BABY ROYAL

by Bella Grant

  “Thank you.” He pulled Elena to his side. “Think you can manage this?”

  She laughed softly. “Yeah, I think so.”

  She took the shovel amidst hooting and cheers and followed the contractor to the site. She couldn’t really ‘break ground,’ so she just tapped the spot and it was official. He took the shovel after and actually struck the ground, shoveling some dirt as he did.

  “Let the dream begin,” he said loudly, and the villagers, never needing a reason to celebrate, eagerly joined in.

  Everyone wanted to see the new princess, and they flocked Olivia as Jason and Elena stood by and watched them with amusement.

  “Okay, I think that’s enough,” he eventually called to them. “Elena needs her rest.” They reluctantly walked away, babbling excitedly still, and promising to return with gifts and treats. “Ready?” he looked over at Elena and asked.

  “Definitely. But maybe I will stay here for the next couple of days. Too much excitement all at once,” she apologized.

  “No, that’s okay. I’ve waited for months. I think I can make it for a few more days.”

  The rest of the day was spent getting her settled in, and Elena fell asleep an hour later. Olivia watched over Aurora like a hen would her chicks, and Jason was tempted to stay. But he had to leave, and he looked forward to seeing her again the following day, and to holding his daughter every day after.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Elena’s mouth fell open and stayed that way for seconds. She was unable to turn her eyes away from the massive structure at the far corner of the farm. It was surreal—the large modern structure, the tiled roof, the green and brown décor accentuated by the fields of green. When she was finally able to move, she turned to him.

  “Wow!” was all she could muster.

  “What do you think?”

  “Oh, Jason,” she said as she flung her arms around his neck. “It’s beautiful.”

  Aurora, who was clinging to her mother’s shirt, smiled as if she understood. The villagers were gathered at the site as before, waiting for her, and Elena was so overwhelmed by the house and the support that the tears inevitably flowed.

  “Congratulations. Aww, she is so cute.”

  “Where is that baby? I want to see her.”

  “Our princess!”

  People flocked her, each anxious to see the baby again, and the house, which was still closed and waiting for her to see inside first. It was a grand celebration with a ribbon cutting to make it official, and as soon as the blue satin hit the ground, the crowd lined up behind her to follow her in.

  “Hey, hey!” Gregory shouted over the din. “Let’s let Elena see the house, get settled in, and you can return tomorrow and see it.”

  Elena appreciated her father stepping in, and she smiled at him to show her approval. This was the first time she was seeing their house in its completed state, and she wanted to share those first moments with just Jason and her daughter.

  “Go on, now, and thanks for coming,” Olivia chimed in.

  There was a low murmur as the disappointed group of people left the yard reluctantly, a few lingering around in the hopes they might get lucky.

  Elena was floored when she stepped inside and saw crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and staircases trimmed with gold. Lush carpeting was spread throughout and accent pieces she had only seen on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

  “This is far better than anything I could ever dream of,” she mused.

  Nathan ran up to her. “Elena, can I play at your house? Prince Jason said he would get me a horse.”

  “Well, we’ll see about that, Nate.”

  “Yay!” he shouted, his small mind only understanding that she had agreed, and he ran from the room and into another at the back like he was already familiar with the place.

  “Be careful,” Olivia shouted after him.

  When Elena turned to face Jason, he was kneeling on the ground, a small black box open in his hand. “Oh, this is too much,” Elena gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

  Olivia and Gregory were puffed up with pride, and Olivia clasped her hands before her face. Gregory grabbed her around the shoulder and pulled her to him.

  “I’ve had this for a long time, waiting for the perfect moment. I think this is as good as they come. Now, I’ve asked before, and you pretty much chased me away…”

  “I didn’t…not like that…” Elena laughed and defended.

  “You have given me so much in such a short time, and I don’t want to think about spending another day without you. So, Elena Rose, will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she whimpered. The tears raced down her cheeks as she stepped closer to him.

  “I’m not sure I heard that, and I don’t want to be mistaken,” Jason teased.

  “Yes!” she replied more emphatically, to the amusement of Olivia and Gregory.

  Jason beamed as he took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. “At last!” He jumped to his feet and grabbed her in his arms. “It’s about time.”

  His lips immediately found hers, and they locked into a deep kiss that swept her off her feet and transported her to another place and another time. Her head swam. She was overwhelmed by everything that had happened to her over the last few days, but in his arms, there was a blind security she had never felt before. She began to move against him, completely forgetting their audience.

  “Eww,” Nathan cried as he returned to the room. “Gross!”

  Olivia and Gregory laughed. “Come on, Nate. Let’s give these two some alone time,” Gregory said as he tipped his hat and led the rest of his family out of the house.

  “So,” Jason said after they had gone, “now that we are alone…” He was talking in a seductive voice and making a trail from her lips to her breasts with his forefinger.

  Aurora, like she could sense the excitement, started to fuss. Elena held his finger and removed it. “Someone trumps you right now.”

  “Come on, Aurora. Work with me,” Jason wailed, much to Elena’s amusement.

