by Dahlia Rose
“I will give you ten seconds to get up and dress yourself, or I will throw you out naked for all to see,” Layth replied.
She gasped. “You would not dare.” Layth made a step forward, and she scrambled off the bed and began to dress with haste. “Is this because of the foreigner, the English commoner? We’re to be wed. You dare throw her in my face?”
Layth gave a sarcastic laugh. “Wed? You have been in this palace living off our charity for two years now. Who is more of a beggar than you? If we were going to be married, it would have happened years ago. You can live with your delusions. I did not give them to you.”
“My father will hear of this,” she shrieked. “I’ve saved myself for you.”
“Your father will do what exactly? Nothing because he means nothing to me or my father,” Layth snapped. “He tried to use you for personal gain, and you, Niema, whoring your way through this palace, are definitely not pure.” He grabbed her arms and dragged her to the door. Kamir was waiting outside of the closed barrier. When Layth opened it, the man wore a huge smile on his face. “Escort her to the room she resided in, and let her take nothing that she did not come with. Any jewelry in her possession is to be shared among the servant women she has harried for so long. Let them sell it with my approval to help with their family income or keep it. I don’t care.”
He strode away listening to her sputter and beg. Layth walked the corridors looking for his father until he found him in the gardens. He sat next to the king who was basking in the sun with his eyes closed. Close by were his guards, never far away from his father’s side.
“Father,” Layth said as he sat down. “I’m sorry for disturbing your peaceful time.”
“Is everything settled with Josef?” his father asked.
“Yes, he is currently awaiting trial in the deepest, darkest cell. I spoke with my sister, and after some tears, she agreed Josef has been cruel to her. She will be going to Italy for a long vacation and to reconnect with her true self.”
The king made an angry sound. “His hands will be removed for marring my daughter’s skin.”
“I shall make sure it’s known,’ Layth replied and hesitated. “Father, I do not want to king. I think that Ra’ed would be more appropriate. He likes the political ins and outs of being a king. I certainly don’t have the patience for it.”
His father chuckled. “I know on both points, and steps have been taken in this matter.”
Layth stared at his father shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me? How did you know?”
His father sat up. “Layth, you are more comfortable in a uniform than you are in king’s robes. You twitch at any social function with a look of panic and a need to escape written on your face. Money is more of a hassle to you, and in your account you only spend the money you earn, not what is yours by heritage. If you were king, you would be insane in a month.” His father reached out and slapped his cheek fondly. “You need to hold on to that little English girl you obviously love and make a family. I think I would like grandchildren to play in the garden with at some point in my life.”
“Niema has chased Ciji away. I need to go to her,” Layth said.
“That girl is insufferable. Send her back home to her father,” his father said.
“I’ve already done that,” Layth replied.
“Then why are you sitting here? Go find your English girl and make me grandchildren.” His father shooed him away. “You have my blessing even though it wouldn’t have mattered if I gave it or not.”
Layth grinned and got up to leave. “You blessing makes it all the better.”
Before he could leave, Kamir brought him more news that did not bode well for his plans. He was needed for a mission and was to meet up with American and English operatives to be debriefed. Instead of being on a plane heading toward Ciji, he was instead going into the opposite direction to a country he could not speak of, for a mission that would never be known. It might be weeks before he could go to Ciji. He wondered if she would even want him by the time that happened.
* * * *
Six weeks later, Ciji lay in her bedroom and sighed hoping her stomach would give her some respite. She’d been throwing up, and what she thought was the flu, turned out to be so much more. She was pregnant. Her stomach heaved, and she rushed to the bathroom over the toilet. She threw up the ginger tea, ginger snaps, and everything ginger related she’d tried to stop her morning sickness. Boy, am I ever pregnant, she thought and moaned before leaning against the cool porcelain of the sink. It was Layth’s baby, and she didn’t know if that made it better or worse because she’d be raising the baby alone. She thought in the weeks that passed Layth would come to her, explain it all. But Niema was right. She was just a toy to be played with, a passing fancy.
She recalled the day she saw the test blinking the one word, drilling it into her brain. Pregnant… Then she balled her eyes out in the UN bathroom. There were options she knew but none that she would ever take. She recalled the lack of love in her home, and she would make sure her baby had everything she didn’t. Her baby, no one else but hers, and it broke her heart. Her child would never know its father, but that didn’t make any difference.
A sense of protectiveness washed over her. This baby would be loved. She marched up to her boss’s office and let him know that she could no longer travel on assignments and requested to be placed in the office. He tried to convince her otherwise, and she calmly told him that she was pregnant, and his mouth dropped. He signed the papers for her desk job without another word.
The word spread in her office like wildfire, and women that she counted just as acquaintances were clamoring around her new desk in her new office promising a baby shower to end all baby showers. That had her balling again, and they all laughed saying it was hormones, and it happens. It was more than that. She wanted to see the joy in the eyes of the man who made this miracle. But that would never be.
She let the memory fade and got up off the floor of her bathroom. The night was becoming colder in her little town. By the end of the year, her tummy would be rounder with the new life inside her. That thought made her smile as she took off her nightgown and got into the shower. She had a few weeks off from work, and she planned to spend it sleeping. From what she read, the first trimester was the hardest part. She was stocked with ginger tea and all the crackers she could handle. There was no mother or family to help her through this part, so she used books to help her along.
