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"I should've told you about the photo as soon as it was taken. I tried to. But you sounded so tired and sick on the phone, and I was assured it wouldn't see print. I messed up, and I am so sorry. But in a way, I'm glad that I got to see it. It made something so clear to me. I never want to be the person in that picture ever again. I just want you.”
Vivienne finally turns all the way around to face me. Wet tracks from her tears glimmer on her cheeks. Her voice is barely a whisper. "I'm just a regular girl."
“Vivienne, you are everything. I whispered that to you when you were asleep on my chest after we made love, while you were asleep in the morning. I meant it then, and I mean it now.”
30
VIVIENNE
It all sounds too good to be true. A prince, and a damn sexy one at that, is looking into my eyes and telling me he will love me forever. I'd be crazy to believe it.
And yet I think I do.
Caesar's voice has never sounded more genuine. All of my doubts about whether we could move from a fake marriage to a real couple are close to melting away. There's only one thing that still makes me pause.
I look down so I can gather my thoughts.
"If you say you always want me near you, then why did you go to the wedding without me? And don't try to say it was for my health. We didn't even know I was pregnant then."
I pause, realizing what I just let slip. I slowly look up at Caesar to see his reaction. His eyes widen in surprise, and I see tears begin to fill his eyes.
"You're… pregnant?"
I can only nod silently.
He bows his head and starts to shake. I can't tell, but I think he's crying. I can’t tell if they’re tears of sadness or tears of…
The sound that comes next is laughter. He looks back at me with a joyful smile. Yes, they are tears of joy.
"You're pregnant! I'm going to be a dad!"
He throws his arms around me and kisses me.
"This is wonderful. I meant every word I said, darling. I want to build a life and a family with you. And I will be the best dad I can be. Our child will never doubt how much they are loved and cherished. I promise you. And I never want you to doubt it either, my love.”
I gently push him back. "Before we build anything together, I still need to know what happened at the wedding." I pat my stomach. "For both of our sakes, I have to know the truth."
"You're right." He takes a long, deep breath. "The reason that I didn't want you to come, the real reason, is my family."
I shake my head, confused. "Your family? Are you worried about what they'll think of me?"
"No, no, never. Just, your family is so loving and close. Your dad is a Senator, but he’s still a father first. But with my family, we have all of the rules and protocols. We’re not casual and cozy with one another. I didn't want to sour it all with exposure to that kind of life, the stiffness, the severity. The coldness.”
Before Caesar had spoken of his royal duties with a sense of pride. But now, his distaste is clear as day. He arranged our marriage to preserve his royal status, but it’s an aspect of himself that he finds so difficult that he views it as something to protect me from.
"It's such a different life that I'd be asking you to be a part of,” Caesar says. “I worried you would run. It’s one thing to come as my secretary, to see the madness from afar. But to have to be subjected to it, especially when you’re the center of it all as my wife. I thought I could prolong it a while longer. Keep things from changing. They were just so perfect."
“Caesar, that’s…”
He looks off into the distance. "I should have just been honest with you."
I put my hand on his chin, and his eyes turn back to mine. “Yes. You should have. I could have reminded you that I've been with you in Solvaria. I've been by your side before. I've made small talk with your brothers.”
“I guess that’s true. But you could get away from it then.”
“It won't matter where we are. Whether we're here, or in New York, or in Solvaria, we can make our own little world however we want it."
I pat my stomach. "The three of us. Together."
