Page 62 of The Grump I Got Stuck With

For a beat, Alistair looked visibly distressed. He turned to me. “No glitter, please.”

I shot him a wicked grin. “I make no promises.”

He narrowed his eyes as he reached for me. I laughed as he caught me around the waist, tugging me closer than was appropriate in front of Kenna and these very stoic-looking guards. Thankfully, Kenna had become distracted by a necklace with a diamond the size of her fist.

“Keep it PG,” I whispered as Alistair pecked me on the lips.

“Am I going to be picking glitter off of you tonight?” he muttered.

“That actually doesn’t sound so horrible.” I gave him a flirty wink. “You might even enjoy it.”

“I’d prefer not to end up with sparkles on my tongue after eating you out.”

I gasped then, swatting him as my cheeks turned the same color as the ruby. “Alistair!”

His grin was positively wicked as he drifted down the walkway. I hurried after him as he scooped Kenna into his arms. “Let’s go see the jewels that belonged to the beheaded queen.”

“Beheaded!” Kenna cheered.

I shook my head, a surge of affection swelling in my chest as I watched the two of them. I’d never felt quite like this in any of my past relationships.

For the first time in a long time, I actually liked the way my life looked.

For the first time, I felt settled.

Which meant, going by my track record, that something was about to go very wrong.

18

MADISON

“So, tell us about London,” Lena said, leaning across the dining table to top up my glass with wine.

We’d dropped by for dinner to collect Princess after returning from London. Agnes had outdone herself once again, and we’d made a sizable dent in the Victoria sponge cake she’d prepared for dessert.

I didn’t think I could eat another bite, and yet I kept shoveling cake into my mouth. It was just too damn good to pass up.

“I don’t know how I could pick a favorite part. It was all so amazing,” I said. “Though honestly, the best might have been the jet.”

“I could barely get Madison off it,” Alistair teased. “She and Kenna were having far too much fun raiding the snack stores.”

I shrugged, unapologetic. “It’s not every day a girl takes her first ride in a private jet.”

“Soon you’ll be an old pro like Kenna,” Weston joked. “I’ve never seen a kid so suited to flying.”

I laughed. “I know! By the end of the flight, she was ordering my drinks for me.”

“I’m surprised she’s not up in the cockpit giving directions yet,” Lena said. She nodded in Alistair’s direction. “Maybe you’ve got a future pilot on your hands.”

“Does Aisling like flying?” I wondered.

Lena sighed, giving me a wan smile. “I think she enjoys when we get to the destination.”

I frowned.

“She gets terrible motion sickness on the plane,” Weston explained. “Basically has her head in a barf bag the entire time.”

I winced. “That’s rough.”