A bit of a longer chapter today! Hope y'all like it!

"I look at you the same way I look at giraffes which is basically 'I bet you were born awesome.'"

"Tell me the name you picked," I said, staring at Maxon with doe eyes and playing with his fingers. "I won't tell you mine unless you tell me yours first."

He laughed and shook his head, pouring some more cranberry juice for me. He had decided to try not to drink in front of me for the rest of my pregnancy but I knew he was struggling. He wasn't an alcoholic or anything but a glass of wine with dinner every night and bourbon after a tough meeting with advisers were his go-to stress relievers. Well, besides me, of course. "That's not fair. You probably have a wonderful name in mind that will completely overshadow mine."

"Did I mention that I have the right to overrule?" I asked.

"No, you didn't and no, you don't. You get to have your fun with the princess and I get mine with my son." He sighed and looked down at his shoes. "Okay, you really want to know?" I nodded eagerly. "For the middle name I picked Maddox and the for his first name…I chose Shalom."

My eyes flicked up to meet his. Did I hear him right? He chose my father's name? Why would he do that? "Shalom…" I repeated, just to double-check.

He nodded. "Shalom Maddox Schreave." I started laughing and he smiled wider. "What's so funny?"

"You want to hear the name I chose? Amber Celeste Schreave."

All humor was wiped off his face. "Amber? As in Amberley?"

"That's why I was laughing. I guess we both think the same way," I said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're okay with Amber, right?"

"I love it! And Shalom?"

Tears pooled in my eyes and I nodded. "It's perfect." I leaned in to kiss him, holding the front of his sweater as I deepened the kiss. Somehow I ended up in his lap and then I was acutely aware of being pushed away gently.

"America, geez, what's going on with you?" Maxon asked, bewildered.

I frowned. "Is something wrong?" I asked. What was he talking about?

"Every time we kiss nowadays you're practically ripping my clothes off. Slow down a bit, will you?"

I pouted but then narrowed my eyes, attacking a bare spot on his neck. "We haven't had sex in here yet," I whispered against his skin.

"We have actually, last Christmas." He shook his head and pushed me away again. "I just don't think now's the time."

"Do you realize what you're saying?" I asked, still holding the front of his sweater. "You've never turned me down before. Never. Is it because I'm pregnant? Because I'm getting fat?" Tears brimmed in my eyes again.

He snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. You're beautiful."

"Then why not?"

"I'm just not used to you being so…so…" He struggled to find the right word so I gave him a few minutes. "Promiscuous."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arm, aware of the fact that I was acting like a child. I couldn't fathom what was happening between us. "Horny, Maxon. I'm horny. And do you realize you're being such a hypocrite right now? I hardly ever refuse you because believe me, you have your moments too. You can't deny me now."

"I'm not in the mood, okay?" he snapped, looking at my angrily.

God, I hated that look. I could count on one hand the number of times that look had been directed at me. I remembered each one of them vividly though because every time I felt like a knife was being shoved through my heart. "Fine," I huffed, standing up from the ground and adjusting my dress. I picked up the picnic basket and tugged the blanket out from underneath of him.

He looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. "No, America, c'mon…"

"No, you c'mon Maxon. I get it, you've had a long day. Aspen warned me earlier tonight that you'd had a few rough meetings and you can come to me with your problems any time. You cannot, however, take you anger out on me. I will not allow it. That's what King Dom did to Oyun, it's what your Clarkson did to your mother…"

"Don't you dare compare me to my father!" Maxon shouted, standing up.

I threw my hands up in the air, at a loss. "Then stop giving me something to compare!" I turned to leave but then looked back at him. "And I think you can be a bit more original that Maddox, don't you?"

I ran up to my room, slamming the door behind me. I had given Mary the night off because I was expecting our date to go very differently than it had. I was expecting it to carry over into either of our bedrooms. Not end with me crying alone on my bed. My hormones were completely out of control.

