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Prologue

Derek

The top of the building was lined hite lights,the beautiful a table was covered with a white tablecloth, arrangements of flowers all the way down We’d finished the rehearsal at the church, and noas time to have the rehearsal dinner

Tabitha held a flute of cha in a short white dress with her eous blue eyes, and everything about her was perfect

My hands slid intothe subtle way her fingers tightened on the stelass, the way she delicately pushed her curled hair behind her shoulder She had the nicest smile, the kind that made all men weak in the knees

Especially me

The princess cut diaht now because I just finished ram in the fall When I told my father I wanted to propose to Tabitha, he told , that I should wait

Why should I hen I’d found the love of my life?

As I stood there and stared at her, I kneould last forever

More guests filed onto the roof, complimented the white candles spread everywhere, the hors d’oeuvres being passed around by waiters It was the perfect evening, the perfect everything, and I knew my mother was the reason for that

Anything she touched was ical

It relieved the stress on Tabitha’s shoulders, and frankly, no one could do a better job than my mom

A large hand ave me a squeeze

I recognized the touch before I saw his face

“Beautiful” He rubbed“I’m very happy for you, little man”

I was a grown ht, but he still called iven to me when I was just a boy “Thanks, Dad”