The Sheikh's Surrogate Bride

by Holly Rayner

  She poured coffee into both cups and set them on the counter. “I can imagine,” she said. “Doctor’s appointments and florists, I guess?”

  He chuckled. “I don’t know what you and Nylah want to do with the wedding stuff. Just let me know, and I’ll write you a check.” He grinned. “I trust the both of you. My concerns lay mainly with the media appearances and the doctor’s appointments that we need to make in the next week.”

  She nodded. “That’s fine.”

  He nodded toward her seat. “Don’t let the pancakes get cold,” he said. “It’s no rush, today. We can take it easy this morning.”

  She walked around the bar and sat back down on the stool. As she did, their eyes met. She tried to send him a mental apology. She had feelings for him, but she knew that she couldn’t act on them. It wasn’t appropriate. It wasn’t in the contract.

  He gave her a small smile, then breathed in deep. “You look good,” he said.

  She looked down at his chest and gave him a cock-eyed smirk. “You, too.”

  Chapter 11

  Olivia

  Three Weeks Later

  When Olivia had been in college, she’d thought life moved by fast. Between classes, studying for finals, and working long hours at a diner, she hadn’t had much time for sleep or her personal life. Her world had been filled with tests, study sessions, books, and too much coffee. She’d thought that she would never be that busy again, and couldn’t wait to get on with her life.

  Little did she know what was waiting for her in the future.

  College had nothing on wedding planning, media appearances, and doctor’s appointments. The weeks leading up to the wedding flew by and only slowed down when she was at home with Yasin or talking with her sister on the phone. Being able to reflect on the happenings during the morning and afternoon with both of them were the highlights of each passing day.

  “How was your day today?” Jennifer asked from Olivia’s computer screen. Her face was bright and happy. Olivia had already noticed a change in Jennifer’s health, thanks to the care Yasin was paying for. Her sister hadn’t mentioned any progress reports from her doctors, but her energy level seemed higher each time they talked.

  Olivia sat at the writing desk and returned her sister’s smile. “I spent most of the day with Nylah,” she said. “I really like her. She’s such a sweetheart.”

  “Oh, that’s good!” Jennifer put on a fake pout. “Do you like her more than your actual sister?”

  “Stop,” Olivia said, falling into giggles. “We went to the florist today,” she continued. “The flowers here are so beautiful. We’re going to have a mixture of roses, scabiosa pods, calla lilies, orchids, and protea.”

  “I don’t think you ever told me what colors you were choosing.”

  “The traditional colors for Rebayan weddings,” Olivia replied. “The colors are always the same. It’s what you do with the colors that makes the wedding different.”

  “Interesting,” Jennifer said. “I suppose that helps with planning—just like with school uniforms. You don’t have to worry about what to wear before you go to school.”

  “Yeah, kind of like that,” Olivia said. “I wish it were that easy, though. I guess I never really knew what went into planning a wedding. There’s so much to do! Between the cake and the flowers, wedding paperwork and guest lists, and there’s the venue and the band and—”

  “I’m so glad that you have Nylah there to help you,” Jennifer said. “Also, I’m glad that I don’t have to do any of that,” she added with a laugh.

  Olivia stuck her tongue out at the screen.

  “So,” Jennifer said. “What colors are in the wedding, then?”

  “Orange, yellow, red, purple, and white.”

  “Ooh, it sounds so bright and vibrant!” Jennifer’s eyes lit up.

  “I’ll have to snap some pictures and send them to you,” Olivia said. “You should see the linens we picked out yesterday. They’re just gorgeous!” She sighed. “But I don’t know what to do with them after the wedding. We’re going to have a lot of fabric lying around here.”

  “Well, if you want to,” Jennifer said, “feel free to send me some of it.”

  “I bet you would make some great dresses out of them!” Olivia said, remembering just how crafty her sister was. Between watching videos on the internet and reading all about crafts, Jennifer was not only adept at sewing and creating something out of nothing, she was often sought after by local organizations to make costumes for stage productions.

