A pang of longing tugged at my heart. “I wish we could all be inseparable.”
Neil stood behind my chair, stooping down to fit himself into the conversation. “In two weeks, we will be. For a short time, anyway.”
“Ah, yes. That’s why I’m calling.” El-Mudad’s face fell, and my heart went with it.
“No,” Neil said softly. “What’s happened?”
“I need to return to Bahrain. Some family business has become complicated. I do wish to see you, but unfortunately, it seems that will be put off until Christmas.”
“I do hope it’s nothing serious?” Neil asked.
El-Mudad shook his head. “No, no. Not serious. Inconvenient.”
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. I couldn’t follow my own orders. Tears sprang to my eyes.
“Oh, my love. Don’t. Please, I can’t stand to make you unhappy,” El-Mudad said sorrowfully. “We will be together soon. I promise.”
“Not soon enough.” From the tone of Neil’s voice, I knew he was already planning an emergency trip to meet El-Mudad somewhere. “When will you be back in France?”
“That, I can’t say. Not yet.” The car door opened, and he looked up. “Ah, I must go. We can speak more about this later.”
“Of course.” Neil tried his best to sound upbeat. “We’re just sitting down to dinner, anyway.”
El-Mudad nodded and ended the call, and Neil went to his seat in silence. Olivia seemed to have picked up on the mood; she looked between us with her big eyes full of concern.
The kitchen door burst open, startling all three of us. In strode El-Mudad.
That bastard!
He grinned hugely and held out his arms. “Is there a plate for me?”
I jumped up from my seat and ran to him, and Neil scooped Olivia from her high chair to join us in a tight four-person hug.
Olivia squealed, reaching for him. Despite having only met him on a few occasions—most of them via Skype—she already loved him.
“That wasn’t very nice of you,” Neil scolded El-Mudad, handing Olivia over.
El-Mudad shifted her onto his hip. “No, it wasn’t. But isn’t it nice that I’m here?”
“And early! Does that mean you’re leaving sooner than before?” I hoped not. If we could get extra time with him, we would take it.
“Not unless you get tired of me and send me away.” He kissed my cheek. We were still not quite sure how we would handle displays of affection in front of Olivia, but a little peck was allowed. “Bijou took the girls for a six-week retreat in India. So, I’m yours for a month.”
Neil’s eyebrows rose. “Well, we did say we wanted to try out living together as a family.”
“That we did.” El-Mudad kissed Olivia’s forehead. “One day, perhaps my girls will be with us, as well.”
“So, three kids,” I said, my jaw suddenly going numb. That was a sign of a stroke, wasn’t it? Three kids. When I hadn’t wanted any.
“I think Sophie might have a panic attack,” Neil quipped. He was immediately apologetic. “I shouldn’t joke about that.”
“You shouldn’t,” I agreed. “What you should do is get El-Mudad something to eat. And then we can all sit down to a lovely dinner together.”
El-Mudad’s gaze caught and held mine. “As a family.”
My heart squeezed in my chest. Despite all the challenges our unconventional little group would face, love would ultimately make them worthwhile.
“As a family,” I echoed.
And it fit me, far better than any life I’d lived so far.
Sophie, Neil, and El-Mudad will return in
THE BOYFRIEND
2018
ALSO BY ABIGAIL BARNETTE
Bad Boy, Good Man
Surrender
THE SOPHIE SCAIFE SERIES
The Stranger
The Boss
The Girlfriend
The Bride
The Ex
The Baby
THE BY-THE-NUMBERS SERIES
First Time (Penny’s Story)
First Time (Ian's Story)
Second Chance (Penny's Story)
Second Chance (Ian’s Story)
THE CANIS CLAN SERIES:
Bride Of The Wolf
Wolf’s Honor
Writing as Jenny Trout
Choosing You
Say Goodbye To Hollywood
Abigail Barnette is the pseudonym of Jenny Trout, an author, blogger, and funny person. Jenny made the USA Today bestseller list with her debut novel, Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online. As Abigail Barnette, Jenny writes award-winning erotic romance, including the internationally bestselling The Boss series.
As a blogger, Jenny’s work has appeared on The Huffington Post, and has been featured on television and radio, including HuffPost Live, Good Morning America, The Steve Harvey Show, and National Public Radio’s Here & Now. Her work has earned mentions in The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly.
She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to kill her.
To keep up on all of Abigail’s latest releases, subscribe to her low-volume newsletter.
The Sister (The Boss Book 6) Page 31
