Page 47 of Royally Knocked Up
“Betrayed the crown?” Enzo repeated. “Father, what are you talking about? Hailey hasn’t betrayed the crown.”
Then the rest of the king’s words must have registered with him, because he frowned. “Wait a moment,” he said, turning to Hailey. “You were here yesterday?”
“Enzo, I can explain.”
“You keep saying that,” he said, his tone darkening. “I want to believe you, but — first I find out you’re pregnant from a magazine. I assume it’s my child?”
“Of course it is. Enzo, how can you even ask me that? You must know that I haven’t been with anyone else since you and I first met.”
“I’d like to believe that, but I don’t know what to think right now. Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you knew you were pregnant?”
“I meant to tell you! I was waiting for the right moment…”
“And then I find out that you were at the palace yesterday? Were you waiting for the right moment to tell me that too?”
“I was,” she whispered.
“Well, I think you’ve got your moment. Tell me. What were you doing here? Why was my father going to give you a commendation? He says this isn’t what you were hired to do, so tell me what you were hired to do. I think I have a right to know.”
“You do,” she said quietly. “And I should have told you sooner, Enzo, but I didn’t know how. I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”
He waited. His face showed no expression.
She drew a deep breath. “I’m here because I was hired by your father,” she said. “He brought me to Monteverde to do a job.”
“I’m guessing that job wasn’t events planning at La Fantasia.”
“No.” She closed her eyes. “I lied to you. Right from the start.”
“Go on.”
“I’m not an events planner. I’m a private investigator.”
His eyes widened. Even though he had been suspicious, she could tell this was the last thing he had expected to hear. “You’re what?”
“I work as a private investigator. I’m good at what I do.”
The king cleared his throat.
“I’m usually good at what I do,” she amended. “I’m in high demand, although this is the first time I’ve ever been hired by a member of any royal family. This job — you have to understand, Enzo, this job meant a lot to me. More than any other job I’ve ever had. I’ve been trying to grapple with that fact for such a long time now. This hasn’t been easy.”
If he was moved by that at all, he didn’t show it. “What was the job?”
Hailey sighed. “I was hired to watch… you,” she said. “You were the mark. Your father hired me to go to La Fantasia and…”
“Andwhat?”
“And keep you out of trouble,” she said. “Keep you from making any headlines or doing anything that would draw attention to you.”
He stared at her for a long moment.
She was sure he was revisiting their whole history, rethinking everything that had happened between the two of them. Redefining it in the context of this new information.
She wanted to interrupt that process, to tell him that everything had been real and there was no reason to doubt. But it felt impossible. Why would he believe her now, after everything? He had to come to his own conclusion.
“So the whole time,” he said slowly, “everything that happened at the resort — it was all just you trying to keep me out of trouble for my father’s sake?”
“That was the job that was given to me,” Hailey said. “That was what I was sent to do. Enzo, you have to understand, I took that job before I knew you. Before we were friends. Everything changed once I got to know you.”
