Amahd had sweetly begged to formally adopt Maddy. It had taken her months to agree—heck, she’d made him wait six months just for the wedding—and now she had a feeling this was part of the reason. He wanted her to be a real princess just like the ones in her favorite fairy tales.
Mac squeezed Maddy’s hand, and her daughter shone her big gap-toothed grin.
“Could you please ascend the ancient rosebud throne, Princess Madison?” He stood there, so serious in his ornamental robe and sword. She suspected the rosebud throne had been invented and carved just for Maddy.
Solemn and gruff on the outside, Amahd was so tender and thoughtful on the inside. The little things he did for her and Maddy surprised her every day.
Maddy climbed down from her chair and walked slowly toward the little gold-painted throne, her long pink chiffon train trailing behind her. Amahd helped her up into the chair, where she sat and beamed at everyone.
A troupe of four highly decorated guardsmen moved in with a sparkly tiara on a pillow and Amahd lifted it from its satin cushion and placed it on her curly ginger hair. Mac wanted to laugh. The whole ceremony was so over-the-top, and so perfectly imagined for a five-year-old princess to enjoy and remember forever.
“Your Majesty Princess Madison Ann Malone Al Kilanjar, may you forever treat your subjects with kindness and grace, and enjoy their friendship and respect.” Amahd bowed low, as did the four guards. “Please stand and wave to your subjects.”
Maddy jumped off the throne, blue eyes sparkling, and waved like mad at everyone gathered in the palace garden.
“Do you have any words for the people gathered here today, Princess Madison?” Maddy looked confused for a moment and Mac’s heart leaped in sympathy. Maybe all this pomp and ceremony was too much for such a little girl.
Then Amahd leaned in and whispered in her ear. Maddy’s grin reappeared and she called, “Let’s eat cake!” at the top of her lungs.
The crowd burst into laughter and clapping, and Mac felt a happy tear trickle out of her right eye and down her cheek. She wiped it away before anyone could see. She hoped Amahd wasn’t creating a mini Marie Antoinette by spoiling Maddy so much, but he enjoyed it so immensely it was sometimes hard to stop him. He led Maddy to the cake and helped her cut slices for everyone.
They all rose and gathered around the sumptuous buffet for cake and other delicacies.
Ronnie wandered over to her, her sweet sleeping baby in her arms. “I’ve never seen such a happy little princess. You can tell she adores Amahd.”
“Who wouldn’t?” said Mac with a laugh. “I certainly tried hard enough not to.”
“I know. He told me you were planning to quit before he asked you to marry him.”
“It’s true. I didn’t want to be a mere fling while he waited for the perfect Mrs. Right to come along. If he hadn’t been nearly killed who knows how long it would have taken him to come to his senses and realize that he was meant to marry me.”
“You can tell he was crazy about you from the get-go, even if he couldn’t admit it to himself. Why else would he tip half of Texas upside down to find your horse almost overnight?” Ronnie laughed. “These Al Kilanjar men are something else. How are things going over at your house? I know Amahd’s taste is pretty masculine.”
“Luckily, I love dark leather and wood.” She grinned. “We’re adding some traditional Texas touches to make it more homey, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing. The only real alteration we had to make was cutting a smaller stable door so the little pony he bought for Maddy can see out.”
“Aw. That’s adorable. I would have come to visit, but I didn’t realize how much time and energy a new baby takes.” She smiled down at her tiny daughter, then whispered conspiratorially. “Sometimes it’s hard to make time to go to the bathroom.”
“You’re so lucky to spend all day with her.” Mac sighed. “I was back on the job when Maddy was two weeks old. I had no choice. It was either that or we didn’t eat.” She reached for an apricot cookie from an offered platter, then frowned. “I don’t know what’s going on with my appetite. I usually love these things.”
Ronnie lifted a slim brow.
Mac froze. She and Amahd hadn’t really started trying yet. But they hadn’t been trying too hard not to, either.
“Hey, Sam.” Ronnie tapped Sam’s arm. “Mac is feeling strangely unwell.”
“Oh, no.” Sam’s smooth brow wrinkled. “Is it too much sun? Let’s go sit down.”
“I’m fine!” protested Mac. “Ronnie’s just teasing me that I might be pregnant.”
“Ah, that’s different then.” Sam smiled down at the plump baby boy on her hip. “And not exactly surprising. I would strongly advise anyone who doesn’t want a baby to avoid drinking the water here at all costs.”
“What’s wrong with the water, my love?” Osman had moved up behind Sam and circled her and the baby with his strong arms.
“It makes everyone pregnant.” Aliyah’s spoke up. She hugged her husband and pointed to her enormous belly. She was due any day. “I swear this happened when Gibran and I were staying at the palace for the contest. You should bottle the water here and sell it to anxious couples.”
“Hmm, I like a fresh business idea,” said Zadir, easing into their tight circle next to Ronnie. “It might encourage tourism.”
“Pregnancy tourism?” Sam lifted a brow. “I suppose crazier things exist.”
“Mama!” Maddy’s voice could be heard over even a royal party. She raced up and threw her arms around Mac’s denim-clad legs. “I love being a princess, but when I grow up I’m going to be an engineer like you.”
Mac’s heart swelled with pride. “I’m not an engineer yet, honey. I have at least three years of school to go.”
“You’ll be one by the time I’m…” she looked thoughtful. “Eight.” She frowned. “That is a long time.”
“Not that long,” said Amahd, sliding his arms around her waist. His deep voice made her smile.
“Exactly. I have a lot of new things to learn. Besides, I have an important job to do at the same time.” She’d insisted on continuing to work. Amahd, a workaholic himself, had understood completely and given her the management position he’d mentioned right before kissing her good sense into oblivion all those months ago.
Ronnie smiled at her. “A demanding job, a degree, a royal husband, and now…” She glanced at Mac’s stomach.
Mac wasn’t sure whether to feel overwhelmed or overjoyed. Why not both? “Well, heck. Who says you can’t have it all?”
THE END
Thank you for spending time in Ubar with the Desert Kings. From the first moment I imagined these characters and began to dream up their stories, I've loved escaping to their world and I hope you enjoyed it, too. Although the series is now officially complete, I plan to revisit Ubar in short stories that will give readers peeks into their family lives. Please join my mailing list at www.jenlewis.com if you would like to receive these stories for free!
Also, look out for my upcoming series, Hearts of the West, about four powerful brothers--a bull rider, a horse trainer, a wolf researcher and a rancher--with ties to the land as strong as their ties to each other. Read more at www.jenlewis.com.
Author Biography
Jennifer Lewis loves heat in all its forms including spicy food, steamy temperatures and smoking hot heroes. She is a USA TODAY bestselling author and her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in sunny South Florida and when she’s not sitting at her laptop she can often be found at the beach. Read more about her books at http://www.jenlewis.com
Copyright © 2015 by Jennifer Lewis
All Rights Reserved.
Published 2015 by Mangrove
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Desert Kings Boxed Set: The Complete Series Books 1-6 Page 80
