“Here, sweetheart.” Astrid put the helmet on Sofia’s head.
Jordan stood and reached for his step-daughter. “Come on, kiddo.” Once on the ice, he set her down. “Hold my hands.” Standing behind her, with his forefingers tightly in her grasp, he started forward.
Sofia squealed as her skates glided across the ice. They did one full lap then came to a stop. Carefully, he maneuvered until he was in front of her skating backward. “Ready to go again?”
“‘Gin!” Her giggles filled the rink.
Jordan skated backwards, this time able to see the delight on her face. About two-thirds of the way around, he whispered, “Do you wanna go fast?”
She squealed louder.
Jordan picked her up and twirled around a couple of times to Sofia’s laughter. He didn’t go fast, but faster than the very slow pace he had set while she was on her feet.
One little arm clung to his neck as she squealed and laughed.
“Be careful!” Astrid called from the side of the rink.
“We’re fine!” Jordan called back with a laugh. He took a spin around the center of the rink then went back to the opening where Astrid waited. Once there, he handed Sofia to her mother. “Your turn.”
“I don’t have any skates.” She turned and went back to the bench.
“Taken care of.”
She tried not to wrinkle her nose and only partially succeed. A pair of hockey skates waited next to the bench.
“Those are boy skates,” she protested.
“They’re hockey skates in your size. Hockey skates are much easier to learn on than figure skates.”
“Really?” The arch of her eyebrow said she didn’t believe him.
“Promise. They’re more stable. They don’t have a toe pick, which makes it easier to stop on a dime. When you’re a beginner, you really don’t want that.” He knelt in front of her, put her foot on his thigh, and winked at her. “If you hang out with me long at all, you’ll be in the figure skates before you know it.”
Jordan unzipped her boot and slid it off her foot before putting the skate on. After pulling the laces tight all the way up and tying them off, he set her foot back on the ground. He shifted his weight then did the same with her other foot. “All set.” He stood and held out his hands. “Come on.”
She wobbled like a blindfolded newborn foal but made it to the ice. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Look at me.”
Astrid looked up, and he could see fear trying to take over.
“Right in my eyes.” He held her gaze. “Good. Take a deep breath.” She did, and he glided back a bit until he was almost as far as he could be and still hold her hands. “Push off with one foot.”
She wobbled again and gripped his hands tighter. “I can’t do this.”
Shoot. “You’re right. You can’t. Not yet.” He helped her back to the wall. “Hold on. I’ll be right back.”
He whispered with Nanny Gretchen for a moment. She went to the counter and returned with something for Astrid. Jordan took it and skated the few feet to his wife. “We need to put this on you.”
This time she didn’t even try to hide the wrinkled nose. “That looks gross.”
“I know, but you need a helmet, and they only had hockey helmets. I promise it’s been disinfected.”
She managed to scrunch her nose up even further. “Why do I need it?”
“Because you’re probably going to fall, and if you don’t fall the right way, you’ll get a concussion.”
“Fall? You think my balance is that bad?”
“No. I think you’re that inexperienced as a skater. All skaters fall. And you, sweetheart, are the Crown Princess of San Majoria. The entire country would never forgive me if I let you get a concussion.” He buckled the helmet in place. “Or a broken wrist. The first thing I’m going to do is teach you how to fall.”
Her nose finally unwrinkled. “There’s a wrong way to fall?”
“Yes. You do not want to land on your wrists. You will get hurt. You can sprain or break your wrist or even break your clavicle.” He demonstrated what he wanted her to do. “Bend your knees. Hands in the air so you don’t land on them. Try to lean to the side and land more on your thigh and hip. If you do fall backward, do your best to keep your head forward so it doesn’t hit hard.”
“Fine. I’ll do my best.”
“Not good enough.” He made her practice.
She complained about the cold.
He made her practice again.
Then he took her hand, spun around behind her, and settled his hands on her hips. “Here we go.”
The cold seeped into Astrid’s bones. She grew up in a climate far too tropical to enjoy ice skating.
But with Jordan’s hands on her hips and him pushing her forward, it suddenly seemed much warmer.
With him so close, her concentration was basically shot, but she managed to push off first with one foot, then the other. They made a complete circuit of the rink.
“Good job. You’re getting the hang of it.”
“If you keep holding onto me like that, I won’t have to worry about falling.” The helmet didn’t stink like she’d feared, but wasn’t exactly comfortable either.
“Do you really think I’d let you fall today? I won’t let go of you.”
But he did just that, at least until his hand slid down her arm and grasped hers. He whirled in front of her and took her other hand, but stayed almost as far away as he could.
“You’re not good enough for me to be closer,” he told her, as though he’d read her mind. “Too easy for skates to get tangled and for both of us to fall.” She envied his easy backward motion.
“How long until I’m good enough?”
“Depends on how often you practice. Is there a rink in Cabo Juan-Eduardo?”
“I think so. I’ve never had occasion to notice.”
“If there is, we’ll have to get out there sometimes.”
