by Leslie North
A dam broke inside her, and she stood up to slide into his lap. Pressing her lips to his, she tried to convey everything that she couldn’t say. She didn’t care that she was in public, making out with a very public figure. She was happy that after everything, this wonderful man was in love with her.
“I love you,” she whispered. “And although I have a feeling we’re going to fight a lot, I can’t imagine trying to get over you. I’m yours, Jarik. My heart belongs to you and I wouldn’t change anything about you either.”
“Good,” he whispered in her ear. “Because I had no intention of letting you push me out again.”
Laughing, she nestled in against his chest. What had started out as the worst Christmas ever was now turning into the most magical. Not only had she successfully pulled off Christmas in the Syrian refugee camp, but she’d also finally found someone to spend Christmas together.
14
Jarik felt the tension in Maria when the car pulled up to the royal palace. Maria wasn’t just some fling for him, and he couldn’t wait to introduce her to his family.
He also wanted to check up on his father.
It was nearing midday on Christmas, and he could tell that Maria was nervous. Although she loved him, he knew it would take some time before she would be more comfortable being surrounded by wealth.
“Are you okay?” he asked, as he kissed her on the temple.
She gave him a brave smile. “I think so. As long as you don’t care what your family thinks of me.”
“My family is going to love you. I know I do,” he teased gently.
Taking her hand, he guided her from the car and up the palace steps. When he stepped into the main room, he couldn’t help but freeze.
“Jarik?” Maria asked uncertainly.
For a moment, he couldn’t speak. As he gazed around at the Christmas decorations, old memories rushed to the surface. His mother smiling and laughing while the brothers got all tangled up in Christmas lights. He and his brothers bickering over where the ornaments should go. His father’s fake grumbling about all the Christmas music.
The decorations were the same. How was that even possible? He could have sworn that after her death, his father got rid of all of them. Yet, here they were. The same glittery birds hung from the garland that swept down the stairwell. The same bows were tied to the columns.
The toy train that he’d picked out as a boy decorated the wreath above the door.
“This isn’t possible,” he whispered as he reached up to touch it.
“Jarik?”
“These are our decorations,” he said as he swallowed hard. Emotions that he hadn’t felt in a long time bubbled to the surface. “When we were children.”
A giggle drifted from the main room, and he grabbed Maria’s hand and followed the sound. Stopping at the entryway, he found Samir locked in a passionate embrace with a blonde. Clearing his throat, he waited for the two of them to separate.
“Jarik?” Samir gasped.
It shouldn’t have surprised him that Samir was the one behind this. Samir had cried the loudest the first year that they hadn’t celebrated Christmas. It was hardest for him to hold on to the memories, and it had broken Jarik’s heart that he couldn’t help his brother. And yet, now, it was Samir that was bringing it all back for them.
“You found Mom’s decorations?” Jarik asked tersely.
Samir nodded nervously. “They were at the safe house.”
“And you thought that you’d put them up?”
“Yes.”
“Does father know?” Jarik rubbed his thumb across Maria’s knuckles in an attempt to steady himself.
“Not yet. We got in this morning, and he’s not here.”
“This morning?” Jarik whistled and looked around. “You’ve been busy.”
“The servants were more than happy to help out.”
Jarik could see the tension in Samir. For a moment, Jarik didn’t know what to say. He’d never known his young brother to take charge like this. Finally, he softened. “I’d forgotten how beautiful everything was. You did well, brother. Want to explain the blonde under your arm?”
“Want to explain the brunette under yours?” Samir shot back.
Samir’s woman stepped forward and shook her head. “Why don’t we relax and have a few drinks,” she offered with a chuckle. “I’m sure you two have some catching up to do, and we still need to trim the tree.”
“Oh, I’d love to help!” Maria offered with a big smile. Stepping away from Jarik, she squeezed his hand before joining her. The two women linked arms and wandered away as they chatted about the decorations.
“It’s good to see you, Samir,” Jarik admitted. “It’s been awhile.”
“It has. Maybe it’s time we put an end to that.”
“Maybe it is.”
Samir put out his hand to shake his brother’s, but instead, Jarik enveloped him in a big hug. “Merry Christmas, Samir.”
“Merry Christmas, Jarik.”
“Come on. Let’s finish decorating the tree.”
Together, the two men started sifting through the ornaments. There were some ornaments that the boys had made together when they were younger, and Jarik tried to piece together Samir’s fuzzy memories of the events the best that he could.
He’d long ago given up the idea of Christmas miracles, but here was one right in front of him.
Suddenly, a small blur streaked across the room. Jarik and Samir both gasped and froze as a small child headed straight for the Christmas tree. Before anyone could react, she wiggled under the tree.
“Does anyone know who this monkey belongs to?” Jarik bellowed as he grabbed her ankles. “I think she’s trying to climb the Christmas tree.”