  “Is your dress going to be a mixture of those colors, also?” asked Jennifer.

  Olivia nodded. “I just wish we had the time for me to ask you to make it for me.”

  Jennifer pinched her lips together. Her brows furrowed. “That would have been great,” she said. “I would have been honored.”

  “Maybe you can make me a few dresses after the wedding? Out of the fabric I send you?” Olivia asked, smiling innocently.

  Jennifer laughed. “A few dresses?” she said. “Geez. This is what happens when you give a mouse a cookie, huh?” She rolled her eyes. “So, how is everything else?”

  “Fine, I think. I mean, Yasin and I are getting along great.” She hadn’t mentioned their passionate night together. She normally told her sister everything, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk about it. Olivia hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. “I guess the only thing that feels odd are the media appearances.”

  “Oh! I forgot to tell you! I saw you on TV the other day!”

  “What?” Olivia’s eyes widened.

  “Yeah! You were with Yasin. The news reporter said that you two are the country’s hottest couple and that you’re planning the wedding of the year! I didn’t know what was more shocking: hearing that your fake engagement was ‘hashtag relationship goals’ or seeing Yasin. You never told me how cute he is!”

  Olivia laughed nervously. “Oh, I didn’t?” she said. She looked away from the screen. Images of him standing in the kitchen, making pancakes without a shirt on, flashed in her head. “He’s okay…I mean…I don’t know.”

  “You guys even kissed on screen! It was so cute. You two actually look like a real couple.”

  Olivia was used to getting compliments from strangers, but to hear it from her own sister felt odd.

  “Oh?” she said. “We did, huh?”

  “Yeah. If it wasn’t a job, I’d say that you two should actually get together. It looked like there was genuine chemistry there.” She eyed her sister through the screen.

  Olivia let out the same nervous laugh. When she did, the smart watch on her wrist began to buzz. She looked down at it and tapped on the screen to turn it off.

  “Ooh,” Jennifer said. “What’s that?”

  Olivia could feel her cheeks flush. “It’s the watch that Yasin gave me. It syncs to our joint calendar so I can get alerts for doctor’s appointments and stuff.”

  “That’s pretty spiffy,” Jennifer said. “I bet it cost a pretty penny, too.”

  “Right? That’s what I said. But he told me that it was more useful than anything else. This thing’s supposed to keep track of my vitals, too. So we can make sure that I’m staying active and healthy for the baby.”

  Jennifer rubbed the back of her neck. “You don’t need an expensive gift like that to make sure that you’re being healthy. Besides, I’ve talked to him before. He trusts you to stay healthy. He just wanted to give you a present.”

  Olivia scoffed. “What? No.” A forced laugh burst out from her. She cleared her throat. “Well, I need to go, anyway. That’s why my alarm just went off.”

  “You can’t have a doctor’s appointment right now,” Jennifer said. “It’s got to be…” she trailed off, looking at her watch, “…nearly eight at night your time.”

  “Yeah, it is. It’s not a doctor’s appointment. It’s just…” Her voice trailed off. She could feel her cheeks get warm. “I told Yasin about our movie nights and suggested that maybe he and I should do one every we
ek, so that we could stay in touch and stuff. You know…we could use that time to make sure that we’re both on the same page and whatnot.”

  Jennifer raised an eyebrow. “What? You talk to each other every night. You see him every day. Your schedules are synced. Why would you—”

  “What?” Olivia said. She mimicked the sound of crackling static. “I can’t hear you.” Her face contorted as she continued to mimic static. She held her hands up to the screen, obscuring their vision as she waved her hands in front of her. “I—Can’t—Hear—Sorry. Talk to you later, okay? Bye!”

  Jennifer laughed as she waved goodbye on the screen. “You’re just a dork!” she said in between giggles.

  They blew kisses to one another before hanging up.