The door opened and I knew it was Maxon without having to look. I recognized the sound of his feet years ago and I could hear his breaths from where I was lying, facing the windows with a pillow tucked under me. He had run up here. "You're beautiful," he whispered into the dark room. I didn't react but he knew that I was awake and listening. "You're the most beautiful person I have ever met. You're so smart and intelligent and generous. You are the epitome of all things good in this world. You're loyal to your dying breath. You'll do anything for people you love. You're a wonderful queen and an incredible wife and friend. You'll be an even better mom."

I sat there and tried to ignore the way his words filled my body with warmth. They soaked into my skin like sun on a hot summer day, making me feel tingly and refreshed. I wanted so desperately to be mad at him but I couldn't find the energy. "You stole a page out of my script," I told him, my voice muffled by the pillow.

I heard him laugh quietly. He walked around the bed to sit next to me. He moved hair out of my eyes. "What goes around comes around." I nodded, a sob escaping me. He shushed me and pulled me into his arms, rocking my slowly.

"I'm so sorry. I should have never said those things to you."

"Me too."

"I do like the name Maddox," I whispered. "I just said that because I was so mad."

He laughed again and smiled into my hair. "I know."

The next day we said goodbye to Kota. I didn't think anything of it at the time but Maxon was missing from his departure. He had to wake up early to go to meetings so I assumed that he was just still working but he had promised to be there when my brother left.

I decided that the first place I would find him would naturally be our study. I did find him but he was bent over his work, a phone pressed to his ear and he was debating something in a strong voice. "No, I understand that but my wife…I just don't think I can be away for that long…" I walked over to my desk, pretending to not be listening to his conversation but he was talking about me. "Well there must be something…I don't believe he do that…okay…three days is fine…yes, sir…thank you…you as well." He hung up the phone forcefully and buried his face in his hands.

I smiled to myself and lifted my phone, dialing his number. He jumped when his phone started ringing and lifted it to his ear. "What?" he barked.

"Her Majesty the queen would like to inform her husband that he'll need a triple bypass by the time he's thirty if he keeps talking like that," I said into the phone.

He looked up at me from across the office and sighed, running a hand down his face. He slowly put his phone down so I walked over to him to massage his shoulders. "What was that call about?" I asked quietly.

"The governor of Kent is throwing a fit because of a cut in finances or something…I don't know, he was being ridiculous about the whole matter but James and I have to go there to sort it out," he explained into his hands.

"You have to go? For how long?" My hands stopped moving.

He sighed. "Three days." He spun in his chair to look at me. "I'm sorry but I have go. He wanted a week but I convinced him of three days."

I frowned but nodded all the same. "Just stay safe," I told him, kissing him on the cheek.

"I will, my dear. Just a quick in and out trip," he assured me. "Maybe you could get Kriss, May and Lucy over here and you girls could have a pampering day."

"That's a great idea. How'd you think of that?" I asked, looping an arm around his neck to pull me closer. His hands ran up and down my hips, stopping on my stomach.

"Kenna suggested it," he admitted, pink dusting his cheeks.

I smiled and played with his ear. "Well remind me to thank her sometime. You really have to go?"

He nodded and smiled sadly. "Yes. I'll leave tonight. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come home. I do have one request though."

I raised my eyebrows. "Someone is being awfully presumptuous."

"Can you pack for me?"

I threw my head back and laughed out loud, nodding. "Yes, I can pack for you. Anything you really want me to pack for you?"

"I like that new red tie."

"Red tie, it is," I said, kissing his forehead and then heading down the hall to our room. Outside in the hallway talking to an adviser was Aspen. I waved him over to me so he politely excused himself and came to me.

"What's up?" he asked, the adviser stalking off to one of the lounges down the hallway.

I was wringing my hands in front of me nervously. I had to put on a brave face in front of Maxon because otherwise he would never go but I really did not like the idea of him leaving. I caught Aspen having a hard time keeping his eyes focused on my face, flicking between my stomach and my eyes. "I have a huge favor to ask of you," I warned.

He shrugged and crossed his arms. "Okay."

"Maxon is going to Kent for a few days. He just decided he was leaving so he hasn't made proper arrangements yet. I was wondering…I mean, I know that you're probably busy…I'm just worried…"

"America, stop, I'll go."

I still marveled at how well he knew me. "Really?"

