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A Week Later

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Kai leads me up towards the palace, the awkwardness of last week still stagnant in the air between us every day since we nearly kissed in the kitchen. Yet somehow we're still carrying on with life as, well, our normal. We've been out in public, doing a couple of small local public engagements for the local town so people can get used to seeing us around. There's been a couple more interviews and photoshoots with the media, and the public seems to be not shutting up about us.

As I walk behind him in a navy blue dress with a Peter Pan collar and black pumps, Kai beams from ear to ear.

"How amazing was it, though?" Kai turns to me, showing me his excited demeanour. If he was let loose and wasn't about to meet his parents and mine in the same room, he'd probably be on par with Tom Cruise's infamous sofa-jumping scene right now.

"It was... amazing to be fair," I add, but even my biggest smile probably wouldn't meet his mood right now.

He looks at his phone's home screen again, which is a scan photo. We have a ton of scan images from the twelve-week scan this morning, and he's already taken photos and sent them to his parents and sister while I didn't so my family can see it in a minute with the copies we bought for them.

He kisses the back of my hand. "Our baby is healthy and waved at us, Peach! Our baby! Did you see it waving at us? Little Mini-Peach or Mini-Kai squirming around in there!"

I can't help the laugh that comes out of my mouth at those nicknames. "I mean, yeah, I saw it, Kai, I was there too. And what are those nicknames?"

"Well, it's a mini boy or girl, right? Peach for girl, Kai for boy. Duh!"

I snort and shake my head. "You're cute when you're excited. Did anyone ever tell you that?"

He stops and meets my gaze; that chemical reaction starts fizzing between us like a bath bomb hitting the water. We have said nothing about the almost kiss between us last week, nor have we even discussed feelings or had any moments like it since, but this feels like one of those moments. We're walking through the brick and ancient corridors of Windsor Castle on our way to meet both sets of parents as they meet for the first time, and the gardens are on our left. No one is around as I back up a little until I meet the brick wall behind me. Kai's face is inches from mine when he steps forward again.

I've never felt heat like this since that night.

His lips meet mine in such a small yet quick move, it takes me a moment to really understand that it's happening. It's so light and tentative to start with. It's like a weird apology and sadness at the same time. That is until I kiss him back in the same manner; it acts as permission for him to unleash his hunger on me. His tongue opens my mouth and starts lapping up all the unsaid words and emotions. The lust burns between us like wildfire as he flushes against me, pushing me further into the wall.

My hands reach around his neck as we deepen the kiss further until we're just hands everywhere and tongues exploring.

After a few more moments, I realise where I am, and who I am. We're already running late for this meeting between both our parents, and we've just made ourselves later. The problem is, as I pull away and look at Kai's desire-riddled face, I realise that this lust might be brewing between us like a witch's cauldron on Halloween, but this is the same guy who never really gave me a choice in this position, and then told people about it.

Of course, I had a hand in this. It takes two to make a baby, of course. But he's the one that forced me into this position of being engaged and raising the baby as a royal. He's the one who gave me the choice, agreed to it and then ripped it from me within a matter of days.

"We're late," I whisper.

Kai chuckles and steps away from me. "I couldn't care less how late we are. Peach, I've wanted to do that ever since... well, the last time we did that."

I sigh and glance away. "Come on, we'll be late."

"You don't wanna talk about it?"

I shake my head and move away from the wall. "Not really, no. Not now, anyway."

He just nods and crooks his arm for me to take. "Okay. Let's get this done then."

I link my arm with his and let him lead the way.

"For what it's worth, Peach, whenever – if ever – you wanna discuss it, I'm here. Whatever it's about. We're in this together, all right?"

I nod, but somehow his words don't ring right in my head. It might seem like we're in this together, but I still can't quite forgive him for manipulating this situation. I've no doubt his family wants this baby to be in the family and whatever, but there seemed to be no resistance from Kai about marrying me, moving me here and all of that. 

Despite us getting to know each other and living together, the warmer I feel towards him in the past few weeks, the more it bugs me that he hasn't fought for my choice. I'm unsure why that is, though. Is it that I'm seeing this more clearly, or is there something bubbling under the surface and his flaws are being more out in the open than they ever have been?

Whichever it is, it's frightening me a little.

