A Royal Christmas Proposal

by Leanne Banks

  Leo paused again in suckling his pacifier.

  “How was that for you, big guy?” he asked, and then dipped his tiny feet into the surf again.

  Leo kicked his feet and legs.

  Ericka laughed. “I don’t know if that’s a yes or no.”

  “He’s not screaming, so let’s call it a yes,” Treat said as he dipped the baby’s feet in a wave once more. Leo opened his mouth and cackled, dropping his pacifier. Treat caught the paci before it fell into the ocean.

  Ericka stretched out her hands for Leo, and Treat passed the baby to her. “You may be an ocean baby, after all,” she said. “We’ll have to bring you again.”

  “Are you going to take a dip?” Treat asked.

  “Not this time,” she said. “It’s a little cool for me.”

  He nodded, staring out at the ocean. “I only went to the ocean twice when I was growing up. Loved it both times. Once, we went in winter and I swam even though it was freezing cold,” he said, then chuckled.

  “You should go now,” she urged.

  He shook his head. “I can’t be protecting you if I’m swimming in the ocean.”

  She sighed. “Well, darn.”

  “I’ll come back another time on my day off,” he said.

  “What day off?” she asked as they walked out of the water. “You haven’t taken a day off since you started.”

  “I will sometime,” he said.

  “But then I won’t get to see you swim in the ocean,” she said.

  “I’m sure I wouldn’t win any prizes for form,” he told her. “You won’t be missing much.”

  “I bet you dive into the waves,” she said.

  He looked at her and his lips lifted in a half-grin. “Who are you? The psychic princess?”

  She walked on the sand toward the car. “That’s what I want to see. You diving into the waves.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “I’d like to see what you were like as a kid,” she said.

  He shook his head. “The kid in me doesn’t come out very often. The kid had a complicated childhood.”

  “How complicated?”

  “I told you more than enough. You’re a client,” he reminded her.

  His statement felt like a smack in her face. She took a quick breath. “You were just part of an amazing, private experience. How many times have you taken a baby with his mom for a dip in the ocean?”

  “Never,” he admitted.

  “Leo and I are not just clients,” she told him tersely, and put Leo into his car seat. “Do you have his pacifier?”

  “Here,” he said, and pressed the pacifier into her hand.

  He opened the passenger door and she slid into her seat without looking at him. She heard and felt Treat get into the car and start the ignition. She kept her gaze trained forward. She was so incredibly insulted and not sure why. Why should she care what staff thought of her?

  “Sorry,” he said as he pulled past the gate to the front door and stopped. “That was out of line. I’ve dealt with kids before, but not infants. And not you. I just need to keep my head on straight.”

  Her heart turned over at the intent expression on his face. His gaze forced her to think more about how she was feeling at this moment. This was a job for him, one that would end. He was a human being with feelings. Deeper feelings than she’d expected. He was the first man who’d inspired crazy emotions inside her. Emotions she hadn’t felt in a long time. The situation was very complicated, but that didn’t change the fact that she wanted him.

  “I understand,” she said. “I’ll get Leo inside for his bottle and a nap.”

  “And your morning full of work,” he said, stepping out of the car. He unhooked Leo from his car seat. “You did good, big guy,” he murmured to the baby. “Want me to bring him inside?”

  “I can do it,” she said, taking Leo into her arms. She inhaled his baby scent and gave him a kiss on his chubby cheek. “Thank you,” she said, and walked into the cottage. Feeling Treat’s gaze on her as she walked, Ericka felt a tiny sliver of comfort. He was as affected by her as she was by him. She wasn’t completely alone. Small comfort, she told herself. Neither could do anything about their feelings.

  Ericka looked down at Leo as he stared up at her. Maybe doing nothing was for the best. She had enough on her hands and in her arms.

  * * *

  That afternoon Ericka decided to pay a visit to the palace. She needed to talk to Stefan personally. Despite the fact that her biggest concern was Leo, thoughts of the Sergenian royals plagued her. She needed to get Stefan on her side.

  Treat insisted on driving her and she did all she could not to think about the dream she’d had the other night and how much he affected her and how hard it was to be this close to him. When they arrived at the palace, she nearly leaped out of the car. “I’ll be back soon.”

  She’d called ahead and Stefan had agreed to meet with her provided she wasn’t complaining about security. Truth was, her security could complain about her, but that was another story.

  His assistant opened his office door at her second knock. “Your Highness,” the assistant said.

  “Good afternoon,” she said as she walked toward Stefan.

  He stepped from behind his desk and kissed her on the cheek. “You sounded upset,” he said.

  She kissed him on the cheek in return. “I’m concerned. I received a call about the royal family of Sergenia.”

  “The country has experienced a lot of unrest,” he said.

  She nodded. “The royal family is in danger. They need a place to go.”

  He gave her a thoughtful look. “You know we don’t get involved in the politics of other countries.”

  “This isn’t about politics,” she said. “It’s about people. What if one of us had needed a place to go because Chantaine had become more violent?”

  “We take care of our people,” he said. “We put our people first. That’s why Chantaine is peaceful.”

