by Erin Snihur
“Why did you have to do that, Sophie?” She asks herself out loud.
“I was going to ask you the exact same thing,” a deep, but soft voice speaks up behind her.
Turning, Sophie’s tear filled eyes blur, but do not hide the smiling figure who stands before her. Her brother, Richard.
Rushing into his open arms, Sophie cries out, “What are you doing here so early?”
Shrugging with her still in his arms, Richard murmurs as he presses a kiss to her forehead, “Alia is on her way here. She decided to go visit you know who before coming to the palace.”
Pulling back, Sophie’s brow wrinkles at the mention of the old Sheik, “She is?”
Alia and Tariq’s father had been arrested and charged with treason against the crown and against other Arabian countries this past year. Not only that, but he’d attempted to force Alia and Richard to marry, thus solidifying a bond with a Russian criminal, who’d used Sophie like a pawn to steal things from others.
“But that doesn’t matter right now. Why don’t you tell me why you and Tariq were arguing this time?” Richard murmurs and escorts her to the settee.
Snorting, Sophie thinks back on the past few months they’d been together. She and Tariq were a fiery couple and they enjoyed arguing. Especially when it came to politics and the Crown.
“He asked me to marry him,” Sophie murmurs and then before Richard can cry out in celebration she mutters, “Again.”
“Again?” Richard chokes on his breath and shakes his head in confusion, “And you haven’t given him an answer?”
“I tell him that I’m not ready,” Sophie explains, “Can you blame me though? I’ve only just grasped a normal life! I’ve only completed a semester of schooling and already Tariq wants to marry me to keep me… barefoot and pregnant, as the Americans say.”
Richard laughs then, startling her solemn mood, “I doubt Tariq has any interest in you giving up your independent nature. In fact, I bet he would do anything to keep you as you are. Isn’t he the one helping you study and paying for your courses?”
Biting her bottom lip, Sophie nods, “He wouldn’t let me get financing. He put his foot down about that. After I gave away all the money I was given for my work as a thief, I didn’t have much so Tariq offered to help. I told him I’d repay him and he claimed he didn’t want it, to consider it a scholarship.”
Snorting, Richard leans back in his seat, “You are smart, sister, I’m sure even you can see that the reason he does all this is because he loves you!”
Inwardly, Sophie warms at her brother's words. They were true. She and Tariq were in love with each other. After so many years apart, their connection was undeniable. But his insistence of marriage made her heart stutter with a dash of fear. What if, after marriage, things changed, as they so often do in relationships?
What else will change if she accepts and puts her trust in Tariq? Her freedom?
23
Four days until Christmas…
“I still cannot believe you have not told Kasin yet,” Sophie murmurs absentmindedly to Sheikha Amira Almasi of Masarat.
Sophie watches as the young girl shoots a gaze behind them to Amira’s maid and guard who stand a fair distance away. Above them stands Kasin and Tariq as they smoke cigars and talk about who knew what. All Sophie can think about is Amira’s revelation in the hallway.
“These flowers are beautiful,” Amira murmurs back and kneels down to caress the petal.
Sighing at the realization that Amira doesn’t wish to speak of her secret, Sophie forces a smile on her face and scans the private gardens, “Yes, Tariq’s mother took great pride in them when she was alive. I have no green thumb, but the gardeners do great work.”
“He must miss her,” Amira murmurs softly.
Shrugging, Sophie mutters, “It has been a long time. Tariq is strong. Like Kasin. He would make a great father, hm?”
Amira blushes bright red at Sophie’s words and stands, grasping Sophie by the arm and dragging her towards the veranda underneath the upper balcony. When they are finally under it, Amira hisses, “Please do not tell him anything!”
It didn’t matter. They heard everything spoken above.
“Are you fucking crazy?” Tariq snarls as he pours a drink at the little sidebar.
