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Monica laughs. “Okay then. Well, the secret is out.” She places her hand on her baby bump. “Shit, it feels good to finally tell someone!”
“Of course, this will stay secret until they’re ready to tell the public,” Harrison says in that ultra-stern voice of his.
“She signed an NDA, Harrison,” Monica chides him. “Besides, I trust Piper completely.”
I beam at that. Not that I could legally talk even if I wanted to, but I don’t want to. I feel pretty damn important being entrusted with this secret, and I’ll guard it with my life.
“I won’t tell a soul,” I assure her. “This is so exciting!”
The royals are having a baby!
“I know,” she says, matching my grin. “It’s one of the reasons why we moved here, so I could go through my pregnancy in peace. We’ll head back to England for the baby, I’m sure, but for now I just wanted to be here with Eddie and really sink into the experience. We’re not far along, and I don’t even know the sex yet, but I’m just enjoying being pregnant.”
“And I’m enjoying being a father-to-be,” Eddie says, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Not that I do anything.”
She pats him on the chest. “You do plenty,” she says. “Holding back my hair during morning sickness, that was something.”
“I do that when she’s had too much champers too,” he says, winking at me.
Harrison clears his throat, and we all look to him.
“I’m just wondering if we should get back on the boat,” he says, his gaze going up the sharp sides of the island. “Not only do I think it might be too dangerous . . .” He then looks to the ferry terminal behind us, where the big ship is pulling away from the dock. “But that ferry is about to pass. In fact, it’s probably for the best if we get back in the boat. All those tourists on the deck have their cameras out already.”
“Aw,” Monica whines. “This was our first real trip out of the house.”
“I know,” Eddie commiserates. “But perhaps Bert will let us do this again.”
“I’m sure he would,” I tell them. “And I won’t take you back here. There’s a really cool white sand beach in the next harbor over. It’s called Chocolate Beach. I’m not sure why, but it’ll make you feel like you’re somewhere tropical, even if the water is freezing.”
“Then I must insist Piper isn’t the captain,” Harrison says.
“Hey,” I say to Harrison, glaring at him. “Not nice.”
“In fact,” Harrison goes on, a faint twinkle in his eye, “I’m commandeering the ship as of now.”
“It’s practically a dinghy, Harrison,” Eddie says with a good-natured rolling of his eyes.
“Doesn’t matter. I’ve seen her drive.”
“And you always get where you’re going in one piece,” I shoot back.
“I chalk it up to luck.” The corner of his mouth twitches.
Funny guy.
“Suit yourself, then,” I tell him, walking past him to climb back in the boat.
This time I don’t want any help, which means I’m struggling to pull myself on for a good few minutes as the three of them watch my futile attempt to even swing one leg up on the side, my ass in their faces. Monica is trying not to laugh.
“Oh, Harrison, go help her,” she says. “Please.”
Next thing I know, Harrison is doing that caveman thing again where he has me by the waist and is hoisting me up, and I am doing what I can to pretend I’m not actually enjoying this. Damn if it isn’t the sexiest thing being picked up by him, and even though I know he’s just being helpful, his hands against my body feel absolutely delicious.
I have to tell myself to chill out as I take my seat at the back of the boat. Monica gets on the same way I did and takes a seat next to me, while Eddie and Harrison push the boat back off the shore.
“So I assume your family knows about the baby,” I say to Monica as Harrison goes behind the wheel, Eddie acting as skipper.
“They do,” she says, nodding slowly. “My parents are thrilled, of course. They want to come visit at some point.”
“And Eddie’s parents?”
She gnaws on her lip for a moment. “They’re happy. Of course they are. It’s just . . . you know, I’m used to people telling me how they feel, I’m used to emotions being on display and all that, and with them . . . it’s like getting blood from a stone. It’s actually quite hard being around them, because there is so much poise and tradition and distance that’s bred into them, like everyone is wearing a mask except me. I suppose that’s what makes me an easy target.”
“You’re too real,” I point out as Harrison starts the engine and we start reversing.
“Not too real. Just real enough. I don’t think I’ll ever fit in with them. I definitely tried at the beginning, you know. I tried to wear the right clothes and carry the right bags and greet people the right way, but my true self kept slipping through, and I was breaking protocols left and right and up and down.”
