After what he said yesterday, we remained silent for the rest of the journey, but when we arrived, he walked me to my bedroom door and pulled me into a bear hug. I hugged him back, understanding that, in that moment, words mattered less than what he made me feel. If he isn’t ready to talk about his family history yet, I’ll wait until the time comes.
“You’re so close to being mine,”he whispered in my ear, yet made no attempt to follow me into my chambers, even though I could feel his rigidity pressed against my abdomen and knew exactly how aroused he was.
“I can’t wait, my fiancé,”I teased, then slipped away into the room.
The sound of the plane’s engine shutting down brings me back to the present. Adeela is the first to step out, and I run to her, hugging her tightly.
“I can’t believe you’re here. I missed you so much!”
“Me too. It feels like years have passed. How are you?” she asks, pulling back and holding my face, as if checking that I’m really okay.
“Happy,” I whisper, just for her. “And I survived the official engagement dinner.”
“Was it that bad? Did they mistreat you?” She looks ready to pick a fight. My friend has changed so much since marrying our sheikh. From a shy girl who even apologized for breathing, she’s become a strong woman who doesn’t take nonsense from anyone.
“They tried. Actually, they already had the last time I was here, and now I wonder if the conversation I overheard in the bathroom wasn’t intentional. I was in a stall, and they mocked my accent. Yesterday, one of them was more explicit, but I put her in her place.”
“What happened?”
I glance over my shoulder to make sure Rodrick hasn’t approached yet. I think he’s giving me some time alone with Adeela. “He opened applications for a wife of convenience—over a hundred and sixty candidates. One of the finalists is a real monster in a skirt. You think you had problems with Ingrid? You suffered nothing, sister.”
She starts laughing, and I end up laughing too. “So much competition, only to end up surrendering at your feet.”
“Josephine said something similar, and you’re both wrong. He hasn’t surrendered.”
“In a few months, you’ll tell me,” she says, still smiling, then her expression shifts. “And don’t compare me to her. I’m jealous, and I still don’t know if I like this new friend of yours.”
I roll my eyes but don’t get the chance to reply, because when I see my brother holding the little future sheikh, I lose my mind. “Auntie’s prince has arrived. The most handsome big boy in the world!”
He jumps proudly in his father’s arms. Like father, like son. Poor girls of his generation.
“Hello, my sheikh,” I greet my brother, and he pulls me in for a kiss.
“I missed you, girl. But I didn’t expect to see you again already engaged,” he says, looking over my shoulder.
When I turn around, I realize Rodrick has come closer. He looks at me oddly, seemingly unaware of Kaled, his attention fixed instead on Tajj in my arms. My nephew is clinging to my neck, and I hold him just as tightly.
I see Rodrick greet Kaled and Adeela, but his eyes never leave me.
I feel uneasy as the clause of the contract comes back to mind.
What is he thinking? That I’ll try to get pregnant on purpose?
The thought sours my mood, and all the joy of reuniting with my family fades into the background beneath the doubts filling my mind.
Kaled, Adeela, and Tajj get into one of the cars, while Rodrick and I get into another.
I stare out the window, lost in my thoughts, with no desire to talk.
“You never said whether you wanted children,” he says.
“I don’t think this is a good topic for us to discuss on the eve of our wedding. It’s enough for you to know that I will neverviolate that clause, Your Grace. By marrying me, you won’t be walking into a trap.”
Chapter 40
Wedding Day
“You shouldn’t be seeing me today—except at the wedding ceremony,” she says the moment I step into the room.