Reunion with His Surgeon Princess Read online

  He’d looked after his grandparents in their old age and he’d been committed to her during their relationship. To the point of proposing marriage.

  Now she’d invited Seth back into her life she was reminded of everything she’d lost when she came home.

  ‘Thanks. It’s not exactly how I saw my life panning out but I wouldn’t be without her for the world.’ The proud father confirmed what Kaja had already seen for herself in the short time since their arrival.

  ‘You’re lucky to have each other.’ Seth was currently having a dolls’ tea party in Amy’s honour on the back seat of the limousine. Anyone could see they had a special bond. One she was quite envious of when she’d never get to have that close relationship with her own child. Even if continued treatment meant she could conceive some day, it was a lot to go through without a guarantee of success. To her, love, marriage and children were all inextricably linked and Benedikt had proved that without one of those links everything else fell apart.

  ‘You never thought of having kids yourself?’ It was the sort of question adults asked each other all the time, catching up on each other’s news after losing touch. Yet it touched a still exposed and very raw nerve.

  ‘I thought about it. It just didn’t work out for me.’ Even saying that, reducing what she’d gone through to a vague disappointment brought forth a swell of sadness from the pit of her stomach threatening to swamp her. It was the ensuing anger that had accompanied that period that had prevented her from drowning in her sorrow altogether.

  ‘I know you’ve had a rough time too.’

  There. Her humiliation was complete to find Seth hadn’t missed the spotlight shone on her own disastrous marriage, even if he wasn’t party to the devastating details of her infertility problems.

  ‘I never was very good at making those big life decisions.’ She’d wondered how differently her life would’ve turned out if she’d accepted his proposal and settled in England for good. Although, it wouldn’t have solved the problem that had caused the end of her marriage. She’d loved him too much to ever force him into a future without the family he was born to have.

  ‘We all make mistakes. What’s important is that we learn to forgive ourselves, as well as each other.’ He fixed her under his gaze, warm like melted chocolate. She hoped it was his way of telling her he’d forgiven her for her past mistakes. If they’d been somewhere more private, perhaps in better circumstances, she would’ve asked him for clarification and taken that as a cue to apologise. There’d be plenty of opportunity to do so over the course of the next few days when they’d be living under the same roof.

  ‘That can be hard to do when you know you’re the facilitator of your own downfall.’ No one had forced her to leave Seth, marry someone she hardly knew or to stay in a country where she no longer garnered any respect. She’d managed that all by herself. It was no wonder she’d been given the dubious nickname of ‘The Unlovable Princess’ when it was such an accurate description.

  ‘I don’t think you have it as bad as you make out, Princess. You might take all this for granted but look around you. This is priceless.’ Seth wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t know or showing her things she hadn’t seen before. Although, as he leaned across her to direct her gaze out of the window, she wasn’t inclined to tell him so. It was an age since she’d been this close to a man, this man, and she revelled in the warmth of his body and the masculine scent of sweat and cologne clinging to his skin.

  Belle Crepuscolo, as the name suggested, was a beautiful country. Landlocked by Switzerland, Italy and Austria, it had an enviable climate and a culture influenced by all the surrounding countries.

  While Seth watched the blur of blue skies and sprawling whitewashed villas flash by the window, Kaja was more interested in the view she had. Seth was more a sense of home to her than the vista outside and she realised everything she’d truly left behind in England that fateful day.

  ‘There’s more to life than money and sunshine. That old adage holds true. None of it can buy you happiness.’ To her, privilege had become a prison. It kept her trapped in a life she was desperate to break free from.

  Her happiest time had been during those rain-drenched, barely-time-to-sit-down working days in Cambridge. At least then she’d had Seth to come home to. They’d cooked dinner, curled up together in front of the telly and made love in their own bed. Nothing out of the ordinary and yet it had been everything. Being so close to him now reminded her of those cosy nights in when she’d been pretending she could lead a normal life. Before reality crashed in and reminded her it wasn’t possible.

  ‘That’s easy to say when you have this on your doorstep. What else could you possibly want?’ He turned his brilliant smile on her and she was powerless to hold her tongue or tell him anything but the truth.

  ‘Love.’

  She saw that spike of pain on his face before he composed himself and returned to his own side of the car. They both knew she’d had that once in her life and thrown it away. The Unlovable Princess deserved everything that had come to her since then.

  * * *

  Seth hadn’t been as prepared to face Kaja as he’d thought. For some reason he’d thought he’d fly out here, do the job he was required to do and, once he’d seen her, all that past hurt and betrayal would melt away. He’d got it into his head that facing her would make him realise everything had turned out for the best. After all, if Kaja hadn’t run out on him he wouldn’t have slept with someone else on the rebound or had Amy as a consequence. While he regretted the hasty marriage, he’d never be sorry for his daughter’s existence. She was his everything.

  He’d known the minute he’d set eyes on Kaja again closure wasn’t going to be achieved so easily. It didn’t matter that five years had passed, that they’d both married, and divorced, since, or that he’d become a father. In that moment, seeing her again had transported him back to the day he’d proposed. When she’d rejected him, packed her bags in the middle of the night and disappeared without a trace. All the confusion and fear of that time was tied up in the memory. Along with the anger and sense of betrayal he’d felt when he’d seen her on the news as word of her mother’s death had spread. A princess. He’d had no inkling of her heritage, couldn’t imagine Kaja as anything other than his busy surgeon girlfriend. Until now.

