Chapter 36
Courtney
With his first two teeth coming in, Micah is grumpier than I’ve ever seen him. He goes to sleep crying, wakes up crying, and today he cried the whole time I was feeding him. I’m almost as cranky as he is at this point, and two doses of baby Tylenol hasn’t helped to soothe him.
When I hear the whir of the electronic door lock announcing Daniil’s arrival, I’m nearly in tears.
“Hey.” He looks surprised to see me pacing with Micah, trying to keep him from sobbing. “What’s going on?”
“It’s been a rough day,” I admit.
“Let me have him. Go sit for a bit.” He takes the baby from me and puts him on his shoulder.
And of course, he instantly settles down, though he’s still hiccoughing.
“That’s a good boy—what’s the matter, eh?
” He starts murmuring to him in Limaji, and while part of me is annoyed that I can’t understand, I’m also fascinated at the way Micah seems to be hanging on every word.
The bond between them is unmistakable.
A tiny flutter of guilt wafts through me as I recall my decision not to tell Daniil he had a son. I would have been doing both of them a disservice, keeping them apart. It was a difficult predicament then and it’s even more difficult now, just for very different reasons.
“I was thinking I’d take the two of you into town,” he says, walking back and forth as he bounces Micah. “It doesn’t get dark until late, and I figured if he pooped out, he could sleep in his stroller.”
“Out?” I ask wearily. “I’m in no shape to go anywhere.”
“It’s only four-thirty,” he says. “And maybe the fresh air and different sights will help. It can’t be any worse, can it?”
I glance up. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a street fair in the main square. Vendors, food trucks, and all the cafes and restaurants will stay open late. There will be ice cream, things for the kids to do, a fountain for children to play in—Micah might enjoy that.”
“Is it…safe?” I ask. “For you, I mean.”
I’m exhausted, but getting out sounds better than sitting here any longer.
“I can take care of myself. But Marcus and Harlow are going to come. I think Jesper is going to bring the kids too.”
A million protests race through my mind, but I force them back, focusing on him.
“Where are we with your relationship to the baby?” I ask. “Is he your son or mine?”
He hesitates, looking down at Micah and then over at me. “Sweetheart, there’s no doubt this child is mine. Anyone that sees us together is going to know that.”
“What does that mean for us?”
“It means I want us to make this work, Courtney.” He fixes those gorgeous aqua eyes on me. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t want this—want the two of you with me. I know you’re not keen on living here, but I’m asking you to give it a chance. Give me a chance.”
“I’ve been giving you a chance since the day you showed up in Vegas,” I reply gently.
“Have you been unhappy here?” he asks.
“Not unhappy—bored.”
“Whatever you want to do, Courtney, I can make it happen. You want to fly helicopters? I have the power to make that happen.”
I blink. “Wh-what?”
“I have the power to give you a ranking position as a pilot in our military. If you want that. Or I can buy you a damn helicopter to fly whenever you want. You could even take over flying the king back and forth when he uses the military helicopter. There are a lot of options for you if you’ll just—”
“Daniil…” I reach for him blindly. I’m dumbfounded and overwhelmed, in a good way, and I nestle against him.
His free arm closes around me and Micah wiggles between us.
Standing here like this, the three of us pressed together, makes me forget all the reasons I wanted to keep my distance from this incredible man.
He’s done nothing but bend over backwards to make me feel welcome, safe, and wanted. By him, by his family and friends. I don’t feel like the outsider I thought I would be in a palace filled with royalty. It’s just…family. Friends. Co-workers.
I’m not ready for complete trust.
But I’m ready to try.
I owe it to my son, and to myself, to give us a chance to be a real family.
I can raise him on my own, there’s no doubt about that—but why should I have to when there’s a strong, caring, wonderful man who wants to do it with me?
In the U.S. we live by the saying “innocent until proven guilty” and I’ve been doing the opposite with Daniil, finding him guilty of things he hasn’t even done.
There have to be some ground rules, but not yet. Not while it’s all so new and exciting.
“I spoke to Chains today,” I whisper. “He said to take all the time I need. My job isn’t going anywhere.”
