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“Looks like you got yourself some new fans, Louisa,” Royce said.
“I guess so.”
I stared through the gates for Lord knew how long and explored the immediate area a little more before we eventually headed away from the palace.
“What language were they speaking?” I asked Byron. I was so excited to discover he could speak another language.
“Estonian,” he replied.
“You know Estonian?” I was wildly impressed.
“We all do,” Byron answered. “We had a nanny from Estonia when we were kids. She taught us.”
“Iris!” Royce clapped his hands together. “What a wonderful lady.”
“Man, Iris was amazing,” Eric agreed.
“You guys had a nanny?” Jack sounded as surprised as I was.
“Yeah. Mom and Dad had five boys who needed taking care of while they were off building their empire,” Byron answered.
“Iris was so strict, but her heart was huge. She loved us like we were her kids.” Eric beamed at the memory.
“I was only little, but I remember she made us kringle each Christmas. Do you guys remember that?” Royce licked his lips as he reminisced.
Jack shook his head a little. “What’s kringle?”
“It’s a cinnamon braided bread, traditional to Estonia, and it was delicious.” Royce rubbed his belly with a grin.
“She was with us for seven years, and we learned a lot from her. Then we had an American woman, then an Irish girl who was straight out of high school…” Eric began to chuckle.
“Oh, I remember her. She’s the one Harris tried to seduce at the ripe age of fifteen.” Royce clapped Eric on the shoulder with a laugh. “Dad grounded him big time.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course he did. I’ll bet Harris was even good at seduction back then.”
Byron sniggered. “Harris has always been a pain in the ass. He was totally out of control as a teenager, which was only exacerbated after Mom and Dad’s accident. The fighting wasn’t always relegated to the ring. Dad redirected it to martial arts and a legal fight club when Harris was a teenager, but he wanted more thrills and that was when he fell in with the illegal crowd.” Royce angled a glare at our Hawaiian boyfriend.
Jack shrugged as though it was no big deal. “So I like thrills as well.”
“One word.Illegal.” Royce held his face close to Jack’s.
I recalled what Harris had told me about his father that day he’d met my mum on the video call. There was a lot more to it than Royce knew, but I would never break his confidence.
“What about Tate?” I practically spat his name. “What was he like as a teenager?”
“Broody,” Eric answered. “He knew Dad had plans for him to take over R.I., and he felt the pressure of that for a long time, so he rebelled in his own way. He and Dad argued a lot. Tate has always been a natural leader, but it wasn’t until he did his internship at the company that he realized he truly enjoyed the corporate lifestyle and all that came along with it. Tate loves a challenge.”
“He sure does,” I grumbled under my breath.
“You’re shaking again, Lou.” Royce was frowning at me.
“I’m a little chilly,” I lied as I wrapped my arms around myself.
Jack pushed his way to my side. “How about we find a warm café that’ll serve you sweets then?”
“Yes! Tea and scones?” I took his hand and swung our arms as we walked.
“Perfect.” Royce pulled a guidebook out of his backpack. “We can figure out our next stop while we chill.”
