Prince: Royal Romantic Suspense (Billionaires in Disguise: Maxence Book 5) Blair Babylon (ebook reader screen txt) 📖

her notepad, looking up and frantically scribbling while he expounded upon the imports and exports of Monaco, mostly imports. Sunlight poured warmth on his suit jacket as he strode, occasionally gesturing with a raised hand to emphasize an important point about olive oil.

Again, they walked along the parapet, encroaching upon a crowd of tourists queued up to gawk at the throne room before making a sharp left and trampling down the curving staircase that led to the tiled courtyard below. Dree’s pretty little shoes tapped the marble behind him.

Again, they sprinted toward the arch to lose themselves in the line of tourists trundling into the palace. Maxence already had one arm out of his jacket and was preparing to throw it around Dree’s shoulders to change her silhouette and disguise the color of her pale blue dress. It would also alter his appearance by now revealing his white shirt instead of his dark jacket. But when he glanced at the line of tourists waiting to get into the castle and saw four particular people—

His feet bolted themselves to the tile of the courtyard.

Maxence had run into a wall made of his own utter shock.

The two women were taller and slimmer than the tourists around them, but their sparkling white long skirts, blouses, and religious veils over their hair made them stand out from the crowd. Two little girls with them, barely older than toddlers, wore brightly patterned dresses with voluminous skirts that flowed around their knees.

Sandals on their tiny feet pitter-patted on the tile as they scampered toward Maxence, shouting. “Parrain! Mon parrain!”

Before Maxence could think about his actions and who might be watching, he’d squatted down and opened his arms, and the two little girls barreled into him. He closed his arms around the giggling, wiggling little baby-girls, and they peppered his face with kisses as he pressed his lips to their temples and hugged them to his shoulders. Pristine joy fountained in his soul, and he murmured to them in French, “Majambu, Mpata, I am so happy to see you. Seeing you fills my heart with joy.”

Their wiry hair was cropped close to their heads, as always, because he had never seen them anything less than impeccably groomed since they had arrived at the children’s home run by the Catholic sisterhood. They squealed and exclaimed in the odd language of toddler-talk, trying to express emotions they had no words for yet. “Mon parrain, leur parrain, where have you been? Why are you not at the rectory? The rectory is empty!”

“I have traveled,” Maxence told them. “Other children in other countries needed me. I have traveled to Nepal.”

“Nepal!” Mpata exclaimed. She was always the more adventurous of the two, even though she was six months younger. “Where is Nepal?”

“At the top of the world, where the mountains touch the sky,” he said.

“Like the Virunga Mountains?”

“Even taller,” he told her. “Who told you about the Virunga Mountains?”

“Bonne sœur Disanka,” Mpata said, gesturing with her chubby hand toward the religious sisters wearing white who were still standing in the line.

They smiled and inclined their heads toward each other, fondly watching Max and the girls.

Maxence scooped the girls up in his arms, each warm little baby claiming a shoulder, and walked over to the two sisters. “Good Sister Ndaya, Good Sister Disanka.” He let the girls slide down his sides to stand on their feet so he could greet and double-kiss the two women on their cheeks.

“Deacon Father Maxence, it is a blessing to see you,” Disanka said.

“I’m so glad to see all of you. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

The religious sisters Ndaya and Disanka pressed their lips together and inclined their heads again, kindly waiting but just a little patronizing.

Maxence held his arm out to where Dree was standing and waved her over. He glanced back and saw her walking toward them, so he began the introduction. “My dear sisters in Christ, this is my friend, Dree Clark. And my admin. Yes, she’s my admin.”

Introductions were made all around, first in French and then in English for Dree, who stuck out her hand to shake and then allowed herself to be drawn in for a double-kiss and hugs.

Both Ndaya and Disanka furtively pinched Dree’s silky strands of blond hair and rubbed them between their fingers during the hug and then exchanged a knowing glance.

Majambu and Mpata clung to Maxence’s knees, and he rocked back and forth as they giggled and batted at each other. “I’m just so glad to see you. I can’t believe you’re here.”

The two religious sisters laughed, and they patted his shoulders and arms as they talked. “Why can’t you believe we’re here? You sent the man to bring us.”

Max’s joy froze into ice shards. “Where is your luggage? We can get you settled right away.”

“It is at the hotel. We like the room very much.”

Maxence asked, “Who came to you in Kinshasa and told you to come here?”

Ndaya said, “He’s a very nice man. He has helped carry our luggage and did all the things for us. He did a very good job.”

“What was his name?” Maxence asked.

Ndaya and Disanka frowned at him and then checked in with each other before Disanka answered, “His name is Michael Rossi. Didn’t you send him for us? Was it the cardinal who has sent him?”

The warm air cracked apart, turning cold and chilling Maxence to his bones.

Ndaya asked, “Is there a problem? Are you sick? Is that why you have sent for us?”

Maxence laughed and patted his abdomen, where he seemed to lose muscle first when he wasn’t eating enough. “You can see I have not been sick.”

Ndaya nodded. “You are not wasted like you are when you come back from long missions. Still, I will cook for you.”

“Good Sister Ndaya, I would like nothing better. Let us get you checked out of that hotel and into a proper house where you can cook good food.”

Disanka asked, “Is there not a convent where we can stay?”

Excellent idea. “On