The Royal Heir - The Valtoria Diaries 2

Teething problems

The unmistakable sound of a screaming infant crackled over the baby monitor and into Jen's ears, abruptly yanking her out of her exhausted, dreamless sleep.

"Your turn," she groaned, although she knew full well it was her turn.

"No," came a reciprocal grumble. "Your turn."

She would have turned to face Maxwell, but she was simply too shattered. "Please, please, please, babe," she managed to slur. "I'll marry you."

"You already married me!"

He's definitely perky enough to take one for the team. "I'm too tired to remember."

She felt his hand settle gently on her arm. "It's fine, little blossom. I've got it. You rest."

She sighed deeply, relieved. "You have no idea how much I love you right now."

Maybe he said something in response, but she was asleep again by then, so she didn't hear it.

***

The solarium was Jen's default location these days. It was a mess, but it was a comforting, sunny space. She would sit there in her nursing chair for hours, usually with a corgi or two curled up by her feet; virtually always with Bella on her breast.

She was so drained. She could never remember being so tired. She felt like the last three weeks had been a continuous loop of feeding Bella, changing Bella, settling Bella, dosing, feeding Bella some more, passing her to Maxwell to change, settling Bella, dosing, feeding Bella... and on, and on, and on. She had been completely unprepared for just how much impact this tiny little person would have on her life – in fact her life as she'd known it was completely lost in this cycle of constant care for her daughter.

Dr Ramirez had been over to Valtoria earlier to give Bella and Jen their final post-natal checkups. Bella's heartbeat was normal, she was gaining weight at the right rate, her hip joints were all normal, her eyes were working as they should, and her hearing was good. And the doctor had no concerns about Jen's own progress following what had of course been a traumatic birth experience. So, all was well.

Right now, Jen was taking a bit of time out with a welcome cup of tea, the book she'd started reading months ago, and some blissful quiet. Maxwell had got Bella, he was gearing up for an imminent visit from his father, who had been mysteriously out of the country when Bella was born, and hadn't met his granddaughter yet. Jen hadn't decided yet whether she'd join this little get-together, her father in law was not high up on her list of favourite people. While she considered closing her eyes and dosing off so she'd have an excuse to miss his visit, she figured that she'd rather stay awake and savour the precious me-time she currently had the opportunity to spend right now.

But just as she had recapped where she was at with the storyline of her novel, she heard a familiar wailing, becoming louder, and louder, and louder. Oh, boy. Guess my me-time is over already. She looked up expectantly to see her husband's adorably sheepish little face as he hurried into the room, juggling their very wriggly and very noisy daughter.

"Sorry to interrupt your moment of peaceful meditation, but.."

"She's hungry again?"

"I'm pretty sure she's trying to nurse on my elbow. And I know I'm tasty, but I don't think I've got what she needs."

Jen groaned, and reached out her arms. "Alright, alright. Let me see our little bottomless pit."