My dearest readers, I'm so sorry for the delays lately on the updates. Sadly school has taken over my life these past few weeks since this is my Grad year and also i'm dealing with personal stuff right now. I'm NOT leaving the story anytime soon and I will try to update quicker next time. Also i'm sorry for the grammar mistakes in this chapter. I was rushing to post this chapter and i sadly didn't have time to review the chapter (Hopefully spell check doesn't fail me) . Also I'm going to stop taking in baby names on Friday November 7th. So wherever you are have your names in before the end of the day Friday. If they are not in then they may not make the final cut. If you have any suggestions on this story please send them in, i love hearing your ideas. Hope you like this chapter :)

Chapter 14:

As I enter the room hundreds of eyes fall on me. I take a deep breath and look around the room trying to find a certain pair of eyes. The ball room is filled with people and Christmas decorations of every color. I and Marlee have been planning this Christmas Eve ball for weeks and now it's finally here. I keep searching for Maxon but before I find him I see an Italian princess running towards me. "Queen America you look so beautiful in that dress." She gushes as she pulls me into her arms. I'm in love with my dress tonight. Mary really outdid herself on this dress. It's a sliver floor length dress with a v-neckline. It has sequins along the straps and under my chest. It hugs my curves and stomach just right. I smile at Nicoletta and laugh "Thanks, you look even more beautiful." She blows off my compliment and places her hands on my belly. "I swear it got bigger since I saw you this morning." She talks and coos to the baby for several minutes as I smile down at her. I haven't seen her since the fall feast and I barley had a bump compared to now. I'm little over 5 ½ month pregnant and I look like I ate a dog for breakfast. Nicoletta is still talking to the baby when I feel a hand touch my shoulder. I look to see Maxon with a huge grin on his face. "King Maxon, I'm sorry if I stole your job but I'm now the new baby talker. So only I can talk to the baby." I give Nic a glare and she quickly adds "And America. She can talk to the baby too." I laugh as Maxon shakes his head and places a kiss on my cheek. "Nic, do you mind if I talk to Maxon for a while? I'll meet you over by the food in a minute." Nic stands up and walks into the crowd. Seconds later we hear her calling someone's name out and requesting wine. I turn to Maxon and smile as he places his warm hands on my belly. "You look so beautiful I that dress, I hope you know that" he whispers as he places kisses on my forehead. "I'm surprised I look this good. I'm carrying so much extra weight Mary is making dresses two sizes bigger and I can't wear anything with a heel." I joke as we start dancing to the music. "Well I think you look more beautiful every day because I know in little over 3 months I'll have a beautiful baby and it'll be all thanks to you. I love you America Shreave with all my heart." I place a kiss on Maxon's lips as tears fall down my cheeks. "Stupid hormones" I whisper into Maxon's chest.

We dance for what seems like hours until we hear the crashing of a wine glass dropping on the ground. Maxon sighs and speaks up. "I think it's time we head down to the dining hall for the meal." Everyone slowly moves to the dining hall while maids come rushing in to clean the mess. I see a happy Nic walk over to me. "Why are you so happy?" I ask wondering what she's done this time. "Well I was just talking to Aldo and we decided that we are going to move the wedding earlier because we don't want to wait till May to get married." I stop in my tracts and look at her with worry. "How much earlier?" Now Nic's concerned and glances down at my stomach. "March 20th" I pull Nicoletta away from everyone else and whisper "My due date is the next week. Maxon won't let me leave the palace now. There's no way he's going to let me leave the country." Nicoletta doesn't look worried at all. "Don't worry about it. I know how to convince the King to do what I want." She states as she strides into the dining hall. I laugh and shake my head as I enter the dining hall.

The rest of evening goes wonderfully. The guest loved it the meal as I did I. The cooks even gave me jam to help with my cravings. I spent most of my night talking to advisors and guests. I also spent a while dancing wildly with May. There was no further breaking of wine glasses and no one manage to drink too much if you exclude Nicoletta. Sadly the Italians had to leave shortly after the ball due to something happening at home. Nicoletta promised she would call Maxon and explain the wedding changes in a few weeks. The last guest leaves and my family walks to their rooms. I notice Maxon is standing in the middle of the dance floor alone. I walk over to him and notice that he's holding a single rose in his hand. "What's going on?" I ask as I place my hand on his arm. Maxon smirks and hands me the rose. "Well you looked so beautiful tonight and I barely got to spend time with you. So I thought we could share our last dance of the evening alone." I walk into his arms and we start dancing to the sweet melody. We attempt to get closer together but we end up laughing due to the baby getting in the way. We dance till we hear the clock chime midnight. "I think we should go to bed now, don't you?" I nod my head as he wraps his arm around me and guides me to his room for a good night's sleep.

