Page 24 of Prince of Her Heart
Trouble.
But before Tabitha could mentally brace herself, Stacy’s excited voice reeled her back in.
“Why did you say you wouldn’t be able to come?And then I got word that you would!Oh, this is going to be so much fun!I’m so glad you changed your mind!”Stacy’s hands slid down to grip Tabitha’s hands, her wide hazel eyes searching.“Youmusthave realized how nervous I am about this weekend, right?”
Tabitha’s chest pinched.No, she hadn’t thought about Stacy’s nerves when she’d told her she wasn’t coming.At the time, she’d honestly believed she’d be halfway around the world with Ramzi, navigating boardrooms and blueprints in Berlin.
“My boss’s plans changed,” she said softly.“So, I was able to make it here for your big day.”
Stacy grinned, but her focus shifted at the same moment Tabitha’s did.Leandra Phillips strolled down the sidewalk, arm hooked around the elbow of the man who had once meant everything to Tabitha.
Martin Miller.
He looked different now.His sandy hair was thinner at the crown, and his smile—once boyishly charming—was gone.His face held the pallor of someone losing sleep, his gaze flicking toward Tabitha with what almost looked like regret.
Stacy shifted closer, standing shoulder to shoulder with Tabitha now.Her arm brushed against Tabitha’s as she leaned in and hissed, “Just keep walking, Leandra.No need to start anything.”
Leandra’s expression curved into a smug half-smile.Her long dark hair was perfectly styled, and her eyeliner was heavy, as always.She stopped, slow and deliberate, and placed a hand over her rounded belly, fingers splayed dramatically across her maternity dress.
“Not starting anything, Stacy,” she replied, her tone silky.“Just walking down the sidewalk.”
She rubbed her stomach in slow circles, making damn sure everyone saw.“Gotta get in my steps.Doctor says it helps with a healthy pregnancy.”
Stacy’s fingers tightened on Tabitha’s forearm, her nails pressing lightly through the thin fabric of Tabitha’s sweater.A silent restraint.
“Congratulations,” Tabitha called out, her voice steady, if slightly cool.“Is this your first child?”
She didn’t care.Not really.But it was the expected question, the polite one.Leandra and Martin had been married four years—plenty of time for the rumors to start about when they’d finally produce a baby.Around here, pregnancies were paraded like trophies.
“Yep!”Leandra chirped, her gaze never leaving Tabitha.“And we’redelightedabout our little family.”
Martin said nothing.Just stared at the ground.Leandra turned her head toward him and narrowed her eyes—an unmistakable silent command for him to echo her enthusiasm.He didn’t.
Tabitha had already stopped listening.Her focus had shifted.
The middle SUV’s back door opened, and Ramzi stepped out.
Sunlight brushed across his shoulders, catching on the fine lines of his dark blazer.He stood tall, his gaze sweeping the scene with practiced precision, and for one brief, breathless second, Tabitha forgot where she was.Her lungs stilled.Her heartbeat didn’t just pick up—itroared.
He looked breathtaking.
“Woah,” Stacy whispered reverently.“I’d heard he was big.But that man ishuge.”
Tabitha pressed a hand to her chest, trying to control the flurry inside.Her body still remembered his kiss, the press of his mouth, the confident slide of his hands.Had that only been a couple of hours ago?
It felt like days.And also… not enough.
Her fingers tingled with the memory, and her eyes lingered on him, drinking him in again.All this—this farce—was for show.Just a few days of playing pretend to keep her mother’s pride intact.
But even now, watching him walk toward her with that impossible confidence and quiet command, the idea of pretending he was hers… didn’t feelsopretend.
As long as she kept a cool head, reminded herself daily—hourly—that this wasn’t real, she could get through it without ending up shattered at the end.
“Are you the bride?”Ramzi asked, his hand extended with a charming ease.
Tabitha felt Stacy melt beside her, eyes wide and dreamy as she placed her much smaller hand into his.“I am,” she breathed.
There was a pause—Stacy seemed dazzled into temporary silence—before she blinked up at him.“And who are you?”
