Prince and Me (Fanfiction) Part 1

by Cara223

This story takes place right after the first movie. Paige's and Eddie's relationship is truly put to the test. Can Paige handle all that comes with being a royal? Will Rosalind ever accept her? Will Paige still be a doctor? Can Paige and Eddie work out their relationship and live happily ever after? Read and find out! Please read and any feedback is GREATLY appreciated!

1. Chapter 1

Prince and Me (Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

The plane wheels screeched to a stop after a 24 hours flight from Wisconsin to Denmark. I looked out the window and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe that I was back in Denmark. My stomach churned and flopped inside of me, and a moment of panic swept over me. What if I had made the wrong decision? What if my initial instincts were right the first time? If Eddie and I called off the marriage a few months ago and our relationship didn't work out- why were we thinking that things would work this time?

After Eddie had showed up surprisingly at my graduation, we had agreed to give our relationship another try. Him coming to my graduation was the best gift anyone could have brought. I loved him very much. Eddie invited me to spend half of the summer with him in Denmark and the other half at my house with him. We decided to take things slow and see where they go. We weren't going to jump into a relationship after what had happened last time we did that.

I began to gather my stuff and exit the plane. I could feel some stares on me as I stood up. Many people still recognized me from the past few months from when Eddie and I were engaged. We were all over the news, TV, and magazines. This also happened once again when the wedding was called off and I went back home to continue my education. I was sure they were wondering why I was here and it was only a matter of time before rumors started circulating all over Denmark.

I went through the tunnel that connected the plane to the airport with my one carry-on bag. All of my anxiety and worries seemed silly when I saw Eddie, surrounded by a bunch of security, who was smiling and looking at me as though I was the only person in the world. I returned the big, warm smile and went running to him. I lept up into his arms and we kissed.

He put me down and smiled.

"I missed you," he whispered into my ear, taking my hand.

"I missed you too," I said staring into his deep, blue eyes.

We left the airport, hand in hand, knowing that our kiss would be on every newspaper in Denmark tomorrow morning. But it didn't bother either of us. We were just happy to be together again.

Chapter 2:

"Do I need to close the back window?" Soren, our driver and good friend of the royal family asked, looking into the rear-view mirror.

Eddie and I parted out lips and I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and moving slightly closer to my side of the car, although Eddie took my hand and squeezed it.

"Sorry Soren," I said laughing.

"Oh no, it's fine. No one can see into the car. I was just wondering if you guys wanted complete privacy."

"No, it's okay. We will be arriving at the castle soon," Eddie said.

I scooted closer to Eddie and rested my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. I couldn't believe that I had doubted our relationship once before or that I was nervous a few minutes ago. He was the perfect man for me.

"Remember that you have the entire summer together love birds," Soren said glancing into the rear-view mirror once again only to see me and Eddie kissing- again.

I laughed again and we broke apart. I rested my head on his shoulder for the rest of the car ride.

"I was wondering if you wanted to grab dinner tonight with me. Just you and me," he whispered into my ear.

I looked up into his eyes and nodded eagerly.

Chapter 3:

Tonight was really just going to be myself and Eddie. No bodyguards, no drivers, nothing. Just Eddie and myself for the whole evening. I couldn't wait.

Even though he had just seen me early today in jeans and a plain orange shirt and still thought I was beautiful; I really wanted to "wow" him tonight.

"Ugh," I thought to myself as I was going through the clothes that I had packed. "Didn't I pack anything that was kind of sexy?"

I threw another shirt onto my bed and sighed in frustration. Eddie told me that the place he was taking me to was nice and to dress-up (he refused to give me the name because he said it was a surprise).

Then, I finally found what I was looking for. It was a deep red dress that I would usually wear to holiday dinners or for special functions. The dress flowed slightly below my knee and had a slip that came up about three inches above my knee. It wasn't low-cut, but it showed a tiny bit of cleavage, but the dress was fitting to my figure. I tried it on and looked into the mirror. This was the one.

I curled the sides of my short hair to help frame my face and I put on more make-up than I did earlier this afternoon. Not over-dramatic, but some liquid foundation, blush, eye shadow (which I almost never wear in addition to eye liner which I also wore that night), mascara, and I painted my nails and toe-nails. I grabbed my clutch purse and took one last look into the mirror. I didn't think that Eddie had ever seen me this dressed up before besides his Coronation Ball, (which wasn't the best night in either of our memories), but I knew that tonight would be much better. I heard a slight knock on the door and I knew that Edvard was ready for me.

Chapter 4:

"Just one minute," I said.

I quickly put on my high heeled shoes and after taking one last look in the mirror, I went to go answer the door.

"Hi," I said giving Eddie a big smile.

I saw his face lighten up with slight surprise and he leaned forward to kiss me.

"You look beautiful," He said taking my hand, smiling.

I smiled back at him and said: "You're looking pretty handsome yourself, except for your red lipstick," I said teasingly, wiping the lipstick that had gotten on his lips from kissing me off.

He laughed and kissed my cheek.

"Let me know when the lipstick dries and I can kiss you on the lips again," he said laughing.

I looked up at him and my heart almost stopped at the way he was looking at me- so kind and loving. He had a smile to die for.

For tonight, he had slicked back his short blonde hair which, for some reason, brought out his deep blue eyes. He was wearing a tuxedo with a black bow-tie.

We held hands as we walked down the staircase together and out the door. As we approached the car, the opened the door for me, closed it, and then walked over to the driver's side.

"Will you tell me where we are going now?" I asked teasingly.

"No, I will not. And luckly you do not know Denmark to well to figure it out based on the direction we are going," he said laughing.

"You are so bad," I said laughing as well.

He started and car and we took off.

Chapter 5:

Even though after graduation where Eddie showed up surprisingly and we kissed and made up (literally), we had been keeping in touch as much as we could as we waited for me to come to Denmark. We texted each other (I loved it when he would text me "good morning," we would call each other every once in a while, but since Eddie was the King of Denmark, it was hard to always catch him. He even would send me e-mails, saying how much he had missed me and how glad he is that we will try to work things out. But, we had also gone a few months without having any contact with each other. An occasional e-mail every once in a while, but it really hurt to write to him sometimes and I believed he felt the same way. But even after all of our contact in the past two to three weeks or so, it still felt slightly awkward being with him after everything that had happened.

I was sure that he had a million questions going through his head, such as, why did you really leave me? And why did you agree to come back? Did I do something wrong? I needed to talk about it, and I was sure that he needed to as well.

"Ask me anything that you want," I said after we had driven for a few minutes in silence. however; it felt like an eternity.

Eddie hesitated for a second.

"Anything?" he asked. "Even about...," he began to trail off.

"Yes please. I think we need to talk about it for both of us to move on," I said.

My heart began to pick up a slight pace. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Well, I never quite understood why you left me so quickly after we were engaged and..." he trailed off again. "Was it something that I did Paige?"

Ouch, I knew that question was coming.

"Eddie, I want you to know that you didn't do anything wrong. I left because I was scared more than anything. I was beginning to realize everything that I would have to do as Queen one day, I still wanted to go to medical school, and everything had just happened so fast. I became overwhelmed and very frightened. I knew I should have confided in you, but then the fear came into play again. I was afraid of disappointing you or letting you down at that moment or in the future. I felt as though it would be best for you if you took a bride of royal blood who already knew how to run a country."

"Why the evening of my coronation?" he asked his eyes on the road.

"That's when everything became so real to me. It really hit me that evening that I would be the queen one day alongside you and it terrified me. It just terrified me. I panicked and at the time, I thought it would be the best thing for you and for Denmark."

Eddie didn't say anything.

"Eddie, I am so sorry that I hurt you. That was never my intention. I was dying inside too. Do you know how many times I tried to pick up the phone and call you or how many e-mails or letters I started to write to you? Not having you in my life, was like having an empty hole in my heart. When you came to the graduation, it was the best present anyone could have given me."

Eddie was still silent.

"Could you please say something?" I asked. "If you're still mad at me, I understand but-"

"I'm not mad at you Paige," Eddie said cutting me off. "I just can't believe I didn't see it. I can't believe I didn't see how scared you were. You are such a strong girl and you seemed to handling everything well-"

"It was an act Eddie," I said cutting him off. "I was so terrified and I fled. I am so sorry about all of the pain I have caused you."

"What made you decide to agree to come back?" He asked me.

"Not having you in my life made a part of me inside die. I know that sounds really corny and very Shakespeary, but it's true. And after graduation, I had decided to e-mail you. I was going to do it that night and prayed that you would respond."

"Really?"

"Yes, I still have the e-mail saved in my drafts if you want to read it, along with about one million others. Writing to you trying to get the courage to send them to you, helped me cope. But I never healed."

"Paige," he said tearing up. "These past few months, I have been beating myself up because I felt as though I had failed you in some way. And I had," he had a few tears streaming down his face now, "I never realized how afraid you were, and as your future husband at the time, I should have..."

"No, Eddie, please. Don't beat yourself up. I hid it so well because I didn't want you to know," I began to tear up as well. "Your father was dying at the time, and I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't place even more worry into your head. I couldn't bring myself to tell you how scared I was. I stayed strong for you, but I ended up just scaring myself away."

"That's the thing Paige. I should have realized what you were going through. I mean, this was such a big different lifestyle for you. I should have been more alert to your feelings..."

"Eddie, what happened was not your fault at all. I never allowed my feelings to be heard and I never opened up to you...and you had a lot going on at the time. Your father...coronation was coming up..."

