Alex shook his head, resisting the urge to wipe his damp palms on his tan slacks. What was he nervous for? He'd been on dozens of dates and never felt like this. And today wasn't even a real date.
It was just because he needed this to go well. This had nothing to do with Libby. Yes, she was gorgeous and sassy and intriguing. But it was merely the situation putting him off his game. Isla had shaken his confidence, and having his parents pay a woman to date him hadn't helped.
"She's over there, Your Highness," Finn said quietly from his place beside Alex. His steps were nearly silent despite the noisy gravel path, an impressive feat for a man Finn's size.
"I see her," Alex said. She wore another sundress, this one in a deep plum with white lace accents. It seemed the style was somewhat of a signature look for Libby. Alex's heart positively galloped in his chest, like a deranged horse. He needed to get his emotions under control and fast. Thank heaven she'd brought the pram. It would look odd to not hold her hand if it was free, and right now he wasn't sure he could handle the close contact.
He lifted his hand in a wave, and Libby smiled and nodded, acknowledging that she'd seen him. The motion caught the attention of a passing jogger, who did a double take. Alex had to fight the urge to duck his head and try and hide from the scrutiny. Today they wanted to be seen and photographed.
"Sorry we're late," Libby said, pushing the pram to a stop right in front of him. "Kenzie spit up right as we were getting ready to leave and I had to change her."
"She has a knack for timing," Alex said. He summoned his courage and bent down, dropping a kiss on Libby's cheek just as Maggie had instructed him. Libby's arms wrapped around his waist, warm and somehow familiar. He'd never been this close to her before. She smelled like a beach resort-coconut and an ocean breeze mixed with something that drove him absolutely mad.
A man in the distance lifted a camera, and Alex felt a surge of adrenaline. It seemed at least one reporter had answered Maggie's call.
"It's good to see you too," she murmured, but he heard a sarcastic bite underneath the words. He doubted anyone else would notice though.
"I was worried you were going to stand me up," he said, keeping his own tone bland. "I guess I should know by now that you're always running a little late. But the final results are worth it. You look beautiful today."
She clenched her jaw, and the fury he saw in her eyes gave him a thrill of satisfaction.
"Thank you." She pushed the pram down the walkway, toward the reporter. Good. "I know how much you love a heavily made-up woman."
Now it was his turn to clench his jaw. "Careful, Libby," he murmured.
They were within earshot of the reporter now. His camera was raised toward a tree as he adjusted the telephoto lens, but Alex wasn't fooled. Time to stage the conversation.
"Let me push the pram for you," Alex said, placing his hands on the handle. His arms brushed against hers, sending his nerves tingling. "You must be exhausted."
"Thank you." She stepped aside as though she'd been burned. "I am a little tired. Kenzie didn't want to take a nap today and screamed every time I tried to set her down. I guess she just wanted to go outside for a while."
"She wanted to see me," Alex said. The reporter's camera was pointed in their direction now and he heard the click of a shutter.
"I guess so," Libby said. "She's been perfectly happy since I put her in the stroller. We've got about an hour until I need to get her home to her mommy."
Alex was reluctantly impressed with the skill at which she'd woven the information into their conversation. He heard another shutter click. No doubt the reporter had overheard. But just in case … "And how is Connie doing?"
"Good. Just really tired. She still won't let me help out at night. The adjustment to working mom hasn't been easy. I think she's wishing she could stay home with this one all day instead of hiring me to do it."
"Well, she hired the best," Alex said. "You'll make an excellent mother someday."
"You think so?" Libby said, a flirtatious tone in her voice.
Alex pulled the pram to a stop and stared deeply into her eyes. "Yeah. I do."
She blinked, then inhaled sharply and looked away. "Uh, I brought some birdseed to feed to the ducks. I thought it might be fun."
"Sounds great," Alex said, turning the pram down the path leading to the small pond where wildlife often congregated. "Kenzie will love that."
"I thought so."
They continued toward the pond in silence as Alex scrambled for something to say. Maggie had warned them to avoid unnatural stretches of silence. Couples in new relationships weren't usually quiet for very long when together.
A couple already stood near the pond, tearing chunks off a slice of bread and handing it to their toddler, who threw it in the water with a yell that had the birds flapping their wings.
"Why birdseed?" Alex asked
"Huh?" Libby's brow crinkled in confusion.
"You said birdseed. Why aren't we feeding the birds bread?" He pulled the pram to a stop and set the brakes and Libby lifted Kenzie into her arms.
"Bread is like junk food for ducks. It doesn't really hold much nutritional value and too much of it can make them sick. The birdseed is in the undercarriage. Can you grab it please?"
"Sure." Alex crouched down and pushed aside a diaper bag, blanket, and a pile of pennies-those made him smile-before locating the small cloth bag of birdseed. "I didn't know bread was bad for ducks. Now I feel bad about all the times I fed it to them as a child."
"Not many people know." Libby held Kenzie in one arm and she kicked wildly, letting out a squeal. Alex untied the bag and held it out to Libby, who took a handful and tossed it into the water. A few of the ducks deserted the bread and swam over with loud quacks, then dived for the seeds.
"I wonder how deep the water is?" Libby asked.
"I'm not sure. Fairly deep, I think. Maybe ten or twelve feet." He squinted, as though he could see through the murky water to the bottom of the pond.
"Dang. It's so tempting to take off my shoes and wade in the water for a while."
"You'd regret it on the walk home."
She inclined her head to the side. "Maybe. I was starting to believe you'd lied to me about the weather, but it finally felt pleasantly warm instead of miserably hot on the walk here today."
Alex laughed, taking a handful of birdseed and throwing it into the water. A duck with bright green feathers bobbed for seed rapidly, letting out an angry squawk every time another duck got his food. "Look at that one."
Libby laughed, bouncing Kenzie up and down as she pointed. They were right at the water's edge, almost close enough to touch the ducks if they reached out. "See it, Kenz? He must be starving."
"Poor duck," Alex said.
"We'll have to come here regularly until it gets cold. I go down to the ocean and feed the seagulls at least once a week in Oregon."
Alex could imagine Libby sitting on a jagged rock, her hair blowing in the ocean breeze as she tossed birdseed to a flock of hungry seagulls who battled for every morsel. She'd smile softly, a serenity to her countenance that he could never hope to replicate on his own. "It must be nice to have such a quiet life. So free of responsibilities and worry."
He knew immediately that he'd said the wrong thing. Libby stiffened beside him, her grip tightening on Kenzie. "Oh, sure. I live this perfect life where I just flit around all day singing songs and going wherever the wind blows me. That's how all hippies are, right? Because I live on a commune I must not know a thing about real life or real problems or real responsibilities."
"That's not what I meant," Alex said, his face heating. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Finn take a step closer while the reporter clicked away.
Libby angrily tossed a handful of birdseed into the water. "I have real problems too, Alex. I might not be running an entire country, but my parents are about to go bankrupt. They're talking about divorce. Do you have any idea what that's like? I bet you've never had to worry about whether to pay the doctor or pay for electricity."
"I didn't mean-"
"That's the problem with you royals," Libby said, her voice rising. "Just when I think we have something in common, you go and say something like that and ruin everything."
Alex gripped her arm, lowering his voice. "Libby," he said, his tone warning.
She yanked her arm free. He hadn't expected the move and it upset his balance, making him stumble on the uneven ground.
For one frozen moment, he knew he was in trouble. Libby's eyes widened and she reached forward as his arms pinwheeled wildly.