  Olivia closed the app on her desktop and rushed to her vanity to quickly brush her hair and make sure that she didn’t have food in her teeth, or any other blemish, for that matter. Trying to convince herself that she would do this for any boss, she smoothed the fabric on her button-up shirt and skirt. Her head cocked to the side as she eyed her blouse. She unbuttoned the top button and fluffed out the collar, trying to figure out if it showed too much cleavage or not enough. Furrowing her brows, she unbuttoned another button and fluffed her shirt again.

  Her eyes widened. “Too much. Too much,” she said, then buttoned that one again.

  As she walked out into the hallway, she had the sudden realization that perhaps he hadn’t remembered their movie night. They had only talked about it in passing the previous week, and hadn’t mentioned it since.

  When she got to the media room, she stood in front of the closed door for a moment, afraid to open it and find the room empty. She had been looking forward to this all day, but had been too shy (and busy) to mention it to Yasin. She’d even set an alarm on her watch to remind her so she wouldn’t be late. If he had forgotten, it would crush her. Her heart sank.

  But I wouldn’t blame him, she thought. We’ve both been really busy all week.

  Her hand reached for the doorknob and slowly turned it. Pushing the door open, she was overjoyed to see the same layout as last week.

  Yasin looked back at the door and smiled at her. “Hey,” he said. “I thought you were going to be a no-show.”

  I thought you were going to be a no-show, Olivia thought.

  “Sorry. I was talking to my sister. The call ran long.”

  “No biggie,” he said. “How is she?”

  “Good. She’s doing great. She sounds so happy and her face is so bright. Her energy level is up. I’m so happy. The care that the nurse is giving her…I just—” She was overwhelmed by emotion. “Sorry,” she said. “I’ve been so emotional, lately.”

  Yasin patted the seat next to him. She sat down next to him and leaned back against the pillows. He put his arm around her.

  “I heard that you got pretty teary at the florist today,” he said. “Is everything all right?”

  “Oh, that?” She laughed. “It was nothing. I just…The lilies that we picked were my mom’s favorite flowers. It reminded me of her.”

  The look of concern on his face didn’t falter. “Do you want to choose different flowers?” he asked. “If it will just bring sad memories or—I mean, if Nylah is forcing you to make this decision, I can talk to her.”

  “No, no,” she said. She put her hand on his chest to calm him down. “It’s nothing like that. I was the one that chose the flowers. It’s just my way of having my mom at the wedding, too.”

  “Oh, okay then.” His face relaxed.

  She could feel his heartbeat against her palm. Her gaze moved from her palm to his eyes. Olivia could feel the blooding rush to her head.

  “Um,” she said. She looked away and pulled her hand from his chest. “What are we watching?”

  He cleared his throat. “It’s one of my favorites,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind me choosing this time.”

  “Of course I don’t mind,” she said enthusiastically. “What film is it?”

  “It’s an old spaghetti western. My mother used to love westerns,” he said. “She liked them because there was always a clear good guy and a clear bad guy.”

  She grinned. “That does sound nice. You don’t get that with movies anymore.”

  He nodded. “This one was her favorite. It’s about a woman who has to fend off a despicable cattle baron who wants her land. So, when her husband dies, she figures out how to outsmart the bad guy on her own.”

  “How modern of her,” Olivia said, grabbing a handful of popcorn. With her other hand, she tossed him a box of chocolate-covered peanuts. “Here,” she said. “Your favorite.”

  He grinned and tore the box open. “You remembered.”

  Chapter 12

  Olivia

  As it turned out, the wedding planning process was a healing one, too. For once in her life, Olivia was planning for something that was going to be all about her. Fake or not, the vendors and organizers they patronized focused solely on her.

  “I’ll have to check with Yasin,” she said to the venue director.

  Nylah elbowed her. “Oh, honey,” she said. “Yasin doesn’t care. He just wants to make sure that you’re happy.”

  “You keep saying that,” Olivia said. “But I don’t want him to hate any of the decisions we make.”

