Page 25 of The Princess, the Prick & the Priest (Confessions 4)

“My beautiful boy,” she said with a warm smile as she held her arms out. “Come give your mother a hug.”

As Robbie wrapped his arms around her, Sofia kissed his cheek, and her eyes shifted to the two men her beautiful boy had brought home with him. Robbie straightened, and when he did, Sofia slipped her arm around his waist, and he hugged her into his side.

“It’s been too long, young man,” she said as she angled her head to look at her son. “But it’s so good to have you home.”

“I know. It’s great to be here, Ma. Really,” Robbie said, and kissed her head. Then he turned and swallowed, nervous, as though he’d forgotten his lines in a movie. “You remember—”

“Mr. Thornton and his husband, Mr. Priestley? Yes,” she said, and Julien wondered exactly how this was going to play out.

Were they about to be told they couldn’t come in? Quite possibly. But then Sofia placed a hand on Robbie’s arm and patted it as she looked first to Julien and said, “It’s a pleasure to be able to cook for you today, Mr. Thornton. Especially after the wonderful meal I had at your place earlier this year. My only hope is that cacciucco isn’t too common for someone as fancy as yourself.”

Julien stepped forward, took her hand in his, and brought it up to his mouth to kiss. “Bonjour, and please, don’t worry yourself. I’ve been looking forward to your cooking from the moment Robbie described your fettuccine con carciofi. No matter how many cooking classes one might attend, nothing beats a home-cooked meal passed down from one generation to the next.”

A blush filled Sofia’s cheeks, like Robbie when he was pleased—or embarrassed—and Julien looked at their princesse, who had an expression full of relief stamped all over his face—until his mother turned to Priest.

“And Mr. Priestley. It’s lovely to see you again too.”

Priest offered up a less wolfish grin than the one he’d joked with around Robbie, and the charm and charisma Priest rarely unleashed was set free on Sofia.

“It’s lovely to see you too, Mrs. Bianchi. Thank you for having us.”

“Please, both of you. My name is Sofia. And it’s only right that we look after the young man who helped out Vanessa when she was in such a tough spot. It’s the least we can do.”

Robbie looked at Priest, and Julien wondered if they were thinking the same thing. Under any circumstance would they ever think of Priest as a young man? The answer to that was simple—no.

Sofia let go of Robbie’s arm and stepped toward Priest, and Robbie’s eyes widened. But before he could say anything, she was wrapping her arms around Priest in a hug that made Robbie’s eyes close to fall out of his head.

Priest embraced her, and she said, “I wanted to do this at the restaurant that night, but I got sidetracked with all the glitz and glam. Thank you. Thank you so much for helping our Vanessa.” Priest aimed his eyes at Robbie and mouthed, See, not awkward at all.

“It was my pleasure to help,” Priest said. “Plus, it’s how I got to know Robert, and that is thanks enough.”

“Yes, my Robert is quite a treat. But…”

Robbie narrowed his eyes at Priest, but quickly lost his attitude when Sofia pulled away and spun around on him.

“You are in trouble, mister,” she said, and pointed a finger at him.

“Me?” Robbie said. “It’s my birthday. I can’t be in trouble.”

“It is not your birthday. That was two weeks ago, which is why you are in trouble.” She swatted Robbie on the arm, and then said, to Priest and Julien, “Please. Come in. Come in. Robert’s father has just gone up to the store to buy the drinks for tomorrow’s party. Penelope’s running a little late, but Felicity and Valerie are in the kitchen, and they are just dying to say hello.”

As she walked ahead of them, Robbie said under his breath, “Brace yourselves. She’s just the welcoming committee. The whirlwind is about to take place.”

“She’s wonderful,” Julien said, as he watched Sofia disappear down the hallway.

Priest said, “Don’t you worry about us, Robert. I’m rather looking forward to this.”

Robbie rolled his eyes, and when he turned around to head inside, Priest brushed his hand over Robbie’s ass, making him startle.

“Just reminding you how my hand feels right here, should you feel the need to get bratty like that later.”

“Stronzo,” Robbie muttered.

As he walked off, the other two followed, and Julien looked to Priest and said, “I don’t think that was very nice, whatever it was.”

“I don’t think so either,” Priest said, and winked. “Remind me to ask him about it…later.”

HIS MOTHER HADN’T been wrong. From the second the three of them walked into the kitchen until now, an hour later, Robbie’s sisters hadn’t stopped talking over the top of each other to ask Julien and Priest anything and everything about themselves.

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