"It doesn't matter Paige. I should have been aware that you were probably hiding your feelings...I just...Paige, please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive Eddie," I said with a few tears streaming down my face.

"Please, just forgive me for not being sensitive to your feelings."

"I forgive you," I said patting his hand. "Do you forgive me for running out on you with hardly giving you any explanation?"

"Yes, I forgive you," he said taking my hand and squeezing it.

"I want us to promise each other something," Eddie said. "I want us to promise each other that we will be 100% open with each other. We will tell each other everything, and we will always have time for each other. There will be constant communication between us and we will share our feelings with each other. I promise this to you, Paige Morgan."

"I promise that to you as well," I said.

At the next red light, he put the car in park quickly and leaned forward and kissed me passionately. I knew then, that everything would be okay between us.

Chapter 6:

After what seemed like a long car ride (and after a slightly uncomfortable conversation...okay maybe really uncomfortable) Eddie had finally pulled into the restaurant. It was (of course) one of the nicest restaurants in town. The seating was both inside and outside, although many people tried to sit outside for three reasons. One, the restaurant was right a beautiful garden. Two, it was also by a beautiful lake. Three, it was usually pretty nice outside in Copenhagen.

Eddie parked the car and looked at me seriously.

"I love you Paige Morgan," he said.

"I love you too Eddie Williams," I said staring into his deep blue eyes.

He leaned forward and kissed me. It was a soft kiss with a lot of energy and emotion put into it. It sent a shiver down my body and made the hair on my arms stand up (not literally, but you understand what I am trying to say here.) I kissed him back with the same force and emotion.

"Okay," he said slowly breaking apart, "we better go inside and get a table," but he leaned forward again and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

I smiled and started to get out of the car but Eddie stopped me.

"Isn't this supposed to be a date? I need to open the door for you," he said closing the driver's door.

I smiled and laughed and quickly put on my sweater. Eddie opened the door for me and held out his hand, smiling. I smiled back and took it. We were on the outskirts of Copenhagen slightly, so I don't think we were too much recognized. Apparently we look different in person than on TV or in newspapers or magazines. But I could still feel some people's eyes on us, although no one had the nerve to come over to us. I was kind of relieved. The last thing I needed tonight after our serious conversation would be one-hundred people coming up and wanting their picture taken with us. Eddie could sense my tension when people would stare at us and he would either squeeze my hand or pat my back for encouragement.

After waiting about twenty minutes, we were seated outside at a table for two in a corner spot with a beautiful view of both the garden and the lake. Eddie apparently had reserved this table the second he found out I was coming to Denmark, I later found out.

"Do you like it?" Eddie asked.

"I love it," I said. "It's just beautiful."

A few minutes later, we placed our orders. Once the waiter left, Eddie took my hand and looked into my eyes.

"Paige, this night is very special and I hope it's one that we can always remember. And I am not just saying that because it is your first night here, but because there is something else I want to promise you. I know before you had said that we had gone too fast, and I understand that. I want you to know that I will always be here for you. You take as much time as you need. But tonight, I want to promise you that I will be the best boyfriend that I can be for you. I will always be here to listen to you, to watch you, to catch you when you fall and to help you back up. I promise to take things slow and to always have time for you- no matter what is going on. I promise to love you and cheerish you. I will never take you for granted."

"Oh Eddie, that was just beautiful," I said staring into his blue eyes.

And as a remembrance of these promises, I would like you to have this," he said handing me a box.

I opened it only to see a beautiful saphire ring, with tiny diamonds around the gem. I gasped and looked at Eddie.

"This is my promise ring to you," he said taking the ring out of the box and sliding it onto my wedding ring finger on my left hand. "Don't panic, it's not an engagement ring. Just a promise ring, for everything that I promised you."

"Eddie, it's beautiful. I love it. Thank you so much. I am just speechless. I don't know what to say! I am just so happy. I have missed you so much and-"

Eddie leaned forward and quickly kissed me.

"It's okay. I can feel your excitement and happiness," he said.

Our food arrived after about half an hour and Eddie and I had the best conversation that (I think) we ever had as a couple. We were laughing and having a great time. Also, we were back on our love "high" from being apart from each other for so long. I had a very good feeling about our relationship.

Chapter 7:

We left the restaurant hand in hand and walked slowly to the car.

"I had a great night," I said as we swung our hands together as we walked.

Eddie almost seemed as though he blushed and he looked down at the ground.

"I'm glad to hear that Paige. I had a really good night as well. It will defiantly be a night to remember."

"Yes," I said smiling.

I could feel some of the tension between us as we approached the car. Who knew what conversation would await us in the car on the trip back to the palace. Eddie opened the door for me and then walked to the driver's side of the door. Dinner actually went really well, and we were able to talk to each other comfortably but the car brought back our conversation. I decided to break the ice.

"Eddie," I said as he started the engine.

"Yes," he said.

"Let's allow tonight...to be a new start for the both of us. The past will always be something we will remember, but I promise to never let it hold me back...us back from moving on in our relationship."

"Yes, yes," he said beginning to back out. "I agree."

I could feel the un-comfortableness from the previous conversation to demolish as we started our journey home. We were able to laugh together and were completely able communicate freely with each other as we were during diner.

Once we got back to the palace, we were talking and laughing. Eddie took my hand and walked me to my room.

"I had a great time tonight," I said leaning up against my door.

"Same here," he said kissing me. "Now, I have a meeting with Congress tomorrow pretty much all day, but I will make time for you," he said kissing me again.

"Good-night Paige," he said kissing my hand.

"Good-night Eddie," I said smiling at him and then leaned forward to kiss on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you too, Paige."

He let go of my hand and slowly began to walk away.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said turning to look at me.

"See you soon," I said.

I walked into my room, exhausted and happy. It had truly been a great night. I kicked off my high-heels and collapsed on my bed. I would take a shower later. I lay down on my bed completely in love with Edvard Williams.

Chapter 8:

I woke up the next morning with the sun pouring into my room. I groaned and rolled over on my other side. I glanced at the clock and saw 11:30 and practically jumped out of my bed. Did I really just sleep till 11:30? No one came in to wake me up? Did I not have a schedule for today? Obviously not. I sighed in relief and put my head back down on the pillow. It was such a relief not to have a scheduled today. The royal schedules are to the hour. It was crazy!

I smiled and closed by eyes and tried to go back to sleep but my ring sparkling in the sunlight distracted me. It was so beautiful and it was so sweet of Eddie to remember last night. He was really trying- he really wanted this relationship to work out. Although what had happened wasn't his fault. It was my choice. He couldn't have held me captive at the palace. I felt a stab of guilt and pain every time I thought about how much I had hurt him. Although, I was hurting as much (if not more) as he was. But it didn't matter who had hurt the most, because we were going to put the past behind us and not let it hold us back from moving forward in our relationship.

I was just about to get out of bed when I heard a slight knock on my door.

"Come in," I said.

"Hey," Eddie said opening the door slightly and coming in. He walked over to my bed and sat down.

"We took a quick lunch break from the Congress and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and the boys and grab lunch. But I tried looking for you, but I couldn't find you," he said laughing. "Did you just wake up?"

"Yes," I said laughing.

He leaned forward and kissed me.

"Well, you can either get ready very quickly, or I can ask for someone to bring lunch up here and we can eat together," he said stroking my hand.

"I could get ready very quickly if that's what you want..."

"How about," he said kissing me, "we eat here together for lunch and you come with me and the boys for dinner. That way, we can have some time alone, and then I can let some members of Congress get to know you later."

"I like that," I said smiling.

Eddie called and asked for someone to bring a lunch for two people up to my room. I ate in bed- literally and still in my pajamas. Eddie sat on top of the bed and ate right next to me. Occasionally he would rub my leg or my hand which made me feel loved by him. He didn't do it in a sensual way, but in a sweet way.

"I was thinking, would you like to watch a movie sometime this week? Just me and you and we could pop some popcorn or eat whatever you would like," Eddie asked.

"I'd like that a lot," I said taking his hand.

"So it's a date. The first night that Congress is off, I promise you a movie night."

"That sounds great."

Eddie looked at his watch and his eyes bugged out.

"Has an hour really gone by already? I need to get back to Congress. But, I will come pick you up at six for dinner with the boys. If something changes, I will text you and let you know. It's a nice restaurant, but not as nice as last night. A skirt and a blouse would be fine."

He gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"I'll see you at six," he said leaving.

I quickly finished my lunch (we spent most of the time talking, while Eddie tried to eat quickly. Correction- I did most of the talking while Eddie ate). I then finally got up, took a quick shower, and left my room ready to face...my ex future in-laws.

Chapter 9:

I left my room quietly and closed the door behind me. I really didn't know what to do with myself. In order to kill some time, I decided to explore the palace a little bit.

The portraits on the walls dated back to the early 1500's. It was amazing that Eddie could see his Great (I am not sure how many Greats) grandfather or grandmother anytime he wanted. He knew their names, how many children they had, and a brief history on all of them. It was amazing. I stared at one portrait for quite some time because the man in it looked like Eddie. He had a similar facial bone structure and hair color. This portrait made me think. When Eddie would be up here one day- who would be the woman beside him. Would it be me?

Panic began to rush over me as I thought of myself on this wall one day, but then I found extreme comfort in knowing that if I was up on the wall one day, it meant that I had married Edvard. And that fact brought extreme comfort to me.

