Prince Baby (Silhouette Romance) Page 16
Lucy raced down the steps and into his arms. “I won’t,” she said and kissed his cheeks as he began to rain kisses on her face. “I won’t ever leave if you promise to always love me.”
“I promise.”
“And we’ll get a cook and a gardener and a pool guy?” He nodded. “I’ll even go to your stupid island. I’ll go to balls. I’ll attend ceremonies.” He winced. “Just tell me that you’ll never force me to wear purple tights and a cape.”
Lucy pulled away from him and studied his face. In spite of the seriousness of his question, she laughed. “What?”
“Purple tights. I don’t want to wear anything that makes me look like something out of a comic book.”
“You either have an outdated view of royalty, or you believe the pictures you saw in the fairy tales your mother read to you. Nobody wears purple tights.” She laughed again. “In fact, if we force my dad to stick to his agreement, we really only have to go to Xavier a few times a year.”
Seth took a breath. “Unless you want to go. You know, to visit your dad.”
“You would let me?”
“Lucy, in the same way I didn’t want to be a prisoner to your monarchy, I won’t make you a prisoner here.”
She smiled.
He smiled. Then a look of relief came to his face. “I think we did it. I think we found the compromise.”
Holding on to Seth, Lucy said, “I’m glad. Because I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.”
“Good, because I don’t think I ever stopped loving you, either. Let’s grab Owen and get the heck out of here. We’ve got some bodyguards to hire.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Lucy agreed, scurrying up the steps to take Owen from his nurse. At the bottom, she caught the pilot’s arm. “Take a message for my dad. Tell him I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to Xavier with him. My husband and I will be at our home with our baby. He’s welcome to visit anytime.”
She glanced at Seth. “Right?”
“Sure, absolutely. After all,” Seth said, sliding his arm around Lucy’s shoulders. “He’s family and in Arkansas, we take our family seriously.”
Epilogue
“See, I told you you wouldn’t have to wear purple tights.”
“Thank God!” Seth stepped away from the mirror in the bedroom of Lucy’s suite in the palace. “How do I look?”
In a tuxedo, Lucy’s husband looked better than Brad Pitt and Justin Timberlake without shirts. He looked so good Lucy almost couldn’t believe he was hers. But he was. When her father realized she and Seth were not parting and they intended to fight him to assure Owen had at least something of a normal life, the king had relented. He tore up the agreement Seth had signed, ordered the courts to void the annulment and decided to simply enjoy his daughter’s new life.
“You’ll do.”
“Huh! I’ll do!” Seth caught her around the waist and hauled her to him. He bent her backward, over his arm, leaned down and nipped her neck.
“Stop!” Lucy squealed, laughing and wiggling to get out of his hold, though her tight red gown made movement nearly impossible. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to dance in this thing and couldn’t believe she’d let Madelyn talk her into wearing a dress so scandalous. Especially to the reception celebrating her wedding. Of course, as Madelyn had pointed out, it would be ridiculous to wear white, so why not go all the way and wear the color that most typified her relationship with Seth. Bright, passionate red.
“You’ll ruin my gown.”
“I love your gown. Let’s take it off.”
Lucy laughed again. “You’re bad.”
“No. You’re bad.” Seth let her up, and shook his head in dismay. Lucy watched his pale green eyes take in the spaghetti straps and form-fitting bodice of her dress, then followed the movement of his gaze down the tight skirt and along the train that trailed at least eight feet behind her. She could swear she saw his mouth water.
“There’s more material in your train than in your actual dress.” He shook his head again. “What is your dad going to say when he sees that gown?”
“Oh, he may reprimand me when he sees me, but it will be for show. I’m guessing he’s already seen and approved the dress.”
Seth laughed. “And I guess I have to get accustomed to the fact that he’ll know everything we do.”
“Sometimes before we even know we’re going to do it. His sources are very good.”
Seth suddenly became serious. This time when he put his arm around Lucy’s waist and brought her to him, his green eyes were intense with emotion. “As long as he doesn’t try to keep us apart.”
Lucy smiled and slowly traced the shape of his perfect mouth with her fingertip. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that. But, even if my father does try something, I won’t ever leave you again.”
“And I won’t ever let you go.” They gazed into each other’s eyes for a few seconds before Seth kissed her. The meeting of their lips started off slowly but, as always, their chemistry exploded and the kiss seemed to take on a life of its own, deepening before Lucy had a chance to stop it. Tingles of excitement spiraled through her. Her breathing became shallow. Her hands began to lift to Seth’s tie. But, luckily, her senses returned.
She pulled away. “Enough!” she scolded, but her voice was filled with laughter. “Mildred’s in the living room with Owen! We don’t want to scandalize her.”
“We’re married. We can’t create any more scandals. In fact, our only real worry now is to make sure that your father doesn’t try to put Owen in purple tights.”
“I believe Ty had your lawyers put that stipulation in the agreement he signed with my dad to build his retreat in Little Rock.”
Still serious, Seth said, “Who would have ever believed our situation would turn out like this?”
“Mildred. From what I hear from the nanny brigade, she predicted this right from the beginning. She said, Seth Bryant will not let a monarchy take his wife and son. She won fifty bucks from Audrey.”
“Audrey never did have enough faith in me.”
Lucy laughed again, but she wiggled out of Seth’s arms and took her red evening bag from her rose-trimmed vanity. The entire suite was still decorated and furnished the way she had done it as a young, single woman. Now everything would change.
With her back to Seth, she smiled to herself. Everything had changed. And so much for the better. She wouldn’t live on Xavier Island. She would live in Porter, Arkansas, with her husband who helped run a highly successful business in which he held a one-third ownership. Owen would be raised like an average little boy, except one teacher, one cafeteria worker and two bus drivers in the small-town school would actually be bodyguards employed by Xavier Island. Xavier Island would also pay for two additional policemen to be added to Porter’s small force. These policemen were former Secret Service agents. And they would covertly monitor Owen’s life. Still, that was much better than Owen being shut up in a castle.
But the best news of all was that King Alfredo had purchased the mortgage on the ranch Cooper Bryant owned and he’d given the mortgage to Seth as a wedding gift. Seth and Ty now had a means to lure Cooper into a discussion. Seth had the opportunity to tell Cooper he was sorry, ask forgiveness and close that chapter of his life.
She turned and smiled at Seth. “Ready to meet your subjects?”
Seth grimaced. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good.” She kissed his check before tucking her hand beneath his elbow.
Though it was already nearly Thanksgiving, Lucy had a feeling the three Bryant brothers would be back together by Christmas. And be a real family once again. Just like she now had, she thought with a smile.
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5479-7
PRINCE BABY
Copyright © 2005 by Linda Susan Meier
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*Texas Family Ties
†Brewster Baby Boom
**Daycare Dads
††Bryant Baby Bonanza