The Un-Apparent Heir: A Royal Family Saga Romance (Spare Change Book 4)

9. The Baby Shower

Sanne approached Natalie with trepidation. Ever since her sister-in-law admitted to struggling with infertility, Sanne and Paul could only dance around the issue. They wanted to be sensitive and supportive, but this was their first baby. Paul was bursting to tell anyone and everyone about their bundle of joy. Sanne couldn’t help but enjoy pregnancy. It was surprising how much she liked it.

In July, Sanne’s mothers and Vanna hosted a bridal shower for Sanne. It wasn’t a British thing to do, but the Americans pulled rank. With a mother who was a former wedding planner, a grand celebration was guaranteed. Even Linnea and Marie pitched in. The family was usually gathered at Balmoral this time of year but was stationed in Windsor since Sanne was a month away fromgiving birth. She couldn’t travel and the King was keen to be close when the baby was born.

Everyone flew into London for the weekend. While Ed and Natalie spent most of their time in Wales or Windsor, they returned to Kensington Palace, also known as ”KP”, where they had an apartment. It was the first time Sanne and Paul had seen them in ages despite living around the corner. Sanne loved Natalie and missed her wit and general sniping at Paul.

Sanne was still a foreigner and felt very much an outsider. The press only went easy on her because she was pregnant, but they loathed her. She struggled so much that Robbie hired her an image consultant. While Natalie could be herself, Sanne was mercilessly compared to her American-raised mother-in-law. Sanne wasn’t much like Vanna at all, which presented problems.

Natalie was one of the few willing to help Sanne and protect her. Now, she was gone. Sanne missed her family and her sister most of all. She longed to be back in the States. She loved Paul and wanted to adjust to her new job.

Sanne hoped that when the baby came, they’d have stability and begin their way forward. Maybe then things would feel more like home? She’d be settled with Paul. They’d have made a baby and a life together. Perhaps, it would be different?

“We did buy him a few things,” Natalie said.

“You are so sure it’s a he?” Sanne chuckled. “Well, you agree with everyone else. I might be the lone holdout.”

“By a few things,” Ed grumbled, setting down a massive mound of beautifully wrapped boxes, “she means that she spent hours shopping getting him dozens of things.”

“Most of it is quite gender-neutral and would work for a girl. I almost wish she is a girl. I will teach her to fly.”

“And if she’s a boy?” Paul asked.

“I will teach him to fly.”

Sanne laughed. “Well, we can hope the baby likes flight.”

“Are we finally free to leave?” Paul asked.

“I think we’re good,” Ed replied. “I’m only here as the muscle.”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “My arms aren’t broken last I checked. You offered.”

“Agreed. Yes.” Ed kissed her cheek and disappeared.

Sanne was surprised by their cheerfulness.

“Hey, I just wanted to say, Nat, that I’m grateful you’re here. It means a lot to both of us. I know it isn’t easy.”

“I know,” Natalie agreed. “I know. The baby is going to be spoiled rotten, though. I couldn’t let others win that prize.”

Sanne snickered, cupping her belly. “I am sure that this baby will adore you as much as Charlotte and Leah do.”

Sanne and Natalie watched the girls run around the grand hall at Windsor.

“The cake is a nice touch. Mummy will be pleased with the buttercream.”

“As will I, yes. We have that much in common,” Sanne admitted.

“You never got sick of buttercream even after all those weddings?”

“Wedding cake is about my favourite. When a couple said they loathed cake, my heart sank like a stone.”

“Well, I think that’s brilliant. To cake,” Natalie raised a glass of champagne—set out for those not pregnant.

Sanne for a moment suspected maybe Natalie was pregnant due to her good mood. Her drinking put those hopes to rest. Sometimes, she felt guilty. They’d been wed less than six months apart, but now faced different trajectories. While Sanne hoped Natalie and Ed would soon have a baby, she remained sensitive and never brought it up.

“Luce! Come here!” Natalie barked.

Lucy chatted with her mother-in-law. Lucy excused herself, walking over. She was also visibly pregnant, due only a few weeks after Sanne. As it was her second baby, she was much rounder than Sanne. She looked downright adorable.

“What now? You finally made it?” Lucy gave Natalie a big hug.

“We did. I told you. Why are you staying out in London?”

“Well, you refused to tell us when you would be back and then you ghosted me.”

“I fell asleep. Please come and stay for a bit. If you can.”

“I really cannot. Like… we must go back to Scotland and drive there, Natalie, because I cannot fly. I’m not allowed.”

“I can fly you.”

“No, you cannot. I am not allowed. You aren’t a special case. There was no asterisk allowing for me to fly in a private plane, believe it or not.”

Sanne snickered. “Well, I am sorry it was such a trip. I didn’t even consider that you would come, Lucy. I figured now that you were settled, you’d stay up there. I am glad you’re here, but?—”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Sanne. Really,” Lucy beamed. “The first baby is a big deal. I am trying to forget I’m pregnant at this point. You’re in the last month now. That lasts two years.”

“It has begun to feel a bit long,” Sanne admitted.

