Sovalon Royals: The Complete Series Read online

  Piper watched as her daughter seemed to consider her explanation. “Well, he sure is a handsome prince,” Willa said.

  “Willa!” When had her daughter started noticing whether or not people were attractive? Piper shook her head and chuckled.

  “Well, he is, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, I suppose he is quite handsome,” Piper admitted to her daughter. In fact, Piper would have to keep herself in check, to make sure she didn’t get carried away with her attraction to Aldon. It wouldn’t be easy. There was something about him that made her want to get closer, to find out what made him tick.

  But then, any involvement with him would likely be a disaster on many levels. In Piper’s experience with men, they tended to do nothing but disappoint you, and the last thing she needed was to have a falling out with her employer. Aldon may have been easy on the eyes, but there was too much at stake for her to get emotionally involved. She had to keep her distance and also keep Willa under control.

  “Listen, Willa,” she said and took her daughter’s tiny hand into her own. “Prince Aldon is the owner of this place, so I want you to be on your best behavior while he’s here.”

  “How long’s he staying here?” Willa asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Piper said.

  “Well, where’s he live for the rest of the time?”

  “I imagine Prince Aldon lives with his family—the King and Queen—in the capital.”

  “Is there another castle there?” Willa’s cute chin was tilted up, imploring her mother for more information. Her daughter’s curiosity usually tickled her, but right now she was more concerned that Willa toe the line while Aldon was here.

  “Yes,” Piper answered. “A much grander one than ours, pet.” She bent down so that she was eye level with Willa. “Now, listen. I’m very serious about your behavior. Good manners and no tantrums. Understood?”

  Piper was sure this was all confusing for Willa. Having landed the job at the castle soon after Willa had been born, Thistledown was the only home she’d ever known in her five years of life. She’d never had to think of it as someone else’s home, really.

  “I’ll be nice to him,” Willa said and twirled a pigtail around her finger. “But can I at least ask him if he’s got a crown stashed in his other castle?”

  Piper nodded, laughing again at her daughter’s wit.

  “Can I go back outside now?” Willa asked.

  “Yes, but be careful on the stone paths. No running,” she said. “Running leads to skinned knees.”

  “Okay, Momma.” Willa turned and skipped out of the kitchen then broke into a run the minute her feet hit the stone pathway outside.

  With Willa gone, Piper’s mind swam with thoughts of the prince upstairs. All the flirty warmth from their moment in his room had seemed to suddenly disappear the moment he saw Willa. Clearly, Aldon wasn’t comfortable with children, and Piper’s sole focus in life had been Willa for years now. If she ever were to let a man in, he would definitely have to be on board with kids. She shook her head.

  What a silly thought anyway.

  He was a prince, for goodness sakes!

  She went about cleaning up breakfast dishes and wiping down the kitchen counters but found that she couldn’t erase the thoughts of Prince Aldon from her head. She might as well go up and check on him to make sure he was settling in.

  With a cup of tea on a saucer in hand, she made her way back up to the master bedroom. She rapped lightly on the door, in hopes that he wasn’t taking a nap. She’d hate to wake him up.

  “Come in,” he said.

  “Hello,” she said and placed the cup of tea on the side table. “I just wanted to bring you some tea and check that you have everything you need.”

  He looked up at her, his blue-green eyes slaying her with their air of mystery. “Thank you, Piper. I’m fine, just getting settled in.”

  Piper cleared her throat, suddenly deciding that if she didn’t say what was on her mind, it would continue to eat at her.

  “Listen, I wanted to apologize for not having told you about Willa sooner. I hope it’s not a problem that she’s here.” Her hands shook slightly, as she continued. “Just so you know, I’m very careful where I allow her to play—she knows not to disturb the rooms with antiques and other valuables. And it’s not like I let Willa distract me from my work. I still get everything done. My mother even comes over sometimes to help out—or Willa goes there.”

  “It’s no trouble at all,” he said, smiling. “Everything looks fantastic. You must be working hard.”

  “Thank you.” She blushed.