My thoughts were interrupted by Queen Rosalind (Eddie's mother) who had just seen me in the hallway. She called my name and being lost in thought, I practically jumped.

"Paige," she said bluntly walking over to me with a poker face.

"Rosalind," I said trying to sound excited. I even gave her a smile, but it wasn't returned. The truth was- we didn't exactly get along at first. She pretty much hated me when Eddie first brought me here. Then after sometime, we bonded and really started to get along. By the tone of her voice, I was pretty sure she hated me again.

"Fancy running into you here," she said coldly. "Please come follow me into a room. I would like to talk to you privately," she said turning her back and walking away.

"Okay," I said and began to follow her.

Uh oh, I thought. Here it comes. I knew this conversation would be coming. My heart began to pick up some speed and my nerves started to kick-in. Couldn't she have put this off for a few more days? I knew she was made at me again, but why did she always have to confront me about something?

I walked into the garden room in which the queen liked to spend a lot of time in. She closed the door behind me and told me to take a seat. I hadn't eaten anything since last night and I was about to get sick to my stomach.

I sat down and put on my strong face- the one that had originally ruined the relationship between Eddie and me. I couldn't let her see exactly how terrified I was of this confrontation. From past experience, they were never pleasant.

Rosalind never sat down, but instead began to pace back and forth from her window as though she was trying to get her thoughts together.

"What are you doing here?" She finally asked although it was more like a snap.

"Eddie and I decided to try to reconcile our relationship," I stated.

"No, Paige, I mean what are you doing here. Why did you agree to come back here?"

"I love your son. And not having him in my life made it very empty. When I found out that Eddie felt the same way and that he wanted to try things again, of course I agreed to it. I had been wanting to reconcile things, but I was afraid..."

"Afraid of what?" Rosalind snapped.

"Afraid of being rejected! That would have hurt more than anything."

"Why would you think that Edvard would reject you?"

"Because he is the king of Denmark. He could have any girl he wants. I was afraid that he had moved on."

"No, he never did move on. Which explains why you are here. But why are you here, Paige? Is it for the fame? The opportunity to be a princess and a queen one day? The American girl fairy-tale?"

"No, of course not. I came back because I love your son so much."

"So much is a cliché term."

"I love him more than anything in the world," I said with emotion. "Without him, I am empty, incomplete."

"Why did you leave him then, if you can't live without him?" She snapped at me

"Fear. I was overwhelmed by everything it took to be a part of this family...all the duties and responsibilities. I became afraid of failure, or even worse, letting Edvard down and I ran to make sure that would never happen."

"You know you really hurt him. He was never the same after you left. I caught him many times crying. He always seemed distracted, disorganized. I was truly beginning to worry about his mental state of mind. I tried to get him to take anti-depressants, which helped him a little bit, but not much. Then, I noticed in the past few weeks that he had been acting normal again, and I thought it was because he had finally gotten over you. He told me he stopped taking his anti-depressants and he said he didn't need them anymore. He began to function normally again. I believed he had finally came to his senses and moved on. But it was because you were back in his life," she stated coldly. "And I never knew that you were until I saw you in the hallway just now! I about had the biggest surprise of my life! You nearly gave me a heart-attack! When did you arrive?"

"Yesterday, around mid-afternoon."

"How long do you plan to stay?"

"Eddie and I agreed to spend half the summer here, and then once Congress goes into recess, he would spend some time with me and my family at the farm."

Rosalind sighed and began to pace again.

"Are you sure you want this Paige? Have you ever thought it may be best to leave Edvard alone and let him live his own life?"

"I have," I said quickly. "That's why I left a few months ago, but I realize that it was the worst mistake of my life."

"Are you two engaged again?" She asked coldly.

"No," I said. "We both agreed to take things slowly."

"That ring on your hand means nothing then?"

"Eddie..Edvard gave it to me last night as a remembrance to begin our new relationship together," I said. I didn't want her to know the history behind the ring. It was personal and none of her business. I just wanted to keep that between Eddie and myself. Maybe one day I could tell her, if we ever became close again. Although, I doubted that would happen.

"Good-day Paige," she said and motioned for me to leave with her hand. I did as I was told and left. I decided to go to my room and call my parents. And maybe stay in there for a little bit. At least until the royal family got used to the idea of me being here again. The drama-free romance was nice while it lasted.

Chapter 10:

After I had finished talking to my parents, I decided to some TV on. After flipping through a few channels, (which were all in Danish), I found a Danish soap opera that caught my attention. The girl was crying after a boy, she obviously didn't want him to leave, but he continued to pack and would say something's to her occasionally. Even though I didn't understand a word of what they were saying, I was able to piece together what was going on during the show. I was watching this when Eddie came in to get me for dinner, except he came an hour early.

"Hey," he said softly coming into my room.

"Hey," I said smiling at him.

"You haven't left your room at all today? Are you feeling okay?" He asked coming over to me.

"I'm just a little jet-lagged. I did venture out today, and started to explore a little bit, but then I ran into your mother."

"Oh," he said looking down.

"How come you didn't tell her about us?"

"Do you blame me? All I heard after you left was how it was for the better and how you were a bad influence on me. I wasn't going to tell her until you came here. And unfortunately, I haven't seen my mother in the past few days. Between Congress and every free second I have, I want to spend it with you. Are you mad at me?"

"A little, but I understand why you didn't want to tell her at first, but you probably should have made an effort to tell her that I was here."

"I'm sorry, Paige. I honestly just didn't have the opportunity to tell her."

"It's fine Eddie, don't worry about it."

"I told Arabella though. She was excited. She had missed you as well."

I smiled. Arabella was Eddie's little sister.

"I missed her as well."

"How did the conversation go between the two of you?"

I snorted.

"Not well. Did you actually think it would go well?"

"What did she say?"

"She kept on asking me why I was here, thinking that I'm only in it for the fame and glory. And then asked me if I had ever thought that it may be best for you if I leave. She also told me how hurt you were," I said stroking his cheek at the last part.

"It's okay now Paige. Maybe God wanted you to leave to help us realize how much we love each other and needed each other in our lives."

I was startled by Eddie's profound words.

"I never thought of it that way," I said.

He leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss and then laughed at what he saw I was watching.

"Do you understand a word of what they are saying?" he asked

"No," I said. "But I can kind of understand by their emotions," I said laughing.

"Yes, this show is pretty emotional. Arabella likes to watch it sometimes, although I think it's too mature for her sometimes. Some steamy scenes and..."

I laughed.

"Yeah probably."

"Are you ready to go? Or do you want to change?"

"I think I need to change," I said looking down at my jeans and t-shirt.

I got up and grabbed a dressy black skirt (the tighter kind that shows off your body) and a short-sleeve, white blouse that ruffled up slightly at the top. Part of me wanted to change right there in front of Eddie, but then I realized that wouldn't be taking things slow and I should go into the bathroom. I decided against it.

"Would you be uncomfortable if I changed out here, or do you want me to go into the bathroom?"

"You can change out here. I won't look," he said.

That kind of defeats the purpose, I thought to myself. I quickly changed and glanced over to see if Eddie really wasn't looking. He wasn't. I think he was the only guy in the world who wouldn't watch his girlfriend change. Why did he have to be so good sometimes? But I loved him even more for it.

Chapter 11:

I quickly put on some make-up and fixed my hair. Eddie couldn't believe that I didn't have make-up on before. He said I looked as beautiful as I always do. Why did he have to be so perfect? Did he take some boyfriend class or something? Or was I really this blind before? Had fear blinded me so much that I couldn't see what an amazing man Eddie was?

He took my hand and walked me downstairs and through some hallways to where Parliament was. The men quieted down when they saw that Eddie walked in with me. I guess he hadn't told them either that I was back.

"Hello, everyone," Eddie said squeezing my hand. I'm sure he could sense my fear. "This is my girlfriend, Paige. I invited her to eat dinner with us tonight," he stated.

Some of the members just stared at me as though they couldn't believe I was back.

'That's great," one member said. "When did you come in Miss Paige?" he asked.

"Yesterday," I said.

"So now we know where Edvard has been sneaking off too for dinner last night and lunch," one man said teasingly.

We split up into three groups and went into three different large cars. Eddie and I took the back of a van and no one else sat back there with us.

"The two lovebirds hiding at the back of the car. Edvard, don't pull to many moves on her. People are here in the car you know," a man said teasingly.

Everyone started laughing, including Eddie so I did too. It was a cute joke, but I was just too scared. I had on my strong face for Eddie, although I was beginning to think that he was starting to see through it.

"When is the big day?" The member who was driving the car asked.

"We..um.." Eddie and I began to answer at the same time not sure what to say.

"We've both agreed to hold off on the marriage for a little bit," Eddie stated.

The car fell silent for a few seconds. Why did this have to be so awkward?

"Is she pregnant then?" the same man who made the crack about us being in the back together asked. His jokes weren't being so funny anymore. No one laughed at this joke. Everyone thought he was being serious.

"Is she?" Someone else asked.

"I am NOT pregnant," I said sternly.

"You got a feisty on there," the "jokester" said.

"Gentlemen please, these comments are unnecessary," Eddie said defending me.

I turned and smiled at him. He knew that was my way of thanking him. The conversation switched to another member of Parliament and teasing him about his girlfriend. I was just glad that the attention wasn't on us anymore.

Overall, the dinner went well. It was pleasant and I was asked many questions about American government. I tried to answer them as best as I could. Some of them were pretty detailed, that I wasn't exactly sure about. American government wasn't exactly my favorite class in high school. Who knew that I may be running a country one day? I'm telling you the Big Guy Upstairs has a funny sense of humor.

