Once Upon a Holidate, page 28
Just thinking about him made her glance down at the sparkling diamond on her left hand. She and Garrick were engaged—a happy truth that still made her giddy. The knowledge that he loved her as much as she loved him warmed her. They were blessed, she thought.
This weekend, Wynn, Hunter and Garrick were going to spend more time looking at houses online. Monday she and Garrick had an appointment with a mortgage broker to discuss financing for the house they wanted to buy. Tuesday they were going out with a real estate agent to look at the houses that fit them best. Hunter already had a wish list that included a bonus room big enough to be converted into a media room, and a pool. She wanted a big kitchen with plenty of storage, and Garrick wanted a garage with a workshop area.
She went into the living room and turned on the tree lights before sitting on the sofa. Happiness bubbled through her. She’d come a long way from that scared single mom she’d been fourteen years ago. Finding where she belonged had taken a lot of work and some patience, but it had been worth it in the end.
“Hey, Mom,” Hunter said, stretching as he walked into the living room.
“Merry Christmas,” she said, standing and hugging him.
He hugged her back, all long, skinny arms and bony ribs. He was still growing and already taller than her. When had that happened?
“Merry Christmas,” he said as he slumped down on the sofa. “You’re up early.”
“So are you.”
He grinned. “I couldn’t sleep.” He pointed to the pile of presents under the tree. “Santa came.”
“Yes, he did.”
Her son stretched again. “You know, Mom, it’s okay for Garrick to spend the night. I’m not a kid or anything.”
“Thank you for that, but we’re going to wait to live together. The wedding is only a few weeks away.”
They were getting married at the end of January, hopefully right around the time they closed on their new house. They would get settled and then take a delayed honeymoon in February or March. Hunter would stay with Jasper and Renee while Wynn and Garrick were gone.
Until then, she and Garrick would steal their moments together. Once Joylyn and Chandler returned to San Diego, Garrick would have his house back and they could have a little privacy.
Not that she minded having the young family with them. She and Joylyn had become friends, and Chandler was good company. Elijah was an added bonus, giving Wynn a little baby practice. She and Garrick had agreed they would start trying to get pregnant over the summer. They wanted a few months to settle into married life before the excitement and yes, stress, of a baby.
“Garrick and I have been talking about what kind of car I’m going to get when I turn sixteen,” Hunter said.
“Have you.”
Her son grinned. “Uh-huh. We talked about buying an old junker and restoring it, but decided that wouldn’t be the best choice. We’ll get something safe for me and then get an old junker to restore for fun.”
She sipped her coffee. “This all assumes I’m ready to think about you learning to drive. You’re still only fourteen.”
“And a half. I can get my learner’s permit in a year.” Hunter gave her a winning smile. “You said I could work for you this summer. I’m going to save all the money and put it toward a car.”
He was a kid with a plan, she thought, both pleased by his maturity and horrified that he was that old. What he didn’t know was that she and Garrick had already talked about enrolling him in a driver’s education class over the summer, so he could get the twenty-five-hour requirement out of the way before he joined JROTC in the fall.
As for buying a car, Garrick had some ideas about a safe vehicle for a sixteen-year-old. And when she’d started to hyperventilate about her little boy being all grown up, he’d reminded her that they still had plenty of time.
But she knew how quickly that time would pass. With luck, a year from today, she would be several months pregnant. Even if she wasn’t, she would still have Garrick, and that was more than she’d ever hoped for.
There was a knock at the front door, then the sound of a key in the lock. Garrick let himself in. He smiled when he saw them on the sofa.
“Merry Christmas,” he said as he walked toward them. “Joylyn and Chandler have just put the baby down and are hoping to grab a couple of hours of sleep before breakfast, if that works for you.”
“I said about eight thirty or nine,” Wynn told him, coming to her feet as he pulled her close. “They must be exhausted.”
“They are, but they’re happy, too.”
Mindful of Hunter in the room, Garrick kissed her lightly, then greeted her son.
“Excited about your presents?” Garrick asked.
Hunter eyed the impressive pile. “I am.” He yawned. “Maybe I’ll go back to bed for a couple of hours, too.” He glanced at her. “If that’s okay, Mom.”
“Sure.”
He got up and ambled toward the hall. When his bedroom door closed, Garrick pulled her close again and kissed her with a little more passion.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Happy. What about you?”
He smiled at her. “The same. So much so, I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Me, too.”
“Let me get a cup of coffee, and we can go look at more real estate listings together.”
His offer might not sound romantic to some women, but for her, it was magical. Garrick took care of the details and worried about the people he loved. He’d promised to always have her back, and she knew that he would.
“Real estate listings sound like fun,” she said.
He put his arm around her and together they walked into the kitchen. Behind them the Christmas tree lights glowed, and in front of them was a happy future full of promise and love.
* * * * *
A Very Merry Princess
Dedication
To Hazel, who kept asking for Bethany’s story. At long last!
