BABY ROYAL

by Bella Grant

  The bed sank under his weight and creaked, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. He was clueless how to proceed, so he called his mother and hoped she would have some insight.

  “How’s it going?” Queen Clarise asked on the other end.

  “Not so good. She returned the gifts.”

  “What do you mean, she returned them?”

  Jason wandered into the living room, unable to keep still. He walked about the room, toying with the curtain, running his finger along the back of the sofa, and kicking the box of returned gifts in disgust.

  “I mean, I’m looking at the box now. She brought them to me and left them here.”

  “I see,” his mother responded, a resounding silence following.

  “Mom?”

  “I’m here,” she replied. “Maybe she’s a simple girl. What you need to do is learn something about her that she loves and use that. It doesn’t make sense offering someone something she can’t use or isn’t interested in.”

  “But that’s my problem. She won’t let me near her, so I can’t learn anything. She locked herself in her house for a week to avoid me.”

  “You’ve been there all this time, Jason. You must know something about her.”

  “The only thing I know is that she loves working on the farm, and she likes to go out at night.”

  “Night…that might be something you can use.”

  “How? I don’t even see her anymore. Aren’t you listening? She goes out of her way to avoid me.”

  “So, make her see you!”

  Jason sat on the edge of the sofa and stared at the box. He had half an idea before any of those gifts were bought that Elena might reject them. She wasn’t the kind of woman who liked material things. From what he had seen so far, she was close to her family and loved solitude and the night. Maybe if he did something more personal to show her how much she meant to him, she would respond more positively.

  “I have an idea,” he said as his spirit perked. He felt his heart race in anticipation. If this plan didn’t work, he could surely kiss Elena goodbye. “Tell Ellie to make me some food—something nice for a moonlight picnic.”

  “Aaah,” Queen Clarise hummed approvingly. “Now that sounds nice. I’ll have her bring it over in the evening.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Jason felt lighter as he thought about how surprised she would be when she saw what he had done. Having the picnic by the tree would be perfect. It was her special place, and the spot where he had found her. He remembered how she had looked that night as the light from the lantern bounced off her skin. Her clothes nor her covered hair had mattered at all. She looked as if she had emerged from a story book, and without knowing it, she had entranced him. He would take her there again, and he would make her his. He knew in his heart she wanted him—she had not resisted kissing him earlier, and he had a feeling, given the right conditions, she would again. But he had to ensure it before she locked herself completely away from him.

  At twilight, the car pulled up to the cottage, and Jason bounded to the front door. He felt like a child at Christmas, excited about the new gifts he would be getting from Santa Claus. Ellie climbed out of the car with a large basket in her hand. She hurried to him and handed him the goodies.

  “Thank you, Ellie.” He smiled and touched her on the shoulder.

  “No problem, Prince Jason,” she responded and bowed slightly. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to need it.”

  Jason checked the basket and saw a delightful presentation of rolls, cake, wine, juice, fruits, and sandwiches. He didn’t know what exactly she liked, but peaches and grapes were a good place to start. If she didn’t like those, he would know what she did like afterwards. He had no intentions of losing her, not when he could feel that she was hiding her feelings. He just didn’t know why yet.

  As soon as it got dark, he hurried from the cottage with a blanket under his arm and the basket in the other hand. He hummed a tune under his breath, careful not to draw attention to himself. He was bubbling over with excitement and could hardly contain it. He knew Elena might be in the stables, and he was grateful when he entered the property and saw lights coming from the barn.

  He was more nervous than he had ever been in his life. His legs felt heavy as he got closer, and his mouth went dry when he saw her standing with her back turned, lifting or moving something. She hadn’t seen him, and she jumped when he cleared his throat.

  “Ugh! What’s wrong with you?”

  “Me? Why would you ask that?” He knew he was being infuriating, but she had a certain glow when she exposed her emotions – in any form.

  She opened her mouth to say something rude, or maybe to chase him away again, when she saw the raised basket in his hand and the grin on his face.

  “You don’t give up, do you?”

  “Nope. Not a chance, Elena,” he responded as his mouth moistened again. He moved closer to her. “I was thinking, what would someone like Elena want if not pearls or dresses? And then it hit me. Maybe she likes food.”

  She tried to be tough, but it was clearly hard when he was being so charming.

  “So, what do you say?”

  She looked past him. “I don’t know. I have to go in soon. Nathan is waiting for me. Dad will need me to—”

  “Just a few minutes. I’m not stealing you,” he interrupted.

  She folded her hands across her chest defensively. “What is this about?”

  “Come on. I’ll show you,” he said and flashed her a smile she couldn’t resist.

  “The townsfolk are going to stone me to death because of you.”

  Jason could see she was losing the battle. He saw in her eyes that she wanted to go but that she was afraid of something, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

  “I’m not worried about the rest of the town. I want to show you this isn’t a game to me.”

  Elena hesitated a moment longer, and she twiddled with her fingers and turned about the barn. “Okay. Just this one time.”

