She turned on her heel and walked away. Rafael watched her go. Even as he resented the situation, he found himself admiring the power of her convictions and the grace in her movements.
She was, he admitted to himself, quite a woman. Also, she was much more angry than he had thought she would be. Daniel was his heir-what did she expect him to do? Allow his son to be raised here? Away from his people?
“Impossible,” he muttered.
Joe smiled insincerely. “That’s what we were saying about you. The party is this way.”
Rafael followed him around to the side of the house, where several large tables had been set up in the shade. There were a dozen or so children, most likely from Danny’s school, a few parents, and much of the Marcelli clan. He recognized Brenna and her husband, Joe’s wife, Francesca, and, of course, the Grands.
They were all watching him as if waiting for him to pull out a weapon and hold them all hostage. He saw the anger in their eyes and knew that he didn’t have to deal with just Mia’s rage.
“Daddy, Daddy!” Danny raced toward him.
Rafael crouched down and reached for the boy. Daniel crashed into him and wrapped his arms around Rafael’s neck.
For a moment, Rafael hugged him just as tightly.
“I missed you,” Danny said. “Why’d you go away?”
He didn’t have an answer for that, and oddly, he found he couldn’t speak. His throat felt tight and thick.
“Daddy?” Daniel stepped back and looked at him. “Why’d you have to go away?”
“Business,” Rafael managed as he stared at the boy. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized he was afraid he would never see him again. “Sometimes it is work to be a prince.”
“I like being the heir.”
“I’m sure you do. Are you having a good party?”
Daniel nodded. “I have so many presents, and there’s cake.” He reached for his father’s hand. “Come see.”
Rafael stood and allowed himself to be tugged toward the gathering. He saw Umberto and Oliver surrounded by several of Joe’s guards. While the other parents smiled warmly at him, the Marcellis all looked as if they were picturing him dead.
Mia wasn’t kidding about protecting her son. She said she would use any means and he believed her. She was strong, but he was stronger. Somehow he would defeat them all.
“I love it, Daddy,” Daniel said as he fingered the new leather saddle Rafael had given him. “There’s a D and a A and a N…” He frowned, then grabbed his mother’s arm. “It’s not Danny. I thought it was Danny.”
Mia glanced at the saddle, then narrowed her eyes. “You’re right. It’s not Danny. It’s Daniel. I’m sorry your daddy got your name wrong.”
“That’s okay,” Daniel told Rafael. “Sometimes I’m Daniel, but mostly when I’ve been bad.”
“In Calandria, you’ll be Daniel all the time,” Rafael said easily. “As the heir, you will go by the more formal version of your name.”
Daniel stared at him for a second, then shrugged and reached for the next present. It was a remote car from Joe. Daniel gasped with delight and raced over to his uncle.
“Can we play tonight? Will you play with me? Please.”
Joe ruffled the boy’s hair. “Sure thing, kid. We’ll have a race.”
Daniel hugged the other man. Rafael watched, uncomfortable with the boy’s obvious affection for the larger man. He turned back to the table of presents and scowled when he realized his presents-the saddle, brushes for the pony, and an expensive set of leather-bound children’s stories-had been whisked away. All the other presents were still scattered about, but his were gone.
He turned to Mia. “Will you keep my gifts from him? That seems very small of you. Whatever your complaints with me, they have nothing to do with my son.”
“Our son,” she said evenly. “The pony supplies are near to the pony, and Brenna and Nic took the books inside so they wouldn’t be ruined in the sun. Danny’s not used to leather-bound books. It will take him some time to learn how to read them responsibly. Or read at all.”
He felt the censure in her words, as if he’d chosen inappropriately. “Those are stories for children.”
“Perhaps on your planet. Here on earth, we don’t read our kids literal translations of the Grimms’ fairy tales. They’re just a little too brutal.”
“What are you talking about?” he demanded.
“Have you ever read them? Really read them? Children do not fare well. Although I do remember a particular favorite about an evil prince being eaten by a bear. Hmm, perhaps I’ll read that to Danny tonight.”
“Who wants cake?” Grandma Tessa asked before he could respond to Mia.
The two grandmothers carried out a large cake decorated with race cars. The children gathered around as the cake was placed in the center of the middle table. Four candles were lit.
Mia sat on the bench in front of the cake and put Daniel on her lap. “Okay, big guy. This is it. Your chance to make a wish. Now close your eyes and wish really hard. Then open your eyes and blow out the candles. Make sure you don’t tell anyone your wish, okay?”
Daniel squirmed with delight. He’d long since abandoned his party hat, and there were several food stains on his striped T-shirt. While he screwed up his whole face as he considered his wish, Rafael thought of his childhood birthday parties.
There had been other children, of course, and their parents. Everyone had dressed formally. There had been an orchestra and some kind of entertainment. The gifts had been left on a table for him to open later, with his nanny. He’d been required to write a thank-you note after opening each present, which had stretched out the process to several days.
After he’d gone off to boarding school, birthdays had been joint affairs, celebrated with the other boys having birthdays that month. The school had prided itself on treating even royal sons like everyone else, so there had been no special celebration for him.
Daniel opened his eyes and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered.
“All right, birthday boy,” Grammy M said as she hovered over the cake. “You get the first piece. Which one do you want? A corner, with lots of frosting?”
Daniel nodded, then pointed to the corner he wanted. Rafael recalled having to wait for his cake until everyone else had been served.
Grammy M cut him an impossibly large piece. Daniel took it and began to eat. The other children were served next, then the parents. Grandma Tessa passed Rafael a plate with a mint on it.
He stared at the small piece of candy, then looked at the old woman, who glared right back.
“Daddy, don’t you want cake?” Daniel asked.
“Your father doesn’t like cake,” Mia said easily. “Isn’t that true, Rafael?”
The fire in her eyes told him she would be delighted to have him defy her. That way she’d have an excuse to take him on again. But he didn’t want to fight with Mia anymore. Not when the more important task was to win her back.
“Your mother is right,” he said gently. “Birthday cake does not agree with me.”
“I guess we’ll have to put the rat poison in something else,” Grandma Tessa muttered as she moved away.
Conversation quieted as the cake was consumed. Rafael was aware of how the Marcelli family kept tabs on him. If he moved close to Daniel, one of them was right there. Umberto and Oliver were never left alone. The other parents noticed nothing, but Rafael saw it all. The family had closed ranks against him.
Like Mia, he fought anger, but for a different reason. They were all acting out of ignorance. They did not understand that Daniel had responsibilities and a place in the world. He could not learn how to be king in this backwater.