Dating the Prince(19)

"No," he yelped. "The baby-"

His words were cut off as he lost his fight with gravity and splashed  backward into the pond. He took a big gulp of air before water swam over  his head. His eyes instinctively closed as he kicked toward the  surface, and a moment later he burst out of the water with a sputtering  gasp. Quacks filled his ear and he let out a yell as feathers batted  about his head. He'd come up right in the middle of the ducks, who swam  away from him as fast as they could.         

     



 

Peals of laughter filled the air. Libby stood on the banks, clutching  Kenzie as she leaned over, her entire body shaking with mirth.

"Liberty Claybourne!" Alex hollered. He reached the bank in three breast strokes and pulled himself onto the muddy grass.

She took a step back, her laughs growing louder. Alex wiped the muddy  water out of his eyes. The parents with the toddler had stopped feeding  the ducks and had their camera out, snapping pictures.

Finn was at Alex's side in an instant. "Your Highness. Are you okay?"

"Oh, he's fine," Libby said. "A little water never hurt a royal. I don't think he'll melt."

"I'm fine," Alex said, shooing Finn off. Why had Libby done that? The reporter probably had photos of the whole thing.

Dating Libby had definitely been a bad idea.

Alex took a step toward Libby and she took another step back, holding  Kenzie in front of her. "Think of all the germs in that water. You can't  get the baby wet."

"Then put her in the pram so I can chase you down."

She darted back, giggling. "No way. I might have a quick temper, but I'm not dumb."

Alex shook his head and started laughing, too. His shoulders shook. Six  months of tension released as he laughed like he hadn't since Isla  Martin entered his life. No doubt this would be front page news  tomorrow. But at least this time he'd be in the papers for something  unrelated to his breakup. It wasn't like Durham could hate him any more  than they already did.

He held out his arms, motioning to his dripping wet figure. "So am I  forgiven for my idiotic comment? I think I've paid my penance."

Libby grinned, setting Kenzie in the pram. Then she surprised him by  raising up on her tiptoes and brushing a kiss across his wet, dirty  cheek. "Yeah, you're forgiven. I guess even princes say stupid things to  their girlfriends sometimes."

Girlfriend. They had talked about dropping that term in public sometime  this week, but he hadn't expected it to sound so nice falling from her  lips. He hoped the reporter had overheard.

"Let's get you back to the palace, Prince Charming," Libby said. "I think you need a shower."





CHAPTER TWELVE



Libby was such an idiot. When would she learn to control her temper? She  hadn't really meant to push Alex in the pond, but the results were the  same.

As Libby walked with Alex to his car, she apologized for the fiasco, and  he reassured her it was fine. But she saw the worry lines in his  forehead, and it made her stomach knot with anxiety. What if her  behavior had just cost her ten million dollars? Yeah, there'd been  nothing in their conversation to tip the reporter off to their fake  relationship, but she hadn't exactly done her job, either-to improve  Alex's image in the press. What would Durham think about him being  shoved in the pond by his supposed girlfriend?

In the end, neither of them needed to worry. The next morning, everyone  in Durham knew about the disastrous date. And, much to Libby's surprise,  they loved it. Words like adorable and humanizing were tossed around.  Maggie was thrilled, even if the king and queen probably weren't. Libby  had thankfully not had to face them.

Over the next two weeks, Libby and Alex went on five "normal" dates-at  least that's what Maggie called them. They were photographed coming out  of a movie theater. Someone posted a photo of the two of them sharing  ice cream at a local parlor. There were three more trips to the park,  all of which were uneventful. Both Alex and Libby were on their best  behavior, and soon rumors flew that the couple was deeply in love.

But today they had their first event without Kenzie. It was a small  garden party for a children's hospital the royal family often supported,  which made it perfect for their first official public appearance.

"Are you sure watching Kenzie isn't a big deal?" Libby asked as Connie  brushed her hair. Libby had wanted to do soft curls again, but Connie  insisted an up-do was more appropriate for a garden party, and Maggie  had agreed. Libby knew the media would comment on her sudden change in  hairstyle. It shouldn't make her self-conscious, but it did.

