by Holly Rayner
Nylah waved at her. “Hey!” she said, much more friendly than her brother. “How is married life?”
“Nylah.” Maalik’s voice boomed in the otherwise quiet room.
Yasin sat down. Everyone was silent as all four of them stared at the patriarch of the family. His eyes were stern. Olivia had never seen him so stern before. No wonder all of his children were frightened of him. Had he figured out what was going on? Did he know that his son’s marriage was a sham? What had given it away? She knew that she had chemistry with him. It didn’t feel like a sham when they were together.
“Father,” Yasin said. “We have some news that we would like to share with the family.”
“News?” Maalik repeated. His glare moved from one family member to the next. Rashad. Nylah. Yasin. Then Olivia. She could feel a ball of nerves in her throat. “Is it bad news?”
“No, actually,” Yasin answered.
His father’s gaze softened. His eyes darted from Olivia to Yasin, then back again. Each time, his face showed less and less concern. “Rashad told me that you might be getting a divorce.”
“What?” Olivia and Yasin said in unison.
“No,” Yasin said.
“Never,” Olivia said. She turned to her husband. “You’re stuck with me.”
He smiled at her and took her hand, before turning to face his father. “We came here to tell you that we are having a child,” he said.
“What?! Nylah’s voice could be heard over her brother and father’s. “You’re pregnant? That’s wonderful!” She jumped up from her seat and made a move to rush over but her father stopped her.
“No,” he said. “Father-in-law first.” He stood up and took a few steps until he was in front of Olivia. She stood up and gave Maalik a hug.
“Me next. Me next. Me next,” Nylah chanted as she rushed around the coffee table.
“What about me?” Yasin complained. “I’m having a baby too, you know?”
Nylah stopped at her brother and raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh you are, are you?” she joked. She patted his stomach. “Oh, you are starting to show.”
“Ha, ha,” he said, rolling his eyes.
Nylah smiled. “Come here.”
Watching them both hug warmed Olivia’s heart. After their talk at the honeymoon suite, she wasn’t sure if he’d meant anything by what he’d said about siblings and family. Yasin seemed more like his father than he’d like to admit, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Both of them had big hearts and even bigger smiles when they were happy.
“How are you feeling?” Maalik asked.
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said. “It’s still a new thing, so.” Her hand instinctively reached for her flat belly. She looked down at it, suddenly aware that in a few months’ time, she would look quite different. “It’s all very new,” she said.
Maalik turned his attention to Yasin, embracing him and patting him on the back. “I’m so happy for you and your new bride,” he said. “Olivia is a wonderful girl. You’ve chosen well, my son. I’m sure that you’ll have a lovely child together.”
“Oh, can you imagine?” Nylah said with a squeal. “Your kid is going to be gorgeous!”
Olivia’s eyes met Rashad’s. Yasin’s brother was still sitting on the couch across from her. He no longer looked annoyed. But he didn’t look happy, either.
He slowly stood up and walked over to her. “Congratulations,” he said, his tone sly.
“Thanks.” Fear gripped her as he shook her hand.
“A baby,” he said softly so only she could hear. “That was quick.”
She shrugged. “I only just found out,” she said. “We went to the doctor yesterday. It must have happened during—I mean, it’s a recent development.” She stumbled over her words as he held onto her hand.
“Rashad.” They both turned to look at Maalik. “You better be treating Olivia well. She’s carrying your niece or nephew,” he said.
“Of course, Father,” Rashad replied, letting go of her hand.
Nylah let out another squeal as she turned to Olivia and gave her a big hug. “We need to plan a baby shower for you!”
Olivia laughed. Nylah is definitely the best party planner in Rebayah. If only she was actually a party planner, she could make millions. “That’s incredibly thoughtful of you.”
“It’ll be so much fun!” she said. “It’ll be as beautiful as your wedding!” She hugged Olivia once more. “Well,” she said as she still held her. “Almost as beautiful.”
There was chuckling around the room.
Olivia walked into her room and dropped her purse on her bed. It had been a long day, but what day wasn’t long these days? She was used to going to work, then coming home and taking care of her sister. These days, she was planning weddings, getting married, getting pregnant, meeting the press, getting her picture taken, doing interviews, meeting every citizen in Rebayah…
A stranger had even walked up to her while she was shopping for gifts for her sister and told her that she was the most beautiful bride she had ever seen. Olivia hadn’t known what to say except “Thank you” but even that had felt a little short. She had felt like taking the woman to lunch, but Yasin, who had witnessed the whole thing, had assured her that she shouldn’t.
“You can’t take every woman out to lunch, just because she said that you’re beautiful,” he’d explained as the woman disappeared in the crowd.
“But no one’s ever really noticed me like that before,” Olivia had said. “I mean, except you, of course.”
Yasin had laughed.
“It all makes me feel like I’m a real princess. Please?” She’d given him her best puppy-dog eyes as she’d clutched onto his arm.
“Just this once,” he’d said.
He had been sweet enough to flag the woman down and bring her to a local eatery with them, despite his hesitations.