Chapter 12:

When we arrived at the restaurant, I saw that another member of Parliament had brought their girlfriend with them as well. I'll just be blunt- this made my night hell.

"Paige, between us girls," she whispered to me leaning forward, as though we were going to have some big secret sharing/bonding moment. "Did you come back to tell Edvard some news? Some news that he may or may not be happy about?"

"I don't quite understand what you are asking," I said putting down my menu.

"Paige," she said lowering her voice even more, that I even I had a hard time hearing her. "Are you pregnant?"

Eddie, who was at the head of the table, looked up at that question. Although I was sitting at the corner next to him so I guess he could hear our conversation. This girl wasn't in our car, so didn't hear the conversation on this matter.

I leaned down and whispered to her- "No, I am not."

"Paige, it's okay. You can tell me."

"I'm not pregnant," I snapped in a whisper, although my voice was rising slightly. This was beginning to be really annoying.

"Then why did you come back?" she asked in a normal voice.

"Because I love him," I said looking over at Eddie, smiling.

The girl snorted.

"Sure you do," she said picking up her menu.

I was about ready to throw my water on her, although that really wouldn't be very princessy like- or civilized. Who was she to say something like that? Who did she think she was? Oh yeah, the girlfriend of a member of Parliament.

Eddie sensed my dislike to the girl sitting next to me, and he gave me a reassuring smile. I smiled back at him. He knew that he would be in for a long rant later tonight from me.

"Listen," the girl whispered, "girl to girl, Edvard and I had a little fling after you left. I am honestly surprised he took you back after you obviously begged him. Our relationship was going quite well. But, for some reason he asked us to take a break. Besides, I favor John so much better. He is much better in the bedroom, if you know what I mean."

My eyes bugged out and I looked down at my menu and I didn't say anything. It was better to say nothing than to tell her what I wanted to tell her. It wouldn't have been a nice dinner.

Chapter 13:

I remained quiet throughout the rest of the dinner. I answered when I was spoken to, but I never tried to chime into conversations.

I could tell that Eddie knew something happened between us girls. He kept on smiling at me. That was his way of telling me that he would listen to me later tonight and that it would be okay.

We arrived back to the palace and we walked silently to my room. We didn't want any of the servants to overhear our conversation- that much was understood between us. He knew that if he asked me if I had a good time, the answer would have been no, with a LONG explanation.

"Go ahead," Eddie said as we entered my room. "What did Sarah say to you?"

"Oh that's her name. That's good to know," I said sarcastically. "I wish I had known that for dinner!"

"Paige-" he started to say, but I cut him off. I didn't mean to. I just had to get this off my chest.

"Where do you want me to start with that girl!? She first asked me if I was pregnant, in two different ways. And then she asked me why I came back, and I said it was because I love you, and she said "sure you do."

Eddie's eyes budged out when I said this.

"And THEN on top of everything else, she said that you guys had a fling after I left."

Eddie made a face and kind of looked down on the bed. I knew that look. It was his guilty look.

"Oh my gosh!" I said jumping off the bed. "You had a fling with her after I left!? Everything you told me about hurting and being sad was all bull wasn't it!?" I yelled.

"Paige, please listen. It wasn't my choice-" His voice was beginning to rise as well to a yelling tone.

"What do you mean it wasn't your choice!?" I yelled back at him.

"JUST LISTEN! TO MAKE OUR RELATIONSHIP WORK WE NEED TO BE COMPLETELY OPEN WITH EACH OTHER AND TELL EACH OTHER EVERYTHING. I AM TRYING TO DO THAT!" He yelled.

I was kind of taken back his tone of voice, but I understood that he was upset.

"Okay," I said calmly looking right into his eyes.

"Please come," he said gently motioning over to the bed.

I walked over and sat down.

"Paige," he started to move for my hand, but then decided against it. "I was heart-broken after you left. Everything I told you was the complete truth. Even somewhat water-downed. I took anti-depressants after you left and even when to a few counseling sessions. Part of the session was to go out on a date. They said it was part of the healing process to put yourself back out there. So I did. Bill and I have always been good friends and he introduced me to her. They were just friends at the time. Sarah was the only girl I had contact with, so I asked her on a date. Then my counselor said that one wasn't enough and to go on another and then another. He tried to pressure me to go on another, but I said I couldn't. I just ended up thinking about you the entire time."

I smiled at the last part.

"She says you slept together," I said.

Eddie laughed at this.

"No, we did not. I believe she wanted to, but I'm not like that Paige. I'm not like those guys. Now, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not a virgin, but I have only been once with a girl who I thought I loved, but she didn't love me for who I was. Just for my family and everything that comes with it. That really hurt a lot. Now, I can't give me virginity to someone who I truly love and they love me back. It's gone. I'm sorry about that Paige."

I smiled at him for his honesty.

"I'm still a virgin," I said. "Really, I am. I always wanted to give it to someone whom I loved. And someone who I would love for the rest of my life."

"I wish I had done the same," Eddie said looking down. "So, are we good?" He asked.

I smiled and nodded.

"I'm sorry Eddie. For getting mad at you. I should have known better," I said.

"It's okay Paige. I had been waiting for the right time to tell you, because I knew that you would hear about it sooner or later. And telling you would be the right thing to do because I love you, and I don't hide anything from you."

He leaned forward and kissed me.

"Good-night Paige Morgan. I love you," Eddie said between kisses.

"Good-night Edvard Williams. I love you too," I said kissing him back.

Eddie left and I took a shower and then went to bed. I lay in bed looking at my promise ring. It was still so beautiful in the dark. I wondered if it would ever be replaced with a diamond ring.

Chapter 14:

After our little fight yesterday, Eddie and I both could sense how much work our relationship needed. We had been a part for a quite a while, and though we agreed to forget about the past, it still hovered over us slightly. Eddie had really wanted me to see Denmark, so after Parliament was released for the day, we drove all over Denmark.

It was really interesting. Eddie pointed out all of the old churches and buildings and such. But the car ride really gave us a chance to bond again.

"Eddie, are you mad at me?" I asked him when we were at a stoplight.

He hesitated before he gave me his answer.

"Slightly," he said. "I just wish you wouldn't have accused me without speaking to me first. I hope you would know me better."

"It would have been fine if you did sleep with her. What I was upset over, was after everything you had told me and then you still slept with. Well, that was very upsetting."

Eddie sighed.

"You're right, that would be upsetting. But how about we promise to each other to never accuse without hearing the other side first. Paige, if...if were ever to get married one day, or even as we date. The press and tabloids will always slam us. You and I will both be having affairs and their creations go on and on. People will always be trying to break us a part and turn us against each other. We have to be strong enough where we know that will never happen. And that starts with to never accuse when an enemy, and I would call Sarah and enemy after last night, says something horrible about the other person. I promise you, to never listen to any of them and to always believe you."

"Eddie, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have done that...I over-reacted. I'm so sorry again. I promise you that it will never happen again. I will always listen to you first."

We decided to take a stop at a small town for dinner about two hours away from Copenhagen. I walked into the restaurant and see on the front page of the newspaper:

King Edvard dumps Sarah Hexton for ex-girlfriend Paige Morgan!

Another newspaper headline said this:

Paige Morgan is PREGNANT!

And finally, a magazine headline said this:

King Edvard reunites with ex-fiancé Paige Morgan! What is the big news that she came to tell Edvard? Turn to page 96 for all the details.

I didn't even pick up any of the newspapers or magazines. Eddie saw me looking at them, but neither of us said anything as we waited to be seated. No one seemed to recognize us here, so that seemed well.

But how many more rocks could our relationship handle?

Chapter 15:

After dinner, Eddie and I drove for about another three hours. Eddie wanted to show me the ocean in Denmark, where he had spent all of his summer as a child. Although, I honestly wasn't really sure sometime he knew where he was going. I told him he could stop and ask for directions, but you know how men are.

"Paige," Eddie said as we were driving on a country road. "This may be too soon to ask, but I was wondering something."

"Okay," I said unsure of where this was going.

"Do you feel that you could handle all this one day?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Do you feel that you would be okay...to handle all the paparazzi, false tabloids, newspapers, news on TV, on a day to day basis?"

"Eddie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare at the newspapers and magazines at the restaurant, and it's just that this is all so new to me. It's shocking how people you don't even know what to be so involved in your life."

"That's not what I meant Paige. Do you feel, we could ever be married one day?"

"Of course, I could see us being married one day," I said truthfully.

"I have been giving this a lot of thought. And the more I think about it, the more I feel it would be the right thing to do for you. If this is all too much for you, but we want to get married, I would abdicate the throne for you. We could live in America, if you wanted."

"Eddie, I would never ask you to do that for me."

"I know, but I want you in my life and I want you to be happy."

"I am happy. I'm happy just being with you."

"You say that now, but wait."

"Eddie, I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you again. I need you in my life. I feel as though we are married and you are my other half. I love you. But before we jump into anything, don't you feel as though our relationship needs more time?"

"Absolutely," Eddie said.

We spent the rest of the car-ride talking about our children one day if we were to marry and our grandchildren. We talked about where we would go on our honeymoon, and how we could go places and avoid the cameras. We talked about all of these things and more. The conversation started out as a joke, but as it continued, it became more serious. And the more we talked about it, I saw myself as Mrs. Edvard Williams, Queen of Denmark.

