Page 60 of Royally Knocked Up
“You could never embarrass me,” he assured her. “I’m so proud of you, Hailey. You look beautiful today.”
She really did, in a periwinkle gown that had been supplied for the occasion by the royal outfitters. She held herself a bit stiffly, and Enzo understood that she wasn’t used to wearing something so fine — but she would adjust. This wouldn’t be the last royal event she would attend.
“Are you ready to face the music?” he asked her.
She shivered slightly. “I shouldn’t be afraid of this,” she said. “It’s not as if I’ve never put on a show for the public before. That was a big part of my job as a private investigator — pretending to be something I’m not in order to make an impression.”
“But today is different,” Enzo said gently. “Today you aren’t pretending at all. Today you’re going to show these people who you are.”
“Are they going to resent me?” she asked. “Suppose they think I’m not good enough for their prince?”
“If anyone thinks that, we’ll convince them,” Enzo said. “It won’t take long at all before they see in you all the wonderful things I see. You don’t need to worry, Hailey. The people of Monteverde are going to recognize you for exactly who you are. Now, let’s get out there so they can finally meet you in person.”
He held out a hand to her. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and took it.
He led her out of the palace and onto the steps, where the reporters who hadn’t been allowed into the throne room for the coronation itself were gathered. As soon as they appeared, cameras began to flash and shouts for their attention went up.
Enzo held up both hands for quiet. “We’re going to take a few questions, and then we’re going to go back inside and ask you to turn your attention to the main event of the day — my father’s coronation,” he said. “We know you’re curious about what’s happening between myself and Ms. Jones, so we’ll offer a few answers for you before the coronation begins.”
Hands went up.
Enzo glanced at Hailey. “Do you want to call on someone?”
Her cheeks were red. “I think you’d better do it,” she murmured. “It probably doesn’t look good for my first public appearance to be dictating who gets to speak.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think it would be a problem — but I’ll handle it.” He pointed to a woman in the front row.
She stepped forward and gave her name and that of her publication. “Your Highness, is it true that you’re expecting a child with this woman?”
“Her name is Hailey Jones,” Enzo said. “The spelling is in the press packets you’ll receive regarding today’s events, and I expect to see it correct in every publication. If it’s wrong, the journalist responsible will lose their press credentials for the next palace event.”
“Enzo,” Hailey hissed. “It’s not that big a deal!”
“It is,” Enzo murmured to her. “They’re going to get off on the right foot and show you the respect you deserve, Hailey. That isn’t optional.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “The answer to your question is yes,” he said. “Hailey and I are expecting a child, and we’re very excited about welcoming a little prince or princess to the family.”
“So you won’t be stepping away from royal life?” someone called out, not waiting to be called on.
Enzo raised his eyebrows. “I can’t imagine why I would do that.” He pointed to another reporter.
“Your Highness, will you and Ms. Jones be getting married?”
“Ms. Jones and I will discuss our future in our own time and will release the details to the public when we see fit to do so. For now, for your purposes, she is my partner and the mother of my child, and the two of us couldn’t be any happier with that situation.”
Hands shot up again, but Enzo put a hand on the small of Hailey’s back. “They’ve had enough for now,” he murmured. “Let’s go inside. We don’t want to delay the main event.”
Hailey nodded.
“Give them a wave,” Enzo suggested.
Hailey lifted her hand to the reporters. At once, they burst into loud shouts, calling out her name, vying for her attention, but Enzo steered her away, back into the palace, and shut the door behind them.
He led her out of the main foyer and into the conservatory, which was currently empty — everyone was in the throne room preparing for the coronation.
“Doing all right?” he asked her. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Not so bad, no,” she agreed. “I suppose there will be more of those, though, before this is all over.”
