Royally Unexpected 2: An Accidental Pregnancy Collection (Surprise Baby Stories)

by Lilian Monroe

  When I pull the jagged, ripped pages of a notebook out and see Cara’s handwriting, I practically faint. Sitting down right there on the ground next to the P.O. box, I start reading.

  My vision blurs when I read about how she cares about me. She feels the same way I do. My heart starts to stutter, and hope flames to life in my heart.

  Maybe, maybe, maybe.

  Maybe she would come back. Maybe we could be together. Maybe we could live happily-ever-after.

  Then, I read something that makes the whole world fall away. In Cara’s loopy, slanted handwriting, two words stare back at me. As soon as I read them, I know my life is about to change forever.

  I’m pregnant.

  I blink, reading it again.

  I’m pregnant. It was that first night at the villa when we didn’t use protection.

  My breath quickens. My heart feels like it’s trying to burst out of my chest. My hands tremble as I reach for my phone, and I struggle to dial her number. My hands are too sweaty to get the screen to work, and a new smudge of blood swipes across the screen.

  “Ahhh,” I whisper-scream at my phone before wiping my hand on my pants and trying again.

  I can’t see straight as I put the phone to my ear, so I just squeeze my eyes shut. I lean my head on my knees as I sit on the dirt near the post office box, knowing that I make a very pitiful king right about now.

  It doesn’t matter.

  Cara is pregnant with my child. She left the country with our baby inside her belly. I pushed her away, thinking it was what’s best for her. I told her I didn’t want to marry her, when I should have been wrapping my arms around her and never letting go.

  The phone beeps, and a robotic female voice speaks to me. The number has been disconnected.

  I groan, dropping my head. Of course it’s been disconnected. Cara left the country.

  As I pick myself up off the ground, I wipe my dirt- and bloodstained pants with equally dirt- and bloodstained hands. Lifting my head up, I stare at the distant walls of the palace and the blue skies beyond. Palm trees wave at me as a soft, warm breeze washes over my skin.

  I know what I need to do.

  I’m rewriting that old cliché. If you love someone, you don’t let her go. You tell her exactly how you feel and beg her to come back to you. You fall to your knees and tell her that you need her desperately, the way you need air, and food, and shelter. You tell her that you want to be a father, a husband, a lover. You tell her that she’s your Queen, in every sense of the word.

  If you love someone, you beg. You plead. You hold on tight.

  You get on a plane and bring her back, and then never let her go.

  26

  Cara

  I have my outfit picked out and my bookbag packed. Tomorrow is the first day of school. The first day of training my voice, developing my instrument, and becoming the kind of singer I’ve always dreamed of being.

  Tomorrow, I take a step toward my dreams.

  But are they really my dreams?

  These days, it feels more like running away. My real dreams—the ones that wake me up in the night with a smile on my face—take me back to Argyle, to a villa hidden away on a lush, sparsely populated island. Every night, I’m transported back to Theo’s arms. Singing doesn’t bring me joy anymore. At least, not the type of singing I’m doing here. The thought of exploring the world on my own makes me want to curl up into a little ball and crawl into a hole.

  I’m off-balance. He knocked me clean off my feet, and now I’m adrift in the world on my own.

  Isn’t this what I always wanted to do? To explore? To discover? To see the world?

  It doesn’t feel right, though. It feels lonely and cold and stinky. Fear has crept into my heart over the past few weeks, tainting all my decisions.

  Is it too late to go home? My father seems to think coming here was the right decision. My mother isn’t speaking to me.

  Dad doesn’t know about the baby, though. No one does, apart from Cathy and the doctor.

  My phone buzzes, and Jordan’s name flashes on the screen. I sigh. I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want anything except friendship with him, but he keeps asking me out. Maybe his intentions are pure? Maybe he wants to be my friend?

  Somehow, I doubt that. He has wandering fingers and he always hugs me for a second too long. I always come away from hanging out with him feeling slightly unclean.

  I jump when my door rattles on its hinges. Someone is banging on the other side.

  Glancing at my phone, I frown.

  Is that Jordan? Why would he be here? Is he angry?

  Clutching my phone, I take a peek at his message. It just says, Hey. No hint of anger. No sign as to why he would be trying to break down my door.

  Someone calls out my name from the other side of the door, and I freeze.

  Is that…?

  It couldn’t be.

  It’s not.

  But that voice…

  My heart thumps. The banging continues. Whoever is on the other side of that door really, really wants me to open.

  I tiptoe forward, and the banging stops. I pause, listening for a noise. Something like shuffling, and maybe heavy breathing.

  Then, the voice again, as if he’s leaning his forehead against my door. “Cara,” he sighs, as if saying my name is the greatest effort. “Are you in there?”

  The poor hinges on my front door are taking a beating today. They nearly rip off the wall when I tear the door open.

  Theo stumbles forward, catching himself against the doorframe.

  “Theo,” I breathe, eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

  “I got your letter.” He gulps.

  “Oh.” My heart hammers against my ribcage. Sweat gathers under my armpits as I struggle to swallow. My brain runs circles around me, but still I can’t quite manage to say anything else.