She felt them slowing down, and he let her get closer before he spun around behind her again. With his hands on her waist, he pulled her back against his chest.
“I thought we couldn’t be too close.”
“I can keep my feet spread wider, and it’s easier to keep track of where yours are without actually looking at them.” He nuzzled her neck. “I like being this close to you.”
Astrid liked it, too. More than she should for a woman still in love with another man. So much it distracted her. Her feet drifted outward, but before she could correct it, she found herself lifted off the ice.
With his arms tight around her waist, Jordan chuckled. “I guess I shouldn’t distract you.”
“No, you shouldn’t.”
She had no idea how he did it, but he held her in his arms, like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold, something he hadn’t done on their wedding night.
Astrid wrapped an arm around his neck, his face only inches from hers. “I think skating like this is more my speed.”
Before she could say anything else, his lips were on hers. She cradled the side of his face with her hand as she kissed him back, though she kept a tight rein on the emotions bubbling beneath the surface. They wanted to break free, to kiss him more fully, to tell him she wanted more.
But before she could, he pulled back.
Jordan stared into her eyes, but Astrid couldn’t read what was written there. Finally, he closed them, released a deep breath, and pushed off with one foot propelling them across the ice again.
He set her down on the carpet and helped her walk back to the bench.
“Give me ten minutes?” he asked as she sat down.
All she could do was nod.
He picked up a hockey stick and a puck as he stepped back out onto the ice.
She’d seen the grace in his fluid movements as he skated with Sofia, but this was different. He was poetry in motion as he went faster than he had yet today. He did a lap around the entire rink before dropping the puck on the ice.
&
nbsp; His hair fluttered in the breeze of his own making. Why wasn’t he wearing a helmet? She’d have to ask him later. Astrid unbuckled hers and set it to the side as Jordan tapped the puck one way then another, nearly stopping, then starting, first one direction, then to the other side.
His movements didn’t make any sense until she realized he was playing an imaginary foe, perhaps one of those championship games he’d told her about. After several trips up and down the ice, he finally pulled the stick back to about his waist and slapped the puck into the goal she hadn’t even noticed earlier.
Jordan’s hands went over his head as he glided across the ice, stick raised in victory. “And San Majoria takes the Olympic gold!”
Astrid couldn’t help but laugh. “We don’t have an Olympic hockey team!”
“You should! I could totally be on it.” He turned his legs to the side and scraped a layer of ice off as he came to a stop near her. “Actually, given the fact that you’re not even sure there’s an ice rink in Juan-Eduardo, I would probably be the team.”
When he walked off the ice, his steps were sure. “There’s probably not a skate sharpener in Juan-Eduardo either.”
“If not, you can order one online.”
He chuckled. “It’s not a thing. It’s a person. They keep meticulous notes on how each player who comes in likes their skates sharpened. I should probably get a second pair. That way I have one set in San Majoria but can send the other ones to Dare, so he can get them sharpened for me. Rotate them.”
Maybe she’d talk to Dare or Betsy and find out what the very best kind of skates were and order him two brand new pairs.
Before he took his skates off, he knelt in front of her and gently loosened the laces of hers. His tenderness as he did something as simple as helping her off with skates and on with boots was almost too much. Before her eyes could fill with tears at the thought of life with this man and what could be between them, she stood. “I’m going to find Sofia so we can go as soon as you get your shoes on. It’s almost her naptime.”
Being close to him hurt too much.
He wasn’t Andrei.
He never would be.
But somehow, in the comparisons of her mind, she wasn’t sure Andrei was still the clear winner.
And she didn’t know how she felt about that.
14
Jordan stared out the window of the plane as they headed back toward San Majoria.
As honeymoons go, the last week had been pathetic. One kiss, on the ice, with several spectators, though they were all kind enough not to mention it. A bride who slept in another room the entire time. A groom who wanted to find a way to earn her love and affection, but kept a huge secret from her. A toddler princess who glowed in the attention lavished on her by both of them.
As a vacation, it wasn't too bad.
His ears popped as they descended toward the island nation. Maybe being home would help. They could find their routine and maybe he’d have a chance to win his wife over.
But for the first few weeks, he barely saw her or Sofia. He spent his days, in what used to be the schoolroom for Astrid and her siblings, having prince lessons. Thomas and Adam were there for most of it, but Jordan’s new brothers-in-law came by to help, too, as did the king.
He learned how to properly hold a seat for a woman, which fork or cup or plate to use when, the best way to give a speech while making certain each member of the audience thought you were talking directly to them, and on and on and on. Jordan’s head spun with all the information. Names of the members of the royal families he’d be expected to interact with regularly. Geography. History. Names of important political leaders in San Majoria. Laws. Regulations. Charities to choose from.
At least one of those was easy. The San Majorian Children’s Hockey League had hoped for a royal patron for a long time, but none of the other family members were interested enough to make it happen.
“Andrei considered it,” Kensington told him. “But in the end, he just wasn’t feeling the hockey.”
Jordan really didn’t want to consider anything about his dead rival, but needed to know. “What was his cause? The one thing he was most passionate about?”
