Only Love With A Billionaire (Only Us Billionaire Romance Book 4) Page 5

  Henry

  Henry held the door open for Ava as the royal guards posted around the exits. It seemed a bit excessive. Surely, the queen trusted him to look after the princess. He’d succeeded in far more difficult situations.

  Although the monarch was privy to his line of work, apparently, she hadn’t forgotten the many instances of mischief he and Ava had gotten up to when they were younger. Of course, they were adults and had matured. There was no reason to torment the palace staff, swap out the tubs of ice cream with mashed potatoes, or steal all the rolls of toilet paper from the building by day and cover the trees in front of the palace by night.

  “Welcome.” Emma, a woman with a long bob-style haircut and bangs, greeted them at the entrance.

  The exterior was painted blue with a wooden sign over a broad window with the name Bark & Fetch. Underneath were the words, café and dog-friendly bakery. Plants and vines grew around the window. Beyond that was patio seating. Numerous people sipped their drinks while their dogs sat on their laps, by their feet, or played in an enclosed area. Henry had traveled the world but never had he seen a place so dedicated to dogs. Then again, growing up in the palace, he’d never been able to have one. Oliver had desperately wanted a puppy and knew the name of every canine in every painting in the building—something he’d teased the prince about. Ava was afraid of dogs but seemed to be doing okay at a distance. After all, she was there to face her fear and help out.

  Inside, the decor was a combination of rustic coffee house chic and dog-friendly accouterments, including water stations, lots of toys, and fluffy dog beds amidst the seating areas for humans. One wall was exposed brick and strung with twinkle lights.

  Two large displays flanked the register. A sign above one said Dog Treats and above the other People Treats.

  When Henry was younger, he’d been a sucker for cookies and had never tired of baked goods, a lucky thing considering his father was a baker. For a moment his heart dipped. He was prepared to rush back to the palace at a moment’s notice if he got a notification that his father had woken up. As it was, the doctors weren’t sure he’d rouse again. Perhaps that was why the queen wanted to have extra guards—in case he had to leave quickly.

  The woman who’d greeted them enveloped Ava in a hug. As though remembering he was there, she said, “Emma, this is Henry, a childhood friend.”

  “I thought you were going to say enemy,” he said through gritted teeth so only she could hear.

  “No need for us to take our bout into public,” she hissed back.

  “Very royal of you.”

  She grunted. “Henry, meet Princess Emma.” She gave a short explanation as to how they came to be acquainted and then the gritty details—according to Ava—that brought her there other than wanting to help.

  “Yes, the queen had one of her people inform me.” Emma smiled with understanding. “Let me give you a tour.”

  It was still early in the day. Several customers waited for their hot morning drinks, while a few dogs stood on the ends of leashes, with their tongues out as though they knew what kinds of deliciousness was available. Henry understood the feeling.

  In his line of work, peak performance was critical and he hadn’t so much as allowed himself a single morsel of a muffin, cookie, scone, or cake in the last ten years. He told himself his sudden appetite had nothing to do with being homesick.

  In fact, he told himself the palace wasn’t his home. It was easier that way. But the scents issuing from the back of the bakery nearly brought him to his knees, just as they’d done when he’d returned to the palace kitchen the day before. He also told himself that it hadn’t been caused by Ava.

  Emma’s voice floated to him in conversation with Ava. “I don’t want to sound spoiled, but because of Will’s wealth and my newfound nobility, I don’t need to work. But I’m not the kind of person who can sit still and be pampered all day.”

  Henry liked her already. He’d never been one for the luxuries of the palace. Not that Ava had either, but knowing there were so many people in need throughout the world, they’d always wanted to do something about it.

  As he got older, he realized the royal families did a lot to help their communities and beyond. He’d wanted to explain all that to Ava, to let her know he’d changed, but didn’t think going down that road was wise. It opened up the possibility for detours that were too risky for him to take.

  “All the proceeds go to support animal shelters and animal welfare. Also, we employ eighteen people and provide them with training and benefits. It’s possible we’ll be able to franchise the Bark and Fetch brand and private owners will be able to help their communities as well.”