  Jason’s heart soared not only because she was coming but because she had chosen to. The best way to get to her was to allow her the choice, and he stepped aside for her to pass.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  He hadn’t gone far when she realized where he was headed. “You’re going to the tree?”

  He shrugged. “It was the best place I could think of.”

  “I bet it’s the only place you could think of.” She laughed softly, and he looked quickly at her. “What?”

  “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh.” She blushed and turned her head away. “And yes, it is the only place I know, but still, it’s a great spot.”

  “Yes, it is. I go there all the time. It’s one of the few places I get to think and not be under anyone’s scrutiny or judged for one reason or another.”

  “I don’t get it,” Jason chipped in. “If you hate the town this much, and the people, why would you want to stay?”

  “Because this is my home,” she replied without hesitation.

  Jason didn’t completely understand her. He was used to living in the castle, but he had spent years at a time away from home. He had attended boarding school in England since he was fourteen, and when he had returned at twenty, he had gone on one excursion after another to different countries. He had no concept of home and what it meant to a person. But through her eyes, he was beginning to get a faint idea.

  They reached the huge oak tree, and Jason hurried ahead to set the basket at the foot of the stump.

  “What you got in there?” Elena asked as she tried to peek inside.

  “Some things I hope you like. Here, have a seat,” Jason offered as he grabbed the blanket inside the basket he hadn’t noticed because it was under the fruits and cake at the top of the basket. He fanned it and spread it out on the grass. He hopped onto the blanket and patted next to him. “Come on. Get down here before the ants have your shar
e.”

  Elena smiled and plopped down. She rested on her knees opposite him with the basket between them. Jason noticed she was trying to keep her distance, and he swore silently to stay away unless invited. She reached cautiously into the basket and took out a small bunch of grapes. She placed one in her mouth tentatively, like she was testing it.

  “I like grapes,” she said after she swallowed and popped another in her mouth. “I haven’t eaten them in a long time.” The rest followed in short order.

  Jason smiled to himself as he watched her enjoying the simple pleasure of eating, and he marveled at her innocence. She had been so shielded from the world, and he knew she would love some of the things he could introduce to her, like sailing, or hiking, or biking. She was a nature fanatic who would love staring at the open seas rather than going crazy at the mall or touring Paris for kicks.

  “Did you make this?” she asked between mouthfuls. “The sandwich is good. What is it?”

  “Uh,” he muttered, and leaned over to check. “Looks like Ellie’s famous club sandwich.”

  “Ellie?” she asked curiously.

  “The other woman in my life.” Her mouth stopped moving and her eyes became perfect round balls in her head. She looked like a rabbit caught in a snare, and Jason laughed until he fell back against the blanket.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You should see your face. Ellie is my… one of the housekeepers at the castle.” He saw the relief on her face and watched her chest as her breathing relaxed again.

  “Oh.” She bit another piece of the sandwich. “I knew that.” He was still staring at her when she looked at him with curious eyes. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

  He didn’t want her to stop, so although he wasn’t hungry, he reached in and took one of the sandwiches. She watched him as he bit into it, and he relaxed onto the blanket with his free hand behind his head.

  “It’s a nice night,” he observed.

  “Yes, it is,” she said as she brushed the remaining breadcrumbs from her palms. She looked like she wanted to lay down next to him but was shy, so she looked around uncomfortably.

  Jason said nothing. He took up the basket when they were done, setting it aside, and breathed deeply as she finally decided to lay down on her side. She put her hand on the side of her head as she faced him.

  “I didn’t know a prince did things like this,” she whispered and traced her finger over the swirling patterns on the blanket.

  “Like what? Eat?”

  “No. Moonlight picnic. Living in a village like this. Sitting on the ground with someone like me. I used to think you did nothing for yourselves.”

  “Well, mostly, I don’t. Ellie does most everything for me. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how. I mean, I don’t know how to cook or fold laundry, but I know how to do other things, like sail a boat, and paint…”

  “You paint?”

  “I dabble here and there,” he replied modestly. In fact, he was one of the best in his class in college, but he didn’t have a passion for it.

  “That’s nice.” She lay on the blanket and placed both hands behind her head.

  Their elbows touched, and the electrical surge that passed between them was unmistakable, sufficient to render them both mute and immobile.

  “I would have thought you would be bad at this,” she mused.

  “Bad at what?” he asked as he rolled over onto his side again.

  “Being in the same place, trying to get the same girl.” She smiled and blushed and looked at him before quickly averting her gaze.

  Jason laugh was a low rumble. “You really have a bad impression of me, don’t you?”

  She rose onto her elbow and faced him. “Aren’t the rumors true?”

  “What have you heard?”

  “I’ve heard about the selfish bad boy prince, the one who gets drunk and sleeps around with girls all over the world.”

  “Hmm,” Jason uttered. “No wonder you were so aloof with me. You think I’m a playboy or something.”

  “I didn’t have much else to go on. You never came down to the village for a heart to heart.”