  She’d swapped her green scrubs and sneakers for pink silk and diamonds but she was as beautiful as ever. As though her fairy godmother had waved a magic wand and enhanced her natural beauty for the oblivious prince who’d needed it spelled out to him what an amazing woman she was. It was unfortunate her real Prince Charming had turned out to be anything but, according to the papers. Seth took no pleasure in reading about her heartache but perhaps there was something to be said for the commoner she’d snubbed after all. Seth had loved her for who she was, or, at least, who he’d believed she was, with no need for a substitute.

  He knew what it was to be hurt and to think you were inadequate. After all, he’d been abandoned by a teenage mother who’d thought having a baby would ruin her life and a wife who’d pretty much thought the same about him and their daughter. Kaja hadn’t even bothered to give him a reason why his love wasn’t enough for her.

  Despite their personal history, Kaja had deserved better than being cheated on. Just as he’d deserved better than being ghosted.

  ‘I mean, when it comes down to health matters we’re no better off than the average person. We can fly the best renal surgeon out here to perform the transplant but there’s no guarantees my father and brother will survive. If anything happens to them I’ll have no one left in my life.’ Her voice broke. It was at odds with the cool composure she’d shown at the airport. He’d known in that instant she hadn’t regretted her actions when she’d seemed so personally unmoved by seeing him again. Meanwhile his insides had been churning as though he’d hit turbulence even after he’d stepped off the plane.


  For a split second he’d wondered if she’d missed him or what they’d had together. She’d quickly shut down that idea, letting him know it was her family she was getting emotional over. He should’ve known better. Kaja’s family was all she’d cared about in the end. It was a pity he hadn’t known about their existence until it had been too late to do anything.

  ‘Hey, have a little faith in your transplant surgeon. Nothing’s going to take them away from you. Besides, don’t you have a whole country to keep you company?’ Since his gran had passed he’d been more aware than ever of his limited social circle. With his time no longer eaten up talking to carers or visiting the home, outside work Amy was his whole world. While he was content with that, he knew it wasn’t healthy for a four-year-old. Before that cruel disease had robbed her of cognitive thought, Gran herself had made him swear to get a life of his own after she’d gone. To take Amy to see the world and have adventures.

  Kaja’s call for help had been a well-timed gift, an easier way out than forging new friendships in a place where he’d happily existed on the periphery of society. His busy life as a renal transplant and general surgeon made it challenging to balance work and home life. As a result any thoughts of another romantic relationship had gone on the back burner in favour of spending time with his daughter and grandmother when he could. Now he’d packed up and fled the country with his daughter so he didn’t have to face life without the woman who’d been the only constant in his life. This trip had been the cowardly way out of his grief and he knew that sense of loss would be waiting for him on his return.

  Kaja might be feeling sorry for herself now but she had no idea what it truly meant to be abandoned by the ones you loved. He’d been abandoned by his own mother and wife. Whereas she was the one who did the abandoning.

  Kaja disputed his take on her life with a, ‘Hah!’

  ‘Daddy, look!’ Amy was straining to see out of the window. He leaned over to see what had caught her attention.

  His mouth dropped open as they drove up a winding avenue lined with blush-pink cherry blossoms and crystal-clear dancing water fountains.

  ‘Home, sweet home,’ Kaja mocked as the imposing mansion at the end of the drive came into view.

  Gleaming white stone pillars, marble steps and balconies on every level of the ornate building gave it the appearance of a grand, layered wedding cake. A congregation of immaculately dressed people spilled out to meet the car. Seth immediately unbuckled Amy’s seat belt and took her hand so she didn’t get lost in the throng.

  ‘Baby, we’re not in Cambridge any more.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘I’LL GET THAT for you, sir.’

  ‘Let me take your bag for you, sir.’

  The car had barely come to a halt before there was a flurry of helping hands refusing to let Seth so much as open the door on his own. He clutched Amy closer in case she was spirited away by Kaja’s staff with his luggage.

  ‘Hold my hand so you don’t get lost, sweetheart.’

  ‘I suppose it is all rather much.’ Kaja winced.

  It hadn’t been his intention to make her self-conscious about her life here. She must have preferred it to the one they’d had together as she’d left it behind so readily.

  If they were going to spend the next few weeks under the same roof they were going to have to get along. All issues—personal or socio-economic—would have to be set aside in order for him to treat her father. His patients’ backgrounds were none of his business unless it impacted on their health. From everything he’d seen so far, Kaja’s father had the best of everything money could buy. Including health care. However, his status wasn’t going to affect Seth’s ability to do his job. He always did his best regardless of wealth or the status of his patients.

  ‘I’m sure we’ll get used to it.’ He flashed her a grin. Reassurance that they could make this work. It was his duty to put the minds of his patients’ family members at ease where he could. Even if these were unusual circumstances.

