by Kristi Gold
He withdrew the second box, opened it, and removed the second gift. “This is for you to make our engagement official.”
Kira stared at the three-carat ruby and diamond ring, her eyes welling with tears. “It’s beautiful, Tarek, but it’s too much for a common girl like me.”
He lifted her chin and kissed her cheek. “There is nothing common about you, Kira. You are an amazing woman deserving of all the best life has to offer.”
She sent him a shaky smile. “I already have that in you.”
After giving her one last kiss, he slipped the ring on her left hand, returned the box to his pocket, removed his own phone from his jacket and offered it to her. “You may call your parents now, and my wish is they will approve of our union.”
“They will approve. Eventually.” Kira took the cell and keyed in the number, a nervous look in her eyes. “Hi, Mama. I have something to tell you. I’m getting married.”
* * *
“Now that your wedding day has arrived, dear daughter, I have something to give you.”
After a final adjustment of the gold and diamond leaf headband securing the cathedral-length veil, Kira turned from the mirror to face Chandra Allain Darzin—the best mother anyone could ever want or need. She looked positively radiant and remarkably young in the cream-colored chiffon gown. “Let me guess. You’re going to give me sage advice on how to keep my husband happy.”
“Actually, I’m going to give you this.” Chandra leaned over and withdrew a white box from her gold clutch, then opened it to reveal a dainty pearl bracelet with a small diamond heart-shaped pendant dangling from it.
“That’s so beautiful, Mama. Was it grandmother’s?”
“No. It’s a gift from someone quite special.”
Kira couldn’t imagine who that might be. “Another relative?”
“The woman who blessed us with you. Your birth mother.”
Tremors of shock ran through Kira, causing her hands to shake as she lifted the bracelet from the box to inspect it. “When did she give this to you?”
“Your eighteenth birthday. She sent it in the mail, along with a request not to open the box until your wedding day. This came with it.” Her mother took out a folded piece of paper from her purse and handed it to her.
Since she didn’t quite trust her own voice, Kira read the words in silence.
Dear Baby Girl,
This special bracelet belonged to my great-grandmother. I wore it on my wedding day and I felt the need to pass it on to you since it has brought me luck in my marriage.
I feel you should know that when you were born, I was barely a child myself and ill-equipped to care for a baby. As hard as it was to give you up, I knew the Darzins were good people and could give my child the life she deserved. I realize this simple gesture will never make up for my decision to let you go, but it’s the best way I know how to show you that you have always been in my heart, if not in my arms, and will never be forgotten.
With love and wishing you much luck,
Janice
In that moment, any latent resentment Kira had directed toward her birth mother slipped away as her mother clasped the bracelet around her wrist. Any questions about whether the young woman responsible for her life cared at all, dissipated. The tears sliding down her cheeks were part relief, part sadness and in a large part, joy.
She shook off her melancholy and drew her mother—her real mother—into an embrace. “Thank you, Mama.”
Chandra replaced the box with a handkerchief that she used to swipe at her eyes. “You don’t have to thank me, sweetheart. I had nothing to do with this.”
“Maybe, but you had everything to do with who I am today. Because of you and Dad, I’ve learned the importance of forgiveness and the value of love.”
Her mother sniffed then returned the hanky to her bag. “You have always been the absolute light of our lives, Kira. And you are such a beautiful bride. Now let’s go find your father before he finds your young man and threatens him again.”
After sharing in a laugh through the last of the tears, Kira and her mother walked arm-in-arm where she discovered her dad waiting in the vestibule, looking as if he might faint. When she heard the musical cue, she kissed her mother temporarily goodbye, then prepared to walk into her future with the man she adored and loved.
To the melodic strains of Bach’s Ave Maria, Kira strolled down the aisle clinging tightly to her father’s arm. She homed in on her mother seated in the first row, still dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief. She then glanced at her papa and discovered he was looking rather misty, too. Sabir Darzin didn’t cry, and at this rate she’d be blubbering before she reached the man standing at the front of the packed grand ballroom with the gleaming white marble floors. A gorgeous man wearing an immaculately tailored black silk tuxedo, a red rose pinned to his lapel and a welcoming smile on his face.
She barely noticed Madison and Piper, dressed in gold shimmering gowns, standing to his right, or their tuxedo-bedecked husbands, Zain and Adan, standing to his left. She did notice Yasmin walking ahead, tossing rose petals with abandon, and that Rafiq wore a white sash with the Mehdi family coat of arms embossed in gold as he waited to preside over the ceremony.
Before she stepped up on the temporary dais decorated with white roses, her dad paused, kissed her cheek and whispered, “I wish you luck, my precious daughter, and should this man not treat you well, I am not so old that I cannot take him on.”
Kira returned his smile. “I promise that won’t be necessary, Daddy, but thank you for the offer to defend my honor.”
