Princess in Training (Prince Harry #3)

Chapter Fifteen

Harry kept his word, and when the sun went down fully, Meredith and him walked by the River Thames. The April wind gave a chill. Harry pulled his jacket tighter, and Meredith wasn't bothered. Her arm slid through his crooked arm, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. Lamps giving off orange hues that echoed light across the never ending side.

Walking along the Thames, Meredith tilted her head against Harry, and he kissed her, holding her closer. With his jacket collar popped up and a Minnesota Twins baseball cap on, not one glance came to Harry's face. It made him relax a bit more, even as his eyes tended to glance toward anyone who walked around.

Meredith's blonde hair fluttered around, swiping Harry. His fingers brushed her hair back, but it didn't last long. Her hair flew free once again. "It's no use," she said. Before leaving the flat, she took a shower after sweating through most of the dresses. Her hair curled naturally. Waves and curls blew around, and her thick hair threatened to take someone's eye out.

Harry's fingers intertwined through her hair. "I like it this way."

For most days, Meredith hair her hair straight and up. Straight was by the choice of Jessica and others, since it easier to control in wisps. However, either Meredith played with her hair or it was in her way, so she had it half up and half down. The front and top were taken into a neat bun in the back of her hair, showing off her naturally darker hair underneath, which stayed straight.

Meredith shrugged. "It does what it wants." Her hair was uncontrollable when in curls. One half of her head might be straight and other hair was curls. There was no way to know. "And this," Meredith slid her hand over his beard, "is this coming off for the wedding?"

"I thought you liked it."

"Sure, so that's a yes, then."

"Yes." Harry laughed. "But you like the beard, right?"

"Yes, in the beginning."

"In the beginning?"

"You're starting to look gruffy, Harry. Switch it up. Show your baby face again."

"Do you think I'm starting to look old?"

"Absolutely." Meredith kissed him, and his gruffy beard stuck her soft face skin. His heard almost made her sneeze. "At least give it a clean up tonight. And a conditioning."

"I do condition it."

She smirked. "You've got money. Get better stuff." Gripping his hand, Meredith pulled him along the river's edge. While some part of her was tired about today and wanted to curl up in a ball at home, the rest of her body desperately wanted to move. He dragged his feet, tired from his work today, but Meredith was just getting started. "The Queen offered to lend me a tiara for the wedding."

Harry's eyes glanced around to see if anyone noticed how openly she said it, yet there was no one who cared. He knew he needed to loosen up because he wasn't like this when they met. He had been relaxed. The more and more he started to care for her, the more scared he got that something might mess it up, especially with Jack Campbell hovering around.

"You knew she was going to do that, didn't you?" Meredith continued.

"Yes. She offered it to Sophie, Cath and others. It was a logical step."

Meredith wasn't so sure.

"Are you going to take her up on the offer?"

"Jessica says I should, but that would involve me wearing a veil. I was hoping to get around that." Something else gnawed at Meredith. "I'm a commoner, like a proper commoner, and I know that sounds ridiculous because you'll say Cath was a commoner but not to us Americans. She had money; she just happened to marry someone who has more money."

"So you think the tiara will throw off the commoner thing?"

Meredith shrugged. "You know, no more wedding talk. It's just us tonight, like when we were back in Edinburgh, when we had just started dating."

"Which date?" he asked, curling his arms around her. "Perhaps the one where paparazzi showed up or the one that you vomited all over me?"

"You were asking for it." As Meredith recalled the date, she had told Harry she was motion sick before even going into the helicopter, but he said it was fine. The rest was history.

"Tomorrow you have an event with my granddad," Harry said.

"Whoa no!" Meredith said. "No more of that talk either, but yes." Her fingers squeezed Harry's hand as Meredith mentioned she wanted ice cream.

"It's freezing!" Harry knew she was from the north, where the cold didn't bother her. Yet, also Meredith had said ice cream never melted if it was also freezing outside. Sighing, Harry took his fiance to a nearby mart.

Inside the small shoppe, the owner glanced at the entering customers but said nothing as the two collected their ice cream from the box. Harry pulled out his wallet and fished some pounds out. Beside the check out counter, a number of glossy tabloids with Harry and Meredith's faces on it. One pointed at the age difference of Harry and Meredith of thirteen years, which called Meredith Harry's midlife crisis.

"You didn't tell me you were dying early," she joked.

Harry glanced over. "Apparently I'm gone by seventy," he mocked.

"What a shame." Meredith licked her ice cream as they left the shoppe.

Back along the Thames, Meredith finished her ice cream while Harry was chilled to the bone. Having gone to the south pole, the thought was the cold didn't bother him anymore. It wasn't the case. Meredith liked the cold over the heat, and Harry was very much different. He worked in the desert in Afghanistan. Meredith grew up in the snow and cold.

"Is it time to head back?" Meredith asked. "I think someone needs a warm bath."

"I don't know if that'll do the trick."

Close to his ear, Meredith whispered, "I have a few more things in mind to warm you up."

Harry didn't mind that all.

Back at Kensington Palace, Harry ripped off his clothes and helped Meredith to take off her own. With all doors locked, Harry didn't want anyone to ruin this moment. She led him upstairs, where he became unfrozen. The bedroom door closed behind them.