“No, it’s not a big deal. Winston wanted to come down to London and I needed a taste of civilisation, but there was an opening at the local nursery school, so Malcolm is enrolled, and we must go back.”

“Aww, he’s starting preschool?” Sanne cooed. “God, how is he old enough?”

“I know, right? It’s too soon. I’m a hormonal wreck! . Anyhow, Natalie, if you were less busy, I would have bothered you to come by.”

“Well, I am making a dedicated effort to visit you, okay? We will drop in and spoil Malcolm mercilessly. Then head up to Balmoral for a bit.”

“Oh, when?” Lucy asked.

“We leave here for Balmoral in a week. I figured we would drop in. We will stay up there for a bit. Unless baby number two makes an appearance early. Family comes up in late August for a couple of weeks.

“So, are you going to come back?” Sanne asked. “When the baby comes.”

A sudden pang of jealousy hit. Natalie would visit Lucy when their baby arrived, but not Sanne?

“No, no. We’ll fly down when the baby is here and you’re ready for visitors, Sanne. We don’t want to be an imposition, but we wouldn’t miss it for the world. Promise.”

Sanne relaxed.

“Look, I know things are awkward sometimes. I am grateful for the two of you being there for me and all the grace you’ve given. I hope I can repay it someday. Know that I hate any distance between us, but… it’s been for the best. I think the clouds are parting a bit. And in the future, I will try to make more of an effort. I don’t want you to feel like I will be any less than a doting aunt to your kids, okay?”

“Just tell me if it gets to be too much,” Sanne insisted. “Really.”

“I will,” Natalie agreed. “Now, let’s spoil the dickens out of Baby Inverness, okay?

Ed heldNatalie’s hand as they waited to inform her parents of their bad, finite news and their plan to salvage things and cope with a childless existence. After working with a therapist for several months, they settled on a plan to allow them the lives they wanted to live. They had spent much time at Nefoedd, her family’s estate in Wales. It was the place where they rekindled their love for one another years before and it gave them some much-needed headspace.

Things weren’t perfect, but they were better. Ed and Natalie still felt anger and resentment about infertility, but they struggled less with baby talk. They could be around people with children more frequently. Natalie tried to patch things with Lucy and Sanne. It didn’t seem like they held anything against her, but distance remained. Ed felt it, too. Winston was one of his best mates, but he was hard to reach.

Some days, Ed wanted everything to go back to how it was in October when they were still hopeful they could conceive and turn back the clock—to remember the days before the revelation. Instead, they’d struggled. They hadn’t even felt fine celebrating their first wedding anniversary. Things were still raw. So, they agreed to a second honeymoon in Scotland—alone for a few days before the rest of the family made it up.

In some ways, their marriage was more complicated. As their therapist reminded them, the complication wasn’t bad. While it had taken a few months to get back to a normal sort of sex life after months of procreative sex and feelings of loss, things were back to their normal swing. Complicated meant having wonderful days where they could go at it like teenagers without a care in the world and other days when they both felt salty about something out of their control.

The important part was their unity. They had a plan. They were stronger than ever as a couple, but they needed the go-ahead to make that dream a reality. Now, they needed to finally come clean about their struggle.

“So, how have you been?” Robbie asked. “It’s so nice to have you back here.”

“Yes, we keep missing you. It’s nice to see you in Wales, but… we miss seeing you here.”

“Well, we’ve been busy,” Natalie said. “As you know, I was spending time at Valley and?—”

“I was told you were there for various reasons and then found out you were getting in sim hours. Natalie, we have been over this. What on Earth are you doing?” Robbie’s voice was flat-out annoyed.

“Why does everyone squawk at you?”

“Because they all technically report to me. Yes, even you do, Natalie. You may not want to admit it, but you do.”

She rolled her eyes. “I was asked to help. To help, I must maintain my cert. We’ve been over this. I must get sim hours?—”

“Nat,” Ed said. “That’s not what we’re here to discuss.”

He knew that if she and Robbie continued on this topic, they would just argue. Natalie needed sim hours because she needed to train pilots. Robbie knew something was up, but he was confused as to why she would do that. As much as Ed loathed the idea of putting her back into the cockpit of something that went 1000 miles an hour, he knew it made her happy. The RAF needed pilots like Natalie more than ever.

“You’re right,” Natalie said. “So, before you ask the million-dollar question, the answer is no. We are not nor will we ever be pregnant.”

Confusion spread.

“We cannot have children. We tried everything.”

“She almost died from a reaction to fertility drugs. It took about two months for her to be herself,” Ed insisted. “It’s my fault?—”

“No, Winslow.” Natalie shook her head in admonishment. “It is no one’s fault. No one wanted it this way. We tried. For the first time in our lives, we failed at something monumental. Both being the competitors we are, we took it to heart. It took some time to come up for air.”

Robbie looked at Vanna. Ed assumed he might be angry. He tended to react to a panic scenario in anger. He was bad at that. Instead, he looked sad—bereft, even.

“How long have you known, sweetheart?” Vanna asked, voice was kind, but pinched.

“Since January,” Natalie winced. “We wanted to work with a therapist and figure our shit out. We were both devastated. I don’t think we were ready for this conversation. And, if you haven’t noticed, we’ve been sparse on purpose.”