  “Is it true?” Theo’s eyes shine.

  I nod. My voice still isn’t cooperating.

  Theo steps forward, closing the door behind him. We stand a few feet apart, staring at each other with wide eyes. I watch him gulp again, his hands clenching and unclenching.

  The air between us is thick. My heart rattles against my ribcage as I can’t quite take a full breath. Words still won’t come.

  He’s here, so he must care about the baby…about me.

  But the way he’s looking at me is making me pause. Neither of us moves. Maybe he’s just here out of duty? Maybe he doesn’t want me at all?

  Worry knots in my stomach as my heart races. My sweating intensifies. I reach up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, and my limbs feel heavy.

  I shouldn’t have told him about the baby. What if the only reason he’s here is because he feels he has to be? I’m just another responsibility dumped on his lap.

  Theo just stands there as another second ticks by. His tongue slides out to lick his lips, and then he steps toward me.

  The tension breaks.

  He slides his hand over my waist and pulls me close, using his other hand to cup my cheek.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispers, leaning his forehead against mine.

  Instead of answering his question, I just wrap my arms around his neck. “Your sling is off.” It feels good to have both of his arms wrapped around me.

  The Prin—the King’s—breath catches, and he closes his eyes for just a moment. “I want you, Cara. I want you beside me, always. I want to be a father to our child. I want to wake up beside you every morning. I feel…” His voice cracks, and I can’t take it anymore.

  I tilt my head up and brush my lips against his. Gently. Tentatively. Hesitantly.

  Theo isn’t tentative. He doesn’t hesitate. He tightens his hold on my waist and pulls me close, pressing his chest to mine. His lips part as he claims my mouth. He kisses me like never before, showing me exactly how he feels.

  My heart flies. I kiss him back, letting go of all my fears and insecurities. I let go of everything that brought me to
Juilliard. Everything I thought I wanted.

  What I want is love. Acceptance. The freedom to be me. I don’t want the freedom to run away. I want the freedom to choose.

  Theo slides his hand over my cheek, tangling his fingers into my hair. He holds me close, kissing me more fiercely than ever before.

  The King of Argyle stands in my tiny, dingy New York apartment, kissing me like there’s no one else in the world. His touch feels like heaven. His kiss is all-encompassing. He holds me close, and my world is complete.

  Pulling back, the King looks into my eyes.

  “Come back to Argyle with me, Cara. Be my wife. Have my child.”

  I run my fingers over his cheeks and take a shaky breath. I gulp, trying to find the words to say what I’m thinking. This is a whirlwind, and I want to make sure we don’t jump into anything. But Theo’s looking at me so earnestly, so lovingly, that I’m starting to believe this is real.

  I drag my eyes up to his. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this because of the baby.”

  Theo’s lips tug. His eyes glimmer, and he shakes his head. “Don’t be silly, Cara.”

  “I’m serious. This is a big decision.”

  “Maybe,” he replies. His arm is still slung around my waist, and he sways gently with me in his arms. “But it feels easy. I want to be with you, Cara. The only reason I didn’t tell you earlier was because I didn’t want to hold you back. I wanted to let you chase your dreams.”

  “My dreams have changed,” I whisper.

  “So have mine.”

  “You don’t want to be King alone anymore?”

  Theo smiles before kissing my forehead. He lets out a long breath, then shakes his head. “I don’t want to do it on my own anymore. I want to do it with you.”

  My heart expands more and more and more, until it feels like my ribcage is going to explode. The King holds me close and presses his lips to mine, telling me a thousand things without saying a word. His hands explore my body, tugging at my clothing until he splays his palms over my bare back. He slides his hands down to my waistband, groaning as he touches my curves.

  His hands are reverent. His kiss is loving. His eyes hold the entire universe, and right now, it belongs to me.

  I push his shirt off his shoulders and suck a breath in through my lips. My heart thumps as my hands skim over his brawn, igniting that familiar heat in my core.

  It’s a fire that only Theo can light. Heat that only he can create. Energy that flows only when he’s near.

  And that’s how I know that this is real, and it’s worth it. Worth changing my dreams for. Worth making decisions I never thought I’d make.

  We undress each other slowly, without saying a word. Theo picks me up and wraps my arms around his waist, carrying me to the bedroom. He lays me down on the bed, caging me underneath his broad body.

  I nip at his bottom lip, aching for him. Needing him. Wanting to give him everything all over again.

  In the back of my mind, as Theo’s eyes darken, I wonder if he means it. Does he know what he’s signing up for? Is this really what he wants?

  Or is he just doing what he’s always done—exactly what’s expected of him? Is this just another responsibility to him? Another burden?

  Theo kisses my lips, my neck, my clavicle. I try to push the thoughts away and mostly manage to do it. I give myself to him, even if it’s just for tonight. Even if he’s only here out of duty. Even if this happiness budding in my heart will be snatched away all over again.

  27

  Theo

  Making love to Cara is the sweetest joy. It makes everything else pale in comparison. Tangled in the bedsheets with her, I know that coming here was the right decision. I couldn’t have gone another day without seeing her. Inhaling her. Tasting her. Loving her.

