Becoming the Prince's Wife (Princes of Europe) by Rebecca Winters Page B

on the coffee table. “You mean that at the midnight hour, you suddenly came upon the woman of your dreams.”
    Valentino couldn’t laugh about this. “It was evening, actually. I’d just come from the helicopter. Carolena was in the swimming pool ready to take a dive.”
    “Aphrodite in the flesh.”
    “Better. Much better.” The vision of her in that bathing suit never left him. He finished off the rest of his beer and put the empty bottle on the table.
    “Abby’s best friend, I understand. Did I hear mother right? She’s helping you and Vincenzo with a marketing video?”
    He took a deep breath. “Correct.” Valentino explained the project to his brother.
    “I’m impressed with your idea, but you still haven’t answered my question.” Vito sat forward. “What is this woman to you? If word gets back to Alexandra about your dining and dancing with her on the yacht, you could hurt her a great deal.”
    Valentino stared hard at his brother, surprised at the extent of the caring he heard in his voice. “For the first time in my life I’m in love, Vito.”
    “You?”
    He nodded solemnly. “I mean irrevocably in love.”
    The news robbed his brother of speech.
    “I can’t marry Alexandra. There’ll be no wedding or coronation in August, no announcement to Parliament.”
    Color left Vito’s face before he put his bottle down and got to his feet. He was visibly shaken by the news.
    “Until I met Carolena, I deluded myself into thinking Alexandra and I could make our marriage work by having children. Now I realize our wedding will only doom us both to a life of sheer unhappiness. I don’t love her and she doesn’t love me the way Michelina loved Vincenzo.
    “Despite what our parents wanted and planned for, I don’t want that kind of marriage for either of us. Tomorrow evening I’m planning to fly to Cyprus and break our engagement. The news will set her free. Hopefully she’ll find a man she can really love, even if it causes a convulsion within our families.”
    Somehow he expected to see and hear outrage from his brother, but Vito did neither. He simply eyed him with an enigmatic expression. “You won’t have to fly there. Mother has invited her here for dinner tomorrow evening.”
    His brows lifted. “That doesn’t surprise me. Under the circumstances, I’m glad she’ll be here. After I see Carolena off on her flight back to Arancia, I’ll be able to concentrate on Alexandra.”
    “What are you planning to do with Carolena? You can’t marry her, and Mother doesn’t want to rule any longer.”
    Valentino cocked his head. “I’m not the only son. You’re second in line. All you’d have to do is resign your commission in the military and get married to Princess Regina. Mother would step down so you could rule. As long as one of us is willing, she’ll be happy.”
    “Be serious,” he snapped. “I’m not in love with Regina.”
    His quick-fire response led Valentino to believe his brother was in love with someone else. “Who is she, Vito?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “The woman you do love.” His brother averted his eyes, telling Valentino he’d been right about him.
    “Falling in love has totally changed you, Val.”
    “It has awakened me to what’s really important. Carolena makes me feel truly alive for the first time in my life!”
    Vito shook his head in disbelief. “When am I going to meet her?”
    “The next time I can arrange it.”
    “When will you tell Mother you’re breaking your engagement?”
    “After I’ve talked to Alexandra and we’ve spoken to her parents. Will you meet the princes at the plane for me? Carolena and I will be finishing up the filming about that time. You’d be doing me a huge favor.”
    His brother blinked like someone in a state of shock. “If that’s what you want.” When he reached the door to leave, he glanced around. “Val? Once you’ve broken with Alexandra, you can’t go back.”
    “I never wanted the marriage and have been