Page 49 of The Royal Engagement

“Madeline was a hyper toddler?” Tiffany asks.

The SUV takes off toward the first dress shop, so I buckle my seatbelt.

“So hyper,” Mom answers. “I don’t have the speed of a vampire, so keeping up with her was difficult.”

Tiffany grins. “Damek was the opposite. He was very chill as a toddler. I didn’t know him until he was two and a half years old, but he was an angel. I wonder what their children will be like.”

My cheeks grow warm as I listen to my mom and my future mother-in-law discuss what they think their grandchildren will be like.

Goodness, I almost think I prefer them fighting tothis.

Shouldn’t we get married before they start talking about grandkids?

When Mom tells Tiffany about how succubi have large families, Tiffany gets hearts in her eyes. She claims she always wanted a large family.

Uh.

I sink further in my seat. Eden gives me a small smile.

At least there is one sane person with me.

During theentiredrive to the dress shop, Mom and Tiffany discuss what they think their grandchildren will be like. And as happy as I am that the two of them are getting along, I wish they would discuss something else.

As soon as the vehicle comes to a stop, I jump right out of the vehicle. The guards rush around me, the lead guard glaring at me as he orders the others to sweep the area. Eden steps out beside me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

“They’re just excited,” she says.

They’re excited, I’m terrified.

“I think I want to be married for a few years before I have kids,” I tell her.

She chuckles. “Your dad and I had lots of comments before Lucien was born. We couldn’t go anywhere without somebody asking about us having children. It was quite awkward considering we didn’t even share a room at the time.”

I cringe thinking about it.

That’s right—they were married a few years before they shared a room. I still have no idea what my dad was thinking. Eden is so easy to like. But if he had fallen in love with her straight away, I never would’ve been born.

Once we’re given the all clear, Tiffany and Mom lead us into the dress shop. The two of them are chatting eagerly to one another. I do my best to ignore whatever they’re saying. But when we walk inside, I hear a group of girls chatting loudly.

Wait—I recognize those voices.

“Madeline!” My cousin, Sophia, squeals as she runs over to me and hugs me. Behind Sophia are three more of my cousins, Harper, Willow, and Paisley.

“Sophia, what are you doing here?” I ask.

“Your mom invited us.” She grins widely. “Did you think we’d want to missdress shoppingwith you?”

I look between my four cousins.

Out of all my cousins, Sophia, Harper, Willow, and Paisley are among my favorites. They’ve never treated me as cruelly as the rest of them.

Harper sighs. “We wanted to come. All of the cousins have been so jealous of you! Imagine how envious they’ll be when we tell them we got to see your dress!”

“They’ll just begreen!” Paisley claps her hands.

“Jealous?” I raise an eyebrow. “Of me?”

“Because of the speech your prince gave. He ignored everybody’s flirting and only had eyes for you,” Willow explains. “It’s the kind of love that only exists in books. It was so romantic.”

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