  As we lay in bed in post-coital bliss, I trail my fingers over her perfect body. She shivers, smiling.

  “That’s nice.”

  Sparks fly from my fingertips to her skin. Goosebumps rise on her skin wherever I touch it, and I know that there’s something between us worth cherishing.

  “Cara,” I say softly.

  “Mm?” Her eyes are closed.

  “I love you.”

  When she looks at me, her eyes are misty. A soft smile stretches over her lips, and she reaches over to rake her fingers through my hair.

  “I love you too, Theo.”

  My heart grows. It bangs inside my chest, beating for her. For us. For our love.

  “Will you come back with me?”

  Cara laughs. “Of course I’ll come back with you, Theo.”

  “What about all this?”

  Glancing around the bedroom, Cara arches an eyebrow. She throws her arms behind her head, letting her gaze fall on all the old pieces of furniture in the room. “What, all this luxury?”

  “You know what I mean. What about Juilliard? What about singing?”

  Cara takes a deep breath. She moves her hand to her stomach, tracing a small circle below her belly button. “I can sing anywhere.”

  “You can’t get this kind of education anywhere. I don’t want you to give everything up and then regret it.”

  Cara looks at me, smiling softly. “When I came here, I already felt like I’d given everything up. Every step that I took away from you felt like a mistake. It tortured me. The thought of being apart hurt more than I could have imagined. The only thing that kept me going was this baby.” She spreads her fingers over her stomach. “I knew I had a piece of you inside me.”

  “I never wanted you to leave. Ever since our solstice sailing trip, it killed me to be apart from you.”

  Cara smiles softly, shaking her head. “We’re just two clueless idiots, aren’t we? We can’t say what we really feel.”

  “Watch it,” I growl. “You’re talking to your liege.”

  “You going to arrest me?” Cara arches an eyebrow, then cracks a smile. She takes a deep breath, rolling over to place her head on my shoulder. Her fingers explore my chest, trailing back and forth across my pecs. Shivers of pleasure follow her touch, and I kiss the top of her head.

  Cara sighs. “I used to feel like staying in Argyle was failure,” she says.

  “And now you don’t?”

  “Now, I think the failure is doing something that you feel you have to do. Me coming here, leaving home, doing something that wasn’t prescribed—that was just something I felt I had to do for my own pride. When I strip it all away, what do I really want?”

  Silence hangs between us.

  “I don’t know,” I whisper. “What do you want?”

  Cara lifts her head, smiling. “You,” she says simply. “I want you.”

  We head back to Argyle the next day. I keep checking to make sure Cara’s certain. That she knows what she’s giving up, and she definitely wants to come back.

  Cara’s face is radiant, and she just smiles at me. “Theo, stop. This is what I want.” Her hand moves to her stomach and her smile widens. She tilts her head, staring at me. “Are you sure this is what you want? You’re not just doing this because I got pregnant and you feel like you have to?”

  Her eyes drill into mine, and I feel like Cara’s more serious about that question than she’s letting on.

  My heart thumps. I nod. “I want this, Cara.”

  I never thought I wanted children. I’ve been so convinced that I’m better off on my own and that I didn’t want to share my life with anyone.

  But now, the thought of having a child with Cara makes the whole world brighter. The rest of my life doesn’t seem like a prison of duty to the Crown. Happiness and hope bloom in my heart in a way that I never thought was possible.

  With Cara, it’s possible. More than possible—it’s a reality.

  I’m going to marry her and be the father of our children.

  As we board the private jet that will take us back to Argyle, Cara settles into her seat and slips her hand into mine. She leans her head against the headrest, letting a soft smile
drift over her face.

  “You know, I thought that leaving New York would mean giving up my dreams. That’s not what it feels like at all. It feels like leaving behind the old me for something even better.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You,” she answers, squeezing my hand. “And a new life together.” Her smile slips for a second, and she takes a deep breath. “What about Luca?”

  I sigh, staring forward as the plane starts to taxi. Cara’s hand is still securely in mine, and I’m not letting her go. Not for anything.

  “Luca will come around.”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  “He will. He has to. I can’t imagine my life without you, Cara. We have a child to take care of now.”

  “I don’t want to be the wedge that comes between you and your brother.”

  “You’re not a wedge between anything. It might take time, but Luca will understand. He pushed you away, and things happen. We have a family now. You’re carrying the heir to the throne of Argyle.”

  Cara sighs, nodding. “Okay.”

  We fall silent. The plane turns onto the runway, and the pilot starts picking up speed. Within a minute, we’re in the air. We leave JFK Airport behind us, cruising through the air toward our home.

  Because that’s what Argyle is—home. With Cara at my side, Argyle is the only home I want.

  Cara stares out the window, and a lump forms in my throat.

  I know she’s worried about Luca, but there’s not much else I can say. I’m not giving her up. Not again. Not for the sake of my brother’s pride, when all he did was toss her aside like a used tissue. If he doesn’t like the fact that I’m with her, that’s his problem.

  I just hope Cara sees it that way, too. I hope she believes me when I say that I love her and I want her beside me. I hope she realizes that if I ever have to choose between her and Luca, I’ll choose her every time.