by Sophia Lynn
Most of the time, Abir understood that.
This time, however, the anger that rose up in Abir was cold, and it would not be denied in favor of a politic answer.
“Does Omar Shadid or Shira Shadid think that this is going to work?” he demanded, and when Chirag offered a stuttering answer, he shook his head.
“No. No. I am coming home to deal with this myself. Shira Shadid has already cost me – no. Under no circumstances. Have the jet prepared immediately. I'll be home to deal with this at once.”
“Of course, Sheikh Abir,” Chirag said, something like relief in his tone. “I will make all the preparations.”
He hung up, and Abir paced the kitchen, filled with a restless energy that made him wish he could handle this immediately. It was close enough to fury that he knew he had to rein it in before the kids appeared, so he took several deep breaths, closing his eyes and centering himself until they came down the stairs, Lia in tow.
“Morning,” she said, the anger threatened to surge back up. This was what Shira Shadid had cost him, but he knew that the blame did not lie with the well-bred young woman who had all but left him at the altar. He shook his head. His feelings were too muddled to make good sense of it now, and he would only hurt Lia if he tried.
“I've got some bad news,” he said, and Lia stood up a little straighter, alarm on her face.
“Hang on a sec,” she said. “Kids, you want to watch some TV before breakfast?”
Of course they did, and when the triplets were seated happily in front of their current favorite cartoon, she turned to Abir expectantly.
“All right, what's up?”
Abir laughed a little, taking Lia's hand and squeezing it gently.
“Trust you to always mind what we say,” he said affectionately. “Lia, I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid I have to put a halt to our plans for the week. I have to return to Shujae to take care of some matters that cannot wait.”
“Aw, that's a disappointment,” she said. “Still, duty calls.”
He breathed out a sigh of relief at her understanding, but Lia wasn't done talking.
“You know I just finished that big project at River House. They probably wouldn't mind it if I used my vacation days with the end of the year coming up. I probably don't even need to give too much notice. If you fly out, I could follow with the kids and—”
“No!”
Lia blinked at his vehemence, and at the look of startled hurt in her eyes, Abir cursed himself, pulling her into his arms.
“Any other time,” he said. “Any other time, you could come. This one... well, I won't be around very much, and I'll be working night and day.”
I will work around the clock if I have to, to convince the world that Shira Shadid and I have absolutely nothing and to make sure her father doesn't think he can dangle her in front of me hoping I bite in exchange for favors.
“Oh, well, I mean, the kids and I could do the tourist thing, we were talking about bring them over early next year anyway.”
“No,” Abir said more firmly. “Trust me, this is for the best. Later, we can take the kids over and we can show them what a glory they have inherited. Not now. Now is not a good time.”
Lia gave him a strange look, pulling back to examine him closely.
“Abir, is everything okay? You look mad.”
Abir laughed, and he could hear the strained sound in it without any need to point it out.
“Everything is under control, I promise,” he said. “Only I need to leave immediately if not sooner. There is a lot to do.”
He realized even as he said it that it sounded suspicious. He had known plenty of people, men and women, who in the same position would have planted their heels and demanded answers before they budged. Instead, Lia only nodded decisively.
“Got it,” she said. “You do what needs to be done. The kids and I will hold down the fort here. Don't worry about us, Just, you know. Hurry back. The kids have gotten used to having you around.”
She paused and nodded.
“Me too.”
In the middle of his fury to be out the door, Abir felt something inside him melt for Lia. They had said they loved each other back at the cabin, but it still felt too new and too tender to say carelessly. They hadn't since, and he realized he was hungry to hear it from her lips again.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, and she nodded as if her mind was made up.
“Do what you need to do. I have to give these three monsters their breakfast, and I'll explain that you are taking a trip. Don't worry, it'll be fine.”
The fact that she was the one comforting him right now struck him to the core, and he couldn't resist kissing her before he went up to pack. There was a part of him that wanted very much to tell her what was happening, but it would take more time than he had to spare. He wanted this settled, and then he would return to her a free man. That was the best way to handle it.
When he returned downstairs, he was tackled by three children, all wanting their hugs before their baba left for a while.
“Bring me back something cool,” Henry demanded, and Abir laughingly promised to do so.
“Take pictures,” said Hunter decisively. “I want to see all of it.”
I have to take these kids home, Abir thought with a pang. There is so much for them to see and to do there…
Viola hung back until Lia pulled her brothers away, and then she threw her arms around Abir's neck tighter than either of the boys had.
“Come home soon, Baba,” she whispered. “I miss you when you're gone.”
Unexpectedly, Abir felt tears pricking his eyes as he hugged Viola fiercely and then reluctantly had to unwind her arms from his neck.
“As soon as I can,” he said. “I promise you.”
He paused in front of Lia, and then pulled her into his arms.