  Nylah smiled at her. Her eyes were similar to Yasin’s; a deep brown. In the bright mid-day sun, they looked more gold than brown. Olivia thought back to Yasin’s eyes, and how the shade changed from a caramel to coffee color, depending on his mood.

  “You know,” Nylah said. “You’re lucky to have a fiancé who’s happy to sit back and let you plan such an extravagant affair.”

  Olivia nodded. “But I didn’t really want a big extravagant affair, anyway.”

  “He’s a sheikh,” Nylah and the venue organizer said at the same time.

  Olivia jumped back, surprised at their united front. Her shocked face gave way to a smile as she snickered.

  “All right, all right,” she said. “But how much is it going to co—”

  Nylah held her hand up. “I swear, if you ask that question one more time, I’m going to take this binder,” she said, holding up the wedding planner binder in her hand, “and I’m going to stick it in your ear.”

  “I’m sorry,” Olivia said. “It’s just a bad habit. I’m not used to spending someone else’s money.”

  “It’s not someone else’s money,” Nylah said. “It’s yours, too, now. When you get married, you’ll be a united front.”

  Olivia nodded and smiled even as anxious thoughts began to brew in her head. She didn’t know much about Rebayan culture and she wasn’t sure what sort of role a wife would have to play. Not only did she have to pretend to be his wife—she had to pretend to be a Rebayan wife.

  As the day went on, Olivia felt the fatigue kick in. By the time she arrived back at the mansion, she felt as though she had just run a cross-country marathon. As if by instinct, she walked straight into the sitting room and plopped down on the couch. Her arms fell to her sides and the bags she had carried in fell to the floor. A few of the bags fell over, spilling their contents onto the floor.

  “That is a lot of orange fabric,” Yasin said as he walked into the room. He sat down beside her.

  When Olivia looked over at him, she suddenly realized that she hadn’t seen him all day. Seeing his face made her smile and gave her just enough energy to sit up and act somewhat presentable.

  “I didn’t mean to disturb you,” she said, not knowing what he was doing.

  “Oh, it’s fine,” he said. “I just got finished with a conference call when I heard you come in and I thought I’d say hi.” His brows pinched together in worry. “You okay? You look tired.”

  “I’m beat today,” she said. “All this planning and running around must be getting the better of me.” She breathed in deeply and relaxed her shoulders.

  “Here,” he said. “Let me.” He lifted up his hand and twirled his finger around in a cir
cle, indicating that she turn around and face the other direction.

  She did so, without protest. He placed his hands on her shoulders and massaged her aching muscles.

  “How was your day?” she asked.

  “Good,” he said. “Nothing very exciting to relay. How was yours? Is Nylah treating you well?” His fingers were magical as they targeted and pinpointed the knots in her shoulders.

  “She’s great,” Olivia said. “She’s so sweet and she knows just what to say when I do something silly like worry about how much all of this fancy fabric costs and worry about what you’ll think of the venue. Would you like to check out the venue before we book it?” she asked. “I know she told me that you wouldn’t care, but I wanted to give you the option of seeing it first, so I told her that I was still deciding.”

  “Do you have a place in mind?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “And does it make your heart race?”

  She grinned and nodded again.

  He stopped massaging her shoulders and leaned in toward her left ear. With a soft whisper, he replied, “Then that’s good enough for me. Book it.”

  Olivia’s heart skipped a beat as his hands began their magic once again. The whole exchange made a shiver run up her spine.

  “Um,” she started, worried that she might ruin an otherwise perfect moment. “I do have a question to ask.”

  “Oh?” He lifted his hands from her shoulders. “That sounds serious. Is everything okay?”

  She turned around to face him again. “Yes, yes,” she said. “It’s just a…clarification, maybe?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Okay,” he said. “Well, I’ll try to clarify as best I can.”

  “It’s just that—I guess it’s very American of me—when you said that you wanted me to pretend to be your wife, I hadn’t thought about the fact that I needed to be a Rebayan wife.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “Oh?”