by Holly Rayner
“Ali has had his fair share of girlfriends,” the older sheikh began.
Alyssa’s stomach churned. Was this a last-ditch attempt to scare her off, to remind her that she was one in a long line of lovers, the next to be discarded and forgotten?
“But never has he cared for us to meet her,” Fakhir went on. “And never, ever, has he wanted us to like her. What I am saying, Alyssa…” He looked right at her, then, and Alyssa’s spine straightened. It was one of the few times he had ever addressed her directly.
“…Is that you must be different,” Noura finished.
Fakhir nodded. “Yes. While it is disappointing that Ali sought to deceive us, it is clear that things have changed between you since that day, and I cannot deny that when he tells us he loves you…” His gaze swept over the younger couple. “Well, I believe it.”
Emotion filled Alyssa, and she bit her bottom lip between her teeth to stop it trembling. There was nothing she could do about the tears, though. Those swam in her eyes, a sure sign of the effects of Fakhir’s short speech.
“We do love each other,” Ali said. “I was foolish, though, and I almost let her go. To pretend to have a fiancée, to deceive my parents…” Ali’s shoulders stiffened. “It seemed to be a good plan to start with, but all that happened was I ended up hurting the three people who matter to me the most, and for that, I am truly sorry.”
Noura dabbed at the corners of her eyes, and Fakhir stood, his hand extended. At the sight of Ali and his father shaking hands, the floodgates broke and Alyssa had to frantically blink back tears.
“There is still the matter of what our people will think,” Fakhir said, “but we will work toward a resolution. We will release a statement once we have conferred with our advisors.”
Statement? Advisors?
Again, Alyssa just kept her mouth shut and nodded along. This was a strange new world, but if Ali came along with it, she was more than willing to hang on and enjoy the ride.
Noura stood. “You will stay the week. Yes?”
Alyssa stood as well and looked to Ali. “Thank you,” she said. “That is very kind."
Ali shook his head. “Alyssa’s too polite to say it, but she has to be at work on Monday.”
“Then you will stay till then,” Noura said.
Alyssa laughed, and Ali squeezed her hip.
“That would be wonderful,” she said.
Chapter 22
Alyssa
Three Months Later
“Wow,” Alyssa breathed.
She knew the Eiffel Tower always sparkled, but standing at the top floor of a Paris skyscraper, it really sparkled.
“Enjoying the view?” Ali asked, sidling up to her.
Alyssa smiled. “Sorry. I didn't mean to be antisocial. I'll get back to schmoozing in just a moment. I just wanted a sec to take it all in.”
“You must be joking,” Ali said. “You’ve been wonderful all night long. Everyone keeps asking me who the enigmatic woman I arrived here with is.”
Alyssa threw her head back in laughter. “Enigmatic?” she asked. “Now there's a new one.”
Ali took a sip of his drink. “You think they’re wrong?”
“I think…if they find me enigmatic, it is likely due to your influence.”
“My influence?”
Alyssa shrugged like it was no big deal, and the corner of Ali’s lips quirked into a grin. She was flirting with him, and he knew it.
“Everyone says I've been different the last few months,” Alyssa said. “Do you really think that's a coincidence?”
“Hmm…” Ali ran his fingers down his short beard. He'd been growing it out over the last month, and though it was a new look, it was also one Alyssa thoroughly enjoyed on him.
“No answer?” Alyssa asked.
“How’s this for an answer?” Ali asked, wrapping his arm around Alyssa and pulling her to him.
His lips grazed hers, and Alyssa shivered in pleasure at the kiss. In three months of dating, they had kissed more times than she could even attempt to count, and yet it never got old.
Taking Ali’s hand, Alyssa turned back to the crowd. The event was much like the fundraiser he had taken her to during their second meeting in New York, but what was different now was Alyssa’s comfort level.
Over the weekend that the two of them had spent in Baqar with Ali’s parents, it became clear that what his parents really wanted, other than Ali’s happiness, was for their son to take a more active role in his duties. Seeking a way of life that would bring him more feelings of accomplishment, Ali had stepped up to the plate by getting involved in several charities.