Chapter 16:

We stopped at a hotel for the night around one o'clock in the morning. Eddie was getting tired and I couldn't drive in Denmark, so we decided to stop and spend the night there. The person behind the front desk immediately recognized us and began small talk, although he was mostly rambling.

"Two rooms or one?" He asked.

"One is fine," Eddie said.

"One room for the King and his lady," he mumbled to himself, typing at the computer.

After some brief small talk, we went off to our room. We arrived in the hotel room. Eddie took my bag and we placed our luggage on two separate beds.

"I guess I will take this one and you can take the one by the window," Eddie said.

"Okay," I said slightly disappointed.

I showered and then went into my "assigned" bed. Edvard showered and went to his, although he came to kiss me good-night first. We said good-night and turned off the light. Eddie must be the only boyfriend in the country who would be okay with not sleeping in the same bed as his girlfriend in this situation. And I know he did it because he didn't want me to be pressured into anything I wasn't ready for. After a few minutes I called out his name.

"Yes," he said. I knew he was still wide awake.

"You know, we are the only couple in the world who wouldn't be lying together right now in a situation like this," I said.

"Well, I will gladly change beds, if you're okay with it. I don't want to go to fast for you," he said slowly getting out of bed.

"Yes, it's fine. You're more than welcome here."

He crawled in next to me and pulled me against him to his bare chest. He always slept shirtless; he told me when he came out of the shower (I guess so I didn't get the wrong impression).

He kissed the top of my head and I snuggled closer to him. I remembered the words I had told him last night about giving my virginity to someone I could see myself loving for the rest of my life. Well, I knew that person was holding me in his arms that night.

I looked up at his face and kissed him. He kissed me back. I kissed him again, but this time it was harder, and more emotion was put into it. He could feel it and his kisses deepened. Our tongues were exploring each other's mouths and shivers were running up and down my body. I sat up slightly and moved my chest over his. I became even more aggressive with the kisses. His hands ran up and down the curves of my body, trying to feel me through my nightgown.

Eddie suddenly stopped kissing me and looked at me, surprised.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked me.

"Yes, I want my gift of virginity to go to someone whom I will love the rest of my life," I said.

I gave my gift to him that night.

Chapter 17:

We woke up the next morning in each other's arms. Last night would be a night that I would always remember. I woke up first with Eddie's hand around my waist. I could tell that he was still sleeping so I did not stir. I think I fell asleep again because the next thing that I remember was Eddie nuzzling my face with his face. His face was rough, he needed to shave, but I loved the feeling anyway.

"Good morning Paige," he said kissing my face.

I groggily turned over and looked at him and smiled.

"Good morning," I said giving him a kiss on the lips.

We looked at the clock and decided that we needed to get up and hit the road again. It was 9:30am which wasn't too late, but we wanted to be at the beach by noon and we still had a good three hours to drive.

We got up and quickly got dressed and decided that we should probably grab breakfast before we hit the road.

After taking the elevator down to the main lobby of the hotel, we decided that it would just be best to eat breakfast there.

We walked into the restaurant and since there were not many people there, we were immediately seated. The waitress came over right away and asked us what we would like to drink. I requested an orange juice. Once the waitress came back, she just stared at us for a few seconds. And then she cried:

"Oh my king, I am so sorry I did not recognize you before. And his lady, my apologies as well," she said bowing to Eddie which I found to be rather amusing. I know that was the culture here, but coming from America, where we don't have royalty, I found the concept strange. Especially when she was bowing to Eddie and calling him King Edvard.

Sometimes I wondered if I would ever be ready to handle everything that came with being a royal.

Chapter 18

After breakfast we drove over to the beach. Eddie took the back roads and there was almost no one on the roads. I rolled down the window about halfway and smelled the salty sea air. I knew that we were close. Everything was so quiet. It was as though we were the only ones on the earth here.

"I always like to come here to think. It is so beautiful. I feel as though it is my secret place. Almost no one comes to this beach. I wanted to share this place with you," Eddie told me as the ocean slowly started to come into view.

I gasped. The ocean was much more beautiful than the American beaches. The water was so ice blue. It was unbelievable.

Eddie parked and we got out of the car and held hands as we walked down to the beach. We walked down to the ocean were the waves were slowly coming up onto our feets.

"It's so beautiful," I said staring in awe at the ocean. I looked around. I couldn't believe that there was hardly anybody here.

Eddie cupped my chin and kissed me.

"A beautiful ocean for a beautiful girl," he said kissing me again.

If only everything could always be this perfect.

Chapter 19

Sooner than we would have both probably liked, reality came crashing down on us and it was time to return back to the palace in Copenhagen.

I was exhausted and still trying to catch up from jet-lag and I ended up falling asleep for about two hours of the six hour journey. I felt bad about it, but when Eddie saw me struggling to stay awake; he took my hand, kissed it, and whispered "good-night, Paige." He didn't have to try to convince me twice to take a nap.

I woke up startled by hearing a loud crowd. I immediately came out of my deep sleep by practically jumping. We were right in front of the Copenhagen Palace, and there were about 100-150 reporters outside the gates. They came rushing to car and I looked at Eddie alarmed. I had no idea what to do. Before they had a chance to engulf the car, Eddie put the car into reverse and drove away as fast as he could.

"What the hell was that?" I asked him still panicked.

"We are the most recent news story," he said calmly.

"You having a girlfriend makes the news?" I said still panicked. My hands were literally shaking. I had never seen anything like that before. You would have thought that we had just discovered the cure for cancer and everyone wanted to interview us.

"Umm...yes. Well, there are several rumors circulating about us, such as we are engaged again, we are already married, you're expecting...nothing that you probably haven't seen on a magazine yet. But they all want to know the truth. They can't get any answers from anyone else, so I assume they thought that they should just go to the source."

"How...how are we gonna get in?"

"There is a back entrance that no one knows about. Security would have come if we had called, but by then, I'm not sure if they would have been able to handle the situation. See what Soren has to say, but it may just be best to go talk to them through the gate later today."

The last part made my stomach drop a few levels.

"We...have to talk to them?" I whispered.

Eddie could sense that I was tense and even scared over the took my hand and squeezed it.

"I can just do it, but it would look better if we both went," he said gently.

After circling around for a while, somehow we ended up at the back end of the palace. I have no idea how Eddie did it; I was too scared to notice what he was doing.

Soren was there to great us when we got out of the car.

"Soren, what should we do about the situation outside?' Eddie asked.

"Sir, it's up to you. What are you thinking?" Soren replied.

"I was thinking that we should go and talk to them," Eddie said removing our suitcases from the trunk.

"It may be the only way to hush up all of this nonsense," Soren agreed.

Eddie started walking to the inside of the palace and motioned for me to follow him.

"We need to go upstairs, change, and just go out and talk to them," Eddie told me. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Does feeling like I'm gonna throw-up count as okay?" I said slightly sarcastic.

"Paige, please! You can do this! I know you can!" Eddie said. He wasn't being as understanding as in the car.

"Now, probably wouldn't be the best time to say that you both have to be on television tomorrow morning with "Good Morning Copenhagen," Soren said.

"WHAT!?" I said.

My mind started going into panic mode. I felt as though I couldn't breath. I couldn't do all of this.

Eddie walked me to my room and we went in together. We didn't say anything to each other. He seemed oblivious to my breakdown that was going on inside of me. Eddie put my luggage down by my bed and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You can do this," he said reassuringly. "I know you can."

I gave him a weak smile and walked over to my closet.

"What should I wear?" I mumbled still not happy about the situation.

"Just a blouse and a skirt is fine, or even dress pants. Just look nice. Like you're going to church or something," he said slowly leaving my room. "And thank you Paige. I promise it won't be as bad as you think."

I grunted and pulled out a blouse and pair of black dress pants and put them on the bed.

"I'll be downstairs waiting for you," Eddie said closing the door behind him.

I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to touch up on my make-up. Ugh, I looked terrible. Plus, I felt terrible. I was exhausted and all this stress and excitement was starting to take a toll on my stomach. I sighed, and then went to go get changed. I took in a deep breath and then went to go face the press.

Chapter 20

I walked downstairs and saw Eddie waiting for me on the couch. He was wearing a light blue button down shirt with a pair of khaki pants. He stood up and smiled at me. I didn't return it. I wasn't that I was mad at him; I was simply terrified.

"Are you ready?" he said taking my hand and squeezing it.

I nodded slowly and I could feel my heart racing against my chest. My stomach muscles clenched and I felt myself tensing up. With my luck, I'd get out there and throw up. I tried to take a few deep calm breaths and tried not to look terrified.

We left the palace together, hand in hand and went to go face the press. Eddie seemed very calm and relaxed. He smiled as we started to get closer to the gate and held my hand proudly. I tried to follow his lead and smile at the press, although I'm sure that my smile was not as genuine as his.

"Hello everyone," Eddie said as we were about three feet from the gate. "We are here to answer a few questions."

Don't throw up, I told myself as I felt my stomach muscles clenching some more.

Immediately we were asked about one hundred questions and I was overwhelmed. My hand started to tremble slightly and Eddie squeezed is encouragingly. Cameras were flashing in our face and about a hundred microphones were being put through the gate.

"Please, just one question at a time," Eddie said calmly.

"Are you and Ms. Paige Morgan married?" One immediately asked pushing her microphone as close to us as she could.

"No, we are not," Eddie said. "Next question."

"Are you two engaged?" Another reporter quickly asked.

"No, we are not," Eddie replied.

