The Princess Read online

  “I had to take a nap,” her small arms signed, her face showing the inconvenience of such a requirement.

  Josiah signed right back, and Shelby smiled at his commiseration.

  Shelby put her two cents in about longing for a nap these days but received no sympathy from either person.

  Mardelle went on to say that she had found her favorite bear and that he’d been under her bed the whole time. This reported, it didn’t take long for her to wander away, and that was when Shelby spotted Mardelle’s older sister.

  “Watch this, Fa,” Shelby said to her father. “I’m going to ask Ariane a question. Keep in mind that she hasn’t had to go to the bathroom in six years.” Shelby called her over and proceeded to ask the personal question of her daughter, who stood with her legs very close together.

  “No,” came the standard reply, whereupon her mother sat back and stared at her. Ariane was learning about being honest the first time she was asked a question and not after one of her parents gave her a pointed look.

  “Yes, I do. I forgot.”

  “All right. While you’re using the bathroom, ask the Lord to help you remember next time.”

  Ariane nodded swiftly and shot across the room. The adults watched her.

  “She runs like a certain tomboy I knew a few years ago,” her father said.

  Shelby laughed.

  “Someone wants his mother,” Daria interrupted as she approached with five-month-old Alex.

  “Oh, my,” Shelby laughed again when her son was close enough to understand the reason. “Thank you, Mother,” she said dryly as she made her way from the room.

  “I’m glad you did this now,” she told the baby boy who smiled at her in delight. “It would have been a bit awkward at the restaurant.” Shelby had just put Alex on the changing table when Nikolai came in.

  “Hi.” Shelby was glad to see him and put a hand on her son’s stomach as she turned to kiss her husband.

  “Hi, yourself.” He kissed her twice. “Well, Alex, what have you been up to?” He leaned over to pay attention to his son, who nearly turned inside out with delight.

  “That should be obvious to you,” Shelby said.

  Nikolai’s eyes lit mischievously. “I didn’t want to assume and embarrass him.”

  “You’re so thoughtful,” Shelby teased right back.

  “I am.” Nikolai’s smile was warm. “In fact, I’m so thoughtful that I’ll do this for you.”

  Shelby’s eyes rounded with pleasure as she backed away and let Nikolai take over.

  “All right, big guy,” he said as he finished the job and laid Alex on the carpet for a moment. “You’re all set.” After washing his hands, Nikolai came back to settle Alex on his arm and turned to Shelby once again. She had taken a seat close to the baby.

  “Are we all set for dinner?”

  “I think so,” she said softly.

  “You don’t sound ready.”

  Shelby stood. “I just realized how much I want to be alone with you. I’ve been hugged all day by people shorter than I am, and even though I’m looking forward to going out for my parents’ anniversary, right now I just want you.”

  Nikolai wanted the same thing. With an arm around her waist, he bent his head and whispered something soft in her ear.

  “Have I told you lately that I love you?” Shelby asked, her eyes smiling into his as her hands came up to Nikolai’s chest.

  “Yes, you have, but I’ll hear it again.”

  Shelby smiled. He never tired of hearing it, and she never tired of saying it. Shelby said it, just as a smile lit her face, her mind remembering that only recently her mother had admitted that she had speculated about Shelby’s future on the very day she’d come to Christ. She would have to be certain to tell Nikolai.

  “What does that smile mean?” Nikolai asked, not able to miss it.

  “Only that I like being the princess.”

  “I’m glad to hear you still want the job,” Nikolai said as he took her hand and they made their way from the room. “No one else would make it half as fun to be the prince.”

  Books by Lori Wick

  A Place Called Home Series

  A Place Called Home

  A Song for Silas

  The Long Road Home

  A Gathering of Memories

  The Californians

  Whatever Tomorrow Brings

  As Time Goes By

  Sean Donovan

  Donovan’s Daughter

  Kensington Chronicles

  The Hawk and the Jewel

  Wings of the Morning

  Who Brings Forth the Wind

  The Knight and the Dove

  Rocky Mountain Memories

  Where the Wild Rose Blooms

  Whispers of Moonlight

  To Know Her by Name

  Promise Me Tomorrow

  The Yellow Rose Triology

  Every Little Thing About You

  A Texas ASky

  City Girl

  English Garden Series

  The Proposal

  The Rescue

  The Visitor

  The Pursuit

  The Tucker Mills Trilogy

  Moonlight on the Millpond

  Just Above a Whisper

  Leave a Candle Burning

  Contemporary Fiction

  Sophie’s Heart

  Pretense

  The Princess

  Bamboo & Lace

  Every Storm

  Table of Contents

  Title page

  Copyright

  About the Author

  Dedication

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Books by Lori Wick