A Royal Christmas Proposal Read online

  “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.

  “I wanted the tree decorated and then I wanted out of the house,” he said, adding five more ornaments in no time at all.

  “Why?” she asked, searching his gaze. “Why did you want out of your house?”

  He shrugged as he hung the ornaments. “It wasn’t all silver bells and gingerbread at my house,” he said. “But that tree was good for everyone and I liked seeing it every time I came into the house. It was sad when we took it down on New Year’s Day.”

  Ericka nodded. “I don’t remember putting up the tree or taking it down. The rest of the palace felt cold. I remember wishing I could sleep under the tree, but, of course that wasn’t possible. Last year, I spent Christmas with my sister in Texas. It was a totally different experience. I want to give that to Leo.”

  “You are,” Treat said, and hung several more ornaments.

  Within five minutes, they had mostly finished decorating.

  Treat stepped away and gazed at the tree in approval. “Looks good.”

  Leo gave a high-pitched squeal of delight.

  Ericka looked at her son then at Treat. “That’s a first,” she said.

  “Well, it’s his first Christmas. I’m gonna take that as a thumbs up. If he was looking at a Picasso, I might interpret it differently.”

  Ericka shook her head and laughed. His comment gave her a wonderful, surprising sense of lightness that she’d rarely experienced since she’d given birth to Leo. Everything felt so serious, so important. So dire.

  She looked at Leo and he smiled and laughed. Joy filled her, starting in her belly and shooting up to her chest, throat and cheeks. She laughed again, staring at Leo and savoring his joy.

  The moment was delightful and sacred. She couldn’t have explained it in any language, but she was so glad she’d brought Leo to Chantaine and decided to have Christmas in this cottage. Her heart was so full that her eyes burned with tears.

  “Thank you,” she said, then began to repeat it in every language she knew. “Grazie, Merci, Gracias, Danke...”

  He put his finger over her mouth. “I get it,” he said. “You’re welcome.” He looked at Leo and grinned. “You’re very welcome.”

  Ericka sucked in a teeny tiny breath into her tight chest and nodded.

  “I need to check the perimeter,” he said, and met her gaze. “You’ve done well.”

  “Me?” she squeaked. “You’re the one who put this together in no time.”

  “Don’t underestimate yourself. Or Leo,” he said, and walked away.

  She watched him leave, then she burst into tears and stroked Leo’s face as he stared at the Christmas tree in wonder.

  * * *

  That night, Treat did his job and he made sure the house was secure. He made sure the princess and Leo were secure. He stayed away from his precious charges but watched over them.

  Grabbing a sandwich, he ate it then took a swim. He swam several laps and the water felt good over his body. Finally, he stopped and hung over the edge of the pool. He took several deep breaths to clear his head.

  Images of Leo swam through his brain. The princess permeated his mind. Treat shook his head and swam several more laps. He was caught between driving himself to the point where he was forced to sleep and the point where he had to stay awake to take care of the princess and Leo.

  Chapter Four

  The cat greeted Treat as he entered the den the next morning, and he immediately realized that he needed to secure the tree. He raced to his room to retrieve twine then returned to the den.

  “What are you doing? Why are you running around?” Princess Fredericka asked, appearing in the doorway, her hair mussed from sleep as she pulled a light robe around her.

  “Because I need to secure this tree,” he said. “I should have done it yesterday.”

  “Why?” she asked, clearly bemused.

  “Because you have a cat,” he said. “And cats love to tear up Christmas trees.”

  “Oh,” she said, her sexy, sweet lips forming a perfect O.

  Treat scanned the floor to make sure Sam hadn’t already grabbed a few ornaments. Then he wrapped twine around the tree and tied it around a vent plug. He wrapped more twine around the tree and a chair leg. He wasn’t all that happy with that choice, but he figured it was better than nothing.

  Treat decided to place a nail in the wall and wrap yet another bit of twine around it.

  “You think that’s enough?” she asked.

  “I hope so,” he said. “But cats are clever and destructive.”

  “Sam won’t be destructive. He’s very sweet.”

  “How long have you had a cat?” he asked.

  “Three months here. Longer in Texas,” she said.

  “How much longer in Texas?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Four months. Why?”

  “Has Sam ever seen a Christmas tree?”

  “No,” she said then winced. “Problem?”

  “Not now,” he said, making a final tie from the tree.

  The tuxedo cat looked at Treat innocently and began to wrap around his ankles. “Oh, look,” she said. “He likes you.”

  “No, he’s trying to rub his scent on me probably because he doesn’t like my human smell.”

  Fredericka sniffed. “I don’t smell anything.”

  Sam gave a meow.

  “Time for breakfast,” she said

  Treat watched as the cat proudly strode to the kitchen with its tail upright. “What are Sam’s habits?”

  Fredericka shrugged. “He sleeps a lot during the day. He jumps on the shelf above Leo’s crib and watches over him at night. He meows if we don’t respond quickly enough to Leo’s cries.”

