Courage (Heroes of Big Sky 1)

“If you’ve suddenly changed everything about your personality, then no.” Aspen grins when I narrow my eyes at her.

“Don’t say anything without us!” Her Royal Highness, Princess Eleanor—better known as our bestie, Ellie—says as she and Alice hurry into the room. “We got here as fast as we could.”

“And by that she means that my husband drove as slow as possible,” Alice adds with a grimace. “That man doesn’t understand urgency unless someone has a gun pointed at Callum. Then, he picks up speed.”

“Thankfully, the whole gun pointed at my husband thing doesn’t happen often,” Aspen says with a wink. “You haven’t missed much yet. Tash was just asking if I think she’s an overthinker.”

“No, not at all.” Ellie rolls her eyes. “Never. Not you.”

“Sarcasm isn’t dignified on royalty,” I inform her.

I love these women. They’re my tribe. Aspen owns Drips & Sips here in town and married Ellie’s brother, Prince Callum, several years ago. The royal family is deeply rooted here in Cunningham Falls now, but they bounce back and forth between Montana and the United Kingdom.

Alice is married to Callum’s personal bodyguard, and she does most of the cooking for the royals. She’s become a great friend since we met her back when Callum and Aspen were dating.

“I’m incredibly dignified when I’m sarcastic.” Ellie sniffs regally, making me smile. “Why are you worried about overthinking?”

“Sam pointed it out, and I guess I never really gave it much thought before.” I squeeze fresh limes into the blender.

“How are things with the kids and Sam?” Alice asks, the three of them sobering.

“Things with Sam are really good.” I bite my lip, thinking about the weekend we just had. “We had sex.”

Three gasps fill the kitchen.

“Natasha,” Aspen breathes. “And you haven’t told us yet?”

“I didn’t see you before tonight.”

“You lead with that information,” Ellie says. “As soon as we walk through the door, the first words out of your mouth should be: ‘I did the dirty with Sam.’”

“It wasn’t dirty.” I add more lime and then pulse the blender. “Well, some parts were kind of dirty. But now, I have doubts.”

“About the dirtiness?” Aspen asks.

“No, about Sam. It probably wasn’t a good idea to have two sex-filled days with him.”

“Where were the kids?”

“Noah and Fallon had them. I feel like I should send them flowers. Or dinner or something. Anyway, it was probably a mistake because now we have to raise two kids together. What if it’s all weird?”

“Was it weird earlier today?” Alice wants to know.

I frown and take five glasses out of the cabinet. “No. But he hasn’t been to the house since we had the incredible sex. He was on call, and there was a barn fire out by the King ranch. I guess it was a doozy. He worked on it for a long time. They lost some animals. It was a mess.”

“So you haven’t seen him to know if things are off,” Aspen says.

“Right.” I sigh and pour five glasses full of margaritas.

“Honey,” Ellie says softly. “There are only four of us here.”

“I know.” I don’t look up as I slide a glass over to an empty stool at the island. “But this is the first time we’ve had a margarita night since it happened, and I need to do this. Because she’s here, you guys. She’s still here with us.”

“Of course, she is,” Alice says with a forced smile and raises her glass. “To our precious Monica. Our sweet friend. May you be having a margarita in heaven.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Aspen says and clinks her glass to ours. She offers me a sympathetic smile, and I can almost read her mind.

I know how hard this is. I’m right here if you need me.

Only Aspen would know exactly what I’m going through. She lost her first husband and daughter to a horrible accident years ago. And during everything that’s happened over the past several months, Aspen’s been my rock.

“I know you had other duties to see to,” I say softly. “That you should have been in London, and instead you and Callum stayed here so you could help me out.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aspen begins, but then softens when she sees the look on my face. “Honey, you needed help. Of course, we stayed. The kids love it here, we’re safe here, and there’s no reason I can’t be here. The king and queen understood completely. Please don’t think that being here for you was a hardship for us in any way.”

“We’re all here to help,” Alice adds. “I’m happy to take the kids to play with mine anytime.”

“Thank you.” I sip my drink and sigh. “Right now, they’re happy to be back in school. And so far, they haven’t gotten into any trouble. Thank God. This summer, I was sure they were both headed for a life of crime.”