He pulled the girl and flipped her over. Rather than be upset, she smiled and reached up to touch his nose.
There was something oddly familiar about her dark blue eyes. Picking her up, he set her quickly on her feet.
“Arella! You come back here this instant!”
Jarik frowned and turned to the door as the unfamiliar voice boomed down the hall. A second later, a couple came racing into the room, and for the second time that day, Jarik was completely blown over.
It appeared that Kashif was no longer in Alaska. The next crowned sheikh stood in the doorway, and it was clear from his expression that he was just as shocked as his brothers.
What the hell was he doing here? And more importantly, what was he doing with a woman and child?
Epilogue
One year later
“Jarik, where are you? We’re going to be late.” Maria paced back and forth in front of her empty plane staring at her watch. They needed to be wheels up in less than two hours and Jarik was nowhere to be found. “Dammit, Jarik. We should have been loaded by now.”
“He’ll be here,” Tessa told her consolingly.
Turning around to respond, Maria pushed her sunglasses down to look at Tessa. “What on earth are you wearing?”
“It’s an elf hat. Like it? Don’t worry, you have a hat too. Jarik left them before he….” Slapping her hand over her mouth, Tessa backed away.
Stalking toward her, Maria stared down at her friend. “What do you know and why aren’t you telling me? Spill it.”
Tessa opened her mouth to respond and quickly expelled the breath she was holding when they heard a loud horn. Both the women turned to see what was going on. A city bus was headed their way.
“Oh, please tell me, Jarik didn’t commandeer a city bus. What on earth was he thinking; we don’t have time for this.”
Tessa didn’t have a chance to reply before the bus pulled up along the rear of the cargo plane. The front door slid open and Jarik stepped down wearing the most ridiculous Christmas sweater she’d ever seen and a Santa hat.
Walking toward the bus, Maria stared at him. “What on earth are you wearing? Do you have any idea how late you are? Why on earth are you in a city bus? Weren’t there cargo trucks available?” Looking inside
, she spotted the driver, who was wearing an equally outlandish Christmas sweater and an elf hat. Slapping her hand over her mouth, she covered her laugh. “Is that the same driver from the day we met?”
Walking toward her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Take a breath, Maria.”
Looking up at him, she was completely shocked. “Jarik? How? What? What’s going on?”
Kissing her forehead, “I’m wearing a Christmas sweater, obviously. Yes, I know what time it is. I have my reasons for choosing the city bus. Yes, there were cargo trucks available. And yes, that’s the same driver, which I had difficulty tracking down. You should be proud of my detective skills.”
Leaning around Jarik to look at the driver, she whispered, “He doesn’t look happy.”
Looking over his shoulder, Jarik grinned and whispered back. “No. He doesn’t. I have to admit, best money spent so far.”
Maria couldn’t stop the giggle, as she nodded her head. While the two of them still often argued about money, as frivolous as all this was, she did get a certain enjoyment out of the driver’s scowl making him look more like Scrooge than a happy elf.
Looking back at Jarik, she attempted to glare. “You’re late.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her soundly. “And you’re not wearing your hat. Tessa, did you tell her she had one too?”
“I did, but she refused to put it on,” Tessa called out from the plane.
Jarik made a tut-tut noise, “Habibti, how can we possibly play Santa Claus, if we aren’t dressed for the part? Tessa, go get her hat, would you please? I almost bought you a matching sweater, but really, only one of us can look this good,” he told her as he took the hat from Tessa who excused herself to monitor the loading of the boxes.
Taking the hat, Jarik took considerable time placing the hat on her head. “There. Now, you look the part.” Clapping his hands, “Okay, come on, these boxes won’t load themselves.”
As soon as he said that, people began stepping off the bus carrying large boxes. Each one was wearing a Christmas hat and some had on some sort of Christmas-themed top. Maria stared in bemusement at the steady train of Christmas helpers that unloaded boxes in an assembly line as Tessa scanned the barcodes before placing them on the plane.
Maria watched her boyfriend direct the crew, talking and laughing with them as they worked. Boyfriend. It had only been a year since they met on this very tarmac and here they were back again. Except that thanks to Jarik, Christmas Crates was bigger than ever. She had no idea that he had such a strong head for business or that he could so effectively negotiate with donors that she could never come close to meeting thanks to his family connections.
It had taken her a while and she suspected they would always fight about money in some capacity, but she was slowly coming to respect his ability to use money as a tool rather than a weapon. They’d managed to get enough donations this year that they could hire additional pilots and planes to deliver to several refugee camps. In fact, they were discussing taking the charity full-time so they could continue to help those in need in other parts of the world.
Which meant that she could still fly.
She loved flying more than ever; especially when Jarik was her co-pilot. She was having a hard time imagining what life was like before she met him. Even on her worst day, he brought a smile to her face.
