“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.
“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
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 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