Chapter 1 – Sebastian #2
“Nope. There’s a video of him attacking you.
Of you two fighting. Of you trying to save him even after he nearly killed you.
There is a video of him knocking the attendant out and taking me.
He thought he could knock out the cameras, but it didn’t work.
It only worked on the live feed, but they were still recording as a backup.
And there are the other videos of him with Nora and the wrench moving in the helicopter bay.
It’s all out there. The media has had quite the field day and has been parked just beyond the palace gates along with many of your loyal subjects who have come to offer love and healing prayers for you. ”
My eyes widen at that last part, emotion heavy in my chest. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Your brother and Althea have been taking care of everything, so you don’t have to worry.
Samil’s press secretary has been staying here too, handling everything.
His second-in-command is interim prime minister until a proper election can be set up.
You’ll have to make a speech. Your people are quite anxious. ”
I blink incredulously. “I feel as if I’ve all but abandoned them over the last three years.”
“They love you and they love your children who have stood at the entrance of the palace and waved to them. You’re an international celebrity now. The American press is eating this up. Especially since you’re now engaged to one of us.”
Reaching over, I take her hand, finding my ring on it and twirling it around.
“My queen,” I whisper. “I love this.”
“What?” she asks in a bemused tone. “What is there to possibly love about any of this?”
“This. Us.”
“Oh yes. This is a raging good time. Let’s do it every Christmas.”
“If I could spank you for your snark, I would. As it is, I’m afraid your punishments will have to wait.”
“I look forward to them, Your Majesty, but for now, you need your rest, and I must go tell the doctors and your family you’re awake.”
“Your family now, too.”
She rolls her head, her chin tilted up as she gazes at me in wonder. “About that…”
“Yes?” I prompt when she doesn’t follow that up.
“I lost a lot of blood. Not as much as you, but enough that I required a transfusion. When I was in the hospital, they did some testing and…I’m pregnant.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline as an unstoppable smile illuminates my face. “Pregnant?”
A slight nod. “With your baby.”
“Better fucking be.”
She rolls her eyes. “Still a possessive caveman.”
“Bellamy…” Awe strikes my voice. I want to touch her. I want to hold her and bring her against me. I want to wrap my arms around her and kiss her. It’s killing me that I can’t. Pregnant. If I could laugh without fear of immense pain, I would.
“You said you wanted babies.”
“Babies?!” I half choke. “As in more than one?”
“Babies,” she confirms. “As in more than one. When the test came back positive, they did an ultrasound. Not much to see yet, because it’s still early, but there were two heartbeats. Your super sperm has officially blown out my ovaries and taken over my uterus, decimating my birth control.”
I chuckle but immediately stop as pain slices through me, stealing my breath along with it.
Bellamy winces, her hand on my face, checking me. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I won’t make you laugh.”
“At least not for a bit, no.”
She shifts her body up the bed, taking my hand and placing it over her still flat belly. My thumb glides back and forth as I marvel at it. Twins. My babies are growing inside her. The woman I am wildly, terminally, happily in love with.
“You’re going to be a daddy again.”
A daddy. This time next year we’ll have two more princesses or princes. Or one of each.
“Come here.” I urge desperately. “Kiss me.”
Her lips land delicately against mine, hesitant and afraid, but I lean into the kiss, letting her know she’s not hurting me. She’s healing me. Her love makes me strong. Powerful.
I nearly lost her.
I nearly lost all of this.
But now she’s mine. And nothing will ever keep us apart again.
All too soon, she pulls back, running her finger over my face and down the center of my chest. We stare at each other, eyes holding, souls connected. Never have I felt tethered to another human the way I do with her.
“Does everyone know? Do the children know?”
She shakes her head, her fingers continuing to rove, unable to stop as if she has to reassure herself that I’m here and I’m alive and okay.
“No. Rowan knows because he was there when the doctor told me, but that’s all. It’s early and the doctor said many women wait until they’re in their second trimester to tell people since a lot can happen during the first. Plus, I wanted to tell you first and then tell them together.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you waited. How do you feel about telling them even though it’s early?”
“I’m okay with it if you are,” she assures me, making distracting swirling circles around my navel and a bit lower.
“Baby, I may be in a lot of pain, but I’m not dead. Please, keep your fingers from going too low before you make me hard.”
Her eyes widen. “Shit. Sorry.” Her frozen hand slowly works its way back up. “Better?”
“Yes. Better. Anyway, I’d like to tell them. I don’t think I’ll be able to not tell them.”
She gnaws on her lip. “Do you think they’ll be upset?”
“No. I think they’ll be excited.”
She kisses me again. “Tonight is Christmas Eve.”
“I lost a lot of time. Strange. I’m glad I’m awake for it. Now I need to get out of this bed.”
Bellamy presses my shoulders back into the bed. “Slow down, Superman. You’re not moving yet. I’m going to go tell everyone you’re awake and when the doctor says okay, then you can get up.” She stands. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“Ha. More jokes.”
“But that one wasn’t so funny.” With a wink, she leaves me, and I lie here, already exhausted but never happier in my life.
I close my eyes, but they don’t stay that way for longer than a few minutes.
The doctor comes in, closely followed by Rowan.
After the doctor examines me and gives me the green light, Rowan and a nurse help me stand.
