Page 132 of Royally Benevolent

“No, I want to,” Odette said, proud of herself.

We were nearly engaged when I discovered that Odette couldn’t drive. We quickly remedied that issue, but now she wanted to drive everywhere. I followed her to the little pink Porsche she’d picked. In a month, it would be an impractical choice of car, but for now, she enjoyed her Barbie car. The crisp fall air calmed my nerves.

We tucked into the car and sped away, Odette’s security detail following.

“I’m not nervous about you,” I asserted. “This is all your big win. You will give a wonderful speech and?—”

“I know it’s not me. It’s Theo. But trust me when I say they should see him in a controlled environment rather than chase him for a photo op. Plus, anymore, we’re going to have a hard time separating kids from public life.”

“It’s a dance,” I sighed.

Odette drove back into the city. I busied myself on my phone with email and called Stephen to distract myself. Public appearances were not my favourite thing, but Odette steadied me. I’d not taken on royal work in any official capacity, but she’d remained steadfast in her support of her sister. With Astrid and Ingrid in the UK, Alexandra needed some support. She and Rick couldn’t possibly do everything themselves.

Odette pulled into the designated garage near city hall, parked, and said, “I love you. Thank you for letting me shine.”

I gave her another kiss. “Odette, you did most of this yourself.”

“We’re a team, Wy.”

“I know. But live this day up.”

After climbing out, her security led us to a green room, where we met Alexandra and Rick. Alexandra kissed and hugged Odette and then stepped back, holding her hands.

“You look amazing. How do you feel?” She asked in excited French.

“It comes and goes,” Odette answered. “Some days are wonderful.”

“And the nugget?” Rick asked.

“She’s great,” Odette said. “Great. We saw her last week, and she’s moving along steadily.”

“Six more weeks. You look fabulous. I always looked like a walrus by this point,” Alexandra laughed.

Odette was about to burst—pregnant with our first child together and still full of energy. Things hadn’t been easy. She’d had to spend time comingoffher medication and then getting back on it again in the second trimester. There were a lot of tears and a lot of stress, but we managed it. I couldn’t get over Theo finally getting a sister, but I wouldn’t feel like it was real until we brought her home.

Odette blushed and looked at me. “He put the car seat in the Mom Car. So, it’s real now.”

“Just preparing,” I said.

“It’s good. Rick always freaked out and ran around the minute I’d end up in labour. With Kari, he forgot to pack the bag, so we had to have our staff bring it.”

“I never said I was perfect,” Rick chuckled. “But Iwasexcited.”

“First babies take an eternity. It will be fine,” Alexandra said.

Rubbing Odette’s back, I admitted, “She is way cooler about this than I am. I am freaking out over everything.”

“Rick swore I was going into labour every five minutes, so I get it.”

“Ma’am,” Odette’s private secretary approached. “They are ready for you. Please follow me. Security will take the rest of you to your seats.”

I followed the group to our front-row seats. Theo rushed me, giving me a massive hug. He took a seat between his grandmother and me. All attention soon turned to the city’s new Mayor, Elise Montague, a willowy woman in her mid-thirties. She stepped forward to do the big introduction.

“Welcome, everyone, to our first annual Vision de Neandia kick-off. I am so excited to announce that with the help of some generous sponsors?—”

She nodded in my direction. Not wanting to overshadow Odette’s moment, I did not stand.

“We were able to host everyone here today. To open the event and our street fair is a very special guest. Her Royal Highness Princess Odette joins us as the patron of Vision de Neandia. She’s also an ardent cyclist. Many of you have seen her coming in on the bike path in the mornings—sometimes even with her stepson, Theo. Odette has much to say about the five-year city plan, so I won’t take up more of your time. But I will encourage you to stay and see who wins the vintage bike contest later today. As a reminder, free mulled wine will be in the Mayor’s conference room following her speech. So, without any more fanfare, let me welcome Princess Odette.”

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