Epilogue
EPILOGUE
WYATT
“ S o everything is ready to go?” I asked.
Odette nodded definitively, “I think so. I am prepared if you are.”
“I am prepared to sit there and look supportive. I am merely a concerned citizen supporting my wife in the big thing she’s about to do.”
Odette smiled, confident. She picked up her portfolio and packed it in her large Birkin Bag. “Well, I’m ready as ever, I guess.”
In the last year, there was nothing we hadn’t done. We began massive renovations on our chateau, got engaged in winter, married in spring, and planned a life together. Now, it was time to check one of the most important boxes. We’d done a lot, but we had an unresolved issue that had taken one major political scandal, some parliamentary support, and a lot of patience to fix.
“I will be there in a minute!” Mom called down the hall. “I’ll follow you. We’re getting socks on, but don’t wait on us.”
Theo was attending Odette’s big speech—sitting in the audience with Mom and me. It was his first time in public to a presentation like this. Odette sensed my nerves. She squeezed my hand.
“It’s going to be fine, baby,” Odette said. “He is so excited.”
“We’ll head out then,” I called back to Mom. “See you there.”
Odette turned to the door, but I pulled her back towards me and gave her a long, sweet kiss. It was more for my benefit than hers. It grounded me.
Odette pulled out her car keys. “I am driving.”
“I can drive.”
“No, I want to,” Odette said, proud of herself.
We were nearly engaged when I discovered that Odette couldn’t drive. We quickly remedied that issue, but now she wanted to drive everywhere. I followed her to the little pink Porsche she’d picked. In a month, it would be an impractical choice of car, but for now, she enjoyed her Barbie car. The crisp fall air calmed my nerves.
We tucked into the car and sped away, Odette’s security detail following.
“I’m not nervous about you,” I asserted. “This is all your big win. You will give a wonderful speech and?—”
“I know it’s not me. It’s Theo. But trust me when I say they should see him in a controlled environment rather than chase him for a photo op. Plus, anymore, we’re going to have a hard time separating kids from public life.”
“It’s a dance,” I sighed.
Odette drove back into the city. I busied myself on my phone with email and called Stephen to distract myself. Public appearances were not my favourite thing, but Odette steadied me. I’d not taken on royal work in any official capacity, but she’d remained steadfast in her support of her sister. With Astrid and Ingrid in the UK, Alexandra needed some support. She and Rick couldn’t possibly do everything themselves.
Odette pulled into the designated garage near city hall, parked, and said, “I love you. Thank you for letting me shine.”
I gave her another kiss. “Odette, you did most of this yourself.”
“We’re a team, Wy.”
“I know. But live this day up.”
After climbing out, her security led us to a green room, where we met Alexandra and Rick. Alexandra kissed and hugged Odette and then stepped back, holding her hands .
“You look amazing. How do you feel?” She asked in excited French.
“It comes and goes,” Odette answered. “Some days are wonderful.”
“And the nugget?” Rick asked.
“She’s great,” Odette said. “Great. We saw her last week, and she’s moving along steadily.”
“Six more weeks. You look fabulous. I always looked like a walrus by this point,” Alexandra laughed.
Odette was about to burst—pregnant with our first child together and still full of energy. Things hadn’t been easy. She’d had to spend time coming off her medication and then getting back on it again in the second trimester. There were a lot of tears and a lot of stress, but we managed it. I couldn’t get over Theo finally getting a sister, but I wouldn’t feel like it was real until we brought her home.
Odette blushed and looked at me. “He put the car seat in the Mom Car. So, it’s real now.”
“Just preparing,” I said.
“It’s good. Rick always freaked out and ran around the minute I’d end up in labour. With Kari, he forgot to pack the bag, so we had to have our staff bring it.”
“I never said I was perfect,” Rick chuckled. “But I was excited.”
“First babies take an eternity. It will be fine,” Alexandra said.
Rubbing Odette’s back, I admitted, “She is way cooler about this than I am. I am freaking out over everything.”
“Rick swore I was going into labour every five minutes, so I get it.”
“Ma’am,” Odette’s private secretary approached. “They are ready for you. Please follow me. Security will take the rest of you to your seats.”
I followed the group to our front-row seats. Theo rushed me, giving me a massive hug. He took a seat between his grandmother and me. All attention soon turned to the city’s new Mayor, Elise Montague, a willowy woman in her mid-thirties. She stepped forward to do the big introduction.
“Welcome, everyone, to our first annual Vision de Neandia kick-off. I am so excited to announce that with the help of some generous sponsors?— ”
She nodded in my direction. Not wanting to overshadow Odette’s moment, I did not stand.
“We were able to host everyone here today. To open the event and our street fair is a very special guest. Her Royal Highness Princess Odette joins us as the patron of Vision de Neandia. She’s also an ardent cyclist. Many of you have seen her coming in on the bike path in the mornings—sometimes even with her stepson, Theo. Odette has much to say about the five-year city plan, so I won’t take up more of your time. But I will encourage you to stay and see who wins the vintage bike contest later today. As a reminder, free mulled wine will be in the Mayor’s conference room following her speech. So, without any more fanfare, let me welcome Princess Odette.”
The room rose, clapping. All but those in the family, that was. And somehow, I realised I counted. Theo jumped up, bursting with excitement to see Odette on stage.
“Odie!” He waved. “Ohhhhhh-deeeeee! Ici !”
I tried to calm him, but his sheer enthusiasm overwhelmed my attempts.
“Hello,” Odette said. “And yes, Theo, I see you, hello!”
She gave him a little wave, which more than satisfied him. He fell back into his chair, happy to feel important.