As part of the conditions associated with Sebastian’s release from rehab, he could no longer have access to any of the charity’s money. While Maria had wanted to include him back in the charity, he had declined. He had grown quite close to some of the other patients at the clinic in Wyoming and had decided to go back to school to work on his master’s in substance abuse counseling.
Tessa had been heartbroken when she found out that he was dating one of the counselors at the clinic but she had put on a brave face and congratulated him on his success. Only time would tell if he stuck with it this time.
She grinned at her friend who stepped to the ramp to await the next set of boxes. “I keep telling you, those shorts won’t keep you warm in this weather,” Maria called out as Tessa stomped her feet to warm up her legs.
“That may be so, but I look damn good with this hat on.”
Laughing, Maria agreed. She looked up when Jarik called out. “Hey, look who’s not helping. Grab the last package, so we can get going. We’re on a timeline, remember?”
Maria continued to chuckle, as she walked over to the bus to grab the last item. Stepping onto the bus, she smiled at the bus driver, who continued to glower at her. She looked around, but other than the driver, the bus was empty. “Jarik, I thought you said there was more here. I don’t see anything.”
“It’s there,” Jarik called back, seemingly engrossed in what he was doing.
Looking around, Maria still didn’t see anything. She checked the seats as she worked her way toward the back of the bus.
Lying underneath a bench was a wrapped box. “Found it,” she called out as she reached for the package. Tucking it under her arm, she exited the bus and started to walk toward the plane. Turning the package over, she was surprised to see that the tag had her name on it.
“Aren’t you going to open it?” Jarik asked huskily, steps away from her. Looking up in surprise, she nodded her head.
Pulling the ribbon loose, she tucked it under her arm while she unwrapped the present. Inside was a nondescript box. Looking up at Jarik expectantly, she faltered when she saw the look in his eyes. “Open it, habibti.”
Taking the used ribbon and wrapping paper out of her numb hands, he tossed it in the bus while she stared at him. “Jarik, what have you done?” she asked quietly, unsure if he even heard her but then he smiled.
“Open it.”
With shaky fingers, Maria opened the box and reached inside to feel something soft and furry. Pulling it out, she was surprised to see it was a bear, dressed as a pilot. Staring at it, a slow smile spread across her face.
“Is this the same bear?” She couldn’t believe it. She remembered leaving it in Syria but couldn’t recall, which child had received it.
Stepping closer to her, “For some reason, it was never given out last year and ended up back with the Christmas Crates’ supplies, so I thought he deserved better. Do you like the outfit?” he asked her. His voice sounded strange but Maria was too surprised to say anything.
“He’s adorable. Is he…mine?” she sounded like one of the children in the camps when they opened their presents. It wasn’t as if she never had a bear before but for some reason, this one was special.
“Of course, habibti. I think, he has something in his pocket. Would you check for me, please?”
Without questioning, Maria slipped her finger in the pocket of the bear’s leather bomber jacket. Her eyes grew round, when she felt something inside. “Jarik, I…”
“Take it out, please.” His voice was quiet as he spoke.
Pulling the ring out, her hand shook as she looked at it. Comprised of a mix of diamonds and sapphires that almost exactly matched Jarik’s eyes, it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
Warm hands engulfed her shaking ones as Jarik took the ring from her. Lifting her left hand, he held the ring in front of her ring finger.
“Maria Walken. From the moment, I first laid eyes on you; I knew you were someone special. You are smart, beautiful, and you have a heart of gold. Would you please do me the ultimate honor and consent to become my wife?”
Maria stared up at him, her mouth opening and closing but nothing came out. Dropping her head, she looked at the ring again before looking back up at Jarik.
“This is the part where you say, yes,” Tessa shouted from the plane. Jumping out of her thoughts, she nodded her head, as Jarik placed the ring on her finger. “It doesn’t count, unless you actually say, yes,” Tessa called out.
Laughing and crying at the same time, Maria threw her arms around Jarik’s neck and kissed him. “Yes, I say, yes. Oh, Jarik, yes. I love you.”
&n
bsp; Hugging her tightly, he swung her around in a circle, both of them laughing, as he murmured in her ear. Setting her back down, she was surprised to see that she had managed to hold onto the bear. Clutching it tightly to her chest, she smiled up at him.
“I can’t believe it. This is going to be the best Christmas, ever.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her to him. “With you as my wife, every day will feel like Christmas.”
End of The Sheikh’s Christmas Present
Shadid Sheikhs Series
Book Two
Book Three, The Sheikh’s Christmas Baby will be released December 20th 2016. To be notified of the next release, sign up to my mailing list at HERE.
PLUS: Do you love sexy bold Sheikhs? Read an exclusive excerpt from Leslie North’s bestselling novel, The Sheikh’s Diamond (The Sheikhs’ Wedding Bet Series Book 1) below.
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Blurb from
The Sheikh’s Diamond
The Sheikhs’ Wedding Bet Series Book 1
True love is priceless—or is it?
