A Royal Christmas Proposal

“If I can be there, I will,” Bridget said, and then took another sip of her cranberry beverage. “In the meantime, we’ve just added a couple new goats to our zoo. Too many in my opinion. Do any of you want a goat?”

Silence followed. No takers. Ericka nearly choked over her spritzer, but she swallowed hard to quell the urge so that Bridget wouldn’t mistake any sound she made as interest in taking on one of her goats.

After hugs all around, the women headed out the door. Ericka waited for her sisters and sister-in-law to leave then strode outside. A crowd awaited her, taking her by surprise.

“Hello,” she managed and Treat appeared by her side.

Several people rushed toward her and Treat stepped in front of her. “Go to the car,” he instructed her. “It’s behind you.”

Ericka rushed into the vehicle and Treat followed, driving her away from the crowd. “Next time, you won’t leave last,” he said sternly. “The crowd caught on after your sisters left.”

“I was merely being polite,” she protested.

“Next time you’ll leave at the same time they leave or before,” he said. “Think about it. If I hadn’t been there, you could have been crushed.”

She wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. She had underestimated how much the people wanted to connect with the royals. Now that she was a mother, she had to think more carefully about her safety. Thank goodness Treat had been there to protect her.

As he drove into her gated cottage, she felt a sense of safety settle over her. He helped her out of the car. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I was so busy fighting for my independence that I didn’t realize I was sacrificing security.” She looked into his gaze and noticed a scrape and a trickle of blood on his forehead. “You were hurt.”

He shook his head. “Someone just got a little pushy.”

Horrified, she lifted her hand. “I’m so sorry. We need to bandage it,” she said.

“It’s no big deal,” he said. “Trust me. I’ve suffered much worse. Are you okay?”

“Me?” she echoed. “I’m fine. You took care of me.”

“Good,” he said. “Go inside. Take a break or a nap. I’ll be in the guest room unless you want to go anywhere.”

“Of course,” she said, standing on the porch as he walked away, wanting to put a bandage on his wound.

She felt a bit stupid after fighting her brother and Treat. As much as she wanted to think she could walk around like anyone else, she just couldn’t. And she needed to face that fact for both herself and Leo.

* * *

The next day, the artificial pre-lit Christmas arrived outside her well-secured gate. Treat brought it inside. “Good news. There are only three pieces.”

She looked at the mark on his forehead and pressed her lips together in concern.

“Stop staring at my little mark,” he said, waving his hand in her face. “We need to get this tree put up for Leo. Where is the little sleep-stealer, anyway?”

“I hate to wake him,” she said.

Treat dropped his chin and shook his head. “Well, he sure doesn’t mind waking you. Besides, this will be a great visual experience for him.”

“You’re right,” she said, clapping her hands as she strode toward the nursery and went against every motherly instinct by waking him. His sweet little eyebrows frowned as she lifted him from his crib.

“Trust me,” she said. “You’re gonna love this.” Ericka was determined to continue talking to Leo even though he couldn’t hear a word she was saying. In a few months, if he got the surgery, he would be able to hear her, so she needed to keep talking to him. Shifting him slightly, she grabbed his infant seat and walked to the den. “We’re ready,” she said as she set Leo into his seat.

“All right, all right,” Treat said. “Let’s rock and roll.”

In a stunningly short amount of time, he put the tree up. Leo squirmed and sucked on his pacifier, but didn’t cry.

Treat plugged in the lights and Leo stopped squirming and sucking, gaping at the lights.

“He loves it,” Ericka said, delighted. “He loves the lights.”

Treat smiled and nodded. “Bet he’ll love it even more after we put on the ornaments.”

“Oh,” she said. “In the top of my closet in my bedroom. My sister gave them to me. I’ll get them.”

“No,” he said. “You stay here. I’ll get them.”

Ericka turned to Leo and cooed. “You like the lights, don’t you? Christmas is a wonderful time of love and hope, Leo,” she said to her sweet infant son. “Never ever forget that.”

Treat returned with the two boxes of ornaments and garland. “I hope you have some ornament hangers.”

‘I’m sure Valentina included them. We just need to find them,” she said, and opened the boxes. It took only a few seconds to locate the hangers. “Here they are.”

“Let’s get moving, then. Garland first,” he said as he began to spread the garland around the tree.

Ericka helped adjust the greenery. A half beat later, he grabbed a handful of hangers. Before she knew it, he hung five ornaments.

“Wait a minute,” she muttered and began to hang silver and red balls. “You seem quite experienced at this.”

“I was usually assigned the job of setting of the Christmas tree and decorating it,” he said.

“Did you set a speed record?” she asked, hanging more ornaments.