Page 2 of Awaiting

Alex had caught the smell fully then and said, “Okay. I think I’ll go out there and wait for them to be all cute again.”

“Wait for me,” Bexley had added, following her out.

Alex had felt the grip of Bexley’s hand on the back of her shirt as if she’d really been afraid Alex would leave her there with the smell of baby diarrhea wafting through the air. Alex had loved that. She’d even smiled for a second before quickly wiping that smile from her face when they’d gotten out of the room and she’d closed the door behind them.

“Oh, God. I’m sorry. I just almost pulled your shirt off,” Bexley had apologized.

“Pulled it off?” Alex had said in a higher pitch than she’d intended.

“Did I stretch it out? Is it ruined? I can pay for a new one. I don’t know; maybe I can’t, actually. Is it designer? Princesses wear designers, right?” Bexley had rambled, turning Alex around to look at the back of her shirt. “And I just spun you around… I still don’t know all the rules yet, and things are so confusing. Alice is a Queen. So is Nora now. You’re a Princess. I’m still getting used to calling you Alex.”

“It’s okay.” Alex had turned back around to face her. “And I am just Alex. Well, in here, I’m just Alex. If you call me that out there, it’s a whole big thing. There’s a trial, and you can be put in the tower.”

Bexley had glared at her and said, “You’re teasing me.”

“Of course, I am,” Alex had said and laughed. “The tower is for tourists now. We don’t torture people there anymore. Have you ever been?”

“To the Tower of London? I’ve never been to the UK. A layover once, I guess. You guys and your taxes… What’s up with that? I had to pay hundreds of dollars just to land there and take off again.”

“Welcome to the UK,” Alex had teased. “And you’ve really never been to London?”

“No, I’ve only been to the places Alice has taken me to since she got here, and I had a work conference in Cologne once. Those are my European experiences.”

“So far,” Alex had replied.

“What?”

“Okay. Tor is changed and has that perfect baby smell again,” Alice had said, sniffing her son’s head. “Seriously, I hope they never grow out of this.”

Nora had walked out as well then, with Julia tucked safely against her chest. She’d kissed her daughter’s head, and Alex had noticed how happy they’d both looked with their little family. They’d both wanted this, the marriage and the kids. Before meeting Nora, though, Alice had thought she’d marry a man. Alex remembered having a crush on Alice when they’d first met, but she’d caught on to Nora’s feelings for the Queen of Kleinland, and she’d also seen what was growing on Alice’s side of things. It had only been a matter of time before they ended up together. Now, here they were, and somehow, Alex was still alone. She’d been the first of her royal friend group to come out, the first to tell the world that she was a lesbian Princess. Back then, no one had known of Elizabeth in St.Rais yet, and they’d had no clue about Elin in Norway. Since then, though, both of them had married the loves of their lives, Alice had come into the picture, and she was now also happily married to the lieutenant colonel and national hero.

Alex had spent the next several minutes staring at Bexley, wondering if Bexley ever thought of her how she thought of Bexley. When Bexley had scratched behind her ear, Alex had thought about how she wanted to pull Bexley into her side and kiss the spot. She’d watched Nora place her free hand on Alice’s thigh when they sat down, each of them holding an infant, and her hand had nearly gone to Bexley’s thigh on its own before she’d pulled it back and pretended to scratch it for some reason.

“Alex, you okay?” Alice had asked her, seeing the motion.

“I’m fine. Why?”

“No reason,” Alice had said, winking at her.

???

“I’ll be attending your polo match next week,” Teresa told her.

“Pardon?” Alex replied, sipping her after-dinner tea.

“I’d planned on attending before we met at the ball last week. I promise, I’m not stalking you, Your Royal Highness.”

Alex nodded and gave her a smile.

“I was hoping we might have a celebratory drink after your victory.”

“I haven’t won yet,” Alex said.

“I’m certain you will. You’re very talented with a mallet.”

Teresa took a drink of her after-dinner brandy and gave Alex a look that suggested that might have been an innuendo.

“Thank you,” Alex replied politely. “I’ll have to get back to you. I’m not in charge of my own schedule, as you know.”

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