  He was a proud father as he watched her suckle their daughter. They had both changed dramatically over the past months. Either that, or they didn’t really know themselves to begin with. Jason knew he didn’t want to wait a moment longer to make her his wife. The next evening at sunset, the two were wed under Elena’s favorite oak tree, which had become a special landmark for them. The whole town gathered to watch them and were joined by the royal family, who couldn’t be prouder of their son.

  The village was different now that the royal family was a part of it. As Jason and Elena were carried to their home on the shoulders of the villagers, transporting them in style using wooden carriages they had constructed, they embraced a new chapter of their lives which had begun with a chance meeting under an old oak tree.

  TRUST FUND BABY

  (Book 1)

  Debra

  I closed the textbook with a thud after catching myself falling asleep for the third time. A quick glance at my wristwatch showed it was late. Or was it considered early since it was two a.m.? I should be in my dorm room sleeping, getting enough rest for my exam later today, but I was worried the hours I worked this semester had detracted from my focus in academics. So, there I was, burning the midnight oil, trying to grasp concepts and ensuring I understood as much as possible about Corporate Governance.

  Final exams couldn’t be trifled with, after all.

  To be fair, the scholarship I’d received from one of the largest financial institutions in the country did allow for errors. I would retain the scholarship if my cumulative GPA didn’t go below 3.40, but I was on a roll. My third year of college and I still had a perfect GPA. Nothing but an A on the Corporate Governance exam would satisfy me tomorrow.

  At first, when I’d started college, I’d been afraid of what to expect, although I’d been a straight A student throughout my life. But this was college. It was supposed to be more challenging. I thought I would be mo
re fulfilled by all my accolades but I wasn’t. I felt like I was going through the motions—going to class, working at the diner, and not much of anything else.

  I used to take full pride in my academics. I’d studied hard to be able to get into this private university but sometimes, I thought I should have stayed in my small hometown. Academics wasn’t the challenge here. It was everything else going on at college that I never thought about before— the making friends and the going to parties and clubs.

  I was flunking at college life outside of academics.

  Thank God, I had two days away from work on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I planned to travel back home where I was more comfortable, where people were friendlier, less pretentious and less judgmental about possessions. While the scholarship took care of my full tuition, room, and board, I had to work to buy clothes and food. This meant no name-brand items most trust fund kids walking around campus wore. Occasionally, I would go to the store and get something off the rack, but most often, I went to thrift stores. I usually waited on deals, especially out-of-season sales, to buy clothes. My winterwear had been bought from this past summer.

  I wasn’t bothered much by my rather drab appearance, surrounded by a bevy of college girls who wore the latest designer outfits and toted handbags and shoes that cost more than my own car. Many of them were busy being too social and flunking college. Once I finished my studies, I had a job waiting for me at Citibank which had provided my scholarship. Then I’d be able to afford to pay for those superficial possessions.

  If I wanted them.

  Packing up my books, I decided, on a yawn, it was time to go to bed. Instead of replacing the book, I took it with me to the librarian’s desk and signed it out for a day. No harm in being cautious. I would scan through the content again in the morning. I should have enough time to do so since the exam was at one in the afternoon.

  Thanking the librarian who knew me by name because of my frequent visits and checkouts, I pushed through the heavy soundproof doors. I walked down the wide steps and headed in the direction of my dorm. I was so tired my eyes were beginning to cross. I was practically walking asleep.

  Taking the shortest route, I doubled around the Chemistry lab and took the right turn along the corridor.

  Oof! My half-opened eyes widened in alertness at the solid wall I’d run into. I didn’t remember a wall there. The wall moved and caught my arms as I tripped over my own feet and would have fallen if hands hadn’t held tightly onto me.

  The wall smelled of alcohol. I looked up with a frown and my belly almost dropped to the ground. My wall was Lucas Caine. The Lucas Caine. Knowing of him when I was one of the least aware of who people were—especially people like Lucas—said a whole lot. His father was renowned billionaire and real estate mogul, Gregory Caine, owner of a hotel chain and golf retreats in several states.

  “I-I’m so sor-sorry.” I stumbled an apology for running into him.

  Yet I didn’t move out of his arms. At over six feet, Lucas Caine was every bit the eye candy he was on campus. He wore his wavy black hair long, down to his shoulders and parted at one side, giving his tresses a wavy look I would have sworn he perfected by wielding a flat iron. But given the stench on him, he was coming from a party and his hair was still perfect. I’d never thought long hair beyond ear length was appropriate for a man, but on him, it made him look a little wild, unorthodox, and intriguing.

  Captivated by his arresting blue eyes, I could feel rather than see his hot body. From time to time, I saw him jogging around campus, indicating he took pretty damn good care of himself. A girl could appreciate his efforts. The few times I’d seen him jogging without a shirt on, it was a wonder the campus wasn’t flooded by the drool. Mine included. I might be geeky by some people’s standards, but I wasn’t dead. Feeling Lucas’ hard legs pressed to mine right now reminded me just how alive I was.

  “Do I know you?” he asked, peering into my face.

