Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 35

“Aria Emelia Charlotte,” I coo blowing little kisses at my daughter.  It had been several weeks since she was born and things had changed drastically. We had to handle the media and my father’s death and my newfound title.

“King Connor Levi Edward,” Jennifer says glancing over at me with a hint of a smile on her face.

“I like the sound of that,” I reply, retuning her smile with one of my own.

“Is she sleeping?” She sat up and peeked at our daughter, whom was bundled up tightly as we sat on the couch in our living room. The media had begun to calm down, but with so much going on in such a small amount of time they had spread it out over the course of time.  Too much to cover at once.  Months ago the focus was on my father’s death and my grandmother's ailment and me becoming king.  Now that I was king and months had passed since my father’s death they were now focusing on Aria and Jennifer. 

Mainly Aria, which was unfortunate for me, because I wanted to keep her out of the media as much as possible.

“No, she’s up and she’s happy,” I tell her, before I begin to bounce her up in down in my arms receiving a giggle from her.

She was now around 5 months and she had grown into a beautiful little girl and it only made me want to make more beautiful children with Jennifer.

“We should have another baby,” I suggest, continuing to look down at Aria.

“God Connor can Ari turn one before you start thinking about more kids?” she scolded me and stood up from the couch before she retreated into the kitchen.

She returned with a bag of caramel popcorn and retook her seat next to me.  “Do you have anything to do today?” she asked, stuffing a hand full of popcorn into her mouth.  She chumped down on the popcorn staring over at me.  I didn’t even answer the question, instead I burst into a fit of laughter watching her.  She stopped chumping and her face was masked with a look of confusion.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I’m laughing at you,” I admit to her, receiving a punch in my arm. “Ouch,” I grunt, frowning.

“Stop laughing at me seriously,” she whined. She began to pout, sitting the bag aside so that she could fold her arms over her chest.

“I didn’t mean it like that Jenny.”  I roll my eyes towards the ceiling before I looked back down at her. “I was laughing because you’re fucking adorable, sweetheart.”

Slowly a smile replaced the frown that was on her face. “I like how you called me fucking adorable instead of simply saying I’m adorable.”

“That’s because you are,” I respond, leaning closer to her.  She met me half way and we shared a brief kiss.  She leaned her head onto my shoulder and we sat there with our daughter in my arms and stared ahead at the television which was broadcasting about our upcoming nuptials.

“Will this marriage stick?  Will the king finally settle down for good?” the news reporter questioned.  I pick up the remote to the television and click it off receiving a groan from Jennifer.

“Why’d you do that?  I wanted to hear about everyone’s skepticism in you,” she says her voice thick with sarcasm. 

“Of course you do.”  My eyes fall to Aria who had fallen asleep in my arms.  She was at that stage where she didn’t like to lay in my arms and she constantly tried to sit up on her own. Five months had gone by so fast and sometimes I just wanted to hit rewind and start all over again.  The sleepless nights, the three a.m. diaper changes and holding the bottle for her.  She slept through the night for the most part and she could hold up her bottle on her own fairly well.  Things were going by too fast for my liking.