He nodded. "Even if he didn't ask me to I'd volunteer to go. Although he may have a hard time leaving you here without me to watch over you."

"Carter and August will be here and with Georgia and Marlee always hanging around the palace, I doubt they'll let a fly into the palace. Not to mention Kile."

"And you're okay leaving Lucy?" I asked, just to be sure.

He smiled and did a half-nod, half-shrug. "I know I'm leaving her in good hands."

"Right, and I'm okay with Maxon leaving as long as I know he's in good hands. Plus James will be going with him and I'm sure Kenna will feel better knowing that you're with them."

"Mer, I'm hardly the guard I used to be. With this bum leg, I'd be useless if anything happened."

I sighed. "I know Aspen. It's just for peace of mind, okay?"

He looked at me for a few seconds and then nodded, conceding. "I guess I'd better talk to Maxon then. At least he's less scary to face off against than you are," he joked, walking into our study.

That night, after dinner, I walked with Maxon to the front doors. Kenna had agreed to a sleepover so I wouldn't have to be alone for the night. I didn't really mind being alone but for some reason it seemed to be a big deal to everyone else that I would be spending two nights pregnant and alone.

"Don't forget to finish proofreading that report for tomorrow night. Gavril will read it, you just need to get it to him," Maxon reminded me again, handing his bag off to a butler to place in the car.

I nodded and put my hands on his shoulders. "Maxon, I've got it."

He sighed. "I know. I just also know that you've been having pregnancy brain lately. Your book said something about that happening around your twenty-second week."

"You've been reading that book?" I asked, not having seen him read it once.

"I have it in my briefcase," he informed me.

I gaped and then laughed. "Some quality reading." I straightened his lapels and tie one last time. "Be careful, you hear me? Don't make Aspen do anything stupid."

"I'll be fine." He put his hands on my belly and I covered them with my own. "Take care of Shalom and Amber."

"They're not going anywhere, anytime soon. Believe me, they are very happy in here." To back up my words, one of my twins rewarded Maxon with a solid kick to his hand. "See?"

He smiled and pulled me close, rocking us back and forth as he hugged me. "I love you," he whispered in my ear.

"Love you too," I answered, for once not saying it automatically but putting all of my emotion behind it. I kissed his neck, just above his collar and then pulled away. "See you in a few days."

He nodded. "See you." He squeezed my hand and then walked down to the car. This was not by far the first time he had left for business during our marriage but it was the first time since finding out about the twins and that didn't make it any easier for either of us. Even small trips like this to provinces posed threats. He suffered at the thought of me raising our children alone or him never meeting them and I did as well.

I turned away from the door when I saw the car disappear in the gates. That was my least favorite part: every time I watched him leave the palace grounds I knew he was vulnerable and beyond the protection of the full royal guard. Some days I was too anxious and couldn't bear to watch him leave; I would go inside before the car even moved.

I finally met Kenna up in my room and played with my niece for the night before she had to go to bed. I got changed, squeezing into one of Maxon's old stretched out cotton shirts. My belly had finally gotten too big for one of his old button-downs so I had to resort to his cotton shirts. When I came back out of his closet and went to my suite, I saw that Kenna had a large box sitting in the middle of the room. "Ken, what is this?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"It's an early baby present. It's actually a mommy present. Trust me, you'll need it in a few weeks," she said, not offering any other explanation.

I raised an eyebrow but went to the box anyway, opening it up to reveal the biggest body pillow ever. I laughed, realizing that Kenna was indeed my greatest asset for helping me through this pregnancy. "Ugh, I already need this," I said, lifting it out of the box and hugging it close to me. "Thank you so much."

"What else are big sisters for?" she asked, coming to hug me. "Now c'mon, you need to get some sleep. I've already called everyone and they're on board for a pampering day tomorrow."

"I have work," I reminded her.

She shook her head. "What do you think Marlee was doing during dinner?"

"But I had to sign it."

"America, they have stamps for those kinds of things. So no more complaining. Get in bed," she ordered, squaring off against me. I realized how ridiculous I probably looked, still hugging the pillow to my chest and only my eyes being visible over the top of it.

