Caroline?”
He smiles sadly. “Caroline DeVries. After Kendall died, we had a…thing. Nothing emotional. Purely physical. She was someone who could help me forget.” He turns his gaze in my direction, mouth quirking into a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry.”
I rest my hand over his and squeeze. “I did the same thing after Hunter. It’s how I ended up marrying Jeremy. He helped me forget.”
“We tried to keep whatever we had going on under wraps, but the paparazzi found us together on the French Riviera and the photos went viral. Since then, the entire country assumed we’d eventually get married. Saw her as someone who helped heal my broken heart, even though neither of us were interested in anything serious. We had an arrangement we’d hoped to keep quiet.
“As a royal, if you go public with a relationship — hell, if you’re frequently seen in public together with the same person — you’d better be ready to announce your wedding date. We went our separate ways roughly three years ago, right after the photos were leaked. But that didn’t stop the rumors from circulating, especially whenever we were photographed together at an event we both just happened to be at.” He brings his gaze back to mine as he clutches my hands in his. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her sooner. I just—”
“I do know you’ve been with women before me, Anders. You have nothing to apologize for. As long as you haven’t been with anyone since we got together, that’s all I care about.”
“And I haven’t.” He cups my cheek. “How could I be with someone when you’re the only woman who possesses my heart?”
On a sigh, I angle toward him, my lips seeking his. He tugs me closer, his fingers digging into my hair. A part of me wants to crawl on top of him so we can continue what we started earlier. But we need to finish this conversation. Not remain blissfully ignorant of it, like we’ve spent the past several months of our relationship.
When Anderson brings our kiss to an end, I straighten, smiling sadly at him. “I imagine nobody bent over backwards to offer their congratulations when they heard about the pregnancy.”
“That may be the understatement of the century,” he scoffs with a roll of his eyes. “They brought up a few things I absolutely will not repeat to you because their suggestions aren’t even an option to me.”
“What did they propose?”
He gives me a grave look, and I know precisely what he’s referring to. A chill washes down my spine.
“Oh.”
“I refused. Told them that to even suggest such a thing was an insult to me and the child who would eventually become their king or queen.” He places his hand over my stomach.
I grit out a smile, pretending to have the same enthusiasm over the pregnancy as Anderson seems to. I’m trying so hard to be excited, but I still live with the fear of something going wrong.
Still remember enduring over twenty hours of labor, knowing full well I wouldn’t be greeted with a crying baby.
Wouldn’t peer into her vibrant eyes and marvel at this human I created.
Wouldn’t bask in her tiny hands wrapping around my finger.
Instead, all I had was mere minutes to hold her lifeless body before she was taken from me.
I am absolutely petrified of going through that again.
“Which was when I was reminded about the laws of succession. And illegitimacy.”
“Illegitimacy?”
He slowly nods. “If our child is born outside of wedlock, he or she won’t be considered an heir. Won’t be considered part of the royal family. Won’t ascend to the crown.”
“So we’ll need to marry before he or she is born.”
“Not just before the birth. They want us to marry before, well… Before it’s obvious. My father suggested within the next eight weeks.”
“Eight weeks? It won’t take a genius to figure it out. Especially once the baby is born. All it will take is some simple math.”
“I said the same thing. But he believes people will be so distracted by the wedding, then the pregnancy announcement, that they’ll be too excited to do the math. By the time the baby’s born and anyone does stop to do the math, the referendum vote will be behind us.”
“But eight weeks?” I protest once more. “Evie and Chloe are in their third trimester. They can’t travel.”
“I wish I had an answer, but I don’t. This is the only way for our child to be considered an heir and part of the royal family.”
I