Kasin had just departed with his guard after Sophie had dropped a bomb in his friend's lap. Amira is pregnant. Kasin and Amira were going to have a child! It is unbelievable to Tariq. Not because of what Kasin had said on the balcony that his wife and Sophie had heard, but because his circle of friends are growing and moving on with their lives and he was stuck. Sophie had yet to give him an answer regarding his proposal the night before and he wasn’t going to ask again. It would be up to her now.
Sophie’s silence doesn’t help the matter as she continues to watch him take a gulp of his drink and so Tariq takes the silence as an opportunity to scold her.
“You can’t just slap a Sheik, Sophie! What if Abel had reacted? You could have been arrested or worse. And I would have done something that would have ruined my friendship with Kasin,” Tariq growls.
“What would you have done?” Sophie hisses, “You were practically encouraging his behavior on the balcony! Amira is completely crushed!”
“I don’t encourage his behavior! I am his friend; I must support him and if Amira is pregnant then Kasin will do what he must for his wife! You can’t expect, after all he’s been through that he would not be nervous about bringing children into this world!” Tariq shouts, slamming his glass on the table.
“But what is worse, is that you put yourself in the middle of it, Sophie! I can’t protect you if you throw yourself into danger at every turn!”
Voice softening, Tariq runs his hands through his hair, “Are you unhappy? Is that it? Is that why you deny me and my proposals?”
Sophie doesn’t say anything. She can’t. Tariq won’t stop.
“Is there another man? That man from your study group? Peter, or whatever his name is! Is he the reason you won’t marry me?” Tariq groans and throws his hands around in exasperation.
As soon as the words leave Tariq’s mouth, he regrets them. He watches as Sophie’s blue eyes fill with fire and she clenches her small fists at her sides.
“Take your proposal and shove it up your ass, Tariq,” She hisses and marches towards the doors of his study, throwing over the shoulder one final statement, “Find somewhere else to sleep tonight! In the gutter for all I care!”
Shit, Tariq internalizes as he collapses into a plush lounger.
Merry Christmas indeed.
24
Three days until Christmas…
Tariq should have awoken to the warm body of his Sophie the next morning. Instead, he woke to all four of his closest friends staring down at him with wary glances. Rubbing the sleep from his face, Tariq groans and closes his eyes. How could it be that the blurry shapes above him were his friends. How had he lost track of so much time?
“What time is it?” Tariq growls, his voice dry and scratchy.
Kasin makes a show of checking watch as he softly mumbles, “Just past ten.”
“You missed breakfast,” Khalid mentions, “It was delicious, by the way.”
Rising from his seat, Tariq rubs his pounding forehead, “I need coffee.”
Malik and Amoz both smirk and then Amoz holds out a coffee mug Tariq hadn’t even seen in his hand. Accepting it with a mock toast, Tariq gulps down the scalding hot liquid. Relief is only brief and Tariq winces as the memories from last night come rushing back.
“Shit,” Tariq grumbles and moves to stand, but Kasin’s firm grip on his shoulder stops him, “I have to talk to Sophie.”
“You can’t,” Kasin murmurs.
Mind racing, Tariq stares up at him in shock, “What? But where—”
Amoz snorts, “Nice one, Kasin. Make him think the woman he loves left him.”
Turning to face the others, Tariq asks hesitantly, “Where is she?”
&
nbsp; “She and the girls went into the capital’s market. Don’t worry, Haseem and Abel prepared adequate protection for them,” Khalid murmurs in appeasement.
Turning his glare on Kasin, Tariq notices the slight bruise on his cheek has become more prominent, “Still have your manhood, Kas?”
Smirking slightly, Kasin nods mysteriously, “Everything is intact and proceeding as it should.”
Amoz growls to Malik and Khalid, “What are they talking about?”
Kasin smiles slightly as he turns to the rest of their friends, “Amira is pregnant.”
Eyes wide, all of his friends stare at Kasin in shock. It is Amoz who cries out in excitement first, but instead of clasping Kasin in a hug of congratulations, he turns and points to Tariq.
“I won!”
Rolling his eyes and wincing at the bounding in Tariq’s head, he shakes it, “No, my friend, I won. Khalid and Amelia were pregnant first.”
