Once Upon a Royal Christmas by Robin Bielman

Author:Robin Bielman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: The Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2016-10-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“Do you live in a castle? Ride a horse? Have a really big swimming pool with a slide? Can I see your crown?”

“Annabelle, slow down, sweetie. How about we give Prince Theodore a chance to answer one question at a time,” Sean, the girl’s father, said.

Theo smiled at the adorable six-year-old. She and her father had been in a terrible car accident, sideswiped by a sport utility vehicle. The impact had crushed Annabelle’s side of the two-door sports car, leaving her with a broken leg, broken wrist, concussion, and internal bleeding. Thankfully, she was going to be fine. Sean had gotten away with nothing more than a sore neck and a pulled back muscle. Theo could see the anguish on the man’s face—he’d give anything to change places with his daughter.

“No. No. Yes. I don’t have it with me,” Theo said.

She gave a little shrug. “Will you come talk at my school? Fridays are show and tell and no one has brought a prince before. Michaela brought a paylia…” She glanced at her dad.

“Paleontologist,” Sean said.

“Yes, that, and everyone thought he was the best thing ever. Most of the time, we share things like toys and books and that gets kind of boring.”

Theo chuckled. Annabelle was sweet and precocious. She’d probably get along fabulously with Rowan. That was a weird thought. “I’m honored that you think I rank up there with dinosaurs.”

“Can you?” she pressed, her big brown eyes pleading. A line of stitches followed her hairline from her forehead to her ear. Today was Thursday. Did she mean tomorrow? If so, he’d be happy to, but he wasn’t sure when she was being released.

“Any Friday that I’m here is yours.”

Sean cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, we don’t live here. We were just traveling through.” There was more to the story of this father and daughter, but it wasn’t Theo’s place to ask.

He’d spent the last hour in the children’s wing of the hospital to visit and give gifts from Santa. His shopping trip with David had proven quite the success, as all the kids loved the various toys Theo had purchased.

“Princes can go anywhere, though, right? Daddy will give you our phone number, and you could come see us when we get home.”

The hope in Annabelle’s voice tugged firmly on Theo’s heart. He wished he could tell her yes. “I’m not sure my schedule would allow me to come see you, but I could send you something to share. Something from my country that no one else has.”

Her little body shrank into the bed. “Okay, I guess.”

She was killing him. “Have you ever had a pen pal? Someone you mail notes back and forth with?” he asked. She shook her head. “I haven’t either. What do you say you be mine?”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“That would be the bomb,” she said excitedly, sitting taller and tossing a huge grin to her dad. “That’s what Daddy and me say when something super great happens.”

Theo took Annabelle’s hand and kissed the back of it. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Annabelle, and I look forward to your letters.

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