by Allen, Jewel
“Well, I hear it on good authority that you and she are keeping to your own rooms. Is that true?”
Samir felt hot under the collar. “Yes.”
“So the only conclusion I could think of is that she is in a delicate condition…”
“No, Mother. As far as I know, she’s not.”
Her face fell. “I was looking forward to a grandbaby to bounce on my knee.”
For a moment, he indulged himself the thought of having a child with Reese. He would take the day off from royal duties, and they could sit at a picnic by the lake. The baby would have his dark eyes and light brown hair from Reese. Reese would hold the baby, and he would hold her in turn.
Voices and laughter rang out in the hallway. As though he conjured up the object of his daydream, she turned the corner with Alliyah. Lately, she had been dressing nicely for the day. He was sure Alliyah had something to do with that. No American jeans for her, but pretty dresses that were smart, as befitting her station.
A station she would fill for another two weeks.
She seemed to have gotten thinner of late, with a hint of shadows under her eyes. As he usually did when sensing her vulnerability, he felt protective over her, wanting to soothe her worries.
He kept his fists balled to remind himself to control his impractical notions. He needed to keep his distance to make his goodbye easier.
“Good morning, darling,” Reese said, taking her seat beside him.
The endearment made him stare. She looked innocent and sincere, laying out her affection for all the world to see.
But he knew better than that. He had fallen for her falsehoods once. He refused to do it again.
“Good morning,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”
She raised her eyes to his and mulled his question for a moment. “Yes, thank you. And you?”
“Yes.”
Even as he said that, he thought of his battle last night, tossing and turning, reaching for Reese, only to wake in an empty bed, alone.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Alliyah spoke up, “I arranged for all of us to visit the refugee camp. Reese said you’d promised for a while…”
“Of course. And I did. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry, big brother,” Alliyah said, patting his hand. “I’ve got it covered.”
Samir’s eyes narrowed. Alliyah gave him an innocent look, but he was sure she was up to something.
Mother looked from Alliyah to Reese. “I think you’re crazy to want to go. You two could simply jet-set to Paris and London for a getaway and avoid misery.”
Reese glanced at her, startled. To Samir’s shock, Mother actually winked and patted her hand.
“I always did think my son married a good one,” Mother said.
Reese blinked and caught Samir’s glance, surprise mirrored in his own, no doubt.
And so it was arranged for them all to go to the camp, even Princess Galea, not in the limo, but in one of the SUVs the family owned. They also changed into regular clothes out of respect for who they were visiting. It wouldn’t do to arrive in designer clothes, not to mention it would be awfully warm to show up in a suit.
Alliyah sat in the front seat beside Axel, who was driving. “So,” Alliyah told Axel, “Are you still scared of snakes?”
“And I see that Her Royal Highness hasn’t learned to curb her wit.”
Those two. If Samir wasn’t mistaken, Alliyah was flirting with Axel. He should speak with his sister sometime about that.
In the back, Samir sat by the window. His mother sat by the other window, and Reese was in the middle.
They sat apart, and yet sitting so close together, Samir was acutely conscious of Reese’s leg brushing against his trousers, and every time they hit a bump in the road, she pressed her warmth against him.
The kilometers ran on and on. Beside him, Reese flagged. He could tell she was tired, her eyes drooping until she summoned the effort to keep them open. Within an hour, she succumbed, softly leaning against Samir’s shoulder.
He should have moved away, but it seemed unkind for him to simply ignore her. Gingerly, he lifted his arm and draped it over her shoulder, so she eventually ended up leaning her cheek along the crook of his neck.
It had been a while since he held her close, and his heart ached once again for what they could have had. In sleep, Reese looked so lovely and innocent. Maybe he had been mistaken about her.
But facts pointed to the opposite.
Still, he didn’t relinquish his hold on her. He breathed in the delicate scent of her shampoo, his fingers reveling in the softness of her body against his. He couldn’t resist pressing his lips against her shiny hair, his heart flooding with an alarming affection he thought had been buried a while back.
He couldn’t possibly let her go, could he? But it was too late. How could they mend the rift that had been widening all this time? How could she forgive him?
His heart yearned to be one with her, as their marriage ceremony had bound them.
As they approached the refugee camp, he thought of her concern for those affected by war at the border. He knew of her gentleness. Her genuine warmth.
Reese wore a tarnished crown, yet from what he had pieced together of her past, it wasn’t her doing. Her brother had been behind it all, driven by greed. Whereas Reese was driven by her blind love for a brother who was the only one on earth who had ever cared for her.
Just as Samir could have been that person for Reese.
Samir didn’t only want to forgive her. She was deserving of forgiveness for showing him the past few months that even a person of humble circumstances could rise above it all and have a generous heart.
Perhaps, after this, they could build a future together.
He knew now why he had dragged his feet over getting a different wife. No one else but Reese would do.
He had loved her then, and he loved her still. She had said she’d loved him, but did she love him still?