Chapter One
De-princessing one’s life wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. There were the obvious items to leave home—tiaras, scepters, ladies-in-waiting. But there were also actual problems. For Bethany Archer, otherwise known as Princess Bethany of El Bahar, the complications included her passport. As in, which one to take on her trip.
She had her American passport by virtue of being born in California and spending the first nine years of her life there. But once she and her mom had moved to El Bahar and her mother married Crown Prince Malik, who two years ago had become the king, Bethany had become an honest-to-goodness princess, with an El Baharian passport. One that under Occupation actually said Princess.
She looked at the two official booklets on her bed, then groaned and shoved both in her backpack. She would enter and exit the United States with her American passport, but have the El Baharian one with her just in case. Because where she went, complications followed.
If only her mother had fallen in love with an ordinary man. Someone as wonderful and loving as King Malik, but less . . . royal. Not that Bethany hated living at the famed El Baharian pink palace. Or working in the royal stables, or being with her three younger brothers, or her mother, Queen Liana. As for her adoptive father, the king, Bethany had loved him from their very first meeting when she’d been nine years old. But the monarchy thing really, really sucked.
Bethany’s late biological father had raced cars for a living. Looking back, she had no idea how her parents had ever thought they could make their marriage work. After their divorce, Chuck had been far more interested in maintaining his cars than paying child support and he’d forgotten to spend time with his daughter.
In an effort to provide a home and college fund for her daughter, Liana had taken a job as a math teacher at the American School in El Bahar. The well-paying position was to be a temporary thing—just long enough to provide the two of them with a little financial security. But Liana and her daughter had caught the eye of the then–Crown Prince and within a matter of weeks, the couple had been married and Bethany had become a princess.
Bethany added her e-reader to her backpack, along with a few protein bars. The flight from El Bahar to the small airport near Happily Inc, California, would take nearly seventeen hours, including one fuel stop. While meal service would be offered, she couldn’t know if she would be able to leave the back of the plane for more than short bathroom breaks. That all depended on Rida and how he handled the journey.
She’d already packed her two duffels. She wasn’t going on vacation, or traveling officially, so she wouldn’t need much. Jeans, shirts and boots should do it. Her entire skin care regimen consisted of soap, water and sunscreen. Her idea of nonprincess makeup was mascara and lip gloss. The second duffel held her sleeping bag and a pillow.
“Are you ready?”
She turned toward the door and saw her mother walking into her suite. Queen Liana of El Bahar was a beautiful woman in her forties who dressed stylishly and always looked perfectly pulled together. Bethany supposed it helped that famous designers were forever dropping by with new clothes for her mother to try.
Her mother never forgot where she’d come from. One of her favorite charities helped women get an education so they could raise themselves out of poverty and take care of their families. In addition to serving on the board of the charity, the queen purged her wardrobe every year and sold the pieces at a fund-raising auction.
One day, Bethany promised herself. One day she would be as smart and gracious and pulled together as her mother. As of yet, that day had not arrived.
“I see you’re packed,” Liana said as she hugged her daughter. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”
“Me, too, but there’s no way Rida can go by himself. He’ll need me along.”
“You’ll miss Thanksgiving dinner and I’ll miss you.”
Bethany tried not to smile. “I’ll miss you, too, Mom, but Thanksgiving dinner? Seriously? Do you want me to remind you about last year?”
Her mother’s mouth twitched. “I would prefer you didn’t. It wasn’t my fault.”
“Yeah, those wily calendar people tricked you.”
El Bahar, known diplomatically as the Switzerland of the Middle East, was a multicultural haven of many faiths. There were always myriad holidays to celebrate and the royal family enjoyed all of them, including Thanksgiving.
After nearly twenty years away from California, and with no in-palace turkeys and pilgrims to provide a reminder, Thanksgiving occasionally took a back seat to other events. Last year Liana had forgotten completely until two o’clock on the very day. The staff had been uncomfortable watching the queen run shrieking through the palace, begging for a turkey with stuffing and gravy, along with pumpkin pie, all by seven that evening.
The family had agreed to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday instead, with Bethany’s three younger brothers not understanding the big deal. Of course they had been born and raised in El Bahar. Their knowledge of the United States was limited to a few visits and what their mother told them. Plus none of them especially enjoyed turkey.
“I have the holiday on my calendar now,” Liana said with a sigh. “I was planning on a big turkey dinner with lots of leftovers. What will you do? I might have forgotten last year, but you’ll be in the States. It will be all Thanksgiving, all the time. I don’t want you to be lonely.”
“I’ll be fine,” Bethany promised. “Rida and I will try to make sense of American football. You know he’s a fan.”
“Very funny.” Her mother looked around the room and smiled. “I still like that you’re living in this suite.”
The huge apartment was the same one Liana and her daughter had been given when they’d first come to the palace, all those years ago. The furniture had changed, but the view of the Arabian Sea was still the same, as was the decoration on the wall.