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It's been an hour and my family and Kai's family seem to be getting on. The first thing I'd predicted was my dad yelling at the king and queen for what they've done to his daughter and grandchild, or something like that. But he didn't. He, Annie and Patrick all walked in, curtsied and bowed, got to know the monarchs and then started bonding with them. It's weird, for sure.

All five of them are fawning over the scan photos as well, and it's amazing for my dad to get so choked up over it as well. Even Patrick – who saw the last scan – is even more excited about being an uncle, and Annie is already gossiping with the queen about names and clothes.

"Hey, sweetheart, are you okay?" Dad whispers to me. He's suddenly standing beside me at the window of the drawing room where I first met the king and queen. The view over the gardens still takes my breath away as it's all lush green grasses, a massive fountain and luscious, colourful flowers constantly in bloom.

"Oh, yeah, I'm okay," I whisper. "Just... having a moment. Not sure how I fit into all of this still, you know? The dresses are nice, money is even nicer, and the cottage is like something out of a fairy tale, but the cameras and photos all the time are just... weird."

He puts a hand on my shoulder. Even in these heels, I'm still shorter than my dad. It's super strange.

"It will be, pumpkin. I can't imagine what weirdness you're going through right now. But the main thing is the baby is okay, right?"

I nod. "All the tests came back perfect, so far."

He kisses my temple and I melt in the hold that's put all my wrongs to right since the day I was born. "Listen to me, if you want to walk away at any point, you can, you know? We'll move to a non-Commonwealth country with Annie, Patrick, and the baby. Sort out visitation rights and whatever. Your wellbeing is my main priority. There might be making your bed and lying in it, but this is more than that. Just tell me, okay?"

I smile and squeeze him tighter. "Thank you, Dad. Honestly, though, I'm okay with this. My anger has subsided. It is what it is. The baby is going to have the best start in life, and though this isn't the way I thought my life would go, it's okay."

"Just remember, okay? Anytime, anywhere, no questions asked."

I nod and kiss his cheek. "I love you, Dad."

Dad smiles. "I love you too."

"Everything okay?" Kai asks. He's standing next to me, though I can feel the awkwardness in the air between us since the kiss. We've barely spoken since, and I can feel the embarrassment he's radiating.

"Yeah, just hugging my dad," I say.

"The other day I came across a photo while going through our albums. Mila was seven or eight, and one of her birthday presents was a singing Britney Spears Barbie doll. She was so excited. The thing drove me and her mother up the wall. Constantly playing the thing, forcing us to change the battery. She took it everywhere with her for a year," Dad says.

I glance around. Everyone is listening. Of course, Annie and Patrick know this story, but the monarchy and Kai... the flush brightens and warms my face.

"Dad!"

Dad chuckles. "She almost lost it at the cinema. We had to go back and look under the seats and everything. Still got the thing somewhere. Can't even remember when she outgrew it."

Kai grins and looks at me. That look means I will not live this down.

"That's sweet," Queen Charlotte says. "Kai had a little stuffed pig growing up that he never let go of. He was ten when he finally relegated it to the end of his bed."

Kai suddenly stops grinning. "Mother!"

"It's a parent's job to embarrass your children. Especially when the in-laws meet, son," King Hugh says.

"I'd like to reiterate that the Britney doll sang. Like, it was incredibly amazing, all right? I wanted to be Britney when I grew up, okay?" I mention. "Can't sing for toffee, and I have two left feet, but at the time, I could dance all the steps to the Baby One More Time song from the PlayStation game I had. I was committed."

"When Mum and I moved in, she still played the song and I found her attempting the dance in her room once," Patrick adds.

"Oh, really?" Kai asks. "I'll have to put the song on, see if you can do the moves now."

"No, you won't! Stop making fun of me!"

"Oh, this isn't making fun of you. Your brother is providing me with great and important information for our lives, Mila," Kai teases.

I narrow my eyes and give him a sneer. He laughs in response, and it feels like the kiss never happened.

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That evening, after my family left the cottage where we gave them the grand tour, as Dad called it, I'm sitting in the lounge and staring out the window into the gardens. The TV became boring after a while, and I cannot bear to watch the news with its continuous coverage with photos and information on me and Kai. They've turned their attention to looking at my family and looking for anything to keep the attention on us. I kept the TV on in the background to stop my mind from wandering.

Kai walks in and sits down beside me. "They're already gagging for next week when we go to the Dahlia Festival at Stonehenge."

I turn to watch him. He's staring at the TV with a deflated expression.

