Coco took a deep breath and squished her eyes together as if she was preparing to take a jump into deep water. “Okay,” she said and opened her eyes. “Let’s do it.”
* * *
Two days later, Benjamin, Emma and Coco boarded a flight with a connection in England that would land in Chantaine. Coco was so anxious that she feared she would explode during the flight. Plus she was hyperaware of Benjamin now that they were supposedly engaged. She noticed that he treated her a little differently in front of people. Even in front of Sarah, he’d touched her arm and put his hand at her waist a couple of times. It had caught her off guard, but she realized they needed to appear as if they were romantically involved. She hadn’t considered that when he’d offered to be her fiancé.
Coco had thought Benjamin was attractive before the engagement thing, but she’d pushed it aside and focused on Emma’s adjustment. She would have to be blind to be totally immune to his tall, wide-shouldered frame and rugged masculine features. Now she was going to have to work twice as hard not to give in to her attraction to him. The fact that she’d been sitting mere inches away from him for hours wasn’t helping her, either.
“Go to sleep,” he said, cracking open one of his eyes.
“But Emma,” she said, even though the baby was so deep in sleep she was drooling on Coco’s sweater.
“She’ll let us know if she wants something. Here,” he said, extending his arms. “I’ll take her.”
Emma was out, so she probably wouldn’t wake up even with the transition.
“Come on,” he said. “You’re wound way too tight. You need to close your eyes for a few moments.”
Coco gingerly handed the baby to Benjamin, and saw that Emma barely stirred. She nestled against her daddy’s chest and gave a soft baby sigh. The sight made Coco smile. “Maybe something good will come of this trip after all,” she said.
“Go to—”
“Okay, okay,” Coco said. “I’ll rest my eyes, but I won’t fall asleep.”
One moment she was thinking about Benjamin. Then next she was thinking about meeting her half brothers and half sisters. The next moment, she heard a baby babbling. Blinking her eyes, she glanced over at Benjamin. Emma, who was sitting on his lap, was having a baby conversation with him.
Shaking off her sleep, Coco stretched and smoothed over her hair. “How long was I asleep?”
He glanced at his wristwatch. “About two hours,” he said.
“You’re joking,” she said.
“Nope,” he said. “Emma woke up and started screaming bloody murder, so I had to walk her up and down the aisle.”
Chagrined, she bit her lip. “And I slept through her screaming?”
“No,” he said and his mouth stretched into a sly grin. “I was joking about that part, but I did walk her up and down the aisle a few times. She’s gonna be a talker, isn’t she?”
“I think so,” Coco said, smiling at Emma and him. “I’ll change her diaper. I’m sure she’s due.”
An hour later, they landed in Heathrow and grabbed a bite to eat. Soon enough, it was time to board the flight for Chantaine. Coco’s nerves returned. She watched out the window as they drew close to the Chantaine airport. The island country was beautiful. The white sandy beach around the island was broken by jutting outcrops of rocks. The vivid blue of ocean contrasted sharply with the shore. She couldn’t believe that she was connected to the island in any way. As the jet managed a three-point landing, she felt herself swell with anticipation. Soon, very soon, she would meet her half brothers and half sisters.
Benjamin carried Emma as they departed the plane, and after they collected their luggage, they left the airport to find a limo waiting for them. Coco met Benjamin’s gaze. “Is this a big mistake?”
He chuckled. “We’ll find out.”
She smiled. “Thanks a lot.”
“You wanted to come here,” he pointed out.
“I know. I know,” she said.
“Just think of it as a nice vacation,” he said and leaned his head back against the seat.
“I’ll try,” she said and took a deep breath.
“Do you think they’ll like me?” she asked him.
“If they don’t, they’re nuts,” he said.
“Why?” she asked then shook her head. “Don’t answer that. I’m just being weird and insecure.”
“You’re a damn good woman—princess or not,” Benjamin said. “I’m not flattering you. Just telling the truth.”
“Thank you,” she said, but she was still nervous. “This is a little crazy.”
“Roll with it,” he told her. “When have you ever visited a Mediterranean island where the ruler was determined to meet and greet you?”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll work on it. Our Emma sure was a good traveler, wasn’t she?” she said in a low voice.
“Yeah, we’ll see what happens tonight,” he said. “The time change could be hell for all of us.”
Coco was surprised when the limo drove past the palace gates. “I thought they would put us in a hotel outside the palace complex,” she said to Benjamin.
“You underestimated yourself,” he said.
She struggled with doubt. “We’ll see.”
Moments later, the chauffeur unloaded the luggage and carted it to a small villa with three bedrooms. Emma began to wake up as they stepped inside. Coco jiggled her as she walked into the villa.
The chauffeur guided her and Benjamin through the small building. “A cook is available to you. A nanny is available to you,” he said. “Whatever you need, just dial this code,” he said and wrote down a series of numbers. “Is there anything you need right now?” he asked.
Coco glanced at Benjamin.
“A few sandwiches would be nice,” he said. “We need a little rest. Don’t expect any of us to make an appearance before tomorrow.”
The chauffeur nodded. “As you wish, sir.”
The man left and Coco and Benjamin looked at the den of the villa. “This is nice,” she said.
“Not bad. And we have a cook and a nanny at our disposal,” Benjamin added.
“Yeah. Good luck with that nanny thing with Emma,” she said and jiggled Emma again.
“You never know,” he said. “She let me hold her for hours today.”
“True,” Coco said. “Sometimes babies grow and change when they visit different environments and have new experiences. So we’ll see. Let’s start with a blanket on the floor so she can stretch out and wiggle.”
“Works for me,” he said and pulled a blanket out of his backpack. He put it on the floor and she placed Emma on it. The baby immediately began to lift her head and feet. And wiggle. Emma made groaning sounds as if she were doing an aerobic workout.
“Go, girl,” Benjamin said.
Coco laughed at his low-voiced cheer. “I just hope she’ll expend enough energy to sleep in an hour or so.”
“If she doesn’t, we’ll take turns,” he said.
Coco wandered through the villa again, noticing the fine linens on the beds and in the bathrooms. “I’m surprised at how nice it is.”
“What did you think? They would put you in the dungeon?” he