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Could she be falling in love?

CHAPTER 12

Keeping one hand on Bekah’s back, he showed her how to get to the sitting room he’d gone through when he went to the veranda earlier. “Do you want to look at the view?” He wasn’t sure if she’d want to look at the lake that so recently tried to freeze her.

“I’d like that.”

She probably moved a little more slowly than she did before the boat ride, but not so much that he found himself concerned for her well-being - at least not any more than he already was.

“It’s gorgeous,” she whispered as he let her exit the building ahead of him.

The breeze played with the bits of hair that had escaped her messy ponytail. He found himself wanting to brush them back.

Instead, he stood next to her, his hands resting on the stone much as hers did.

“It’s one of my favorite views.” He leaned farther forward, resting his upper body weight on his forearms.

“I can see why.”

He turned his head to look at her, wishing again he could brush her hair back, but instead watched as she did it herself. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Yeah. A lot better than earlier. A little nervous about seeing my parents.”

“Why is that?” He didn’t know them or much about her relationship with them.

Bekah sighed. “I’m married again. I’m pregnant.”

“You’re what?”

The voice behind them caused Josiah to turn, but not as quickly as Bekah. She was already halfway across the veranda, practically launching herself into her father’s arms. At least, Josiah assumed the man was her father. The salt-and-pepper said he was older, but likely not too old. The way he caught her told Josiah this wasn’t the first time he’d done so.

The woman with them came around the pair and held out her hand. “Beth Vogel.”

He shook it. “Josiah.” It was odd, but not overly unsettling, that his mother-in-law greeted him so casually. He would have told her there was no need for formality, but it still surprised him, especially given that they’d grown up around the Øyanordian royal family.

Bekah released her tight hold on her father, but he kept his arm around her shoulders as she turned to her mother. “I’m pregnant. Early in my second trimester. I didn’t know until a while after the accident.”

Her mother held her arms open, and Bekah walked right into them. This hug also lasted an eternity as Jerry Vogel introduced himself to Josiah.

“Why don’t we go inside and talk some more?” Josiah said as Bekah and Mrs. Vogel finally loosened their grip. “I believe my brother and his wife and possibly my mother and her husband will be joining us in a little while.”

A minute later, they were all seated on a semi-comfortable couch and chairs. Not the worst he’d ever sat in, by far, but not nearly as cozy as the ones he had in the States or the new ones at the palace.

“Want to tell us what happened?” Mr. Vogel asked Bekah softly.

With a sigh, she launched into a short version of the story of their ill-fated excursion and the resultant visit to the consulate.

“That’s quite a story,” her father said as Bekah ended the story with their marriage and quick departure for Akushla. “Are you out of legal trouble?”

Josiah answered this one. “I think so. Benjamin and Thor will have a better idea.”

Voices could be heard outside the sitting room. They all turned and stood as Benjamin entered the room first with Katrín next to him and followed by their mother and Thor.

He realized her parents already knew Thor. That made sense. He’d worked in royal security for most of his adult life, until he’d married a former queen, and had the trust of multiple royal families, including the Øyanordian family and the San Majorian family. It was his connection to them that had led to the missing princess connecting with the man who, at his core, would always be a protector.

“So what’s the verdict on the whole thing in Athmetis?” Mr. Vogel asked Thor. “Is Bekah in the clear?”

“She will be,” Thor promised. “There’s no reason for the authorities there to come after the princess. They might threaten to, but they won’t, especially not now that she’s a part of the Quatremaine family.”