“Yeah?” His hand drifts up my side until it reaches my face, and then he gently takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to look at him. “You want to stay here? With me?”
I nod. “There will probably be some ground rules and—”
He doesn’t let me finish because he captures my lips with his, sucking my tongue into his mouth and kissing me into oblivion.
“Set all the ground rules you want—I don’t care. Having you both here with me is all I care about.”
I’m a little too breathless—and aroused—to respond right away, but Micah starts fussing again, and Daniil shoos me toward the bathroom.
“Go freshen up or whatever. I’ll pack his bag and let Marcus know we’ll be ready to go in fifteen minutes… is that enough time?”
I nod again. “Uh, yes.”
I turn and practically run into the bathroom, trying to gather my thoughts and still my racing heart.
I’m going to stay.
I’m going to truly give this a chance.
It’s terrifying, but my heart is screaming that it’s the right thing to do.
He offered to pay all my bills in Vegas for as long as I stay here so I’m going to hold him to that.
And there’s really very little for me to lose if the financial part is taken care of.
I’ve never been the type of woman who couldn’t pay her own way, but this is different.
We have a child together, and if he wants me to stay with him in a foreign country, I have to protect myself.
As I pull on a cute pair of shorts and matching top, it feels like a huge burden has been lifted.
My heart—and mind—are lighter than they’ve been since before I was pregnant.
For the first time in a long time, I don’t have to follow anyone’s rules but my own.
Within reason, of course, but I’m talking about my personal life.
If I want to start a relationship with a European prince, I can.
If I want to be a helicopter pilot in the Limaji military—I can do that too.
Having options is a wonderful thing.
“Do I even want to ask about these ground rules you mentioned?” Daniil asks as we take the elevator down to the parking garage.
I chuckle. “Well, monogamy is non-negotiable.”
“Easy.”
“And while I’m down for all the sex games we’ve talked about, my hard line is being intimate with anyone else. If I’m getting a spanking, they can watch, but only you do the spanking. That goes for everything.”
“Absolutely. You will always feel safe when we play that way and that’s a hard line for me as well. The thought of someone else touching you makes me a little crazy.”
“Good to know.”
“Anything else?”
“Oh, there are quite a few things, but those are the big ones. Everything else can wait.”
He playfully gives me the side eye. “How many is quite a few?”
I shrug. “Eh, four, five hundred.”
He grips me tightly around the waist. “How about we knock one or two off every time I make you come in the next week?”
“That’s not fair—it’ll be negative before the week is out!”
We both laugh, and he presses a soft kiss on my lips just as the elevator doors open.
“Come on, already!” Marcus yells. “By the time we get going, it’ll be time to come back.”
“Oh, slow your roll,” I say with a laugh. “It’s been fifteen minutes.”
“Yeah, yeah.” We load everything in the SUV, and I look around.
“Isn’t Jesper coming?”
“He said Charlie is sick, so they’re staying home.”
“It’s just the five of us then?” Daniil asks as Harlow gets into the SUV.
“Viv and Gunnar said they might come but they’ll drive on their own,” Harlow calls out.
“And Lennox isn’t feeling up to it,” Marcus adds.
There’s something bothering Daniil, and I nudge him. “What’s up?” I ask.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head. “Just odd that Jesper was so excited about going and then suddenly bailed. If Charlie is sick, he could have left him with the nanny and brought Briony.”
“Should I call up?” Marcus asks.
Daniil hesitates. “No, let’s just go. I’m ready to get out.”
“Me too!” Harlow’s sitting up front with Marcus, so Daniil and I crawl into the back with Micah, who’s in his car seat, happily gnawing on a frozen teething ring.
“I really want langos from that Hungarian food truck,” Marcus says.
“Yes!” Harlow nods happily. “Have you tried it, Courtney?”
“No, what is it?”
“They call it Hungarian pizza, basically fried bread dough covered with a garlic cream cheese mixture, cheese, and then you can get meat or eat it without. It’s seriously awesome.”
“I’m in,” I say happily, reaching for Daniil’s hand.
And I’m not just talking about Hungarian pizza.