Still, I relented and tossed the pillow on the bed. The other sleepovers I'd had with Kenna over the years involved us making improvised beds in the conservatory or pitching a tent in my room for fun. I knew that with my being pregnant there'd be no chance of her letting me sleep on the floor and I wasn't getting a good night's sleep in bed anyway. She went to sleep almost right away, her breaths evening out in seconds. I laid in bed, the lost conscious thought being that of the danger my husband was in.

"Everyone" turned out to be Marlee, May, Georgia, Lucy, Kenna and Kriss. It was an interesting dynamic, three of us being mothers, one of us an expecting mother, two of us without children yet, and one of us still unmarried. Kile and Astra were running around the room while Kriss's daughter Liza was passed around between the seven of us.

"You!" Kriss exclaimed, pointing at me as May put the finishing touches on my fingernails. "It's time for those bangs."

"Bangs?" Kenna and May repeated in unison.

I looked at Kriss holding her scissors up in the air, looking like we had already decided that we'd be doing this. "Inside joke," I told them. I turned back to Kriss. "And why?"

"Look, you're going to be a mom soon. Trust me when I say that now's the best time for you to do something different with your hair. I promise, I won't do anything to your face," she swore, referencing Celeste's joke from that day in the Women's Room.

I smiled at her. "Okay, go ahead." Kriss clapped her hands and got to work on my hair. Lucy was holding Liza, rocking her and making cute faces to her.

"I can't wait to have one of my own," she said quietly. At first I just passed it off as any girl having baby fever but then upon closer inspection, I realized that Lucy might have the real baby fever. She had hardly eaten all day and looked more tired than usual.

"I'm sure you and Aspen will have a baby in no time," Georgia assured her. "I just wish someone would talk to August. He doesn't seem to be as anxious for kids as I am."

May put her arm around Georgia's shoulders. "Well, your house did just burn down. That probably puts a damper on things."

"May!" Kenna and I hissed.

She looked at us innocently. "What?"

Georgia shook her head. "It's fine. I know that is part of his reasoning. I guess it's just not the right time for it."

I looked back at Lucy. "Lucy…are you…?"

She bit her lip coyly, fear flickering through her eyes. "America, please, I haven't told Aspen yet. I just got it confirmed yesterday and when I found out he was leaving for this trip I didn't want to tell him because he'd never leave…"

"Wait, Luce, you're pregnant?" May asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Well, yeah," she admitted quietly. Everyone erupted into happy screams, Kriss abandoning my half-cut hair to go hug Lucy. "Please, you guys can't say anything," she pleaded, looking genuinely scared.

"We won't," we all promised with scattered uniformity.

Kriss finished snipping at my hair and then stepped back to inspect her work. "Well, go have a look!" she said excitedly, following me to the mirror in my bathroom. "Personally, I love it."

I stared at my reflection and nodded. "Yeah, it's great. Thank you so much."

"No problem. Maxon is going to love it," she whispered, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah," I whispered. The babies were kicking again, both of them getting to be quite active during the day. I put my hands on my stomach and looked over at Kriss. "You should come round more often. I could use another new mom to talk to," I told her.

She looked up at me, her eyes lighting up. "I'd love to. I was just scared that it'd be awkward."

"Kriss, you're married and have Liza, we have the twins…it's only awkward if we make it awkward. Really, I miss Elise and the rest of the girls. We've all moved past the Selection and I know that with the way it ended a lot of the girls are still freaked out but I wish we all still kept in touch."

Kriss picked up a pallet of eyeshadow and played with the lid. "You know, America, it's really a nice idea but think about how it sounds coming from you. I mean, yes, a lot of us have moved on and are married or in wonderful relationships but there are some who are still heartbroken. Us Elite have a different feeling but there are other girls like Bariel and Tiny who would never want to come back here."

"I wish it didn't have to be like that."

She smiled sadly and nodded. "Me too. But there was a guy involved and unfortunately, when there's a guy involved, married or not, it makes for an interesting dynamic." She hugged me then. "But I'll definitely take you up on your offer. Just for another person to watch Liza, I'll take you up on it."

