Prince Albert Read online

  "Yes," I say. "But you have to keep your hands off me until after the wedding." My father is getting remarried. His fiancé is wonderful – she's smart and successful, a corporate litigator. She doesn't take shit from my father – and he's never been happier. And we're late for their wedding, which is in precisely thirty-three minutes.

  "Cruel and unusual punishment," he says.

  The wedding is beautiful, small and appropriate for my father's third marriage, just family and friends in a church in downtown Dallas. Anja is not invited, obviously, and my mother isn't there. My mother hasn't spoken to any of us since the scandal when Gaige and I first were discovered, even thought the scandal itself faded away pretty quickly. Gaige was able to get back into racing a month later. His string of victories on the track brought him an even larger public following. The scandal still loomed over him somewhat, and even though it was brought up every so often by an over-zealous reporter, Beau and Anja's divorce made it pretty much a moot point.

  I hug my father and Robyn before we leave the reception. "I'm so happy for you both," I say, and before I know it, I'm tearing up. "I'm sorry," I sniffle, cursing my hormones for making me cry. "It's just such a beautiful day."

  In the limo, Gaige slides his arm around me. "It's nice to see your father so happy."

  "The wedding was beautiful," I say. And I feel myself tearing up again.

  Gaige cups my chin and studies my face. I flush under his gaze, and I know I need to tell him. I've just been waiting for the right time. "I don't think I've ever seen you tear up so much in one day," he says.

  "Gaige, I –" I start, but he interrupts me, kissing me lightly on the lips.

  "Wait. I have something to show you."

  "I have something I need…" To tell you, I want to finish, but before I can, he's pulling me out of the limo. I almost drop my purse as I walk, but Gaige picks it up and I want to show him what's inside it, but I don't. "Why are we at my father's house?"

  "You have to come with me," he says. "No questions."

  He holds my hand, and one of the staff nods at us as we walk through the hallway. "Everything is set, Mr. O'Neal."

  "What?" I ask. "What's set? What are we doing here?"

  "No questions," Gaige says softly. "Just come with me."

  He leads me up to the sunroom on the roof, and opens the glass door. The setting sun bathes the entire room in warm pinks and reds. Strings of little white lights hang from the roof and down the sides of the glass walls. The furniture has been cleared away from the middle of the room, everything except for a small table with a white cloth. And a little eggshell blue box in the middle.

  Before I can say anything, Gaige has the box in his hand and he's down on one knee in front of me. Tears stream down my face as he opens it. "I loved you before I knew what it even meant to love someone," he says. "I want you, forever. Marry me."

  I'm saying yes over and over, and Gaige laughs as I pull him to his feet to kiss him. "Those are good tears, right?"

  "Yes, yes, yes," I say. "They're very good tears." Then I'm laughing hysterically, and Gaige is looking at me like I'm crazy.

  "What did I say?" he asks.

  I shake my head. "It's the hormones," I say. "I'm a mess. I was about to tell you in the car, but you had all of – this planned and –"

  "Tell me what?" he asks.

  I open my purse and hand him my own eggshell blue box, watching his brow furrow. "Here," I say. "Open it."

  "You got me a ring, too?" he asks.

  "No," I say. "Just open it up."

  He slides off the lid and holds the tiny spoon in his hand. "A silver spoon?"

  "They didn't have any rattles," I say.

  I watch as his expression changes and a look of realization passes over his face. "Really?"

  "Really."

  "You're fucking serious," he says. "You're pregnant?"

  I nod. "You're happy?" I ask. "I can't tell. Are you happy?"

  He scoops me up in his arms, spinning me around until I'm dizzy, before he puts me back down. "Are you kidding?" he asks. "I can't believe you're even asking me that. Am I happy? We're going to have a baby? I'm going to be a father? I'm going to be a dad!"

  He yells, and one of the housekeepers pokes her head into the sunroom. "Is everything okay?"

  Gaige walks over to her and hugs her, spinning her around before he kisses her cheek. "I'm going to be a dad, Marta!"

  Then Gaige bounces back to me. I don't think I've ever seen him so crazy-happy. I didn't think Gaige got crazy-happy.

  Gaige kisses me full on the mouth. "I love you, you know."

  There are few things in life I know with certainty, but that much, I definitely know.

  THE END