  He sighed. “They have it all wrong.” His expression was melancholy, and he bit his lower lip in contemplation. “None of that is true…well, most of it. Sure, I’m always traveling and meeting new people, and there have been girls, but not like you probably heard. Some of those stories are just that—stories. I play along because it’s fun, but I’ve never really played with people’s feelings. I’ve had two serious relationships so far. They didn’t work out, I partied, I sailed, I painted.” He paused and glanced at her. “Not as exciting, right?”

  She was smiling, and it excited him that she seemed pleased. “Doesn’t seem so bad to me.”

  “At least you have siblings. It was only me. What else was I going to do? It was boring in that huge castle all alone, so I didn’t stay there much. Maybe now, I would be motivated…” His voice thinned as he tried to gauge her reaction.

  “Jason, I still don’t—”

  “Shh,” he hushed her and touched her lips with his forefinger. “You don’t have to say it tonight. Just—”

  She surprised him when she leaned over and kissed him. He had wanted her since the minute she lay next to him on the blanket, but after his track record of messing things up, he wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize what was budding between them. But he was ecstatic at her response.

  His eyes grew heavy with desire, and his body responded as her lips glided over his. His heart raced when he felt her cold fingertips touch his cheek, and he reached out and caught her hand, pressing it against his warming skin. Her breathing intensified to match his, and he clutched her waist and pulled her closer to him. He wanted to touch her body, to slip his hand under her skirt, to feel the pleasure he had been denied. She moved and twitched against him, like she wanted him to. But he would not defile the moment. He lowered his body until his back pressed against the soft blanket and the blades of grass tickled his elbow where the comfort ended.

  He guided her to him, and she fell readily into his arms, her lips finding his again. He held her tighter, feeling her heart beating against his chest, matching the rhythm of his as his tongue darted into her mouth. She caught it expertly, and what ensued was a game of passion and romance neither could win but for which they easily accepted defeat.

  Her lips seemed to throb by the time she pulled away, and Jason saw the need in her eyes. He knew he could have her if he wanted, but what he wanted was more than merely her body. He wanted her heart, and he knew sex wasn’t the means to get it. He moved the lock of hair dangling across her face and slipped it tenderly behind her ear. He rolled his head back and felt the warmth traverse his body when she lay on his chest, and her hand played across his stomach.

  Jason had never known so much peace, or what he assumed to be love. He was confident, though, that what he felt for Elena was different than anything he had ever felt for any other woman. Something told him he wouldn’t have anything like it again, and his heart hammered against her ear. He rubbed her arm until his eyes, droopy earlier with passion, now sagged with sleep. Under the oak tree, the place where they had first met, their love took root, and neither of them was ready for what that truly meant.

  Elena

  Elena’s eyes fluttered, and she rubbed them free of the sleep still weighing them down. She twitched as she felt a kink in her neck, and as she stretched to work it out, she noticed she was outdoors. She almost leapt to her feet, and then she saw Jason. Her surprise dissipated and was quickly replaced by panic when she realized she had spent the night with him under the tree. She reached over and shook him by the shoulder.

  “Jason, wake up!” Jason groaned and rolled from side to side like he was trying to get comfortable. “Jason!”

  “What! What?” he cried, and rubbed his eyes. He started when he saw Elena and looked around him in confusion. “Oh,” he replied casually and rubbed his eyes, like waking up to her in t
he field was the most natural thing in the world.

  “We need to go,” Elena said worriedly, and looked around her with concern. She stood and was busily trying to gather herself when she noticed something moving behind a clump of bushes a stone’s throw away. She trained her eyes and squinted until she recognized the pink dress Charlotte always wore. “Shit,” she muttered.

  “What?” he asked as he followed her line of sight. Charlotte stood a few meters away, wearing a scowl that quickly changed to mischief before she balled her fists and walked away.

  “No, this isn’t happening,” Elena wailed and clambered to her feet. “I’ve got to go home. My parents must be wondering what happened to me. I didn’t mean to stay out here all night.”

  “Calm down for a minute,” Jason replied as soothingly as he could. “It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be. I’m sure your parents—”

  “Not as bad?” she snapped. “That was Charlotte. By midday, the entire village will know I was here with you.”

  “So? They already know I chose you. What’s the problem?”

  “You don’t get it,” she said as she brushed the dried blades of grass from around her ankles. “You never get it.”

  Elena ran away, leaving Jason under the tree with the blanket and the uneaten goodies in the basket. It had been a lovely night, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. But the morning had come with a bitter aftertaste. Her heart beat heavily against her chest as she hurried home, looking around her for any sign of Charlotte. She hoped she would see her so she could tell her nothing had happened. But what would be the point? She wouldn’t believe her anyway.

  Her hands grew clammy as anxiety overcame her. Elena crossed the damp, grassy field that led to the kitchen. Her father was sitting in the old iron chair by the steps.

  “D-Dad,” she stuttered. “What are you…”

  “Where were you?” he asked frankly, pressing his right palm against his right leg.

  “I…I… Dad, I’m sorry, but Jason…”