I laughed and patted my stomach. “Well, given that the bride is pregnant, I think making a fuss about us kissing before it was official is a bit silly,” I said. “Anyway, what about you?”
“What did I do?” Sarah asked, affronted.
“You caught the bouquet.”
“That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
“Yeah, but you’re not supposed to throw it back again!”
“I don’t want to get married next!” protested Sarah. “I was worried that the bouquet might be legally binding.”
“Well, it’s in all the photos now,” I said. “Should make it a wedding to remember.”
She shook her head. “You married a prince at Westminster Abbey, and it’s me throwing the bouquet back that will make it memorable?”
“Yep.”
I grinned and looked around the room at all the many people I didn’t know—royal families tended to accrue relatives. There, by the window, stood my new husband, with his mother and brother. The Queen took both her boys’ hands, holding them tightly and looking from one to the other. It was, I thought, the happiest I’d ever seen the monarch look. She’d got her wish; her boys had grown up into men that she could be proud of.
“And you’re definitely coming to the US this time?” Sarah asked.
“Yes,” I said. “That’s our honeymoon. Although we can only stay for a few weeks—or else I won’t be allowed to fly back here, given that I’ll be six months pregnant by the time it’s over.”
“Well, that’s plenty of time for us to do stuff,” she replied. “There’s a couple of new bars I want to take you to.”
I arched an eyebrow at her, and she grinned. “What? It could be fun! A pregnant princess in a bar. You met your prince in a bar, after all. And of course you’ll only drink water,” she said.
“I suppose we can try to figure something out…”
Life as the wife of the heir to the British throne did present difficulties when it came to socializing, but I was confident I’d find ways around them. Traditions changed, rules bent, the world moved on. And of course it came with tremendous compensations—for one thing, I could hardly be better placed to study art. I was going to start by writing a book on the hidden masterpieces of the royal family, and Andrew had done nothing but encourage the idea of me writing about my passion. With permission from the family, I was also going to set about restoring some of the paintings which had become grimy and faded over the years, and I couldn’t wait to get started on that.
But first things first. I had a honeymoon to get to before anything else.
As if reading my mind, Andrew came up to us. “Sorry to break this up, but it’s time to go.”
I hugged Sarah. “See you stateside.”
“Damn right. Andy?” Sarah had no problem with addressing royalty however she felt like it. “Could you point me in the direction of the most eligible bachelor?”
Andrew smiled and pointed to a handsome man in a dress uniform, and Sarah slugged back her champagne before heading into attack.
Downstairs, Andrew and I left the palace, walking to our car amidst a cacophony of cheering from beyond the gates.
“I think they like you,” said Andrew.
“I think they like us,” I replied, as they got into the car. “By the way, I have some news.”
He feigned a shocked expression. “Don’t tell me you’re pregnant.”
I grinned. “You really do have the worst sense of humor. Anyway, do you want to hear the news?”
“Of course.”
“Well…it’s a boy.”
“You found out the sex of the baby?”
I nodded. “Uh-huh. Yesterday. We’re having a perfectly healthy baby boy.”
Andrew’s face looked like it was about to split in two from the smile that was plastered across his face right now. “Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better….you find a way to surprise me.”
“I’ll always find ways to surprise you,” I said with a wink. “Anyway, seeing as we know the sex now, we can start considering names if you want. I was thinking it might be an idea to name him after your father—James.”
Andrew’s smile somehow grew even wider. “James,” he repeated, hand gently resting on my belly. “I think that’s perfect.”
It really was. With Andrew, everything was perfect.
What more could I ever ask for?
Epilogue
Keira
Three years later
“I can’t believe you actually bought me a vacuum cleaner for our anniversary…”
I grinned over at Andrew, while James bounced up and down on my lap. “Well, I did promise you a long time ago that I’d teach you how to use one,” I replied.