After he let her go, Kira held up the flowing floor-length white satin gown with the empire waist that somewhat concealed her growing abdomen and handed off her red-rose bouquet to Madison. She frankly didn’t care what anyone thought about her pregnant-bride status. She only cared about her future husband, who held out his hand to her.
She came to Tarek’s side and listened intently to Rafiq as he delivered a message regarding the responsibilities required for a successful marriage. After he finished, he instructed the bride and groom to face each other to deliver their own personal vows.
At that moment, every word she’d planned to say flew out of her brain, so she opted to speak from the heart. “Tarek, you were a pleasant, albeit unexpected, surprise. I choose you to be my husband for your compassion, your capacity for great love and your commitment to our children, present and future. The yacht doesn’t hurt, either.” After the spattering of laughter died down, she finished by saying, “I love you with all my heart, and always will.”
Tarek looked down for a moment, and when he returned his gaze to hers, Kira saw unmistakable emotion reflecting from his eyes. He declared his love in Arabic, spoke his feelings about her in French, then concluded in English. “I stand before these witnesses and my family to vow that you will not want for anything during our life together. I look forward to waking with you by my side every morning, retiring with you each night and spending my days in pursuit of your happiness, for if you are truly happy, then so am I. I also vow to be actively involved in midnight feedings and diaper-changing, as ordained by my brother Adan.”
Another bout of chuckles ensued, yet Tarek’s expression grew serious. “What you have taught me has more value than any fortune. I love you, rohi.”
My soul...
For Kira, that said it all.
“With the power vested in me as the king of the sovereign country of Bajul, I respectfully pronounce you husband and wife. And since you are clearly impatient to do so, you may now kiss your bride, Tarek.”
Per Rafiq’s final directive, Tarek put his arms around Kira and gave her a gentle, heartfelt kiss. Madison returned the bouquet to Kira before they left the dais and headed down the aisle to applause and well-wishes.
When they reached the hallway, Tarek guided Kira into his
private study and closed the door. He came back to her and drew her into a close embrace.
“Shall we begin the honeymoon now?”
Kira playfully slapped at his arm with the flowers. “We have to attend the reception first.”
He nuzzled her neck. “They will not miss us as long as there is food.”
And there would be a lot of food. Kira had been actively involved in planning the ceremony for the past month, when she hadn’t been hanging out in bed with her fiancé. “Patience, my dear husband. We have plenty of time for that. After all, you’ll have me all to yourself for three weeks on your yacht.”
He grinned like the sexy devil he could be. “And we can be very daring.”
“As long as no one sees my enlarging stomach.”
He touched the place that housed their child with such sweet reverence, Kira almost cried. “This is for my eyes only. And you are still beautiful.”
With Tarek, she sincerely felt beautiful. “Well, husband, now that we’re married and we’ve moved Yasmin here, guess there’s only one thing left to do, aside from the honeymoon.”
He sent her a quizzical look. “What would that be, wife?”
“Have a baby.”
* * *
“I swear this baby is never going to get here!”
As he smoothed his palm over Kira’s damp forehead, Tarek had never felt so helpless in his life. “Soon, rohi.”
“Very soon,” Maysa said from her perch at the end of the bed. “I need one more push, Kira.”
Panic was reflected in his wife’s eyes. “What if I can’t do that?”
“You will,” Tarek said as he slid his arms beneath her for support.
Kira’s low moan shot straight to his soul, but his baby’s cry shot straight to his heart. He glanced toward the sound to see Maysa lifting the child up and saying, “It’s a girl!” As she placed the baby on Kira’s chest, Tarek witnessed her motherly instincts immediately set in, touching him deeply.
“My sweet baby girl,” she cooed while the nurse covered the baby in a blanket. She then sent Tarek a worried look. “Are you disappointed she’s not a boy?”
He laid his palm on his daughter’s tiny back, experiencing an abiding love he never expected to feel. “Not in the least. Boys create trouble wherever they go. I am proud to have two daughters.”
Kira touched his cheek. “Two beautiful daughters. I can’t wait for Yasmin to see her as soon as she’s finished with her lessons.”
“She will be quite pleased we have given her a sister.” As he was quite pleased that he had given her his name, and an outstanding mother.
Ignoring the flurry of activity and sounds coming from the hospital halls, they remained that way for a while, bonding as a family, marveling over the new life they had made. Tarek experienced an abiding love, an emotion he’d never expected to feel so deeply until he had allowed this woman into his heart, and his adopted daughter into his home, though he had once been reluctant to admit it to himself. That was no longer the case.
“We’re going to take the baby now to weigh her and examine her,” Maysa said, interrupting the emotional interlude. “We won’t be gone long.”
Kira seemed hesitant to let her go. “Hurry back,” she said after she relinquished their child to the nurse.
Tarek pulled a chair up to the bedside and took his beloved wife’s hand. “You were braver than most men.”
Kira released a cynical laugh. “I turned into a sniveling, whiny wimp.”
