The Prince’s Virgin

by Charlize Starr

  “No, but he said he’ll be back in a few hours,” Maud said, and Heidi walked towards the stairs.

  “Let me know when he’s here. I’ll be in my room,” she said, as she headed towards the bedroom. She needed to be alone.

  All four tests were positive. Heidi was pregnant, with Declan’s child. She put her head in her hands and tried to steady her breathing. That one night of weakness with him was now going to change their lives forever. How was she going to deal with this? Who could she tell? This had not been the plan, and David would lose his mind if and when he found out.

  Heidi paced the bathroom floor, sweat trickling down her temples. Her hand went instinctively to stroke her belly. She was going to be a mother. Declan was going to be responsible not only for her bakery but also for giving her a child. She could never tell him. Panic rose in her chest. He would detest her all his life if he found out.

  Heidi came out of the bathroom in a panic. She’d spent more than an hour locked up in there. Hurrying down the stairs from the bedroom, she ran into the kitchen. She was opening and closing closets, banging cutlery and plates, when Maud came in to find her covered in a cold sweat.

  “What’s wrong?” Maud asked, concern coloring her voice.

  “Where’s the flour? The eggs? Do you have some baking soda?” Heidi was in a daze. She was fumbling with her words.

  “Calm down, miss. Why do you need those things?” Maud had walked up to her and was now patting her shoulder.

  “I want to bake a cake,” Heidi said, looking at her with crazed eyes.

  “Alright. We’ll bake something. Just calm down.” Maud was smiling at her with kind eyes. She could see that Heidi was having a panic attack.

  The house smelt of key lime pie when Declan walked into the kitchen.

  “What is that smell? Is that Heidi’s baking I detect?” He entered the room, rolling a set of keys around his forefinger. Maud smiled as she helped Heidi cut the pie into several pieces. Heidi looked up into Declan’s eyes and then immediately looked away.

  “When can I sample some of that?” he asked and came over to stand beside her. When they were not in public, he didn’t touch her. He was careful to behave normally with her, and they had long conversations in bed together, spoke about life and their childhoods and aspirations, but they never touched. She saw a look of sadness in his eyes sometimes, but he was quick to mask it.

  “It needs to cool down,” Maud answered for Heidi, who was refusing to look at him.

  “Give it to me in minutes. I’m drooling here,” he said and dug a finger right into the middle of the pie. Heidi screeched loudly and both Declan and Maud looked at her in horror. There had been no need for that reaction.

  “What’s wrong, Heidi?” Declan asked, concerned and worried. She had managed to calm herself down a little with the baking, but now seeing him had thrown her over the edge again.

  “Can we talk, Declan?” she asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

  “Sure thing,” Declan said, still frowning.

  “I’ll go and see if the rose bushes need to be trimmed,” Maud said, and quickly walked out of the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

  “What’s going on?” Declan turned to her again, crossing his arms over his chest. “That scream wasn’t just about the pie, was it? You’ve been on edge for the last few days.”

  Heidi sighed, slowly taking the apron off her body and laying it on the kitchen island. It was hard to look at him and not melt instantly. Even now, after several weeks of living in the same house, she hadn’t got over how connected she felt to Declan. It had only grown stronger. She still couldn’t stop thinking about how good he looked naked, how gently he had held her that night.

  “I’m just tired. And bored,” she said, forcing the words out of her mouth. He had tied his hair into a small ponytail at his nape. He was a tall figure, hovering over her as he stood close to her. He licked his lips and his blue eyes bored into her face. Declan was thinking, assessing the situation.

  “Bored?” he repeated.

  “I have nothing to do other than walk the streets of NYC and pose for pictures. I think we should talk to David about ending this.” She tried to whisper, aware that there could be someone listening. Declan frowned.

  “You want this to end? It’s only been a couple of weeks.” He wasn’t speaking in whispers, and it was clear to see that the suggestion had surprised him.

  “I know. But I miss my normal life.”

  “But I thought you were happy here. What do you need?”

  “I am happy here. But I’d be happier if I got back to my usual things.”

  “Like waitressing?”

  “No, like sleeping on my own bed, in my own apartment.” Heidi’s voice was a little raised now, and Declan had taken a few steps towards her. His face was twisted in frustration and surprise.

  “But three weeks isn’t enough. That isn’t a solid relationship. That doesn’t prove anything. They’ll only hate me more.” Declan breathed out loudly and ran his hands through his hair.

  “What do you want? This to go on for years?” she asked, and Declan shook his head.

  “A few months? I don’t know. I thought this was working well.” He raised his voice and Heidi whipped away from him.

  “I just want to return to my normal life now. That’s it. If you don’t want to pay the whole amount like we discussed, I’ll accept a partial payment.”

  She heard him sighing and then pulling out a chair to sit down.

  “This isn’t about the money or a business deal, Heidi. I thought we were having fun. I thought I’d made a genuinely good friend,” Declan said, and Heidi whipped around to face him.

  “Of course this is a business deal. You’ve said it a hundred times to remind me.” She could feel tears stinging her eyelids. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him.

