Page 75 of The Prince of New York

My eyes widened. “Oh.”

After a few thumps and a squeal, the physician snickered. “We haven’t been checking for any pregnancies because of the birth control, and the birth control is designed to make women appear to be pregnant at a glance. I’ll admit I haven’t been doing the checks because she’s usually reliable, she has not been complaining about any monthly symptoms, and she’s otherwise been quite healthy. The children, judging from feel, are a month and a half to two months post conception. Her days of milkshakes are officially over, though. I suspect she’s going to be throwing them up if she even looks at them.”

“Really? Why?”

“True misfortune.” Dr. Stanton laughed. “She’s running around like she has springs on her feet. And as you’re the next in line, the children are both boys, they’re healthy as far as I can tell, and yes, she has been sneaking vitamins. At least she picked a good brand, although I’ll be changing it to something better. For non-prescription, she got the best on the market, but she has a few extra considerations due to her recovering health, so she’s getting a prescription version. I’ll let it go. What she’s on is good enough, and I want the medical report from Maine before I make any adjustments. In good news, you won’t have to worry about your sister for the rest of the day. Please inform Terry about the pox of twins.”

“He’s right here, so one second.” I lowered the phone, bowed my head, and laughed. “Good luck, Terry. You’re battling pregnancy hormones on two fronts, and both women are having twins.”

When I lifted my head, Terry stared at me with wide eyes and an expression I could only translate as horror. “You’re serious.”

“She tricked her doctor, Terry.”

The poor man looked like he wanted to cry. “Another set of twins?”

“Dr. Stanton says they’re healthy as far as she can tell, and she’s somewhere between a month to two months post conception. Ethan was in on the skipping of birth control, so apparently, the monarchs decided they were moving ahead with their family expansion plans behind their doctor’s back.”

Terry reached into his suit jacket, retrieved Pink Lady, and handed her to me. “Please watch her for about twenty minutes. I have a principal to go scold over skipping medications.”

I accepted his baby girl, cooing at the black squirrel and giving her a kiss on her nose. “Your daddy will be back for you shortly, sweet little girl.”

Terry marched off, and I wondered who would emerge the victor. I put my bets on my sister.

She loved children, and one day at a time, she worked to build her happily ever after.

I turned my attention to Barb. “Please help us with the detail formation. We’re going to have two sets of twins running around this palace at the same time, and we are not prepared.”

The woman smiled. “Easily done. We’ll make certain the new team is prepared to onboard additional agents as needed. Anything else?”

“Do children come with off buttons?”

“Your current batch of children will be in good operating condition for about ten more minutes before they pass out, or so claimed His Royal Majesty of Maine, who peeked in on you earlier. As you were pursuing your personal needs without issue, he went off to handle other matters.”

I laughed at her commentary, and after cuddling with Terry’s tree rat for a few more moments, settled her on my shoulder, careful to keep still in case her current treatments made her unsteady. Pink Lady went about her business, which involved observing the world around her and grooming her face. “Monty, when are we headed to California?”

“His Royal Majesty of Maine cleared us to go as soon as tomorrow, and we feel we can get the preparations made. We’re waiting on the Texan and the ponies, and they’ll be here tonight. Eddie is on board Daphne’s plane. Fortunately for us, the monarchs are staying in Texas where they belong.”

Ah. Right. We needed to give Eddie a taste of freedom and start stressing him so Deidre returned home. With me around, I had no doubt in my mind the Texan princess would be on the move sooner than later.

I had a knack for stressing those around me.

Madelyn would have a rough day, and I wondered how to ease some of her stress. “Madelyn, has anyone gone with you to get an art kit yet?”

“Not yet,” she admitted.

“Monty, we’re going to the art store after the girls are put down for their nap. I need to get some things for the trip anyway, so if we leave right after they go to sleep, we should be back before they get up. If they aren’t, we’ll sacrifice my sister to them.”

She already had a set the RPS had provided, but I wanted to be involved with the purchase directly, and I was willing to bet Madelyn would enjoy the venture.

Monty grinned, lifted his hand to his ear, and said, “His Royal Highness and his aide will need an entourage to handle some shopping before the trip. Expect a trip to the art store, an office supply store, and please request that the royal tailor have one of his new suits prepared, as it seems he is in process of purging his closet of old apparel. Expect a trip to the toy store for the children as well.”

Right. They’d need toys. “A bookstore is going to be needed, as I’ll want to bring some books just for them to California. We can work on their collection while there, but I want to give them some things that are theirs, from me, before we leave.”

Monty relayed my request. “Anything else?”

“We will be going to an animal shelter. After close examination, I have determined my little girls love cats, so we will be returning with furry companions. Please contact your favorite shelter, find out their hours, and request someone let us in to adopt a few beasties. I’m thinking two cats each should be good, and we’ll see about keeping bonded cats together. I’d normally take ones with behavioral problems, but we’re going to need steady cats that like children. Get recommendations from the shelter. I have a preference for girl cats, but if there are good boys that match requirements, that’s fine.”

“Why no boys?” Monty asked with a furrowed brow.

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