She felt infinitely better when she came out of the bathroom. She pulled on a fresh pair of pajamas even though it was eleven in the morning and went into her kitchen for a bowl of soup. She had a rotating system of nutrition. Tea and crackers, then soup and ice cream sandwich if everything stayed down as a treat. So far it was working well until she had the intense urge for a salad with creamy Italian dressing. Then it usually went to hell.
She was actually happy with the results if she kept food down enough that her body took nourishment. Her doorbell rang. Probably a package from the UN, she thought aimlessly. She told them she would look over some numbers on her vacation when she could. Ciji planned to take the package and put it down on the counter until her mind dulled from boredom. She opened the door, nibbling a cracker and almost chocked on what she was eating. Layth stood in her doorway big, bold, and oh so handsome. His hair hung loose, and he was dressed in a pair of casual slacks and a polo shirt. A dark leather jacket completed the look, and it was a sexy one.
“What are you doing here?” she asked softly.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you run away and not come after you?” His voice was deep and sexy. “You should’ve trusted me, Ciji, waited for me to come back to the palace.”
“Why? For you to fill my head with sweet words again?” she shot back. “Niema said enough about your engagement, and I don’t plan to be a kept concubine.”
He lifted her up easily, and she squeaked as he stepped inside and kicked the door closed.
“First things first. My
taste. I missed you,” he said.
Before she could respond, he took her lips in a kiss that made heat flow from her head to her toes. Everything he ever made her feel flowed back to her mind, and she was lost for the longest moment in pleasure. He lifted his head and stared at her before setting her on her feet.
He cupped her cheeks and looked at her critically. “You look tired. Have you not been well?”
He stomach picked that time to revolt. Maybe it was the shock of seeing him there combined with the morning sickness. She rushed away and dashed to the bathroom, barely making it before what she ate came right back up. Ciji sighed and brushed her teeth and washed her face before leaving the room. She couldn’t hide in there. Knowing Layth, he would come in and get her. Expecting him to be still in her living room she was surprised to see him sitting on her bed.
“Are you ill?” he asked quietly.
“No.”
“Are you pregnant?” Layth questioned.
“Yes.” Ciji couldn’t help it. She began to cry, big broken sobs that made her ashamed. She’d been doing well, and one look at him and she was a mess again.
Layth stood and pulled her to him. He sat with her on his lap on the bed. She wanted to fight him and be angry, but right now his arms felt so good she wanted to stay just for a little while.
“You don’t have to worry about anything,” she said between sniffles. “The papers won’t ever know this is your baby. You can go on with your marriage and subsequent life with Niema.”
He laughed. “Subsequent? Am I entering a contract?”
“You might as well be. She’s a shark on legs,” Ciji replied.
“Which is why I am not marrying her, nor was I ever going to,” Layth said. “She hurt you with words, and none of them were true. There were no others. I admit I am a man, but those dalliances were a long time ago. There has been no one else but you for a long time, because of work and because I was looking for something more. When I found you, it was right. My heart knew it, and I let fate play the hand. If you’d stayed you would have heard it from my mouth weeks ago.”
“Then why did it take so long for you to come to me?” she demanded to know.
Layth cupped her face and kissed her nose. “Because as I was on my way to you, my darling, I was called away on an intelligence mission. We were able to infiltrate a major terrorist cell and bring it down to the foundation. As soon as I was debriefed, I was on a military aircraft here to you.”
“Oh.”
He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. “Is that all you have to say?”
“Well what can I say? This changes nothing,” Ciji stated flatly. “We can’t be married. You are in succession for the throne, and you cannot marry outside your country if you are taking the crown. I know your laws.”
He nodded. “That you do, Ciji, but since I am no longer first in line for the throne I can marry whom I choose. As a matter of fact I would have married you regardless of that fact. I would change the laws for you. I would walk through fire for you. My father knew it wasn’t in my heart to be king. I came to him to tell him my plan on marrying you, and he gave me his blessing. Now he will be thrilled because he will be a grandfather sooner than he expected.”
“I didn’t want you to give up anything for me,” she said softly. But still her heart beat with excitement in her chest.
“It wasn’t just for you. It was for us,” he said gently. “I see my life with you as one that will be precious.” He put his big hand over her still flat stomach. “This life that is growing inside you was created by us with love, and it is a blessing. Just as you are to me. I love you, Miss Fay, and I always will.”
“I love you so much, Layth,” she whispered and felt tears threaten. “I’m sorry I’m so weepy. It’s the hormones.”
He kissed her gently. “Are you ready to come home with me and let me dote on you while you nurture our child? I have a penthouse in London and a home for summer at the beach in Dover. If I am away on a mission, you and our baby will always be safe.”
“As long as you always come home to me, I don’t care where we live,” Ciji replied with a smile.
“I always will.” Layth kissed her gently. He laid her back on the bed and kissed her stomach, whispering to the life embedded there.
He pulled her close, and a sigh of contentment left his lips. “I love you, my darling. I had every intention of making you fall in love with me when I saw you.”
This time it was Ciji who laughed. “So you were helping kismet along?”
“Sometimes fate needs a little nudge in the right direction.”
Their lips met for a sweet kiss that soon bloomed into passion. How could she complain? Her desert prince made sure they would have a love that lasted a lifetime by giving destiny a push and settled him forever in her heart.
The End
