Page 7 of The Royally Broke Billionaire
7
The reaction to the king’s toast was half-hearted at best. Piper was smiling from ear to ear over her son’s acceptance into the folds of the royal family, but everyone else around the table gave unenthusiastic “Cheers” before setting down their glasses, without drinking.
Evidently sensing the need for a change of subject, Tess asked Mo, “So, what is your big news?”
Mo looked at her husband before hedging, “Well, it seems rather anticlimactic now.”
“Nonsense,” Pierce assured her. His eyes were sparkling with anticipation when he encouraged her to go on, “Tell them.”
For the first time since noticing Piper’s place at the royal table, Mo’s face lit up with pure happiness. Looking directly at Tess, Mo revealed, “Pierce and I are going to have a baby!”
If they hadn’t been such close friends for practically their entire lives, Mo wouldn’t have noticed the flash of displeasure that crossed Tess’s face before she was able to cover it. Mo couldn’t be sure if it was anger or envy, but she intended to find out as soon as she could get a moment alone with her best friend.
Congratulations came from around the table––even from the newly arrived homewrecker. Mo managed to bite her tongue to keep from putting a damper on the moment, but she wanted to tell the woman to return to the hole she had slithered out of.
Once the merriment died down, Pierce asked his brother, “So, when do we get to meet this baby who will be king?”
When Sebastian looked directly at Piper, she answered for him. “I’ll go get him right now.”
Piper loudly scooted her chair back as one of the waitstaff jumped forward to assist her. She sat there frozen as she turned wide eyes on them, obviously wondering if it was considered uncivilized to leave the table before the royals.
Showing exceptional grace, Tess jumped in to cover for the potential faux-pas by saying, “We are finished with our meal. It’s such a lovely evening, let’s eat our dessert outside on the veranda. That will be the perfect place for Pierce and Mo to meet their nephew.”
Wide eyes met her from all around the table as the group absorbed the full meaning of her words. Amazingly, she was the first one that had seemed to completely understand and accept the true meaning of Liam’s existence… Like it or not, he was an integral member of their family.
8
Liam cooed and smiled as his father held him for the first time. There was no denying the pride in Sebastian’s gaze as he pondered his son. The royal duo seemed to instantly be completely enamored with each other.
The others struggled to be so accepting of the sweet baby. The tiny cherub was adorable, but his existence and status was proving to be a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. Mo seemed to be having the hardest time adapting to the new order as she glared at the king while he cradled his newfound son in his arms.
Tess reached over to rub the back of her finger lightly against the baby’s chubby cheek. The hopeful look her husband gave her when he asked if she wanted to hold him made it impossible for her to refuse.
The king gently transferred the tiny bundle into his wife’s waiting arms. Piper smiled happily as she watched the loving exchange. She couldn’t help but wonder if she might someday enjoy an intimate and caring relationship like the king and queen obviously had.
Mo’s arms were crossed under her chest and her lips were puckered into an angry pout, making it obvious that she was perturbed by the entire situation. Glaring in Piper’s direction, she asked, “Why are you just now coming forward? Shouldn’t you have told Sebastian about his son as soon as you found out you were pregnant?”
Piper had anticipated this grilling was coming. Licking her lips, she forged into her explanation. Looking directly at Sebastian, she said, “I considered coming here so many times, but I didn’t really know you at all.”
Mo made a condescending scoffing sound in her throat, which Piper ignored.
“I was afraid to include you in Liam’s life because I didn’t know anything about your beliefs or morals. I wasn’t sure if you would be a positive influence in his life or a bad one, but I was fairly sure that you weren’t ready to be a father––with me, anyway.” Piper gave the queen a shy smile when she added the last bit.
The bitter anger was obvious on Mo’s face when she said, “So, you didn’t want to share your baby with his father, until you found out that father was a king. Now that he can make Liam wealthy and royal, he is worthy of knowing his son?”
“No, that’s not it at all,” Piper shook her head as she denied Mo’s accusation. “I’ve been trying to summon the courage to come here for months, but I was afraid of creating problems between the king and queen.”
“But now you’re not worried about putting a wedge between them?” Mo practically spat the question in her direction.
“Of course I am!” Piper was insulted that Mo would imply she didn’t care about upsetting the newlyweds’ relationship. Smiling down at her son, she said, “I’m here for Liam. He deserves the opportunity to know his father, and he has the right to someday become the king of this wonderful island we all call home.”
Seeming unwilling to back down in the slightest, Mo narrowed her bright green eyes into a ferocious glare in Piper’s direction. “So, you saw dollar signs, plus a chance to live in the castle, and decided that you really didn’t care at all about upsetting Tess and Sebastian.”
Tired of trying to defend herself to this obstinate woman, Piper asked her, “Did you know your hair seems to flare to an even more fiery red when you’re angry?”
The other adults stared at her, stunned that she would ask the furious woman such a bold question. It wasn’t until Mo tipped her head back with a loud hoot of laughter that the awkward silence was broken. The rest of the group relaxed with relieved chuckles over Mo’s reaction.
Turning to Tess, Mo asked, “Is that true, does my hair color intensify with anger?”