  Disappointment coiled in my stomach. Do I know you? How about we were in the same Project Management lecture sessions? How about last summer when I worked at the library? I’d signed out a book for him while he blathered about how he had failed a course and couldn’t get to go to Cancun. How about serving him at least half a dozen times at the diner where I worked? A place he and his friends frequented.

  At his question, I pulled away. What had I been thinking? Had I expected he would have noticed me on any of those occasions? Didn’t he and his friends refer to me as ‘hey, waiter girl,’ even though I wore a name tag at the diner? How could I have forgotten he was conceited and self-absorbed? How could he not be when he was one of them?

  Loud chattering and laughter, hinged on slurs, reached my ears. I should have known. Wherever he was, at least half his posse went with him. He wasn’t just one of them. He was the leader of the pack. A pack I despised for personal reasons.

  “No, you don’t,” I replied, my tone dripping scorn. I pulled myself away from him and, after a little reluctance on his part, he let go. I continued on my way, skittering around his friends.

  “Who’s the creepy-looking chick?” one of them asked him and I resisted the urge to look back. I did slow down, though, to hear his response.

  “She’s nobody.”

  A lump formed in my throat and I ran the rest of the way. I stopped just outside the room I shared with another girl a year younger than me. I didn’t want to wake her since she was probably sleeping, so I stood outside and gulped deep breaths, waiting for my heart to stop racing and my blowing to cease.

  So what if he thought I was nothing? Who cared anyway? Except that was how I felt sometimes. Like I was an insignificant speck, unnoticeable. Unimportant. Except for my father, who was proud of my achievements, who gave a hoot about my 4.0 GPA? Citibank? They had to, considering they spent their money on my education. I didn’t appreciate being bonded to the company for four years to pay back the fees they’d paid, but it had been one of the only options to get a tertiary education. Students loans were less appealing. The pro was when I graduated next year, I wouldn’t have to worry, like many graduates, about finding a job.

  When my breathing was under control, I unlocked the door and slipped quietly inside. The room was ideal for one occupant but capitalizing on resources, two twin beds had been crammed into the small space. It was designed like a studio with a small kitchen and a bathroom.

  I was at the brink of keeling over in exhaustion, so pushing Lucas from my mind, I toed off my tennis shoes and crawled into bed. His words reverberated in my mind just before I fell into a deep sleep. She’s nobody.

  Lucas

  There she was again. If I didn’t know any better I would think she was stalking me since the night I’d run into her outside the Chemistry lab two days ago. Suddenly, she’d started popping up everywhere, making me wonder how I’d missed seeing her around all this time. At first, I thought it was my alcohol-induced brain that had made me so aware of her. When she’d walked right into me and her body connected with mine, a jolt of electricity shot through me. She was so small and soft. At least her breasts grazing my arm had been soft.

  I stared at her sitting two rows down, scribbling what the professor was explaining, and I was curious as to who she was. If she was a party girl, I would have known her. I hardly ever missed a party on and off campus. Booze, girls, and parties. I was determined to enjoy the college experience to the fullest. That accounted for some of my failed courses, such as this one—Project Appraisal. And if I didn’t get my mind off her and on the lecturer, I would fail again.

  I pulled my gaze away from her and to the boring man who was about the same age as my father. Not that my father could be compared to this guy. Last time I checked, he was in Malibu with the latest Mrs. Caine, soon-to-be-ex-wife number five. Or was it number six? I didn’t care to keep up these days.

  Focus, Lucas, or ten years from now, you’ll still be in college. I blocked my father and his hot young wife from my mind. How she’d come on to me the las
t time we’d all been together over summer. I’d wanted to tap her, too, but I refrained out of respect to my father. She was only a couple years older than me and had a body that screamed nirvana.

  The professor asked a question I missed but I became focused when she raised her hand.

  “Once again, Miss Hoskins saves the day,” the professor remarked. I couldn’t remember his name though he’d taught me this same course last semester.

  The girl stood to answer the question and I noticed the way she commanded the ‘stage.’ She kept her head straight, looking directly at the professor, but her gentle tones pleasantly wafted over the room.

  “Well, there are certain risks and inherent uncertainty implicit in projects,” she started. I noted the professor nodded while she continued. “There are physical risks such as climate, weather, and natural disasters which, to great extent, cannot be predicted. Then there are financial risks involved, some due to foreign exchange movement—”

  Enthralled by her voice, I listened to her going into great detail and I learned more from what she said than from the entire semester. I disliked this class, mainly because it was boring. Sometimes, I slept through it or didn’t show up at all.

  I felt guilty that she knew so much and I knew so little. When was this exam again? Two days. Was that enough time to cram?

  She eventually took her seat and for some inexplicable reason, I felt proud of her when the professor clapped and remarked that with an answer like that, she’d get an A on her final exam. He then turned to the rest of us and berated us for not paying attention. Other classes had already ended for the term since exams were in progress, but because of our poor performance in the coursework, the professor had decided to keep a make-up class and run through the highlights of the course. More than half the class was absent, but I was here because when teachers called for make-up class just before exams, they usually brought up some questions that would be appearing on the exam paper.