“Hello, everyone, thank you for coming. I called this press conference today to discuss the information about my love life that has been spiraling across the media. There are a few things I’d like to clear up.”
He cleared his throat.
“First of all, yes, I did have a relationship with my younger siblings' tutor. I assure everyone, this was not a relationship that developed out of coercion. On the contrary, Maggie was very serious about her attraction to me just as I am serious about her. I am excited to inform everyone that we are officially dating, she is my girlfriend.”
I swooned. I couldn’t believe that he had just claimed me as his girlfriend for all of England. It was such a beautiful thing to hear. It was another one of those ‘pinch me’ moments. I couldn’t process that this was my life.
“I understand that it is inappropriate for me to seriously date anyone on the royal staff and because of this, she is no longer employed with the royal family. I am genuinely apologetic for the way our relationship started, though I am not at all apologetic to be with her. Maggie is my one true love, and if I had to suffer all this bad press again to be with her, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
Tears were welling in my eyes, and my dad patted me gently on the back.
“That boy, he’s a keeper, my dear. He truly is.”
I nodded. He was absolutely right. Edward was incredibly special.
“At this time, I will be fielding your questions,” Edward announced.
I didn’t get a chance to listen to the first question because somebody had rung my doorbell.
“I’ll get it!” My dad jumped up.
“No, no, sit and rest… I’ve got it,” I assured him, though he had been quite active lately. He seemed to be doing much better.
“Don’t you want to watch the rest of the press conference?” he asked.
“You sit and watch,” I insisted, “you can fill me in.”
I walked to the door. I expected it was a mail delivery and was entirely shocked to find Edward standing before me.
“But … wait,” I paused, “how can you be here when you’re there?” I pointed to the TV stupidly.
He laughed, “The press conference wasn’t live, Maggie.”
“Oh, I thought it was…” I felt a little stupid.
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course. Come on.”
He walked in and immediately greeted my father. “So nice to see you again.”
“And lovely to see you, Edward. What brings you here today?”
“Well, actually, I wanted to invite Maggie on a vacation.”
I raised an eyebrow. “A vacation? I thought your party days were over now.”
He laughed. “It isn’t that kind of vacation. It’ll be a very calm vacation. A relaxing tropical trip. Do you get seasick?”
“I, uh, have no idea,” I answered honestly. I’d never been on a boat.
“Well, pack a bathing suit and some cool clothing because we leave tonight if you’re willing.”
“I’m not so sure I am.” I looked over at my father and then back at Edward. “I shouldn’t leave my dad for a whole week.”
“Nonsense!” my father piped up. “You haven’t had a proper vacation since I became sick. You need this, Maggie, and I’ve been feeling very good as of late.”
“What if I have a caretaker come over for the duration of our trip? For the time that you would normally be around? Would that be okay with both of you?” Edward looked to me and then my father.
I turned to my father too.
“Of course that would be fine!” he said eagerly.
Then Edward looked expectantly toward me.
“Well…” I hesitated a bit, “if it’s really okay with my dad, I suppose I can go.”
Edward gave me a respectful kiss on the cheek. “Fantastic! Let’s go get you packed!” He put his hand on my back and walked me into my room.
I closed the door behind us for some privacy. I knew my father wouldn’t mind.
“So, did you watch the press conference?” he asked.
“I did. It was really sweet the way you talked about me.”
“Not too mushy?” he asked.
I sat next to him on the bed. “Not too mushy at all.”
We kissed for a moment, but it wasn’t a sexual kiss. It was sweet, quick, just to express that we appreciated each other’s company.
“You have no idea how happy I am that you agreed to be my girlfriend. I can’t help but shout it from the rooftops. This should technically be the most stressful time of my life, being that it’s my first scandal and all, but it’s really not with you by my side. I feel like I can take on anything with you.”
I leaned into him. “I feel the exact same way. I never imagined I’d have a chance with you.”
He laughed. “Funny, because I thought you were out of my league from the beginning.”
Me? Out of his league? He was set to be the King of England, for crying out loud!
I didn’t argue. I loved that he always made me feel special and important.
“You know, for all your fussing about it, I think you’re going to make a great Queen.”
I chuckled. “Oh, stop! Now your flattery is really going too far.”
“But it’s not at all!” he insisted.
“What reason could you possibly have to think I’d be a good queen?”
He didn’t even have to think about his answer. “The way you responded to Millie. It was very empathetic, considerate, and diplomatic. Anyone else would have probably insisted on her being fired. Not you. Because you’re different, Maggie, you’re something special.”
I smiled and leaned into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me.
“You know, a wise woman once told me that to help with my responsibilities as King, I should find a woman who would be a good guide for me. I’m pretty sure I have.”
He kissed the top of my head, and I just about melted.
I cleared my throat, unsure how to respond to such a huge compliment.
“So where exactly is it that we’re going?” I asked.
“Oh, you’ll see. I think you’re going to love it. It’s calm, luxurious … everything you need after all the stress we’ve been through recently.”
