“Here,” she shifted her sketch pad toward me.
Her designs were exquisite. I half expected to see shreds and tatters as she used during the fundraiser in New York, but instead what she showed me was elegant, tasteful and most of all perfectly regal.
“I love it. Is this your dress?” I caressed her hair, just wanting to be closer.
“Yes, and these are for the bridesmaids.” Her beauty just shone through the joy on her face and the passion she’d put into her work.
“Wow, Avery, you are amazing.” I continued to stroke her hair. “Maybe you should just leave the catering to me and you focus on getting the dresses for our wedding and your work for fashion week done. I’d hate for you to fall behind.” I kissed her head and held her close. “Are you ready to make that call now?” I tried to ask as gently as I could. “I think we should.”
She stopped working and looked at me. “I’m really scared. What if I’m pregnant?”
“We’ll have a baby,” I softly stroked her shoulder. “We’ve discussed this.”
“Right.” The bright light that shined when she was showing off her designs snuffed out the moment we talked about her having our baby.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and returned the doctor’s call. I brought a chair closer to Avery as we waited for him to pick up the phone.
“Dr. Clancy’s office,” a female voice answered.
“It’s Liam McMurrough for Dr. Clancy, please.”
“I’ll get the doctor for you, Your Highness,” she sounded panicked which made Avery look at me with worry.
I took her hand as the doctor got on the line. “Your Highness, thank you for calling me back. I wanted to go over the results of the blood test Ms. Johnson took in the office the other day.”
“Yes, we’re both here.” I put the doctor on the speaker.
“Great, well, I just wanted to share with you that the test is positive for pregnancy. We will need to see Avery for a well-baby check in the next few weeks. I recommend that in the meantime she get plenty of rest, drink lots of water and avoid alcohol or any medications that haven’t been cleared with my office. The blood count shows she’s a little anemic, so we’ll have to give her some medications to keep her strong.” By the officiousness in his voice, I could tell he was tempering his reaction.
A child born out of wedlock was always a stress for the monarchy. In the past, there were bribes and contracts to hide the child’s existence. But Avery and I had been very public of late. We had only just announced our engagement so the baby wouldn’t be born out of wedlock, yet it would be a PR nightmare if it was leaked to the press that the baby was conceived before our wedding. This was the reason for the doctor’s urgency. I was thrilled that we had conceived as my part of my father’s bargain was complete. I couldn’t ignore the fact that Avery was white as a ghost.
“Thank you, Dr. Clancy. We are thrilled to hear this news. I know I don’t have to mention this to you, but since our wedding is still two months away, I’d like all of our visits and the information you’ve shared with us to be kept confidential.” I didn’t have to tell him to keep our secret, but oddly information was often leaked when it shouldn’t have been.
“Of course, Your Highness. Your family’s medical information is always guarded with the utmost concern for your privacy.” He seemed incensed.
“Well, my mother’s cancer diagnosis wasn’t, and I don’t want this to be in the media, please. We’ll be happy to announce Avery’s pregnancy when she’s further along. So, when do you think we’ll be due?” I couldn’t contain my excitement.
A baby meant the kingdom… at least to me.
“I’ll have to run a few more tests but gauging from the lab results the baby will be due sometime in late January or early February of next year.”
“This is excellent news, thank you, doctor. We’re both really excited and blessed.” I couldn’t contain my joy.
“I’ll have my office staff book an appointment with your staff for Ms. Johnson’s next appointment. Congratulations, Your Highness.” With that, the doctor ended the call.
Avery was silent as she stared at me with wide, glossy eyes.
Chapter 25
Avery
I knew I was pregnant. There was no way I wasn’t pregnant. We had not been careful, perhaps unconsciously on purpose. Whenever I had sex with Liam I lost myself to him and now I was sitting there hearing the news I thought I wanted. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was because I was working so hard to get my work done and trying so valiantly to be someone I wasn’t. The tiny scrap of myself that I clung to disappeared. After our pregnancy news, Liam had the staff make our food, we made love and he drew a nice bath for me to relax in. None of it helped. I was numb… it was all happening too fast.