Page 59 of Twins for the Secret Prince
The look on Pieter’s father’s face could best be described as a scowl. “So this is why you’re here? To steal our son away from us?”
Before Eva could answer, Pieter’s mother said, “Oh Pieter,pleasedon’t leave again. Why can’t you both live here?”
Pieter said, “There’s more. We’re going to be parents. Eva’s expecting twins.”
At first, neither of Pieter’s parents spoke. They looked from Eva to Pieter and back again as the news sank in. Then, the queen’s eyes filled with tears, and she reached out and took one of Eva’s hands in hers, and one of Pieter’s in her other hand.
“This is the most amazing news!” she cried. “We’ll get started designing the nursery right away. I insist on you both staying here at the palace until we fix up one of the country estates for you and the babies.”
In a gentle voice, Pieter said, “Thank you, Mother, for such a generous offer. But we’ve discussed it, and we want our children to grow up having as normal lives as possible. That’s not possible here.”
“But you had a wonderful childhood!” the queen protested. “Think of everything we can offer your children!Ourgrandchildren!”
“Mother, that’s true. We want you to play a big part in their lives. But we want them to have the freedom to choose who they wantto be —away from the royal spotlight,” he added, looking quickly at Eva.
No one said anything for a long time. Eva thought the best move was just to sit in silence, lest she make things worse. Finally, Pieter’s mother smiled and said, “Okay. I understand. I wish you were making different choices, but I’m going to count my blessings. This is wonderful news.”
Pieter’s father pulled his wife close and kissed her cheek. “We’re going to be grandparents again. And twins! Double trouble.”
Eva saw Pieter and his father exchange a look, and they smiled at each other.
“Welcome to the family, darling Eva,” the queen said, squeezing her hand. “We can’t wait to get to know you and meet our gorgeous grandbabies.”
EPILOGUE
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER: EVA
“This is it,” Pieter said, as he and Eva swayed to the music playing quietly in the background. “Our big day is finally here.”
“I can’t believe it’s happening so soon,” Eva said, burying her face in his neck.
“Although I guess you could say that getting married two years after we first met is not reallysosoon,” Pieter replied, kissing the top of her head.
“You’re right, wrong choice of words. What I meant was that I’ve been thinking about this day for so long, and now that it’s here, it feels like it snuck up on me.”
“Well, you have been kind of busy with other things,” Pieter said, rubbing his hand up and down her back.
“We’vebothbeen busy,” Eva said, tipping her head back so that he could kiss her.
And they had been. Babies were tiring, Eva had discovered. Havingtwobabies was doubly tiring. Having two babies with thestamina and stubbornness they’d inherited from both of their parents meant that Eva could no longer remember what it was like tonotbe tired.
They were fortunate, though, in that the senior officers at their base had been very accommodating, both throughout Eva’s pregnancy and once the babies arrived. She and Pieter had been allowed to take generous parental leave, and their working hours had been adjusted so that one or the other parent was home with the children at all times.
It was an ideal arrangement, which meant that Eva and Pieter were able to share parenting duties while still maintaining the career focus and drive they were both known for.
However, Eva knew that Pieter was the one who’d made the real sacrifices in order that they could live the way they were living. He’d given up his career in the Laagestein military and had moved away from his family there, all so that Eva did not have to make those choices.
His family, too — his parents, brother and young nephews — had made sacrifices, and Eva knew that they must miss Pieter each and every day. But, to their great credit, they only ever acted happy for Pieter and Eva, and took obvious delight in watching the babies grow up, albeit from a distance.
“What time do your parents arrive again?” Eva asked.
“Early. Around six.” The helicopter that was transporting Pieter’s family members was due to land on the military base where Pieter, Eva and their children would meet them.
“I’ll bet you can’t wait to see them.”
“It’s going to be great. My mother’s no doubt going to carry one if not two babies around with her every minute of the day.”
Eva laughed at the mental picture he’d created. “Little does she know that these two are gold medal contenders in squirming and resisting being held.”
