LOGINTARAIsaac walked by me, grinning, and his father was watching with pride. “Here comes the bride. Her Royal Highness will be escorted by His Majesty.”I didn’t know why I felt suddenly nervous when this was just a rehearsal. I started walking. Suddenly, my mind went back to the moment that happened years ago. “Just smile and be beautiful.” Those were the last words I heard before I walked down the aisle in front of three hundred people inside the church. Yes, I walked alone. I refused to be escorted, and my parents had agreed.“Baby.” I felt Mad’s hand. “Are you okay?”I looked at him. “Yeah. I just remember something.”“Your Highness, your bouquet will be given to your Maid of Honor.”“Sorry.” I immediately give it to Olive. “This is just a rehearsal, babe,” she said. “But everything will be perfect tomorrow. This is your wedding after all.”“I know.” I grinned. “Wait until it’s your turn.”She stole a glance at Lynx, observing inside. “Then the opening remarks will begin right
TARADespite the restrictions, there were still press, paparazzi, and watchers who wanted to get a glimpse of the rehearsal. Mad and I waved at them before we entered the cathedral. Since I came back, I hadn’t visited any churches, let alone this old church that was built way back in the 18th century. I felt overwhelmed with excitement and joy that by tomorrow, I would be marrying the love of my life in this historic symbol.I sighed deeply as peace and serenity wrapped around me. I was grateful when my parents suggested this cathedral instead of the one where I was supposed to marry Revier. And the last time I checked, he and Sarah were locked up somewhere in an undisclosed location. For the past week, Valentine and I had exchanged texts and talked about our lives and the wedding. Everything seemed back to normal, except for one little remaining issue that always put my stomach in knots.I felt a squeeze on my hand. I might have zoned out a little. I looked at the man that I was go
MAD“London.” I smiled as we kissed on the cheek. “Thank you for coming.”“You’re a very busy man, cousin.” Her hazel eyes flickered in amusement.“You’ve met her at her bachelorette party. Tara, my fiancée,” I introduced London and her husband, Striker Cade-Braddson. “Briefly. Your Highness.” She smiled knowingly. “Like I said. I’m such a fan of the books. We read them together.”“Thank you. I’m a little embarrassed. After the cowboys danced, I barely remember what happened.” She smiled, her cheeks flushing. “I heard Mr. Cade is a close friend of Princess Carlotte.”“Yes, we are. I hope it won’t be a problem.” Striker was tall with blue eyes. He was the only son of the wealthiest man in the world, Moses Braddson, the heir to the billion-dollar empire, Hover Industries, the government’s biggest defense contractor, but he was always humble.“No, not at all.” We settled at the receiving area. Finally, I had the time to arrange this dinner before the wedding. I felt like a terrible cou
TARAThey said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. “And the way to your heart is through the causes and advocacies.”I glared at Mad. “It means you’re not genuinely helping. You just want me to forgive you and want me to go home with you, or you just don’t care how I feel, so long as you get into my pants.”His gaze dropped to my pants. “It’s rhetorical, Mad.”“I genuinely wanted to help. Why do you think I donated a million Serevian euros under an anonymous donor?”“What?” I blinked in shock. I didn’t know that. I felt my anger vanishing into thin air. “You did?” Damn. I was even more shocked that I barely recognized my own voice.He sighed exasperatingly. “Yes, baby.”I groaned. It couldn’t be. He had an ulterior motive, and if he admitted it, I might just allow him to spend the night here in my hotel room. “But?”“Fine.” He shrugged. “No more lies and secrets, okay? When I found out you’re visiting the veteran hospice, I thought maybe I should show up. Maybe you cou
MAD“With all these resources, how is this Sawyer guy so difficult to catch?” Those were the King’s words that still struck me. And he was right. Sawyer was slippery as an eel. He must have some help because he couldn’t do it alone. He’d been under the FBI radar for months, yet he could still travel without a problem from country to country.After leaving the palace, Linden and I went to Montimer-kaslt-ton palace. Tara was back to work like clockwork. Her secretary, Georgina, opened the door to the Crown Princess’s office. “Her Highness is ready to see you now, Mr. Shanewood, Mr. Linden.”“How do you get used to this?”I chuckled. “Never. It’s like loving a woman with multiple personalities. When she’s at home, she’s so simple, sweet, and thoughtful. Then there’s her alter ego, T.S. Prince, the author, advocate, activist, and opinionated, and this person in the office, the hardworking princess, who is generous, selfless, and compassionate.”“There’s the fourth,” she said, smiling at
TARA“Tara!”I stopped, turning to face him. I searched for another lie on his face, or deception and manipulation. All I saw was pain.He held my gaze and looked genuinely regretful. “I’m sorry.” “I know you are.” I walked away from him and Linden, who hadn’t said a word since. “Where are you going?”“Anywhere but near you.” Finally, he didn’t stop me anymore. I sighed, weighing my options of staying at the palace, arguing with him, and forgetting this had ever happened. Or I walked out and stayed as far away from him to cool off. Because right now, I couldn’t think straight in anger, and my feelings were still hurt that he could still keep things from me after what we’d been through together.I understood his decision, why he chose to keep me in the dark. He was trying to protect me. He didn’t want to ruin my day because, honestly, I started to live in the bubble of this pre-wedding bliss. And so far, life had been back to normal, no issues with the wedding preparations, the rec
MADI spent the entire flight working, but most of the time thinking if I was doing the right thing, and if I would regret my decision later. Or maybe, I couldn’t care less.Yes, there was a slight sheer of misery that clutched my chest tightly, but it was a good thing. I still felt something.But
TARA“No. I wanna finish it.” I needed to let it out of my chest. Otherwise, I couldn’t move on. I wouldn’t heal. “It’s okay, baby.” Mad pulled some tissue and wiped my cheeks dry. “I screamed. I could still hear my own voice while they were laughing at me.”At the corner of my eye, Mad was so pi
TARA“It’s okay, Tara. I’m Doctor Jameel Johnson. You can call me Dr. Jameel. We can start with something light. Why do you think you need to see a therapist, Tara?” he asked. A black psychologist in his fifties had been Mad’s therapist since losing his sister. “You can tell him everything.” Mad s
MAD“It’s my cousin again, wanting to meet,” I told him.“Just let me know when you want to meet her, sir.”“Well, definitely not now. I have to serve my woman.” I left them in the minibar. “Do you need help, boss?”I gave him my middle finger. Nites’ laugh echoed. I went to the kitchen to grab a







