A Royal Christmas Proposal. Leanne Banks

you again.”

      “No problem,” he said, and walked past her down the hallway to the front door. He slept in the small guest suite. Attached to the cottage, the suite had its own door. For a moment, she wondered what he did all day in that suite when he wasn’t figuring out new ways to protect her and Leo. It occurred to her that all that solitary confinement would make her batty. Sure, she enjoyed quiet moments enjoying art. She especially missed those moments lately, but Ericka needed human connection. She wondered if Treat did.

      Suddenly realizing she’d been thinking about him for at least three full moments, she shook her head and reminded herself that she didn’t care if Treat needed human connection or not. She just wanted him to stay out of the way so she could do what she needed to do.

      * * *

      Treat returned to the guest suite but felt like a caged animal. He felt he shouldn’t leave the property to go for a run, so he decided to take a swim. Maybe that would relax him. He slid into the pool and the water felt warm against his skin, probably because the night air was cool. Automatically swimming several laps, he waited for the exercise and the monotony of motion to ease his mind.

      Being around the princess’s baby brought back memories of his disabled brother, Jerry. Jerry had been born with multiple deformities, both mental and physical, but he’d had a good soul. Treat had seen it in his young brother’s eyes and smile.

      Treat had noticed that Leo didn’t smile as frequently. Leo looked as if he were trying to figure everything out. The baby appeared to want every bit of information he could get and he wanted it immediately. A demanding baby, he thought, and not just because of his hearing loss.

      His brother, Jerry, had been demanding due to his health issues which had been enormous. After Treat’s father died when he was a teenager, Treat had watched his mother struggle to pay medical bills. He had cared for Jerry whenever he could, but his mother had pushed him to take a football scholarship. It had always been Treat’s dream to make a lot of money so that he could take care of both his mother and Jerry.

      But Jerry had died during Treat’s junior year in college and he’d lost his mother just one year later. She hadn’t even seen Treat graduate. Treat had felt like a rudderless boat after that.

      Even though he knew the princess’s situation was far different than his mother’s, he caught glimpses of the same emotions he’d seen in his mother’s eyes. Fear, worry, weariness. He also saw a helluva lot of determination. Ericka would make sure Leo received every bit of education and attention he needed. She could have taken an easier way out, but he could tell she would be actively involved in every decision in that baby’s life. Leo was damn lucky, not just because his mother was a princess, but because she was so devoted.

      Treat swam a few more laps. The vision of the princess and Leo stomped through his mind. Swimming hadn’t extricated them from his consciousness, but maybe the exercise would help him sleep. Her Highness was making a bigger impact on him than he’d expected.

      * * *

      Ericka rose early and conducted two tele-conferences. She much preferred regular phone calls because for those, she didn’t need to apply make-up or fix her hair. During another call later in the morning, she received the disturbing news that young royals from Sergenia were in danger and needed to leave their small country due to unrest.

      Ericka turned off her phone and did a session with Leo. She showed him several works of art and signed the best she could. “Here is da Vinci’s Mona Lisa,” she said, lifting her computer tablet. “He was a brilliant artist. As was Raphael.” She pulled up a photo of one of Raphael’s paintings. “I can’t wait to show you Michelangelo’s sculpture of David,” she told her son. “It’s beyond amazing. There’s nothing like it,” she said, and waved the hand toward her face making the sign for amazing.

      “I must have been way behind,” Treat said from the doorway. “I didn’t know anything about da Vinci until I was in my teens. Unless you count the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

      “Who are they?” she asked, feeling a strange rush of pleasure when she saw him.

      “Cartoon turtle characters named after some of the great artists of the Renaissance,” he said. “Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Leonardo.”

      “How clever,” she said.

      He chuckled. “You learned about the real artists. I learned about the cartoon characters.”

      Ericka frowned in sympathy. “How unfortunate,” she said.

      He chuckled again. “No worries. I received a little more education later on and saw pictures of the Renaissance artists. I’m okay. Just not as cultured as you are.”

      Ericka met his gaze and felt her stomach jump. “You can learn.”

      “I do my best. Are you ready to go out for your luncheon with your sisters?”

      “Yes” she said, standing as she remembered. “Nanny will take care of Leo.”

      “I’m sure he’s exhausted from his morning lecture,” he said.

      She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you saying I’m boring him?”

      Treat lifted his hands. “Not me.”

      “I need to freshen up,” she said. “I’ll be back in a moment. Nanny Marley,” she called and walked down the hall.

      Treat walked over to look at Leo. “How ya doing big guy? Wanna talk football?”

      Leo kicked and stared at him, making grunting sounds.

      “Just so you know, Bonnie Sloan was one of the first deaf NFL football players. You can do anything you want,” Treat said. “When you get a little older, maybe we can toss the pigskin.”

      A half-beat later, Nanny Marley entered the room. “How’s he doing?”

      “He’s just received a very cultural tutoring session,” Treat said.

      Nanny nodded and smiled. “Her Highness is highly motivated to expose Leo to art, culture and science.”

      “What about sports?” he asked.

      “That may be someone else’s job,” Nanny said.

      Princess Fredericka strode into the hallway. “Ready,” she said, and quickly ran to Leo to give him a kiss on his chubby cheek.

      “Yes, Your Highness,” Treat said, and walked with her out of the house.

      “You don’t have to call me ‘Your Highness,’” she said.

      “Oh, really,” he said. “Then what do I call you?”

      “For the remainder of your service, you may call me Ericka in private,” she said as she walked to the car.

      “And what do I call you in public?” he asked.

      “Miss,” she said. “Just call me Miss.”

      “Done and done, Ericka,” he said as he helped her into the car.

      Just a few moments later, Treat drove to the café where Ericka planned to meet her sisters and sister-in-law. Although she was more than willing to hop out as he approached the curb, he refused to let her out. “I’ll escort you into the café,” he said.

      “Well, don’t expect to stay,” she told him as he parked the car. “There will already be security for the rest of the crowd. You’ll be superfluous.”

      “Superfluous,” he echoed as he walked her into the café.

      She gave a heavy sigh. “It’s not an attack against your masculinity. When it comes to security, my brother Stefan provides overkill.”

      “I’m glad he’s protective. You are all valuable to him and many others,” Treat said. “There’s your table. I’ll be outside. Call me if you need me.”

      Ericka