"Ms. Paige, are you carrying King Edvard's child?" A reporter asked.

I honestly did not hear the question addressed to me. I was too busy trying not to get sick.

"Paige," Eddie said gently nudging me.

"Huh...oh no, no I am not expecting a child," I said quickly.

We were bombarded with about one hundred more questions and Eddie silenced them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Paige Morgan is simply my girlfriend and nothing more. If something changes, we will be sure to inform everyone. It was a pleasure talking to everyone," Eddie said waving to the crowd. I waved back and turned around with him as we walked back to the palace.

"You did great," he whispered in my ear.

I snorted.

"Really?' I asked?

"Yes," he said. "This was your first time, and you did great."

"Excuse me," I said breaking free from his grip and running off. I was starting to gag. Eddie came running after me, but I had already gotten sick on the sidewalk. I was able to round the corner from the reporters, but I couldn't make it inside.

Poor Eddie, (bless his heart), he had no idea what to do. He held my hair back for me and rubbed back reassuringly as I vomited on the side walk. I felt so embarrassed and I hated him to see my like this. When I finished, he squeezed me hand tightly.

"Come on," he whispered.

I felt horrible and so embarrassed that he had to see me get sick. I planned on spending the rest of my night in my room until Eddie (hopefully) forgot about the whole incident. Then I realized that I may be in my room for quite a while.

Chapter 21

I walked dizzily to my room with Eddie's hand around my waist guiding me. He asked me several times if I wanted to be carried and I stubbornly said no. I was fine, but I was just still getting over all these nerves. Eddie helped me lay down on my bed and gave me a cool washcloth for my face. He wiped my face gently and then started to stroke my cheek.

"Eddie..." I started to say but then I started to choke up. I have no idea why, but tears just started streaming down my face.

"Shhh...," he said wiping the tears off of my face.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I don't know what happened. I'm..."

"You were scared," he said bluntly. "I'm sorry that this...life...scares you so much," he said lying down next to me.

I felt so stupid. I snuggled up to him and took his hand. No one said anything.

"Maybe I shouldn't be here..." I whispered.

"What! Paige, that's nonsense. Stop talking like that," Eddie said.

"I think we both know it's true..."

"I think you need some sleep. You're not thinking reasonably. Paige, it was one time."

"We have to go on TV tomorrow too..." I whispered.

"Tomorrow is another day. I think that you'll feel better in the morning."

I literally started to shake at the thought of going on national television live tomorrow morning.

Eddie picked me up and held me in his arms. He began to stroke my hair and kept me in his arms until I feel asleep. Edvard was the perfect man. Why did his life have to be so complicated?

Chapter 22

Today was the day. I had to go on Denmark National TV with Edvard. The people of Denmark wanted some answers about our relationship (and even though it was non of their business) Soren advised us to do at least one interview and then refuse to do others.

Edvard had done this 100 times before and this was my first time and terrified. I groaned as my alarm went off at 3:30am. Getting up this early was almost painful but I wasn't groaning because I was tired. I slept for maybe half an hour at the most and then I'd snap out of my dreamy state and realize what was going on.

I got out of bed and a few minutes later Eddie was knocking on my door to make sure that I was awake. Yeah, like I could have actually slept last night.

He wasn't able to stay because he had to get ready too but I really wish he had stayed. I needed him to stay for some emotional support.

I was literally on verge of vomiting again but I took a few deep breaths, calming myself down.

Shortly, I found myself dressed in the outfit that the Queen, Rosalind, had picked out for me (I hated it) and I went downstairs to eat my breakfast. I mean, to pick at my breakfast.

Eddie greeted me with a big smile and got up to give me a kiss on the cheek.

I sat and down and wanted to gag looking at my food. My stomach did not want me to eat. I picked up my fork and took a small bite out of my eggs.

"Don't worry Paige," Eddie said noticing my stiffness, "I know that you will do great."

"Eddie, I really don't think..." I trailed off noticing Rosalind looking at me with almost a smile on her face as though she wanted me to fail at this assignment with Eddie. I gave up on my last attempt to try to get out of this interview.

"I don't think I told you about the new movie coming out. Arabella and I were thinking about seeing it together. You know, to try to get to know each other better. She is such a sweet girl," I said glancing over at Rosalind trying to gain her favor slightly.

Rosalind snorted and Eddie smiled and asked if he could join us. I gladly accepted. I guess we have to take a trip to the movies now. I'd try to let them occupy my mind instead of the fact that I was about to be seen on "Good Morning Denmark" in less than a few hours for all to see.

Chapter 23

"Keep you chin up so I can do your eyes," the lady who was doing my make-up requested of me.

I did as I was told. I was being really quiet and I hoped I didn't come off as being cold.

"How are you feeling?" She asked me after about ten minutes from silence. "Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty nervous," I said smiling. "Honestly, pretty scared."

She put her arm on my shoulder kindly.

"I can tell. You're hands have been shaking every time you moved them. And I don't blame you. I probably would have thrown up by now," she said putting some blush on my cheeks.

"I've been feeling that way all morning long. But this will be over soon and hopefully won't have to do this for a long time," I said.

"I think that the first time is the worst. After that it won't be so bad. What do you want to do with your hair?" She asked finger combing my short brown hair.

"I honestly don't know. What do you think?"

"I may curl the ends out a little bit. And if we do this," she said moving some hair around,
"it kind of looks like layers and it'll frame your face."

"Sound good," I said trying to relax. "I feel horrible about asking this- but can you remind me of your name again?"

She laughed and picked up the curling iron.

"I don't think I ever told you it. I just came over and started doing your make-up. But it's Cassandra."

"I'm Paige," I said.

"I know," she said working on my hair. "I'm sorry, that must be so weird for you."

"It's pretty strange. People know me and I have no idea who they are. I don't think it's something that I'll be able to get used to. You know how you run into people when your out and they remember you from like elementary school or something and you have no idea who they are?"

"Yeah, I hate it when that happens," Cassandra said.

"That is what's it like all the time."

"That must be so weird."

"It is."

"FIVE MINUTES!" The manager yelled.

My heart suck about 5 levels in my chest. Five more minutes and I'd be on National TV in Denmark. The thought got to my stomach. The small breakfast that I had managed to get down was slowly creeping back up.

"Excuse me," I said jumping up and running to the bathroom. I locked myself in there and vomited.

I took a few deep breaths and cleaned myself up. After a few minutes, I heard a soft knocking on the door.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?"

It was Cassandra.

I opened the door and apologized profusely to her.

"Come here," she said taking my arm. "Let me just re-touch this up a little bit and you'll be ready to go. Don't be scared of the people. They all love you."

"Thank you for being so understanding."

"Do you feel better?"

"Surprisingly yes. But now I don't feel well from getting sick. It's a lose-lose situation," I said trying to laugh a little bit.

"The interview won't last long and you can go home and rest. Just concentrate on one thing and don't look around at the audience or the cameras. You got this."

You got this Paige. You got this. I kept on trying to tell myself this over and over again.

"ONE MINUTE!? WHERE IS SHE!?" The manager said coming into the room.

"Good luck!" Cassandra said patting me on the back.

"Thank you," I said leaving with the manager. I turned my head back and gave her a smile as my way of thanking her again. I walked over to Edvard who was standing by the stage, ready for them to call us out.

"Everything okay," he asked taking my hand.

"Yeah," I said smiling. "We were just trying to get things perfect."

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah," I said squeezing his hand as they called our names and the crowd cheered.

With my heart beating fast and my palms sweating; I walked out on stage with the King of Denmark. Ready or not, I had to go.

Chapter 24

I walked out on stage with Edvard as the crowds cheered and cameras were following our every move. I squeezed his hand some more as we shook the host's hand and took our seats next to her.

"King Edvard and his guest Paige Morgan! Welcome to Good Morning Denmark!" The host said welcoming us. "This is Agnetha and you are watching Good Morning Denmark," she said looking at the cameras. Then, she turned back to both us and sat down. "Thank you for coming on today!"

"Thank you for inviting us," Eddie said.

Oh God. My heart was beating so fast now. I was going to have to say something.

"It's a pleasure being here," I said smiling at Agnetha.

Did that make sense? She wasn't looking at me strangely so I guessed so.

"So please answer this question that Denmark has been buzzing about! What is going on between you two? We know you were engaged a few months ago and Paige, may I call you Paige?"

I nodded and she continued.

"Paige you left poor Edvard here! But now you are back! Can you please talk about this?"

"Umm...," my heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest at the rate that it was racing. But I took Cassandra's advice and just looked at Agnetha. Like it was just me and her talking.

"We both feel," I said turning to Edvard, "that we went too fast with the engagement. And with all of this being so new to me, I honestly just got scared and a little overwhelmed which is why I left and the engagement was called off."

Agnetha was nodding her head understandingly and taking in all of this information in. I'm sure she knew that I wasn't giving her 100% of the truth but it was about 90% of it.

"And now you're back," she said trying to keep the conversation going. "What made you decide to come back?"

"I couldn't just shake the feelings that I had for Edvard after I left. I had always known that I loved him but I thought that after being apart, I'd...not be able to forget about him but be able to move on. But I couldn't. In fact, I think my love for him grew after being apart from him. And when I found out that Edvard felt the same way; I came back."

Some people in the audience went "awww" at my answer. I hoped I wasn't saying too much and I hoped I was saying enough as well.

"So what's going on with you guys now? Are you engaged again? Or simply dating? Or are you a couple? Tell us."