I’m weak as hell, but it feels good to be up and mobile.
It’s Christmas Eve, and in Messalina, typically, we have a large meal and open half the presents tonight. The other half, the ones Santa brings, get opened tomorrow, and there is yet another feast. This year, more than any other, we have so much to celebrate, and I won’t do it in bed.
With that in mind, I manage myself to a recliner, and piece by piece, I begin sorting through business.
I schedule a press conference for tomorrow.
I need to tell the people of Messalina that I’m okay and that I’m going to be okay and that their country is in good hands.
And wish them a happy Christmas. Once that’s all set up, I meet with the police.
Per Rowan, they’ve been anxious about it, needing to make a full, official report so they can close the book on it.
The court of public opinion has already taken over.
It’s wild all the things that are out there.
When Nora died, the media storm was just that.
A storm. A violent, knock-your-house-down storm.
This one is worse.
Tied into the drama of the prime minister killing a queen and attempting to kill a king and his fiancée is the fact that I now have a fiancée.
An American who happens to be the nanny to my children and fifteen years my junior.
Yes, as I knew there would be with that.
The press has a lot to say, both here in Messalina and worldwide.
Bellamy frowned about it when she saw me scrolling through some of it on my phone, but I made it clear I care about none of it.
Other than what they have to say about Samil, let them gossip.
Bellamy and I know what we have and nothing anyone says will change that. Ever. Point blank, I told her bluntly that they can all go fuck themselves. Besides, I have plans in my mind for tonight that will make her very happy.
Two hours later, we’re sitting by the Christmas tree—one of the many Christmas trees we now have thanks to the ball—but it’s the one the children decorated.
The fire is roaring in the hearth, and though I’d love to be nursing a glass of brandy right now, Bellamy reminded me that I can’t drink yet, and I should be thankful I’m alive and not dead or spitting up blood.
I’m thinking things got pretty ugly for me at the end.
“Next one is for Zayer,” Althea says, handing Zayer a large wrapped gift. His blue-gray eyes, the same color as mine, light up as he tears off the paper with both hands, tossing it this way and that, only to pause when he sees what the present is.
He examines the box, staring curiously at the picture and at me. “Papa, what is this?”
“They’re Magna-Tiles,” I tell him. “They have magnets on the sides, and you can build with them.”
“They’re math, Papa,” Phaedra tells me with a slight roll of her eyes. “See, they’re shapes. It’s geometry.”
“So?”
“So math is boring.”
“These are not boring, I assure you. These are fun.”
“Open them now?” Zayer asks, trying to break open the top of the box with his little fists.
“Not yet, little man,” Bellamy jumps in, pushing all the gifts to the side.
She throws me a look and I give her a nod.
“Actually, your papa and I wanted to tell you something. Tell you all something,” she proclaims, looking to Emily, Javier, Althea, Margarite, and the rest of the staff who spend Christmas Eve with us before they have the holiday off tomorrow.
“Oh?” Althea looks from her to me and back again.
“Well, yes.” Bellamy stands, reaching for my hand. She giggles lightly. “I’m nervous.”
I smile, gingerly pulling her closer to me.
If I don’t move a lot, I’m good. When I do move a lot, I’m not good.
“First, I, we, wanted you all to know how grateful we are for you. Not just for your service here but for you. These past three years would not have been possible without you, and I know I wasn’t always the best tempered. ”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Emily muses, and I quirk an amused brow.
“She’s not wrong,” Rowan agrees, polishing off the last of his drink and pouring another just to be a dick.
“Fine. But now I think we can all agree that since Bellamy came into my life and flipped it upside down, things have been better here. And with that, we wanted you all to be the first to know that in addition to getting married, we’re also expecting twins.”
“Twins?” Sabrina blinks at me about a thousand times.
“Yes, sweetheart. Bellamy and I are going to have not one, but two babies. She’s pregnant and that means you’re going to have new brothers or sisters or one of each.”
Silence. We’re met with silence. And a lot of wide eyes.
“Yeesh. Tough crowd. Don’t all get excited at once,” Bellamy teases, but I know she’s worried. A point she proves as she gets down on her knees, staring at the children. “Do you understand what your papa is saying?” she questions.
“You have two babies in your tummy?” Phaedra stares at Bellamy’s belly, perplexed. “Why can’t I see them yet? Whenever a mama is pregnant in the movies, she has a big belly.”
“Well, it’s new,” I tell her, wishing I could take my kids onto my lap. “In fact, it’s so new that we want to keep this just to us. A secret between the family for now.”
“Can we play with the babies when they come?” That’s Sabrina.
“And help name them?!” Phaedra. “I want to help name them.”
Zayer is too busy to care about babies or anything else now that he’s opened the box and torn open the plastic holding the Magna-Tiles captive. Clearly, not boring.
“Of course. You’re part of this,” I tell them.
“Well, this calls for a toast.” Althea stands, holding her glass of wine out as she beams at us. “To King Sebastian and future Queen Bellamy and all their children, present and future.”
“Cheers!” everyone cries.
“But wait,” Rowan says. “What are you going to do about the wedding if Bellamy has two buns in the oven? You’re on borrowed time now.”
Yes. That. What are we going to do about that?