  “I’m here to help wherever you need me,” Ava said brightly. Then she added, “Um, as long as I don’t have to be, um, by the dogs.”

  “You don’t like dogs?” Emma asked with surprise.

  “I’m...” she hesitated.

  “Allergic?” Emma tried.

  Ava shook her head. “No, afraid.”

  “Really? Well, it’s extra good of you to offer to help out here then. Let’s see who will we get you paired up with?” Emma looked around the room. “Waldo is pretty mellow. Fluffy is, well, rambunctious. Who else is here today? Luna, Oreo, Loki.” She tapped her chin. “No, that won’t work. Ah, Peanut.” She called Sophie over to bring the pup.

  Just when Henry thought Emma was naming the employees, she scooped up a little tan dog who immediately licked her face with puppy kisses. She thrust the animal into Ava’s hands.

  “What? What are you doing?” the princess asked, terrified.

  Protective, Henry quickly took the dog from Ava’s arms. “What are you doing?” he asked Emma.

  “Exposure therapy.”

  “That’s not how it works.”

  “The dogs in the café are therapy dogs. That is how it works. Well, if you’re okay with being kissed.” Emma winked. “Let me grab you both something to drink and a treat then I’ll explain.”

  Ava quickly recovered and asked for a tea and scone.

  Emma nodded at him, still gripping Peanut. “I’ll have tea, please.”

  “No cookies? They’re freshly baked. Sophie is my right-hand woman. She practically, singlehandedly keeps this place running when I’m out of town. She makes these amazing pastries. Penny’s also been helping me with recipes. Did you know that she’s basically taken over the kitchen at the Concordian castle? Well, before. You know.”

  Ava tilted her head. “Huh?”

  Emma flushed slightly then waved her hand dismissively. “Let me grab you your goodies. Have a seat wherever you’d like.”

  Ava and Henry took a nearby table. The royal guards blended in around the room, profiling the customers and eyeing the exits.

  “You can tell them I’m not going anywhere. Especially not when I run the risk of being chased down by—” She pointed at the various dogs around the room and started counting. “Thirteen, I think. Good thing I’m not allergic.”

  Henry patted Peanut’s head. “I also don’t think you need to be scared.”

  Emma appeared with their order and joined them.

  “I’m surprised to see you didn’t give in to temptation.” She took a bite of scone. “It’s delicious.”

  Emma gave him a quick once-over. “I’m not surprised at all. He’s as fit as Will and that’s saying something. Since we’ve been together, he’s eaten exactly three cookies and one bite of wedding cake.”

  “Have you been keeping track?” Ava asked.

  Emma smiled. The two women chatted a few minutes about their lives, the palace, and Emma officially becoming a princess. The conversation faded and he returned to the minutes he and Ava stood outside the throne room earlier that morning.

  Memories flooded back of Ava and him pretending to be married, king and queen, seated atop the thrones. Of course, it was against the rules, but that had never stopped them. Then the memories had flashed forward to their first kiss.

  He’d been
a skinny kid, smart but mischievous.

  He’d never felt like he fit in anywhere.

  Not at the palace because he wasn’t royal. Not at school, because he lived in the palace.

  Half the kids wanted to know every detail. The other half teased him mercilessly.

  He’d grown into a man who’d put it all behind him. Stowed the memories away and locked them up. He thought he’d lost the key on a particularly difficult mission in Ukraine. Apparently, extra copies had been made of those memories and they were stashed in the palace. If they’d been locked up at all, Ava had held the key.

  She also held an epee. They’d spent countless hours parrying, trying to bring the other to their knees and win a bout but were evenly matched. She’d almost defeated him in the car on the ride over, but he’d received training beyond the palace walls—the most elite training in the world and nothing would get him to fold, tell his secrets, or admit the truth.

  A little girl rushed up to Ava then and flung herself into her arms.

  Henry was about to intervene when Ava hugged the little girl back.

  “Birdie, Birdie,” a woman called after her.