  “But this isn’t asking a lot. They just need a place to disappear,” she said.

  Stefan shook his head. “I appreciate your good heart, but I have to think about the greater good. I don’t want violent people from Sergenia taking revenge on our citizens.”

  “But if we kept it secret—”

  “Fredericka,” he said. “The answer is no.”

  She understood her brother’s point, but her heart still tugged at the thought of the young Sergenian royals in danger. She’d done research on them. They were good people.

  She bit her lip. “You know I could have done this behind your back.”

  He narrowed his eyes in a way that would have intimidated her five years ago. Not so much today. “I hope your honor as a Devereaux means more to you than that.”

  “I hope you’ll think about the Devereaux honor and how we’re trying to make a new name for ourselves. Please reconsider.” She lifted her hand when he opened his mouth. “Don’t say anything, just please reconsider. Have a good evening in your very safe palace, in your very safe country. Not all are quite so fortunate,” she said as she walked out of his office.

  Striding out of the palace, she found Treat waiting for her just outside the door. He quickly exited the car and assisted her inside. Ericka jerked her seatbelt into place.

  “That was fast,” he said, sliding back into his seat and pulling out of the parking area.

  “Fast, but not successful. Being honest and honorable can be a total pain,” she muttered.

  Ericka felt Treat’s gaze on her as he stopped at a stop sign. “Honor? Honest? You want to explain?”

  “Not really,” she said, feeling extremely frustrated. “Everyone thinks I have this superficial job where all I do is plan meetings with other members of royalty, but other things
can happen. I can get calls that are more than fluff. What am I supposed to do about those calls?”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  Ericka took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing.”

  “Doesn’t sound like nothing to me, but as long as it doesn’t affect your security,” he said.

  “Of course it doesn’t affect my security,” she said, and sighed. “It affects the security of the royals in Sergenia, but if you repeat that, I truly will kill you.”

  He gave a whistle. “Sergenia. Oh, that place is a mess.”

  “Yes, it is, and the royals need a place to go,” she said.

  “Here? Chantaine? Why here?” he asked. “Why not a larger country?”

  “You must agree we’re a bit more isolated. We’re not a target,” she said.

  “True, I guess. I take it Stefan didn’t agree.”

  “He didn’t, but I’m not giving up,” she said. “I put in the initial guilt screws. I’ll try again in a few days.”

  He glanced at her and chuckled. “You’re a little scary when you get determined.”

  She smiled back at him. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Shortly later, they arrived back at the cottage and Ericka thanked Treat as she entered the house. Nanny greeted her, holding Leo in her arms.

  “He’s been a bit fussy this afternoon. The hearing doctor called the house phone. I couldn’t get to it in time. I think he left a message.”

  Ericka glanced at her cell phone and spotted a missed call from Leo’s doctor. She listened to the message and her stomach fell. The doctor confirmed what she had already sensed. Leo was profoundly deaf. But he could have life changing surgery in January or February.

  The news left her in a quandary because the surgery presented a fair amount of risk. The possibility of endangering Leo crippled her. In normal circumstances, she would want to put it off. The flip side was that if Leo’s surgery was successful, he would be able to speak normally and hear more than he ever could with hearing aids.

  Ericka went to Nanny and extended her arms. “I’d like to hold him for a while,” she said.

  “Of course,” Nanny said. “Simon left groceries and dinner. Would you like some soup?”

  “That sounds perfect,” Ericka said as she carried Leo to the den. He stared up at her with his wide blue eyes. “How are you doing, little man? I thought you would be all tuckered out from your adventure in the ocean this morning.”

  Leo squirmed in her arms and Ericka realized her darling baby had gas. “Maybe I can help,” she said, sitting down and putting his tummy over her knees. He gave several burps and let air out his backside then seemed to relax.

  She pulled him onto her lap. “Better now?”

  He made a moue, but didn’t cry. “Bet you’re hungry now,” she said. “Let’s get a bottle.” She went to the kitchen and pulled a bottle from the refrigerator as Nanny heated soup on the stove.

  “Gas,” Ericka said.

  “That explains the crankiness. I hope he’ll sleep well tonight,” Nanny said.

  “Me, too,” Ericka said as she gave Leo his bottle. He sucked it down in no time. She burped him repeatedly then put him to bed. He was so drowsy he looked as if he were craving rest.

  Crossing her fingers, Ericka returned to the kitchen and accepted the bowl of soup Nanny had heated for her. “Thank you so much,” she said. “It’s been quite a day.”

  “I’ll say,” Nanny said. “You’ve been up since nearly the crack of dawn. I bet you’re ready for some sleep yourself.”

  “I am, but I hate for you to take the tortured night shift,” Ericka said as she sipped her soup.

  “Remember, I can sleep when he does. You have work to do. Don’t you worry about me,” Nanny replied, and patted Ericka’s back.

  But Ericka couldn’t help feeling she should be the one getting up with Leo.

  Chapter Seven

  Despite her qualms, Ericka gave into her longing for a full night’s rest and allowed Nanny to take the night shift. She heard a couple of peeps from the baby monitor, but no prolonged crying. When she rose, she felt rested and refreshed, a condition she rarely experienced these days.

