Page 17 of Breathe Me: Smith & Belle

Thank God my husband didn’t carry a gun anymore. And if looks could kill, the one he was shooting our family and friends might have taken the lot. I released the breath I’d been holding and laughed, shaking his arm, as Georgia stepped from behind the group with a sly smile on her face.

“Sorry, Price. They made me do it,” she said.

He glared at her. “Remind me to take you off as a point of contact.”

Smith might not be pleased, but my heart swelled seeing all the people I loved in one place. My Aunt Jane was here, speaking to my brother John. It was a bit surprising to see him here, but I was glad what little family I had made the occasion. I spotted my mother, pouting in the back of the crowd. She had yet to accept that she was going to be a grandmother or that I’d given the family estate to her step-son. She saw both moves as betrayals. But it was the shining smile at the front of the small cluster that sent tears to my eyes.

Clara Bishop, my best friend, had been through hell this year, and here she was front and center, smiling to celebrate my new baby. The children were absent and she was holding a glass of champagne. I was instantly jealous. She looked gorgeous, flushed and happy, her curves on display in a fitted cashmere sweater the color of fresh cream and thick, black ponte leggings. Her silky brunette hair looked like she’d just stepped out of the salon and her make-up was minimal but perfectly applies. I bit back a grin thinking about the girl I’d known at university. Then, she’d worn jeans and t-shirts with no interest in fashion much to my dismay. When she’d met the Prince of England, she’d embarked on a style makeover worthy of a reality show. Now, she looked every bit the queen she was.

“Are you to blame for this?” I asked as she sauntered forward.

“I couldn’t let my best friend have a baby without giving her one last hurrah.” She threw her free arm around me and I used the momentary distraction to swipe her champagne flute.

I took a delicate sip and groaned before passing it back to her.

“I’ll bring you some in the hospital,” she promised with a sympathetic grin. “Unless, you’re going to have the baby…”

“No, we both agreed to have her here,” I said. At least, Smith and I had agreed on that. “I think he’s going to kick everyone else out of the Lindo Wing.”

Clara laughed, but I spotted a dark shadow flicker over her face before vanishing. She hadn’t spoken much about the birth of her son, William, but I knew parts of the day haunted her. They probably always would.

“Where’s Alexander?” I asked, looking around for her husband.

“Home with the children. He won’t let anyone watch them but you and Georgia and Norris,” she admitted with a whisper, “and Norris and Georgia couldn’t change a nappy if their lives depended on it. One of them is going to have to learn or I’ll be forced to give my mother the keys to Buckingham.”

“You have me,” I said, feigning offense.

“I think your days are numbered,” she said, looking me over. “And I thought I’d finally lost you to the country.”

“We’re back for a while.”

“You just left two days ago!” But she looked nothing but pleased by this revelation. “Elizabeth misses you. She threw a tantrum when Alexander told her where I was going.”

“I’ll come by tomorrow.” Life felt right back in London. Here I could make spontaneous plans to visit my godchildren, grab a bite with my best friend, and go home to a quiet house with my husband. “Is Edward here?”

I suddenly realized why he’d hesitated when I asked him to come along. He’d known about the baby shower and managed to keep it a secret.

Clara flinched, shaking her head slightly. “I thought he would come...especially, when I messaged him that Alexander wouldn’t be here. I guess he’s avoiding all of us.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d seen him this afternoon. They would work this out with time, but I heard the pain in her voice. She loved him like he was her own brother. Him choosing not to come told her the thing she feared the most: he wasn’t just avoiding Alexander, he didn’t want to see her either.

“He was probably busy. I mean, I don’t see your sister here either,” I pointed out, trying to distract her as we walked arm and arm into the living room where dozens of delicate pink roses had been used to decorate the mantle and window sills. The table in the corner was laid out with platters of sweets, including a five-tiered stand showcasing mini petit-fours each featuring a sugar tiara. Clara picked up a champagne flute filled with orange juice and passed it to me.

“Parties are less fun when you’re pregnant,” I grumbled.

“You can have as much cake as you want, though.” She pulled me toward the corner, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Lola is in Silverstone.”

“Again?”

Clara’s sister, Lola, was also my business partner. Given that our company, Bless, was almost entirely online and now boasted five employees to handle the work of shipping and stocking, she and I were free to work wherever we wanted—and lately, Lola had been doing double time working with Anderson Stone, who, apart from being a world-famous race car driver, was also Alexander’s half-brother. Lola had been dispatched to help acclimate to the sudden frenzy of interest from the media when the truth was revealed. Neither Alexander nor Anders had known about one another, there was a lot to tackle, and Lola had taken charge of it.

“If I didn’t know better…” Clara let her thought trail off, her eyes flashing wickedly.

“But she hates him,” I said with a laugh, knowing exactly what she was thinking. “She told me so herself.”

“It’s a relief to have her there,” Clara confided. “With everything else going on. But we are not talking about that tonight, because there are sweets and presents and this mama has the night off!”

“I can’t believe Alexander let you out of his sight,” I admitted.