Malik shouts then, turning to Khalid who grins back in amusement, “What!”
Amoz rolls his eyes and looks between Khalid and Kasin, “How many weeks are they along?”
Kasin shrugs, “I only just found out. Amira’s doctor took a blood sample and has an appointment after the holiday to see her.”
Khalid smirks, “Amelia is six weeks pregnant.”
Tariq forces a smile on his face, “Then I guess we shall wait until Amira knows how far along she is.”
Malik laughs at the situation and pushes into the tight group Amoz has made around Khalid and Amoz.
“What happened last night, Tariq?” Malik asks, “When we arrived, your advisor informed us you were sleeping in here. It smells like you’ve drunk the entire supply of your liquor cabinet.”
Dropping his face into his hands Tariq groans softly, “I asked Sophie to marry me… for the fifth or sixth time.”
Silence ensues in the room as all four of his friends stare from where Tariq sits and then at each other. No one seems to know what to say.
Finally, Malik mutters sheepishly, “Maybe we need something stronger than coffee.”
Nudging Malik with his elbow, Khalid steps forward and pats Tariq on the back, “What did she say?”
Tariq curses under his breath and stands, pacing by his desk to lean against the solid oak, “What do you think she said?”
“Why would she say no?” Amoz asks, “Aren’t you guys living together now?”
Shaking his head, Tariq sighs, “Yes, but apparently that’s all we’ll ever be. She doesn’t want me that way, I guess.”
“She said that?” Kasin asks in disbelief.
“No, but why else wouldn’t she want to get married? At this point we are married in every sense of the word except on paper!”
Tilting his head, Amoz asks, “So where is she at with the thought of marriage?”
Three days until Christmas...
“Where are you at today, Sophie?” Samara asked as she weaves her hand through Sophie’s elbow and pulls her towards a stall of handmade jewelry.
Shooting her friend, a sideways glance, Sophie smiles slightly, “What do you mean? Are you not having fun?”
Behind them, Amelia and Amira were talking about their pregnancies and oohing and ahhing over a few baby clothes being sold at the market outside of Hattan’s palace. Sophie is happy Amira and Kasin had worked things out the night before, though Amira claimed they still had much to work out in the coming months. Sophie inwardly understood why Kasin was so nervous about bringing a child into this crazy world. It was one of the reasons Sophie was so worried about accepting Tariq’s proposal. If they married, their whole lives would be under the stethoscope of the people they ruled and their lives could be in constant danger from their enemies.
So why didn’t Tariq see that?
Giving her a squeeze, Samara grins at Sophie once she regains her attention, “Well?”
Sighing, Sophie pulls away and scans the rows of handmade necklaces and bracelets. She can feel Samara’s gaze on her and finally, turning to face the slightly tanned woman, Sophie breaks, “Tariq asked me to marry him.”
“What?” Samara shrieks, gaining Amira and Amelia’s attention.
Both women appear instantly at their sides. All five are surrounded by security that keep curious locals and paparazzi back. It helps, but Sophie’s embarrassment and blush must give her away somewhat.
Scanning the area, Sophie sheepishly mutters, “Careful, I don’t want the entire country to find out.”
Amira grins and looks between all three women, “What’s going on?” Then her eyes widen, “Are you pregnant too?”
Face paling, Sophie quickly shakes her head, trying to laugh off the situation, “No! No!”
Samara saves her then, “Tariq asked her to marry him.”
Amira and Amelia both squeal in delight and rush forward, pulling Sophie into a big hug while Samara watches on in amusement. When the two girls finally pull away, Sophie cringes.
“I didn’t accept.”
Silence ensues as all girl’s gaze from Sophie to one another, as if they had misheard. Biting her bottom lip, Sophie can feel the weight of their stares and judgments. Breaking away from the group to walk the table of jewelry, Sophie feels their stares follow her before she finally spins around while she fidgets with her fingers.
“He’s asked me about five or six times so far,” Sophie explains.
If it was possible, their eyes widen even further and their mouths gape open as they stare between each other. Feeling awful for dropping this bomb on them, Sophie runs her fingers through her hair.
