𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟷
"So," Alex's hand wrapped around Bella's as they walked through the gardens at Raby, both of them wrapped up tightly to fight away the cold, "when are we going to tell people?"
"Tell people what?" She replied with a grin, fully aware of what he meant but not sure herself of what she wanted the answer to be.
"Don't be coy Bell," he smirked back, watching with a smile as the grin grew on her face, "you know."
"I know..." she sighed, "it's just, people make it complicated... I like it how it is now, you and me, in our own little bubble."
"But that bubble has to pop if we ever want to get anywhere, you know," he pulled her in close, wrapping an arm around her, "move in... get even more dogs than we have now," she laughed at that, glancing to their four dogs that were running around, "get married... have babies,"
Her smile grew even more at that, "oh yeah?"
"Yeah, lots and lots of babies."
"Okay but how many are we talking here because you know that I'm the one that's actually got to push them out right?"
Alex just chuckled at her in reply, giving her shoulder a squeeze to dispel any worries, "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Bella just hummed at that, not quite satisfied with his answer, "but," he continued, "to get there we have to tell people... soon."
"Your sisters know." She added, hopeful that would be enough to make him happy.
"My sisters are gossips, they've known every single fact about me my whole life... my sisters knowing is not an achievement."
Frowning Bella kicked a stone, watching it tumble away she desperately thought of other people who probably knew they were together, "your mum!" She answered finally, "I bet your mum knows, you said she'd stopped asking you who it was you brought here when they were in London."
"Of course mum knows," Alex answered with a chuckle, "who do you think my sisters got their talents from? She won't have told my dad though, what about him?"
"A possibility," Bella conceded, "but would he be able to not tell Anne? And he'll start seeing granny soon to plan Ascot... I think we should maybe wait till after."
"Why do you not want any of your family to know?"
"Because..." she began, trying to arrange her thoughts in her head so that they actually came out coherently and in a way that wouldn't make Alex upset.
It was nothing to do with him, of course it wasn't. He was perfect. If maybe slightly concerning with the amount of times he said lots before babies but still, perfect. It was her. It would always be her now.
"Because, you know what they're like... one wiff of a boyfriend and before you know it we're sat in front of ten people telling us what it us we can and can't do, where we should go, what we should do, do we leak things to the press, be seen together or no wait, isn't it better to stay private, no this, no that, no -"
"Woah, woah, woah..." Alex pulled her to a stop, placing his hands on her shoulders in a desperate attempt to make her stop and breathe, "It's okay," he pulled her into a hug, glad to feel her relaxing as he held her, "it's okay."
"I just," Bella pulled away, looking up at him with those big blue eyes that made him want to give her the world, "I just don't want to ruin this... and, and I've seen how people react, I want this to work so much Alex, I don't want my family and the rest of the bloody circus that comes along with it to ruin this."
"It won't ruin it." His reply was firm, fully believing in what he was saying, "it won't ruin it at all Bell, this is what I want okay, I want you and I don't care if we have to sit in meeting after meeting just so that I can take you out to dinner, this is what I want... I love you, and having to deal with the circus isn't going to change that."
"You love me?"
Alex hadn't realised he had said it.
He hadn't realised. It was so natural. It felt like such a natural thing to say, like he had been saying it all his life. But it was true. It was so unbelievably true.
She consumed his thoughts. Constantly. All he wanted was her to be happy, to be loved. And he did. He did love her.
With every fibre of his being he loved her.
"Yes," he smiled back, "of course I do... I think I've loved you ever since you got me to move your sunbed for you."
Bella laughed at that. It was like music to his ears.
"Good," she grinned, reaching up on her tiptoes so she was closer to his face, "because I love you too."
"You do." He smiled, slowly lowering his own face to close the gap.
"Mhm," she nodded, closing her eyes as he leaned in, "I love you."
♔♕
"Can you cook?"
"Yeah course I can," Bella replied, pushing herself up onto her elbow so she was looking down at Alex, "I've been taught about basic survival skills in case I ever get kidnapped and I manage to escape."
"Well you wouldn't last very long if what you cooked me that time is the full extent of your skills."
"Oh shut up." She exclaimed, slapping his chest lightly as he laughed, "that was once and you said it was very nice."
"Sorry you'll have to remind when I said that, was it before or after I was violently sick?"
Ignoring the sound of Alex's laughter increasing, Bella continued to protest her innocence, "you were only bloody sick because you ate the curry that you found in the fridge, the one I told you not to eat."
"Yes darling whatever you say."
Falling back onto the bed with a huff, a smile grew on her face as Alex snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
"I've been thinking -"
"Steady on."
He received another light slap at that, the laughter that he had just got under control starting up again. "Shut up," she chuckled before taking a deep breath to continue with what she had been saying, "I've been thinking, maybe it is time we told some more people."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah," Bella smiled, "I mean I'm not quite ready for my brothers to know, or pa... but maybe Zara, and possibly Anne... maybe even Camilla, then she could slowly introduce the idea to pa."
"I think she'd have to do it very slowly." Alex grinned back, "you are his only daughter after all... bloody hell it took my dad six months to get used to the idea of Tommy and he's got four of them, I think he's only just started to like him and they've been married a year."
"Oh god, we might have to start with pa now then... you know, he likes you now, but knowing that we're together," she shook her head, blowing out a long breath as she thought, "I think you'll have to get used to one less christmas present for the time being."
"Don't worry, I can manage, you're completely worth missing out on the Christmas card for."
"That's good to know."
"You know," Alex began, "I'll bet you a fiver that Anne already knows, and a tenner that Camilla has guessed."
"Oh you're on," Bella grinned back, extending her hand out to him so they could shake on it, "there's no way they know... I am a very good actor," ignoring the laugh that escaped from him at that, she continued, "what about Z though?"
"Oh Zara definitely knows."
♔♕
"Of course I know."
There was no way for Bella to hide her disappointment as her cousin spoke the words. The two of them had joined the family for a walk around the grounds of Sandringham and, as usual, everyone had gone off into separate groups and were now all walking in completely different directions.
"Really?" She pressed, "are you sure that Alex hasn't rang you and told you, I can see him doing that just so he'd win."
"You bet on it?" Zara asked with a chuckle, "no Bell he did not ring me... it's just, so obvious."
"How?"
"You're smiling, constantly... it's actually quite annoying."
"Good." Bella quipped back, sticking her tongue out at her cousin who just laughed back at her, "it's your just deserts, you used to smile all the time when you and Mike got together."
♔♕
"Ooh Camilla!" Bella exclaimed, rushing over to pull her to one side as they headed into lunch, "glad I've caught you."
"I was just going to have lunch," she began to protest as Bella shepherded her away.
"Yes well, it's just a quick question but I don't want the others to here...they're all worse gossips than Cindy Adams."
Pulling her further away from the door that led to the dining room, Bella leaned in, lowering her voice as she asked, "how much warning do you think pa needs if I'm going to tell him I have a boyfriend, I just wouldn't want to give him a heart attack and then ruin things for William."
♔♕
𝗔/𝗡: 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀! 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗶 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁!