If This Is It (An Arranged Marriage Love Story)

Chapter 18: A Bird Can't Talk

The rest of the holiday season went by in a blur for me. There were many parties varying in formality and context. I met countless people that I do not remember the names of, wore splendid evening gowns to multiple affairs, and ate tons of delicious food that I had probably gained fifteen pounds from. 

It was now February 2, exactly a week until we left for Ireland. 

I knocked on James's office door early that morning. 

"Come in." 

I came in with a tray of breakfast in my hands. 

"What's this?"

I smiled. "Breakfast. I noticed that you weren't in bed this morning and thought you could use some food." 

He cocked an eyebrow up at me as I brought the tray over. "You are never up this early." 

I shrugged. "I got cold." 

He stared at me confused. "But you were covered in about five blankets with the heat on. Are you getting sick?" He asked in a concerned tone. 

I shook my head, a bit embarrassed at the attention he was giving me. "You left. That's why I was cold." He smiled smugly as he probably remembered he had me wrapped up in his arms. 

"Are you packed yet?"

I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "We aren't leaving for another week." 

He smiled. "We are leaving tonight, actually. I took two weeks off." I gasped loudly as I ran and jumped into his lap, kissing his cheek soundly. 

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" 

He laughed as I ran up to go to our room. When I arrived, my maids had already started packing my things. "Oh, you are all so wonderful. Thank you," I said in a relieved tone. They gave me warm smiles as they continued to work. 

Kelly, one of the younger maids, came up to me with her eyes downcast. "Duchess, should I pack anything special for you to wear?" I thought about if for a moment as to try and figure out what she was talking about. A blush crept up onto my cheeks as I realized what she meant.

As my mind said no, my mouth said, "Yes." She tried to hide a small smile as she went to go grab a couple lingerie pieces. 

As they continued to pack, I made my way downstairs contemplating how I should spend my time until we left. 

I absentmindedly glanced out to the back woods of our backyard. A light bulb went off in my head. A walk should help me straighten out my mess of thoughts. 

I grabbed a coat as I slid out the door. The dried leaves crackled under my warm boots and the cold air nipped at my nose as I got farther and farther from the house. I glanced up at a robin perching on a branch and found myself asking it, "Am I ready for this?", before I remembered that this was a bird and therefore couldn't answer me. 

I had been looking forward to our trip to Ireland but now that it was literally hours away, I was nervous. When we had planned this trip, I wasn't that attracted to James; never mind physically attracted to him. 

Now that I was, it scared me… a lot. I had thought about having to eventually have kids with him before but it had been a duty then. Now, I wasn't sure if it would just be "a duty." 

I took a deep breath of the fresh air before trying to coax my nerves down. James would know if I was nervous if I kept acting like I was now, eyebrows furrowed as I walked down the center of an old dirt road. 

The rain began to softly fall and a grin appeared on my face. As it grew heavier, I giggled and spun around. I was going to be soaked through by the time I got back but I didn't care. I would have taken a long bubble bath anyway. 

James's POV:

I leaned against the frame of the open french doors as I watched her walk from a distance. She was so beautiful. Had I realized it when we first met? Yes. Did I know her then? No. And what I now knew about her, made her even more beautiful. 

Although she had a temper that could literally make me jump out a window on a second story, she made me smile like a little kid on Christmas morning. The also strange part of her temper was, it made me want to kiss her senseless. 

The rain began to fall and I assumed to see her screaming and running back towards the house. Instead, she began to spin around in it gladly. I shook my head with a smile. A car began to appear in the distance but I thought nothing of it until it was six feet away from her and not stopping. 

I bolted as fast as I could towards her while screaming her name. Watching her get ran over, almost made me vomit. I mean, I swallowed it in order to keep going. 

I reached her and carefully placed her head in my lap as I pulled out my phone. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the phone rang for 911. 

"911, what is your emergency?" "My wife was hit by a car?" "Is she conscious?" I looked down at her peaceful face that appeared as it did when she was sleeping. I gulped back a fresh set of tears as I replied. "No."