  “I said it because that’s what you said. The first evening when we met, remember? This stopped being a business deal for me when you walked into my house and told Maud off. I knew then that there was a friendship growing.” Declan stood up from his chair and walked towards her.

  “I just want to go home.” Heidi pushed past him, afraid of what might happen if he came any closer than that.

  The door of the kitchen flew open and David walked in. His face was as red and furious as Heidi’s was, and they both looked at him in surprise.

  “What the hell, David? What’s happened to you?” Declan asked, his voice dying a little at the sight of David.

  “David?” Heidi asked her brother, after he had been silent for a while, glaring at Heidi first and then at Declan.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Declan asked, and David turned to Heidi again.

  “What?” she asked, afraid of the way her brother looked at that moment. What had happened to cause this reaction?

  “Do you want to explain to me why you were buying pregnancy tests at the drug store today?” David asked, in a slow, grueling voice, stepping towards Heidi, who was now retreating into a corner of the kitchen.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Declan asked, in a thundering voice.

  “Just what I said. Why do you need pregnancy tests, Heidi?” David repeated himself, not taking his eyes off his sister. Heidi felt at that moment like she was about to burst at the seams.

  Chapter Eight

  “Pregnancy tests?” Declan was the one who broke the silence in the room.

  “How do you know about that?” Heidi had the courage to ask her brother. She held her chin up in a stubborn show of confidence, even though she could feel herself crumbling inside.

  “Because one of the reporters who was chasing you spoke to the sales person at the drugstore and she told him. He called me to ask for an official statement.” David’s eyes were still wide, and he was looking at Heidi like he couldn’t believe his eyes.

  “So this is true? You were buying pregnancy tests?” Declan spoke up from behind David.

 
“Yes, I was,” Heidi said, and David huffed and turned away from his sister.

  “You did this, didn’t you? You bastard.” David screamed and lunged at Declan. Declan grabbed David’s arm and wrestled it back behind him, pinning it lightly in place.

  “Just calm down, David,” Declan said, in a smooth, even voice. Heidi had retreated further. She wanted to get out of there.

  “How can I be calm, knowing what I know now? You had sex with my sister!” David was screaming still. His face had grown very red.

  “Heidi. Are you pregnant?” Declan ignored his friend and turned to her. She looked away from him, the tears really threatening to burst out now. “Heidi?” Declan urged her again, and she turned to look at him. They stared into each other’s eyes and she didn’t have to say anything. He knew the answer.

  He let David go and rushed towards her.

  “Was that why you said you wanted to go back to your normal life?” Declan asked, standing directly in front of her now. Heidi couldn’t look at him. She knew what he was going to say. He was going to apologize and then ask her to have an abortion. That was what she expected from Declan Xavier, what he must have said to countless other women before herself.

  “I wanted to end this because I want to keep the baby,” Heidi blurted out before she could stop herself. She still had her chin up, and she was challenging him with her eyes.

  “Heidi! Are you insane?” David appeared behind Declan, coming towards her now. His rage had turned to helplessness.

  “David. Stay out of this,” Declan said harshly, and David turned to him.

  “Stay out of this? Just like you’re planning to?” David threw the words at him and Declan looked away from him.

  “Heidi is an adult. She may be your sister, but she can make her own decisions. So if she wants to keep the baby, you have no right to say otherwise,” he continued. Heidi’s jaw dropped slightly.

  “You want me to keep it?” she asked. Declan turned to her with a look of confusion.

  “Of course I do. Why would I not?” he said, and he took a few more steps towards her.

  “I can’t believe this. I can’t watch this,” David said, and Declan turned to him again.

  “Go away then, David,” he snapped, and David turned around and left the room. Heidi and Declan stood staring at each other. “Were you planning to just leave and not tell me?” he asked her. His voice had dropped several decibels, and he was close to her now.

  “Of course. I didn’t think you’d want to have a baby with your fake girlfriend,” she said, her voice shaky. She could hardly believe that any of this was happening. A part of her still believed that it was a joke.

  “For all intents and purposes, Heidi, you’re the only real girlfriend I’ve ever had,” Declan said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close to him. She landed on his chest, placing her hands on his shoulders for support.

  She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face.

  “I'm sorry if I pushed you away earlier, Heidi. I didn’t think it was right,” he whispered in her ear and then nibbled her earlobe. Heidi smiled and looked into his eyes.

  “I was pushing you away too, without realizing it,” she said, and they kissed softly.

  “Can we just make this official now, so I can kiss you in private too?” Declan was smiling as he covered her face in kisses.

  “We already made it official, remember?” Heidi laughed.

  “To David, I mean,” Declan said, gently biting her chin. Heidi wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded.

  ***

  When Heidi got out of bed, the curtains had already been pulled and the sun was pouring into the room. She stretched her arms and noticed that Maud had left a tray of her usual breakfast beside her.

  Her hand went to her belly. She had begun to show. There was no hiding it from the media anymore. David had planned an exclusive interview with one of the big entertainment channels that morning. Heidi remembered this and quickly stepped out of bed.

