardly, but the ice was broken.

  The younger woman pressed in close to the two. “Oh, what a sweet reunion.”

  Alvaro pulled back from his mother’s hug and turned to the younger woman. “And you are?”

  Her mouth trembled, and she covered it with a perfectly manicured hand. The man with the jacket cleared his throat. “Gin,” he said, “remember what you told Princess Nina.”

  “I know,” Gin said, sniffling. “But I thought…”

  Alvaro looked from one to the other.

  “Gin is your girlfriend,” the man said.

  Brooke felt like a capsizing boat, drowning in her own silent tears. She’d known there was eventually going to be another woman in Alvaro’s life. Brooke wasn’t expecting her to be such a model of perfection, though. Beautiful, poised, and obviously moneyed. Brooke suspected that Gin lay out regularly on a lounge chair on the deck of a yacht in a designer bikini.

  “I’m sorry,” Alvaro told Gin. “I don’t remember you.”

  “Obviously,” Gin said, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “Spare a hug for me?”

  Alvaro obliged, with Gin settling in for a long hug, her expression glowing.

  At that moment, Brooke had seen enough to confirm she had no role in this reunion whatsoever and was about to turn, when Alvaro said, “Oscar. Brooke. Come meet my family.”

  Oscar waved from the boat he’d been repairing. “I would shake your hands, but I’m sure you don’t want grease all over you. Oscar, at your service. I own this shop.” He pointed at Brooke. “This is my sister, Brooke.”

  The man said, “I’m Gin’s brother, Seth. I play bass guitar for the Royal Ruffians.”

  The group plied Alvaro with questions. As he answered each one, Brooke inched away and made her escape into the reception area.

  “Brooke.” Alvaro had followed her into the repair shop.

  “I’m happy you’re back with your family,” she said sincerely. “And girlfriend.” Less sincerely.

  “We’re leaving,” he said in a hushed voice, “and I wanted to tell you goodbye.”

  Goodbye. It had a ring of finality to it.

  “But I would love to stay in touch,” he said.

  “I’d rather you didn’t,” she said. “It would hurt too much.”

  “But—”

  She shook her head as she steeled her heart for the pain that was sure to follow. “Go now. They’re waiting. Good luck with your old life.”

  “I’ll always remember you,” he said without the slightest trace of irony in his word choice.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “This way, Your Highnesses,” an employee gre
eted Alvaro and contingent at Salt Lake International Airport, the hub nearest to Redding.

  The “way” involved a quiet hallway with a series of doors leading to a private terminal at the airport. The tarmac led to a gleaming white jet sporting the logo of a dragon rising above mountains.

  “I’m so glad that small town was able to put two and two together,” Seth said.

  “Me too.” Alvaro thought back to Brooke’s expression as they said goodbye. It brought back a stab of guilt and deep hurt. He had sensed her heartbreak, but she quickly replaced it with an indifference that cut deeply.

  “It seemed like a backward town,” Gin said, tossing her long blonde hair. “I’m sure you’re glad to escape that.”

  “Actually, it was a beautiful place,” Alvaro countered. “Not just the town, but the lake itself. I wish you could have seen it for yourself.”

  “But there aren’t hotels or anything nearby, is there?” Gin said, staring at him. “However could we stay there?”

  “We could have gone camping,” Alvaro suggested.

  “Camping?” Gin shuddered.

  “Yes, camping. You set up a tent and sleep in it. It’s actually warm enough that you could sleep out in the open if you prefer.”

  “Camping,” Princess Nina declared, “is for peasants.”

  “Well, peasants are lucky, then,” Alvaro said. “Camping is a peaceful, enjoyable activity.”

  The two women rolled their eyes while Seth commiserated with Alvaro.

  “I love camping, as you know,” Seth said. “Backpacking to South Everest Base Camp was the highlight of the past year. Remember that, pal? Before our concert in Mongolia.”

  Alvaro blinked. “No, I don’t.”

  “A shame. If you don’t remember, then it must not have happened.” Seth chuckled. “Don’t worry; we’ll get you back to hiking and back to music, of course.”

  Alvaro followed him into the airplane cabin where he had his choice of sitting next to his mother, to his girlfriend, or by himself facing all three. He chose the seat by himself. All these reconnections made him feel disoriented, like he was on an amusement park ride and he couldn’t get off.

  Gin, with her long locks and supermodel looks, was certainly a beautiful woman, but her snooty attitude chilled him. Obviously, he had been attracted to her physically, but he was baffled as to what else he liked about her. He couldn’t help but compare her with Brooke: physically and mentally powerful but, best of all, down-to-earth.

  Inwardly, he sighed. He needed to push aside memories of Brooke or he would end up miserable. As hard as he tried, however, thoughts of her crept in the back of his mind. How she laughed, dreamed, and swam. How she showed him the glorious playground that was Lake Powell. He imagined her playing volleyball with those buff guys and felt a squeeze of jealousy in his chest.

  He cast a glance at Gin, who was checking her phone, and tried to transfer that affection to her, but he felt nothing.

  “So,” Seth said, “I’ve got you touring again in a couple of weeks. We have two new songs I can’t wait to run past you.”

  “Two weeks?” Alvaro repeated.

  “Yeah, man. We have so much interest in your music after your amnesia stunt.”

  “Stunt!” Princess Nina interjected. “That is so vulgar of you, Seth, to imply that my son just staged this injury.”

  “Sorry, Princess Nina,” Seth soothed her. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It wasn’t a stunt, of course. But his health scare had millions tuned in to his story. I wouldn’t be surprised if the magazines come calling as soon as we’ve landed in Mondragón.”

