Page 8 of The Royally Broke Billionaire
Tess grinned at her audacious friend. Gently handing Liam back into her husband’s arms, she weighed in with her opinion. “You know, I think it does.”
Mo’s eyes lit up with excitement over the queen’s confirmation. Speaking to the entire group, she said, “My superpower is making angry flames shoot out of my head. What’s yours?”
Pierce leaned his head towards his wife and said quietly, “I think your superpower is making me love you more with each passing moment.”
She beamed at his praise, and Piper would have sworn that the shade of Mo’s hair really did deepen to a ruddier red.
Although the sweet words were meant just for Mo’s ears, they had all heard them.
Tearing his eyes away from his son to gaze at his wife, the king said, “No, that’s Tess’s superpower.”
Pierce furrowed his brow as if he was truly perplexed. “I love Tess, but as a sibling and friend. She doesn’t make me love her more with each passing moment.”
“Not you, you silly goober.” Sebastian leaned over to grab the throw pillow from behind his back and lobbed it in his brother’s direction.
When Pierce went to toss one back at him, Sebastian stopped him by reminding him that he was holding the baby. When his brother froze with the pillow reared back and ready to throw, the king stuck his tongue out at him. The childish and rude gesture made Pierce’s eyes light up with mischief as he shifted directions and tossed the pillow at the queen’s face.
“Hey!” The surprised monarchs both said in unison.
Pierce defended his action. “I couldn’t throw it at Sebastian with Liam in his arms.”
“Well, why did I have to get involved?” The queen groused, but she wasn’t able to fully hide the smile from her face.
“There’s only one way to settle this,” the king decided.
When they all looked in his direction in anticipation, he answered his own teaser. “It’s time for the ultimate shoulder wars battle in the pool.”
Already nodding to accept the challenge, Pierce said, “You’re on, as long as things don’t get too rough for my preggo wife.” He beamed at Mo as the others nodded their agreement that they would take it easy. Once that was settled, he said, “Okay, then, we are going to take you two down.”
“There’s no way that’s going to happen,” Tess weighed in before adding, “I’m in as long as the losers have to dip the ice cream after we knock you two over.”
“Yes!” Mo agreed with that idea with one amendment. Looking at her husband she said, “We’re going to have a king and queen scooping our ice cream for dessert tonight.”
“Fat chance!” Sebastian weighed in before standing and returning Liam to Piper’s arms.
“Would you like to join us at the pool?” Tess gave Piper a friendly smile before assuring her, “Our chicken wars really aren’t dangerous. The guys are mostly just talk.”
“No, thanks. I need to get Liam to bed.” Piper was actually looking forward to a quiet evening in her room with her son. The buildup to and stress of coming here today had left her feeling emotionally exhausted.
Piper couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as each of them––even Mo––paused to wish Liam a good night before heading inside the castle to change into their bathing suits. She shook her head as she watched the wild and silly foursome wrap their arms around each other as they walked. She had expected them to be so much more…royal.
9
Piper’s planned quiet evening in her room was disrupted by the loud laughter and playing coming from the palace’s large infinity pool. She had no doubt that the royals worked hard, but they were proving that they also knew how to cut loose and have fun. It was a pleasant surprise to encounter this carefree side of them. Most people only got to see the staid, official countenances of the royals––except for rebellious Mo, of course.
Deciding that she wasn’t going to get much rest with their loud caterwauling, Piper went out to her room’s balcony after getting Liam to sleep in his crib. She was thankful that her baby was such a great sleeper because the royals were not even attempting to hold down the noise as they frolicked in the crystal clear blue water in the pool.
Out on her second-floor bedroom’s balcony, she moved the white wicker rocking chair with the comfortable cushion and footstool into a position where she could see both the pool and the inky sea beyond the palace grounds. The air seemed almost fresher and more oxygenated at the castle, if that was even possible.
She took a deep breath to absorb and savor the extreme royal-ness of it. If ever there was a place Piper had never imagined her life would take her, it was to this castle overlooking the island’s royal family as they relaxed and had fun together. The game eventually died down, and the foursome swam peacefully in the sparkling water below her.
When Mo spoke, her voice was loud enough to carry up to the balcony where Piper was sitting. “You’re still getting your fairytale ending, despite this unfortunate new development, Tess.”
Piper wondered if she should quietly slip inside her suite and close the door. She didn’t want to spy on the royals’ private conversation, but she also didn’t want to draw any attention to the fact that she had been sitting out here watching them play a very unroyal game of chicken, with the ladies sitting on the men’s shoulders.
In the end, her curiosity won out when she heard Mo continue. “We all expected to have some bumps in the road, and it looks like Liam and Piper are going to be one of the more major ones.”
The foursome grinned at each other before Mo continued in a surprisingly pensive tone, “But you may find that they are actually a blessing in your lives. Besides, you still get to live happily ever after with the king, so despite all of this extra stress, you’re still winning at life.”
