Page 104 of The Un-Apparent Heir

“Maybe bring the baby back here to settle?” Ed floated the idea. “Away from the chaos for a bit?”

“But people will want to see the baby,” Natalie said.

“They will come anyway,” Mandy pointed out. “Oh, Natalie, they will come to see the baby from across the world. Your family is too lovely. And we’ve got space to put them up.”

“It might limit the number at once, which is good,” Natalie admitted.

“If you want to come back, I’m game for a slower pace,” Ed said. “We’ve got time to think about it. But he or she will be the future Prince or Princess of Wales, seems fitting?”

“I would so love to be back here and see the end of summer,” Natalie said. “But there’s Balmoral?—”

“Would you rather be here or at Balmoral?” Ed asked.

“Here,” Natalie said. “In a quiet house, just spending time with the baby.”

“We will make it so. There are years and years to spend there in the summer,” Ed said. “But we won’t get this time back. It will be priceless.”

27

HEIR PRESUMPTIVE

“Winslow!”

Ed heard Natalie’s voice ring from the bathroom at KP.

“Yes?” He called back.

“My waters broke as soon as I got out of the shower,” Natalie said.

“Shit! Really!” It wasn’t a bad response.

Ed flew into quick action, grabbing the hospital bag from the corner.

Natalie stood in the doorway, naked as a jaybird.

“Ed,” she said. “Can you please get me some clothing first? I am glad you are excited, but I don’t think I can go out like this.”

“It would be a treat,” Ed chuckled. “You’re beautiful.”

“Take a picture of me—with clothes on—for posterity. I’m never going to be this pregnant again. I want to remember it, weird as that sounds.”

“No, it’s a miracle. I get it.”

It was. They were one and done. Well, unless somehow they were doubly blessed by the impossible. In a way, Ed preferred it like this. They had their loud house full of cousins and he was too old to have more newborns. This felt right. They both wanted to shower this baby with all the love and affection they never expected they could. It was real now. In a matter of hours, they would be holding the baby they were told they could never have. It gave Ed chills.

Ed tossed Natalie some clothing and they ran for the car. He took one last photo of Natalie in all her pregnant glory. The two departed in a media frenzy. In late July, a press encampment reached a fever pitch. It was madness getting to the hospital. Natalie rang her parents, cool as a cucumber, only after she first rang Lucy, her point of contact. Natalie delegated all notifications to her most trusted general. There would be no whinging from grandparents.

They arrived at the hospital, where Natalie shunned all IVs and threw a massive fit about needles. She’d been so mum about her so-called “birth plan” except for with Lucy and Ed. Ed didn’t understand it until he witnessed the massive amount of unsolicited advice Natalie got from everyone. Needles terrified her. Even in the case of the epidural, she was certain she wanted to labour without medication.

“Ma’am it is honestly best to prepare like you might want an intervention,” a well-intentioned nurse said.

“I don’t want that. I want to have a birth in the tub and do nothing more.”

“Give me a second.” Ed pulled the nurse aside.

The nurse looked at him, sceptical.

“Look, she’s going to win the argument eventually,” Ed said. “It’s not like she’s some uneducated granola woman wanting to give birth in a field. She is terrified of needles. Even starting that IV is going to be a real pain. She wants to avoid it. If she needs the medication, fine. Address itthen. But you’re tormenting her by bringing it up.”

---