Page 45 of Royally Drawn (Resplendent Royals #3)

A Detour

INGRID

N o more had Keir arrived than he was headed home. Our lot was a sad one. I’d be back in the UK for Burghley in a week, but Keir would be off for a training run in Wales. I’d not see him again until the week of Astrid’s wedding. And as we sat in bed the morning of his day to leave, I wanted nothing more than to beg him to stay with me. I knew he couldn’t, but I needed it.

We were curled up in bed that morning. He read the paper—in French with zero issues—and I sketched trees from my palace bedroom windows with chalk pastels.

“Do you ever think about what will happen after you leave?” I asked.

“Here? Back to the grind, reporting to our exercise at Valley? Dealing with Duncan managing us from the goddamn tower?”

I snickered. “Not that. I mean, after all of it, you will retire, yes?”

Keir shrugged. “It’s not easy to just walk away, Ingrid. I enrolled in the academy at seventeen. Fifteen years in, and I still have more to do. I know I should retire and assist my cousin and my aunt. But for now, Aunt Natalie seems fairly happy to do it all herself.”

“I get that guilt,” I said. “I think about leaving. Astrid did—has. And I have, but I might come back. I think Alexandra and Rick would like it if I came back.”

Keir looked up, squinted and said, “There’s no way you stay here.”

“What?” I laughed.

“No. Your career is on the move. You’re brilliant, Ingrid. No matter what happens, you won’t return permanently and marry some Neandian noble. What would that be like for you? You’d be bored out of your bloody gourd, my love.”

“That’s probably true. But… it would be easier.”

“I have a prediction,” Keir said.

“Yes?”

“You will move abroad and make the Olympics. You will have a big career, and a man will spoil you mercilessly with horses and all manner of things. Odette will marry a Neandian and have kids. She will help Alexandra until the kids are big enough to work. By the time Linnea is of age, all bets are off.”

I snickered. “That’s probably true on the last bit. I hope Odette finds love. She deserves it most of all. As for me, I don’t know.”

“You don’t want to be married and spoiled within an inch of your life?”

“The last bit appeals. Being a wife can wait,” I said. “I’d rather delay domestic life until I’ve at least ridden in one Olympics. I’m not giving everything up for that.”

He smiled. “Do I not spoil you mercilessly, Ingrid?”

Keir’s tone was lusty, not loving. I wanted to play coy.

“Well, you do sometimes spoil me. But is it mercilessly ?”

Keir took my sketch pad and pastels, tossing them aside. He pulled me towards him forcefully and pinned me against the bed.

“I’ll show you merciless spoiling then,” he chuckled.

“You better. I deserve as much.”

“For what?”

“Three words… shower blow job,” I giggled, pushing back against him.

“It would have been hot to have a tack room blow job, but you fobbed me off.”

“As hot as it sounds , even our horse palace has mice. The cats aren’t perfect. I’d much rather leave everything attached to your body rather than be frightened to death of a damn mouse.”

“You’re probably right. That’s something that sounds hot in the movies but isn’t.”

“Exactly,” I said.

He kissed my neck slowly, then pulled back, staring at me in the morning light. I loved this version of him—a bit of a beard, love in his eyes for me, and the excellent way his hair was a disaster. I knew it was because I’d grabbed it when he was going down on me the night before. All of it only heightened his two cowlicks. This was what I wished I had every morning.

“You have nothing pithy to say?” I asked.

“No,” Keir answered. “I’m too in love with you right now to think of a single snarky comment. I’m mostly just… I don’t know how I managed this or why you bother with me.”

“Because you’re lovely—even if you could be more doting. But you’re wonderful. And I love you so much.”

He kissed me once more, giving me butterflies. Then, our happiness was interrupted by Rick, who did not so much as knock. Thankfully, Keir was on top of me, ensuring the angle hid me from view. He ignored Keir’s completely bare backside and rattled off what he had to say.

“Lex is in labour! We’re having a goddamn baby! Right now!”

“Go take her to the damn hospital!” I said.

“Going right now!” He left the door open, storming back into the hall, ignoring us.

We heard him shout out, “We’re having a baby! It’s happening! Alert all the troops!”

“Sorry,” I sighed. “He does this every time. He goes mad with excitement over birth.”

“Poor Alex,” Keir chuckled.

“Sorry about that.”

“Well, if he didn’t personally know my arse before, he does now,” Keir said.

“I was more worried it might be bothersome to you . ”

“I live in a barracks with dozens of men half the year,” Keir said. “It takes a lot to embarrass me.”

“Sorry for the interruption as well.”

“Oh, I think it’s time we get dressed and wait for the good news. We can resume this later.”

“Well, you have to be back in the UK?—”

“I can delay my flight back a few hours. I know this is important to you, Ingrid.”

I beamed at him. “I am so happy to hear you say that.”

Keir raced over and shut the door.

“I just… I know this stuff is tenuous. Alexandra has to be nervous. I know you are.”

I hadn’t thought about it like that, but he was right.

“Alex goes into a zen place,” I explained. “And… I try not to think about losing any one of us. I refuse to live in fear. Every day, I get on a horse and put myself in danger. I cannot think about it too much.”

“You and I are very alike in that,” Keir said. “But I’d like to be here for you—and your family.”