Page 15 of Sheikh's Pregnant Fiancée

At the roughness in his voice, she looked at him in annoyance. “You really know how to woo a girl, don’t you?”

“We are wed. There is no need for wooing.” He paused. “But if you need a moment…”

“No, I’m fine. Let’s do this.”

“Remember, we are happily married and in love.”

He said the last bit with disdain, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. The idea of a love match was foreign to him, that much was obvious. Even more entertaining was that she’d discovered, over the last week, that he didn’t seem to have any idea how a couple acted when they were in love. She understood that public displays of affection were frowned upon, but he hadn’t even smiled at her since she’d agreed to marry him.

“Something funny?” he asked.

“No.”

The guards standing at the doors bowed, grabbed the handles, and pulled them open in a flourish. Aubrey and Jarah stepped into the ballroom. For a moment, the panic returned. He’d told her that it was a big affair, but it had only been a week. How on earth could they have pulled this off in such a short time?

The room was full of people. Rows of tables lined each side of the room, and they were filled with people, mostly men, in dress robes. The Ramzi family was on a dais at the far end, and servants circulated with trays of food and drink. Music filled the air from the small orchestra on the corner stage, but no one was dancing.

Everyone was waiting for them.

Aubrey pressed a hand against her stomach, suddenly aware of how she must look. She wore an emerald green traditional dress with silver embroidery. The bottoms of the sleeves dipped to the ground, and the hem of her dress dragged. It was fitted and fell as it was supposed to it, but when Aubrey first put it on, she felt like a child playing dress up.

And now she knew why. As everyone stared at her, she was altogether aware that she did not belong.

Jarah grabbed her hand, and a loud cheer went up from the crowd. Swallowing hard, Aubrey smiled and followed him to the head table. Like she’d been taught, she curtsied to Cyril while Jarah bowed his head.

“My son,” Cyril boomed. “Jarah Ramzi, crown prince of Rihamel, and my daughter, Aubrey Ramzi, princess.”

Princess. A wave of dizziness washed over her, but she forced it aside.

“Now we shall eat, dance, and celebrate!”

Another cheer went up, and people moved. Aubrey put her head down as Jarah tugged her to her seat. He’d told her that she wasn’t expected to speak or dance with anyone. She should have been hungry, because she hadn’t eaten anything all day, but she just picked at her food.

“I was nervous on my wedding day as well.”

At the soft and calming voice, Aubrey looked up and saw that Nura was shooing Mikal away so she could take his seat. “But when it was all said and done, I was famished. I ate so much that Cyril was worried he would not be able to keep me fed properly. I have already asked for the staff to send some food up to your suite.”

Relaxing a little, Aubrey smiled. “The food is delicious, but I’m glad you aren’t taking offense. I can’t imagine how much energy you put into planning this so quickly.”

“My sons and my husband wanted a small affair, and perhaps you did as well, but I know this must be hard for you. I wanted you to feel welcome. I am sorry that you could not invite your family.”

“It’s just me and my grandmother. She couldn’t make the trip comfortably.”

Aubrey felt guilty at the lie. She had left home without telling her grandmother about the baby, but she couldn’t just get married without saying something, so she’d called yesterday.

Her grandmother hadn’t picked up.

“One day, we will fly to America and meet her. I would like to know this woman who raised the beauty who felled my oldest child.”

More lies, and another family to disappoint.

“Thank you for everything. It is overwhelming, but it’s also so beautiful.”

“If you need anything, please come to me. I am excited for my first grandchild. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to steal your husband away for a dance and perhaps remind him that he should not scowl at his own wedding.”

Turning to her other side, Aubrey saw that Jarah was indeed frowning.

At her.

Had she done something wrong?

Too bad. Suddenly, she realized that this was her wedding. And true, it was nothing like she’d expected it to be, but this was for her, not just for him. And she was going to enjoy it.

“He’s all yours,” Aubrey said as she rose. “I think I’ll go find Gwen and see if I can’t do some dancing of my own.”

“Us too!” Asha chimed in as she and her sister rose.

Jarah’s frown deepened, but Aubrey turned and walked away.

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