remarkably stoic about him breaking the engagement. She’d handed back the yellow diamond ring with a nod of her head. He suspected her heart lay somewhere else. Her voice had been tight. ‘I hadn’t got around to finalising the design for my wedding dress yet. The designer was furious with me. It’s just as well really, isn’t it?’
He’d felt bad as he bent to kiss her cheek. Theresa wasn’t really upset with him. Not yet, anyway. She might be angrier when she found out about the baby. It could be embarrassing for her. He only hoped she would have moved on to wherever her heart truly lay.
The Head of his PR had nearly had a heart attack. He’d actually put his hand to his chest and turned an alarming shade of grey. And that had given Sebastian instant inspiration. In amongst breaking the news to both Theresa and his parents, Sebastian had spent the last two weeks doing something else—making arrangements to twin the Cheltenham hospital with the Montanari Royal General. He was already a patron of his own hospital; a sizeable donation would make him a patron of Teddy’s too.
It was the perfect cover story. He could come to the Royal Cheltenham without people asking too many questions. Oliver had been surprised for around five minutes. Then, he’d made him an appointment with the board. In the meantime, Sebastian could come freely to the hospital with his security and press team in tow. The announcement was due to be made tomorrow. Seb was hoping he could also make an announcement of his own.
He glanced at his watch again as the anger built in his chest. Sienna hadn’t even contacted him. Hadn’t even let him know he was going to be a father. Was her intention to leave his child fatherless? For the heir of Montanari not to be acknowledged or have their rightful inheritance?
That could never happen. He wouldn’t allow that to happen. Not in his lifetime.
He heard a familiar voice drifting down the corridor towards him. It sent every sense on fire. That familiar Scottish twang. The voice she’d invited him to listen to all night...
‘No problem. I’ll be along to review the chest X-ray in five minutes. Thanks, Max.’
The footsteps neared but he wasn’t prepared for the sight. Last time he’d seen Sienna she’d been toned and athletic. This time the rounded belly appeared before she did.
Her footsteps stopped dead in the doorway, her eyes wide. It was clear he was the last person she’d been expecting to see.
She took his breath away. She didn’t have on a traditional white coat. Instead she was dressed in what must be a maternity alternative to a suit. Black trousers with a matching black tunic over the top. It was still smart. Still professional. Her hair was gleaming, a bit longer than he remembered and tucked behind her ears. A red stethoscope hung around her neck, matching her bright red lipstick.
‘Sebastian.’ It was more a breath than a word.
Her hand went automatically to her stomach. His reply stuck in his throat. He hadn’t been ready. He hadn’t been ready for the sight of her ripe with his child. Even under her smart clothes he could see her lean body had changed totally. Her breasts were much bigger than before—and they suited her. Pregnancy suited her in a way he couldn’t even have imagined.
But now he was here, he just didn’t even know where to start.
* * *
This wasn’t happening. Not here. Not now.
She’d planned things so carefully. All her surgeries were over. Any new patients had been seen jointly with Max. He would perform the neonatal surgeries and she would do later follow up once she was back from maternity leave.
But here he was. Right in front of her. The guy she’d spent the last six months half cursing, half pining for.
Those forest-green eyes practically swept up and down her body. Her palm itched. That thick dark hair. The hair she’d spent two days and two nights running her fingers through. Those broad shoulders, filling out the exquisitely cut suit. The pale lilac of the shirt and the shocking pink of his tie with his dark suit and good looks made him look like one of the models adorning the billboards above Times Square in New York. Imagine waking up with that staring in your hotel window every morning.
Her breath had left her lungs. It was unnatural. It was ridiculous. He was just a man. She sucked in a breath and narrowed her gaze. ‘Congratulations on your engagement.’
He flinched. What had he expected? That she’d welcome him here with open arms?
Part of her felt a tiny twinge of regret. Her hand had picked up the phone more times than she could count. She’d tried to have that conversation with Oliver on a number of occasions. But it was clear that he’d never realised what was behind her tiny querying questions. The thought that his friend might have had a liaison with his colleague obviously hadn’t even entered his mind.
Was it really such a stretch of the imagination?
Sebastian let out a sigh and stepped towards her. She held up her hand automatically to stop him getting too close—last thing she needed was to get a whiff of that familiar aftershave. She didn’t need any more memories of the past than she already had. Baby was more than enough.
The royal persona she’d seen on the TV news seemed to be the man in the room with her now. This wasn’t the cheeky, flirtatious, incredibly sexy guy that she’d spent two days and two nights with. Maybe her Seb didn’t really exist at all?
There was something else. An air about him she hadn’t noticed before. Or maybe she hadn’t been paying attention. An assurance. A confidence. The kind of persona that actually fitted with being a prince.
He caught the hand she held in front of her.
The effect was instant, a rush of warmth and a pure overload of memories of the last time he’d touched her.
If she hadn’t been standing so squarely she might have swayed. Her senses were alight. Now, his aftershave was reaching across the short space between them like a cowboy’s rope pulling her in. Her hand tingled from where he held it. His grip initially had been firm but now it changed and his thumb moved under her palm, tracing circles—just as he’d done months ago.
Her breathing stalled. No. No, she wasn’t going to go here again.
This was the man that had announced his engagement a few weeks after they’d met. An engagement to a childhood friend. Had he been seeing her the whole time? She’d checked. But the media wasn’t sure. Had he been sleeping with them both at the same time?
She had no idea.
But no matter what her senses were doing, thoughts like that coloured her opinion of the man. He hadn’t been honest with her. They hadn’t promised each other anything, but that didn’t matter.
She snatched her hand back.
‘I’m not engaged, Sienna. I broke off my engagement when I heard the news you were pregnant.’ His voice was as smooth as silk.
She felt herself bristle. ‘And what am I supposed to feel—grateful?’
He didn’t even blink. He just kept talking. ‘I heard the news from Oliver. He called me about something else. A woman. Ella? Do you know her?’
Sienna frowned. ‘Yes, yes, I know her. She’s a midwife here.’ She paused. Did Sebastian