  “I’m just not used to having kids around.”

  Piper couldn’t help but notice the look on Aldon’s face when he said the words kids. He looked like he’d just stepped in dog doo.

  He didn’t say any more after that, so she excused herself.

  As she walked down the staircase, she told herself she could never fall for a guy who didn’t like children.

  Back in the kitchen she shimmied into her gardening coveralls. An image of his alluring eyes suddenly popped into her mind, but she pushed them away.

  This prince was a no-no.

  Just then, a wind gust blew the back door open, reminding her of the brief moment hers and Aldon’s hands had touched on the window upstairs. Goose bumps erupted on her arms at the memory.

  He’s a no-no! she reminded herself swiftly.

  Convincing herself of this was going to take some time.

  3

  The next morning, Aldon awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the window and the sound of a child’s giggling from somewhere not so far away.

  Willa.

  As the memory of the child filled his thoughts, his new reality came into focus.

  Carrie was gone, and he was now sharing his countryside home with the caretaker, Piper Mackenzie, and her daughter. An image of Piper’s face bloomed in his mind. Her waterfall of red hair and her bright green eyes. The care she’d taken in making up his bed. The way she’d shimmied out of her coveralls in the kitchen.

  Keeping my distance is going to be a challenge, he thought. And not just because Piper had a child. She was distractingly beautiful. He would have to work extra-hard to keep his mind focused on his books.

  Speaking of books…

  Aldon pulled on a pair of shorts, brushed his teeth, then set about sifting through his bags. He was searching for a specific econ title but couldn’t find it. He’d packed the bulk of his texts into separate luggage that his valet would deliver later, but he thought he’d brought this one with him.

  He’d have to find something else to keep him busy and keep his mind off of Piper.

  Suddenly, his phone buzzed on his nightstand with an incoming call. He glanced at the screen, and a pit of dread gathered in his stomach. It was his ex. What now?

  “Aldon, dear,” Carrie said breezily before he even said hello. She sounded like a Hollywood starlet, her voice airy and bright. “There’s been a bit of a snag in my plans, and I’m wondering if you could be flexible in yours.”

  “What’s going on Carrie?”

  “Well, I’ve signed a lease to move into the most gorgeous flat over on Sixteenth by the bay.”

  Aldon rolled his eyes. Did she really think he was interested in talking about real estate?

  “What’s the bottom line, Carrie?” he asked.

  “Well, like I said, the flat is positively luscious, but it’s not going to be ready for a bit. I’ll have to stay at the condo for a tad longer than we discussed.”

  “How long?” Aldon could feel the tips of his ear turning red.

  “A few weeks?” she suggested. “Since you’re bunking it out in the cozy country, I thought you might not mind so much.”

  How could she be so presumptuous? She was really a piece of work.

  “How many weeks is ‘a few’?” he asked.

  “Two? Maybe three?” Her yappy dog whined in the background, and she soothed it with baby talk. “And, of
course, I’ll need the staff to stay as well.”

  Aldon was about to tell her to piss off and have her boy-man actor boyfriend hire her a new staff, but was halted by a knock at the bedroom door.

  “Hold on a minute, Carrie,” he said and cracked the door to see Piper standing in the hallway looking lovely in denim shorts and a green T-shirt. Her natural beauty overwhelmed him, diluting the anger in his veins.

  “Hey, Piper,” he said. He noticed her cheeks were pink, and eyes were wide with what looked like shock. She glanced from his eyes to his chest and back, and he realized his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his naked chest and sparse hair.

  “Oh, sorry!” As he hastily buttoned his shirt, he heard Carrie’s impatient voice calling to him from his phone. “One second, Piper.” He motioned for her to come in now that he was decent then turned his attention back to his ex.

  “It’s fine, Carrie,” he said, feeling calm and in control again. “You have three weeks.”

  “Oh, thank you! I can’t wait to show you the new flat—”

  Aldon hung up the phone in the middle of Carrie’s pointless babble. He looked at Piper, unable to help stealing a glance at her long legs. She grinned at him, the blush having faded from her cheeks.

