The Sheikh's Demanding Fiancée (The Botros Brothers Series)

by Leslie North

  “Of course you would be on his side,” he said to her. Sara shrugged her shoulders. It was true and she knew it. She was always on his side just as he was on hers.

  Chapter 9

  Upon returning home, Sara and Soraya dropped their jaws when they walked into the sitting room. Fiddah sat in the elegantly decorated room with Faiza who was dressed in a peach dress and sandals. Aaliyah rushed into the room and came to a halt when she saw Faiza. “Oh my,” she whispered. Leylah was on the floor playing with her toys. She tried to stand up when she saw her mum but fell back on her bottom. Sara smiled at her and rushed over. “Hi, baby,” Sara said to Leylah and kissed her a couple of times.

  “How was the ride?” Fiddah asked the girls. Soraya and Aaliyah sat down on the sofas.

  “It was brilliant,” Soraya replied with a smile. Fiddah returned her smile.

  “I used to enjoy riding in my day too,” she laughed. “Of course most of it was with the Sheik,” she added and winked. The girls laughed with her.

  Everything suddenly turned awkward when Fiddah introduced Faiza to the girls. She had not been officially introduced to them and they greeted her cautiously.

  “Aaliyah, I think I remember you from when you were younger,” Faiza said to her.

  “Me?” Aaliyah did not remember meeting her.

  “Yes, I think I met you once or twice. I remember you as a young girl who loved basbousa,” Faiza smiled at her. Aaliyah was not sure how to react. Faiza definitely had the right girl, Aaliyah loved basbousa. Lucky for her, her cousins walked into the room before she had to respond to Faiza.

  “Kayfa halak, Amir?” Faiza asked how he was with a smile as soon as she saw him.

  “Ana bekhair,” he replied. She kissed him on both cheeks and rubbed his shoulders. They were standing very close to each other, which made Soraya feel uncomfortable. The chemistry between them was too obvious.

  “You are here, again,” Tariq said to Faiza and pulled his brother a little a bit away from her. He too had noticed how close they were standing. She laughed.

  “Yes, I needed to speak with Amir,” she replied.

  “Again.”

  “Yes, Tariq,” Faiza laughed and touched his arm. “It is important habib,” she added. Sara's eyes narrowed. Faiza was flirting with her husband and using words of endearment on him. She was too much. She acted as though his wife was not a few metres away.

  Faiza left the room with Amir. The sitting room was silent after they left. Soraya rubbed her forehead. Tariq sat down next to her. “I am sure they are only talking,” Tariq said to her in a poor attempt to reassure her. Sara looked at him and crossed her eyes. He was not good at compassion.

  * * * *

  Faiza and Amir were laughing about old memories. They spoke and laughed as if time had not passed. They were so comfortable with each other. Faiza suddenly got serious. She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. She unlocked it and showed Amir the screen saver.

  “This was the reason I needed to speak with you,” Faiza said to him.

  “I do not understand,” Amir replied.

  “This is my son.”

  Amir's eyes widened slightly. He was unaware that she was a mother; well then again they had not seen each other in more than three years. Obviously, things would have changed. He took the phone from her and looked at the picture.

  “You are married?” Amir asked her.

  “No,” she replied softly.

  “Who is the father?”

  Faiza did not say anything. Amir looked up and found her looking at him. He gaped at her for a moment. He searched her eyes; she did not say anything or look away. His eyes widened slowly. He felt like he was hit by a bus. He ran his hand through his hair.

  “You are saying that he is my offspring,” Amir said quietly. Faiza nodded slowly and tucked a hair strand behind her ear. There was silence for a moment. “How old is he?” Amir asked.

  “Two and a half,” Faiza replied. She reached out to touch his arm but he shook it off. He got to his feet and put his hands in the air as if he was holding an invisible ball.

  “You did not think to tell me?” Amir shouted. He rarely raised his voice, he rarely got angry. He could not believe what was happening. He had a son? With Faiza?

  “It was not-” she paused for a moment. “I don't know,” she stood up.

  “Three years, Faiza! Three years!”

  “I know, I messed up!”

  He took a deep breath. “You are sure, he is mine?” he asked.

  “Don't be cruel, Amir. I never slept around and you know that.”

  “Well, apparently, there are a lot of things I do not know.”

  “That's not fair.”

  “This situation is not fair.”

  Amir stormed out of the room. He was so angry with her for not telling him. This was a big thing to hide from him for three years. It was his son. It was important and he needed to know. Tariq saw Amir walk past the sitting room. From his quick stride, he knew something was wrong. Faiza walked into the room a few moments later. She rushed her farewell and left. Tariq immediately stood up and followed his brother upstairs.

  “Amir,” Tariq called as he opened the door. Amir was in his room punching the wall. Tariq stood by the door with his arms crossed over his chest. He let his brother vent out his anger. It had been a while since he had seen his brother this angry and he waited for him to tell him what happened.