"Of course it's not a big deal," Connie said. "She'll probably just  sleep until it's time for me to clock out for the day. But if she wakes  up early, I'll make up the time during her next nap."

Libby sighed, her shoulders sagging. Connie's hand slipped on a hair  pin, completely missing its mark, and Libby quickly straightened her  shoulders again. "Okay. If you're sure." Why did Connie have to be so  accommodating? She'd been hoping for a reason to bow out of this event.  Surely even the girlfriends of crown princes could claim a fake sick day  occasionally.         

     



 

Or maybe the royal family didn't get to claim sick days, even when they were real. That was probably closer to the truth.

"You know, I am Kenzie's mother," Connie said, pinning back another curl. "It's my job to take care of her, not yours."

"But you hired me to help out, and I'm flitting off on dates."

"Dates with a prince," Connie said, as though that made everything okay.  "Maggie offered to get a babysitter, but I told her I would rearrange  my schedule. I know those palace nannies are the best at what they do,  but I still feel weird about letting one of them take Kenzie, even for  just a few hours."

"If you don't feel comfortable with it, we won't do it," Libby said. "We'll find another way to make it work."

"Agreed." Connie slid in the last bobby pin. "All done. What do you think?"

Libby stared at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing the person  staring back. Somehow Connie had managed to tame Libby's curls into  smooth locks pulled back in an elegant twist. She'd also helped Libby  with her makeup, applying more than Libby was used to wearing. "Wow. Are  you sure that's me?"

"The palace version of you." Connie pulled Libby in for a side-hug. "I  know Prince Alexander is a total nightmare, but this is a good thing,  Lib. The money will help your parents so much."

"I know." Libby gave a gusty sigh and brushed the fabric of her dress  flat against her stomach. It was a much more fitted cut than the flowing  Bohemian-style dresses she usually wore, and she wasn't sure it suited  her. The dress, the hair, the whole royal life felt so  …  not her.

"You look perfect," Connie said, as though reading Libby's thoughts.  "And you're going to have a great time tonight, despite His Royal  Snootiness."

Libby smirked. The nickname had stuck, and every time one of them used  it, she had to smile. "You're right. Thanks, Connie. If you need me to  come back, just call Maggie and I'll get the message."

"I won't," Connie said confidently. "It's one day. I don't have any  projects I'm rushing to finish, so even if she wakes up it'll be fine."

Kenzie's cries filtered in from the nursery, the soft whimpering ones  that Libby knew would soon turn into a full-out wail. It was her I'm  waking up and I'm starving cry.

"So much for sleeping," Libby said.

Connie laughed. "Babies rarely do what you want them to. Don't leave  without saying goodbye. I'm dying to meet Prince Alexander."

Libby's stomach curled. She wanted Connie to meet him, too. Over the  past couple of weeks, she'd seen glimpses of the Alex who'd saved her  from arrest. And she really liked that guy. "I won't."

Connie nodded and disappeared from the bathroom. Libby swiped on some  lip gloss, then wandered into her bedroom and checked to make sure the  small clutch that matched her dress had the essentials, including a few  lucky pennies. She'd dropped one at Castlebridge Park the last time they  were there. It would always hold a special place in her heart.

Connie's soft crooning filtered in from the nursery. Kenzie's cries  didn't calm down, though, but instead grew louder. She must be getting  her diaper changed.

Libby picked up the white fascinator-apparently that's what garden party  hats were called-and pinned it carefully into place. She gave herself  one last glance in the mirror and decided she was presentable. Ten  minutes early, even. Alex would be so proud. Punctuality wasn't highly  prized in Ocean Meadow, and something like "see you at eight" meant any  time before nine. But Libby had quickly learned that palace time was  exact and precise.

She might as well get started on tidying the dirty kitchen. Since dating  the prince, Libby hadn't been able to help out around the house nearly  as much as she wanted to. While housework hadn't specifically been  outlined in her agreement with Connie, she felt bad that she wasn't able  to alleviate that burden for her friend as much as she'd like to.