  “It’s okay, Charlotte,” Ava said. She scooped the little girl into her lap, tapped her nose, and asked, “How are you doing, Princess?”

  Her eyes widened. “Mummy promised me a cookie, but she didn’t tell me you’d be here.”

  “It’s a surprise. I’m going to help out Auntie Emma.”

  “Can I too?” Birdie asked, hopeful.

  “Not today, darling. We have a lot to do but someday soon. Anyway, the book launch is tomorrow so we’ll be back.”

  Birdie clapped her hands at the same time she noticed Henry holding Peanut. She looked him up and down. “Oh, you must really need help.”

  His forehead creased. He wasn’t used to dogs or children but had to admit both were adorable. Birdie was cheeky and precocious, but he didn’t understand what she meant.

  The three women burst out laughing.

  Ava then introduced Henry to Charlotte, explaining that she was a romance author with her first book releasing the following day.

  “We’re having the book launch party right here.”

  “You’re coming, right, Princess Ava?” Birdie asked.

  Ava looked around. “If I can sneak away.”

  “Are the guards here?”

  She nodded. “And my babysitter.” Ava pointed at Henry.

  “You’re a lady. You don’t need a babysitter.”

  “Tell that to the queen.”

  Birdie quickly shook her head. “No, she scares me.”

  “Well, seeing as I’m afraid of dogs and these dogs are helping me get over that fear, maybe I can help you.”

  The little girl smiled. “Is he afraid of dogs too?” She pointed at Henry.

  “No, remember, he just needs help.”

  He passed the little girl the dog.

  Again, the women laughed.

  Henry frowned. He was used to being the alpha dog and being around them and all those cute puppies almost made him feel the opposite.

  That was until Will appeared carrying an armful of flowers. He kissed Emma on the cheek.

  “What are these for?” she asked.

  “Just because. How’s my favorite café owner, baker, and dog lover?”

  Henry stopped his mouth from dropping open and got to his feet.

  Will, tan and smiling, spotted him. As well-muscled as ever, he bypassed a friendly handshake and pulled his old friend in for a hug. “Henry Park? What are you doing here?” He looked around with confusion.

  “Learning that I need help.”

  “Oh, these women and these dogs will help you alright.” He chuckled. “Are you back visiting your father? Have you gone ‘round to our old haunts? If you’re looking for the upper school, they tore it down just a couple of years after we were through. Figures.”

  “Actually, I’m here because my father is ill.”

  Emma’s fingers lifted to her cheek. “I’m so sorry. How insensitive of me. Penny mentioned that a while back, but I thought it was with a cold or something. She admires your father tremendously.”

  Henry nodded. “Thanks.” He’d have liked to give them good news, but it seemed the situation was grave. However, his father continued to hang on as there hadn’t been any calls from the doctors.

  Birdie turned to him. “Now I know why you need help. Roofus and Rupert are also really good helpers. They were there for me when Sydney wasn’t feeling good.”

  Charlotte squeezed her daughter’s shoulder.

  Ava sat there, stunned, holding out the dog from her chest. Its little legs pedaled in the air.

  “Princess Ava, if I may,” Birdie said, taking the animal and holding it. “This is how it works.” She cuddled the dog. “Now, you try.”

  Ava’s eyes were wide, but she went along with it even though it appeared to make her anxious to do so.

  Will sat down at the table and said, “Henry, it’s great seeing you and I want to thank you again for helping Wyatt out.”

  “This is Henry—?” Charlotte started then stopped herself.

  Ava glanced up with a quizzical expression.

  Chapter 7

  Ava

  Ava wasn’t the outsider of the group, but she felt like there was something she didn’t know. What had Henry done to help Wyatt, Charlotte’s husband? If Henry had only just returned to her life, how did they know each other? Henry, as impassive as ever, didn’t reveal a thing.

  But Birdie, adorable and sweet Birdie, was quick. “Are you a cowboy like Papa Wyatt too?” she asked.

  Henry smiled for the first time, well, since she’d seen him. “No, I’m not a cowboy.”