I wake up to soft kisses being placed on my cheek and neck. I swat them away wishing to be left alone. The kisses double and now I feel a pair of hands go under my shirt and start rubbing my ever growing stomach. "Ames wakes up please." Maxon whispers in my ear. I swat him away and roll over on my side. I quickly realize that this isn't comfy and kinda hurts. I roll back over and slowly open my eyes. I see Maxon above me smirking. "I'm trying to sleep" I moan. Maxon places a lingering kiss on my lips. Soon the kiss intensifies and we are lost in each other. It doesn't take long for us to be uncomfortable with the distance between us. Maxon pulls away and smirks at my belly. "I see the baby likes us to keep our distance." I laugh as Maxon lifts up my shirt and places kisses on my stomach. I play with his hair and smile at the cuteness of our family. "Maxon do you think that we can stay in bed all day?" He moves his attention from the baby to me and places a kiss on my nose. "I think I can make that happen." We cuddle up to each other and Maxon rests his hands on my baby bump. Slowly I drift off back to sleep.

What seems like hours later I wake up to the sound of footsteps running down the hall. I start to panic thinking its guards and that rebels made their way in. The footsteps are getting closer and soon the doors of Maxon's suite burst open. I see a flash of red coming flying into the room and jump on the bed. "Ames get up?" May screams as she lies down beside me. "May, I'm trying to sleep." May shakes her head and starts jumping around the bed. By now Maxon's awake and laughing at May's attempt to get us up. "May, be careful. I do have a baby resting here." I complain as she jumps beside me. Even at 16 she still acts like she's 10. "Ames get up please. It's Christmas and I want my presents. Mom said I had to wait for you two to get to the women's room." I groan as I sit up. Maxon walks over to his closet to find some clothes for us. "May go back down and we'll be there in several minutes." May sighs and leaves the room quietly. I get out of bed and look at my appearance in the mirror. The oversized nightgown and messy hair doesn't help me look like a queen. The pregnancy has pretty much taken over my life and energy. Maxon comes out with a simple pair of pants and shirt for him. "Where's my clothes?" I ask not wanting to go to my room. "Ames I don't have any clothes in my room for you. Paige decided to organize the closets the other day." I sigh and storm off to my suite without saying a word. I find a nice blouse and some dress pants that magical still fit me. I quickly pull my hair into a ponytail and return to Maxon's room. I find Maxon sitting at his desk reading a folder. I sneak up behind him and slam the folder shut. "Ames, I have to have this ready for the meeting tomorrow." He whines as he attempts to open it again. I close it again and sit in his lap and wrap my arms around his waist. "Maxon it's Christmas morning, you can work on that tonight after I crash from exhaustion. Now we better get down there before May comes up here with the presents." I attempt to stand up but Maxon tightens his grip on me. "Who do you think you are leaving me without a kiss?" he whispers as he moves his lips to my neck. He kisses my sweet spot as my hands goes to unbutton his shirt. Soon his shirt is off and his lips return to mine. As he unbuttons the first button on my blouse a loud knock interrupts us. "Ames come on, we don't have all day." I can hear the anger in her voice. "We'll be right there I promise" I call out. I hear her footsteps march off angrily and Maxon sighs loudly.

We tidy ourselves up and make our way down to the women's room. We find the entire family as well as Adele and her children. "Merry Christmas everyone" Maxon announces as we take our seats by the Christmas tree. "Finally" mumbles May. "Sorry about the delay. We had a hard time trying to find some clothes to fit America. The baby's getting so big." All the women in the room smile at us. "Why don't the kids open their presents first." I suggest. A young maid brings over a breakfast tray for me and Maxon while Astra, May, Gerad and Adele's kids open their gifts. The younger children become fascinated with the first toys they find and the older ones look for the nicest looking clothes they can find. Kenna comes over and hugs me tightly. 'I have a special present for you this year." She grins. "What could that be?" I worry knowing that that grin is an evil one. "It's nothing bad it's just something you're going to need soon." She says as she hands me a giant box. I open it up to find a pillow and a book. "What are these?" I ask wondering why I need a pillow when I have three hundred in the palace. "That's a book on the do's and don'ts of labour and this pillow is a pregnancy pillow. Soon your belly's going to get so big you can't sleep at all. The pillow will help keep you comfy. It's even shaped to fit near your belly." She says as she hands me the pillow. "It does look comfy." I admire the pillow as Kenna warns "Maxon won't like it because the pillow prevents the guy from getting near the baby when you sleep. So if I were you I would wait till you really need it to use it. If not Maxon won't get any baby cuddles." I laugh and nod my head. We hear Astra screaming "Mama" and Kenna takes off to find her baby girl.

