Page 36 of Royal Surrogate 1

We arrive at my father’s office, and he slams the door behind us, motioning for us to sit before his desk.

My mother takes her place at his side, wringing her hands. “Caspar, if you would have just called, we could have made arrangements?—”

“This is all nonsense,” my father says. “You rip us away from our long overdue holiday?—”

“Father, if I might point out, you and mother have spent the better part of the last year on holiday…” I regret my ill-timed quip immediately, if only because of the twisted look that comes over my father’s face.

“And we had to hear about it from the queen.” My mother shakes her head with disappointment again.

It’s all I can do not to roll my eyes. Yes, how horrifying that you had to hear about my wedding from the Queen. Whatever could be worse, Mother? Certainly not the fact that your son didn’t want you there in the first place…

“Yes, and there’s that.” My father seems to at least agree with me on my mother’s inability to read the reality of our situation. “Tell me, have you at least signed a prenuptial agreement? Considering she’s with child?—”

“I’m…not,” Renae almost whispers her response before clearing her throat. “At least not yet. But Caspar and I are planning on having a baby soon.”

“Yes,” I smile, sliding my arm from around her waist to take her hand in mine. I lift it to my lips. “Very soon. As soon as possible.”

My father groans. “What is it with you boys? And have I taught you nothing?” He shakes his head. “There will be no wedding without a firm prenuptial agreement in place. You are the rightful heir to Wintervale and the title that goes with it. Your child will be the next in line. Do you not understand the consequences of that? Have you learned nothing?”

“Of course I understand, Father. And of course we have a prenuptial agreement in place. Everything is taken care of. I wouldn’t have it any other way, and Renae is in complete agreement. We’re in love, and we want a child.” I kiss Renae’s hand again, and something warms my chest. My child will be heir. Our child. Renae would make a fine wife—actually, she would make a perfect wife. I’ll need someone by my side to truly take my place as heir, much as my father has my mother.

If my parents only knew how difficult this year had been for me, perhaps they would understand my motivations. But I can hardly tell them. I would never speak the truth to anyone. But I realize now, it isn’t just a son I need—it’s also a wife. Not just a mother to the boy, but someone to be my partner, much as my mother is to my father.

A family.

And why couldn’t I have that with Renae? Why couldn’t we make this arranged marriage work? I kiss her hand again, as I stare back at my father. Hopefully, he can see the determination in my eyes.

Nothing is going to stop me from having what I want. Nothing.

CHAPTER 28

Renae

Unsurprisingly, it’s not long before I’m shuffled out of the room so Caspar’s parents can, I assume, continue to lecture him in private. I can’t say I’m sorry about missing the action, but I’m also nervous that I apparently get no say in current events, despite being a major part of them. Even though my marriage to Caspar isn’t real, I’ve already committed myself to it mentally—and I don’t know what I’ll do if my deal with him falls apart now. I’ll be devastated if I can’t afford my dad’s treatment after all.

For a moment, I stand by the door, hoping to overhear a snippet of something that might give me some indication of which way the wind is blowing, when I hear a footstep behind me.

“I see you’ve met the future in-laws.”

I jump at those words, spinning to find Princess Sophia grinning at me. She’s as cheerful as ever, and she seems amused by my embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping. She’s been extremely friendly to me since the moment we met, and I get the impression that she sees me as some sort of pet project.

“Don’t worry—Caspar is as stubborn as any of my brothers,” she tells me, taking my arm and guiding me away from the door. “He loves you, and he’s not going to let my aunt and uncle talk him out of this.”

But that’s exactly the problem, I think. He doesn’t love me. Maybe his parents will wrangle the truth out of him. Or maybe, regardless of whether they learn about our contract, they’ll convince him that it’s ridiculous to marry some random American he’s only known for a handful of weeks. Caspar seems committed to this surrogate plan of his, but he’s also a practical man, and many of the “rules” of our arrangement make it clear he’s concerned with how all of this appears to the outside world. Maybe his parents’ objections will convince him there’s a more suitable surrogate out there somewhere.

“I mean it,” Sophia says when I don’t say anything. “Honestly, all royal parents are like this. It’s like there’s some sort of unspoken rule that they must disapprove of their children’s choices in partners. My parents were the exact same way with me. My father hated Pax. But they all come around. Or maybe they realize that this is the twenty-first century and marriages aren’t business transactions anymore.”

I give a little laugh, but inside I’m cringing. If only she knew.

“As I said, you don’t need to worry. Caspar will fight for you. That man is crazy about you.”

“You really think so?” The question slips out before I can stop to think about how suspicious it must sound coming from someone who’s engaged to the guy.

But Sophia doesn’t blink. “Of course. Believe me, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. And I’ve seen him with other women. There’s no comparison. I honestly didn’t think Caspar would ever get married. He’s always seemed to enjoy his bachelorhood too much.”

That’s not as reassuring as I’m sure she intends it to be.

“I mean, the guy basically begged me to drop everything to come out here to help him with the wedding stuff,” she goes on. “Caspar never begs. I committed right away because I just had to see the woman who’d gotten him so worked up.” She grins at me. “I know we’re still getting to know each other, but I like you. You seem good for him.”

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