Jordan reached over and took her hand. “I’m glad. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you to decide you were ready to move our relationship to that next level.”
Astrid took her hand back and wrapped it around her mug. “I knew it was time. I’ve been attracted to you since you wouldn’t leave my beach. I made my vows the same as you did. You’re my husband. Those sorts of things belong in a marriage. And I just knew it was time.” She didn’t know how else to describe it.
“Do we have anything unavoidable on our schedules the next few days?”
“Not that I know of, but I’d have to ask Jade.”
“What would you say if we took Sofia, and maybe Nanny Gretchen, and went to that other house for a few days? Just the three of us on the beach. Unless we want some kid-free time, in which case, Gretchen will be there.”
The thought of being out of the city for a couple of days appealed to Astrid. “I like that plan. Let me see what we can work out. I do know the San Majorian Independence Ball is this weekend. We’ll need to be back for that.”
Jordan groaned. “I’m going to have to wear a monkey suit, aren’t I?”
“With tails and a sash,” she confirmed. He’d look amazing. Most of the men did, but Astrid found herself looking forward to dancing in Jordan’s arms for the first time.
“Great.” He reached out and rested his hand on the satin robe covering her shoulder. “As long as I’m with you, it’ll be all good.”
She pulled her phone out and checked the calendar. Nothing pressing. A quick text to Jade put the wheels in motion.
“Are you hungry?” Jordan stood. “I think I’m going to get something to eat.”
“I’m fine. There’s some of your favorite cereal in my dressing room and milk in the refrigerator in there.”
He didn’t leave their suite but returned with a bowl. While he ate, Astrid continued to sip her coffee in silence. A reply from Jade told her things would be ready to go in a couple of hours. Astrid and Sofia already had clothes and toiletries at the other house. A few of Jordan’s things would need to be packed.
By lunchtime, her little family sat on the beach under the umbrella. A picnic lunch had been packed and kayaks waited for them to use during Sofia’s nap time. After they finished eating, Jordan took Sofia to the edge of the water. They made a primitive sand castle using a cup from lunch. He carried her out into the water and let the waves splash her toes.
Sofia’s giggles drifted back to Astrid. As much as Jordan clearly loved Sofia, what would he be like with their own child? Would he be any different? She wasn’t sure he would. He doted on Sofia the same way she expected he would their own child. In fact, he’d probably adopt her in a heartbeat if he were allowed to. He’d never brought it up. Because he already knew he couldn’t? Or because he didn’t think she’d be okay with it? Or because he wasn’t interested?
She’d have to ask him later. For now, he held Sofia’s hand as they walked back up the beach.
“I think someone is about ready for her n-a-p. If you want to wait here, I’ll run her up to the house.”
Astrid nodded.
He swung Sofia up onto his back and made horsey noises as he galloped off. Her little girl’s squeals brought a smile to Astrid’s face. Ten minutes later, Jordan was back, stretching out next to her on the blanket.
Leaning so close she could feel his breath on her cheek, he rested a hand on her stomach. “If I kiss you while we’re on the beach will it end up plastered on the front of another tabloid?”
She rolled her head to the side so she could look up at him. “I can’t imagine why. We’re an old married couple now. There’s no scandal.”
His grin and the sparkle in his eye told her what he planned before he kissed her. She noted a change in the kisses from the last time they were on this beach. They were more confident, more intimate, more purposeful.
But her husband moved away from her before things could get carried away. “Are you ready to kayak?”
The butterflies in her stomach began to settle down as he moved to stand. He held out a hand. “Come on.”
They spent about an hour paddling around the cove. She could tell he held back, not even coming close to testing his abilities, but Astrid’s movements were more deliberate.
“Your technique looks great.” He paddled, literally, in a circle around her. “We’ll have to build up your endurance and maybe next time there’s a war to fight, we can kayak around the island to help stake the San Majorian claim.”
Astrid laughed. “Next time we fight the war, we can kayak around the island.” She pointed her paddle at him. “But, fair warning, my siblings love fighting the war as much as you did. It won’t always be us that gets to go into battle.”
He grasped her paddle and pulled her kayak to his then leaned over and kissed her. “Then we’ll have to find something else to keep us busy that day.”
18
Flirting with his wife while on vacation on a secluded beach had to be Jordan’s new favorite thing to do. They kayaked the first day. Had dinner in the gazebo. Took a walk on the beach at sunset. The second day, Jordan surprised Astrid. Thomas had helped, but only because Jordan didn’t know who to call. Once they walked Sofia back up to the house for her nap, Jordan made Astrid close her eyes as he led her back down the beach.
“Why exactly? What’s changed in the last fifteen minutes.”
“We’re at the steps.” He avoided her question. When they reached the water’s edge, he stood next to her. “Open your eyes.”
A boat sat a few feet out with a couple of people in it.
“What’s all this?” she asked.
Jordan slid an arm around her waist. “We’re going parasailing.”
