King Edward wanted to make sure there was nothing along the same lines going on in Eyjania.
Jordan, with the little he knew, thought it would be harder for Prince Isaiah. Isaiah hadn’t been the regent. Benjamin’s mother was still alive, along with his many siblings. And King Benjamin seemed to have a much better support system than Queen Christiana did.
He talked with the rest of the family while keeping his ears open for any nugget of information he could overhear from Astrid and her father - and for any comment about the other importance of the day.
Nothing.
They went to church, then Astrid asked him to take her to the boutique where he’d found her shirt. They went, Sofia in tow.
“What about this one?” Astrid asked, holding up a light green shirt. “I want to try it on, but I like it.”
“This way, Your Royal Highness.” The man, who had introduced himself as one of the owners, practically tripped over himself to open the dressing room door. “We were so honored to see our shirt on you.” He lowered his voice. “It sold out online in a matter of days.”
Astrid gave what Jordan called her princess smile. The polite one that didn’t reach her eyes. “My pleasure. But you can thank my husband. He’s the one who saw it and procured it for me.” She went into the changing room and emerged a moment later in the same shirt she’d been wearing. “I’ll take this one.”
She walked around and chose a couple of others, but didn’t try them on. They checked out, then took the boat to San Minoria.
Something was off about his wife, though. Jordan couldn’t put his finger on it, but she became more preoccupied with her phone the closer they got. Normally, they would walk up the beach and the stairs together, but she hurried ahead, leaving him to deal with Sofia.
He didn’t mind, but it was odd.
By the time he and Sofia, who insisted on walking up the stairs herself, made it to the doorway, Astrid was long gone. Inside, Thomas waited.
“Your presence has been requested in the White Drawing Room, sir.”
Jordan didn’t reply but headed that way. Something seemed very off.
Before he could put his finger on it, he reached the White Drawing Room and walked in. It seemed deserted.
The puzzle pieces were there, but he wasn’t assembling them fast enough. And then...
“Surprise!”
Jordan took a step back and clutched Sofia’s hand a bit tighter, ready to scoop her up and run.
But then the faces and the laughter registered.
Dare. Betsy. His parents. His in-laws.
His laughing wife.
“We got you!” Dare called from his spot near a sofa.
Jordan’s heart began to resume a more normal beat. “Yes, you did. Not necessarily the best idea for a guy with a borrowed heart.”
Astrid’s face fell.
“I’m fine,” he rushed to reassure her. “It’s a Dare thing. I give him a hard time whenever he does something that startles me.” He glared at his best friend. “Like tells me he wants to marry my sister.”
“Really?” Astrid stepped to his side, and he slid his free arm around her waist.
“Really. There’s nothing to worry about.” He kissed her. “Was all this your idea?”
She nodded. “Happy birthday.”
He kissed her again. “And here I thought everyone forgot.” Releasing Astrid and Sofia, he greeted his family, giving them all big hugs. His in-laws all got a hug as well. He turned to his wife. “This is why you wanted to go shopping. To give everyone time to get over here.”
Astrid shrugged. “You got me. But I do love shopping, too.”
Lunch was served in the same dining room where they’d had lunch with the mayor, but the table was much larger with room to seat all thirteen of them. Astrid and the king even gave him the seat of honor. Dare told him not to get used to it.
Loud and boisterous, two words he never thought would describe lunch with the royal family, but perfect for a meal with his, though the addition of eight extra people made it more like when he had hockey friends over. His mom would make all the food, and they’d plow through it like nobody’s business.
When lunch ended, they went back to the drawing room. Gretchen started to take Sofia to put her down for a nap, but Dare stopped her. Presents had appeared while they were eating.
“We brought a present for Miss Sofia,” Dare explained, handing her a box.
Jordan sat on the floor and helped her open it.
Sofia squealed and pulled a plush moose out of the box. “Moo’!” About two feet tall, the Mountie Moose looked quite snuggly, and Sofia hugged it tightly.
“She needs something Canadian,” Dare told him with a shrug.
They all laughed and sent Sofia with Gretchen and Mountie Moose to take a nap, before turning to the rest of the presents.
“This one’s from us,” Dare told him handing him a box.
“I don’t get a present from each of you now?” Jordan asked sliding a finger under the paper.
“Deal with it.” Dare grinned as Betsy rolled her eyes.
The box was nondescript but as soon as Jordan opened it, he knew what was inside. “My skates!” The ones he’d spent years getting just right. “And you got them sharpened.”
“Of course. I doubt you have a good skate sharpener down here.”
“The one at the rink’s supposed to be decent, but nothing like Bob. He’s the best.”
Jacqueline Grace handed him another box. “This is from me and Esther.”
Jordan knew what it was as soon as he removed the paper enough to see the exterior of the box. “New skates. That’s great!” How did he tell them he really did appreciate the thought?
Both sisters just smiled at him.