To break the silence, I say, "I was doing a bit of research on this dahlia show thing. It's the first in one-hundred-and-eighty years and it's held by the Dahlia Society, right?"

He meets my gaze and nods. "Yeah, florists grow dahlias and show them off, and someone picks the winner. This year, to mark the first one in so many years, we are going to pick the winner. Florists will also make headdresses out of dahlias for the visitors to wear and pose with. There's going to be live music, a cricket match and everyone is welcome. In Victorian times, it was a chance for everyone in England to attend – royal, high class or lower classes and people would picnic, and show off flowers. Just a bit of fun."

I nod. "That's amazing."

Kai nods. "So... I was thinking. They want us to announce the winner and make a speech. The meaning of a dahlia is something like innocence, purity and new birth—"

"You want us to announce the pregnancy?" I finish for him.

Kai nods. "It'll kind of be the perfect time, right?"

I sigh and look out at the gardens. The fountain is alive, the lights now on as it gets darker outside. It illuminates the grass surrounding it. There's a romantic mood to it, and the memory of our kiss is burned into my memory bank, bringing my lips back to life where they remember his on mine. Part of me wants them back, but all the reasons I'm here are still eating at the rational part of my brain.

"It's gotta come out at some point," I say. "So I guess that's okay."

Kai nods and turns the TV off. "Peach, about earlier—"

I shake my head. "No, don't talk about it."

"We need to. It happened for a reason—"

I move off the armchair. "We both know we're attracted to each other; that's how the baby happened. But I'm... there are so many ways you could've not let this happen, Kai. You're the one with the power in this... arrangement. You're a prince and I'm the lowly normal citizen. Sure, the money and security this baby will have is amazing, but I wanted it to have the choice. You took that from me. I'm moving on from it, but I am still resentful, and though we both clearly lust after each other, I can't get over that resentment."

He looks like a wounded puppy; he knows how to turn that on and off like a damn switch. I hate that.

Kai quickly shakes it off, though. "That's actually fair. Look, Peach, I'm sorry. For everything."

"You don't need to apologise. We are where we are. I'm trying to move forward and embrace this. From where I'm standing, we clearly have chemistry, but I think the best I can do is friends and co-parents," I admit. "I think setting boundaries is good for now because I think once those are set up, my brain can get out of this funk of resenting and mourning my old life. My rational side knows this is my life now, but there's this side that can't get over it."

He stands up and nods. "Makes sense. Look, I—whatever happens between us or not... whatever, I am invested in this baby. I cannot wait to be a father, and I know this isn't how you envisaged it happening, but I promise you, I am fully into this role. Co-parent and friend, okay? However you want this to go, I'm all in, you know?"

I laugh. "Kai, you don't need to convince me, okay? I just want your honesty."

He turns serious. "I think friends is best right now. You're right, the lust is there, but we need to tread this path carefully. It's all change for us both and it's just finding that line. We got this. Half of it is done already – the public is in love with you."

There's this strange moment where everything goes silent but the fountain outside. I'm not sure where this is going. There's that same charge from earlier – it's always there between us, and we both know it – but we just agreed on this boundary.

Somehow, we both find our way into a hug. It feels warm and genuine.

"I understand your feelings, okay, Peach? And I know you don't want apologies, but let me say this one more time: I am so, so sorry for this. I know this isn't how you wanted things to go. But I do want this to be good for you as well, you know? We're here now, and I am doing my best to make things as easy and happy for you as can be, all right?"

I nod into his chest. "Thank you. I get it, all right? I'm sorry for... whatever. Everything. Being angry, clumsy. I'm trying to adjust. It's just not as instantaneous as we both wish."

He chuckles. "You take as long as you need. But as long as it's within six months."

I snort. "That'd be nice. Uh, I know this might sound weird, but it's my birthday in a couple of weeks. I was hoping to see my family."

He lets me go and stares into my eyes for a second. "Your birthday?"

"Eleventh of October."

He nods. "I'll sort it out. Leave everything with me, but I promise you'll see your family. It's my dad's birthday next week."

I nod. "The whole flyover – Trooping the Colour, right?"

Kai nods. "It'll happen on Sunday and we'll be on the balcony and everything. We have the birthday ball on his actual birthday – Friday. All a few days after the public find out about Mini-Kidney Bean."

I snort at that nickname. "It should be fruit-related, seeing as I'm a peach."

He cocks his head. "I'll work on it." 

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