  “Hmm,” he said as he walked around the kitchen. He glanced on the top of the refrigerator and saw several plush toys. Pulling them down, he glanced at Fredericka. “Did you put these up here?”

  She glanced at the toys and frowned in confusion. “No. Two of those are Leo’s toys. One is a Christmas tree ornament.”

  Treat nodded. “Cats are sneaky,” he said.

  Fredericka frowned. “Maybe so, but Sam watches over Leo, so it’s okay if he takes a few toys. It’s not as if Leo will notice. He has tons of toys. Christmas is coming.”

  “You’re defending your cat against your son?”

  “Sam watches over Leo. Soon enough, Leo will hold onto his toys and Sam won’t get any of them.” She shot him a sideways glance. “Why don’t you like Sam?”

  Discomfort flooded through him. “It’s not Sam.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I brought home a kitten one time. My dad made me give it away,” he confessed.

  “Oh,” Fredericka said, her voice full of sympathy.

  “Don’t feel sorry for me,” he said.

  “Oh, I don’t,” she said. “I wanted a puppy when I lived at the palace and that was a big no-go.” She glanced downward. “Sam is hugging your ankles again.”

  Treat looked down at the cat as he wound around his feet and shook his head. “I’m telling you he doesn’t like my scent, so he’s trying to replace the way I smell with the way he smells.”

  “Is that why he’s purring?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Treat heard the sound and stared at the cat. He felt a softening toward the feline. Then he shook it off. “I have no idea why he’s purring.”

  “I do,” she said. “He’s purring because he likes you. He’s purring because you’re a guy and he’s glad to have another guy in the house.”

  You’re nuts, he wanted to say, but he didn’t.
“I need to get some work done. Call me if you need me.” He felt the gazes of both Fredericka and Puss in Boots on him as he strode back to the guest suite. This gig was getting weird.

  * * *

  After making a few calls, Ericka diapered and dressed Leo for a trip to the hospital to test his hearing. Before she left, Treat stepped in front of her car and waved his hands.

  “Where are you going?” he called.

  She pressed down the button to push down her window. “I’m taking Leo to get his hearing checked,” she said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, stepping next to her window. “It’s not on the schedule you gave me.”

  “I didn’t put all the appointments on there. The doctor told me I could wait a week or two later for testing, but I don’t want to wait,” she said, and shook her head. “It may sound crazy, but I need to prepare myself if he’s going to have surgery. It’s serious surgery,” she said. “It won’t be performed until after Christmas, but I don’t want to wait a long time for it. This surgery could help him speak and perform just like other kids by the time he hits five or six years old. At the same time, we’ll continue sign language and other therapy. It’s complicated. I don’t expect you to understand.”

  Treat shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I understand more than you think,” he said.

  Ericka felt a crazy connection and bit her lip. “I need to go,” she said.

  “Well, get into the passenger seat because I’m going with you,” he said as he opened her car door.

  “This is not necessary,” she told him. “I can handle this on my own.”

  “Not this time, Princess,” he said with the smile of a shark.

  “Don’t call me princess,” she said while she rounded the car to take the passenger seat.

  “Okay,” he said, sliding into the driver’s seat. “If I don’t call you princess, what do I call you?”

  “Ericka,” she said through her teeth.

  He drove to the hospital and she wasn’t sure if she was glad for his presence or not. She squirmed in her seat and glanced back at Leo as he dozed in his infant safety seat.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, thank you,” she said.

  “You don’t sound fine,” he said.

  She took a deep breath, but didn’t reply.

  “What’s the worst thing that could happen during this examination?” he asked.

  She frowned at his question. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Well, do,” he said as he drove toward the hospital. “Are you afraid he has a tumor?”

  “Oh, heavens, no,” she said. “No tumors. I was just hoping his hearing would improve.”

  “And if it doesn’t?” he prompted.

  “Then we’ll learn sign language and he’ll get surgery. The prospect of surgery terrifies me,” she said, her stomach knotting.

  “Will he have the surgery tomorrow?” he asked.

  “No,” she said, staring at him. “It will be months.”

  “So you’ll have time to prepare,” he said.

  She took a deep breath. “Yes, I will.”

  “Take more deep breaths,” he said. “You’re a strong woman. You can handle this. You’ll get Leo through this.”

  Ericka knitted her eyebrows. “How do you know that?”

  “I’m an excellent judge of character,” he said. “Before I met you, I thought you were a prissy princess. You’ve already proved you’re more than that.”

  Nonplussed, Ericka didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or complimented. “Why did you think I was prissy?” she asked.

  “Press,” he said. “Press was all wrong.”

  She felt a soft warmth infuse her. She sank back into her seat and smiled. “I didn’t like you when I first met you.”

  “I know,” he said.

  She glanced over at him. “You’re too tall, too big.”

  “Someone may have felt more secure because of that,” he muttered.

  “I found you intrusive,” she said, and slit her eyes at him. “Sam didn’t, though.”

  “Sam wants another man around the house. He likes Leo, even though he steals his toys.”

  “I had no idea Sam was stealing toys and ornaments,” she said.

  “Cats are crafty,” he said.