“I'm not letting you go,” he said softly, and she chuckled, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
“You better not,” she said, and then there was no time left. Nidal had brought the car around, and there was nothing to it except to leave.
As the black car pulled away from the curb, he realized with a pang that it didn't really matter where he was, whether he was in the United States or in Shujae. The only thing that mattered was his family. That was home, and oh how he hated leaving them.
Just this one thing, he thought. Just this one thing put to bed, and then we are going to do things properly. Lia will be my wife, my children will know both sides of their heritage.
I just need to get this one thing taken care of.
Chapter 12
Lia
Lia was disappointed to see Abir go, but she understood. If things couldn't always wait in publishing, how much less could they wait in the running of a kingdom? She took care of the kids that day, checking her phone for any sign of Abir. She received a text later that night saying that he had landed safely, and that she should take care, but otherwise it was radio silence.
I've gotten too used to him, she thought wryly.
It felt as if everything took twice as long with just one parent. Lia remembered being tired a lot before Abir had come back into her life, but she wasn't sure it had been this bad.
It's not just the childcare, she thought that night, settling into the bed that they had come to share. It's all of it. I just miss him. Why didn't I tell him I love him before he left?
Lying in the sheets that still smelled of him, it sounded like the worst kind of omission now, but she shook it off, twisting and turning until she got fairly comfortable.
She would tell him when he called. That was all. Then he would know, and that was important. She needed him to know.
As comfortable as Abir's bed was, however, Lia couldn't sleep. It was too big and too empty without him, and it seemed as if every hour, she woke up and was startled to be alone in it. Finally, close to dawn, she slipped on her nightgown and wandered down to the kitchen.
Maybe I could get the kids a really good breakfast
today. They'll like that even if they do miss their baba.
She set some hot water on for her tea, and then she settled down with her tablet, hoping to wake herself up with the news.
She had barely done more than skim a few headlines when it occurred to her that she could check the Shujae news as well. Whatever Abir was doing was obviously important, it stood to reason that there might be news about it.
And even if there's not a lot of detail, maybe there are some pictures. I don't have any pictures of Abir. Maybe I could ask to take some this winter. Ha, maybe we could even do one of those cheesy holiday cards...
She searched Google for Abir's name in Arabic language news, and she froze as the first article that came up showed him standing in a formal tuxedo next to a gorgeous woman in a sweeping beige sequined dress. They looked amazing together, and Lia told herself that it was nothing, likely just something from his previous engagement.
Then she hit translate, and the words leaped off the page at her.
Sheikh Abir Issawi Reunites with Old Flame – Royal Wedding Back On?
Lia's first impulse was to throw the tablet as hard as she could, possibly shouting as she did so. She had done something similar when Abir had announced he was going home to a betrothal four years ago. She had shouted and thrown things and told him to never come back.
She was older now, more mature and much more stable. She had three kids to take care of, and she had better get on with it because it looked as if she was going to be doing it alone.
We can do shared custody if that's what he wants, Lia thought coldly. Hell, is his new wife even going to know about all this? Will he pretend we don't exist?
She shut it all down because she could hear stirring in the rooms above. Hunter, probably, who was her early bird. She had to hold it together for her kids. Had to. She could figure out how to break the truth of it all to them later. Right now, she had to be normal for them.
It worked, sort of. She got Hunter a snack and let him have her phone. She made breakfast for all of them, and then they spent some time doing puzzles together. She had a few days off from work, so there was nothing wrong with letting the work emails go for a while.
It was all fine until the next day, when a text message appeared on her phone.
Sorry, I've been so busy. I'm back tomorrow night.
There was more, but Lia slammed her phone down, shaking her head.
No. She was not dealing with this heartbreak again.
“Mama?” Viola's sweet face looked up at her. “Mama okay?”
Her language slipped when she was worried, and Lia bent down to give her a hug.
“Mama's fine, sweet girl,” she said. “But we're going on a trip, okay? Just you and me and your brothers. Come on, let's get packed.”
She didn't know why she ran to the cabin. It was hers, and that was part of it, but it was something that she associated entirely with Abir. She should have hated it, but she hadn't been thinking clearly.
The kids loved it, of course, and maybe that was why she had chosen to drive to the woods rather than pack everyone back to her own house, standing so empty since Abir had come back into her life.
Face it, she said to herself after the kids were in bed that night. You just got used to the luxury. You got used to how nice it was to have him around, you got used to how good it was to be treated like a little princess. You got used to Abir, and now I hope you are going to be okay going without again...
She knew she should go to sleep, but instead she sat at the writing desk, the laptop open, but unable to write anything. Maybe she never would again, and how sad would that be? She was a publishing professional, and all it took was a little heartbreak – no, be fair, an entire broken heart – to derail her.
Lia's phone chirped, and she glanced at it. It might be work, but instead it was Abir.
Lia, I'm here. Come let me in, I don't want to bang on the door and wake the kids.
