Chapter 29 — Miles

Home ownership wasn’t a concept that ever occurred to me.

I grew up in a palace, after all.

But the moment little Albert started to take his first steps, I knew I wanted to give him and Lisabet a private space that we could call home. It’s true that we’re more than welcome to use the summer palace how we see fit, but it’s also a place of important business and constant noise. Not a day goes by without advisors chasing after Father to attend to some serious matter with regards to trade or foreign relations. There’s also the constant hustle and bustle of attendants and security guards moving about. I wanted something more peaceful for my family.

So I bought us a house.

The property itself is roughly a hundred acres. I figured it would give little Albert plenty of growing room. There’s a farm situated on the land, complete with a few horses, two cows, some sheep, and a coop full of chickens that provide us with fresh eggs for breakfast every morning.

The house itself has three floors, plus a basement and small crawl space for an attic. It’s not as lavish as the palace, but that wasn’t exactly what I was going for when I bought the property. I was going for normal. Mother keeps telling me how quickly children grow up, that Albert will be a teenager within the blink of an eye. So I plan to make the most of this time and give Albert as normal and as loving a childhood as possible, away from the court and the public eye.

We’re in the backyard, tall blades of grass surrounding us in a sea of deep green. Lisabet and Albert are playing with Jingles, who definitely loves the upgraded space to run around in. While Lisabet keeps an eye on our son as he attempts to throw Jingles his favorite squeaky toy, I’m busy out back getting the fire pit going.

Albert’s quite taken with the outdoors, insisting that he sleep outside under the stars whenever the nights are warm enough. Today, I thought it might be nice to give him a sort of camping experience. Hence the fire pit and massive bag of marshmallows just off to the side, practically begging to be roasted.

The first small embers begin to burn, catching on the kindling I’d placed in the center. Within a matter of seconds, the dry wood I’d placed on top in a triangular formation starts to burn with bright orange and red flames licking this way and that. I breathe deeply, taking in the scent of burning wood, fresh air, and dirt. There’s nothing quite like it.

Certainly a far cry from palace life.

“We’re all set!” I announce.

Lisabet lifts Albert into her arms and whistles for Jingles to follow. She takes a seat down beside me in the lawn chair I brought out for her. The dog lies down at my feet, weary from a full day of play.

I give Jingles a scratch behind the ear. “What’s wrong, old boy? Tired?”

Jingles barks, tail wagging happily in response.

Albert reaches out to me. “Dada.”

I take my son and hold him close, patting him tenderly on the back. “I’m here.”

Lisabet sticks a marshmallow onto the end of a nearby roasting stick and holds it above the fire. I watch, mesmerized by the shadows cast by the flames across her face, dancing over her lovely features.

“I was thinking we could take Al swimming tomorrow,” she says softly. “Maybe take him onto the yacht.”

“Boat!” my boy declares proudly.

I laugh. “Would you like to go on the boat?”

“Yeah,” he mumbles sleepily against my shoulder.

“OK. I can call David and have him pick us up.”

“I’ll have to remember to pack sunscreen,” Lisabet says. “Maybe we’ll pack a lunch, too. Have a picnic.”

“Burgs,” Albert suggests.

“Nothing like a classic cheeseburger out on the water,” I hum. “Sounds perfect.”

Lisabet and I smile at one another. We’ve come such a long way, but now that I’m here in paradise, I can hardly remember the journey. When I look back, I can only remember the happy times, the moments of sheer bliss.

Albert falls asleep before Lisabet’s even done roasting his treat, probably lulled into slumber thanks to the warmth of the fire. He drools against my shoulder, wet mark soaking into the fabric of my shirt. I find it endearing. I’ve got plenty of shirts, but only the one son. If Albert wants to drool over all of them, I’d be more than happy to let him.

“Are you excited?” I ask Lisabet. “About your tour. It’s coming up next week.”

She smiles up at the sky, stars winking down at us as the inky black of night spreads out from the horizon. The sun’s a tiny sliver past the mountains, the faint golden orange glow disappearing inch by inch in the distance.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that,” Lisabet says. “I might have to postpone the tour.”

“What? Why? You’ve worked so hard to get your own show organized.”

“I know. But I start to think about leaving the two of you for six months and I get really lonely.”

“We can still come with you,” I remind. “It’s not too late.”

“I don’t want the travelling to stress Al out.”

“That’s fair. We’ve always got FaceTime.”

“True,” she mumbles. “But there’s actually another reason I think I should postpone, too.”

I raise an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Lisabet leans in, a twinkle in her eyes. “Do you remember what we were talking about a few weeks ago? When Albert learned how to say sis?”

“I believe he pronounced it ‘sus.’”

“Close enough.”

“What are you getting at?”

Lisabet places a hand on her stomach. “What would you think about making us a family of four?”

My jaw drops. If it weren’t for the fact that I was holding our sleeping child, I would have jumped straight out of my chair.

“Are you—”

Lisabet giggles and nods. “I took a test this morning. Four weeks pregnant.”

I can’t stop smiling. “Darling, that’s—” I reach for her hand and hold onto her tight. “That’s amazing. You’re amazing.”

“You’re happy?”

“Absolutely. My God, I wish I could get up to kiss you right now.”

“Here. I’ll come to you.”

Lisabet does so, leaning over to place her lips on mine. Everything is right with the world. Time could stop for all I care. I’m so unbelievably happy that I wonder if I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.

This beautiful, amazing woman’s already given me everything I could ever ask for, and she still keeps finding ways to give me more. I count my lucky stars that our paths crossed. I’m glad I stuck to my guns and chose her over everything and everyone else.

“Does this mean we’re going to have to come up with baby names again?” I ask, feigning discomfort.

“We’ll be better prepared this time around,” Lisabet assures. “I’ve already got a list of top ten.”

“Oh? Please feel free to enlighten me.”

“Isabella, if it’s a girl. That way your mother can’t say we’re playing favorites.”

I laugh softly. “God, what if it’s a girl? We’ll have one of each. Can you imagine?”

“I’m already looking forward to you giving the birds and the bees talk. That’ll be a treat in and of itself.”

“What do I have to give the talk? Shouldn’t that be your department?”

“What? No. I thought we agreed that I’m the one who’s going to teach them to drive and buy them their first legal drinks. You get all the awkward stuff.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to any of this.”

“You might have been sleep deprived when we came to this arrangement. Tell you what, you go through a ten-hour labor and then you get a say.”

“Is that how this works? That’s no fair, I can’t do that.”

Lisabet throws her head back and giggles, looking positively radiant. She kisses Albert on the head and then promptly kisses me on the cheek.

“Oh, fine. Let’s just do it together, hm?”

I grin. “Together. I like the sound of that.”