Maxon walks over and joins me on the couch. "What's that in your hand?" he asks while holding a small box. "Well Kenna gave me a labour book and a pregnancy pillow. The pillow helps me sleep when my belly gets bigger." I explain as I put the gifts back in the box. "Well I think it's time I gave you my gift." He says as he hands me the box. I take the box and open it to reveal a necklace. "Oh my goodness" I cry as I pick it up out of the box. It has a heart charm on it with three stones in the middle, my birthstone, Maxon's birthstone and a small diamond. "What the diamond for?" I ask as I hold the necklace with care. Maxon cuddles up next to me and wraps his arm around me. "The diamond is to represent the baby. It's to represent our family." He whispers. I look over to our families to see that they are more interested with the present than us. "Can you help me put it on?" I ask as I hand him the necklace. He smiles and nods as he accepts the necklace. He quietly puts the necklace on me and places a quick kiss on my neck. I grab an envelope from the table beside me and hand it to Maxon. "What's this" he asks. "I thought we weren't giving each other anything this year?" I shake my head and sigh "Says the one who gave me a necklace." Maxon pretends to look offended "I had to and it looks so beautiful on you." He exclaims as he opens the envelope. I watch as his face goes from curious to shock to proud in a matter of seconds. "Is this?" Maxon mumbles. "Yes it's our baby" I explain. In Maxon's hand is an ultrasound picture of our baby from two days ago. Lately Maxon's been extremely busy with the advisors and missed my last ultrasound. I decided what better gift to give the love of my life than an exclusive picture of our baby. "It's so beautiful" he whispers as he grins at the photo. I place my head on his shoulder and smile. "I have another surprise for you too." I exclaim as Maxon redirects his attention to me "What else could you have gotten me?" he asks as he places a kiss on my forehead. "Well I got an official due date for the baby" Maxon's face returns to shocked at the news. "When is it?" "It's March 26th" I explain "On March 26th we will have our baby in our arms."

Both of us are crying happy tears as we stare at the picture. I look up to see my mom looking at us with love in her eyes. She walks over and hugs us tight. "You children are going to be great parents. And to think in 4 months I'll have a grandchild." Mom hugs me and whispers "Your dad would be so proud of you America." I hug her tighter and nod my head "I know." We let go and I feel tiny pull on my leg. I look down to see tiny Astra pulling on my pant leg. "Amesy, Amesy. Look at my new toy." She holds up a doll half the size of her. I kneel down to her level and pull her into my arms. "That doll is almost as pretty as you Astra." She giggles as she holds the doll up to my face pretending that it is kissing me. "What's her name?" I ask as she brushes the doll's hair. "It's Amesy because she looks like you." She giggles as she waves the doll in front of my face. "Of course" I say. I notice a guard rushing into the room and whispers something in Maxon's ear. Maxon nods and walks over to me quickly. "I'm sorry America but there's an important phone call I have to take. Stay here with your family and I'll be back in time for lunch in the dining hall." Maxon explains. I nod my head and watch him leave the room. Astra looks up at me and smiles "Amesy come play dollies with me." She screams. I laugh as she leads me over to the rest of her toys by the tree. I take a seat on the couch as Astra looks for a certain toy for me to play with. May comes and sits beside me holding a wrapped box. "Here's a present for you Ames, it's from me." She hands me the box and I unwrap it carefully. I open it to see a photo in a frame. "What's this May?" I ask, wondering here she got the beautiful picture. "I painted it. It's a violin with a tiara around its neck." She explains. I start to cry once again as May pulls me into her arms. "What's wrong Ames?" "Oh nothing, this baby makes me emotional sometimes and I tend to cry easily." I explain. We sit there and laugh. "I miss you guys." I say to no one. My mom answers me "You see us all the time but I know what you mean. It seems like I never see you anymore since you can't leave the palace." She sits down on my other side and hugs me. A young maid hurries in and curtsies "You're Majesty dinner is ready when you are." "Thank you, we'll be there shortly. Send in a maid to clean up the wrapping paper." I say as I look around the cluttered room. "Of course you're Majesty." She leaves as fast as she came. I stand up and announce. "Let's eat before it gets cold."

