The sun peeped through the blinds, making a striped pattern on the bed. Elena smoothed the sheets at her side and yawned. She had been awake for hours, and now that it was morning, she felt the effects. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at the bassinet to her left, just in time to see Aurora stretch, her little pink lips smacking as she prepared for another feeding. Elena knew she would get grumpy if she didn’t attend to her right away.

She rose on her elbows as Doctor Suarez came into the room. “Feeding time?” he asked with a smile.

“Yeah. This one has quite an appetite,” Elena huffed as she struggled around the crumpled bedding to a sitting position.

“Here, let me,” Doctor Suarez offered as he hurried over to the bassinet and scooped Aurora into his hands. “She is a beauty, isn’t she?”

Elena blushed and held out her hands for her daughter. “That she is.” She nestled the baby in her arms, and Aurora latched onto her nipple, causing Elena to wince as she did what newborns did best—suck.

“So, I have some good news,” the doctor said as he pulled up a chair and smiled.

“Please tell me I can go home,” Elena pleaded.

“As a matter of fact, you can. Aurora is doing well on her own, and you are recovering quite normally. I’d say we are out of the woods.”

Elena sighed with relief. “Oh, thank you, Doctor Suarez. I was getting so tired of this place. No offense.”

He chuckled. “None taken. Heck, sometimes I don’t like this place either.” He slapped his knees and stood. “So, I’ll let the Prince know, and as soon as he gets here, you’re free to go. Congratulations again, and best of luck.”

“Thanks, Doc. You’ve been great.”

“That’s what all my patients say right before they leave.” He laughed.

Elena was bursting with relief. She hated being confined to bed, and had she not had Aurora to give her something to do, she would have gone crazy. She missed the farm, and as she thought about it, she knew she had to make a hard decision in the coming days. As much as she didn’t like it, she might have to consider living at the castle. She didn’t want to be separated from Jason, and she knew it would be wildly inappropriate for him to either move onto the farm or visit every day. And what if they got married? That would complicate their relationship and new family life a whole lot more. But she wasn’t sure if she was ready to have that discussion yet, and she would postpone it for as long as she could.

She was still anxious when an hour later, Jason burst through the door, a big grin on his face.

“And I thought I was happy to leave,” Elena teased.

“Well, I have several reasons to be happy. Now, m’lady,” he said and bowed, “ready to go?”

Elena giggled. “What has gotten into you?”

He scooped her into his arms and gave her a big kiss on the lips. Her eyes widened, and she gripped his shoulders for support. She had no idea what was going on with him, but she sure wasn’t complaining.

“Okay,” she managed to say when he let her go. “I think I’m all set.”

“Well, let’s go,” he urged, and she couldn’t say she wasn’t suspicious about his behavior. Jason had been spontaneous in the past, but he was acting weird and it annoyed her that she hadn’t figured it out. And clearly, he had no intention of telling her.

Elena held Aurora as he wheeled her to the car. She still felt pain, which was expected, and she felt awkward. She had wanted to be on her feet, but she wasn’t looking forward to it. Her body needed time to recover. But at least, she would be home…

Jason placed his arm around her on the ride back, and the other hand was stretched over the car seat where Aurora now slept. Elena had to admit to herself that being with Jason was not such a bad thing after all. She’d had so many fears and hang-ups that she had allowed them to block her happiness. As the car drove along smoothly, she let herself fall deeper into him, and it warmed her as she nestled even closer to him.

She was astonished when they reached the village and saw no one. “Where’s everybody?” she asked, mostly to herself. She didn’t expect him to know the answer.

“You know these people. They stay in until after dark.”

Elena smiled. “Yeah, you’re right.” But she couldn’t help thinking they usually flocked the car as he passed through, but the thought crossed her mind that maybe they had grown so accustomed to seeing him that his arrival wasn’t a cause of celebration and hoorahs as before.

She saw Jason shift and look around, almost as if he was uncomfortable, and she knitted her brows. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

He sighed and shifted his body weight so he was looking directly at her. “Yeah, there is something I want to show you, and ask too. Just don’t know…”

“Just spill it. You’re making me jittery.”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed. “How about coming to stay with me at the castle for a while?”

Elena sighed. “You know I love the farm.”

“Of course.” He grinned. “But hold on for a second.” He reached for a folder tucked away in the pocket of the car seat. “Take a look at this.”

“What’s that?”

Her eyes told him she was skeptical, and it amused him. “Just look at it.”

She cautiously took the folder and opened it. He leaned over, grinning like he had just received a gift he had always wanted. “What is this?” She looked over at him, and he could tell she was confused. “I don’t understand.”

“That’s the floor plan for your new house…our new house, I mean,” he corrected himself and sat back proudly.

“My what? You’re building me a house? Jason, that’s too much.”

“It isn’t enough,” he replied lovingly.

“But, where…how…”

“You’ll see.”

Elena slapped him on his hand. “I knew you were hiding something.”

Jason grinned as the car pulled up to the gate and they saw all the people waiting.

“What are they all doing here?” Elena wanted to know.

Rick got out of the car and opened her door. Elena got out and took Aurora from the car seat, just as Jason reached them.

“Well, I would have loved for this to be complete when you got home, but seeing as that was impossible, I figured the next best thing would be having you cut the ribbon and maybe just holding a shovel for the groundbreaking.”

Elena’s mouth fell open, and she gawked. Her hand covered her mouth, and her eyes watered. “I can’t believe it. You did this for me?”

“For us, actually,” he reminded her. “You didn’t want to live at the castle, and I want to be with you, so this is the compromise. What do you think?”

“Are you kidding me?” she asked as she hobbled over to him, baby in her arms, and pulled his face to hers. “I love it.” And she kissed him.

“But you haven’t seen it yet,” he mumbled against her lips.

She pulled back. “I don’t care. I know it will be beautiful.”

“I still want it to be a surprise, so that’s why I want you to stay at the castle until it’s done. Plus, you and Aurora can get all the help and attention you need so you can recover properly, and well, you can get to know my family.”

Elena smiled. “I would love to.”

Jason was over the moon with excitement. Elena was in obvious pain as she walked, and Jason handed Aurora to Olivia so he could prop her up. The villagers cheered when she got closer to them. The contractor held a brand-new shovel with a blue ribbon around it, and he held it out to Jason as they neared.

“Thank you.” He pulled Elena to his side. “Think you can manage this?”

She laughed softly. “Yeah, I think so.”

She took the shovel amidst hooting and cheers and followed the contractor to the site. She couldn’t really ‘break ground,’ so she just tapped the spot and it was official. He took the shovel after and actually struck the ground, shoveling some dirt as he did.

“Let the dream begin,” he said loudly, and the villagers, never needing a reason to celebrate, eagerly joined in.

Everyone wanted to see the new princess, and they flocked Olivia as Jason and Elena stood by and watched them with amusement.

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” he eventually called to them. “Elena needs her rest.” They reluctantly walked away, babbling excitedly still, and promising to return with gifts and treats. “Ready?” he looked over at Elena and asked.

“Definitely. But maybe I will stay here for the next couple of days. Too much excitement all at once,” she apologized.

“No, that’s okay. I’ve waited for months. I think I can make it for a few more days.”

The rest of the day was spent getting her settled in, and Elena fell asleep an hour later. Olivia watched over Aurora like a hen would her chicks, and Jason was tempted to stay. But he had to leave, and he looked forward to seeing her again the following day, and to holding his daughter every day after.