  Making her way into the kitchen, she found Nanny sneezing into a tissue. “Bless you and good morning,” Ericka said. “I hope Leo didn’t keep you up too much last night.”

  “Not at all, ma’am, but I fear I’m getting a cold. I’ve been washing my hands, but I feel as if I need to spray myself with anti-germ cleaner so I won’t pass this on to you or the baby,” Nanny said then sneezed again.

  “You look miserable,” Ericka said. “Perhaps you should take a day or two to recuperate.”

  “I hate to leave you without help,” Nanny said.

  “I have Simon for food and errands. You’ve just given me the gift of a full night of sleep. I think I can manage for a couple days.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Ericka nodded. “You’ll get better sooner if you rest. And take some of Simon’s soup with you. He made quite a bit of it,” she said, going to the refrigerator and pulling out the crock of soup. She poured some into a storage container and gave it to Nanny.

  “You’re too good to me,” Nanny said.

  “Not at all,” Ericka said. “I hope you feel better soon.”

  Nanny left for her small apartment in town and Ericka quickly took a shower then started working on a spreadsheet of workshops for the upcoming conference. In the middle of a telephone call with one of the prospective speakers, she heard Leo cry out. Quickly ending the call, she went to the nursery, changed his diaper and brought him into the den with her. She gave him his bottle, made the sign for milk and moved his hand to make the same sign.

  Leo clapped his hand against hers and cackled.

  Ericka couldn’t resist smiling. “We’ll keep working on it,” she said, while he sucked down his formula. As soon as he finished, she burped him several times. A gassy baby was not a happy baby.

  “Time for sign language class,” she said, then clicked on the pre-recorded video on her laptop. Sitting on the floor, she propped Leo on her lap and repeated the words from the tutor and performed the signs then helped move his hands into the signs.

  A knock sounded at the front door and she glanced toward it. Who—

  Treat poked his head inside and she felt an unwelcome surge of pleasure at just the sight of him. Oh, please. Get a grip, she told herself.

  “Just checking on you. I noticed Nanny left earlier.”

  “We’re fine. Nanny was fighting a cold and losing, so I thought it would be best for everyone for her to take a couple days off.”

  “Good call,” he said. “How’s he doing with sign language?”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “I think he’s more interested in giving me a high five and having fun, but I’ve been told most babies don’t start signing until six months.”

  “Nothing wrong with both of you having fun,” he said. “He’s a fun kid.”

  She felt a slight easing inside her and let out a breath. “I’m trying so hard to do everything correctly that I sometimes forget about having fun.”

  “Think about when you were a kid. Didn’t you learn better when you were having fun?” he asked.

  She thought back to her childhood and remembered strict nannies and teachers. There had been one or two that had relaxed the rules at times. “I guess you’re right.”

  Sam strolled into the room and began to rub his face on Treat’s jeans. He looked down at the cat in confusion. “He does this nearly every time I come into the house. Doesn’t he know that I’m not really a cat person?”

  Amused, she tried to keep a serious face. “It’s obvious that he’s determined to make you love him,” she said.
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  Treat rolled his eyes, but bent down to rub the cat behind his ears. Sam closed his eyes in contentment.

  Leo squirmed and let out a little shriek, waving his hands toward Sam. Hearing the baby, Sam obligingly strolled next to Ericka and Leo. Leo patted the cat. He hadn’t quite learned the technique of stroking. Sam tolerated the petting then slinked toward the kitchen.

  “Does the cat always let Leo pet him?” Treat asked.

  “More times than not,” she said, rising from the floor. “I think Sam believes his job is to watch Leo.”

  “A watch cat instead of a watch dog,” he said. “Looks like it’s working. I’ll let you get back to whatever you’re doing.”

  “I’m getting ready to eat lunch. Simon brought soup and a pasta meal that could feed a dozen. Would you like to join us?” she asked.

  She saw a flicker of hesitation, as if he wanted to stay. He shook his head and she hated the knot of disappointment she felt in the pit of her stomach.

  “Thanks, but I’ll have to pass,” he said.

  Why? she wanted to ask, but swallowed the question. She wasn’t asking for a lifetime commitment. She just wanted a little company, and the more time she spent with him, the more curious she became about him. But he was clearly determined to keep his distance. She should accept that and be done with her thoughts about him.

  Deliberately forcing herself to stop thinking about Treat, she made sure Leo got in some tummy time, watching him grunt and groan as he did baby push-ups. She placed one of his favorite toys in his peripheral vision to see if she could tempt him to roll over. He worked hard but wasn’t quite ready. When he started to cry, she scooped him and gave him the toy, praising him even though she knew he couldn’t hear him. She wanted to stay in the habit of praising him for the day when he could hear her, possibly after his surgery in January.

  He was drooling like a fountain and rubbing his eyes, so she put him down for his afternoon nap and returned to her work. Less than an hour later, she heard him crying. Surprised, she turned on his solar system toy. That only worked for a few more minutes. She brought him with her into the den and put him in his infant seat with toys hanging in front of him, but he continued to fuss.