Life in the Palace (Prince Harry #5)

Chapter Thirteen

By the time her father arrived back at the cabin, Harry was on the couch while Meredith was getting ready in the bedroom. Harry helped her father bring in groceries. By the time she came out, everything was put away, but Meredith was able to play like nothing happened while he was away. Her father, who wasn't hungry, took his fishing pole down to the lake.

"What do you want to eat?" Harry asked, looking through the cabinets. He took out some instant mac and cheese cups.

"Don't use the tap water for those. They will taste fishy," she said, reaching for something else.

Harry probably wasn't going to eat them to begin with, but in case Meredith wanted something to eat but wasn't willing to cook, they were going to be useful. "Your father got some eggs. I could make you some scrambled eggs and toast."

"Hmm." Meredith slid some candy into her mouth.

"Scrambled eggs and toast it is," he declared, preparing for their breakfast-at-dinnertime feast. She slid into the chair next to the small kitchen. When she tried to help, Harry shooed her away. He loved his wife very much, but her in a kitchen wasn't a good idea. It was better to have her watching. Plus, he looked sexy when he did it.

Meredith made the table up with silverware and plates. Her stomach started to rumble halfway through the quickly-cooked meal. She even grabbed some cold juice and glasses. She did it to be nice, even though she felt very domesticated when she did it. She hated the feeling. In no way was Meredith wild, but she never wanted to feel trapped.

Harry split the eggs and toast on the two plates and then set the dishes in the sink, letting the lake water run over them. He sat down across from her, and her stomach rolled more. "You don't need to wait for me," he said, flashing a napkin and putting it on his lap.

"I was being polite." Meredith dug in, swallowing more than chewing.

Eating at a normal pace made Harry feel slow, but he had scarfed down enough food in his last time. He wanted to live more in the moment, but he understood why she was hungry. They had done quite a bit of "work." A smile crossed his face.

"Are you laughing at me?" she asked.

"No," he said honestly.

"Hmm." She drank some of the juice. "If you don't eat it, I'm going to eat it for you."

"Do you want it?" he offered.

"You're being super nice." She didn't take it.

"I'm always nice."

"You already got in my pants once today, and we're no longer on our honeymoon. Once is enough."

Harry chuckled. "I'm not being nice to be in your pants." His eyebrows pulled together, and he pursed his lips. "Is it working?"

Meredith scoffed.

He ate some of the eggs on his plate, leaving the toast because he knew she was going to come for it. When she did, she ate it right up, no questions asked and no sassy questions.

The long day had taken the toll on her and him. Once they were filled up, they did the dishes with yawns escaping their mouths. Harry washed and Meredith dried. They placed back up in the cabinets. Both were ready to fall into bed. As appealing as that sounded, Meredith didn't want it quite yet.

Taking Harry by the hand, she led him out to the porch that wrapped around the cabin. They were at the point of the peninsula, like they were about to fall off into the lake.  Behind the cabin, a couch was set out, just ready for people to curl up and watch the sunset. Harry didn't even need to be asked, sitting down and getting comfortable before Meredith climbed into his arms. Her blonde hair fluttered in the breeze, and he petted it down so it didn't get caught in his beard, which was growing back quickly.

The sky was turning a million shades of colors that neither of them thought possible. It was hard for Meredith to slow down this much, but Harry liked to live in the moment. She tried for him, even though it was an ever slow pace of the sun going down. She kept still for him, hearing his strong heartbeat, counting the rhythm. Her fingers tried to match it.

On the dock below, her father still fished, catching them sometimes but throwing them back. He was after the big one. He wasn't going back home until he caught it. Meredith watched with a smile as her father yet threw another fish back. It just wasn't good enough. The vacation was still young.

"Should we start picking out baby names?" Meredith asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm sure we're going to have this conversation a million times," Harry replied, smile on his lips.

"A million? Why such a low number?" she giggled. "Try, like, a billion? It will be never ending."

"I don't think we'll know until we see her."

"'Her?'"

Harry cleared his throat. "I mean, he or she or it. We'll know when we see them."

"But you said 'her.' Do you want a girl?"

"I mean, I wouldn't mind one." He shrugged. "I would love to have a son too, but I want to spoil her, you know. I want what Wills has with Charlotte-- what you have with your father. There is closeness, reliability. He was your hero growing up, wasn't he?"

"Yes," she admitted.  "You were that close with your mother."

"I was." A sad smile came to his face. Even after all these years, he teared up. Blinking them away, he swallowed. Meredith felt it and placed a hand on his rest. He took it within his own, bring it to his lips and kissing it. "Sons are close to their mother, and daughters are close to their father."

Meredith stiffened, not wanting to ruin the moment. She was close with her father, far more than her mother, but in truth, she didn't want that if they had a daughter. She wished it to be equal, even though it was never going to be. However, it was as if she had a son that she was more concerned with. There were societal pressures for all genders, but women were bucking it more and more. She didn't want a son that wasn't going to be willing to buck it. The monarchy wanted it one way, but she wanted her own path.

"Harry."

He tried not to stiffen. She had that serious tone, and usually, that led to something that drastic. "Mere." He tried to keep his tone light.

"I love you, and I love your family-- and I think you'll agree with me, but we're going to forge our own path with this kid, right?"

A smile crossed his lips. He thought he was going to be worse than that. "Yes, Mere, of course. I'm a rebel, remember?" His fingers danced across her body. "I'm not going to stop being a rebel to be a dad. I need to instill some values." His fingers went across her body, and she tried to grow smaller, knowing what was coming next. "Now, I got you." He started tickling her, and Meredith let out a screech of laughter, echoing off the lake.

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Hiya, all. 

I know I like the schedules, and I haven't been the most timely in updating. I've been doing a lot of more of my own writing as of late. Not that I don't love writing about Prince Harry, sometimes a woman has got to write for herself.

I'm hoping that as winter comes in I will get more back on schedule. Thanks for sticking with me.