*Eighth book in the Royals Series*
After a year of personal heartbreak, Jackie Baker has thrown herself into her role as the Duchess of Windsor. As a senior member of the British Royal Family, she must learn to balance her family with her royal duti...
The nearly-three-year-old let out a weary whine and allowed Harry to scoop her up as she pushed a strand of hair from her sticky forehead.
Jackie and Harry exchanged pitying looks, each grabbing one end of their two-seater pram and heaving it up the subway steps. "We're almost outside, Mary," Jackie huffed, her legs bumping into her belly as she strained to carry the pram, filled with the fussing twins, up the stairs backwards. "It won't be as hot up there."
The Windsor family was in New York City, back again for the first time in quite a while. July was in full swing and so was the summer heat, making the subway ride in the stuffy underground tunnels almost unbearable. Jackie and Harry decided to take their daughters out on the town for lunch and playtime, and hadn't expected the train ride to be quite so miserable. Mary Kate was trying her hardest to stay composed, resting her reddened cheeks against Harry's shoulder as he balanced her with one arm and the pram with the other.
"Jackie, be careful," Harry reminded, his eyes worried. "Do you want to take a break?"
Jackie shook her head. They were nearly at the top of the steps, the fresh breeze was so close she could almost taste it. "We're close!" she said cheerily, her voice as positive as could be with her hair stuck to the back of her neck and her unborn baby kicking her in the ribs.
With a final, powerful haul, Jackie and Harry drug the pram up onto the sidewalk, being met with a refreshing gust of NYC air. Jackie let out a sigh, putting a hand on her stomach and turning her face up to the sky, the breeze ruffling her hair in the most wonderful way.
"Finally," Harry exhaled, putting Mary Kate down and stretching his arms. "Let's never bring a pram on the subway again."
"Agreed," Jackie laughed. She checked on the twins, who looked just as relieved as their parents to be above ground again, taking in their new surroundings. "This is Greenwich Village," Jackie explained to the girls. "We're going to find somewhere to eat first."
Harry took Mary Kate's hand in his and Jackie pushed the pram down the sidewalk, looking like any other family out for the day.
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Jackie and Harry decided on a small pizza restaurant tucked amongst some brownstones on a quiet side street of Greenwich Village. Harry ordered while Jackie took the children to sit at a table. There were a few other customers inside, but they didn't take much notice of the royal family. It was a refreshing change from the usual crowd of paparazzi that had been stalking Jackie for months. It was so easy to escape in the streets of Manhattan.
Harry joined his family a few minutes later with two large pizzas. Mary Kate took confident bites of a slice, but the twins, just a year old, weren't quite ready for the task. Jackie washed her hands in the restroom before ripping the pizza into little bits for Caroline and Cece to eat. She smiled to herself as she wondered how the Queen would react if she hand-prepared the twins' meals at the Buckingham Palace formal dining table.