“Yesterday, after I confronted Kasin about Amira being pregnant, Tariq and I fought. He was angry about my behavior in front of Kasin and how I’d put myself in jeopardy. Then it just escalated and he accused me of perhaps not loving him like he loves me,” Sophie’s words trailed off as she tries to keep her tears at bay.
The seconds tick by and then Samara steps forward hesitantly asking, “Do you love him, Sophie?”
“Of course!” Sophie practically shouts then realizes they were in public and begins fiddling with a lock of her hair, “I’m scared. What if everything changes after we’re married? What if I can’t go back to school? What if I have to stay locked away in the palace until I’m pregnant and have popped out Tariq’s heir and spare!”
All four women shake their heads as Amelia steps forward and grasps Sophie’s hands, squeezing them softly, “You must see that that’s not true. One of the reasons Tariq loves you is because you challenge him, both intellectually and I think, physically?”
Amelia blushes and Sophie stops herself from breaking out into a grin at the thought as her face turns solemn, “But what if that is all we are meant to become? I doubt the people will accept their Sheikha working after graduating from school.”
Samara snorts, “I run many of Malik’s businesses without his supervision. We share the responsibilities. Amelia runs multiple charities in Aman and Amira is still learning, but will make a great ruler at Kasin’s side.”
Samara sighs and smiles slightly, “The point is, after our men came crashing into our lives, they were never the same. Many things change after marriage, but for the better, trust me. Yes, things change and there will always be a part of me that is scared, but with Malik, I have no fear.”
Samara is right. About everything. Tariq had forced Sophie to grow and mature for the better. He’d instilled confidence in her that she hadn’t known she lacked and helped her succeed in her university courses.
Why had she even been afraid in the first place?
Turning to gaze at the table of rings and other manly jewelry pieces, Sophie’s mind blooms with an idea. Picking up a ring of silver with the jewel framed with the intricate design, Sophie feels the others move in and surround her to gaze at the beautiful piece.
“I have an idea about how to make this right,” Sophie murmurs.
25
Christmas Eve…
Tariq is hiding. From his friends, from his fami
ly and hell, from the woman he loved. Not that she would miss him particularly at the moment. He and Sophie had yet to make up. He’d slept elsewhere and instead of sitting next to her at breakfast or dinner, Sophie had sat far away from him with the other women and his sister, Alia. Apparently, she too had sided with Sophie. Though Tariq was uncertain if she actually knew the reason for the rift between, he and Sophie.
Now, hiding away in his office, Tariq nearly jumps out of his skin when his sister appears in the doorway, smiling slightly.
“We missed you during charades,” Alia murmurs as she enters with her hands clasped in front of her and her hair on display. Their father had always demanded she wear a hijab and be covered from head to toe. Now, wearing a blouse and dark jeans, his sister looked so free. Though Tariq still receives reports that his sister visited their father, he knows she can never truly cut him off. Her heart is too kind and character too pure.
“I wasn’t feeling up to it, I’m afraid,” Tariq mutters and watches as his sister leans against the edge of his desk.
“Does this have anything to do with Sophie and your many, many proposals?” Alia asks innocently.
Groaning a curse under his breath, Tariq levels his sister with a glare, “Can my friends not keep their mouths shut for anything?”
“It was Richard actually,” Alia admits and motions behind her, “Apparently Sophie is very scared. I can’t say I blame her. After a life of fear and on the run, returning to the real world of studying and living with a man who is actual royalty is a lot for one girl to get used to. She does love you, brother, but if you keep pushing her, I fear you might push her too hard.”
Tariq takes in his sister's words. For one so young, she is so very bright. She certainly didn’t get such a brain from him or their father. It must have been their mother. Their mother would have liked Sophie. Of that Tariq is certain.
“Perhaps you should go see her. I think she’s in the gardens by the large fountain,” Alia murmurs absentmindedly, “Fix things before Christmas tomorrow. No one should be unhappy on Christmas Day.”