Yasin was always a gracious gentleman. Olivia was impressed with how well he handled himself in public and was even more impressed by the fact that he was always like that. With him, it wasn’t a show for the audience. It was his real personality. Chivalry was not dead. It was just in Rebayah and owned an oil company.
Olivia turned her computer on and opened up her video chat program just in time to get Jennifer’s call. “Sis!” she squealed.
Jennifer’s smile lit up the screen. “Liv! You look great!”
“I look great?” she replied. “Look at you? Your skin is glowing. You look so healthy.”
Jennifer nodded. “The treatment seems to be going well. It was rough there for a couple weeks; the doctor told me that it would take a little bit before my body would start accepting the treatment, and he was right.”
“I’m so happy for you!”
Jennifer tilted her head to one side. “You look like you want to tell me something,” she said.
Olivia laughed nervously. “How do you always do that? You always know what I’m thinking.”
“Is it bad news?” Jennifer asked hesitantly.
She shook her head. “Nope. It’s great news.”
“Oh!” Jennifer leaned in toward the camera. “Well, tell me, then! Don’t keep your sister waiting in anticipation. I have a weak heart, you know.”
Olivia beamed as she announced, “I’m pregnant!”
Jennifer’s hands shot up in the air.
“Oh my God! Oh, that is wonderful news. I read that there’s only a 10 to 20 percent chance that the insemination would take. Of course, the Sheikh has enough money that he can keep trying if he needs to, but still. I’m so glad! How many times did you have to have the procedure done? Just once?”
Jennifer looked up at the ceiling as she contemplated something. Her fingers twitched as she counted on them.
“Only once, right? You’ve not been there long enough for two cycles, right?”
Olivia sat quietly, waiting patiently for her turn to speak. Not because she couldn’t get a word in, but because she didn’t know how to break the news to her sister.
“Olivia?”
“Huh?”
“What else is there? You look nervous.” Jennifer eyed her suspiciously.
“I didn’t get inseminated,” she admitted. “It wasn’t because we went to a lab to get it done. It happened…naturally.”
“Naturally?”
Olivia nodded.
“As in…”
Olivia nodded again.
“You two…?”
Olivia continued to nod vigorously.
“You two had sex and you got pregnant?”
Olivia smiled sheepishly.
“But the contract said insemination. Why did you—? That wasn’t the plan at all! This complicates the whole thing.”
“What?” Olivia leaned back in her chair. She hoped that her tone was convincing enough.
“What do you mean ‘What?’ You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?”
She sighed. She wasn’t convincing. “I know what you’re thinking. Just because it happened naturally, doesn’t mean that anything’s changed. We’re still going to stick to the plan. This just…” Olivia picked her words carefully. “…speeds the process along.”
“No,” Jennifer argued. “Remember, the baby isn’t really yours. You signed over the rights when you signed that contract with him. Don’t you dare get too attached. To him, or the baby.”
“Attached?” Olivia blew a raspberry and waved her hand. “Please.”
“Liv, this isn’t just some fantasy world, like when we were kids and you used to run around with that princess cap on. Olivia, you’re not a princess. You’re a surrogate.”
The smile on Olivia’s face disappeared. It was true. She was just a surrogate. That’s what she signed up for. She didn’t know why she continued to think that there was something more there for her.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice dulled by the realization. “I know that.” She cleared her throat. “But enough about me,” she said. “Tell me about you. What have you been doing? Did you get the fabric that I sent you? Have you met any guys on that new dating app?”
As Jennifer answered the onslaught of questions that Olivia threw to her, Olivia tried her best to keep her tears at bay. She wasn’t a princess. Everyone kept telling her that, and she knew that it was true. So why did it hurt so much?
Chapter 20
Yasin
There was something different about Olivia, but Yasin couldn’t quite put his finger on what. After they’d told his family about the baby, she’d come home happy, but the next day she looked solemn. Was it something that he’d said? He knew that pregnancy came with surging hormones and mood swings, but he hadn’t realized that it would happen so soon.
“I’m thinking about making waffles this morning,” he said after watching her sit on the barstool, motionless for five minutes. “What do you think?”
“Huh?” She snapped out of her daze. “Waffles? That sounds great.”
“How was the phone call with your sister last night?” He had heard the two of them chatting, though he hadn’t been able to make out what they were saying. He’d just known that, by the tone of her sister’s voice, something was amiss.
“It was fine. She got the fabric that I sent her. She’s feeling a lot better, too. Her energy level is way up and she looks like her spirits are high.”
She twiddled her thumbs. It was her nervous tick. Was she lying to him? She wouldn’t start lying to him now, would she?
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
She nodded then took a deep breath. “Sorry, I’m a little out of sorts today. I’m just tired. Nothing to worry about.”
“Well, do you want to go back to bed?” he asked. “We don’t have any plans today. You should rest up. This week is going to be full.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
“Oh!” He rushed to a cupboard and pulled out a small bottle. “I grabbed this for you last night when I was on my way home. I totally forgot about it.” He tossed it to her.
