“Thank you so much, Mr. Dexter. Our wedding will come soon, we’ll send you an invitation.” Mandy’s voice was cheery as ever, warm and radiant. She shook the man’s hand with practiced grace, and I nodded in agreement, a hollow smile tugging at my lips.
As we walked toward the bar, she leaned her head on my shoulder and muttered, “I hate lying.”
I glanced at her, knowing full well what she meant. “Don’t worry,” I said. “It’s for our own good.” And then the energy in the room shifted.
The entrance buzzed with whispers. The kind that roll through a room when someone important arrives. I looked up and saw him—Logan. Tall, sharp-featured, a man who had a face the media would die for.
A Prince. Literally.
His eyes scanned the room and landed right on me. Mandy stiffened beside me.
“I need a beer,” she muttered, but I was already putting the pieces together. He’s not here for me. He’s here for her.
“I’m assuming you’re Kyle Denver,” he said, walking toward us.
I shook his hand coolly. “And you must be Logan.”
Mandy stared at him like she’d seen a ghost. “Kyle, this is Logan. Logan, this is my fiancé.” Oh, this just got complicated.
“Your Highness,” I added with a nod.
“What are you doing here?” Mandy demanded, gripping my arm tightly.
“I’m here to visit my best friend. Is that a crime?” His tone was deceptively light, but his eyes were locked on her.
“We’re preparing the wedding,” Mandy replied quickly.
“It was nice meeting you,” I said. “We’ll be sure to send the invitation to Denmark.”
He chuckled, but it wasn’t amused. “Didn’t you have a fiancée of your own? Catherine Ashton, wasn’t it?”
Mandy cut in. “That’s ancient history. Don’t butt into our lives, Logan.”
I put my arm around her waist. “Let’s go.” We walked off before Logan could push further. Outside of Mandy’s shaking and short breaths, we kept silent. I held her tighter. She was always the strongest storm in the room—until he walked in.
“You okay?” I whispered.
“No. I didn’t think he’d come,” she admitted. “He’s supposed to be in Denmark for his coronation.”
“Do you want to talk to him?”
“No.” Her voice trembled. Logan didn’t care what she wanted. He followed.
“Mandy, we need to talk.”
“She doesn’t want to talk,” I said, stepping between them.
“It’s important,” he replied, eyes burning through mine.
“She’s my fiancée. If you want to talk, you’ll do it here.”
Catherine’s voice broke the standoff. “Jacob, let her talk to him.” I turned. Seeing her there, again, felt like a cruel game.
“She’s my fiancée. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“I’ll talk,” Mandy whispered, jaw clenched. “Fifteen minutes. No more.” Logan smirked and led her away. I turned back toward the ballroom—and walked straight into Catherine.
“Jacob, can we talk?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
She grabbed my arm. “Let’s get married, Jacob. I’m ready now.”
I scoffed. “Now? After everything?”
“I love you. I don’t want to make the same mistake.”
“You know I have a fiancée now. What are you doing—trying to steal me from her?”
“She has Logan.”
“And?”
“It doesn’t mean I’ll stop fighting.” Her eyes were fierce. Determined. “I’ll drag you to the church if I have to.” She walked off, heels clicking with purpose, and damn it, I smiled. There she is. There’s my Catherine.
But I needed air. I needed clarity. I stepped outside again, found Mandy and Logan deep in conversation. I didn’t interrupt. They needed that time. Maybe they needed to close a chapter too.
When I returned, Catherine was seated alone at a table, a flicker of the woman I knew in every line of her silhouette. I sat beside her. No words at first. Just presence.
“Jacob,” she whispered.
“I’m just waiting for my fiancée,” I said, even though I knew that wasn’t the truth.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“How have you been these last two years?”
Her voice softened. “I heard about the accident. I hope you’re okay now.”
“I’m physically fine,” I replied, pointing at my heart, “but not here.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. It’s all because of me.”
“No. We were both wrong. Both stubborn. We deserved the crash. We caused it ourselves.”
“I’ll win you back, Jacob. I love you. I want to be with you.”
“I’m engaged.”
“She’s with Logan.”
“Logan’s her best friend,” I lied, knowing better.
“Do you love her?”
I didn’t answer. I just looked her in the eyes and that was answer enough.
***
I had just dropped Mandy off at her hotel when something started gnawing at me. That feeling in my gut, the one I used to ignore, the one I can’t afford to anymore told me something wasn’t right. Not with Mandy. Not with Catherine. Not with any of this.
I waited in the lobby longer than necessary, pretending to scroll through messages, pretending I wasn’t looking for Catherine. The moment I saw her talking to Amanda by the elevator, I knew it.
Something was off.
Catherine was tense, fidgeting. Amanda was smiling politely, but her eyes gave her away. She was trying to mask something and then Catherine’s phone rang.
She answered, tried to whisper, but her expression said it all. She was in on something.
“My friend is still outside, I think I’ll just wait in the lobby,” she said after the call.
Mandy turned to me, exhausted. “You should stay and wait with her. I’m tired.” She left us and I stood there, facing Catherine.
“Logan’s upstairs, huh?” I asked bluntly. She froze, her eyes giving her away again. She nodded, almost guiltily.
I sighed. “You going upstairs?” She hesitated, shook her head.
“She has to go to the coronation,” I said more to myself than to her. “He has to take her back.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. I looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time in a while. The Catherine who once walked out on me. The Catherine who now looked like she might cry from just standing in front of me.
“You’re not mad?” she asked, almost surprised.
“I think we all have to go back to where we belong,” I said, softening. I held out my hand. “Don’t you think?” She looked like she might argue.
“Why? You’re not coming?”
“Where?” she asked, hesitating.
“My house.” She blinked. I thought she’d say no. But instead, she climbed into the car. I chuckled under my breath and followed her inside.
In the quiet of the ride, I studied her from the corner of my eye. She wasn’t here to play games anymore. I could see it in the way she fidgeted, the way she stared out the window like the road might give her answers.
“Are you sure you won’t help Amanda?” she asked softly.
“I’m sure,” I said, watching the city lights flicker past. “Sooner or later, she has to go back. To him.”
“You think so? They’re best friends, right?”
I smiled faintly. “You could say they’re more than that.”
“You know the whole story?”
“Yeah. And it’s a long one.” I turned to her, something sharp yet familiar blooming in my chest. “So… you were saying? You told me you’d drag me to the church?”
Her voice trembled slightly. “Jacob…” I didn’t wait for her to finish. I pulled her into my arms, wrapped her up tight. My world settled around her like it always did.
“What took you so long?” I whispered into her hair.
Because damn it, I’d been waiting, and I wasn’t about to let her go this time.