8. Ellie
“Are we done? Or is there something else?” I ask the doctor. Five shaky fingers move from the throbbing injection site on my lower abdomen, to fiddle with my watch. I try hard to steady my equally shaky voice.
My skin can still feel the tingles from the needle prick.
The doctor looks up from the chart he’s been eyeing a tad too long. “We’ll need you back here in two days’ time, as I”m sure the nurse explained, but for now you”re free to go.” He punctuates the terse message with a brief smile and walks out with my chart.
My heart flutters when the door shuts behind him, and I allow my body to exhale and shiver. I lie down on the clinic bed in an attempt to calm down.
“So this is it,” I tell the empty room.
A tornado of anxiety rushes through my gut for the umpteenth time today. I”m only steps away from the procedure, and ‘what ifs’ keep popping up in my head.
“Living the process is nothing like studying and writing about it. Or even witnessing it. At all.”
I rise up, gather my things, and exit. Out in broad daylight, I try to clear the anxiety and think of other things. But my brain keeps coming back to the same conundrum of will it or won”t it work. My stomach clenches as I walk to my car.
I”m caught up in my own thoughts and unaware of my surroundings when I almost trip over the curb. My eyes fly around the parking lot in hopes that nobody saw me almost trip.
I do a double take. My heart drops. It’s the last person I”d want to be there.
Cedrick? He looks even better than he did when I last saw him two days ago. There”s something about a man in formal wear. Especially this man, it seems. His perfectly tailored suit looks like it was made for him, and then I realize it probably was.
His gaze is eager, like he”s been waiting for me for a while. He approaches me and stretches out his hand.
“Ellie. Good to see you again.”
My heart is still frazzled from the anxiety of the hormones and now this unexpected meetup.
I stand there and stare at him without returning his handshake. “You’re the last person I expected to see today.”
“Did I scare you? You seem spooked.”
I shake my head and try to seem more assured. “Having one of those days. Don”t worry about it. I had no idea your work brought you to these parts. But if you”ll excuse me, I need to get going.”
“Actually, I”m here to see you.”
“Me?” I ask stupidly and almost follow it up with a kick to my own shin.
“Of course, you, silly. Do you see anyone else here?”
The place is devoid of people, but his eyes remain kind. Not a hint of sarcasm. “I’m afraid we need to discuss a matter of extreme importance. Preferably over lunch, preferably right now.”
“Is it the King?”
“He’s fine. Perfect recovery. No.” He pauses. “The matter is about you and me.”
My mouth opens and closes without a sound to accompany the movement. You and me? As in me and him? About what? Is he here to reprimand me? To ask if I want a job with his organization? To ask some royal favor?
“It’ll all make sense once I explain.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” He takes my arm, and it feels as intoxicating as it did the other day.
“Let”s take my car. You don”t look like you can handle the wheel right now.” He doesn”t even wait for a response before we’re walking.
Somehow I manage to climb into his intimidating SUV as he holds open the door for me. I don’t know if it’s out of chivalry or because I look too startled to be able to handle a door at the moment.
He throws me a curious look and starts the car. He gives nothing away on the drive over. I play along and keep quiet, but my insides rage with questions.
“Thank you for accepting the invite. You’ve been on my mind,” he says and parks the car.
“Have I?” I’m grateful that he’s looking at the road, because I’m trying unbelievably hard to suppress a goofy smile.
We”re led upstairs to a very private balcony area of the very low-key restaurant he picked for us. It”s a fenced-in courtyard tucked away in a quiet neighborhood. The kind of place where not just anyone can stroll in and expect to be served.
The waiter brings us complimentary drinks before the menu even arrives. Cedrick and I don”t speak until after our order has been taken. Naturally, he orders for me. At this point, I’m grateful for not having to think about it.
“I”ll cut straight to the chase,” he says once we”re alone again.
My breath catches when he begins to speak. My stomach churns, anxious for him to spill the beans and put me in the know.
“I don’t mean to pry, but I heard you’re pursuing treatment at the clinic.”
I feel my brows raise. “That is a private matter. Your father told you that? It was stated in confidence.”
“He did. Unfortunately, he’s not great with state secrets. But my father suggested a proposition, and I’m inclined to take it seriously. Especially because he speaks so highly of you.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I like him, too.”
“I love him, but I don’t always like him. He’s very fond of you, and I can see why. I enjoyed our interaction we had the other day. So I have a proposition for you. Let”s get married.”
My hands drop off the table and to my side. “What!”
“A proposal.” He hinges his palms together like an engagement box. “Contractually, of course, not in the traditional sense.”
The blood starts pounding against my temples, and I feel dizzy again. How can he say this so matter of factly? There”s no trace of humor on his face so this can”t be a joke, can it?
“I”m sorry, what? Is this a joke? This is the oh-so-important thing you had to tell me?”
Our food arrives, and the waiter disappears as soon as our plates are in front of us.
The last thing my now-dry tongue wants is to taste anything. The last thing my now queasy stomach needs is food.
I push my plate away and search his eyes.
“Hear me out. You’re having a child, and it’s from the… bank. Doesn’t it make more sense to have a real-life father, one you know and trust, versus a random donor? This’ll simply be a different route, but with the same destination.”
“Why do you want to be involved in this?”
“I have my reasons. But I think it”ll be good for both of us. We have a good rapport, no?”
I nod, still stunned. Cedrick continues. “So I suggest a year long contract. You get a baby with a father who”ll be in the child”s life forever. And he…”
“Or she.”
“...Will be royal. There are perks to that.”
He picks up a fork and stabs at his steak. I”m still stuck on his words that came so out of the blue. It occurs to me that I might be hallucinating from the medication.
“I might have to write that down as a possible side effect.”
Cedrick’s face shoots up at me. “Pardon?”
Shoot. I didn”t realize I voiced my thoughts. “Sorry, just trying to wrap my head around all this. I just want to clarify. You’re serious?”
“We”re both busy people, Ellie. I wouldn”t waste your time just for the fun of it.”
He isn”t joking?
He isn’t joking. He’s serious. In a way this is flattering, but at the same time, I’m utterly at sea. We”re clearly not in love. Yeah, he’s altruistic, but I don’t think someone would volunteer to be a baby-daddy just out of the goodness of their heart. So what is his motivation?
I pick up a glass of water and gulp like it”s the last one on Earth. “I don”t know what you expect me to say. This is sudden.”
A part of me is weirdly excited, intrigued even. But the bigger side of me wishes the scenario were different and I actually had a man I love to plan a family with.
But it’s not like I love any of the vials stored at the fertility clinic. So.
My heart becomes raw at the thought. A picture of how I imagine my future family plays in my mind. I can vividly see laughing children, but the father is faceless. And that”s the path I was ready for.
But the man in front of me, a super-hot man and a prince no less, has proposed to be tagged ‘it.’
His words slowly sink in, and my emotions tug at me from every which way. The waiter returns and swiftly clears Cedrick’s almost empty plate and my untouched one.
“So think about it. But I think it’s a good idea. And I’m sure you have questions.”
I open my eyes wide and nod. “Yeah, I have some questions. And I have to ask you the biggest one. Of all the women in the Kingdom… Of all the women in the world… Why me?”