Page 98 of The Royal in Room 3

“If we didn’t take the kids, Phoenix would have a fit,” I said. He’d already dubbed the children his Belvarian grandangels and promised to teach them American bad habits so they didn’t grow up to be stuffy royals.

Jude was going through our luggage again to ensure we had everything we needed, including all our travel documents. It was a lot harder to travel with four kids than when it was just us traveling back and forth. I could hold council meetings and tackle Belvarian issues, but if it were left up to me, the kids would be running amok. This was only made worse by my own father, who spoiled them.

Thankfully, the man who had once taught me how to separate laundry and pay bills now transferred those skills to organizing four royal children who hadn’t learned what fear was yet. The role reversal still amused me.

He had taught me how to live in the ordinary world, and I had taught him how to survive the royal one. Somehow, between protocol lessons, state dinners, preschool drop-offs, public scrutiny, and four children who treated palace corridors like racetracks, we had built a wonderful life.

In private, Jude might still be the Daddy whose arms I relaxed in at night, but in public, everyone knew that I did not play about my husband. At first, when we made our relationship public and everyone learned about Jude’s criminal record, they would make unsavory remarks and criticize everything he did in public. That had strained our relationship for a while, until I’d decided enough was enough. My father might have allowed my mother to endure the gossip and being put down by the public for years, but I couldn’t allow it to continue with Jude.

Even Jude had disagreed with my decision to fire back and defend him vocally, but eventually, the critics realized I wasn’t backing down and left us alone to find peace once more in our love.

Liora tugged my sleeve. “Are we going to see Uncle Phoenix, Daddy?”

“Yes, we are pumpkin.”

“And Uncle Aaron?”

“Of course.”

“And Grandma? I miss Grandma.”

My heart warmed. “Yes. Grandma, too.”

From time to time, Evelyn flew out to join us in Belvaria. Her last visit was after the triplets arrived and she’d stayed for a year, but they hadn’t seen her in person since. Jude was planning to ask her again to move to Belvaria so we could look after her properly. When he’d last mentioned it, she had refused because she didn’t want to impose, but this time we wouldn’t take no for an answer if that was her only reason for turning down our request.

Father rose from behind his desk and crossed the room, his gaze moving over the children with a softness that still undid me. There had been a time when I thought I had lost my place in this palace forever. Now my children hid behind its curtains, ran along the corridors, and climbed into their grandfather’s lap as if the king existed mainly to break them out of lessons early.

He touched Liora’s hair, then looked at me. “Alright then. Be safe and don’t let them get too attached to California. The palace is finally joyful again because of them.”

“Soren.” Jude appeared in the doorway, smiling. His hair had more silver now, his beard too, but the sight of him still did the same thing to my heart it had done the day I’d cried in his arms in the conservatory of Halo House.

“Azari, I hate to say it, but we have to get the kids fed, bathed, and napped before our flight.”

“Of course. Go then, and I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Father kissed all the children goodbye, and Jude picked up the boys while I took Liora’s hand and carried Amara on my hip. Once the door closed behind us, Jude kissed my cheek. “You didn’t give him a hard time for getting the kids early, did you?”

I sighed. “I tried, but I think I failed.”

Jude chuckled. “It’s okay. He just wanted to spend some time with them before we leave.”

My younger brother was all grown up and living his own life, pining after the man he loved but now called a best friend. With him flying the nest, it was just Father and my stepmother, and their relationship had never seemed particularly close.

“You alright?” Jude asked.

Snapping out of my head, I smiled at him. “Never been better.”

“I don’t understand why you have to be so mysterious,” I said as Jude joined me in the back of the SUV. I couldn’t see a thing through the blindfold he had over my eyes, and he insisted that he had a surprise for me. I’d thought it was somewhere private where we could be alone for the first time since we’d arrived in California two days ago. The kids were spending the day with their grandmother and aunt. It was the perfect opportunity to find a bed somewhere to make love and be loud, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

We had too many bodyguards with us. Even if they stayed outside the door, I wasn’t sure I would be able to get it up, knowing they were on the other side, possibly hearing everything. I was told I could be loud and that it was a good thing the kids’ bedrooms were in the opposite wing.

“You’re going to love it,” Jude said. “Don’t make a fuss.”

“But I’m curious. You’re not planning to dump me somewhere because you’ve grown tired of me, right?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I could feel his presence closer, and then his lips were brushing the shell of my ear. “You’re stuck with your Daddy for life.”

And that was no hardship at all. Jude was my strength. I might be more equipped to handle the official business of my country, but it came with a lot of pressure. In his arms, I was able to reset for the following day. He made sure I took mental health breaks, too, and spent as much time with the kids as I possibly could. And when I couldn’t be, I didn’t have to worry because I knew the children were in excellent hands.