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“And now we’ll have two more to love.”
Dani smiled and put her hands on her stomach. “They’ve stolen my heart already.”
“Me too, princesse. I love the life we have and the family we’re building. Thank you for giving it to me.”
Dani beamed at me. “I love you.”
I kissed her cheek and then took her hand and threaded our fingers together. “I love you too, princesse.”
She giggled and winked at me. “Who needs fairy tales? Our royal love will live happily ever after.”
EPILOGUE
DANI
Growing up with parents who were crazy about each other even after all the years they’d spent together had set a high bar for what I wanted in my marriage. One that Tristan had no problem surpassing.
A day hadn’t gone by since we’d met that my gorgeous prince didn’t show me how much I meant to him. Even during those weeks we were apart, I hadn’t doubted his love for me. My fears had stemmed from my concern that I couldn’t be what he needed as a king, but I knew I could make the man happy. And that he’d do the same for me—no matter what it took. Including abdicating the throne…just like his brother.
The St. Clares loved the same way the Kendalls did, with their entire heart and soul. And they showed that love to their children each day, just like my parents did.
That was why I wasn’t surprised to find my husband perched on a chair much too small for his large, muscular frame when I walked into our daughters’ playroom. Renaud, Deveraux, and Mathieu were at a Nighthawks practice with my dad. Renaud, the eldest of our boys, had been pestering him about getting a behind-the-scenes look at the team ever since he started playing flag football a month ago. The owner was a friend of my dad’s, and the boys had already been to a bunch of games in the suite my dad had at the stadium in Long Island.
With almost half of our brood busy and Lucien down for his nap, I’d jumped on the opportunity to have lunch with a couple of my sisters while Tristan took care of the girls. They loved having daddy time and had him wrapped around their little fingers.
He sat between Amélie and Laurent at the round table, where he’d moved into the middle of the room after I left. Brigitte was across from them, pouring tea from a Versace teapot Tristan’s mother had gotten for her birthday earlier this year. She’d also included a dozen cups and saucers so our ten-year-old could host tea parties for her sisters and cousins. The set was ridiculously expensive for a girl her age, but it had already gotten a lot of use since it was Brigitte’s favorite present by far.
Seeing my husband lift one of the dainty cups to our youngest daughter’s lips made me laugh softly because Laurent wasn’t happy that her daddy wasn’t letting her do it herself. She was the most stubborn out of them all and not just because she was smack dab in the middle of her terrible twos.
“Remember the deal we made with Daddy, Laurent.” Brigitte shook her head with a sigh as she pointed at the tiara her baby sister was wearing. “You only get to wear that as long as you act like a big girl.”
I finally noticed the jewels perched atop each of my daughter’s heads and shook my head with a smile. They were deceptively simple, but the diamond and white gold that intertwined were genuine. The girls wore the delicate headbands on the front of their hair with a brilliant-cut diamond poking out of their blond curls. It was overkill for a tea party, but they went perfectly with their dresses. The ones we’d bought for our trip to Auclair last month.
As I stepped into the room, Tristan set down the tea cup and grinned up at me.
“Having fun?” I asked, returning his smile.
“Of course.” He got to his feet and strode over to me. “But we’ll have even more now that you’re back.”
“Look, Mommy,” Amélie squealed as she got up and twirled, the skirt of her dress billowing around her ankles. “We havin’ a princess tea party!”
“I see that, sweetie.” I quirked a brow and chided, “I grew up the daughter of a billionaire and didn’t even wear real jewels during my princess parties.”
Tristan stroked his thumb against my jawline. “Ah, but you’ve learned how much fun it is to play with real jewels now, haven’t you, ma princesse?”
My cheeks heated as I thought about the diamond nipple clamps and platinum chain that he’d used on me just last night. “Mm-hmm, I definitely have.”
“I love your pretty jewels, Mommy.” Amélie bounced on her feet, clapping her hands. “Go put them on so you can do princess party too!”
