Leanne Banks - A Royal Christmas Proposal

1. A special first holiday season for my baby son, Leo.

2. Mistletoe hung with care throughout the palace.

3. A beautiful stocking for Leo, embroidered with his name—and maybe one for my new bodyguard, Treat?

4. The ability to stop gazing at Treat from afar!

5. An evening snuggling under a blanket with my sexy guard to watch old Christmas movies.

6. A feast fit for a princess and my prince(s)—Leo and Treat!

7. A father for Leo … and the husband of my dreams?

* * *

Royal Babies:

A new generation of little princes—and princesses!

www.millsandboon.co.uk

LEANNE BANKSis a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author who is surprised every time she realizes how many books she has written. Leanne loves chocolate, the beach and new adventures. To name a few, Leanne has ridden an elephant, stood on an ostrich egg (no, it didn’t break), gone parasailing and done indoor skydiving. Leanne loves writing romance because she believes in the power and magic of love. She lives in Virginia with her family and a four-and-a-half-pound Pomeranian named Bijou. Visit her website, www.leannebanks.com.

This book is dedicated to all the parents who have gone the extra mile, two miles or one hundred miles for your child’s well-being. Thank you for your love and devotion. You’ve made the world a better place.

Contents

Cover

Introduction Princess Fredericka Devereaux’s Christmas Wish List 1. A special first holiday season for my baby son, Leo. 2. Mistletoe hung with care throughout the palace. 3. A beautiful stocking for Leo, embroidered with his name—and maybe one for my new bodyguard, Treat? 4. The ability to stop gazing at Treat from afar! 5. An evening snuggling under a blanket with my sexy guard to watch old Christmas movies. 6. A feast fit for a princess and my prince(s)—Leo and Treat! 7. A father for Leo … and the husband of my dreams? * * * Royal Babies: A new generation of little princes—and princesses!

Title Page A Royal Christmas Proposal Leanne Banks www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author LEANNE BANKS is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author who is surprised every time she realizes how many books she has written. Leanne loves chocolate, the beach and new adventures. To name a few, Leanne has ridden an elephant, stood on an ostrich egg (no, it didn’t break), gone parasailing and done indoor skydiving. Leanne loves writing romance because she believes in the power and magic of love. She lives in Virginia with her family and a four-and-a-half-pound Pomeranian named Bijou. Visit her website, www.leannebanks.com .

Dedication This book is dedicated to all the parents who have gone the extra mile, two miles or one hundred miles for your child’s well-being. Thank you for your love and devotion. You’ve made the world a better place.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Princess Fredericka hoped her brother wasn’t going to be impossible.

She knew she had made more than her share of mistakes. She’d been a wild child when she’d been a teenager and terrified her family with her antics. Everyone had breathed a sigh of relief when she’d gotten married, because she’d appeared to calm down. In many ways she had, but she’d learned things didn’t always turn out the way one expected. She’d managed to make the best of what life had dealt her. Ericka knew her brother Stefan, the ruling prince of Chantaine, however, would have a hard time seeing her as a competent single mother to her adorable son, Leo.

She resisted the urge to fidget as she waited to be invited into her brother’s office. She nodded at staff members as they hung holiday greenery and put candles in the window. Ericka suspected the Christmas decorations had been ordered by Eve, her brother’s wife. Ericka barely remembered seeing Christmas decorations when she had been growing up in the palace. With the exception of the huge Christmas tree in one of the formal rooms, one might not have known the holiday existed. Of course, the deep chill between her mother and father hadn’t helped matters.

Her father, Prince Edward, had been a philanderer and an absentee father and husband. Her mother had felt trapped and bitter. Ericka remembered wishing only that she could run away. She’d done exactly that in more than one way, which was why she suspected this was going to be a messy discussion. Stefan was extremely protective.

The door to Stefan’s office finally opened. “Your Highness, Princess Fredericka, please come in,” Stefan’s assistant said.

She nodded. “Thank you very much,” she said, then entered her brother’s office while the assistant left the room. “Stefan,” she greeted, walking toward her brother. She noticed a wisp of a couple gray streaks on the sides of his dark hair. The burden of his position was obviously weighing on him.

She kissed his cheek and he kissed hers. “How are you?” she asked.

“I’m well,” he said. “I’m more concerned about you and Leonardo.”

Ericka smiled. “Leo and I are great. I’m happy to be back in Chantaine after spending the last year with Tina in Texas.”

“You could have spent the last year here in Chantaine,” he said, and rounded his desk to sit in his chair.

Ericka sat in the chair across from her brother, watching him as he tented his fingers and studied her. “I think it was good to be with Tina in Texas during my pregnancy and delivery. She and her husband were supportive, and it was fun having their daughter, Katarina, around. She’s quite the spitfire. Little ones put everything in perspective.”

“True,” Stefan said, giving a serious nod. “I think it would be best for you and Leo to live at the palace.”

Ericka’s stomach twisted and she bit the inside of her lip. She hated to go up against Stefan but knew it was necessary. “I think not,” she said. “I’ve found a lovely gated cottage and a nanny. I think this will be best for Leo and me.”

Stefan frowned. “But what about security? You and Leo need to be protected. That would be much easier within the palace walls.”

Ericka shook her head. “The palace isn’t the place for me. If you think about it, it’s not the place for most of us. None of your siblings live here. I apologize for how this may sound, but the palace feels claustrophobic. I don’t want that for Leo.”

“He’s a baby,” Stefan said. “How will he know?”

“Babies sense more than you think. He would sense my tension. Leo and I need our own place. As I said, I have found a wonderful nanny and I’ve arranged for therapy for his hearing disability.”

Stefan pressed his lips together. “Is there any chance you’re wrong about his hearing? He’s so young.”

“No,” she said, remembering the grief she’d suffered when she’d learned her perfect Leo couldn’t hear. The doctors had tested Leo before she’d left the hospital with him, and many more tests had followed. “He has a hearing disability and I’m determined to make sure he gets the best treatment available.”

“I can’t believe you don’t think living in the palace would make your life easier,” Stefan said. “And your son’s life safer.”

Ericka shook her head. “Don’t try to guilt me into doing things your way, Stefan. I have to follow my best inner guidance. I have to be my own expert. I’m counting on you to be supportive.”