The Royal Romance - You Can't Uneat The Apple

Fall at your feet

"The finger of blame has turned upon itself

And I'm more than willing to offer myself

Do you want my presence or need my help?

Who knows where that might lead?"

                     Crowded House - Fall At Your Feet

This chapter is NSFW :)

***

Of course, Maxwell hadn't slept; at first he'd just watched the moonlight through the hayloft window above him, tearful and reflective as he recalled the last night he'd spent here. As daylight arrived, and the animals and birds around him began to announce the arrival of another day, he'd tried to shut everything else out, be at one with the nature around him for one last time, but that wasn't possible. Everything else was just too huge.

He'd screwed up again. Jen hated him now, and he didn't blame her for hating him. He'd been thoughtless and selfish at a moment that she'd needed him to be thoughtful and selfless. And even if she came around and didn't hate him, the mess the two of them were in was so sticky that he had no idea how she wouldn't hate him again within days, because he wasn't going to get any of this right, ever.

She might be having my baby.

No, she can't be having my baby. She's the queen. She has to have the king's baby.

The most painful part of all of this was Jen's implication that he might want her to have an abortion. While that would remove any doubts over her child's paternity, he hadn't even thought of it as a possibility until she'd made the accusation. How could she even think I'd want her to do that? I know what pressure she's under. I heard what she said, how hopeful she was that it might be mine. Does she really think I'm that cruel, that selfish? When have I ever made her think I could be capable of that?

She has to have this baby. There's no other way.

And he found himself thanking all the higher powers for the fact that he and Rick had a similar skin-tone and the same colour eyes, but at the same time he cursed them for the fact that his one moment of weakness here in this very barn had put his favourite person, the whole country, in an impossible situation.

Well, she's having someone's baby. That's the main thing. So our time is up anyway. Whatever she was trying to say about wanting it to be mine because she loves me - she didn't mean that. Because she's going to be the best mom ever, and she's gonna want the best dad for that little bean growing inside her.

And that isn't me.

When he heard the barn door creak open, he prepared himself to see Jen when he turned around. Of course, it could have been Chuck too. But he hadn't expected to see this familiar face.

He sat up and faced his brother as he approached, bolting on a courageous smile. "Oh, hey! I must've passed out here last night. Great party! What a day!"

He'd actually sobered up immediately when Jen had delivered her news, but Bertrand wasn't to know that. It was a decent cover story, rather than admit to not wanting to see anyone else for as long as possible.

"It's not like you to miss breakfast," Bertrand said, his brow furrowed. "And while Bianca's smoothie maker is well overdue a day off, a number of us were becoming concerned about you."

Was Jen in that number? Probably not. "Oh, you know me. I'm fine! And more than ready to head back to base camp later on... ohmygod I just realised, Dad will be coming home with us, right?"