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Four Weeks Later

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I stare at the messages he's sent in the last half an hour while I was in the scan room. First, it started as a friendly message exchange three days ago. Kai sent money through the front door a week ago after messaging me he would. No visit, no face-to-face conversation. With the money, I booked a private scan and invited him to come along, but he messaged back to decline. Now I'm eight weeks, there's something to see, and luckily, everything is all good.

That was three days ago. I've had three messages in the past half an hour from Kai: 'Let me know how it's gone. I don't want photos. Just let me know it's all okay.' Followed by, 'I need to see you, asap. Please let me know when I can drop by.' And finally, 'Peach, I need to see you today.'

Clearly, something has happened, and it seems serious. Maybe he's decided he wants to be involved, or something. But whatever it is, all I know is in the last four weeks, Kai's been photographed going around, getting drunk, being seen with various questionable celebrities at parties and basically showing up the royal family. He's been all over the news channels, in the newspapers, on social media.

"You okay, sis?" Patrick asks as we reach the hospital's main entrance.

I nod. "Yeah, just... this is ominous, right?" He reads the messages. "Maybe I'm looking too much into things, but this coupled with the social media photos and everything, I don't know."

He grabs me into his hold and kisses my hair. "Everything's going to be fine, all right? Your baby – or little Seahorse Kennedy, as I call it – is doing well in there, and you're doing amazing. Whatever this is about, you got this. And by the way, thank you for letting me in. Seeing that as a med student is one thing, but seeing your little niece or nephew is, well, it's amazing."

I grip his scrubs. "Something is giving me bad vibes. I just can't tell what it is."

Patrick lets me go and runs a hand through his light brown hair. His green eyes shine with comfort as they search mine. "You've got us, Little Sis, all right? Hm, now I have a nickname for you. Your baby is called Fry – that's what a baby seahorse is called. You're Seahorse."

I snort. "You're going to call me Seahorse?"

Patrick nods and grins. "Right, I need to get back to my shift. Will you be okay?"

"Of course I will be. Apparently, I have a visitor soon this afternoon, so I don't know."

"You need me, you call me. I'll work something out."

I roll my eyes. "Not if you wanna complete your medicine degree, you don't. Dad is at home, anyway, doing his baking and whatever."

Patrick laughs. "He's determined to make a business out of it. More power to him if he manages it. His cakes are damn good."

"I know, right? Something tells me I'm going to be craving cakes so badly. Right, I'll let you go. Have a good day."

He waves me off as he walks across the road to the main hospital.

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There's nothing more British than having a meeting over a cup of tea and biscuits, but this is just... well, taking the damn biscuit. I didn't expect Kai to bring over a press officer and some other suited guy I'm not sure who he is. I think security or maybe another press officer or something? Maybe a lawyer? I missed the muttering about his profession. But eventually, I made four cups of tea with a plate full of shortbread biscuits in my living room. Because I don't have infinite space, I'm on my office chair, Kai is on the armchair opposite me, and the other two suited guys are on the sofa with a little gap between them.

And they all know I'm pregnant with a royal baby after a one-night stand. They all know the personal details, and it's super fucking awkward.

That's the thing I've noticed so far, and I've only been to a few medical appointments. I'm not even showing yet, though there is a bit of bloating, and I'm only eight weeks, but every ounce of dignity I have has basically disappeared. The scan this morning – an internal one with a camera that looks worse than any sex toy I've seen. Even the questions in the first midwife appointment a couple of days ago. Do you know who the father is? Is he healthy? Have you ever had a sexually transmitted disease? It's only going to get worse when a doctor shoves his fingers up there while I'm in labour or something.

It's awkward as hell. Plus the fact every time I look at Prince Kai, all I want to do is completely jump him. He's way too attractive for his own good. But I don't know a thing about him properly, other than what he's like in bed and what the media show of him.

He's also completely off limits because I'm carrying his child, and I'm a no one, and he is a prince.

All three of them are dressed in suits like they've just come from a stately ball or something; dressed up, hair neat and tidy, shoes shined. While I'm sitting here in jeans and a blouse because I might as well still wear my jeans while I still can, and hell, why would I wear a ball gown to go to a scan? I feel like a complete lemon; the odd one out, out of place.

My dad told me once that the phrase 'felt like a right lemon' comes from Cockney Rhyming Slang, to feel like a fart in a library – out of place – but apparently to use the word fart would be offensive. They changed it to lemon tart, and then the second part was dropped to 'feeling like a lemon'.

Why are you so full of useless facts, Mila?

"I assume this isn't a social visit?" I ask after clearing my throat. No one else is saying anything, so I guess saying something to kick this off is better than nothing.

Kai coughs – a fake one, but one that breaks the ice of silence – before rubbing his hands together out of pure awkwardness. He can't look at me either. "No, this is not a social visit."

His ears turn a slight shade of pink that could have me guessing he's embarrassed. I wonder if he's feeling the pure awkwardness of people knowing our business as well, or whether he's guilty of something.

They say red is the colour of danger, like the poison apple or blood. Does the red tint on Kai's face mean the same thing? Do I need to worry right now?

"Okay, so what's going on?" I question.

"You said you had a scan today. How did it go?" Kai asks.

I narrow my eyes. The awkwardness in his voice is still there, but I roll with his topic, anyway. It's only fair, right? "Yeah, it went really well. Saw the heartbeat. Measuring eight weeks and five days right now. Did you want to see the scan picture?"

He nods. "That would be lovely."

I grab one out of my handbag and pass it to him. His eyes lighten when he sees the Fry as Patrick calls it. There's a small upturn on his mouth as he keeps staring and working out the baby that's growing in there. Somehow it fills my chest with pride, but also sadness.

"I'm pleased everything is going well." Kai puts the scan photo on the coffee table. "How're you feeling?"

"Still sick a lot. Exhausted, but being a nurse doesn't help with that and long shifts. My workplace knows, but not the situation, because I need extra breaks and can't heavy lift. I'm just trying to keep my mind off it in case... something happens."

He nods and glances between the two suited guys on the sofa. They're just looking ahead, drinking their drinks, and presumably waiting to be included in this.

Kai sighs. "I'm sure you've seen the photos of me in the press recently?"

I narrow my eyes, unsure if I can speak freely in these guys' presence, so for now, I tread carefully. "You mean the ones in the news and stuff where you look drunk?"

"Yeah, those ones." Kai finally looks me in the eyes. "As you're aware, a member of the royal family in any capacity should not be acting that way in public. The rumours aren't great in the public, and my parents have caught wind of what they're saying."

I nod, but my chest pounds like a war drum. This isn't good, whatever it is; I can feel it in the way the silence swirls around us in the wake of his words.

"Unfortunately, my mother has found out about...this situation, and in turn, so has my father," Kai announces.

I blink and sit back in my seat for a second.

The guy on the right of the sofa takes a shortbread and starts eating. Suddenly, the chewing is the only thing in the room. Irritating, persistent and non-stop.

"What do you mean?" I whisper.

"A few circumstances mean my parents are aware you're expecting my child, a prince or princess of England, biologically."

I work this out in my mind, in real terms. Kai's parents are Queen Charlotte and King Hugh. King and Queen of England and the Commonwealth. Prince Kai is fifth in line to the throne, which would make any child of his sixth in line to the throne now they've changed the law to include girls in the line of succession.

Direct children of the King and Queen have titles prince and princess, which would mean any children of theirs do, too.

My child is a prince or princess by blood, and the king and queen know about it.

Holy shit.

"How?" I ask.

"One of my now ex-members of security went home and told his family who have been gossiping. They are now trying to get money out of us for our silence. I...told my mother during one of my more...drunken moments," Kai admits. He runs a hand through his hair.

My eyes fall on the guys on the sofa. "So you're here to, what, give me a formal contract, right? I assume the money you're giving me now will come through more conventional ways?"

Kai shakes his head before putting his elbows on his knees. Both his hands run down his face in frustration. He groans a little before looking at the older-looking guy for help.

"Miss Kennedy, you are carrying a biological member of the royal family. Unfortunately, now the senior members of the household know, this leaves you with few options," the older guy says.

I narrow my eyes and look from him to Kai. "What's he talking about?"

Kai stands up and nods. "Okay, this is bad for the family. The royal reputation is at risk if this gets out as is. People hear I got a girl pregnant from a one-night stand and just left her high and dry? Not good. The child is sixth in line to the throne by blood. There's no way the public would let that go if it isn't brought up in the family. My parents won't let this go, either. Reputation is on the line."

I sip my tea, but it tastes like bitter ash. Somehow, my mind knows, but it's not letting it come to the forefront of my mind.

Kai carries on. "It's only a matter of time before somehow this gets leaked to the general public. We need to act quickly."

I cock my head in question.

He sighs once more. "Mila – Peach –" He stops. Both men on the sofa glance at him, but don't react to the nickname. "This leaves us with little option. The reputation of me, my family and, to an extent, yourself, is on the line here. We have to come out to the public as a couple, get engaged and raise this baby as the royal it is biologically." 

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