  Declan, as usual, was nowhere in sight. A quick shower later, Heidi ate her breakfast while putting her makeup on. She went for a fresh, minimal look, her trademark style, much to the disappointment of David, who had initially insisted that Declan Xavier’s girlfriend should wear dark, Goth eyeshadow and sparkly lipstick. Heidi couldn’t stand it. She wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone else. The truth was that Declan Xavier wanted to be with her. It wasn’t a pretense anymore. He had picked her, Heidi Scott, with her plain taste in clothes and lack of interest in makeup.

  She had decided to grow her hair again, and it had already started grazing her shoulders, falling in tight curls.

  Heidi picked out a turquoise Lycra dress. It accentuated her baby bump and she examined herself in the mirror sideways. Her hand stroking her belly, feeling for the child she was carrying. Declan’s child.

  Sandals and small turquoise earrings completed the look, and she was ready.

  “You look absolutely stunning,” Declan said, when he saw her descending the stairs. David was busy in the background, attending to cameramen at the front door. Maud and a few of the other household staff were assisting him.

  Declan welcomed her into his arms and they hugged tightly.

  “Your first interview. How do you feel?” he asked her, as they walked together hand-in-hand towards the living room. David had specially rearranged it for the interview.

  “Nervous, a little. Mostly excited,” she said, and he kissed her on the cheek.

  ***

  “What is it like being Declan Xavier’s girlfriend?” was the first question Liam, the reporter interviewing them, asked, directing it to Heidi immediately. She laughed coyly, exchanging a quick happy look with Declan and then turning back to Liam again.

  “I can’t say he’s not hard work. It’s very difficult to have a serious conversation with this man,” she said, and Liam smiled. Declan laughed at that himself, and Heidi instantly felt at ease.

  “We assume that you’re getting used to the rock star lifestyle gradually?” Liam continued. Heidi brushed away some curls from her eyes.

  “There’s nothing to get used to. It’s a regular household with regular people. Declan and I like our private, quiet days. It’s not what you think you know from the movies,” she replied. She felt Declan squeeze her hand gently.

  “And we hear that there’s a grand opening for your bakery next week?” Liam threw this question to the floor, and Declan jumped in.

  “You have not lived if you haven’t tried my girlfriend’s cupcakes. It’s what clinched the deal for me. I tasted one of them and I was a goner,” Declan said, and Liam and Heidi laughed.

  She liked watching him in front of the camera, how his personality remained the same, how his smile was capable of pleasing everyone in the room. Declan made it look so easy to be a celebrity. That was probably what made him a rock star.

  “And your other big announcement is…” Liam said with a smile.

  “That we’re pregnant!” Heidi and Declan said together and kissed lightly. Heidi noticed the camera pan downwards and capture her baby bump for the audience.

  “Congratulations to the happy couple. Have you picked out names yet?” Liam asked.

  “If that’s your way of finding out if it’s a girl or a boy, that’s not happening, Liam,” Declan said, and squeezed Heidi’s shoulder playfully. Liam laughed at that as well.

  “I have to ask a question that has been on everybody’s mind, really. How did Heidi Scott manage to slow down Declan Xavier? How did you manage this big transformation in him?” Liam asked, crossing his legs.

  Heidi felt the cameras focus on her, and she shifted in her seat. This was always the hard part, lying with a straight face about how they met.

  “I don’t know if I’ve changed him,” she began, and Liam pounced on that.

  “Of course you have. Declan was surrounded by women, there were scandals about him sleeping with underage girls, supermodels w
ith broken hearts…” Liam cut in.

  “But that wasn’t necessarily his side of the story. Declan is a celebrity. He’s a rock star. Of course the stories about him will be exaggerated. Not that I’m defending any of the bad stuff that he may or may not have done. From my perspective, we met and we changed both our lives forever,” Heidi said. She could feel herself getting worked up. When would these allegations ever end? Even after all these months, they refused to abandon him.

  “The truth is, Liam,” Declan spoke up then, “that she did change me. She changed my life because I met her and realized that I didn’t need anybody else. Nobody had ever done that to me before. And then I fell in love with her.” He had turned to her while he spoke and she could feel the squeeze of his hands in hers.

  That was the first time he had said that to her, and she was afraid she was going to cry.

  “And now she’s going to be the mother of my child.” Declan smiled at Liam, who smiled back at the happy couple.

  ***

  “That was an incredible performance!” David clapped his hands as he shut the kitchen door behind him. Declan and Heidi were kissing when he entered.

  “It wasn’t a performance, David, for heaven’s sake.” Declan slapped David on his back.

  “Okay, okay. You know what I meant. We’ve done it, team,” he said, simultaneously offering high fives to both Heidi and Declan.

  “And my first interview!” Heidi let out a sigh, pouring herself a glass of water.

  “Very well done, sis. And I have to say, you look incredible as well,” David said, giving her a quick hug.

  “Free publicity for my bakery too,” she said, with a wink towards Declan, who shook his head and laughed.

  “Heidi Scott, ever the businesswoman,” Declan said, pulling her into his arms again.

  “I’m so glad this isn’t a game anymore, so I don’t have to tiptoe around the media,” David said, sitting down at the table.

  “We might have one more secret to keep, for a few months.” Declan turned to David who frowned. Heidi was staring at Declan too. Now what?!