Now, instead of going to events merely to make an appearance, he spoke at them, helped organize them, and helped raise money. Just last week, he’d helped raise thousands of dollars for an organization that helped homeless young people get off the street and back into education and work.
Alyssa gushed all the time about how proud she was of him, but the word “pride” didn’t even begin to cover it. She’d fallen for Ali months ago, and since then, her admiration and love for him had only continued to grow.
Also, a great bonus was that when work at the non-profit allowed it, Alyssa got to travel with Ali. So far, in a span of about ninety days, she’d visited Baqar, London, Dubai, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, and, now, Paris. For a girl who used to dream of one day getting to Florida for a week, the new life was almost unbelievable.
Not that Alyssa needed all the trips. For her, Ali was the prize. Add a job she loved, a best friend she could always count on, and an improving relationship with her mother, and Alyssa really was the luckiest woman in the whole world.
They made the rounds, finishing up chatting at the most recent fundraiser, and then Ali led Alyssa downstairs and into a waiting stretch limo. Suppressing a yawn, Alyssa did her best to shake off her sleepiness.
“Tired?” Ali asked, settling next to her in the seat and looping his arm around her shoulders.
“Just a little.” Alyssa smiled. “Do you ever get used to all this traveling?”
“You adapt.” Ali ran his thumb along her chin. “I’m glad you could come with me this time.”
Alyssa laughed. “I’d be crazy to turn down Paris. Which reminds me, I need to make sure to take more pictures tomorrow, or Lucy will kill me.”
“Pictures of?”
Alyssa shrugged. “The cafe across from the hotel. That cathedral you mentioned. Breakfast.” Alyssa smiled. “I think anything and everything.”
“Let’s bring her on the next trip.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.” Ali tilted his head. “Unless you don’t want that?”
“Oh my God, no. I do. She’ll love it.”
“Good. It’s settled, then.”
Alyssa sighed in pleasure and snuggled back into the crook of Ali’s arm. She was cozy, happy, and safe. Everything was right in the world.
As the limo turned through the streets of the eighth arrondissement, Alyssa’s eyelids became heavier and heavier. With a jerk, she sat up straight and looked around herself.
They were still in the limo, but that wasn’t right. The hotel they were staying in for the weekend was no more than a few minutes’ drive from the venue where the fundraiser took place. They should have been back there by now.
“Ali? Where are we?”
“Hmm?”
Alyssa blinked away sleep. “How long was I out for?”
“A few minutes.”
“We should be at the hotel,” she murmured, her tongue just as heavy as her eyelids.
“We’re not going to the hotel,” Ali answered.
“What?” Alyssa asked.
But the limo itself was answering by sliding to a stop. Before the driver could make it to the back, Ali opened the door and guided Alyssa onto the sidewalk.
Alyssa studied the street around her. “Where are we?” she asked.
“You don’t recognize it?”
“Um… Should I?”
“Look.” Ali pointed, and Alyssa turned to look. The sleepy haze she'd been caught in had prevented her from seeing where they were. Now, at the sight of the lawn stretched out behind them, she gasped.
“The Eiffel Tower,” Alyssa murmured. “But I thought we were going to visit it tomorrow?”
“Would you rather wait till tomorrow?” Ali asked.
Alyssa bit into her smile. “I mean, it's pretty different in the night than it is during the day…”
“Ah.” Ali took her hand. “What you mean is that you wish to visit it twice this weekend.”
Alyssa giggled. “Honestly? I always wondered if I would get the chance to visit it at all.”
Walking arm in arm, they meandered down the greenway, then began their ascent up the tower. By the time they reached the top, Alyssa’s heart was beating so loud she thought all the other tourists around them had to be hearing it.
Wrapping his arms around her from the back, Ali set his chin on the top of Alyssa’s head and they gazed out at the view of Paris. Around them, other sightseers chatted happily.