  ‘Daddy? Can we have a sleepover in the princess castle?’ Amy tugged on his shirt, her eyes wide as she took in the majesty, the likes of which he’d only seen in picture books.

  ‘See?’ he said to Kaja with a laugh. ‘I think we’ll fit in just fine.’

  ‘Good. Why don’t we go in and I’ll show you to your rooms.’ The worry lines marring her forehead evened out into a smile matching his daughter’s.

  Now that the palace staff had disappeared inside with his belongings it was slightly less intimidating. At least, until they walked through the doors.

  The ‘wow’ escaped his lips before he could temper his reaction. It was difficult to say anything else when faced with the sheer opulence of the décor within the palace.

  The rich purple and silver colour scheme combined with the draped silks and brightly coloured tapestries lining the walls was how he imagined the genie’s pad inside the magic lamp looked.

  When the imposing oak door swung shut, echoing through the halls, it made the situation very real. The heavyset dude who shadowed Kaja’s every move without saying a word remained on the outside acting as a sentry.

  ‘Your apartments are this way.’

  Not room, he noted as Kaja led them up a flight of steps to the ‘apartments’.

  ‘There is an elevator should you wish to use it but I prefer to take the stairs otherwise I’d never get any exercise.’

  The Kaja he’d known would’ve been bored rigid at being chauffeured everywhere, barely allowed to lift a finger. Like him, she’d been someone who’d thrived on being busy, being needed, and had enjoyed her privacy. The alone time they’d spent together had been more precious than he’d realised.

  ‘I don’t think you have anything to worry about on that score.’ He could see she’d lost weight and some of her curves but none of her beauty. She had an elegant grace about her now befitting a princess. That look-don’t-touch vibe was so different from the warm, tactile Kaja he’d planned to marry.

  She paused on the steps with her hand resting on the mahogany bannister and slowly turned to look back at him. It was then he realised her backside had been in his eyeline when he’d made that last comment, and he attempted to backtrack.

  ‘I mean, I’m sure you get a workout simply moving from one room to another in here. A few circuits sprinting up and down these steps every morning will help keep me in shape too.’ It wasn’t a total lie to cover his tracks. He’d let his gym membership lapse when he’d been busy running between Amy’s childcare and Gran’s nursing home. He’d have to begin a fitness regime when the hospitality thus far had been so effectively displayed. Getting fed around here didn’t seem as though it was going to be a problem. Especially when there were silver dishes piled high with juicy citrus fruit and pastel-coloured almonds dotted around the palace at regular intervals.

  ‘Uh-huh.’ Kaja gave him a disbelieving look then carried on up the staircase.

  Amy broke away from him, sprinting on up to reach the landing first. Not waiting for the adults to catch up, she bolted down the corridor, giddy at having so much space to go wild in after being cooped up in a plane for so long.

  ‘Amy, keep the noise down and don’t touch anything.’ He had visions of her bursting in on an unsuspecting dignitary and causing an international incident as she treated the place like her own. A child her age had no comprehension of the complex relationships going on around her. Only the scope of the place for potential fun and mischief. Seth didn’t know if Kaja understood what she was in for hosting his daughter.

  ‘Oh, don’t worry. You’re the only ones on this floor apart from me and the staff. She won’t disturb anyone. Bruno and father are already at the private hospital where you’ll be working. I’ll take you to see them later. I’m sure you and Amy would appreciate some time to settle in first.’

  ‘Thanks. That’s very kind of you. I think a nap might be i
n order.’

  ‘No problem. I know at your age you need all the sleep you can get.’

  The jibe caught him off guard, as did the mischievous grin she was sporting. It was a glimpse back at the girl who’d teased him constantly about being a whole three years older and of the close relationship they’d once had.

  ‘Ha, ha. I was thinking more of Amy.’ He would never admit the day had taken its toll on him as well, albeit on a more emotional level than he’d anticipated. If Kaja remained unaffected by his presence after all these years as she seemed, there was no point in letting her know he still had unresolved feelings surrounding their past.

  He’d only jumped into the relationship with Paula because he’d been so desolate without Kaja and he’d needed someone to provide the company, the intimacy he’d lost with her gone. In hindsight he could see that by rushing headlong into that relationship he’d opened himself up to further rejection from Paula. They hadn’t known each other long enough to survive a pregnancy and a marriage so soon after meeting. Perhaps he’d been so keen for the family he’d pictured with Kaja he’d transferred those dreams unfairly onto his spouse. In some way perhaps he’d also wanted to prove his absent mother wrong, prove that it was possible to have a successful career and children. And that someone could love him and want him in their life. Though as of now, the only person who did was his daughter.

  ‘Of course you were...’ She patted him on the shoulder with the tease but he noticed the flare of panic in her eyes when she realised what she was doing and snatched her hand away again. It was too late for him to forget her touch now he had physical proof this wasn’t a dream and she was real after all.

  ‘Now, this is where you will be staying.’ She snapped back into courteous hostess mode and opened the ornately carved oak door etched with leaves and flowers, leading to a suite so big Seth feared he’d lost Amy already. The gold and cream colour scheme wasn’t easy on the eyes as it screamed money. Along with not being childproof.