A Royal Baby For Christmas

‘I was going to. I meant to. But the day I did my pregnancy test was the day your engagement was announced on the national news.’ She looked at him directly, trying to push away the tiny part of guilt curling in her stomach. ‘Between that, and finding out I was pregnant, it kind of took the feet out from under me.’

He broke their gaze for a second, his words measured. ‘Theresa was a friend. It wasn’t going to be a marriage of love. It was going to be a union of kingdoms. Something my parents wanted very much.’

‘How romantic.’

She couldn’t help herself. She’d been a child of a loveless marriage. She knew the effects it had. She raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘Well, your parents must be delighted about me. I guess I’m going to be the national scandal.’

She’d been delusional. She’d thought she knew this man—even a little. But nothing about this fitted with the two days they’d spent together. The Sebastian she’d known then was a man who actually felt and thought. He’d laughed and joked and made her the coffee she craved. He’d cuddled up beside her in bed and taken her to places she’d never been before. He’d gently stroked the back of her neck as she’d fallen asleep. He was someone she’d loved being around.

Too bad all of it had been a lie.

The man in front of her now was the Sebastian that appeared on the news. The one with a fixed smile and his arm around someone else.

That was what it was. That was what she’d always noticed. Even though she’d tried not to watch him on the news—she’d tried to always switch channel—on the few occasions she had seen pictures of him, something had never seemed quite right.

She’d always tried not to look too closely. Her heart wouldn’t let her go there. Not at all.

But little things were falling into place.

The smile had never reached his eyes.

Now, the look in his eyes seemed sincere. His tone much softer. ‘You can be whatever you want to be, Sienna. I’d just like you to do it as my wife.’

This look was familiar. She’d seen it so many times on the weekend they’d spent together. In between the flirting, fun and cheekiness there had been flashes of sincerity.

That had been the thing that made his untruthfulness so hard to take.

The room was starting to feel oh-so-small.

‘Why didn’t you call me later?’

It didn’t matter that she’d just sipped some water. Her mouth felt dry. He wasn’t going to let this go. He was calling her on it.

She licked her lips. ‘I wanted to. I thought about it. But we didn’t exactly exchange numbers. How easy is it to call a royal palace and ask to speak to the Prince?’

He shifted a little uncomfortably, then shook his head. ‘You could have asked Oliver. You knew we were friends. He was the one who recommended you. He would have given you the number whenever you asked.’

‘And how would that work out? “Oh, Oliver? Can you give me Seb’s mobile number, please? I want to tell him that I’m going to ruin his engagement by letting him know I’m pregnant. You know, the engagement to his childhood sweetheart?” At least that’s the way it sounded in the media.’

He smiled. He actually smiled.

‘You think it’s funny?’

‘No. Not at all. But that’s the first time you’ve called me Seb since I got here.’ He stepped forward.

She sucked in a breath.

She hadn’t even noticed.

Seb was too close again. She needed some space, some distance between them.

He touched her arm. Her bare skin almost caught fire. There was no opportunity to flinch or pull away. His palm surrounded her slim wrist. ‘I’ve told you. It was never like that with Theresa. We just didn’t think of each other that way. And we’d never been childhood sweethearts. We were friends. Just friends.’

‘You’ve told her about the pregnancy?’

He gave a little grimace. ‘Not exactly. Not yet anyway.’ He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I wasn’t quite sure how to put it.’

‘You were sleeping with us both?’

She couldn’t help it. It just came out.

‘What? No.’ Sebastian shook his head again. ‘I’ve never slept with Theresa. I’ve told you. It wasn’t that kind of relationship. I don’t sleep with my friends.’

She hated the way that relief flooded through her. The sincerity was written all over his face. He might have lied by omission before but she was certain he wasn’t lying now.

She met his gaze. ‘How will she feel when she finds out? It will look to the world as if you’ve made a fool of her. As if we’ve made a fool of her. I hate that. I don’t want anyone to think I’d have an affair with someone else’s man.’

He sucked in a deep breath and reached up towards her face. ‘But I wasn’t in a relationship with Theresa. I was single. I was free when we were together. And if I’d known you were pregnant I would never have let my parents force me into announcing an engagement.’ His hand brushed her cheek and his fingers tangled in her hair.

This was what he’d done when they’d been together. This was how he’d pulled her into that first kiss.