Page 56 of Scandal Queen

I lowered myself until we were eye to eye. “What are you sorry about? That you nearly called Oliver, Daddy?”

I glanced up at him, but he still seemed to be frozen. Not helping. At all.

“I… I...” Her little bottom lip quivered. “I know you always said it would just be me and you.”

I huffed a breath like I’d been punched. “Sweetie, that’s changed, and it’s okay for us to open ourselves up to new things. Oliver loves you very much.”

Fuck. I wanted to elbow him in the balls to make him move.

She stared up at him, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Oliver. I know you aren’t my real daddy.”

Her words moved him into action. With his face still almost blank he bent at the waist and smoothed his hands around her face, lifting it up so they could meet gazes. “Daisy, my princess. I will always be whoever you want me to be.”

She nodded, although it didn’t look easy, holding her as he was. “So you don’t mind?”

I swallowed hard, my chest aching, my heart beating rough and loud. He knelt in front of her, in front of everyone watching, all the passers-by who could see their future king on his knees. “It would be the greatest honour of my life.”

I dashed my fingers at my face. My skin sizzled with sticky heat under my touch. “I’m going to kill you guys if I’m on the front page of The Sun crying tomorrow.” I turned for the car, only to find a Nissan 4x4 in our place.

“Ugh, where’s the car?”

Oliver grinned, and although I could still see a storm in the green of his eyes, I knew he dug deep to pull it under control; after all, one must never show emotion in public.

I wiped at my face again.

“I thought we could go shopping.”

My mouth hung open.

“Shopping?” I turned looking for Bill. He’d be here somewhere, his finger against his earpiece while he frowned at his boss.

“Sure. There’s an amazing toy shop three streets along and I thought Daisy might like to look in there.”

I glanced up and down the road again. “But…”

“I’m trying here, Leia. I’m hearing what you are saying and I’m trying to change. I might not get the King and Queen strolling down Kensington High Street any time soon, but I think we can at least give it a whirl.”

How did he manage to make everything sound so easy?

“So we are just going to stroll along?” I lifted an eyebrow.

“Strolling, strolling, strolling.” Damn that smile.

“Would you like to go toy shopping, Daisy?” I turned to ask Daisy. I mean after all she’d just kind of unofficially adopted herself a father in the middle of the street. It was a dumb question anyway. Of course she’d say yes.

“Okay. Let’s stroll.” I shrugged and reached my hand out for him. “Strolling, strolling, strolling.”

He grinned and squeezed my fingers tight. “And there’s a new Lego I quite fancy.”

“Ohhh now the truth comes out.”

Chuckling, he pulled me tight into his side and kissed the top of my head.

I eyed the box with a level of cynicism that every mother has instilled in them at the birth of their child. Just this time I wasn’t talking to my child. “There is no way we can carry that home.”

“We can manage it between us I’m sure.”

“Down to St Mark’s? Are you having a laugh?”