Edvard squeezed my hand and started to answer. He knew that I did not like answering all of these questions.

"No, we aren't engaged. But we are not simply dating."

"So what's going on with you two? Do you consider her to be your girlfriend?"

"Yes, Paige is my girlfriend."

The crowd began to cheer and I was slightly taken back by that. I hope my face didn't show my surprise or else the newspapers will be writing that I was surprised that he called me his girlfriend.

"However, when I call Paige my girlfriend it does not have the same meaning as a high school student calling someone his girlfriend or even some college aged couples. It runs much deeper than that. It's more than physical attraction or just a connection."

"Then what is it then?" Agnetha asked.

"Love," I said looking at Eddie.

"King Edvard, are you in love with this young American girl from Wisconsin?" Agnetha sked.

"I am in love with her and I know that she is in love with me," he replied squeezing my hand slightly.

The crowd awed again and began to clap and I smiled at Edvard. I began to relax slightly.

"Now the other thing that Denmark is buzzing about is the concept of a royal baby," Agnetha said.

Any once of relaxation I felt was now gone and I began to tense up again.

"Paige, did you come back to inform Edvard that you were carrying his child?"

"No," I said shaking my head. "I'm not pregnant."

For some comic relief, Agnetha purposely turned her sideways and looked down at my stomach.

"See, I said smiling. No baby bump there!" I said tightening my shirt around my abdomen.

"Aw! I think some of us Danes were hoping for a royal baby!" Agnetha said.

The crowd began to laugh.

"Now, tell us something interesting about yourself Paige and Edvard. Any special talents that you have or do you know any skills?"

"I actually enjoying cooking," Eddie said.

"And he's really good at it too," I pitched in.

"How interesting! I never would have guessed! How did that come about?"

"Paige taught me when I was in America. I asked her if she would show me and she did. After I got the hang of it; I would really enjoy it and cook a meal for fun or I'd bake something."

"He'd cook for me all the time and sometimes my roommate. It was greatly appreciated!" I said.

"I want a man who will cook for me," Agnetha said laughing and the crowd joined in. Even I laughed.

"What about you Paige? What's your secret talent?"

"I'm can play the piano pretty well and I like to knit and crochet scarves, hats, shirts...pretty much anything!"

"How did knitting and crocheting come about?" Agnetha asked.

"It would be something that I'd do when I was stressed out. It would help relax me."

"Edvard, did you get any of these famous scarves?"

"Yes, I have a few scarves, hats, and I even got a shirt once. They are all beautifully done. I could always expect a scarf during midterms and exam time!" He said laughing.

"I love finding these interesting facts about the new couple that everyone in Denmark is talking about. Please stay tuned and we will continue to talk to King Edvard and Paige Morgan," Agnetha said looking at the cameras, smiling.

The light that said "on-air" went off and I breathed a sigh of relief. We were almost half-way done with the interview.

"Paige," Edvard whispered in my ear, "I want you to hold my hand but can you not squeeze it so tightly? You're cutting off my blood circulation a little bit," he said chuckling.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"I know your nervous so hold it tight but just not as tight," he whispered in my ear again. "But you're doing a fantastic job. I know that this is really hard for you. I'm so proud of you," and with that, he gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I wiped why one sweaty palm on my pant leg and took a deep breath in. This was almost over. This was almost over.

"You have no idea how much everyone here really appreciates you two coming on the show together," Agnetha said trying to make some small talk.

"It's really our pleasure," Edvard said. "I know we've been leaving the people in Denmark slightly in the dark in regards to our relationship and we both wanted to clear things up a little bit."

"What's it like being on TV for the first time, Paige?" She asked me.

"I've really enjoyed the experience. It's nothing like what I thought it would be," I replied.

"ON AIR IN 5, 4,..." then the camera man began to move his fingers and mouth the rest of the words. My heart began to pick up speed again.

Edvard and I smiled at the cameras as they turned to us. I thought I was going to get sick again. I squeezed Edvard's hand a little bit more and he smiled at me reassuringly.

"We're back with Denmark's favorite couple- King Edvard and his girlfriend, Paige Morgan," Agnetha said looking at the cameras. "We are now going to take a few questions from the audience."

A group of people had submitted questions and a few were chosen, I had just found out.

"Alright, our first question is," Agnetha said looking at the screen.

I look anxiously at it and it read: How did you two first meet?

I breathed a sign of relief.

"Well, we actually were able interact a lot with each other in college. I had an English class with her on Shakespeare and we would study together. We also worked together in the student resturant and bar on campus," Edvard said.

"I think we all want to know the first time that you laid eyes on Paige. What was going through your head? What attracted you to her?" Agnetha asked.

"Actually the very first time I met Paige, it was a few days before classes started. She was already working in the student resturant and bar. I was sitting down and relaxing and I saw this beautiful girl walking around. After a while, I got the courage to introduce myself to her," Edvard explained.

I secretly wanted to laugh. I remembered that night and Edvard was drunk. He was a drunk guy hitting on me and didn't make the best impression. When I saw him on my English class; I honestly was not thrilled about the whole situation. However, I wanted to smile at that memory. It seemed like such a long time ago, but it wasn't even a year ago.

"What was it that attracted you to Paige?" Agnetha asked.

"Her smile. She had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen," Edvard said smiling at me.

The crowed awed again at this and I smiled back at Edvard. I really wanted to kiss him but I resisted.

"Now Paige, what did you think of Edvard that night?" Agnetha asked.

"I found him to be very handsome and I enjoyed talking to him," I lied. "And it was nice to see him again in English class a few days later," I lied again.

"When did you know that you were falling for him? Like when did you start to give you butterflies in your stomach around him?" She asked me.

"Hmmm that's actually a really hard question," I said trying to figure out how to answer this one. "I always felt very attracted to Edvard when we were working together or in class or studying together. And I always pushed my attraction away and convinced myself that I didn't want a relationship with anyone because it would be too distracting. But since we were spending all that time together, we became very close and started to hang out outside of those activities too. Like we'd watch TV together-"

"Or he'd cook for you," Agnetha interjected laughing.

"Exactly!" I said laughing too. "But the one time that I realized that I was falling for him and that I couldn't resist the feelings anymore was when me, Edvard, and some other friends were hanging out. We were outside and it started to rain very hard. I was wearing rubber flip-flops so it was hard to run with everyone else for shelter. Edvard saw that I was lagging behind and he stopped and waited for me. At this time we were just friends, but I remember that he took my hand and we ran to go join the others. That was when I stopping resisting my attraction to Edvard."

"What about you Edvard?' She asked.

"I had always been very attracted to Paige from the moment I met her. But, I thought that we would just be friends which I was okay with. But one time in particular was when we were studying together and she just smiled at me and that's when I knew that she was someone special."

The crowd awed again.

I smiled nervously. I knew that another question was coming my way.

"So what do you guys have planned for the future? Paige, when will you both decide to either tie the knot or call is quits?"

"I think we are just going to take everything one day at a time and see what happens," I replied.

"But when-"

"We don't have an ending date for our relationship. Or a date that says to get married or something," I replied slightly annoyed.

"Well that wraps up today's session. Thank you both so much for coming on the show," Agnetha said shaking both of our hands as we stood up.

"It's our pleasure," we both said as we shook her hand. Then we began to walk off stage and Edvard waved to the crowd. I followed his lead. We got to the backstage and I could see the "on air" light turn off. I exhaled a sigh of relief and realized that I had survived my first TV interview. I could still feel my stomach churning and I knew that one thing was for sure- I would never want to do this ever again.

Chapter 25

"Paige, you were fantastic! I am so proud of you!" Eddie said giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks," I managed to say.

I looked over at Cassandra and she gave me a big smile and two thumbs up. I knew that was her way of saying that I did a good job.

As Eddie and I were heading to the door to leave, I turned to Cassandra and smiled at her.

"Bye and thank you for everything," I said waving. She knew what I meant.

"No problem! Maybe I'll see you around again," she said smiling back at me.

"Hopefully," I said and then turned around and left wit Edvard.

Back at the palace I was exhausted. I had gotten almost no sleep, my stomach was still in knots, and I had a pounding headache from all the stress from this morning.

"Hey Paige, I was wondering if you wanted to go take a walk around the grounds here together," Eddie said as we arrived home.

I smiled at him and squeezed his hand, but a walk was the last thing that I wanted to do.

"I'd love to but right now I'm exhausted. I was planning on resting. Maybe later today?"

"Sure," he said giving me a kiss on the cheek.

I could feel Rosalind's eyes on me and she was not happy over something. My stomach churned again as I knew that it would not be long before she cornered me and wanted to talk to me.

And I was right. As I was in my room laying down trying to get some sleep; she knocked loudly on my door.

"Come in," I said sitting up and opening my eyes.

My heart stopped as I saw Rosalind come in my room.

"How are you feeling?" She asked me coldly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Better, thank you," I replied with little emotion in my voice.

"I need to talk to you Paige," she said sternly. "And I need you to listen to me closely and understand what I am saying with an open mind. I know you think that I do not like you and that's not completely true. I can see that you are a nice girl and I see why Edvard was attracted to you. However, there is one major flaw in your relationship. You are commoner. You aren't used to this life. We don't get sick to our stomach before or after an interview," she stopped briefly to look at my expression. I tried not to show any.

