“Of course.” She nodded to the children. “Aren’t they lovely?”
“I couldn’t be prouder.” He sighed. “And the queen looks suitably impressed too.”
“Do you think she minds that you’re dancing with me again?”
“I think she approves.” As they danced, not just two times but several more consecutively, Meredith wondered if…did this mean Spencer was making his intentions known? Or was she imagining things? Finally, she decided to quit wondering. Just be in the moment. If she were like Cinderella, then the whole beautiful dream would go poof at midnight. She might as well enjoy it while it lasted.
After a while a large cake was rolled out, and the royal family gathered around Kat. The merry onlookers sang a festive song to the birthday girl. Meanwhile Meredith and Kalina watched from the edge of the crowd. Now the buffet tables were serving, and the music changed from just waltzes to more youthful selections.
“What happened to Kat and her family?” Kalina asked Meredith as they helped themselves to some food.
“I don’t know.” But Meredith had noticed it too. It seemed that Kat, Mishka, and Spencer had just vanished. But Queen Katerina remained on her throne, sipping a glass of champagne and watching with bored interest. Meredith hoped nothing was amiss. She remembered Spencer’s concerns for security. Surely no one would attempt anything nefarious at a birthday party, would they?
“There they are.” Kalina pointed to the back of the room.
Meredith sighed in relief. “Maybe they were giving Kat something special for her birthday.”
Kalina waved to Kat, and the three came over. Kat removed Meredith’s plate of food, handing it to her father. “Meri, we need to speak to you.”
“Yes,” Mishka agreed. “It’s important.”
Meredith nodded mutely. “Yes, of course. Is something wrong?”
“Come with us.” Mishka took her hand, leading her to a quieter corner of the ballroom.
“We want to ask you something,” Kat said in a serious tone.
“Okay. Go ahead.” Meredith braced herself.
“We want to know if you want to become a mother,” Mishka said with wide eyes.
“A mother?” Meredith blinked.
“To us,” Kat supplied.
Meredith chuckled. “Well, I love you both dearly. I couldn’t love you more if I were your mother. But what is this about?”
“That’s all,” Kat said abruptly.
“We just wanted to make sure,” Mishka reassured her. “I told them you would, but they weren’t certain.”
“Who wasn’t certain?”
“Never mind.” Kat waved to someone behind Meredith, and Spencer appeared. “It’s okay, Papa.” She grinned. “Now it’s up to you.”
“Thank you.” He cleared his throat as Kat grabbed Mishka’s hand and half dragged him back to the dance floor. “Meredith,” he said in a serious voice. “I have something to ask you. Do you mind going where it’s not so noisy?”
“Not at all.”
He took her hand and led her through a door that looked more like a wall and into a small, elegant room. “I asked my children for permission,” he began as he turned to face her. “And then we decided they should ask you.”
“About becoming a mother?” she said in a slightly teasing tone.
“Is that what they said?”
“Mishka said something to that effect.”
“We wanted to find out where you stood.” He held her hand in both of his. “Because it’s not a simple thing. We know it’s a lot for a person to undertake, and we don’t want to overwhelm you.”
