by Holly Rayner
“I’ll get it,” I said to my dad, who had already begun to scoot out of his chair.
Jalaal would call, or at least text, before he came, right? That was what I kept reminding myself as I approached the door, not wanting to be disappointed like I knew I inevitably would be.
But I badly wanted it to be him. I missed him like crazy, and him not being here when he told us he would hurt. I realized, closing my fist over the door handle, that if it wasn’t Jalaal on the other side, this would be the first time he had ever let me down.
Chapter 17
I was still collecting my jaw off the floor when Sam ran into the hallway to see what was keeping me.
“Balloons!” he exclaimed, dashing toward the figure in the hall.
Of course, I already knew who was behind the colorful collection of balloons. Who else could it be? I could see his expensive Italian shoes, the tailored fit of his dress pants, and the strong hands I could feel on my skin even when he wasn’t around.
“Jalaal,” I managed to choke out, “that’s a lot of balloons.”
There must have been over two dozen, knocking against each other as Sam took them from him one by one. Jalaal’s face came out from behind them, a bright grin etched on his features.
“What’s a birthday without balloons?” he asked.
“This is so cool!” Sam exclaimed. Finally divesting my boyfriend of balloons, I caught Sam doing a not-so-sneaky assessment of what else Jalaal had brought with him. I also saw his disappointment when he noticed Jalaal’s hands were now empty.
“Let’s get to the living room and finish opening your presents,” I told Sam, patting him on the hand.
Balloons in hand, he bounced back into the living rom.
I turned back to Jalaal. “I’m glad you could come.”
He strode forward and took me in his arms, pecking a kiss on my lips. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Even with Jalaal’s odd behavior, I expected the rest of the day to go down as planned. He had probably gotten busy, forgotten what day it was, and had only had time to pick up balloons on his way out to see us. It was unusual, but understandable.
I hadn’t expected him to show up with anything extravagant for my kid’s birthday anyway. I mean, Sam probably would have appreciated it, but it wasn’t fair to Jalaal to make those kind of assumptions.
I was just glad he was here. So glad.
We headed into the living room and Jalaal sat down next to me on the couch, slinging his arm over my shoulder.
“Hey, that’s a cool truck,” Jalaal commented. “Who’s that from?”
“Auntie Elyse,” Sam said, beaming.
“What are you going to open next, Sammy?” I asked.
Sam looked over the presents and grabbed the next one from the pile, which happened to be another one from me—a box set of Where’s Waldo books, which he loved. After that, Sam moved on to the rest of the presents, which didn’t take long.
Then, visible presents finished, Sam started looking for ones that weren’t visible. I’d raised him better than to outright ask why Jalaal hadn’t gotten him anything—Sam didn’t consider balloons to be an actual gift—so he merely started asking Jalaal what he’d been up to and what his plans were for the day.
Jalaal saw right through it. He chuckled and leaned over, ruffling Sam’s hair. I was mortified.
I was about to intervene when Jalaal got a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“You don’t need a gift from me, do you, Sam?” Jalaal asked.
Sam put on his most angelic expression. “No,” he replied. “Just you being here is gift enough.”
I was even more mortified. Sam couldn’t have sounded more like I’d told him what to say if he’d pulled out a script and read from it.
Jalaal stroked his chin. “Well in that case, you probably don’t want to see what I have for you in the parking lot downstairs.”
Sam was up and bolting for the door before I even had a chance to process what Jalaal had said.
“Hey!” I called after him, jumping to my feet. “Wait!”
Jalaal sprung up beside me and we met Sam at the door, where I insisted he put on some shoes before running off.
“What did you get him?” I whispered to Jalaal. “If it’s a pony, you’re going to have to explain to him why he can’t keep it in his room.”
“It’s not a pony,” Jalaal assured me, stroking my back.
“Then what is it?”
He smirked. “Wait and see.”
Sam pushed the elevator button repeatedly until it arrived. We all piled in and the rickety contraption filled with nervous energy. What was so big that Jalaal had had to leave it in the parking lot? A bouncy castle? A car? A person? The suspense was killing me.
Sam, on the other hand, was handling it quite well. He bounced a little from foot to foot as we descended, but he wasn’t jabbering like I was internally. He did, however, dart away from me as soon as the elevator doors opened.
“Sammy!” I called after him. “What have I told you?”
But he was already out the back door and gone.
I gave Jalaal a reproachful look as we stepped out into the hall, but he merely shrugged, his smirk intact.
“I used to get very excited when it was my birthday, too,” Jalaal said.
I imagined him as a little boy, with big eyes full of wonder. It was almost enough to distract me from whatever was going to be outside.
The one thing I hadn’t expected? An SUV stretch limo.
Sam was running around it in the parking lot, as if he expected it to transform like one of his toys. But the car wasn’t even running. The driver stood next to the back door, his hands crossed in front of him. That was the only indicator that this was Jalaal’s present.
That and it was the only car in the parking lot that looked like it had cost more than a couple grand.
“What is this?” I asked.
Jalaal shrugged. “It looks like a limousine to me.”
I pushed him. “Hey! Don’t be coy.”