“We didn’t want to take away from everyone”s happiness. Between Kiersten’s wedding and Sanne and Paul’s baby, things are cheerful. We weren’t cheerful. We were broken,” Ed said.

“Not us as a couple.” Natalie squeezed Ed’s hand. “It wrecked both. We were knackered and miserable for a bit. The therapist helped. She recommended a few things—grief first. We did that. Then, come up with a plan for a life without children. So, we outlined a few things.”

She slid the list she kept in her jeans pocket across the table.

“Do not tell me you have a list again, Natalie. For fuck’s sake!” Robbie groaned, walking to the window.

“Robert, don’t get all cagey. They are pouring their damn hearts out. This is sad.”

“Oh, it’s… as she said… devastating.”

“I’m sorry, Dad. We had one job. I had one job.”

Robbie turned and shook his head. “Natalie, never say that. Your mother didn’t give birth to any of you so you could produce children blindly. We didn’t have you to ensure the family line would continue. Believe it or not, we fought like hell for children because we wanted to raise good humans. And if there was ever a credit to us not completely fucking you up, it is the way you constantly swoop in to fix things, Natalie. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

He was in tears. Ed couldn’t believe what he heard.

“I never wanted this for the two of you. It’s unfair. You would be brilliant parents. I know it’s what you wanted and… we never wanted to rush you, but damn it. This is terrible news. I’m not cross with you—either of you—I’m heartbroken for you. It hits a nerve.”

“It does, yeah,” Vanna said. “Oh, I am so sorry. This is… it’s not what you wanted.”

“It’s not okay, but it’s reality,” Natalie said. “It wasn’t how we imagined our lives, but, we have resolved that we will each pick a pet project or two to stay busy and spend more time with the niblings. That must do. And we can work more, obviously, while Paul and Sanne raise this little one. We’re getting to the point we’re accepting it, but we need to have a change. Hence the bloody list, Dad.”

“Did she tell you she brought a list of terms after George left?” Robbie asked.

He was agitated. His face was the same one Natalie pulled when she’d been called out and knew she was in the shit.

“No, but I’m unsurprised. Welcome to an argument at our house,” Ed snickered.

“He calls it an armistice,” Natalie giggled.

“So, you want all of this?” Robbie sighed. “Natalie, we have talked about?—”

“Dad, this is not coming from me. It is coming from the Air Marshall and our partners at Valley. A friend of mine who is in the US Air Force is looking to move back to help. We need bodies in planes over there. The least we can do is train our pilots. There is a huge shortage of civilians capable of training them. Right now, the joint ops need a boost.”

“You accepted?”

“I tentatively accepted.”

Robbie shot her a look of utter displeasure but said nothing more. Vanna looked over his shoulder.

“A house in Wales near Valley, okay. That is more than doable, sweetheart,” she said.

“Well, we put in a bid already, so we’re buying it,” Natalie said.

“Do you want my go-ahead then?” Robbie asked.

“Dad, you can always tell us no and we make it a holiday house. Don’t do this. Do you understand how hard this was for us? To come here and?—”

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to… “ The King took a deep breath. “I am trying. I’m upset for you and I’m worried about you. I would rather you not launch yourself?—”

Ed smiled at Natalie encouragingly. “I’ve already tried to reason with her, but this is her first love. I cannot stop her, Robbie. The truth is, when you see how people interact with her, they need her. Right now, we both need to feel a part of something meaningful. We aren’t going to leave a legacy like you did. We won’t have children.”

“You will in Charlotte, Leah, and the others,” Vanna said. “More than you know. And Paul’s child—boy or girl—will have a special bond with their Aunt Natalie and Uncle Ed. Without a doubt.”

Choked up, Natalie said, “Uh, about that… so if you read past open water swimming?—”

“Are you going to do that?” Robbie asked Ed.

“Yes,” Ed laughed. “I’m terribly out of shape but I look forward to freezing my arse off and trying to be outdoorsy. It’s not about winning. Maybe I won’t be too shit as an old-timer. We’re buying a house with room to put a pool in with an enclosure.”

“The only thing he cares about.”

“Well, that will be good for you,” Robbie said. “So, you want to make a public statement. But you want to wait?”

“I want to wait until after Paul and Sanne have adjusted to the new baby. I know they’re going back to the States for a bit but?—”

“Can they do that?” Robbie asked. “Paul is now your heir. That baby is now the future king or queen.”

“We don’t want to ruin their first time as parents,” Natalie said. “Sanne deserves peace at the end of her pregnancy. They should have time to bond with the baby. Paul is not going to handle this well, Daddy. Let’s not put the burden on Sanne to support Paul in his breakdown.”

“Sure. Whatever. Fighting you will take years off my life. I agree to this but may re-evaluate at any time, Nat. If I need you back here or need more out of you at your first job, you will follow orders.”

“As you said,” Natalie said, “you’re my CO.”

“Good. Okay. Well, thank you for telling us. We’ll hold on the announcement. We will want to visit you at the new house when you get settled. I’m curious about this pool,” Robbie said.

“We’re always here,” Vanna insisted. “Always.”