The mural of beautiful Arabian horses galloping across the desert had been the first thing that stirred Bethany’s interest in their new home. Then she’d seen the Crown Prince’s large stable of beautiful horses and she’d been a total goner.
When her mother had married Malik, Liana and Bethany had moved in with him. On her eighteenth birthday, Malik had presented Bethany with this suite to be her own.
“It brings us back full circle,” she told her mother, then shook her head. “Mom, I’m going to be fine.”
“I know. You’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself.”
Bethany knew there was more. With her mother, there was always more. “But?” she prompted.
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy.”
“Fine. Then I’ll be more specific. I want you to fall madly in love and I want grandchildren. There, I said it. Now you can hate me forever.”
At twenty-six, Bethany kind of wanted the same thing. All right, not grandchildren, but a man who loved her and a couple of babies would be really, really nice.
“Not that I’m trying to pressure you,” her mother added primly. “You have to make your own decisions.”
Bethany laughed. “Right, Mom. No pressure.” As for making her own decisions, to date, she’d done an excellent job of making bad ones. Especially when it came to men.
“I’ll always have my career,” she said, trying to smile so her mother wouldn’t worry.
“Your career won’t keep you warm at night.”
“It will if I sleep in the stable.”
“How you love to torment your beautiful mother,” King Malik said as he swept into the room. “I will not complain because you are the daughter of my heart and can do no wrong, but know that she worries about you.”
King Malik—relatively new to the title since his own father stepped down two years ago—was tall and handsome, with dark eyes and dark hair. He wore a stylish business suit, with a shirt and tie. He saved his traditional El Baharian garb for his frequent trips into the desert. The country might be incredibly modern and financially successful, but it never forgot its desert roots and neither did the king.
“You are leaving us again,” Malik said, kissing Bethany on the cheek. “We will be heartbroken.”
“I’m the one whose heart is shattered,” she said, only half kidding. “I can’t believe you sold Rida. You rarely sell your stallions and technically he’s still a colt. He’s only four. And to sell him to some guy I’ve never heard of in California. What’s up with that?”
Malik shook his head. “You dare to question the decision of your king? I have failed you as a father.”
Bethany groaned. “Dad, this is serious.”
Malik’s eyes brightened with amusement. “I agree. I am the great and powerful king of all the land, yet you speak to me so impertinently. A punishment must be arranged.”
“She’s missing Thanksgiving,” Liana said with a sigh. “That is punishment enough.”
“Ah, so we will be remembering it this year, will we, my sweet?” he asked, taking Liana’s hand in his and kissing her knuckles. “I am beyond delighted.”
“You two are weird,” Bethany said as she picked up her backpack. “I have to go get Rida so we can head to the plane.” She looked at her father. “All kidding aside, I’m still not happy you did this, Dad.”
“I know, my child. I think Rida will do well in America, but if you are not satisfied with the facilities, then you have my permission to bring him home. I will not question your decision.”
“Thank you.” She knew she could trust his word. Not once had Malik ever lied to her.
Her father glanced at her mother, then back at her. “As you requested, the stable manager in Happily Inc has been informed that a Beth Smith will be accompanying Rida on his journey and will be staying with him until he is settled.”
“I appreciate that.”
She knew her parents didn’t understand why she sometimes preferred to be a regular person rather than a princess, but they respected her wishes. As her father had never been anything but a Crown Prince and then King, he didn’t know any differently, but she did. Despite her occasional appearance in gossip magazines, she was a relative unknown and preferred to keep it that way. Rather than use her before-being-a-princess-real-last-name, she went with an alias to avoid being found on the internet. Plain Beth Smith could move easily through life, unnoticed by all. Princess Bethany of El Bahar took up a lot more room on the stage.
It was like her job at the royal stables. Had she even hinted she was interested, her father would have given her some lofty position, simply because she was his daughter. But Bethany preferred to earn her place, so she was a (somewhat) lowly groom, assigned to a few horses at a time. Rida being one of them.
“You’ll be back by Christmas?” her mother asked anxiously. “You have to be.”
“Mom, I promise. Rida will need a few weeks to get settled. I’ll know long before Christmas if I can leave him or not. Either way I’ll be home.”
Her parents hugged her. As they held her close, she felt more like she was six rather than twenty-six, and leaving home for the first time ever. It was always like this, she thought to herself. The palace had become her haven and traveling outside its protective walls meant risking far too much. But Rida needed her and she would be there for him, no matter how much leaving home cost her this time.
* * *
Bethany might have a few complaints about her princess lifestyle but how she traveled on official business was not one of them. She arrived at the private airport before Rida, then inspected the large stall that had been set up in her father’s Boeing 757. A luxurious seating area and private cabins took up the front of the plane, but the rear had been converted to the aviation equivalent of a horse stable.
Thick mats under a generous layer of wood pellets would provide cushioned comfort for the horse. The water trough would sway with any movement, keeping splashing to a minimum. She had a couple of rubber trash cans with lids and the equipment she needed to take care of any bathroom issues.