I laughed. "Careful there. I'm about to have two babies to take care of."

"Well then you can use me as an extra set of eyes."

We walked out of my bathroom and spent the rest of the day eating sweets and gossiping. Dinner came and went and then Carter and Kriss passed their children over to their husbands for the night. Lucy, Kriss, Marlee and I decided to share my bed while Kenna, May and Georgia got the makeshift mattresses on the floor.

"So what now? Slumber party games?" May asked.

"How about some sleep instead?" Kriss answered, tucking one of my pillows underneath of her and curling up on her side. Then she sat up. "America, please tell me this wasn't the bed you fornicated in."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not answering that." May made a gag sound but Marlee settled for kissy sounds.

We all burrowed into our respective beds and soon we were all asleep. I woke up the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Kriss groaned and rolled over at my side. I was used to being woken up by that sound though so I sat up and rubbed my eyes, shocked when I felt the hair on my forehead, forgetting momentarily that I had gotten bangs. Maxon poked his head in the door and his eyes widened as he took in the scene in my room.

I slid out of bed with a big smile on my face, walking to his door and shutting it behind me. I put my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply as he steered me to his bed. "I thought you wouldn't be back until this afternoon," I breathed out against his lips as he kissed his way up my stomach.

"I flew out last night after my last meeting. All the sooner to see you, my dear," he panted.

"I'm not your dear."

"You're right. You're my dearest." He pulled back and suddenly looked at my curiously. "What did you do to your hair?"

I reached up to touch it, still getting used to it. "Kriss cut it for me. We talked about it during the Selection but never got around to it. Do you like it?"

He nodded and smiled. "I love it." He kissed me quickly on my lips again and hugged me close. "I didn't think I could ever miss you more than normal but with you here and the twins…I couldn't bear it. Luckily I was able to convince our pilot to fly home last night."

"Lucky me," I mumbled against his lips. "I really want to finish this but I do have guests in the next room over."

"Ah, damn," he growled. He pulled away and sighed. "I have work to do anyway."

I cupped his cheek in my hand. "I love you."

He smiled. "I've missed hearing you say that."

"I love you," I repeated, pressing my forehead against his.

"America?" a voice said from the door. I turned and saw Kenna standing in the doorway, her eyebrows raised. "Are you joining us for breakfast or not?" She didn't wait for me to answer before turning and going back to my room.

I squeezed Maxon's hand. "I'll see you later." I smiled at him and then followed my sister into my room.

Just a lot of fluff! Has anyone heard the rumors that Kate Middleton is having twins? How weird would that be?! oh, and KIERA CASS ANSWERED MY QUESTION ON TUMBLR. i fangirled a little bit. and omg, anyone else in college or boarding school of some sort, do you have annoying roommates? some days i just cannot handle mine. anyways, mini rant over. all good vibes over here.

winterprincess: Kota's relationship with his family is definitely a complicated one but i find it so interesting!

Mac: *spoiler* i think Daphne is going to be in the next chapter!

booksforbreakfast: i realize now how that sounded. no, i didn't, sadly. but Epic Reads has a Selection Snapchat and they use it on behalf of Kiera Cass. their name is selectionseries

prnamber3909: ;)

dolly123: i love your name.

Someone the World Forgot: interesting things happen when someone in your family is in trouble, even if they are estranged. i don't think America would really carry a torch for Kota for that long. he is her brother and he did kind of get her and Aspen together so i don't think she could really hold a grudge against him.

PEETAMELLARKLOVER123: hmm, i think my favorite numbers are 3, 9, 16, 74, and 99.

Theoneforever: i love Christmas and Thanksgiving equally. unfortunately, this year i am getting my wisdom teeth taken out during Thanksgiving break. :( i heard some people heal really fast so hopefully i do as well but either way i think i'm sticking to mashed potatoes and gravy for thanksgiving dinner.

Weatherbug02: sorry we didn't beat Meatchicken for you. :( idk what happened. we were looking so good in the first half and then something happened and we just couldn't recover. i'm still reeling from it.

thanks for the awesome reviews guys!