I stare up at the night sky as I wrap my sweater around me. I feel a sense of deja-vu as I admire the brightness of the stars tonight. I feel like I'm back in the selection on my date with Maxon. I remember him talking about the stars and the facts his tutor told him. It feels like last week I was on that date but in reality it's been over two years. I sigh as a gush of cool wind blows by me. This the coldest Christmas we've had since I first came here. I'm missing the Carolina snow but at least I can stand outside on Christmas without being covered in heavy clothes. The gardens are beautiful as the moonlight reflect off of the small fountain in the middle. My thoughts are interrupted by the opening of my suite door. Maxon walks in running his hand through his hair. "What's wrong?" Maxon comes and stands beside me on the balcony. "Nicoletta called. She said that while they were gone someone broke into several food distribution factories and stole enough food to feed 100 people. They are short on resources right now and asked if we could send some over." He sighs as I hold his hand. "Are you?" I asked wondering if we had enough to send over. "Yes I took some money from our personal food fund to send resources over. So we won't be able to hold any big events for the next little while." I take Maxon's hand in both of mine and smile. "We'll survive. We have enough food to spare." Maxon smiles and places a kiss on my forehead. "I'm sorry I had to leave you on Christmas." He apologizes as he gathers me up in his arms. "It's okay; I had fun playing dolls with Astra. She even named her new doll after me." I joke as I place a kiss on his soft lips. "Oh Nicoletta also mentioned that she moved her wedding." Maxon frowns. I look up at him with hopeful eyes. "Ames I know you want to go but that's a week before your due date." He sighs as he leads me inside. We take a seat on the small sofa in my suite. Maxon places his hands on my stomach. "Ames I don't want something to happen to you or the baby. Also I don't think flying at 9 month pregnant is healthy. I already mentioned it to Dr. Cole and he said he wants us to meet with him soon." I pull away from Maxon quickly and glare. "Maxon you don't make decisions for me. I make my own decisions and you shouldn't be deciding my life with Dr. Cole behind my back." I scream. I knock at the door interrupts me. "Unless someone's dying, I'd advise you leave now before I fire you." I scream. Right now I don't care who is at that door, I just want to be left alone for five minutes. Maxon sighs and tries to pull me back into his arms. "America I'm sorry, I do have a right to protect my child from harm. I didn't do it behind your back. I was just hoping to get some answers quickly so we could let Nicoletta know." Maxon explains. I pull away from him again and storm towards the door. "Maxon it's my life and if I want to go to Italy then I will. Neither you nor Dr. Cole can stop me." I open the door to his suite and storm in. Before Maxon can respond I slam his door and rest my back against it. I start crying and rubbing my belly. "I'm sorry you had to hear that my beautiful baby. We don't normally fight like that." I whisper. I move over to Maxon's bed and lay on his side of the bed. The fluffy pillows smell like him and I burry my face in them. I feel like I'm back in the selection crying into a pillow and missing Carolina.

I hear the door open and footsteps coming into the room. "My darling, are you okay?" Maxon whispers. I shake my head but say nothing. He walks around the bed and kneels on the floor in front of me. "I'm so sorry; I shouldn't have gone to Dr. Cole behind your back. It was stupid of me to make that decision for you. Can you forgive me?" He takes my hand in his and places a kiss on my knuckles. "I can forgive you if you can forgive me for being hormonal and crank all the time." I half joke. Maxon smirks and sits on the bed next to me. "I'll forgive you only because you're going to give me a child at the end of this." I shake my head and laugh. I scoot over on the bed to allow Maxon to lie beside me. "My darling, I do have some good news to end the day with." He cuddles up to me and places a quick kiss on my cheek. "What would that be?" I ask wrapping my arms around him and placing my head on his chest. "Well I got the news that the nursery is almost ready to be painted and we need to pick out paint colors." He looks down at me and smiles. "Well I think we should paint it yellow." I suggest. Maxon places his warm hands on my stomach and rubs circles onto it. "I'm thinking green." I look up at him with confusion covering my face. "Why green?" I wonder out loud. "Because yellow is so typical for a baby's room. We need something different." "I personally like yellow and it doesn't have to plain yellow we can add some designs to the walls or have May paint a mural." I explain. Maxon laughs and is just about to respond when a firm knock comes from the door. "Come in" Maxon hollers. The door bursts open and Aspen and Carter storms into the room. "We are sorry to interrupt you guys on Christmas but the King of France is on the phone. He said that it's important and needs to speak to you now."

Hello readers :) So i hope you liked this chapter as much as i did. Reminder about the baby name deadline on Friday (See note above). I'd like to thank everyone who have reviewed, favorited, followed and read the story. It means so much to me. Hopefully i won't take too long to write and post the next chapter. Until next time :)

-SelectionGirl0723