Taking in a deep breath, Alyssa sank deeper against Ali’s chest.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
Alyssa looked for an answer. “Nothing,” she came up with. “I’m just really happy.”
“Mm.” Ali kissed the top of her head, and Alyssa drifted into an even more blissed-out state.
They stayed up there for a long time, standing, holding each other, and looking at the lights as people came and went around them.
Eventually, the temperature began to drop, and they returned to the waiting limo. Before stepping inside, Alyssa turned back around for one last look. The tower dazzled, and she pulled her phone from her pocket to snap a photo for Lucy.
“Thank you,” Alyssa told Ali. “For all of this.”
“No thank-yous are necessary.” One of Ali’s hands found the back of her neck while the other settled on her hip. “We are one, you and me. A team.”
Alyssa’s heart swelled with love. How had she gotten this lucky?
“A team, huh?” she asked with a grin. “I like the sound of that.”
The street lights showed Ali’s serious expression. “I mean it. You do so much for me, Alyssa, simply by being you.”
She nodded in understanding. “I feel the same way. When we’re together, I feel like I can just…be me. I don’t have to filter myself at all.”
“Exactly.”
She waited for Ali to move for the limo, its engine on and the driver in the front, but Ali didn’t take a step. He stood where he was, hands on Alyssa, watching her…
In a millisecond, her temperature seemed to double. What was going on here?
“I never want to let you go, Alyssa,” Ali said softly. “Do you know that?”
Alyssa nodded, her mouth dry. “Yes.”
“And how do you…what do you think about that?” Ali cleared his throat. He looked nervous.
Alyssa grinned. “I love it.”
Was he about to…No.
But wait. Maybe?
Ali removed his hand from her neck, and Alyssa sucked in a breath. Instead of reaching for his pocket, though, he opened the door to the limo.
Hiding her face, Alyssa scooted into the vehicle. That was silly.
For a moment there, she’d thought he was about to propose. They loved each other, and hadn’t he just suggested he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her?
Then again, they’d only been dating for three months. Most people didn’t propose that soon. And she and Ali had never talked about marriage.
She’d thought about it, though. It hadn’t taken much soul searching for Alyssa to realize she wanted to be with Ali until the day she died. She was almost twenty-eight, and while she didn’t feel old at all, she felt confident that she’d met enough guys to know there was only one for her.
But what about Ali? Some guys liked a commitment without the ring.
Alyssa looked at her lap. Call her traditional, but a marriage certificate and a set of rings really put the stamp on a union.
“Are you all right?” Ali asked.
Alyssa looked up and made herself smile. “Yeah. Tired, is all. Thank you again for bringing me here.”
Alyssa snuggled up close to Ali, and he kissed the top of her head. She was living in a dream, she knew, and in that moment, something had dawned on her: she never wanted it to end.
Chapter 23
Alyssa
“Here’s to Taco Tuesday!” Lucy sang out. She lifted her margarita glass, and Alyssa did the same. Clinking the glasses together, they took their first sips.
“You know,” Alyssa said, “out of all the routines we’ve started since I moved in, this has to be the best.”
“Better than Fajita Friday?” Lucy asked, scooping up some guacamole with a tortilla chip.
“Better even than Burrito Brunch,” Alyssa answered.
Lucy nodded while she chewed. “Do you think we have a problem?”
“Like, are we addicted to Mexican food?” Alyssa dropped heavy spoonfuls of pico de gallo on both her tacos. “Nah.”
“That's right. It's not a real addiction if there's no support group for it.”
Alyssa chuckled and licked some of the salt off her margarita glass. The pop folk music Lucy loved so much played from the living room speakers, and Ralph stretched out on the kitchen linoleum floor. Ali would be back in town the next day from a visit to Baqar, and work was going great. From the narrow breakfast table that Alyssa took her first taco bite at, the world looked pretty darn good.
Even her moment of wondering about a proposal at the Eiffel Tower two weeks earlier hadn’t gotten her down. Sure, she and Ali had never talked about marriage, but that didn't mean it wouldn't happen one day.