In the rearview mirror, Axel’s eyes met his gaze. Axel knew about Reese, and he was passing judgment. Yet so had Samir.
An excited flutter went through his chest. Samir was still beset by doubts, but he felt differently about their situation. More hopeful. He would pour his heart out to her tonight and try to bridge the abyss of the past two months.
If she would have him.
The driver pressed on the brakes, taking the SUV to a stop. Reese woke up, her eyes widening as she must have realized Samir was holding her.
There was a question in her eyes.
He simply smiled back. There would be time to speak together later. How sweet their reunion would be.
“We’re here,” he said by way of explanation.
Still looking confused, especially when he took his arm away and held her hand, she let him lead her out of the vehicle.
Now her surprise was full-blown. He continued to hold her hand to lead her to the awaiting Moroccan military team that had been alerted of their arrival. At least two dozen soldiers carrying machine guns surrounded them until Samir turned to the post commander.
“Do you mind telling your men to fall back and give us room?”
“Of course,” the commander said, subsequently ordering his men to fan out.
The camp was eerily quiet for it being late afternoon. There were eight-foot-tall fences around it, with coiled barbed wire on top and chain link below. Rows upon rows of white tents stood in the cloying air. In the middle of these rows were hard-side trailers with their windows facing out to the rest of the camp. Beyond, there was an even higher fence.
Samir had been briefed before on the dangers that refugees risked to get through the border. Scaling to the top of the fence despite the electric shocks and hoping to survive long enough to create a diversion. Mobs forming to storm the fence, hoping that some would survive the police shooting at them and forcing them back.
Samir still held Reese’s hand, and she clung to it tightly. He felt protective about her, wanting to shield her
from the realities of war. But there was no running away from this or closing one’s eyes to this. This was a reality that faced these people every day. He was grateful she had insisted on him visiting so he could be reminded of the struggle refugees and their families faced.
The little children lightened the burden in his heart. Their welcoming smiles didn’t absolve his guilt, but he could at least feel a surge of hope in the situation. They hung back upon orders of the military police who stood between them and the couple.
Samir motioned for the commanding officer to come over. “Let the children come forward. We would like to meet them.”
“But—”
“Surely, you have searched and secured these little criminals.” His tone dripped with sarcasm.
The officer gave Samir a peppy salute and issued new orders to his men.
The children came forward shyly. They were such innocents, casualties of war. Samir knelt and accepted a little pebble from a girl who looked about four.
38
Reese’s heart melted at the sight of Samir accepting the little girl’s token of friendship. As she shook off the initial shock she’d felt upon their arrival at the grim conditions of the camp, she tried to take in the good along with the not-so-good.
The children, smiling broadly. The blue sky above that contrasted with the white tents. The soft-looking fabric of the women who clustered behind the children, and their gentle eyes.
Reese had been glad she could hold Samir’s hand when they got there, although it confused her. He flicked kind glances at her, glances she’d not had from him in a while. Like a plant in a drought, she soaked up the gentle rain and tried to not overthink it.
Alliyah walked nearby, giving her pointed glances. Axel, on the other hand, maintained a stoic expression, not giving away what he thought of his employer consorting with a con artist.
After the children came forward, she and Samir spoke with the adults. They had gaunt faces with eyes that haunted Reese with their wariness and exhaustion. But there was also light in their depths, the hopeful flicker reminding Reese that this refugee camp was a step toward a better life for them.
How different it must feel to be out of a war zone and into a semblance of normalcy again, if this was what one could call it.
Reese glanced once again at Samir. His face was a portrait of sympathy. He took time to shake everyone’s hand. Soon, a long line formed, and Reese helped greet some farther down who seemed eager to meet her too. The princess mother also shook hands with a batch. Reese thought she’d never looked softer and more inviting. Even Alliyah, who prided herself as not being sentimental, was dabbing her eyes.
“I have something in my eye,” Alliyah claimed, sniffling.
After meeting with refugees, they all made their way back to the entrance, subdued. Samir spoke with a batch of officers in English.
“My wife and I are pleased with your performance…”
As he continued his praise, all Reese could hear was the word wife bouncing around in her head. It was one of the few times he had acknowledged her in public, a little act which gave her a big thrill.
And then it was time to go.
All the changes between her and Samir made her light-headed. Or maybe, she thought wryly, glancing up at the sun, she was having a mild heat stroke. The day had turned hotter as the afternoon wore on. She hadn’t realized how parched her throat was. She swallowed painfully.
They usually had water on their car rides. Maybe she could get a drink when they got back in the SUV.
Samir opened the door to the back of the SUV. Reese smiled at him and started to get in. She tried to grab the inner handle of the door, but the world spun, and she missed as she lost consciousness.
39
Reese woke to the sound of breaking waves.
Waves?
Above her, she could make out the pattern of white rafters. Everything was blindingly white or a pretty blue.