“Prenatals,” she said. She looked at the label closely. “Gummy prenatals.” She smiled at him. “This is great, thank you.”
The next few months were a whirl of doctor’s visits and research. Between the Lamaze classes and the books on pregnancy and child-rearing that now littered the bookcases in Yasin’s home, he felt like he was in college again.
The front door was open when he got home from the office one afternoon, about four months after Olivia had announced her pregnancy. Yasin had taken an early day so that the two of them could spend some quality time together. Olivia had really started showing only in the last month or so, and the sight of her pregnant belly overjoyed him.
“Olivia?” he asked as he walked in through the open door. He shut it behind him and set the bouquet of flowers and bag down on the table in the foyer.
She came rushing around the corner which led to his wing of the estate. Her hands were covered in dried yellow paint and she had a big smile on her face. It wasn’t exactly the sight he was expecting, but it was definitely a better one.
“Hey,” she said. “Sorry. I was going to get the door once I set the last of the boxes down in the nursery. I just got home.”
“What?” Yasin said. “You were carrying boxes in? Where’s Abdul? Why didn’t he—I’ll fire him,” he sputtered.
“Oh, stop,” she said. “Don’t be so dramatic. Abdul carried the biggest boxes in. I told him that I’d carry the lightest one while he took the car to the garage.” Her eyes moved from his face to the table. “Pretty,” she said, eyeing the bouquet.
“I figured that I hadn’t gotten you flowers in a while, and you’ve been doing so much around here with the nursery—”
“Oh!” She jumped up in excitement. “Speaking of which, I have a surprise for you.”
“Is it yellow?” he asked, looking at her hands.
She blushed. “One of them is, yes,” she said. “But first, tell me. Do you want to see what’s behind door number one or two?”
“One or two?” he repeated. He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. “Hmm. Let’s go with one.”
“Good, that’s over here,” she said. She took his hand and led him to the nursery.
The nursery was painted in soft green and yellow hues. It was the neutral tone that they had chosen after deciding that they wanted to start on the nursery before they found out the sex of the baby. There were small sections of the wall and various striped designs that were left white, in order to balance the color on the walls. The baby furniture in the room—the crib, changing station, and bookcase—were also white. Boxes were stacked in the corner.
“It looks beautiful,” he said. “I love the color. It’ll serve well, no matter what the sex of the baby is.” He let out a relieved sigh. He nodded toward the boxes. “What are those?” he asked.
“Baby essentials. I figured that it would be good to stockpile some of the necessities in the closet. Diapers, blankets, burp cloths, different sizes of socks and onesies. It’ll make things easier once we—” She cleared her throat. “When you’re taking care of the baby, you shouldn’t need to go out in the middle of the night and get any emergency items if they’re all here.” She smiled at him.
He grinned back. “That’s so thoughtful of you.”
She elbowed him. “I know,” she joked.
He snickered. “Wait, so if this is door number one, what’s door number two?’
She turned to face him and took his hands in hers. He could feel the dried paint on her soft skin.
“I’ve been working on something for a while. Now, before I show it to you, I know what you’re going to say.”
“Oh, you do?” He tried to stifle a smile.
She grinned as she imitated his voice. “I told you that this was yours. Why did you do this? You should change it. It should be for you.” She let go of one of his hands and held her finger up. “But don’t,” she said in her own voice. “Don’t you dare say any of those things. You’ve done so much to make me co
mfortable here. You’ve changed your entire home to make sure that I’ll be able to get where ever I need to when I become as big as a house,” she said, rubbing her belly. “You even gave me an entire wing.”
“If you’re going to live here, you should have your own space,” he said.
She nodded and led him out into the hallway. “Okay,” she said. “Do you trust me?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I think so?”
She frowned.
“I mean, yes,” he said with a chuckle.
“Okay, good,” she said. “Now, close your eyes.”
He did as he was told. She took his other hand again and led him down a hallway. He tried to picture the layout of his home so he could figure out where they were headed. As far as he knew, they were going straight.
“Okay,” she said. She placed his hands on the railing. “We’re going to go down the stairs. I don’t want you to fall, so hold onto this.”
“All right,” he said. He took the steps slowly.
As soon as they reached the first floor, she took his hands again and led him down to her wing of the house. He could tell because they turned left at the bottom of the staircase. She was right. If she did something for him in her wing of the house, he would have told her that she should keep it for herself. The thought brought a smile to his face. She knew him well.
She stopped him and took a deep breath. Placing one of his hands on the doorknob, she said, “Okay, open the door, then open your eyes.”
Yasin also took a deep breath. What could she have done for him? His father and siblings never knew what to get him for his birthday. What could she get him that his family already hadn’t?
As the door swung inward, his eyes fluttered open. It was her spare room. The spare room that he had given her in her wing of the house.
She had painted one of the walls a light gray and had cleaned up and stained the beams that ran across the ceiling. They were a beautiful dark cherry wood. There was a long table that ran the length of the far wall, and beneath it was storage that held tubes of paint, boxes of charcoal, tins of pencils and pens, and containers that held brushes of every size imaginable.
