Home > The Billionaire Prince's Single Mother(7)

The Billionaire Prince's Single Mother(7)
Author: Leslie North

“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.

“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.

“Well, we don’t get many royal visits out in these parts,” she said. “Being on the fringe of the kingdom seems to often leave Thistledown Valley last in line when it comes to the monarchy’s priorities.”

Piper hoped she wasn’t saying too much. She didn’t want to come off as disrespectful, but since she had the audience of someone who could make a real difference in her hometown, she felt the need to say something.

“What do you mean?” Aldon encouraged her.

“Well, Thistledown Valley has been in somewhat of an economic slump in recent years.” She took a sip of coffee and continued. “We were once something of a touristy place, but at some point, the money wasn’t being invested anymore. When infrastructure started breaking down, the most popular tourist attractions were affected—and after that, the tourists lost interest in coming, and that just hit the town harder. Businesses began closing and local families started struggling to make ends meet. All of that means less tax revenue to address a growing number of problems—and little by way of federal support to get us back on our feet.”

Aldon’s eyes dug into Piper’s, showing that he was listening intently. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Honestly, I’m not very involved with issues like these. They’re more my brother Edward’s area of expertise. He works in urban planning and development.”

“Well, perhaps you could mention something to him,” Piper said, smiling. “Any help we could get out here in our little town would be much appreciated.”

She wanted to sound friendly and noncombative—but still get the urgency across.

Aldon nodded but didn’t respond, leaving Piper to wonder if she’d said too much. She stood up and began clearing dishes from the table.

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