“I don’t know if it’s what he was most passionate about, you’d have to ask Astrid about that, but he was a vocal supporter of organ donation. Astrid carried out his wishes when he died and donated his organs.”
Jordan rubbed the center of his chest. “That’s a cause I can get very vocally behind.” At Kensington’s puzzled glance, he sighed. “I had a heart transplant.”
Kensington’s expression changed. “Seriously?”
“A couple years ago, at Cabo Juan-Eduardo General Hospital actually.” He had to be careful. No one else could know the truth until he finally told Astrid.
“So that’s probably a charity you’ll join with Astrid then. It’s a little odd that her first husband donated and her second husband received an organ. Finding one of those would be a great thing for you to do together.”
“I’ll talk to her about it later.” He needed to look up more information about the organization and let Astrid decide how involved she wanted him to be. Maybe in the future she’d be more open to it, when the wounds weren’t quite so fresh.
Jordan and Kensington walked back to the family’s portion of the palace. He went to his quarters, turning what Kensington had said over in his head. Would there be some way to honor Andrei’s memory? An award or something maybe. And if so, did he really want it to be related to organ donation, a cause so near and dear to Jordan’s...
He stopped the thought before it completed. It was too convoluted.
“We leave in five minutes.” Astrid came out of her dressing room fastening an earring to one ear. “Did they just release you from your lessons?”
“A little while ago. I talked to your brother for a few minutes. I don’t remember anything being on my schedule for tonight, though.”
She sighed. “It wasn’t. We were last minute replacements since my mother isn’t feeling well. My parents were planning to attend, but asked us to instead.”
Jordan bit back a sigh. “If I can find my suit, I’ll be ready in ten minutes. I know we’ll be late, but only a few minutes.” He started for his dressing room on the other side of their bedroom, the one he’d shared with her only once.
“That’s all right. Kensington was going with us. He’s probably ready.” She started for the door.
“I don’t know about that. We were together right before I got here.”
“His valet likely has his things laid out. It will only take him a few minutes.” She didn’t look at him, but picked up her clutch. “I’ll see you later.” She walked out the door without a backward glance.
Jordan texted Thomas and Adam, telling them he was going with her, and they needed to make sure the car didn’t leave without him. He looked around his dressing room. Could there be a wrong suit? They all looked so similar. Astrid wore a tan dress that came to about her knees, so it couldn’t be too formal.
He chose a navy suit, white shirt, and a tie in the San Majorian national colors. They couldn’t fault him for that, right? Jordan didn’t think he’d changed clothes so fast since he came home as a teen and wanted to get out on the ice. With his tie in his hand, he hustled out the door and to the portico where the car waited.
Inside, both Astrid and Kensington waited. Kensington focused on his phone and didn’t seem to care about the short delay, but Astrid looked annoyed.
“You didn’t have to get ready so fast. Your hair’s not even combed.”
Jordan flashed her a grin. “I have a comb and a reputation for stylishly messy hair.”
“Your tie’s not on.”
“That’ll just take a minute.” The car began to pull out of the front gate as he measured the sides of the tie against each other.
By the time he finished tying it, and running a comb through his hair, they pulled up to one of the swankier hotels in town. Time for his first official even
t as a prince of San Majoria.
Astrid took Jordan’s hand as he helped her out of the car. She didn’t want to admit that he had managed to pull off a quick change. They were two minutes later than planned, not bad given how much warning he’d had. She’d wanted him to want to come, but wasn’t sure she actually wanted him there.
The dichotomy troubled her, and she couldn’t explain it even to herself.
With her brother trailing a couple steps behind, they waved to the small assembled crowd and went into the hotel lobby. Off to one side was the ballroom that looked just like every other ballroom she’d ever been in, though this was a semi-formal dinner, not a ball.
They weren’t announced, but directed to the head table up on a stage. At least there wouldn’t be any speeches or dancing this evening, just an appearance and mingling after dinner. Astrid was grateful - she wasn’t sure how well she’d handle dancing with her husband.
She was seated near the middle of the head table. Jordan sat to her right. Kensington to the other side of him.
As expected, dinner was delicious. Afterward, with a glass of champagne in her hand, Astrid circulated among those gathered. She managed to answer question after question about the wedding, the honeymoon, and how much Sofia loved Jordan, and vice versa.
The smile plastered on her face would fool most people, but not all of them. Lady Haverford wasn’t taken in.
“How are you, dear?” she asked when they were off to the side. “And don’t give me that smile and fine routine.”
Lady Haverford was a distant relative and Astrid’s second or third cousin. She was friends with Astrid’s mother, and Astrid knew she wouldn’t get away with her usual pat answer. Finally, she went with a version of the truth. “It’s hard seeing the comparisons.”
“Of course it is. Both of your relationships have been in the public eye. You and Prince Andrei were more open with your affections, but given how your relationship with Prince Jordan became public, it’s not surprising you’ve decided to be more circumspect in public.”
Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1 Page 11