Page 37 of The Royally Broke Billionaire
“Yes, Your Highness?” Her voice sounded too high as she attempted an awkward curtsy, while still holding Liam.
When the queen said, “We need to discuss the status of your living arrangements on palace grounds,” Piper gulped and nodded solemnly, steeling her nerves, as she waited for the queen to kick her and Liam to the curb.
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Not wanting to make the normally benevolent queen reveal her harsh side, Piper let her off the hook by saying, “Of course, Your Highness. We will vacate the premises immediately, but if Your Grace could find it in your heart to grant me an hour to gather our belongings, it would be most appreciated.”
Piper was secretly hoping that hour of time within the palace gates would give her the opportunity to say goodbye to one handsome and irresistible royal steward, too, but she didn’t mention that.
She was stunned when the queen gave her a perplexed smile. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“I hope you know that I would never have purposely deceived you, but since Liam isn’t related to the king, we have no right to be here. We have taken advantage of your gracious hospitality long enough.”
Piper appreciated that the queen wasn’t screaming at her and demanding that she vacate the premises immediately. She would certainly be within her rights to do so, considering all the trouble and worry Piper had inadvertently caused them.
The queen surprised Piper by giving her a warm smile. “Of course, you’re welcome to leave the palace grounds if you wish. You aren’t a prisoner. But I hope you’ll choose to stay.”
Not quite able to believe her ears, Piper shook her head. “What?... Stay?”
“Yes, you and sweet little Liam are welcome to stay in the guest cottage for as long as you’d like. I, personally, would be thrilled if you decided to stay here on a permanent basis, and I’m sure there are others here who agree with me.” She gave her husband and Finn pointed looks.
The king nodded his agreement before saying, “Yes, it seems that delightful cherub in your arms has completely stolen our hearts.”
The queen reached out to lightly squeeze one of Liam’s tiny feet. The baby responded with a giddy, toothless grin. “How could we not fall for this sweet little man? It would be devastating to not get to see his happy face every day.”
Piper shook her head, not quite able to believe their generosity, or her good fortune. “But Liam isn’t the king’s son. We have no right to stay here.”
Evidently growing impatient with her protestations, the queen’s oldest brother said, “Your queen likes having you and your son around. Are you going to deny her the pleasure of your company?”
Overflowing with gratitude, Piper smiled and bowed as she answered, “I would never deny Her Royal Highness anything within my power to give her. Thank you both for your hospitality.”
Obviously bored and ready to move on, Mo gave a dramatic, heaving sigh, before saying, “Now that this matter is settled, can we finally eat lunch? I’m starving and the baby is demanding food.”
The king nodded his agreement, and they moved as a group towards the royal dining room. No one bothered to point out to Mo that they had just been at breakfast a short time ago. So many monumental events had happened since then, it felt like it was time to celebrate with a feast.
On their way down the hallway, Hettie swooped in to smoothly take Liam from Piper’s arms. The baby kicked his feet gleefully as the familiar woman snuggled him close to her. The royal nanny looked just as excited to see Liam as he was to see her.
Once they were all seated around the massive mahogany table, Cole stood and lifted his crystal water glass to make a toast. He had been so uncharacteristically quiet during the tribunal that Piper had almost forgotten he was still there.
After all eyes were trained on him, he said pompously, “Cheers to me… For saving the day.”
Exasperated groans sounded from around the table. The sparkling glint in his eyes made Piper wonder if he was teasing, rather than truly delusional enough to believe the entire world revolved around him.
When he added, “And to Piper… Fornotgetting knocked up by the king,” Piper felt like kicking him in the shin, but her foot couldn’t reach him underneath the huge table.
She feared that his inflaming toast had just made their already awkward situation even more fraught with tension. The queen eased that pressure when she tipped back her head and laughed. The others followed the monarch’s lead and soon they were all laughing with her.
When their guffaws subsided, the queen gave Cole a genuine smile before saying, “I was actually a little disappointed to hear that you’re not extending your reservation in the guest wing with us again. You provide some much needed comedic relief to our sometimes overly serious meals.”
“Yes, all good things must come to an end.” Cole answered her. “I’ll be leaving the island today. I’m unable to extend my vacation any longer because my world-class, Fortune 100 company can’t run itself.”
Piper tried to hide her surprise and stung feelings over his announcement. She had thought the billionaire was interested in pursuing a relationship with her. Although she had already decided that Cole wasn’t the right man for her, he should have told her privately that he was leaving.
Trevor Donovan didn’t bother to hide his sarcastic tone when he said, “That’s too bad. We’re all so sorry to see you go.”
Biting back, Cole gave Trevor a cocky grin before addressing both Donovan brothers. “You’ll see me again at the global leadership ceremony when I’m announced Billionaire of the Year. Perhaps I’ll mention you two in my acceptance speech as the competitors whose backs I climbed on to reach the pinnacle of success.”
“Good luck with that.” Trey Donovan smirked at him, obviously not believing for a second that Cole would be awarded the coveted title.