“Understandable since you were in pain.”
“Yes, that was some pain. But now that it’s over, what are we going to call her?” she asked.
A debate that had been ongoing for some time. “I believe we should go with what you prefer. Using our mothers’ middle names.”
Kira looked as if he had handed her the key to the universe. “Then Laila Anne Azzmar it is, although Yasmin will insist on calling her Annie.”
“I have no issue with that.”
Either name would suit her well. This life suited him well. He had come a long way as the son of two commoners who had learned he was the son of a king. He had built a fortune, achieved resounding success, yet nothing could compare to his greatest accomplishment—learning to love. From this point forward, he was prepared to continue this greatest of adventures with the treasured woman whom he loved with all that he was, or would be.
And as the nurse returned their beloved child and placed her in his arms, Tarek Azzmar, billionaire mogul, knew what it meant to be truly blessed.
Epilogue
Kira had discovered a long time ago that Mehdi family gatherings were quite an adventure, though before she had been on the outside looking in. Before there weren’t quite as many Mehdis, either. As she sat at a table beneath a copse of olive trees on the palace grounds, holding her sleeping six-week-old against her breasts, she took a quick look around and smiled at the scene. Yasmin and Cala were attempting to climb a brick retaining wall, ignoring the fact they were wearing party dresses. Joseph stood nearby, egging them on and calling them babies when they couldn’t quite achieve their goal.
In the distance, Adan held his toddler son, Sam, while his wife, Piper, cradled their three-month-old, Brandon. And standing beside them, the formerly-widowed Mehdi military cousin, Sheikh Rayad Rostam, had his hands full with yet another newborn son who carried his father’s name, while his new wife, Sunny, looking exhausted, rested her head on his shoulder. Rafiq entered the picture, chasing after young Prince Ahmed, who’d just learned to walk, while Maysa trailed behind him, laughing. But Kira had yet to locate Tarek, who had disappeared twenty minutes ago.
Elena, Zain and Madison soon arrived with a tray of refreshments that they placed on the lengthy table nearby. After shifting Laila to her shoulder, Kira came to her feet and joined the group for the festivities.
She then felt two strong arms come around her from behind and a kiss on her neck. Missing husband found. “Where have you been?” she asked him when he moved to her side.
He took the baby from her grasp and held her against his broad shoulder. “I had to finalize the purchase on a new yacht.”
“We have a perfectly good yacht.”
He gently kissed Laila’s cheek, causing Kira’s heart to take a little tumble in her chest. “This one is child-proofed and has more cabins. We need extra room to house the children. I predict we will have a son very soon.”
“I’ll get right on that.”
He had the gall to grin. “We can begin tonight.”
“We can pretend tonight. I’d like to wait until this little one is out of diapers before we make another one.”
“I suppose I can agree to that, as long as we do quite a bit of pretending.”
She saw no problem with that. “When can I see the new yacht?”
“The Kira should be delivered to the port in Oman in ten days.”
The man was still full of surprises. “You named a boat after me?”
“Of course. A beautiful watercraft should always carry the name of a beautiful woman.”
She could so kiss him for that, and she did.
“Gather round, adults and many small creatures,” Adan called out. “It is time to toast our good fortune.”
Knowing the youngest prince, Kira expected anything to come from his mouth. She hooked her arm through her husband’s and claimed a place at the table next to Elena, who smiled and patted Kira’s back. For months, she had thanked the former governess, matchmaker and mentor for her role in bringing Tarek to his senses, though Elena had claimed every time she had only been doing her job.
As Adan held up his glass, everyone followed suit. “To children, the future of Bajul. And should anyone else in attendance be pregnant, please notify us immediately so that we might add another wing to the pal
ace, or respectfully find another place to live.”
As soon as the laughter died down, Adan continued. “And now, in the words of my dear Italian mother, la Famiglia!”
“To family!” everyone repeated in unison.
Kira looked around at the people surrounding her and felt completely immersed in love. This was an extension of her family. This was the place she wanted to remain. And when spring rolled around, her parents would be relocating to Bajul, her father’s homeland, making Kira’s world complete.
She then gave her attention to her children and realized the best things came in small packages. She’d learned forgiveness was always attainable in the presence of true love, and fate handed you gifts when least expected.
The greatest gift slid his hand into hers and looked as if she were the most important person on the planet. Her handsome husband. The man of her dreams, who possessed her heart. He might be the consummate billionaire mogul, but she could think of a billion reasons why he was the consummate man and father.
For Kira Darzin Azzmar, life didn’t get any better than this.
* * * * *
If you loved this book from Kristi Gold, pick up her other sheikh stories!
THE RETURN OF THE SHEIKH
ONE NIGHT WITH THE SHEIKH
THE SHEIKH’S SON
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Keep reading for an excerpt from THE WIFE HE COULDN’T FORGET by Yvonne Lindsay.
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