Mi Princesa

Part One - Chapter Six: Tension Rising

“Home sweet home,” Vanessa mused staring up at the house that she had been gifted when she was eighteen, it was her home when she was in Andorra; she loved it especially since she had an acre of land to herself.

Fernando nodded his head, it wasn’t as grand as the stately homes back in England but it was a beautiful sight surrounded by fields and he knew that it suited Vanessa perfectly.

The couple headed inside to get settled, they doubted that they would have much time to themselves before the news break around the world that Fernando was dating Vanessa.

“This is nice,” Fernando said wrapping his arms around Vanessa, he kissed her softly wishing that he had a way to make this trip easier.

Fernando took a deep breath, he wanted to make sure that his baby was okay and he wasn’t going to leave Vanessa alone; he didn’t care what it took to be with them.

“I love you,” Fernando whispered, he had spent three years of his life with Vanessa and with the baby on his way there was something playing on Fernando’s mind; he closed his eyes holding Vanessa close to him.

Fernando hadn’t told his girlfriend anything about the engagement ring that he had in his bag, he had done a lot of thinking after his talk with Olalla and if things went well on this trip then Fernando was sure that he would get down on one knee.

“I love you too,” Vanessa whispered back, she cuddled Fernando wondering what was going on with him; she knew that things were tender between them still and she hoped that everything was okay.

Vanessa took a deep breath, she wanted things to work out and tomorrow when they saw her father she hoped that things would go well.

***

Fernando chewed on his lip staring at the television screen before him, he leaned back on the bed and he wondered if Nora was okay; he hated that the press were going insane of this story.

Fernando knew that it was big news, Vanessa was going to be queen one day and he was her boyfriend but that didn’t mean that he wanted anyone harassing his pregnant girlfriend or his five year old daughter.

“It’s on nearly every channel,” Fernando murmured when Vanessa joined him in the bedroom, the couple were relaxing and enjoying their time in her home.

Vanessa nodded her head and sat on the bed next to him, her hazel eyes staring at the screen in front of them; she chewed on her lip wondering what her family thought about all of this.

“We’re big news,” Vanessa said smiling at Fernando, she kissed his cheek knowing that this wasn’t going to be easy; she remembered what it had been like when Prince William had been dating Catherine and it came out.

“I wish we weren’t,” Fernando said shaking his head, he didn’t want everyone talking about him and Vanessa; they had enough on their plates and he didn’t want anyone discovering that they were expecting.

Vanessa closed her eyes, it wasn’t going to be easy and she hated that this was her fault; she wanted things to be simple between them and they never would be.

“This isn’t your fault… I’m just not used to having my name in the headlines like this, they’re usually talking about my skills on the pitch,” Fernando said looking at Vanessa, he didn’t want her to feel bad about this and he was sure that things would be okay.

Vanessa was worth all of this trouble and he would prove that he could handle everything that came with being with her.

“Why don’t you call Nora? I’m sure she’s missing you,” Vanessa said quietly, none of this would be simple and she couldn’t help but worry that Fernando truly wasn’t ready for all of this.

Vanessa didn’t want him to break things off but she had a feeling that this would only end badly for them; love might not be enough to keep them together when things started to take off.

Fernando looked at Vanessa, he stared at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back; he offered her a small smile then he kissed her.

“I love you,” Fernando said feeling guilty about making her feel bad, that wasn’t his intention and he hoped that she wouldn’t doubt him; this was all so new to him and he wished that things were easier for them.

Vanessa kissed Fernando softly, she had a feeling that once the palace confirmed that they were dating that things would change between them.

Vanessa opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by her phone ringing; she sighed pulling away from Fernando to look at it, she should have known that this would happen.

“I’m sorry,” Vanessa whispered before she left the bedroom to take the call, she felt bad for what was happening; she had been a coward and now would have to deal with the consequences of not telling Fernando sooner about who she truly was.

Fernando watched her leave, he groaned to himself and fell back onto the bed; he was going to have to find a better way of handling all of this if he didn’t want to make things worse.

***

“Do you think she knows what she is doing?” King George of Andorra asked looking out of the window in his drawing room, he worried for his eldest daughter especially now that she had brought some footballer home with her.

George had no idea what Vanessa was doing and he feared that she would do something stupid; he had known that she was seeing someone while in London, he just hadn’t known it was a footballer.

“Does she ever,” Elizabeth Bellcroft said sipping on her tea, she was George’s mother and she had come to see him as soon as the news had broken that Vanessa hadn’t come back to Andorra on her own.

“She’s young and in love… do you remember what you were like at her age,” Elizabeth said raising an eyebrow at her son, she knew he would be hard on Vanessa and that was why she had come to see him.

George often forget that his daughter had never been conventional like the rest of their family, Vanessa knew what she wanted and no one would change her mind on the fact.

“Of course, I was ready to be king… I was married, a father of three,” George said stubbornly, he had himself only become king in 1997 when his own father had been too ill to continue with his duties.

It hadn’t been easy and when Arthur had passed away in 2006, it had been a horrible shock for the family when it had happened.

Elizabeth sighed, the past years had been hard on them all and she wished that George could see that coming down on Vanessa like a ton of bricks wouldn’t work.

Vanessa was more likely to abdicate than do as she was told, she had brought this Fernando home for a reason and Elizabeth hoped that her son wasn’t going to make a mess of things.

“She must be serious about him to bring him home… she could have picked far worse for a husband,” Elizabeth said calmly, her brown eyes watching her son hoping that for once George wouldn’t charge ahead; they needed to keep things calm especially since Vanessa was his heir.

George sighed and shook his head, this seemed to be a sign of the times and he didn’t know what to make of it; he worried for his country if Vanessa planned to make this footballer her husband.