“Jalaal! Jalaal!” Sam cried, running up to us. He flung his arms around my boyfriend and squeezed. “Are we going to go for a ride? I’m so excited!”
I hadn’t realized just how excited Sam would get at the prospect of riding in a limo. Interesting. Maybe Jalaal knew something about my son that I didn’t.
“We’re not going for a ride just yet,” Jalaal said.
“Why not?” Sam asked, crestfallen.
I had the same question on my own tongue, so I waited for Jalaal’s answer. Meanwhile, my dad stalked around the vehicle just as Sam had, only with a little less gusto.
“Because, little guy…” Jalaal patted Sam’s head. “You haven’t packed yet.”
“Packed?” I interjected. “What?”
Jalaal’s grin widened. “It’s Sam’s birthday. Shouldn’t he be the one asking the questions?”
“What do you mean ‘packed’?” Sam asked. “Are we going somewhere?”
Jalaal turned to me and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Only if it’s okay with your mother,” he said.
“That depends on where it is.” I donned a face of mock sternness.
Jalaal chuckled. “How would you feel about Disneyland?”
Sam started jumping up and down, shrieking like a whistle. I resisted the temptation to cover my ears, not wanting to spoil his moment.
“Mom! Mom! Did you hear? Did you hear?” He flung his arms around me and pushed against me like he was trying to take me to the ground. “Did you hear?”
“Yes, Sammy, I heard.”
And I still don’t know how to react.
Obviously, I was thrilled. Who wouldn’t be? I wanted to be screaming and running around right beside Sam. But this was the first big thing Jalaal had done for us, and it completely blindsided me. My insides felt like they were made of rubber. I wanted to cry. I wanted to kiss my boyfriend. And I worried that if I didn’t take a moment to relax, I would end up doing
all of those things at once.
“Are you okay, Skyler?” Jalaal’s concerned face was suddenly right in front of mine. He gently tilted my chin up so I would look at him. “Have I done something wrong?”
Sam didn’t notice. He and Dad were chattering excitedly about what Disneyland was like. Sam, predictably, had never been, and Dad hadn’t been since he took me and my sister as kids.
“No, no.” I let a smile grace my lips. “I’m just surprised is all. Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before.”
“It’s not just for you,” he reminded me, kissing me gently on the forehead. “It’s for Sam and for your father also. I thought it would be a chance for us all to spend time together.”
Tears welled in my eyes and I wrapped my arms around him. I held on tight, my face pressed into his chest. He smelled delicious, and for a moment my thoughts wandered to something a little less wholesome than Disneyland.
I didn’t know how to describe to him how much Jalaal’s gesture meant to me. Sam’s own father hadn’t even bothered to stick around so Sam could meet him. Now I had a new guy in my life—a worry for any single mom—and yet instead of simply putting up with my son, Jalaal was making moves to actually form a bond with him.
“I love you,” I muttered against his shirt.
I immediately stiffened. Oh God. We hadn’t said the “L” word yet. We’d only been seeing each other for just over a month. What if he didn’t love me back? I didn’t think I could handle being brought down so low after being raised so high. Maybe he hadn’t heard me. Maybe the fabric of his shirt had muffled my voice. Maybe—
“I love you, too.” Jalaal’s silken voice was perfectly clear.
And me? I was perfectly happy.
An hour later, the four of us were in the back of the stretch SUV. Sam was sipping on sparkling apple juice from a plastic cup, which I found hilarious. For the adults, there was champagne. For my father, who despised all things he thought were “frilly,” there was beer. I couldn’t believe Jalaal had already picked up on that aspect of my father’s personality. I wished everybody could be so observant.
“We have three-day passes,” Jalaal told us, rubbing gently at the side of my arm when I stiffened. “I’ve taken care of accommodation and all other considerations. I just want the four of us to have fun.”
I was probably more excited by the idea of an overnight hotel stay with Jalaal than I was by the theme park. Sam, on the other hand, barely seemed to notice the part about the hotel.
“First, I want to go on Splash Mountain. Then can we do the Matterhorn and then Space Mountain?” he yammered. He wasn’t talking to anyone in particular, and he certainly didn’t wait for a response. Sam had been wanting to go to Disneyland since he’d first learned what it was. He watched their promotional videos instead of cartoons, sometimes.
“It’s so amazing that you’re doing this,” I said quietly to Jalaal.
My father stared out the window while Sam talked, a contented smile on his face.
“You deserve it,” Jalaal murmured. “Sam deserves it.”
“Can you really take this much time away from work?”
He raised a brow. “You think I can’t stay away from work for three days?”
I lowered my eyes sheepishly. It was one of my fears with him. I worried that no matter how much he cared for me, there would come a time when his work would overshadow our relationship.
Our relationship was still fresh, and that was what I attributed to him spending so much time with me. I figured once he got used to me, he would drift away a little.
I felt stupid for feeling like that though. He had given me no reason to think such a thing. Today only proved that. And despite still having reservations, I wasn’t willing to share them. After everything Jalaal had done for me—for us—it would be understandable if he found my fears insulting.
“I just don’t want us to be getting in the way of your life, is all,” I mumbled. It was a lame answer, and I knew it.
