The Princess Bride

Chapter 30

Nearly two and a half years after Alex and I were married, Evangeline Rose arrived.

I was so grateful that all that nonsense about the heir had been settled because Alex and I got to feel nothing but joy at the birth of our daughter. I was even happy she was a girl because we got to pick her name.

The heir was always named for the current king. While I didn't exactly mind the name Philip, I wasn't dying to use it either. At least not for our first baby. Besides, when I learned that Evangeline meant good news, I fell in love with it because that's exactly what she was. Finding out about her had been the best news I'd ever heard.

Of course, Juliette was thrilled that little Evie was a girl. Alex assured her that she wouldn't have to worry about being sent away, and mostly she believed him. He wasn't the king though, and she couldn't help worrying a little.

Alex was totally and completely in love with our daughter. Not that I could blame him, of course, but it was such a novelty. I'd never seen him so captivated or so devoted to anything or anyone, not even me. If I wasn't already so convinced of how much Alex loved me, I might have been a little jealous.

He wanted to do absolutely everything for her. I think he was even a little disappointed that he couldn't feed her. It was very sweet, and had to be a first in the history of the kingdom, that a prince did anything at all, let alone so much to take care of a baby. The servants were all stunned. It was amusing watching him shoo them away again and again when they tried to be helpful. An entire nursery had been set up, and an army of servants was appointed to do nothing but see to the needs of the baby, and they'd hardly even seen her at all in the month since she'd been born.

I wondered how long it could last. Alex would probably never want to leave her and resume his duties, and I wouldn't mind a bit if that happened. I knew it couldn't though. Eventually, things would, unfortunately, have to go back to normal and we would have to leave Evie for hours at a time.

For now, though, it was like Heaven. We were allowed to pretend we weren't royalty, and remained fairly undisturbed, just the three of us. Just like a regular little family.

Sighing contentedly, I smiled at Alex sitting with Evie on the sofa by the window. She'd been sound asleep for a while, but Alex showed no signs of putting her down. He just sat comfortably with the baby in one arm and a book in his free hand.

"It's a good thing we had that cradle made," I teased. "Maybe one day she'll actually sleep in it."

Alex looked up and smiled a little sheepishly.

"Are you going to hold her all night?" It must be nearing midnight by now.

Alex sighed and glanced down at Evie. "I guess not." Setting his book down, he stood and walked the few steps to gently place the baby in the cradle.

We stared down at her for a moment before I turned to Alex, put my arms around his neck and kissed him.

"You're such a good father," I said when I pulled away.

He smiled for a second before he raised an eyebrow. "Was having me put the baby down just a ploy to get me alone?" he teased.

"Well, I do like some attention now and then." I smiled.

He waggled his eyebrows. "Ready to try for number two?"

I laughed quietly. "You'll be lucky if I'm ready for that before number one starts walking."

As much as I loved Alex and our time together, everything was still so painful. It hurt just to think about that particular activity.

He grinned, seeming to accept that as a challenge.

"I have a feeling it might be a little sooner than that," he said.

"Maybe just a tiny bit," I allowed.

Slipping my arms around his waist, I leaned my head on his chest and stared down at our little girl again.

"Poor kid," Alex said after a moment. "She has no idea what she's in for."

It was true. After Evie was born, I'd worried about all the pressure that everyone would begin placing on her before she could even walk or talk, but seeing Alex with her had reassured me.

"You're her father," I said. "She'll be fine."

And she would. Sure, being born a princess came with an outrageous number of obligations and demands, but I doubted that there had ever been one so loved by her father before now. Alex's daughter wouldn't have that lonely, neglected childhood that he'd had. She wouldn't ever wonder if anyone truly loved her, and she wouldn't have to worry over her future the way her aunts did. Alex's priority would always be her happiness, and that counted for a lot.

Yes, she would be fine. We all would. I wasn't naive enough to believe that things would be easy. There would probably be an endless number of problems and people trying to undermine mine and Alex's relationship, not to mention Alex's future reign. If these last few years had taught me anything, it was that there was no shortage of potential threats to anticipate, but I wasn't worried. Through all the trouble we'd had over the course of our short marriage, Alex and I had only grown closer. I was confident that whatever happened in the future, would only make us closer still.

Evie began sucking at the air, probably dreaming of eating, making us laugh.

Yes, we would be just fine.