Her first instinct was to run, but she was Lia March. She didn't run, and if Abir had chased her to upstate New York to get shouted back onto the turnpike, so be it.
Lia stalked to the door, throwing it open and ready to fight, but instead of recriminations or excuses, she was simply swept into Abir's arms. It was too good, too familiar, and at first she kissed him back as passionately as he kissed her. Then she tore out of his arms, wiping her mouth angrily.
“No,” she hissed. “No, you do not get to do that!”
“Lia...”
“You could have told me,” Lia said, struggling to keep her voice down. “You might have told me that you were going back to marry the ex. You didn't even say—”
“Lia, I am not marrying anyone but you.”
Abir uttered the words calmly, and she stared at him, her head spinning.
“What are you—”
“Nidal told me it was bad,” he said, shaking his head. “I hoped that you knew me better than that. That what we had together was stronger. I suppose I simply need to be more diligent in telling you how much I love you and what you mean to me. Lia. I love you, and believe me, I am not marrying anyone but you.”
“Who says I want to marry you?” Lia retorted, and Abir smiled ruefully at her.
“I have hopes. Darling. I'm not marrying Shira. I had to go back and make sure that the country knew that, once and for all. I left Nidal to watch over you, and he was as shocked as I was when you ran out on me. A bit rude, if I'm honest, running all the way up here with no note—”
“You... you're not marrying your betrothed?”
Abir gave her a long look, and then pulled his tablet out from his bag. She watched in confusion as he pulled up a video on YouTube, cuing it up to a spot roughly halfway through. She saw with some shock that despite being posted less than twenty-four hours ago, it already had several million views.
“Abir...”
“Just watch.”
It was Abir at a podium, and she had never seen him looking more handsome or more stern.
“And at the end of the day, the people of Shujae must realize that while I belong to the country, while I will always do what I think best for the land of my ancestors, my heart is my own, and I will not hand it out to people who think it can be bought. Shira Shadid and I have no current association, and we will have no future association.”
The crowd murmured, and one of the reporters in the front asked something that Lia couldn't catch. On the screen, Abir looked down, and when he spoke, his voice was lower, almost regretful.
“Love can be a difficult thing, but sometimes, luck is on our side. Sometimes, luck brings us back to who we were always meant to be with. Love sometimes does give second chances, and believe me when I say that I do not expect it to give me a third one. I am going to marry the only woman I love, if she will have me.”
In disbelief, Lia looked up from the tablet only to find Abir offering her a small cloth package.
“Lia,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I love you. If you love me as well, marry me.”
It was all too much. She felt tears threatening. The world threatened to sway out from underneath her. She grabbed onto Abir, hardly daring to believe he was real.
“Are you telling me the truth?” she whispered. “You promise?”
“If you let me, I will love you every day we live and all the days after that if I can. I love you. I love you. If you love me too...”
“Abir, oh God, I love you so much, I can't take it, I thought—”
Now she was tearing up, and Abir folded her into his arms.
“It's all right. I should have told you. I just… I just needed that over with before I could do what I have wanted to do since I saw you in New York all those weeks ago.”
“What's that?”
He went down on one knee, opening the package and revealing the diamond ring inside.
“Give you this,” he whispered. “Say you love me, Lia.”
“Abir, I love you, I love you, and yes, I will marry you...”
&n
bsp; The tears were dripping down her face now, but they were so full of joy, she didn't care. Abir rose, slipped the ring on her finger, and was about to say something when a door slammed in the house.
Suddenly there were three little children boiling out, cheering happily to see their baba, worried their mama was crying, wanting to see the ring, and shouting for pancakes for some reason, and Lia couldn't help but break into laughter.
She had a feeling there was going to be a lot of laughter in their future.
Epilogue
Abir
Two Years Later
Abir appeared in the door, handsome in his tuxedo, a broad smile on his face.
“Are you ready yet?” he asked. “They're not going to wait for you even if you did write it?”
Lia took a deep breath, looking down at her sparkling silver gown, and nodded.
“I am. Are the kids settled?”
“Yes, and the nanny's been briefed. We're all cleared for take-off except for one thing.”
She blinked at him.
“What one thing is that?”
She gasped as Abir held out a small velvet box to her. When she opened it, she could only stare at the pair of glittering diamond earrings inside,
“Oh, Abir, I can't—”
“When you are going to stop saying that?” he teased. “Of course I can buy you all the jewels. They'll match your dress and your engagement ring.”
“Thank you,” she said, and then she held still as he threaded the earrings into her ears. They were light and lovely, and in the mirror, she watched them shine.
“Is this all real?” she asked herself, but Abir was the one who answered.
“Are you really going to see your play performed? Are you beautiful in diamonds? Do I love you all the way to my soul? Yes, yes, and yes.”
Lipstick be damned, she pulled him down for a kiss. It started chaste, turned hot, and then finally, he pulled away, shaking his head.