Art on the walls, the four-poster bed she was lying in, the curtains screening the bright blue sky through a window.
She was lying on a luxuriously soft mattress. Alone. Where was she?
She sat up and looked down at her clothes. She was wearing her loose white sundress. She had been wearing something else when…when she left for the refugee camp.
That was where she’d been. Where was she now?
Was this reality or some fanciful dream?
Curious, she padded barefoot out of the bedroom on cool wood plank floors. Someone was cooking and moving around in the kitchen. She followed the smell and gaped.
Samir, wearing an apron, was taking a taste over a pot. He whirled around at her entrance and smiled sheepishly.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey yourself.” She waited for an explanation.
He raised a hand to signal for her to wait, turned down some knobs, and walked over to her, his hands taking hers in his.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, dazed at his obvious concern. She gestured toward the kitchen and crinkled her nose. “What are you doing?”
“Cooking.” His eyes glowed.
“I can see that. But why?”
“For a special dinner tonight.”
She gazed at him, stupefied. He was talking in riddles, but it all felt right. Maybe if she just played along, she wouldn’t wake from this dream.
“You passed out as we were leaving the refugee camp. You were extremely dehydrated.”
“Yes,” she nodded slowly, “I remember now.”
“So I took you to my secret paradise. Our island retreat. Come,” he urged her, holding his hand out.
She took his hand, and he took her outside. They were in a cove, surrounded on one side by the blue sea, two cliff points on either side, and palms around the two-story house where they’d been. Birds screeched overhead, and the waves rolled up to rocks and fine black sand.
“Beautiful,” she whispered. “Are we alone?”
“Alone as in private but within shouting range. I have guards ready to rescue us if needed.”
She smiled.
“I figured if I’m going to make amends with you,” he said, “if I were to try to woo you back into my life, I had to at least choose a special setting.”
She blinked, turning to him in shock. “What did you say?”
He clasped her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes. “I want to see if we can make this work. I don’t want us to do anything rash. We won’t do anything you aren’t ready for. But I thought we could have some time here to talk and…make plans.”
Reese’s cheeks warmed, just as her heart did. “Are you sure?”
He nodded, squeezing her hands. “Is that okay?”
She squeezed back, whispering, “Yes.”
* * *
First things first, they ate Samir’s dinner, his love offering, and if she could base her answer on that, it would be a resounding yes.
Reese still reeled from Samir’s change of heart. His every glance, his gentle touch on her elbow, her hand, her cheek as he pushed back a strand of hair, melted her defenses. She didn’t know why he was waiting. Reese was his for the long haul. However, she appreciated that he was giving her a chance to savor this.
So she played along, changing into a swimsuit that Alliyah had packed for her along with a note that said, He loves you.
Outside, Samir stood with his bare back turned to her. He had powerful shoulders, not just to bear the burdens of his mantle, but also to support his wife.
He was her husband, and soon not just in name, and her heart surged with gladness.
They raced to the water, which was cooler than the waters of Eggai, but pleasant nonetheless. They played tag, and he caught her in his arms, whirling her around and holding her close.
They didn’t kiss, but the promise was there in his eyes.
He carried her out of the water, her heart thudding as he marched her on to the house. Setting her on the floor, he reached up and gr
asped her jaw, running his thumb over her lower lip. She trembled and swayed toward him.
“Reese,” he whispered, just as his phone beeped.
Her eyes opened to Samir’s dark expression. He cocked his head, listening.
“The only reason I’m getting a call is because it’s an emergency.”
“Maybe you should at least check to see what it is about.”
He sighed, letting her go. He walked off to the kitchen and returned moments later. Concern was etched in his eyes.
“What?” she said. “What is it?”
“Your brother is at the palace,” Samir said.
40
In the helicopter beside Samir, Reese was visibly subdued. She sat with her hands folded over her lap, gripping them together so hard her knuckles were white.
It was not, unfortunately, the time to whisper sweet nothings in her ear as she seemed rattled by the prospect of seeing her brother. Samir would have to bide his time.
Samir snuck a glance once again at Reese. Poor thing. She looked so exhausted. This time as she closed her eyes, she held herself rigid, as though she didn’t trust herself to lean against him.
He wished he could protect her from whatever was agitating her.
They arrived in darkness at the palace. Samir had authorized for the guards to allow Quinn Morgan into the main building and to even prepare a room for him but to keep him subtly under guard.
Samir would do his best to host his wife’s brother.
His wife. The thought of making her truly his wife filled him with peace. If he needed some sort of confirmation as to their future, it was seeing her with the refugees, being his equal in the sight of others, sensing her compassion and her overflowing love.
But first, he needed to meet his brother-in-law.
Samir escorted Reese out of the helicopter and through the roof door that led inside the palace. In the lamp lights, she wore a dazed expression and held on to his arm for support.
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
She nodded.
He could tell she wasn’t telling the truth, but he wasn’t going to interrogate her.