  “I have a son,” Amir suddenly blurted out. Tariq raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, a son with Faiza,” he added.

  “What,” Tariq did not understand what he had just heard.

  “He is almost three and she never once thought to tell me.”

  “This is crazy,” Tariq could not grasp the situation. He had just found out that his brother had a son. He was now an uncle. Faiza was the mother of his nephew.

  “How am I even going to begin to explain this to Soraya?”

  “That will be difficult.”

  Amir sat on his bed. He cared deeply for Soraya and he did not want to do anything that would hurt her. He would never forgive himself if he did. He ran his hand through his hair as he contemplated how he was going to tell her.

  Later that night, Amir went to Soraya's room to talk to her. He knew he had to tell her first, before everyone else found out. She was sitting on her bed. He approached her slowly. He kissed her forehead, then her cheek. He sat on the bed and took her hands in his.

  “Are you alright?” Soraya asked softly and rubbed his hands. He remained silent for a moment. He kissed her hands and looked up.

  “I need to speak with you,” Amir said.

  “I have a son,” he blurted out. Soraya looked confused. He explained further. Panic filled her more and more with each word he uttered. Is he going to get back with her? she asked herself. It worried and scared her. At the same time, she felt sorry for him. It was unfair that he was denied the first two years of his son's life. It was cruel. Had he not returned to town, would she have ever told him?

  Soraya reached out and pulled him into an embrace. She could see that he was unhappy and did not know what to do. He was trying to reassure her and look after her emotions but this was not about her. She had no right to react. Right now, he needed her and she had to be there for him. She rubbed the back of his neck and his back. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. She pressed a small kiss on his cheek and hugged him tighter. Amir wrapped his arms around her. He had not expected this kind of reaction from her. He rested his head on her shoulder.

  Chapter 10

  Forks and knives dropped onto plates as Amir broke the news to the family during breakfast. He decided to tell everyone at the same time. He could not go from one person to the next telling them one by one. His mother held her head, as if she was going to be sick.

  “You might want to repeat that again, son,” Mr. Botros said to Amir. He was sure he had misunderstood. Fiddah leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She stared at Amir in disbelief.
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  “I only found out yesterday,” Amir said.

  “Are you sure you are the father?” Aaliyah asked. Everyone looked at her and then back at him waiting for his answer. He shrugged his shoulders. Even though Faiza had not told him sooner, he trusted that she would not lie to him. He knew her too well.

  “Get a DNA test,” Mr. Botros said as he held his wife. She seemed to be affected badly by the news and looked as if she was going to faint. There was a long awkward silence. No one was saying anything. Sara was bouncing Leylah on her lap trying to bite her tongue.

  Mrs. Botros stood up and left the room. Her husband left with her. Amir frowned. He was confused. He did not expect such a reaction. He thought there would be fireworks, a lot of yelling from his mother, a slap or two from Fiddah.

  “This is weird,” Fiddah said as she stood up. Sara was the only one still eating. She handed Leylah to her.

  “She needs a change,” Sara said and batted her eyelashes a few times at Fiddah. She smiled and took the baby. She slapped Amir on the head on her way out. He jumped slightly. That was the reaction he expected from her.

  “What the heck is going on?” Sara asked Amir. “Is that why she has been lingering around? So that she could spring it on you?” she asked.

  “I suppose so,” Amir replied. He sighed heavily and sunk back in his seat.

  “The woman hid this from you for-” She stopped as she realised that she did not know the boy's age. “How old is he?” she asked.

  “Two and a half years old.”

  “And in that time, she did not think to tell you?” Aaliyah asked.

  “Exactly,” Sara said. Malik and Tariq were sitting there quietly. Malik looked at his sister who seemed to be taking it well. She was sitting quietly next to Amir and holding his hand.

  After breakfast, Amir headed to see Faiza. He had to sort out the DNA test. There was no harm in doing one. He kissed Soraya before he left. She held his face in her palms and rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs. She gave him half a smile and kissed him.

  * * * * *

  It was a warm Saturday a few days later. The family was outside in the courtyard enjoying the day together. Fiddah had shared a few photographs of her with her late husband with Soraya and Sara.

  Leylah was crawling on the lawn when she stopped, got to her feet and started walking towards her mother. Sara's eyes widened. She quickly called Tariq.

  “Come on,” Sara encouraged Leylah. Everyone was cheering for her. She walked four steps and fell down. “Aww, Ley,” Sara felt emotional looking at her daughter taking her first steps. Tariq picked her up and kissed her. She laughed and buried her head in his chest.

  Amir was throwing food at Soraya. She turned slowly and looked at him with such an intense gaze as if she was going to kill him. Malik laughed and got out of the way. He knew that look. Soraya took a shoe off and threw it at him. It hit him on the arm. Aaliyah started laughing and threw a grape at him. Mr. and Mrs. Botros were sitting and watching their antics. Amir's mother shook her head. Her son did not seem mature. Sara watched them and smiled. She loved them all, she was perfectly happy.