Her gasp told him it was the right move. “Really?”
“You said you love it but haven’t gone for a long time. I thought we should change that.” He wondered what had kept her from it, but wasn’t about to push.
He barely had time to catch her as she flung her arms around his neck. “Thank you,” she whispered.
It took about half an hour to get out of the cove and to the location where they would take to the air. They sat in the back of the boat, Jordan with his arm around Astrid’s shoulders. He leaned close so she could hear him. “You’re going solo first, then we can go tandem if you want.”
“Why by myself?”
“Because I want you to have that experience all to yourself without me distracting you. In fact, if you don’t want to go tandem, that’s okay, too.” This day was about her. If he didn’t get a turn, that would be fine with him.
When he looked through the zoom lens of his camera and saw the delight on her face, he knew it had been the right move. Her smile made it all worth it.
The captain and one of the crew members worked together to let her float down and dip into the water before going back up.
“How far up?” he shout-asked the captain.
“About 1200 feet,” the captain shouted back. “She looks like she’s enjoying it.”
“Yes, she does.”
The captain glanced around as though to make sure he wasn’t overheard. “It’s been far too long since our princess smiled like that. We’re all very glad you’re making her smile again.”
Jordan held the camera back up and peered through the viewfinder. “I like making her smile. It’s a job I’m happy to take on.”
After another few minutes, they brought Astrid back to the boat. Once out of the harness, she threw her arms around him again. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He held her for several minutes. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” And he got some great pictures. He’d have to look at them more closely later.
“Go with me?”
“I would love to.”
The crew got them situated in the tandem harness and in just a few minutes, they hovered high over the sea.
“It’s beautiful up here.” Astrid laced her fingers through his. “I’d forgotten just how much I
loved it.”
“Then I’m glad I could help you do this.”
She squeezed his hand. “For everything else Andrei loved doing, he had an irrational fear of parasailing. I never knew why. I haven’t gone in years out of respect for his wishes. After his death, I couldn’t bring myself to.”
Well that explained it.
“But this is perfect.” She pulled him closer so she could kiss him. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
“And thank you for arranging the massage on our honeymoon. I didn’t know until yesterday that you were the one who’d done it.”
Jordan shrugged. “I asked Thomas to. I didn’t actually arrange it. I had no idea how. I still don’t.”
“But you made it happen.” She kissed him again. “I don’t think you knew how much I needed it that day.”
They drifted downward until they dipped into the water and then the rope let back out, the breeze causing a chill over his wet skin.
Eventually they were back on their beach, Astrid’s head resting on his shoulder as they lay on the blanket.
“Is there anything I need to know about San Majorian Independence so I don’t make a fool of myself at the ball?” he asked, his thumb rubbing over her shoulder.
“You should have learned about it in your prince classes.”
“I did, but that doesn’t mean there’s some obscure fact that everyone but me will know.”
“Not that I can think of. It is one of my favorite nights of the year, though.”
“Why is that?”
Her finger traced over the bottom couple inches of his heart scar, reminding him of the secret he still kept. He needed to tell her.
Soon.
“Because it’s one of the few occasions where I get to wear something that’s not boring and blah.”
“Like tan or beige or brown?” He’d noticed the surprising lack of color in her wardrobe.
“Exactly.”
“And you don’t like dressing so blandly?”
“I hate it, but my grandmother insists we’re not to draw attention to ourselves.”
Then the present he’d bought her would be perfect. “You don’t think it draws more attention when you don’t match the rest of the people? San Majorians tend to dress fairly colorfully.”
“I know this, and you know this...” Her voice trailed off.
Jordan didn’t want to upset the royal applecart but maybe this was some small change he could affect. Give her the gift and let her use him as an excuse to wear it in public. Would she go for that?
Before he could decide, she kissed him. Kissed him in such a way that he decided the time had come to leave the beach and head back to their quarters.
Because the kinds of things he wanted to do with her were best done where there was no chance of cameras watching.
“I got something for you.”
The blue organza skirt swirled around her legs as Astrid looked up from where she had been putting her lipstick into her clutch. A gift bag hung from Jordan’s finger. “What’s that?” It distracted her from how breathtaking he looked in his black tuxedo with the tails and the sash that matched her dress.
“Just something I saw that made me think of you.”
She took it from him and pulled out the fabric, gasping at the sheer swirls of green and blue. “It’s beautiful!” Setting the bag down, she laid the shirt out on the top of the dressing table. “I love it.” The teal undershirt matched the ocean she loved, as did the swirls in the overshirt.
“Would you do something for me?”
That made her hesitate slightly, though he slipped his arms around her waist. “What’s that?”
“Wear it when you go to that thing in the garden next week. If your grandmother says anything, tell her I gave it to you, and you didn’t want to disappoint me.”
Unexpected tears filled her eyes. “Jordan,” she whispered. “Thank you.” He was giving her a reason to wear the colors she loved.
“I have a feeling it’s going to look fantastic with your eyes.”
“I hope so.” She moved away from him and put it on a hanger. “I will wear it next week.”
“Good.”
“But now it’s time to go.”
They didn’t have to go far, just to the first floor and the main ballroom. With Jordan’s hand in hers, they made their way to an ante room near the ballroom. Her siblings were already there. Kensington told her their parents were on their way as was Grandmother.
A few minutes after seven, Grandmother was introduced, followed by Astrid’s siblings, then Astrid and Jordan. They walked through the crowd, standing and applauding politely as the royal family took their seats. A blast on trumpets preceded the introduction of her parents.
Dinner was delicious, delicacies from the waters surrounding San Majoria, fruit from their orchards, and dessert from somewhere else.
After dinner, her father gave a short speech detailing the fight for San Majorian independence from the Commonwealth of Belles Montagnes. A mostly political war, very little blood had been shed.
And then came dancing.
Her parents had the first dance. Astrid and her siblings joined them for the second one. Jordan held her far closer than any of the other couples on the dance floor, but they were newlyweds.
“I could get used to this,” he murmured as they moved to the music.
“Me, too.”
The way his arm around her waist held her close felt familiar and comforting, but also different and exhilarating at the same time.
His finger tapped against her waist in a familiar rhythm. She’d noticed it several times before, but this time it was too much.
“Could you not tap like that?” she asked quietly.
His finger stilled. “I’m sorry. I honestly don’t realize I’m doing it.”
“It’s fine.”
“Clearly not. It’s the second time you’ve mentioned it.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Right now she wanted to enjoy being in his arms.
“Promise you’ll tell me later.”
Astrid nodded, though she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to. It was too painful. The song ended, and she passed her husband off to her mother while she danced with her father.
“How are you?” he asked. “The two of you seem to be doing a lot better.”
“We are.”
“That makes me happy for you both. If there’s anything else your mother and I can do, be sure to let us know.”
“I will. He took me parasailing the other day.”
“And you loved it.”
How well her father knew her. “I did.”
“I never understood why you refused to go.”
“Respect for Andrei’s irrational fear.” She shrugged. “He didn’t go free climbing because I would prefer he didn’t.”
Her father chuckled. “Why do you think I don’t skydive? My parents weren’t crazy about the idea. They would have let me, but your mother is petrified.”
“I never knew.”
“It’s part of being married. Sacrificing for each other, both to calm their fears and to make them happy.”
“Should I have been okay with Andrei free climbing because it made him happy?”
“Not necessarily. Some fears are too real, and that’s all right. Some you know are irrational and you have to trust the other person to know it’s really okay.”
“Like Jordan playing hockey?” She knew he still wanted to play whenever there was an adult game at the rink, but the chance of taking a hit to the chest scared her. He’d promised it was safe.
“Exactly.”
One of her many conversations with Jordan over their days on the beach together had been about the implications of his heart transplant. He took several medicines a day to prevent rejection. He needed to not purposefully do certain high-risk activities with sudden pressure changes - like skydiving or SCUBA diving more than a certain depth. That had been a bigger deal
in the early days, but he still didn’t because it bothered his mother. He had to make sure he wore sunscreen as the long-term effects of the immunosuppressant drugs made skin cancer more likely. They also made him more susceptible to getting sick, though he said he hadn’t had any issues with that so far.
Astrid danced with the head of Parliament then a duke visiting from Eyjania. For dance after dance, she made small talk and answered questions about how wonderful her husband was. From time to time, Jordan caught her eye and winked. Each time, she felt the color rise in her cheeks.
Maybe she would tell him the significance of the tapping of his fingers, though she didn’t know how he could know to use the rhythm he did. Maybe he really didn’t do it on purpose.
But mostly she was just looking forward to spending some more time alone with her husband.
Jordan hadn’t danced with this many women in his whole life, combined. Fortunately, he’d picked up the basics quickly in his prince lessons. The older woman had known what she was doing, but her grumpy demeanor left a lot to be desired. Kensington said she was the one who had taught all of them.
The next woman reintroduced herself as Lady Kathleen. Jordan remembered her, but not her name, from the dinner the week before.
“It’s nice to see you again.” Even a vaguely familiar face was better than another complete stranger.
“And you, sir. You and the princess looked like you’d been dancing together for years.”
“I’m glad to know it looks that way. We haven’t had much time to practice.”
“You didn’t even have dancing at your wedding, did you?”
Jordan shook his head. “No. We had a dinner reception but no dancing. It’s not something I’ve been doing long. At the wedding, I would have just embarrassed all of us.”
“Then you’ve made wonderful progress.” The music came to an end. “I believe the next dance is with your wife.”
His grin widened. “I can’t complain about that.”
She chuckled as he moved back. “Good answer.” Lady Kathleen walked off, and Jordan looked around for his wife. In just a minute, she was back in his arms.
Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1 Page 14