  “I just woke up,” he said, attempting an explanation for having opened the door without being fully clothed. “I didn’t realize how I looked. My shirt—”

  “Don’t worry.” She laughed, and any leftover spatter of annoyance from his conversation with Carrie just floated away. Piper was like medicine. Happy medicine.

  “We’re having breakfast downstairs,” she said. “Willa and me. We’d love for you to join us, if you’d like. Or I could bring you up a tray.”

  Aldon found himself lost in Piper’s kind eyes. Her words danced around him, but he hadn’t fully grasped what she’d said. Something about breakfast.

  “Aldon?”

  “Uh, yes, of course.” He gathered his wits about him, and replayed the offer that echoed like a daydream. “Breakfast. I’ll be down in a moment.”

  “Great!” she said and traipsed out of the bedroom.

  Aldon couldn’t tear his eyes away from watching her as she left.

  He took a deep breath and tried to shake off the feelings stirring inside him, realizing he’d never before in his life felt so unprepared for breakfast. He’d need to stay strong if he was going to survive an indefinite stay with this beautiful woman.

  Okay, breakfast, he thought, you’re on.

  Piper placed a tray of scones on the table and, for the third time in five minutes, rearranged the juice pitcher and flower vase.

  “How many times are you going to switch them, Momma?” Willa asked, as she waited patiently to start eating, a napkin on her lap.

  “Oh, you cool it, Willa,” she said. “You just remember what I told you about manners.”

  Willa rolled her eyes and let out an Oscar-worthy sigh. “I know.”

  A platter of pancakes and sausages sat in the middle of the lace tablecloth, a bowl of fruit beside it. Coffee was in the carafe, and there was lemon-cucumber infused water on the island in a glass jar if Aldon preferred water.

  Would this spread be acceptable to him? What did a prince eat for breakfast?

  She and Piper typically enjoyed simple breakfasts, but this morning she wanted to go all out for Aldon. Although he had tried to allay her concerns last night, Piper was still a bit worried about his negative reaction to Willa. What if he overruled his steward’s decision and decided that she couldn’t live in the castle anymore, not with Willa. She didn’t think Aldon was a cruel man by any means, but surely he was used to having things just the way he wanted. If a child didn’t fit in that picture, what would he do? She could only hope that a big, fancy breakfast would smooth things over and win his favor.

  Aldon breezed into the room, fully dressed, thank the Lord. Piper also had to admit that her desire to please the prince might also have something to do with her attraction to him. When he’d opened his bedroom door that morning, with his chest bared, she’d nearly gasped at his six-pack abs. Now, she was having a hard time getting the sexy image of him, just having slipped from his bed, out of her mind.

  “Good morning, Your Highness, Mr. Prince,” Willa said from her perch at the breakfast table. The little girl then stood and curtsied at Aldon.

  Aldon looked at Willa as if she had three eyeballs in the middle of her head. He cleared his throat then nodded at the little girl.

  “Good morning, Willa.”

  Piper noticed the tightness in Aldon’s voice and the fact that he looked pained—like he simply did not know how to behave around children.

  “Please sit down, Aldon,” she said and pulled out his chair. “Willa and I have prepared some delicious treats this morning. Can I get you coffee or tea?”

  “Coffee would be great.” He took his seat, and Piper handed him a mug of steaming coffee. She set the cream and sugar next to him at the table so that he could fix it to his liking. “Everything looks lovely,” Aldon said and reached for an orange scone.

  “I made the scones!” Willa said proudly as Aldon was about to take a bite.

  Aldon’s face lost some of its color, and he placed the scone back down on his plate.

  This is going downhill fast, Piper thought and took a seat across from Aldon.

  “So, did you sleep okay last night?” she asked.

  “Oh, yes, it was quite comfortable,” he said and helped himself to some fruit.

  “Is your bed comfier at your big castle, Prince?” Willa asked.

  Aldon squinted at Willa, but before he could open his mouth to answer, she fired another question.

