All Chapters of The Royal's Baby Proposal: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

~ BAILEY ~I’m trying to breathe, but the gown I’m being fitted for doesn’t allow much opportunity for that. Time is of the essence today and I feel as though my entire existence is moving at the speed of light. Claire has taken over my schedule and there’s barely time to pee. Though, you know… I’m pregnant, so I must insist she build in potty breaks to avoid any sort of accident.And I won’t let her nix my daily reading with Antonio from my calendar. Unfortunately, it will be later in the morning and that will provide ample time, I’m sure, for word to reach him that I’m attending a gala with His Highness.Oh, that phrase completely curls my toes, when I actually know better—I shouldn’t let it curl my toes. Or send a rush of exhilaration through my veins. For the hour that I’ve been standing on a platform surrounded by full-length mirrors while two women work simultaneously to nip and tuck, and another one continually holds up shoes for inspection and then puts them against the dress

~ BAILEY ~Of course, I’m blown away. How can I not be?Sure, I’ve been made fully aware, at every turn, this is to be a formal event, and so I did have it in my head that no expense would be spared. However, that’s actually a vague phrase. While it’s true I can come up with some impressive dining and décor scenarios, and even went a little over-the-top with Bailey’s Clambake, I have not been sufficiently exposed to the word “excessive” in such a concentrated manner.Granted, the palace fits the term. Certainly. Though, it’s incredibly vast and spread out and not something that you take in all at once. Like, seriously, I can only process its grandeur in bits and bites.This gala, however, is in my face.There are chandeliers so beautiful, I want to weep. The one in the center of the room, hanging in the domed ceiling, is so huge, so stunning, I just can’t even… Fathom it.Coming from the gilt edges, which I have no doubt are twenty-four-karat gold (as is every fixture, I’m sure), are

~ BAILEY ~“I’m sorry… whhhaaat did you just say?” Claire stares at me as though I’ve grown a third eye and perhaps an extra nose.I smirk.Her expression doesn’t change. “Bailey-soon-to-be-Angelini, aka Your Majesty… With all due respect… Are. You. Shitting. Me?”Now, I laugh.She’s learned that term from me, with the correct punctuation.I snicker at her and say, “Feel free to bring the incredulity down ten notches. You and I both know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that planning a wedding in less than a month is not the hideous undertaking you’re insinuating it is, particularly for a woman of your mad skills.”The compliment does nothing to placate her.She shoots to her feet and begins to pace, partially obstructing my view of the fountain and the large pond surrounding it, which had been expeditiously “installed” while Nick and I were in California. Apparently, if I requested it, this portion of the estate—the outer perimeters of the private apartments—would be turned into a lake t

~NICK~I stare at her as her words cut through me and echo in my head. I am absolutely dumbfounded. Caught unawares. Instantly fucking destroyed.“Bailey!” I blurt as the shock seizes my soul. “What on earth are you talking about?”“Oh, Jesus, Nick!” She lets out a sharp groan. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. Let me explain!”“Well, yeah, that would be helpful,” I insist, given she’s just ripped the rug out from beneath me.We’re finally on the same page with each other, have committed to a wedding date and now… she drops a bombshell on me.“Cold feet?” I assert as my heart stammers and my pulse pounds.Obviously, I fully comprehend how much I love this woman, how much I want her in my life, in my bed—as the mother of my child. As my queen. But it’s in this precise moment that I fear she’s having doubts again regarding all she’ll be leaving behind when she marries me. If, she marries me.Christ. I drag a hand down my face and get to my feet. “What is going on?”Grayson discretely disapp

~NICK~Bailey is radiant, as always, when she comes into the apartment.Not just because she’s breathtakingly beautiful, in general, or because she’s wearing one of her shimmering royal-blue nightgowns with her blonde curls tumbling over her bare shoulders. But because, in her arms, she’s holding our daughter, dressed in butter-colored pajamas and slippers, her blonde hair also loose and shiny.My heart does its usual flip and everything inside me tightens at the sight of them.I truly am the luckiest man alive.There are moments when I think of Bailey as my respected queen and Brielle as our precocious princess.Mostly, though… I just think of them as my heart and my soul. The two people who have healed me from my losses and given me so much hope for the future of my nation.Difficulty being, I admittedly struggle with whether I’m giving Bailey all she needs, considering what she’s sacrificed for me.Then she sweeps into a room, blowing my mind with her bright smile, and I think mayb