“You are my life, Skyler,” Jalaal said then. He cupped my face in his hands and brought his lips close to mine. “Perhaps we haven’t spent much time together yet, but for what it’s worth, I’m committed to this. To you. To us.”
He lowered his mouth to mine and pressed a soft, warm kiss to my lips. And for once, my fears took the backseat.
Chapter 18
I was exhausted.
It was day two of our Disneyland adventure, and we had done almost everything there was to do in the parks. Jalaal had gotten us fast passes at every attraction, so we’d ridden most of the rides once already and had gone back to some of them two or three times. We watched the parade and fireworks show on our first night, though Sam fell asleep toward the end. I didn’t blame him; he’d been running around like a madman all day, and Jalaal had been running around with him, leaving my dad and I dragging behind like doddering old men.
For our second day, however, Jalaal hung out with me and my dad took Sam around. The kid was a little less boisterous by then, so it was easier for everyone. And I was happy to have my man back, even if I had enjoyed watching him bond with my son.
“I’m hungry,” Sam announced, late in the afternoon. “Is it dinnertime soon?”
Jalaal checked the time on his Rolex, grinning. “You’ve got a perceptive tummy, Sam. It’s dinnertime soon, yes.”
We were standing by the water in California Adventureland, watching the giant Ferris wheel spin in lazy rotations. I was terrified of heights, and had nearly cried on it about an hour ago.
“What are we doing for dinner?” Sam asked. “Are we going to the Pirates of the Caribbean restaurant again?”
Sam was being utterly spoiled on this trip. Then again, so was I. We were already staying at the royal suites in the Disneyland Hotel, and had dined at all the nicest restaurants the park had to offer. The only way Jalaal could have spoiled Sam more was if he bought him everything he wanted from the numerous stores, but we’d compromised by getting Sam a set of Mickey ears with his name embroidered on them. I didn’t want him getting too used to all this, just in case. I didn’t want him to turn into a brat.
“Actually, you and your granddad are having dinner without us tonight,” Jalaal said.
I perked up. “What?”
Jalaal squeezed my hand, though he kept directing his words toward Sam. “I want to take your mom out for a nice dinner to show her how special she is. Would that be okay with you?”
“I suppose that would be okay,” Sam said judiciously. “Where are we going?”
I smiled. My kid had such a one-track mind when it came to food. Jalaal could have told him he was taking me to space, but all Sam would have cared about was what he was getting to eat.
“I’ve arranged for you two to go eat at Medieval Times,” Jalaal said, wiggling his eyebrows. “They’ve got jousters on horseback and sword fights and you get to eat with your hands.”
Sam’s eyes grew as round as the dinner plates I assumed he would be eating off of. “Really?” He turned to Dad, who looked intrigued. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes, I heard.” My dad laughed. “Just remember that you don’t get to have a swordfight. Just the knights.”
“I’m so excited! When are we leaving?” Sam began tugging on Jalaal’s hand. I assumed he was trying to lead him toward the exit. It was adorable.
“There’s a car waiting for you two at the gate,” Jalaal explained.
I was still in shock. What kind of dinner would we be having? And how did Jalaal know I had been wishing for some time alone together? Sometimes it was like he could read my mind. Was this what having a good boyfriend was like?
We walked with my dad and Sam to the park gates, where they met up with the driver who would escort them the rest of the way to the car. As soon as they were out of sight, Jalaal grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward the front gates.
“Our dinner will not involve eating with our hands,” he assured me.
I laughed. He had read
my mind—yet again.
As it turned out, there were a variety of secret restaurants on Disneyland’s grounds. And as I discovered later, they were nearly impossible to get into. But that would never stop Jalaal. Unless something was physically and scientifically impossible, I figured he would always find a way.
The secret restaurant he took me to made the child inside me die of happiness.
We dined in Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
The service and food could have been horrible and I still would have had the best meal of my life. I was with the man I loved and we were inside a literal fairy-tale castle. What more could a person dream of?
“Thank you so much for everything this weekend, Jalaal.” I locked eyes with him from across the table. He’d never looked more like a prince. I often forgot that he was.
“Like I said, my love,” he winked. “You deserve it.”
“But surely you have to know that you treat me way better than most people treat their significant other.” I didn’t want to put a damper on the evening, but my insecurities were showing through again. “You don’t have anything to prove to me, Jalaal. I love you just the way you are.”
Jalaal chuckled, shaking his head. He reached for my hand over the table and grasped it, stroking the underside of my palm.
“I’ve lavished attention on many women in the past,” he said, and my heart sank. “…But I’ve never wanted to as much as I do when I’m with you,” he finished. “I don’t know what it is, Skyler, but being with you makes everything in my life better. Sweeter.”
I looked up at him through my eyelashes, warmth spreading through my chest. How had I gotten so lucky?
“I feel the same,” I replied. With a chuckle, I added, “You know, when you didn’t show up this morning, I thought maybe you’d forgotten about us. I feel horrible for doubting you now.”
Jalaal’s expression grew stern. “I will never forget about you. I love you, Skyler, and I love Sam. I will always be there for both of you.”