  “You like Sam,” she said. “Admit it.”

  “I don’t trust him,” he said. “But he seems like a good cat.”

  “You don’t trust easily,” she said.

  “I don’t,” he admitted.

  “Neither do I,” she told him and looked out the window as he pulled into the hospital parking lot.

  “Want me to wait or come in?” he asked as he pulled to the outpatient entrance.

  “Wait please,” she said as she got out of the passenger seat. She released Leo from his infant seat and held him against her. “We’ll be back in about an hour.”

  Treat guided the car into a parking space and sat for five minutes that felt like forever. He got out of the car and paced the parking lot for thirty minutes. He checked his watch and did a few push-ups followed by planks. Glancing at his watch, he took several breaths and paced five more times around the parking lot.

  Standing next to the car, he jogged in place and looked at the door to the hospital. Finally Ericka appeared with Leo in her arms. She didn’t look happy as she walked toward the car.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Don’t ask,” she said with tears in her eyes. She began to put Leo in his infant safety seat. Treat helped her. She opened the door to the passenger side of the car and stepped inside.

  Treat slide inside the vehicle and started the engine. Despite the sound of the engine, the silence between Ericka and him was deafening. She must have been terribly disappointed by the test results.

  He backed out of the parking space and began the drive home. After five minutes of complete silence, he spoke. “Do you know who Thomas Edison is?”

  “Of course, but I don’t know much about him,” she said.

  “He was an American inventor,” he said. “He invented the light bulb and is credited as the father of electricity. He was deaf.”

  She took a quick sharp breath. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Leo is going to be an amazing man. He has an amazing mother.”

  Ericka looked away from him, outside the window and squished her eyes together. She didn’t want to cry. She really, really didn’t want to cry, but tears streams out the sides of her eyes. Oh, heaven help her. She sniffed and prayed that Treat wouldn’t hear her.

  She couldn’t manage a word during the rest of the trip home and she breathed a sigh of relief as Treat pulled into the driveway. “Thanks for driving us,” she said.

  “No problem. I’m supposed to keep you safe,” he said. “Another thought. Francisco Goya was a successful deaf artist.”

  She met his gaze and smiled at him. “Thank you for the encouragement.”

  “Even bad news isn’t bad news,” he said. “With any kind of news, you can make a plan.”

  She felt the click of certainty inside her. “Thank you,” she said. “Really.”

  He shrugged. “Anytime. Let me help you with Leo.”

  “I can handle it,” she said.

  “Of course you can,” he said. “But you don’t always have to.”

  Treat picked up the baby from his infant seat and carried him inside the front door.

  “Oh, brilliant,” she said, seeing a package. “It’s a rotating solar toy that promises to gently light up the nursery ceiling. I ordered it a few days ago.”

  “It could work,” he said.

  “You don’t believe in it,” she said.


  He lifted one of his hands because he was carrying Leo in the other. “It’s got to be better than waving a flashlight around in the middle of the night.”

  She pressed her lips together. “True.”

  Treat took Leo to the nursery. He set the baby down in his crib. “I’ll set it up for you while you change his diaper.”

  “Are you afraid of dirty diapers?” she asked with a sly smile.

  “I wouldn’t use the term afraid,” he said, then returned to the front door to get the package while Nanny Marley appeared in the doorway.

  “Oh, you’re back,” she said. “I was doing a bit of laundry so I didn’t hear you come in at first. Any news on little Leo’s hearing?” she asked as she headed for the nursery.

  “I don’t think the test showed any improvement,” Treat said, carrying the package.

  “Oh, dear,” Nanny said, and sighed. “We have so many reasons to remain positive. He is a beautiful, healthy baby.”

  “That, he is,” Treat agreed as he allowed Nanny to precede him into the nursery.

  “Why, thank you,” she said. “What a lovely gentleman.”

  Ericka looked up at him and twitched her lips in humor. “Gentleman?”

  “Hey, I know a few things about manners. I wasn’t raised in a barn. Let me open this box and see what tools I’ll need,” he said.

  “And I’ll take the baby. Perhaps he could use a bit of tummy time after riding in the car,” Nanny said.

  “Perfect,” Ericka said, lifting the baby from the crib and kissing him on both chubby cheeks. “You can do some push-ups and planks and rolling over followed by a bottle. Then you’ll have the best nap ever.”

  Leo smiled his toothless grin in response and Ericka gave him another squeeze. Then she handed him over to Nanny.

  “You’re a good mother,” he said, and then turned back to the project.

  “Thank you,” she said, then gave a soft deprecating chuckle. “I’m muddling through. Are you sure I can’t help you put the solar system together?” she asked.

  “I’ve got it,” he replied. “Don’t you usually have some calls to return?”

  “Always,” Ericka said. “I’ll check in later.”

  Treat watched Ericka walking away, enjoying the sway of her hips. Her blond hair skimmed her shoulders and her shapely pale calves peeked beneath the dress she wore. Treat couldn’t help imagining what she would look like if that dress fell from her delicate shoulders down her back, over that ripe rear end to the floor.