  “Do you sleep on twenty mattresses? I know a story about a princess who sleeps on twenty mattresses but can’t get comfortable because there’s a pea under the bottom one.”

  Piper stifled a giggle as she watched Willa and Aldon. She didn’t know what was funnier—her daughter’s silly questions or Aldon’s obvious struggle to find a response.

  “I do not sleep on twenty mattresses, Willa,” he said with an air of seriousness. “In fact, I don’t live at the castle. I have my own condominium in town.”

  “What’s a cond… a condamintum?”

  “Oh.” Aldon placed his fork down for a moment, seeming to ponder an explanation. After a few moments of silence, Piper came to his rescue.

  “A condominium is like an apartment, pet,” she said to her daughter, whose eyes went wide.

  “You’re a prince and you live in a little apartment?” A pancake crumb dropped from Willa’s lips. “Not even a house or a mansion?”

  Aldon seemed taken aback and perhaps a bit offended, Piper noticed. “Well, it’s not a small apartment by any means,” he said. “In fact, it’s the penthouse. It’s five thousand square feet, four bedrooms, each with an en suite including their own Jacuzzis baths, all top-of-the-line appliances and smart technology.”

  He began eating again, while Willa’s head tilted to the side, a blank stare on her face.

  “Smart technology means that Prince Aldon’s appliances are all digitized, Willa,” Piper explained. “When someone comes to the door, his house tells him, and when his dinner is finished cooking in the oven, the oven speaks!”

  “I’m actually not sure—” Aldon began but was then interrupted by Willa.

  “Does your toilet talk?” she asked.

  “Willa, please,” Piper warned. She had learned by trial and error that while she could never be sure what twists and turns conversation with a five-year-old would take, it always seemed to lead to potty talk in the end.

  “Why no, my toilet does not speak to me,” Aldon said.

  Piper held her breath, hoping Willa left it there.

  “So it doesn’t say-, hey, that was a really large—”

  “Willa!”

  Piper’s raised voice and stern face put a halt to Willa’s words, but it didn’t stop the little girl from giggling uncontrollably.

&nb
sp; “Sorry,” she said to Aldon, her face aflame. Aldon, on the other hand, was grinning at Willa.

  “It’s actually quite a breath of fresh air to sit beside such an honest person,” he said and took a hesitant bite of his scone.

  “Well, children are nothing if not honest.”

  “I think it would be fun to be a prince and have an apartment that talks,” Willa said after she’d concluded her laughing bout.

  “Sometimes it’s fun,” Aldon said. “Sometimes, it’s a lot of work. I have to do many things that I don’t really like much.”

  “Really?” Piper asked. “I’ve always imagined the royal family living a luxurious and relaxing life.”

  Aldon scoffed.

  “You don’t know much about royal life, then,” he said and sighed. “It’s a lot of sacrifice.”

  Piper looked deeply into Aldon’s eyes. There was fatigue there. She wondered if it was only because of his recent romantic difficulties or if it was from something more weighing on him. She had to admit, she knew nothing of the responsibility of being a royal.

  “Like what?” Willa asked and twirled a pigtail around her index finger.

  “Well,” Aldon said, placing a napkin in his lap, “sometimes you don’t get to do the job you want to do or be with the friends you choose. You have to follow orders first and foremost.”

  Willa’s expression was dazed. “Can I be excused?” she asked.

  Piper nodded then turned her attention back to Aldon.

  “I’m sorry to hear that things have been tough for you, Aldon,” she said. She had the urge to touch his face, to place a hand on his cheek, to comfort him.

  He shook his hand and waved her apology away. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just part of the job.” He cleared his throat then changed the subject. “How do you like living out here in Thistledown Valley?”

  Piper shrugged. “It’s home, I suppose.”

  “Born and raised here?”

  “Actually, I was born in Scotland. My parents moved us here when I was too young to remember, so Thistledown Valley is all I’ve ever really known.”

  “And it’s a good place to live? The people here are content?” he asked.