#Chapter 23: The Kiss

Ella The lawn went quiet. Alexander’s hand tightened on my lower back. I felt like I was going to be sick all over again as every onlooker and journalist fell silent, waiting for our answer. But how were we supposed to answer that? We weren’t actually sleeping together, let alone trying for a baby. We had only just begun to share a bedroom after years of marriage, and that was only out of necessity, not desire. The very thought of sleeping with my husband, an experience that every happy wife should have, just made my heart pound with anxiety and embarrassment. But Alexander, always the politician, leaned toward the microphone without missing another beat. “If you must know, we are actually trying for a baby,” he said confidently. The crowd murmured, glancing at one another. “An heir to Ashclaw,” someone in the front row said, glancing over at me. “That would be a miracle at this point.” I fought to keep my expression neutral even as my stomach