  The happy atmosphere turned tense within minutes. One of the servants came in with a letter for Amir. It was the DNA test results. Everyone went silent and stared at him as they waited for him to open it. He opened it slowly and the results were positive. He placed his hands on his hips and looked down. Soraya walked over to him, she picked up her shoe and put it on. She kissed his forehead and pulled him into an embrace. “It'll be okay,” she whispered to him.

  “You will have to marry her,” Mrs. Botros said. Soraya released Amir from her embrace. She turned around and looked at his mother. Sara's jaw dropped. She did not expect to hear that at all. Fiddah had her hand on her chest.

  “Mother, what?” Tariq said. He didn't expect this response from his mother. He was bouncing Leylah. He kissed her on the forehead.

  “He must take responsibility,” his mother replied.

  “That's not fair.”

  “Then he should not have slept with her in the first place!” she shouted and stood up.

  “I will not marry her,” Amir said softly. He could not believe what was happening, what his mother was asking of him in front of the love of his life. There was simply no way he was going to marry her.

  “You will marry her,” her tone changed. It was more serious and angry. She walked back into the house. Everyone was quiet. It was awkward. No one had anything to say. Soraya was fighting back tears. She could not believe this was happening.

  Amir backhanded a glass off the table. He was so angry, at his mother and at Faiza. Faiza had caused all of this. She should have told him when she first found out. He stormed into the house. Soraya wanted to go after him but she couldn't. She felt paralysed. Sara walked up to her and hugged her. She could see how hurt she was.

  Mrs. Botros had played a major part in that. It was heartless of her to demand that Amir marry Faiza in front of Soraya. She lacked tact. Sara had experienced that side of her mother-in-law. Soraya rested her head on Sara's shoulder.

  “Why would she say that?” Soraya asked Sara.

  “I'm so sorry habibti. You have to stay strong,” Sara replied and rubbed her back.

  That night, everyone had dinner separately. It was awkward and tense. Soraya was finally able to go to Amir. She knocked on his door and walked in slowly. He was sitting on the bed. His fists were bruised. She could tell that he had been punching something. She sat down on the floor in front of him. She rubbed his hands and kissed them.

  “I am sorry,” Amir said to her. “My mother's words were unwarranted,” he added. Soraya shook her head.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  “I created this mess.”

  “It's not a mess. He's your son,” she rose to her knees and closer to his face. She ran her hands through his hair. “She should have told you, but she didn't. She probably had her reasons,” she kissed him on the forehead.

  “Look how you are so kind to me. I should have more kids,” Amir joked. Soraya smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tighter. Her embrace was comforting.

  “Everything will work out.” She let go of his neck and held his face in her hands. She pressed a feather light kiss on his lips. She got up from her knees and sat on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist as she rubbed his chest. She kissed his forehead and then his cheek. She hugged him tightly.

  Chapter 11

  Amir woke up with a big smile on his face. Soraya had spent the night in his bed. Even though there was no love making, it was nice to lay there in her arms. He rolled closer to her and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her head. “I like waking up to you,” he said to her. Soraya smiled and rubbed his chest. She sat up and got out of bed.

  “Where are you going?” Amir asked and pulled her back into bed. She laughed and rubbed his hands.

  “I need to go back to my room. I need to shower,” Soraya replied.

  “Shower here.”

  Soraya turned to look at him. She had a frown on her face. “I don't have my stuff,” she said.

  “Use mine,” he winked at her. She pushed him playfully and jumped out of bed. She headed for the door and left the room.

  Breakfast was frosty. Amir's parents were not present. Everyone else was there, eating silently. There were some light conversations but the elephant was in the room and no one was pointing it out, even though they wanted to. Sara was curious as to what was going to happen next but she did not want to ruffle feathers by asking him.

  Suddenly Sara was not feeling well. She touched her stomach. Tariq held her hand and asked if she was feeling all right. “Just morning sickness, I guess, excuse me,” she replied. She stood up and excused herself from the table. She did not make it past the door before she collapsed. Tariq rose in a flash and ran to her. He gathered her in his arms and rushed her to the hospital.

  Tariq paced up and down in
the waiting area whilst Sara had a series of tests done on her. Amir could not sit still. He kept shaking his legs and playing with his hands. He too was worried about her. Soraya rubbed his back in an attempt to calm him down. The rest of the family with the inclusion of Malik sat there silently, awaiting the results.

  The doctor finally emerged after what seemed like an eternity. “What took you so long?” Tariq demanded. The doctor apologised and informed him that Sara was fine. He led Tariq to Sara's room. He hugged her as soon as he walked into the room.

  “You scared me,” he said before he kissed her.