  “Are you a gym guy like Uncle Will?” Birdie asked.

  “A gym guy?” Will asked, mock offended. “I’m a mogul, darling.”

  “Is that a yoga pose?” Birdie asked.

  “Darling, let’s get going,” Charlotte said to her daughter.

  Birdie was unmoved. “Are you royalty like Prince Oliver?” she asked Henry.

  He shook his head.

  She tapped her chin, thinking. “I know, you’re a spy.”

  Ava burst into laughter. “No, Henry is not a spy. He’s a numbers nerd. He does math for a living.”

  “Oh. I like math.”

  Charlotte gripped her daughter’s hand and laughed. “You’re very good at it, but let’s not be nosy. We have to go make sure Roofus and Rupert are okay.”

  “I wasn’t being nosy,” the little girl said. “Mummy, you know the dogs are sleeping.”

  “Tell Wyatt I say hello,” Will said as his sister departed.

  As mother and daughter walked away, Birdie said, “Mummy, I know he’s a spy. I can tell. He has spy eyes.”

  Charlotte’s laughter disappeared as they exited to the sidewalk.

  “I haven’t seen Wyatt since the wedding,” Emma said as Ava turned her attention back to the conversation in front of her. “It was lovely. I wish you’d been able to make it.”

  Still holding the dog, Ava swallowed. After Oliver’s wedding in Concordia, she’d been trying to avoid such affairs. She’s missed Emma and Will’s nuptials but had a good excuse involving charity work that took her overseas to a remote village where vaccines were needed. In that instance, she did feel like an outsider. She had no plans for marriage. That was until Beatriz and Oliver ganged up on her. Emma and Will were happily paired off and seemed to be as in love as the first day they’d met. No, actually, that wasn’t true. They’d hated each other at first, but that quickly turned into a bond unlike any she’d ever seen. Well, almost.

  Penny and Oliver had fallen hard. Well, Penny had fallen, literally, swooning. They were perfect together—though both had seemed a little unlike themselves lately. She chalked it up to the stress of running a country.

  As for Charlotte and Wyatt, she didn’t know them that well, but Wyatt was the kind of guy who’d do anything for his woman—it
must’ve been the cowboy in him. They split their time between his ranch in the United States and her townhome in London but made it work across the distance.

  Ava was the singleton, the bachelorette, the solo traveler running around the world. Although she was sitting in the café, she suddenly felt out of breath, like she’d been sprinting. She hadn’t realized it at all, but Henry’s attention focused on her, almost imperceptibly. She gave him a quick glance then looked away, taking a deep breath.

  Emma arranged Peanut in Ava’s lap and motioned for her to stroke his fur. “See? It’s soothing. These dogs are specially trained to help people with post-trauma, stress, anxiety, and of course if you’re afraid of dogs. Peanut is a special little guy, aren’t you?” She scratched behind his ears. “Now, what about you? Any wedding plans on the horizon?”

  “Has word traveled that fast? If you must know, the queen is making me do it.”

  “That sounds like a punch line,” Will said.

  “Well, this is no joke.” For the first time in her life, Ava was glad, actually relieved that a dog, of all creatures, was seated in her lap. She needed the comfort because with Henry’s sudden reappearance, she hadn’t properly thought about what her future would look like if she was going to be married to some stuffy, arrogant nobleman for the rest of her life.

  She leaned back in the chair.

  “Maybe I can talk to Beatriz,” Emma offered.

  Ava explained the situation nearly in its entirety then with her elbow propped on the table she dropped her forehead into her palm. “I don’t even want to think about it. I came here to work. That’ll distract me.”

  Emma got to her feet. “Maybe it’ll all sort itself out.” Emma led Ava and Henry toward the front counter then through a pair of wide swinging doors.

  What was a relatively small and quaint storefront opened up to an industrial size kitchen space that was twice as big as the baking kitchen in the palace.

  “Although we use high-quality ingredients and the dog treats are completely consumable by humans, we keep the two sections separate.”

  They walked past staff mixing and blending, kneading and scooping. Sophie waved.