“Thank you all for coming to this first-annual event. I am overwhelmed by the number of you who showed up to talk about bikes and walk through the streets. Those of you who joined us on the historic walking tour last night were a lot of fun. And Linda, you are still the best for bringing up the rear with me. I’m moving a little slower these days.”
The crowd laughed, giving her a chance to catch her breath. Odette was effervescent. She truly did glow .
“A run-in with a car over there—” Odette pointed to her right. “Taught me a lot about city planning. Ironically, it was that driver—tired and distracted—that knocked into me who would change my life forever. Lives are lost every day due to collisions that could be prevented by better street planning. In this case, the man who came to my rescue and helped me find my dog had already lost one person very near and dear to him in a similar way. He was passionate about fixing things. And, together, we lobbied to have a curb bump-out placed.”
I smiled.
“The intersection went from being the most dangerous to being very safe in a matter of weeks. Since it was improved, the intersection has seen no more pedestrian or cycling accidents and fewer car collisions across the board. City planning benefits all of us, which is why I am thrilled to announce that Mayor Montague’s office has planned a full evaluation of the twenty most dangerous intersections in the city. Once the results are in, a pool funded by generous government grants and private funding will ensure intersections are safer, and the city’s traffic is calmer.”
People clapped loudly. Odette soaked up the applause, beaming all the while. We’d done it. Odette’s persistence paid off. It only took about two years, but it was done.
“Let’s ensure that every Neandian is safe so that we all make it home to our families and our children are empowered and independent. Imagine a world where your child could safely walk to school, where a bike could replace a car, or where transit is the norm. It is so reliable that the idea of owning a car seems onerous. We’d all be better off. So, thank you all for supporting a brighter future. And let’s go enjoy some snacks and some cool bikes.”
Odette closed her portfolio and stepped back from the podium.
“It is my favourite when she says it all in French,” Theo whispered.
I rubbed his back. “I know, bud.”
My French was better, but I still preferred English. Of course, Odette always spoke to Theo in her mother tongue—just as she did the niblings. It was comforting to him. On days I missed Isla the most, I reminded myself that he had a lot of her in him. His language was a big part of that. The fact that Odette nurtured it with him every day brought me peace.
“Can I talk to Lyla in French? Will she speak French?” Theo asked.
“Bud, let’s keep it down,” I shushed him. “Not everyone knows about the baby, okay?”
We named the baby Lyla June, bucking the trend of never knowing whether a royal baby was a girl or boy before it was born. Theo was a surprise, but Odette wanted to know ahead of time. I acquiesced. It was her first pregnancy, and she was the one growing the baby. I wasn’t going to debate her. The problem now was that only Theo, my mom, Odette, and I knew the baby’s name. We didn’t need the press discovering our baby.
“But will she?”
“I think, like Aunt Alex and Uncle Rick’s kids, the baby will speak French first and English second. The baby won’t know the difference, and we’ll all have to figure it out.”
“But how will she learn?”
“You can read her lots of books. That is how babies learn to talk,” I held his hand as we filed through the crowd to find Odette.
He ran the last few yards right into her stomach, pressing his hand into the lower half of her belly. The Mayor looked at him, confused. Odette tussled his hair.
“He likes to get the baby to kick him,” Odette explained. “If he waits long enough, the baby will let him know its whereabouts.”
“She kicked me!” Theo shouted. “Mama, she KICKED me!”
It was like a gut check. At first, I wanted to correct him for using “she” in public and around strangers. Then, I tried not to fall to pieces. He’d never called Odette Mama—not until now.
Odette patted his head, not correcting him, “The baby is happy to see you.”
The mayor bent to Theo’s level. “Would you like some cider? A cookie?”
He nodded excitedly.
“Can I bring him by the snacks?” The Mayor asked.
“Oh, yes, of course,” I answered. “If you don’t mind.”
“Why don’t we get some snacks and then do a little tour, Theo?”
He jumped up excitedly. “Yes, please!”
The two left as Odette took my hand.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t coach him?—”
“Stop,” I shook my head. “I don’t want to ruin everything. It’s your moment. He’s allowed?—”
“I can try to get him to?—”
“No. He loves you. You have earned that title. You’re the one who tucks him in most nights and the one he asks for when he’s sick, Odie. It’s a good thing.”
Sympathetic, Odette said, “But it’s hard for you?”
“It is, baby. But it’s good.” I pulled her into me, wrapping my arm around her waist. “You aren’t here to replace Isla. I never think about it like that.”
“I couldn’t.”
“No.” I kissed her forehead. “I knew it would happen—if not now, but when the baby arrives. I love you, Odette. I’m not upset.”
Odette smiled.
“But today is your day. So, should we go judge some bikes?”
“I think that sounds like a fabulous way to end the day,” Odette agreed. “I love you, Wyatt. Thank you for being here and… just always supporting me. This was a big deal to me—not just for me but… for Isla. And I wanted to do it for you and Theo, so it never happens again.”
“Oh, stop it, Odie,” I said, feeling tears welling. “You’re going to make me cry in public.”
“I don’t mean to get all sappy, but… it means the world, Wyatt. And I want to make sure I make a difference. I’m here, and I want to keep doing the work. You believed in me when I didn’t, so I want to do everything possible.”
“Odette, you are the best thing that has happened to me since the worst happened. I’m so proud of you—of us. But this? This was all you, baby. You stuck it out. All I did was table a vote. Don’t let me steal your spotlight, okay?”
“You never do,” Odette said. “You’re with me. We’re a team. And no matter what, we will stick together.”