The Prince's Secret (Prince Harry Fanfic)

Part 70 - Sleep Interruptus

"Then I hope you don't mind seeing me with bed-head hair and all that," I said.

His laugh was low and inviting. "I'm looking forward to it, actually."

I leaped out of bed with much more energy than I thought I would have and ditched the old t-shirt I was wearing for a silk nightie and dressing gown just as there was a soft knock on the door.

Harry entered the room with a big smile, and it felt like we had not been together in ages. He was sunburned, his ginger hair bleached a bit by the sun, but he was warm and solid and I snuggled into his embrace eagerly.

He stopped smiling as soon as he saw the cut across my left cheekbone. He cupped my chin in his hands and turned my head gently from side to side, studying the damage.

"A few scratches?" he said, his voice almost a growl.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to worry about me. The doc said it should heal nicely, without a scar." Actually, the doc had said with minimal scarring and you might want to consider cosmetic surgery in the future but I wasn't going to tell Harry that. Not tonight, at any rate.

"How did this happen?" he asked.

"Do we have to discuss this right now?" I took his arm and looked longingly at the big four-poster bed. "Maybe in the morning...?"

He followed my gaze to the bed and kicked off his shoes. "All the updates first, please...and then we can move on to more fun things."

We cuddled up on the bed and I told him everything that had happened while he was gone, more or less in order—Meg's appearance at the Sleeping Lion and the pub's abrupt closure the next day, the bad press and the haters, my eviction, and the attack. Then I grabbed my phone and played back the recording for him.

For the first time since I began my tale he began to smile again. "That is priceless. I owe Randa big time."

"Yeah, we both do," I said, remembering how Randa had faced off against the people attacking me, called the police, and rode with me to the hospital in the ambulance, assuring me that everything was going to be all right. "Will this help you in your battle against Meg?"

"I have no doubt it will. Meg will not want this released. It would ruin her reputation and the story she has painted of herself as the victim."

He turned to me, his eyes lighting, and I could tell he had other thoughts on his mind. "No more about her," he said between kisses. "The rest of the time is about us."

I slept very little that night, but I didn't mind. I could catch up on sleep later, on the plane and back at my dad's place in Vancouver. For now I was content to run on the excitement of just being with Harry again and spending time together as a couple. We ate a late breakfast in bed, and then, finally, I had to start packing.

"Do you like Paulo?" Harry asked, as I taped up the box with my sewing machine and fabric scraps for the trip.

"He's all right," I said. "He doesn't say much."

"He's going to accompany you to Vancouver," Harry said. "Once there, he'll speak with the security team that will take over. They'll be female security, so you'll have a constant presence with you."

I sat back on my heels. "You mean I won't have any privacy. Is that really necessary? No one in Vancouver will care who I am dating."

"Yes. It's necessary. A look in the mirror should tell you why."

I wrinkled my nose. "My dad is going to freak out at the sight of me with a bodyguard."

"It's for your protection. They don't have to be in the house with you all the time. They'll just accompany you when you go out. You'll get used to it. Half the time I forget they are there."

"Well, you've been putting up with it for as long as you can remember. This is a new thing for me."

"I know," he said, pulling me to my feet so he could hold me in his arms. "And this is not the way I wanted to introduce you to the realities of royal life. Just humor me on this, okay? And try to ignore them."

I exhaled into his shoulder. "All right. I'll try."

Harry helped me pile my luggage by the door, and then we collapsed on the couch together to wait for the driver. "I don't know how this is going to work out but I hope that by the end of the week things will be much, much better for both of us. I've got a lot to work on the next few days, but I don't want you to worry about it. Relax. Have fun. See all your old friends. Hang out with your family."

I hadn't thought much about my old friends back in Vancouver. We'd exchanged texts and emails, even a few phone calls, but the only one who really knew what was going on with me was Randa. Had Iris and Allie read the news about me? What were they thinking?

"What if—" I began, but Harry cut me off.

"I really don't think she's pregnant," he said, knowing exactly what was on my mind. "She's bluffing. I know she's bluffing. Try not to worry about it. I will call you on Wednesday and let you know how the doctor's appointment goes. I'm more concerned about how my father and I will arrange the dissolution of our engagement, and how my grandmother will react, if you want the truth."

"Your grandmother will hate me, won't she?" I said, chewing at my bottom lip.

Harry smiled down at me. "She will love you just like I do. It just might take a while." He kissed me. "Don't worry about that either. I don't want you to worry about anything. And that reminds me..."

He sat up, struggling, and somehow I ended up on the floor, laughing. Of course, I had to tackle him then, to bring him down to my level, and it was quite a while before we separated again.

He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Here. Use this if you need any money. I want you to have fun on your visit."

"I don't want to take your money," I objected. "I can pay my own way."

"Seriously, Sam? Are we going to argue about this? I just want to make sure that you can do the things you want. Buy some new clothes if you want. Or make some new clothes. Have a nice dinner. Your life is about to change—more drastically than you can imagine. You might as well have some fun."

When I still hesitated, he stuffed the envelope in my bag. "Just take it. If you don't want to use, that's fine. I'll feel better knowing that you have it."

There was a soft tap at the door and Simon's voice said, "The driver is here, Sir."

We let the driver in to collect the luggage. "Give me a few minutes," Harry told Simon, and the guard nodded, stepping out into the hall.

"I'm sorry I can't go with you to the airport," Harry said as I stepped into his arms. "I don't think it would be a good idea for us to be seen together right now."

"I'm getting really tired of saying goodbye to each other," I said, drawing him into a kiss.

"Me too," he agreed.

We parted at Simon's soft, insistent knocking on the door, and I wondered how long he had been trying to get our attention. "I hope there are much fewer goodbyes in the future," I said, picking up my coat.

"We'll make it so," Harry said.