  “We certainly don’t need that kind of publicity,” Princess Nina bemoaned.

  “I agree,” Alvaro said in a daze. “I think I just want some quiet for a bit. Maybe go into a community like…” He almost said Redding but caught himself at the last moment.

  “We’ll ease you back into it,” Seth said, “but you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. You may never get this chance back. Take advantage of your fifteen minutes of fame.”

  “That’s shameless,” Princess Nina said, so agitated she was petting her dog rather heavy-handedly on her lap. “I don’t recommend being so shallow, Alvaro. I think being the royal you are is enough. You don’t want to besmirch your father’s legacy by making it all about fame.”

  “Where is my father?”

  Princess Nina teared up. “I’m sad you don’t remember that, Alvaro. He died of a heart attack.”

  Alvaro chewed on this piece of history, sad that he couldn’t even remember someone so close to him.

  “We’ll talk more about this when you’ve recovered a bit,” Seth said, mostly to the princess, who continued to give him a skeptical look.

  Alvaro spent the next few hours on the flight reading, snacking, or watching movies—anything but discussing the rock band that filled him inexplicably with dread. At the airport, the press was respectful toward Alvaro, but his mother urged him to step up to a mike and give a short message.

  “I’m glad to be back,” Alvaro said. “It’s been frustrating, to say the least, not knowing who you are and where you come from. Thankfully, a very nice family took me in—”

  “And who would that family be?” a reporter shouted out.

  Alvaro hesitated. Did he dare share Brooke’s identity with the rest of the world? Well, why not? He was grateful for their charity and friendship, and he wanted everyone to know it.

  “Oscar and Brooke of Redding, Utah.” No last names. It felt like a good compromise.

  After the press briefing, Alvaro was whisked off into a limo. He watched the landscape fly past. Mountains towered over forests and quaint little villages like they belonged to an older age. So beautiful. He wished Brooke could see this.

  A phone beeped, and Alvaro realized it was his. He stared at it like it was going to come alive and eat him before putting his ear gingerly to it. “Hello?”

  “Alvaro Assante,” Brooke’s voice came through loud and clear.

  His chest swelled with gladness. “Brooke!”

  Everyone in the limo turned to watch Alvaro. Gin’s eyes narrowed.

  “Why did you have to tell the whole world who we are?” Brooke said. “Now everyone knows and wants an interview. I can’t believe you would pay us back by doing this.”

  His stomach plummeted. “I’m so sorry, Brooke. I didn’t mean to make life hard for you and Oscar. I just wanted to express my thanks to you publicly.”

  “Well, that’s a terrible way of thanking us.”

  “Brooke, sorry.”

  She was quiet for a minute. “Frankly, I wish we’d never met.”

  “Do you truly mean that?” He held the phone firmly and turned away from the others, listening intently for her response.

  “No, not really.” Her voice was soft. He felt a blip of hope.

  “Brooke, how about if you come for a visit? Then people won’t bug you there.” His eyes connected with Seth’s, who was disapproval personified. He sat ramrod straight, pointing none too subtly at Gin, who looked outrage.

  “What about your girlfriend?” Brooke said.

  “You could bring Oscar. I can show you our royal yacht.”

  He could hear Oscar in the background and Brooke saying, “Hush.”

  “I’ll go even if she doesn’t,” Oscar quipped.

  “That’s set, then,” Alvaro said. “I’ll let my people take care of the travel arrangements.”

  “Your people.” He could hear the smirk in Brooke’s voice. But at least she said, “Okay, fine. But only because Oscar wants to see your yacht.”

  Alvaro grinned. “I can’t wait to have you.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. The cops finally found your abandoned rental car. Your belongings were inside, so we can bring them when we come. And get this. When I went down to the docks to get your things from them, I checked on the boat you used and found your phone, wallet, and keys hidden under the map in a side pocket. I don’t know how th
e cops didn’t find them in their initial search.” Alvaro could hear the eye roll in her voice.

  “Wow. I’m glad everything is accounted for.”

  Brooke chuckled. “You want to know what else is funny? When the car was traced to the rental company, you’d used cash, no doubt trying to stay under the radar, and another alias: Traveling Minstrel. You sure got creative with those aliases.”

  “I guess.” He laughed.

  They said their goodbyes, and Seth pounced on him as soon as he hung up. “What are you doing, Alvaro?” he whispered angrily. “Are you so insensitive to Gin that you want to hurt her?”

  Alvaro glanced at Gin, who had turned her head away, her spine curved with sadness. “That’s the problem,” he whispered back. “I don’t feel anything for Gin. I look at her and feel…nothing.”

  Seth’s whisper came fiercely. “I’ll do you a favor and not tell her you said that. How could you be so heartless toward a girl who’s sacrificed so much for you?”

  Alvaro swallowed. “Sacrificed?”

  “Yes. She could have married an actor, but instead, she chose you.” Seth studied his face. “Come on. You’ve known us all your life.” Seth paused. “Do you remember me at all?”

  “Vaguely. I think we were friends when we were younger? My memories pull up images of you and me hiking around here in Mondragón.”

  “Good! Maybe your memories are returning. Well, we went on to form the band. It was my idea, but I needed a singer and talked you into it.”

  Really, he owed Seth and Gin so much. “I’ll try to do better. To at least give us a chance. Can you help me?”

  Seth brightened. “Of course.” He put an arm over his shoulder. “Now this is what we’ll do…”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Sit back,” the pilot’s voice crackled over the speaker, “relax, and we’ll get you folks to Mondragón in a jiffy.”