Once Upon a King

Chapter Three (#u03d01958-dfbf-5ba9-99cd-7e1641613ed2)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Prologue

Cara Phillips looked out the window of the plane as it made its approach to Eliason, a small European country that most of the world overlooked.

But to Cara, Eliason was magical.

A real-life kingdom.

For a minute she wondered what it would be like to know an entire land was yours…your responsibility, handed down generation after generation. To protect, to guide, to cherish.

Cara’s best friend, Parker Dillon, had been born here. Parker was a princess. Princess Marie Anna Parker Mickovich Dillonetti of Eliason.

But Parker had traded away her legacy and chased after her dreams…dreams that had led her to Perry Square in Erie, Pennsylvania, and to Jace O’Donnell, the man she was going to marry in just a month.

Four short weeks.

Their friend Shey Carlson and her fiancе, Tanner Ericson, were going to be married as well.

A double ceremony.

Cara’s romantic heart gave a small twist.

Truly, Parker and Shey’s romances were more than sigh-worthy.

Shey hadn’t been looking for love. Especially not with a prince. Prince Eduardo Matthew Tanner Ericson of Amar had come to Erie to claim his bride—Parker. But instead he’d claimed Shey’s heart.

Shey was rock hard on the outside, but that was just a veneer. On the inside she was caring, concerned and so deserved having a prince.

Cara sighed again. It was all so wonderful.

Her two best friends had found their other halves, men whom they loved and were willing to commit their lives to.

Once upon a time, Cara had thought she’d find a similar path.

For one brief moment three months ago, she thought she had.

Mike King.

He’d appeared in her life, bringing with him a whirlwind of emotion and hope…hope that she’d found what she’d been looking for. But he’d disappeared, leaving behind a longing for what-might-have-been.

She’d had just one night, one special night when she’d believed all her fantasies could come true. On that night she’d believed in love at first sight and happily-ever-after.

Then it was morning and Mike was gone. In the light of day, Cara had awoken to the reality with a thud.

She and Mike had been just a hazy dream, a misty longing she had thought could grow into something solid. But, like a mist, the morning sun had burned her dream of him away. All she had left was a memory of the dark-haired man whose deep blue eyes had seemed to touch her soul, and the knowledge she’d deceived herself into thinking he’d felt a connection, too.

But he’d left her something tangible. Something solid and oh-so-real.

The plane touched down and Cara allowed herself one last wistful sigh.

She was going to see to it that Parker and Shey and their grooms had the most perfect fairy-tale wedding ever.

They’d have someone to love forever.

And in the end, so would Cara.

Not Mike King. He had come and gone. No, she was going to have a real someone.

She was going to have Mike’s baby.

One

“Michael, stop your pacing. You look like a nervous bride on her wedding night rather than a commanding prince of the land.”

Try as he might, Michael couldn’t help but smile. “A bride, Marstel? You couldn’t at least have said bridegroom?”

“A figure of speech,” Marstel Marriott said with a smile.

Michael gave his childhood friend a lot more latitude than most employees had. As Michael’s personal assistant and right-hand man, Marstel was privy to many things, but as a lifelong friend, he knew even more.

All joking aside, Marstel suddenly looked serious. “Just take a deep breath and settle down.”

“Settle down?” Michael raked his fingers through his dark hair in utter frustration.

“Settle down?” he repeated. “I shouldn’t be here playing host to my sister’s friend. I shouldn’t be playing surrogate wedding planner.” His sister, Parker, was getting married soon and was sending her friend ahead to help finalize the plans. “I should be back in Erie, looking for her.”

Her.

He didn’t even know her name.

Cara mia, he’d called her.