“Mmm… Sounds nice. Though, honestly, I think anywhere I’m with you is calm and luxurious.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Chapter 20
Edward
I left Maggie to pack her things for a few hours and told her I’d return with a car to take us to our flight. I was very ambiguous about the whole thing, so she likely thought we were taking a plane somewhere.
We weren’t. We were actually going to take a helicopter to fly us to a private yacht.
I hoped this vacation would be perfect for her. I’d gone to great lengths to organize every detail and had even thrown in a few surprises along the way.
It was going to be extravagant, but I felt Maggie deserved it.
In the week that had passed since I made Maggie my girlfriend officially, I had been happier than I could ever remember being. It was as if there’d been a missing puzzle piece in my life for so long, and I wasn’t even aware of it. She had filled in all the gaps of my life.
The sense of loneliness I struggled for years had dissipated. I felt less lonely sitting in an empty room with her than I did with a crowd of people. I had come to realize that despite filling my space with a people I thought I liked, I had nobody who really understood me or fulfilled me.
I knew that it was crazy to say I knew this woman was meant to be my wife, but that was true. I felt it in my soul. I knew that Maggie was the one for me. There was no doubt in my mind.
Admittedly, when I brought up the proposal to my mother, she was hesitant. She didn’t believe I’d marry anytime soon and assumed when I did, I’d have spent more than a few months with the woman.
It took a lot of convincing, but I begged her to give Maggie a fair chance. I
insisted I was going to propose soon, regardless of her opinion, of course, but I really wanted her to get along fully with Maggie.
After we all spent an evening together, I realized my mother getting along with Maggie would be no issue. She adored her. She saw in her what I always had. She was intelligent, kind, eloquent—everything that a prince’s wife should be.
I didn’t care what a prince’s wife should be, however. I only cared that I loved her with my whole heart. I knew my mother did care, though, and it was nice that she was impressed.
Of course, my siblings loved Maggie as well. That much had always been clear. Though they were a bit confused at first when I announced our relationship to them, they quickly adjusted and were gloriously happy. It had been hard on them to learn that they were losing Maggie as a tutor, however it made things much easier to hear that they were gaining her as a sister-in-law.
In my mind, it was a great sign for my decision to marry her (and quickly) that she assimilated so easily into my family. Likewise, I had already come to like her father quite a bit.
I had not voiced this to neither Maggie nor her father, but secretly I was glad to have a father figure in my life. Not that anyone could ever replace my father. It felt good to know that my future children would have a grandfather in their life. They wouldn’t be missing out on anything because I lost my dad.
It seemed serendipitous that both Maggie and I were gaining the parents we had lost.
As my driver pulled up outside of Maggie’s flat, I got out of the car to fetch her. I hoped she would be packed by now. I had my own bags in the back of the car.
Normally, I’d have somebody else load up Maggie’s luggage in the car, but I wanted to do it myself. Being around Maggie, I often felt like a normal guy. I had been feeding into that as often as possible. I knew I was still a Prince, still had a great responsibility, and a lot of fame, but I’d take any little moments of normalcy that I could get.
I knocked on her door, and she answered quickly, a suitcase in hand.
“Is that all you have?” I asked as I looked at her floral mint suitcase.
“Of course. We’re only going for a week, right?”
“Right.”
I was a little embarrassed of my three suitcases now. Perhaps I didn’t quite know how to live like the average person yet. I was sure, over the years, Maggie would teach me. Just as I’d teach her to adjust to being royal. I hoped we’d always have the best of both worlds.
“So, do I get to know where we’re going yet?” she asked.
“No, of course not,” I said as I opened the car door for her and took her suitcase to the back.
I climbed in the car next to her. She sat in the middle seat and after I buckled myself in, I put my arm around her.
“So, are we going to a public airport or is this some kind of chartered flight?” she asked. “How do the rich and famous travel?”
“I suppose you’ll find out, won’t you?”
“You’re seriously not going to give me anything?!” She groaned as she leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Trust me, it’ll be better if you’re surprised. I’d like to shock you on this vacation.”
“Probably won’t be hard to do considering I’ve gone on like, two vacations in my life… Neither of which were particularly fancy.”
“Yeah? And, where were they?”
“Well, the first was to Disneyland when I was a kid. And my mom and dad saved for a year to get me there. Then the second was on my senior trip to London. That was when I decided I wanted to study abroad. I fell in love with everything about London. I knew I didn’t want to live in America again if I could avoid it.”
“Ah, I get it now.” I looked at her skeptically.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re marrying a royal for the easy citizenship, aren’t you?”
She laughed. “Actually, it was for the great healthcare.”
We both chuckled as we approached the helipad where a helicopter was already waiting for us. Maggie didn’t even notice it at first, but when the car stopped, she looked over to her right and her jaw dropped.
“Wait… Are you kidding me?! We’re not taking a plane.”
“Nope. Hope that’s alright with you.”