The next one was from his brothers-in-law and as soon as he saw the package, he knew it was another new pair of skates. They seemed unperturbed by the duplicate gift.
Something else was up. When would he be let in on the big secret?
Instead of dwelling on it, Jordan went to the next present, letting his subconscious try to figure it out.
28
Nerves swirled around in Astrid’s belly. The presents both families had brought for Jordan were nice, but the truth was she could outdo them all.
Or it could all flop horribly.
Finally, he’d opened all of them.
But she still hadn’t decided which one to give him first.
Astrid stood. “My gift isn’t here. Neither of them are. Well, there’s kind of three,” she amended. “You’re all going to have to follow me.” Most of the rest of the families knew about one or two, but few knew about both, and her siblings were as in the dark as Jordan. She held up a scarf. “But you’re going to have to be blindfolded.”
Dare hooted, and Jordan glared at him, but took the scarf and tied it around his eyes.
She took his hand and led him a roundabout way to the garrison. Once they were all inside, her brothers stifled their gasps.
“Seems like whatever it is will be good,” Jordan said.
“It is,” Kensington told him.
Astrid reached up and loosened the scarf, letting it slip down.
“Yes!” Jordan turned and picked her up, swinging her around. “You brought my car!”
She laughed and held on tight. “And your truck, but yes, we had your car shipped down here.”
He set her down but took her hand and led her over to it. “Check it out.”
Astrid thought it looked like a cool old car, but the way Jordan ran his hand over the hood she knew it meant more to him.
“This is the Flying 8 radiator cap hood ornament I told you about.” He pointed to it. “And check out the wheels.”
She looked and hoped she sounded properly impressed.
“Feel the seats.”
Jordan opened the door, and motioned for her to sit down. He’d been right. “It’s very comfortable.” She climbed out and let her father and brothers gawk. She went
to stand by the women. Even Dare and Chris were at the car.
“The three of them rebuilt it,” Betsy explained. “Dad and Jordan did most of it, but Dare helped when he was around.”
“It looks cool.”
Betsy laughed. “You have no idea. I wouldn’t either if I hadn’t been thoroughly indoctrinated over the last few years. He’ll love having it here even if he doesn’t get to take it out often.”
It took nearly twenty minutes for them to finish their inspection of the vehicle. Jordan came back and gave her another big hug. “Thank you, Astrid.” He kissed her right in front of both families. Nothing too intense, but enough to let her know he would like her plan for later.
“One more,” she told him. “If you’re ready to leave your car.”
“Lead on, Princess.” He kissed her again and reached for the scarf. “Do I need this?”
She shook her head. “Not this time.”
Everyone followed her to a door in the basement. Both of Astrid’s hands pressed against her stomach in an attempt to calm it down. “I hope you like it.”
He pried one of her hands loose. “Hey. Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll love it.”
“It’s a compromise,” she admitted. “Not what I’d really wanted to get you, or what you’d really want, but what I could get that would work as best it could.”
Jordan shot her a puzzled look. “Okay. Where is it?”
“Open the door.” The light should already be on.
He twisted the knob and tugged, peeking through the crack. “Is that what I think it is?” he asked before throwing the door open. “Ice!” He picked her up again. “You got me an ice rink?”
She held on and waited for him to put her down. “It’s synthetic. A real ice rink would be too costly and difficult to maintain.”
Jordan rested his hands on the door frame and leaned inside. “Still. This is fantastic!” He turned back around. “Is this why I have three pairs of skates now?”
Astrid nodded. “It was Dare’s idea. He brought you yours, freshly sharpened for when you go to the actual rink. The other two pairs are for you to use here. I know the synthetic ice is a lot harder on the blades, so when one pair needs sharpening, you send it to Dare and use the others. Then trade. That way you shouldn’t ever be without a pair.”
He hugged her again, this time just holding her close. “I don’t know what to say,” he whispered. “Thank you. I can’t begin to know how I can match this for your birthday.”
“You don’t even try. You find something you think I’ll love. It has nothing to do with money or anything else. Just the thought behind it.”
With one hand, he cupped her cheek then kissed her, more thoroughly than he had earlier. Somewhere her other senses heard her brothers and Dare acting like teenagers, but then someone ushered them all away.
“You really like it?” she whispered when the kiss ended. “I know it’s not as good as real ice...”
“Real ice is beyond impractical,” he reassured her. “That room is good sized. It’s not hockey rink sized, but almost half. I’ll be able to do plenty of skating in there.”
“Sofia and I both have two pairs of skates now too,” she told him.
“Perfect. We’ll bring her down here soon, and I’ll work with both of you. You’ll be skating circles around me before you know it.”
Fingers laced together, they went back to the White Drawing Room to hang out with the rest of the family. She wouldn’t begrudge Jordan his time with his. They wouldn’t be able to stay long. Originally, the surprise party had been planned for Friday before her parents left for Ravenzario so they could be there. Jordan’s family would stay through the weekend. Instead, they’d come Friday anyway, spent time with the rest of her family, then traveled to San Minoria while the rest of them were at church.
