*Sixth book in the Royals Series*
It's been nearly 3 years since Jackie Baker married her long time friend, Prince Harry, with the eyes of the world on her. Now, with a one year old and twins on the way, Jackie must balance the pressures of her chi...
"I'll FaceTime you every night," Harry said, leaning against the window of the airplane hangar.
"Make sure you wear sunscreen, you don't want to be burnt up for Christmas pictures," Jackie reminded, fussing over the zipper of Harry's coat. "And wear bug spray, you can't be too careful with mosquitoes."
"I will," Harry laughed. Jackie was at the airport, seeing Harry off for his official trip to Nepal. It was December 6th, and Harry would be gone for 14 days. Jackie was in her fifth month of her pregnancy, her mid-May due date creeping up slowly but surely.
No matter how badly she wanted to, Jackie couldn't go with him. Her doctor warned against the chance of contracting a foreign infection that could harm the babies. When she originally agreed to go on the trip some 7 months ago, she wasn't pregnant.
"When does your flight leave?" Harry asked.
"Tomorrow at 8, we're going to try to sneak out without anyone noticing," Jackie said. She and Mary Kate were headed to the Windsor's Manhattan apartment the following morning to escape the London press. In New York, Jackie had more freedom to roam the city without being noticed. When Harry finished his visit to Nepal, he would be flying out to meet her, and they would attend a Christmas Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The next day, they would fly back to Sandringham in time to take part in the Christmas festivities with the entire royal family. It would be a busy few weeks.
"Five minutes, Your Highness," one of Harry's aides reminded.
The royal couple were hiding in the hangar from the paparazzi, which were lined up on the tarmac of the airport, waiting for Harry to board his plane. Unfortunately for Jackie, the tabloids had been running stories about her "laziness" since October, spinning every single thing she did or didn't do into some elaborate, made up story. When Harry took Mary Kate to a farm park in Norfolk while Jackie took Rupert to the vet for his check up, she was an absent mother. When she and Mary Kate went to the same farm park the next week, she was ditching her royal duties and was a clinging on to her daughter.
"Do you want to walk out to the plane with me?" Harry asked, peeking through the window of the hangar at the swarm of photographers. Jackie's expression must have answered Harry's question, because he said, "You don't have to."
Jackie smiled sympathetically. "I would, but since I don't have Mary Kate with me, they'll find out that I left her at the Palace unattended with only a pair of scissors to play with."
Harry let out a loud laugh. "But if you brought her, you'd be recklessly subjecting her to the loud noises and fumes of the airport."
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Jackie laughed and gave Harry a tight hug. "We'll miss you."
"I'm going to miss you, too," Harry said into the top of her head. "Stick up for yourself if they start bothering you again."
Jackie smiled. "I will."
Harry gave Jackie a firm kiss before he walked into the view of the cameras, which began snapping away immediately.
