4. Hailey

CHAPTER 4

HAILEY

M y heart is still racing as we emerge onto the busy Manhattan street. I can’t believe I almost kissed Prince Luca! What came over me in that closet?

Sure, he’s handsome and charming, but this is a professional assignment. I need to keep things strictly business between us.

Still, when his strong arms wrapped around me, holding me close in the dark, it felt… right. Natural, even. And the way he looked at me after, his eyes searching mine…

I force the thoughts from my mind as I hail a cab. Luca slides in beside me, his thigh brushing mine, and my pulse quickens again.

“Where are we headed?” he asks with that lilting accent.

“Best pizza in the city,” I reply, trying to sound casual. “You can’t visit New York without trying our famous thin crust.”

Luca grins. “I’m famished.”

As the cab speeds downtown, he watches the city flash by with childlike awe. I study his profile — his regal nose, his sharp jawline dusted with stubble. I have an urge to reach out and touch it, feel its texture under my fingertips…

Instead, I clench my hands in my lap. This assignment will be over soon. Luca will return to his kingdom, become king. And I’ll likely never see him again.

I try to ignore the pang in my chest at the thought. It would be nice, spending some time with him beyond today, but I need to remember my place. Luca and I are from completely different worlds.

The cab pulls up outside John’s Pizzeria, a hole-in-the-wall joint with the best slices in the city. Luca insists on paying, despite my protests that it should go on my company card.

Holding thin paper plates that threaten to buckle under the weight of the huge slices, we grab a small table by the window. The scent of hot cheese and yeasty dough fills the air, making my mouth water.

Luca takes the first bite, the cheese stretching deliciously. His eyes widen.

“This is incredible!” he exclaims through a mouthful.

“I know,” I laugh. “I promised it would be!” A bit of sauce clings to his bottom lip and I have to resist the urge to wipe it off with my thumb.

We chat easily as we devour the pizza, and for a while I let the focus shift off of him and onto me — which seems to be what he needs in order to open up more. Luca asks thoughtful questions about my job, my family, my life in the city. He tells me what it was like growing up as a prince, both the privileges and responsibilities. I feel myself opening up more than I have with anyone in a long time.

Too soon, the last crusts are gone. I glance at the time on my phone.

“We should head to the subway if we want to make the next ferry to Liberty Island,” I say.

Luca’s face lights up. “I can’t wait to see Lady Liberty up close.”

We descend into the crowded subway station, and though Luca doesn’t mention it, it’s pretty obvious he’s never ridden a subway before. He hangs back a beat, watching other people go through the turnstiles before attempting it on his own, and once on the train he grins like a kid on a Disney World ride.

We emerge from the subway and walk to the bustling pier. Luca gazes up in awe at the towering green Statue of Liberty.

“She’s magnificent!” he exclaims.

After getting tickets, we board the ferry, joining the throngs of tourists speaking a cacophony of languages. Luca seems fascinated by everything, from the choppy harbor waters to the seagulls wheeling overhead.

As the ferry nears Liberty Island, his excitement is palpable. Being around him makes my own mood lighter. It feels like we’re on vacation rather than in the same city I’ve spent my entire life.

Disembarking with the others, we head straight for the statue. Inside, we slowly climb the tight spiral staircase, each step taking us closer to the crown.

At the top, we step out onto the narrow observation deck. The expansive view of the harbor and the city skyline is breathtaking.

Luca leans on the railing, the wind ruffling his hair. “I wish I could see sights like this every day,” he says wistfully. “My father keeps me on such a short leash back home.”

“I would have thought the world was your oyster,” I say, “being a prince and all.”

He shrugs. “It’s not that simple. I wish, but… no.”

“What would you choose if you could have anything?” I step a little closer, since it’s hard to hear each other due to the wind.

“I want to do something meaningful. I’m next in line for the throne, yet I have no real power to help my people. All I want is to make a difference.”

My heart aches for him. Impulsively, I squeeze his hand. Fire ignites where we touch, and his gaze drops to our hands.

Quickly, I withdraw the touch. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was an unchecked moment, completely unprofessional.

Turning away, I quickly look for something to focus on. Maybe I can make him forget that I ever crossed a line and touched his hand.

“There’s the Empire State Building.” I point it out.

He seems interested enough in the city’s architecture, and we linger until the sun sinks below the horizon in a blaze of orange and pink. Finally, we descend the winding staircase back down into the statue’s interior.

As we exit, Luca’s phone rings. He glances at the screen and sighs.

“My father,” he explains before answering. “Yes, Father, I’m fine… I’m just out seeing the sights of the city.” Luca’s voice tightens. “No… no, I’ll return when I’m ready. Goodbye.”

He ends the call abruptly, and I bite my lip with concern.

“Won’t the king send security forces to find you?” I ask.

He shakes his head, unconcerned. “Let them look. For the first time in years, I feel free.”

“Good,” I murmur, not wanting the day to end.

We board the ferry and take it back to the city, and once we disembark, my heart sinks with each step. I have enough for my story, but the day feels incomplete.

Because I don’t want to let Luca go, as wrong as that is.

I’ve never met a man as caring as he is, nor as passionate about life. It seems a crime to let him slip away into the huge world, only for us to never cross paths again.

As we walk along the river, his eyes meet mine. “Thank you for showing me New York.”

My heart flutters. “It was my pleasure,” I reply softly.

He looks down, seeming thoughtful. “Is it wrong that I don’t want today to end?”

My heart does a flip. “No,” I breathe. “I don’t want it to end either.”

He looks up and into my eyes, the warmth there taking me off guard. “What else can you show me? We’ve taken in some big sights, but what about Hailey’s New York? Hailey’s world?”

“I don’t do much,” I giggle. “I go to work and go home. I could show you those places, but I think you would be bored.”

He shakes his head. “I know I wouldn’t be.”

“Oh.” My pulse races. “Well, then… would you like to see my apartment? It’s nothing special, but it’s home.”

A slow smile pulls on his lips. “Please, lead the way.”

And so I do, guiding him to the A train and uptown to my stop. The whole way, I question whether this is a good idea: inviting my subject and the prince of a European country to my home.

But then I think of Luca, of how he’s let go and decided to live without shackles for at least one day, and I decide that I, too, should follow my heart and just see where it takes me.