She sat next to Jordan, her head on his shoulder while conversation flowed around them. Finally, she felt truly at peace.
Jordan stood on the balcony, his forearms propped on the railing.
“You finally told her.” Dare stood next to him, leaning against the rail with his back to the sea.
“A couple weeks ago. It didn’t go well, but not for reasons either of us would have imagined. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.” He wouldn’t violate his wife’s confidence.
“I understand, but I’m glad you got it out in the open.”
“It’s been rough, but she finally confided in me the other day. Everything makes a lot more sense. I think we’re back on the right track.” He glanced over at his friend. “I half-expected you two to tell me I’m going to be an uncle.”
Dare shook his head. “Not in the plans anytime soon. You?”
Jordan stared over the water. “We haven’t really talked about it, though there are those that expect it sooner rather than later.”
“I see.”
Jordan wasn’t sure Dare did, but decided not to elaborate further. “I wish you guys could stay longer.”
“We do, too, and not just because Bets is excited about staying at a palace. We’ll come back sometime soon, or you could come home. The flight’s not that long.”
“I will. Probably not for a while, but eventually.”
“Need to feel established here before you go home?”
It never failed to amaze Jordan how well Dare knew him, could almost read his mind. “Something like that.”
“I’m glad things are going well, though. I saw the pictures of Astrid at the garden thing in the blue-green shirt with the hair. Betsy made sure to show them to me. She said you had to have gotten her the shirt or encouraged her to wear it anyway.”
“I did. When I gave it to her I said I hoped she’d wear it that day, but it was ultimately her decision. The hair was all Martina.”
Dare turned around, his posture mimicking Jordan’s. “You’ve been good for her.”
“I hope so.”
“I think she’s been good for you, too.”
“Probably. Isn’t that how a marriage is supposed to work?”
Movement below caught Jordan’s eye. Someone had been setting up blankets and umbrellas so they could enjoy a barbecue on the beach instead of a more traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but this was different. He leaned forward as the shadow reappeared. “Is that Sofia?” he asked Dare.
Dare leaned over, too. “Looks like a little kid.”
“Where’s Gretchen? Or Astrid?” He didn’t see anyone else out there. Leaning further out he could almost, but not quite, see the base of the palace. Someone could be standing up there, and he’d never know it. “Sofia!” he yelled.
She stopped and looked up.
And waved.
Then headed for the water again.
“Something’s not right.” He looked again for an adult, then back at the piece of his heart wandering closer to the water.
Jordan didn’t wait to see if there really was someone else out there. He pushed off the rail and bolted for the door, Dare hot on his heels. Inside, the rest of the family stood around, right in his way.
“Move!” He didn’t wait for them to and probably knocked the king over in his hurry, but didn’t look to see if the other man was okay. More than one employee was knocked into a wall or pushed out of the way as he went down corridors and staircases until he reached the door to the beach.
The door propped open by a rock.
He couldn’t see where Sofia had been from here. Umbrellas blocked his view of that stretch of shoreline.
God, please!
The clatter of footsteps down the stairs behind him told him it was no longer just him and Dare, but they were likely the best prepared.
His dress shoes dug into the soft sand, Dare passing him then going to the left while Jordan went right.
There.
His heart fell when he saw her little body, still and face down with waves washing over her.
“Sofia!” Jordan was at her side in seconds, but he feared they were already too late. He scooped h
er up, not caring the sea water would likely ruin his expensive shoes and that the bottom of his pants were now wet and would soon be coated with sand. He ran back toward the building. He needed a hard surface, not the sand. “Get her out of here!” he yelled to the king whose arms were around Astrid’s heaving shoulders. “We need room.”
He laid Sofia down on the sidewalk thing near the stairs. Dare knelt across from him as Jordan leaned down to see if his little girl still breathed.
“She’s got a pulse,” Dare told him. “You count.”
Jordan realized tears were streaming down his cheeks as Dare leaned over to try to breathe life into the little girl. He didn’t know what he was supposed to be counting, though. They weren’t doing chest compressions. Dare would breathe until she coughed, or he needed someone to take over.
“EMS is on their way.”
He looked up to see the king standing there behind Dare, though everyone else had moved back. Before he could say anything, movement on the ground caught his attention.
Sofia coughed.
Jordan helped Dare roll her onto her side as water gushed then trickled out of her mouth. The thump of chopper blades grew closer until an emergency services helicopter landed up the beach.
Emergency personnel emerged, running toward them backboard in hand. By the time they reached the patio, Jordan cradled a crying Sofia to his chest. In a few words, he explained what happened. The EMS personnel laid her back down, talking softly and reassuring her.
“We’re going to take her to Children’s Hospital on San Majoria,” one of them told Jordan. “One of you can accompany us. The rest will have to meet her there.”
Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1 Page 21