Page 328 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2

When no one was looking, Sophie grabbed a ring, the last piece of jewelry she was missing. "I win!" she shouted.

"But it wasn't your turn," Scarlett said.

"I'm the prettiest princess!" Sophie stood up and started to twirl around in circles.

Scarlett folded her arms across her chest. It looked like she was about to cry.

But then Axel leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Her frown was replaced by the biggest smile. She turned to Axel and kissed him on the cheek.

"Ew!" Axel shouted. He rubbed his cheek where her lips had been, then got up and jumped back onto the couch, retrieving the pillow he had dropped earlier. He tossed it at Scarlett and then picked up another and slammed it against the back of James' head.

"Okay, that's it. Princesses, attack the prince!" James said.

Axel jumped off the back of the couch as everyone else grabbed pillows and chased after him.

I ran my hand across my stomach and turned back toward the kitchen.We can join them as soon as you're out, baby boy.In the meantime, I was starving. I opened up the fridge and looked at the scarce remains. The kids must have ransacked it for breakfast. That was probably why Ellen was nowhere in sight. She handled our grocery shopping and there wasn't much she could make with the current contents of the fridge. I grabbed the bottle of orange juice and closed the fridge. I opened up the cupboard to grab a glass but my eyes landed on a banana instead. And a small note with James' handwriting on it:

Saved this for you. Don't let Soph see you eating it. She was very upset that she couldn't have one. I had to pretend that this one was rotten.

I smiled and picked up the banana and a glass.The perfect breakfast.Well, maybe not on a normal basis. But recently all I was craving was fruit. I quickly ate so I could join in on the fun. I was just like Scarlett in that way. The thought of missing out on a second of family time made me sad. Plus, I didn't want Sophie seeing me eat the banana. Saying no to Scarlett was hard. Saying no to Sophie was almost impossible. She could cry at the drop of a hat. I was pretty sure she was going to be an actress when she grew up. She'd probably win an Oscar.

When I walked out of the kitchen, I couldn't help but laugh. James was lying in the middle of the foyer surrounding by all the kids who were repeatedly smacking their pillows against his back.

"We killed the beast!" Axel yelled.

I wasn't sure how it had morphed into killing a beast instead of attacking a prince.

James opened one eye to look at me laughing.

"Kids, I think he's still alive!" I pointed to his opened eye.

"Get 'em!" Scarlett jumped onto his back.

James cringed when she landed right on his spine.

Crap.Every now and then James' back would give out. Based on the expression on his face, I was pretty sure Scarlett's landing hadn't magically fixed it. And I couldn't imagine taking care of these kids all day without his help. "Okay," I said and lifted Scarlett off his back. "How about you guys go clean up the board game and pick out a new one to play?"

The three of them ran off toward the family room.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Ow," he mumbled and turned his face away from me. He hated when I saw him in pain. The years together hadn't changed that.

I knelt down next to him on the floor and gently touched his lower back. He didn't seem to have any reaction to that, which was good. I pushed up the bottom of his t-shirt and applied the smallest amount of pressure on his skin. "Does that hurt?"

Suddenly, he rolled onto his back, pulled me on top of him, and started tickling my sides.

"James!" I said in the small amount of breath I could take between fits of giggles. "You liar! You're not hurt at all."

He continued tickling me.

"Stop!" I laughed. "I can't breathe."

His hands settled on my waist. "How many times do you think we've had sex right here?"

I put my index finger against his lips. "James, lower your voice. The kids are in the other room."

He tickled my side again so my hand slipped from his mouth. "God you're beautiful."