“Alright with me?! Traveling by helicopter?! Uh, yeah, I think I can live with that.” She laughed as she gleefully jumped out of the car before I could even open the door.
I loved how overtly excited she got about every little thing I introduced her to. Other women I’d been with seemed to go to great lengths to not seem overly impressed. I could only imagine this was a show of status. They wanted to appear as if this lifestyle was mundane to them, like they belonged in it. Perhaps they even believed it would make me fall for them, as if they were showing they’d adjust to the royal lifestyle easily.
Nothing could appeal to me less. Everything that attracted me to Maggie stemmed from her ambivalence to this life. The way she didn’t even recognize me when we first met, that drew me to her like nothing else.
We stepped into the helicopter, and I got her set up with protective gear. We buckled in and the entire ride, glee never left her face. She was totally amazed. We could barely speak to each other over the sound of the helicopter whirring, but she would nudge me and point down at the ground below us often.
It would be impossible to continue to take the luxuries of my life for granted with Maggie around. Everything I’d grown used to, she found such joy in. It forced me to find the joy in it as well.
We landed at another helipad that was near to the yacht that we’d be traveling on. Even though we were by the ocean, Maggie didn’t at first realize what our trip was.
“Oh, are we going on a cruise?!” she asked excitedly.
I had to laugh.
“I can’t go on a cruise, Maggie. I’d never get any peace or quiet. We are going out on a boat, though… A yacht, to be exact.”
This excited her even more. “Really?! Just the two of us?”
“Something like that.” I smiled mischievously.
She looked at me skeptically but didn’t question it further. Likely because she was too thrilled to learn about the plan.
Good, that meant she’d be even more surprised.
This time, I allowed staff from the yacht to come collect our things. I wanted Maggie to have the full experience. She did seem to enjoy this a bit as I walked onto the yacht with her.
“So, what all can we do on this yacht?” she asked.
“Well, it has a small pool, a hot tub, a game room, a very beautiful dining hall with a premiere cooking staff…”
She was glowing. “I can’t believe you’re taking me on a trip like this so soon!” She hugged me tightly. “Thank you. I really needed this.”
“I know you did.” I kissed her forehead. “I hope that you know you deserve every second of this trip, Maggie. I know how hard you’ve worked, how much energy you’ve put into caring for your father. You deserve to relax. In fact, this vacation won’t even do all the work you’ve done justice. Though I hope it helps.”
I could see tears welling up in her eyes before she leaned up to kiss me passionately. When she pulled away, she wiped her eyes.
“You have no idea what it means to me to hear that. Thank you. I don’t think I even realized how badly I needed all my efforts validated until now.”
“You’re very welcome,” I said as I looked around. They should have been here by now…
“What is it?” she asked, immediately noticing my confusion. I wished she couldn’t read my emotions so easily.
“Oh, nothing, just looks different from when I used this charter last time. Perhaps a different yacht.”
“Maybe.”
I pulled out my phone and texted my mother.
>>We’re here on the deck. Where are you and the kids?
>>So sorry, just arrived, coming down right now.
My heart was pounding in my chest. For a moment, nerves took over me. I kne
w I wanted to do this and trusted it was the right decision but still, I knew it was hasty. I feared that maybe Maggie wasn’t going to feel the same way that I did. Perhaps she’d think it too early.
Still, I had to ask, I had to know. I couldn’t wait another day.
I saw Abigail and Drew shuffling down the runway, and I smiled at Maggie.
“What is it?” she questioned.
I took her hands in mine.
“Maggie, I have something I need to ask you.”
“Okay…” she said hesitantly.
“Getting to know you these past few months has easily been the best time of my life. Before you, I didn’t know what love was, didn’t even have a clue. I thought all that love-at-first-sight nonsense was just for romantic comedies. The day you spilled coffee on me, I felt something special. I’ve been drawn to you ever since. I am so glad that I not only had the opportunity to meet you but to make you my girlfriend.”
She smiled. “I’m so glad too, Edward, but… Why are you saying all this?”
“Because there is only one thing in this world that I can imagine will be more magical than making you my girlfriend.”
“What’s that?”
“Making you my wife.”
Before she could even answer, I put my hands on her shoulders and slowly turned her around so that she was facing Abigail and Drew.
She squealed when she saw them and subsequently yelled out even louder when she saw the sign they were both holding onto that read: ‘Will you marry me, Maggie?’
When she turned around to me, there were tears in her eyes, and her hands had flung to her mouth in shock.
I knelt down before her, took the extravagant diamond ring out of my pocket, and presented it to her.
“Will you be my wife?”
“Yes!” she screamed out. “Yes, yes, of course I will!”
I quickly got off of one knee, picked her up, and twirled her around wildly. Before she even took the ring out of the box to try on, she turned toward the kids. It was another reminder of why I loved her so dearly. Material possessions would always come second to her when family was around.
“I can’t believe you two are here! I can’t believe you were able to help with this!” She scooped them up and hugged them tightly.
Royally Schooled Page 14