Page 119 of American Royalty

“Prince John was cool for a royal. My big sister met him once when he came to her after-school program.”

“He was,” a young girl said. “Now all they do is get drunk, do stupid stuff, and then whine about their problems. Like we care.”

Dani raised her brows. Jameson may have had a point about the royal family having a PR problem.

“Are you coming to the concert?” she asked the group, her eyes flickering over their young faces.

“You takin’ the piss, mate? The tickets are bare pricey. We don’t have the Ps for that.”

She laughed. “Run that by me again.”

“We can’t afford the tickets,” another girl translated. “Even the ones that haven’t sold out are hella expensive. I heard they’re going for over a hundred quid!”

“And no offense, but I wasn’t keen to pay that much to see some old-timers. But you and Liam? That’d be sick!”

“You like Liam, too?”

“Of course.” One of the girls practically swooned. “Did you see the way he moved in his last video?”

“Yeah!” Some of the girls shouted and gave each other high fives before breaking into lyrics from his newest release. “Don’t walk away, baby / I was wrong / You were there, beside me / All along / Give me just one more chance / And I’ll do my part / ’Til it’s my name (my name) / That’s engraved on your heart!”

So cute.

“Now that’s what’s up!” Dani bit her bottom lip. “Give me one sec.”

She hurried back across the street, intending to go into the building to grab Liam, only to stop short when she reached the bottom of the steps and saw him standing where she’d left him, his hands shoved in the back pockets of his jeans, an indulgent smile creasing his face.

“Looking for me?” he asked, cocking a brow.

“You got a moment to come over and meet some friends of mine?”

“For you? Of course,” he said, taking his time to descend the steps, his gaze never leaving hers. When he reached her he said, “After you.”

The group started going crazy again when the two of them crossed the street.

“Guys, this is Liam.”

He waved a hand. “What’s up?”

A couple of the girls in front actually screamed.

He playfully covered his face and turned away. “Oh no. They hate me.”

“No, we don’t! Don’t go!”

He laughed and straightened. “I’m just playing.”

He reached out to shake some of the hands and the clicking of cameras caused Dani to glance over her shoulder. Instead of going inside the building, a swarm of press was now standing outside, their cameras and phones trained on the little impromptu gathering.

“Are you guys coming to the concert?” Liam asked.

Dani shook her head. “Apparently the tickets that are left are quite expensive.”

She hadn’t thought about how much tickets would be going for or who would have access to the concert or even be able to see the show. Which seemed like a shame. She understood the plan was to donate the money to the prince’s favorite charities, but Dani thought the point was also to celebrate Prince John. At that price point, only certain people would be able to demonstrate their support or take part in the festivities.

“You know what? How about I donate thirty tickets? That should cover everyone here, right?”

“Oh my God, seriously?”