"We're used to this," she continued. "Edvard is used to this. He's to all the tabloids, media, and interviews. It's been a part of his life since birth. This concept is completely foreign to you. And I can see that you are struggling with this. Edvard needs someone who can support him and stand next to him. Someone who is used to this spotlight and all the responsibilities that come with being royal. That girl isn't you. He doesn't need to worry about you too on top of everything else he wants to do. You aren't the right girl for Edvard. He needs to marry someone of royal descent. Not a commoner."

Rosalind took a deep breath and continued.

"My brother, may God rest his soul, dated and married a commoner. They lived here. There marriage survived only ten years and that was only because they tried to stick it out as long as possible to avoid bad media coverage. I saw their marriage hitting the rocks about after seven years. The girl could not handle all of the expectations and pressure that came with being royal. And he was not even the king. He didn't have to juggle all of those expectations and demands and his wife was not queen either. I just I need you think about this. You and Edvard come from two very different worlds. This situation is different. Edvard is king and if you marry him, you'll become the queen. Can you handle that?" She asked me waiting for answer.

"Yes, I know that I can" I said.

Rosalind laughed.

"You say that now. But wait till you start to actually juggle being queen and having a marriage with Edvard. You feel like you don't see him a lot now, wait till your queen. And if you have children before you divorce; you'll have to juggle that as well. And my I also mention after you two divorce, the children will no longer be eligible to the throne of Denmark, do you understand that?"

"That's not going to happen," I said sternly.

Rosalind laughed again.

"You are so naive, Paige. Your relationship has already hit the rocks before, what makes you think that it won't again? Except this time it'll be more serious. Tell me what you want to do with your life Paige. What were you plans before you met Edvard?"

"I want to be a doctor and I'll still get to do that."

Rosalind was laughing in almost hysterics by now.

"You are so naive, Paige! You honestly think that you can work, be a queen, and be a mother one day too? And you marriage won't hit the rocks? You honestly think that you and Edvard are going to live happily ever after? You wouldn't live happily ever after even if you didn't work or did not have children! This is not a fairytale. This is real life. And you need to realize what you are getting yourself into. You need to realize what is best for Edvard and do it. If you truly care about him; you'll do what is best for him," she said keeping her voice low and in a monotone.

"No," I said sternly. I was about to cry but I couldn't let her see that.

"Leave Paige," Rosalind told me sternly as though it was a command. "Just leave and don't tell Edvard good-bye. It's for the best. You don't belong here and we both know it. Edvard knows it too but he won't admit it. He thinks that you can get used to this life. I believe that these past two days have proved that you cannot. Go. You are no longer welcomed here. I do not want you here. You need to go. I'll leave you alone to think about what I just said. I except you to be gone by morning tomorrow."

Rosalind turned and walked out of the room, leaving me all alone in my room where I broke down and cried.

I remembered him from this morning when he was talking and the crowd cheering. The people of Denmark love him. He deserved someone who could be always on his side. Was that someone really not me? Was our relationship truly just a ticking time bomb? Ready to explode at any given second? I didn't see it that way. I knew that Rosalind did not truly like me, but I could not help but hear her words play in my head over and over again.

I went to the bathroom and tried to fix my make-up that was now running down my face. Was Rosalind was right? Should I leave Edvard? She was right- if I loved him, I would want what was best for him. What would be best is someone who was not me. I got so upset at this that I made myself sick again. I couldn't do this. I couldn't handle all of this stress and everything that was expected of me. But this was still early. Edvard and I weren't talking about marriage or anything. Why was so panicked? I tried to compose myself and not let Rosalind's words get to me anymore than they had already had.

I composed myself and washed my face. I couldn't bear to leave Edvard again. I simply couldn't do it. But I needed to leave and give up any hopes of Edvard and I being together forever.

"Paige, what's wrong?" I heard Edvard asked.

I turned around startled by seeing him. I didn't hear him come in the room. He was honestly the last person that I wanted to see right now.

"Nothing," I mumbled.

"Paige, I know you well enough to know that there is something wrong. You don't need to bottle it up. We need to talk about it."

"I can't..." I mumbled.

"Paige," he said kindly, taking my hand and leading me to the bed.

I sat down next to him and tried not to let him see that I was crying.

"You did great at the interview today...is everything okay back in Wisconsin?" He asked gently.

I nodded.

"Then what is it?" He asked.

"You're mother came in to talk to me. About how I need to leave because I'm not fit for this life. I can't handle it and she said that I never will be able to. She basically said that our relationship wasn't going to last and that I needed to leave you if I truly cared about you so you could be with someone who could help you run the country better. Someone who is used to this. Used to being a royal," I managed to say. "And I just can't help but question that she may be right," I said looking down.

"I cannot believe her," Edvard snarled.

"I don't want to leave you but I want what's best for you. Do you really think that were on a road to disaster?" I asked through my tears.

"What!? Paige, no!" He said grabbing my arm. "You can't leave me. And of course we aren't on the road to a divorce or a very rocky relationship. We're perfect for each other."

He took me in his arms, hugged me very tightly and kissed my head.

"There will always be people who want to tear us apart. I just never dreamed that my mother would be one of them. Don't let what she said bother you- "

"She said that I wasn't welcomed her anymore. And that I needed to leave by morning," I said cutting him off.

"She said WHAT!?" He snapped. "SHE IS the one who is not welcomed here anymore!" He said is voice raising.

I had never seen Edvard so angry before.

"Paige," he said looking into my eyes. "I cannot imagine my life without you in it. I love you so much. If I really thought that you were taking on too much and that it would affect our relationship- I'd abdicate the throne for you."

"You'd do that for me?"

"I'd walk through fire for you. I'd do anything for you. I love you," he said stroking my hair.

"I'd do anything for you too. I love you so much," I said kissing him.

We began to kiss passionately after proclaiming our deep feelings for each other. However, I was still exhausted and after we broke apart, Edvard held me until I fell asleep with Rosalind's words pounding in my ears.

Chapter 26

I woke up several hours later only to discover that Edvard had left. I was slightly disappointed but I secretly hoped that he would be there when I woke up.

I changed and walked down the hallway trying to look for him. I heard his voice off in the distance and I followed it, but I also found an unfriendly voice as well- Rosalind's.

"How dare you tell Paige, my girlfriend, that she is not welcome here and to leave by tomorrow? And on top of all that, you are trying to scare her out of this relationship. How DARE you!" I heard Edvard say with his voice rising at the last part.

"I'm trying to think of what's best for Denmark and you, Edvard."

"What's best for me and Denmark is Paige. She is a fantastic girl mother! I don't understand how you don't see that!"

"Royals and commoners are never compatible," Rosalind snapped.

"But we ARE!"

Eddie heard me walking down the hallway and he poked his head out the doorway and motioned for me to come and join him. I was hesitant at first, but I trusted that he would protect me from anything that Rosalind would say or do.

"This girl right here," he said taking my hand, "is the love of my life. And she loves me too. There is nothing that can separate us and destroy our love."

"I'm just trying to stop the inevitable from happening-" Rosalind started to say.

"If being king means that I can't be with Paige, then I'll abdicate the throne- no questions asked," Eddie replied.

Rosalind was speechless at this remark.

"I want to treat Paige with the respect that she deserves. If you have any further concerns, I want you to address them to the both of us," Eddie said looking at his mother.

Rosalind didn't say anything again which Eddie somehow took as her way of agreeing with everything that he was saying.

"We'll see you at dinner," Eddie said leaving and guiding me out with him.

He took me down the hall and then turned me around, gently placed me against the wall and kissed me passionately.

"How is that you look beautiful in whatever you wear," he said putting my hair behind my ear and kissing me again.

"And how is it that I have butterflies in my stomach every single time I see you?" I asked kissing him back.

He led me down the hallway to his bedroom where we made love for the second time.

Chapter 27

We later took a walk around the grounds about two hours before dinner. Eddie said that he wanted to talk to me about something but was afraid of us being overheard. I was slightly nervous about what he was going to say but I figured it could not be anything bad.

"Paige, I know that you are a very strong and determined girl. Which were some of the characteristics that I found so very attractive, and I still do. But in all seriousness, do you feel that one day you could..." Eddie stopped and seemed to be getting nervous.

"What?" I asked.

"Could you see yourself as being my wife?" He blurted out.

I wanted to laugh at seeing him so nervous from asking me a question that I felt had an obvious answer.

"Of course," I said smiling at him reassuringly.

I watched him slowly exhale a sigh of relief.

"What did you think I was going to say?" I asked.

"I was slightly worried that bringing this up was going too fast for you, but this afternoon with my mother, I wanted so badly to call you my future wife because I can't picture another girl as my wife. I can't picture my life without you in it," he said.

"I can't picture mine without you either," I said leaning my head on his shoulder.

"I guess," he said leading me to the bench, "is I know that you would be able to handle all of this. But would you want to? Because I meant it when I said that I'd abdicate the throne for you."

"I think that when we make our plans for marriage official; that would be something that we'd have to sit down and discuss. And I feel that after spending some time in the States this summer, we'll be able to make a better decision that we would right now," I said. "And the decision will be what we both want and we both feel is the best. Not simply just what one person wants or feels. Because that is what marriage is all about, making decisions together. But you'd really abdicate the throne for me?"

"I'd do anything for you," he said squeezing my hand. "But I do have some good news for you."

"What?"

"I already bought our plane tickets for the United States."

I looked at him slightly confused.

"Parliament is getting out in two weeks. So it's time to spend some time in the United States. Not unless you want to stay here. I'll leave it up to you."

I smiled and then looked at him.

"States?" He asked.

I nodded and kissed him.

Chapter 28