“More salsa,” Lucy said through a mouthful of food. “Puh-weeze."
Alyssa pushed the salsa across the table as her phone began ringing.
“It’s Ali,” she announced.
“Isn't he fri-wing?” Lucy asked through another taco bite.
“What?”
“Flying.”
“I don't know.” Laughing, Alyssa swiped the answer button. “Hi, babe.”
“Hello, my love.” The smooth timbre of Ali’s voice traveled through the air, up to a satellite, and all the way back down to Earth, where it sent joyful shivers through Alyssa.
“Hi,” Alyssa breathed.
“And hi to you,” Ali purred back.
Across the table, Lucy rolled her eyes. “Oh, hey, Ralph,” she said to the cat in a sarcastic, sexy voice. “How you doin’?”
Alyssa stuck her tongue out at her.
“What are you doing?” Ali asked.
“Having dinner with Lucy.”
“Ah. Then I will let you go. Would you like to come meet me on my rooftop when you’re finished?”
“Hold on.” Alyssa shook her head. “You're not back until tomorrow.”
“I’m back now, actually. I had something urgent here to attend to.”
“What?” Alyssa asked.
Lucy crunched her taco, watching Alyssa with rapt attention.
“I’ll explain when you get here.”
“Okay,” Alyssa said slowly. Saying goodbye, she hung up. “He's home, and he wants me to meet him on his rooftop."
“I heard. You had the volume up high. What's on his roof?”
“Nothing. Except…”
“Except that one time there was a helicopter on it,” Lucy said with an eager nod. “He's surprising you with a trip somewhere.”
“No. He can't. I have work. That's the whole reason I didn't go on this Baqar trip.”
Itching to know just what was going on, Alyssa hurried through dinner and skipped the hour-long subway ride to Ali’s, opting to splurge on a cab instead.
Nodding to the doorman, Alyssa took Ali’s elevator up to the top of the building. With each floor she passed, a new question swirled through her head.
Did Ali h
ave a surprise waiting on the roof? Had he planned them a dinner up there before finding out Alyssa was already eating?
Arriving on the roof, Alyssa stopped in her tracks. The helicopter was back.
And Ali was there as well, standing by the entrance to the roof and watching Alyssa’s face.
“Ali…what's going on?”
Ali waggled his eyebrows. “I'm finally taking you on that Costa Rica trip.”
“I…but…my…” Alyssa continued to sputter.
“Don’t worry,” Ali said. “You have the rest of the week off work. I hope you’ll forgive me, but I arranged it with your boss.”
Alyssa’s brow lowered. “She didn't mention anything about this. I'm just getting started on this week’s work. I have all these—”
“If she’d mentioned it to you, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Ali gently said.
Alyssa’s jaw dropped, and then she laughed. “Okay. Wow. You really like surprising me, huh?”
Ali grinned. “I didn’t follow through with that last trip to Costa Rica, so it only seemed appropriate for me to finish what I began. I asked about you taking off from work a month ago, and this was the week your boss could make it happen.”
Alyssa shook her head. “I have to call Lucy.”
“She knows.”
Alyssa's brow jumped up. “So, she was pretending when you called!”
“I suppose so, yes.”
“Remind me to tell her what a good actress she is. Okay, but hey. I need my passport.”
“I picked it up from Lucy when she was in between classes yesterday.”
“Wow, you really did think of everything.”
Ali extended his hand. “Alyssa? Will you go to Costa Rica with me?”
“Let me guess. Our bags are packed? Everything I need is already there?”
“That would be a yes.”
Alyssa took Ali’s hand. “Then how can I say no?”
The next morning, Alyssa lay stretched out on a bamboo mat, the hot sand warming her from the ground up and the sun warming her from the top down. Rolling over onto her stomach, she looked at Ali sitting in the lounge chair next to her. His dark hair was wavier than usual thanks to a dip in the water, and the muscles in his arms flexed as he stretched for the sky.
