I Want You for Christmas: The Prince's Lost Princess - a Heartwarming Snow-Capped Holiday Romance Read Online Free
Author: Holly Rayner, Lara Hunter
Tags: Suspense, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, romantic suspense, Holidays, Mystery & Suspense
for a moment that going to Italy would be a great idea, but the worry in her mother’s eyes made her hesitate.
“We’ll figure it out, Gigi. Don’t worry,” her father said warmly. “Gaby deserves this opportunity. And besides, maybe she’ll meet a nice Italian man while she is there.”
“She’d better,” Gina mumbled, and Gaby fought back a flare of annoyance. Could she not simply go to Italy and enjoy herself? Did it always have to be about finding a man?
“You have to visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore,” her Uncle Tony said, smiling at her. “It’s absolutely stunning.”
“Sure thing,” Gaby said, suddenly overwhelmed. She’d never stepped a toe outside of New York, and now she was headed for an international trip to Italy? How had this happened so fast?
“Don’t be scared, Gaby. Life has a way of throwing wonderful surprises our way. You deserve a little happiness in your life, don’t you agree?” Tony said.
“I am happy,” Gaby said, automatically.
Tony placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I know. But you’re also a little stuck, and I can see that, even if your parents can’t. Go to Florence. See the world. Then when you come back you can tell all of us where to go the next time we travel there.”
Gaby smiled at her uncle, glad for his reassurance. He always knew what to say.
Everyone had eaten their pie and sat back in their chairs with full bellies. Most of Gaby’s nieces and nephews were fast asleep on the booth chairs surrounding the place by the time everything was cleaned up and put away. Gaby and her parents wished everyone a good night and a fond farewell before they left, carrying sleeping children to the cars before they got cold.
Gaby waved goodbye to her family, kissing each of her parents before she headed upstairs to her own bedroom.
She supposed she would have to pack, should she actually decide to go.
THREE
(Adela)
“And now announcing, Signorina Adela Barbarini.”
Adela was frantic as she stared wildly around the backstage area. It was her debutante ball, the single most important day of her life, and he wasn’t here to escort her. He had promised he would, and yet there she stood, alone, about to embarrass herself in front of family, friends, and Italian dignitaries. She fought back tears, desperate not to ruin her makeup and make it even worse.
The announcer cleared his throat. “Ahem. Announcing, Signorina Adela Barbarini!” he repeated, his voice a little forced.
There was nothing to be done for it. Adela squared her shoulders and walked onto the platform by herself, facing a large audience of bewildered faces. As she walked down the stairway to the elaborate ballroom, she stared out in defiance, all the while cursing the name of Prince Luca of Campania. She heard whispers as she approached the bottom step and walked through a parted sea of well-dressed people, most of whom she didn’t know.
“Wasn’t Luca meant to escort her?” a man in the audience whispered.
The woman next to him rolled her eyes. “What do you expect? The Prince is hardly reliable. She should have chosen a better escort.”
“Better than a prince?” the man hissed, and the two of them faced forward and smiled as Adela passed, nodding politely and smiling at her.
Adela tried to ignore the forced sympathy. She imagined she would find her name in the gossip columns tomorrow as the jilted date of a philandering prince. The woman was correct. She had chosen poorly.
Prince Luca was nothing but a cad and a liar, and everyone knew it.
FOUR
(Luca)
“Wake up!”
“What?” Luca mumbled, rolling into his down pillow and burying his face there. Whoever was calling him needed to go away, and fast. He was in no mood for visitors.
“I said wake up, Luca!”
Through the fog of his hangover, Luca realized that the voice pestering him belonged to
“We’ll figure it out, Gigi. Don’t worry,” her father said warmly. “Gaby deserves this opportunity. And besides, maybe she’ll meet a nice Italian man while she is there.”
“She’d better,” Gina mumbled, and Gaby fought back a flare of annoyance. Could she not simply go to Italy and enjoy herself? Did it always have to be about finding a man?
“You have to visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore,” her Uncle Tony said, smiling at her. “It’s absolutely stunning.”
“Sure thing,” Gaby said, suddenly overwhelmed. She’d never stepped a toe outside of New York, and now she was headed for an international trip to Italy? How had this happened so fast?
“Don’t be scared, Gaby. Life has a way of throwing wonderful surprises our way. You deserve a little happiness in your life, don’t you agree?” Tony said.
“I am happy,” Gaby said, automatically.
Tony placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I know. But you’re also a little stuck, and I can see that, even if your parents can’t. Go to Florence. See the world. Then when you come back you can tell all of us where to go the next time we travel there.”
Gaby smiled at her uncle, glad for his reassurance. He always knew what to say.
Everyone had eaten their pie and sat back in their chairs with full bellies. Most of Gaby’s nieces and nephews were fast asleep on the booth chairs surrounding the place by the time everything was cleaned up and put away. Gaby and her parents wished everyone a good night and a fond farewell before they left, carrying sleeping children to the cars before they got cold.
Gaby waved goodbye to her family, kissing each of her parents before she headed upstairs to her own bedroom.
She supposed she would have to pack, should she actually decide to go.
THREE
(Adela)
“And now announcing, Signorina Adela Barbarini.”
Adela was frantic as she stared wildly around the backstage area. It was her debutante ball, the single most important day of her life, and he wasn’t here to escort her. He had promised he would, and yet there she stood, alone, about to embarrass herself in front of family, friends, and Italian dignitaries. She fought back tears, desperate not to ruin her makeup and make it even worse.
The announcer cleared his throat. “Ahem. Announcing, Signorina Adela Barbarini!” he repeated, his voice a little forced.
There was nothing to be done for it. Adela squared her shoulders and walked onto the platform by herself, facing a large audience of bewildered faces. As she walked down the stairway to the elaborate ballroom, she stared out in defiance, all the while cursing the name of Prince Luca of Campania. She heard whispers as she approached the bottom step and walked through a parted sea of well-dressed people, most of whom she didn’t know.
“Wasn’t Luca meant to escort her?” a man in the audience whispered.
The woman next to him rolled her eyes. “What do you expect? The Prince is hardly reliable. She should have chosen a better escort.”
“Better than a prince?” the man hissed, and the two of them faced forward and smiled as Adela passed, nodding politely and smiling at her.
Adela tried to ignore the forced sympathy. She imagined she would find her name in the gossip columns tomorrow as the jilted date of a philandering prince. The woman was correct. She had chosen poorly.
Prince Luca was nothing but a cad and a liar, and everyone knew it.
FOUR
(Luca)
“Wake up!”
“What?” Luca mumbled, rolling into his down pillow and burying his face there. Whoever was calling him needed to go away, and fast. He was in no mood for visitors.
“I said wake up, Luca!”
Through the fog of his hangover, Luca realized that the voice pestering him belonged to
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