by Erin Snihur
“I don’t want to talk about her,” Amoz ordered and shook off his friend’s hands.
“You never told me what she did to hurt you this badly,” Tariq murmured back.
“It matters not,” Amoz growled and turned back to watch Malik as he dragged Samara back toward the car, shivering and dripping in wet snow.
Samara’s bright, brown eyes twinkled at him and Amoz felt his glare loosen, only for a moment. “Tariq, are you upsetting Amoz? This is a vacation!”
“I apologize, your Highness, it is so easy, I could not resist,” Tariq teased back.
Rolling her eyes at Tariq’s formal manner, Samara turned her happy gaze on Amoz. “Denver has a beautiful botanical garden, Amoz, would you like to join us?”
“In the winter?” Amoz commented bitterly and one warning look from Malik had him straightening. Samara didn’t seem to notice, too happy in her life.
“I know, amazing isn’t it? The gardens are inside a large dome. We will have to come see the outdoor gardens again in the spring when everything is in bloom,” Samara giggled back and tugged Malik toward their waiting SUV. “Let’s go! It will be an adventure.”
17
Teresa walked slowly behind her sister and mother as they meandered through the botanical gardens. Thankful the business remained open in the winter, Teresa listened as her mother talked about their day with her sister.
“Your father didn’t even buy the right type of juice I wanted,” her mother crooned and flailed her arms about. “I set him straight, don’t you worry.”
“Yes, Mother,” Samantha murmured softly before turning to look over her shoulder at Teresa.
Smiling reassuringly, Teresa ran her hands over her stomach and around to the small of her back, trying to release the stress of the day from her aching back. Walking always seemed to help her and she prayed the nausea would ebb.
“Oh my, he’s so dark! He reminds me of those sinful men I used to read about in romance books as a young girl,” her mother exclaimed a few minutes later and Teresa looked around her sister and mother who had frozen in place.
Teresa’s eyes widened at the sight of Tariq, Amoz’ best friend. He was here in Colorado. He was reading a plaque in front of a bush of beautiful roses, completely oblivious to their stares.
If Tariq was here, he might see her! Teresa inwardly thought.
Her hands instantly went to her stomach. Turning away from her sister before she could say something, Teresa waddled away, hiding behind a bush that covered a path that wove through the gardens.
Teresa watched as her sister turned to say something to her, but when Samantha saw Teresa was nowhere to be seen she let out a soft curse.
“Samantha Monet! I didn’t raise you to use such foul language! Has that neighbor boy been teaching you those awful words?” Teresa’s mother exclaimed loudly, gaining Tariq’s attention.
The man seemed to stare at Samantha for only a moment before recognition exploded all over his face and he scanned the area. Teresa groaned in frustration as she delved deeper into the bush, praying he couldn’t see her.
“Sam? Samantha Monet?” Tariq called out and her mother stopped her chastising as the man approached.
Teresa leaned in close, carefully listening in the hopes of hearing something about him. Amoz, the father of her child and the love of her life. Cringing at how low she’d fallen, Teresa’s stomach rolled with fresh nausea.
Please, stay down, Teresa inwardly pleaded with her stomach contents.
“Tariq! What a surprise. How are you?” Teresa heard her sister, Samantha, exclaim nervously.
“Very well,” Tariq murmured and then slid his gaze to their mother, before a grin broke out and he knelt before the older woman, his hand outstretched in welcome. “I had no idea you had another younger sister.”
“Oh you, flirt you,” Teresa’s mother giggled and swatted at Tariq before taking his hand. “I am Linda Monet, Samantha’s mother. And you are?”
Bowing slightly, Tariq grinned at her mother, “Tariq Abadi, Mrs. Monet. A pleasure it is to finally meet you. Your daughters have told me so much about you.”
“Have they? Well, they haven’t told me anything about you,” Teresa’s mother murmured before turning to look at her daughter. Samantha was white as a sheet as she stared at Tariq.
“Samantha? Why haven’t you or Teresa told me about your new friend? Did you meet in school?” her mother asked.
Shrugging briefly, Samantha cleared her throat before patting her mother's shoulder. “It didn’t seem worth mentioning, mom. We met before your accident.”
Linda Monet seemed to hesitate for a moment before her eyes shifted back to Tariq, “Are you him?”
“I’m sorry?” Tariq asked.
“The father?” her mother asked back and, before Samantha could stop her mother, a feminine voice called out Tariq’s name from behind him.
“Tariq? We thought we lost you! Malik was about to send out a search party!”
The beautiful, dark haired woman wearing a feminine blouse and long skirt appeared and stopped at the sight of Tariq speaking with Samantha and Teresa’s mother.
The long-haired woman smiled at Samantha and Teresa’s mother before poking Tariq in the side with her elbow. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
Teresa couldn’t focus as Tariq made introductions. It was all too much. Two more men appeared behind the beautiful woman. But it was only one of them that had Teresa’s heart both stopping and thudding to life all over again. Even the child in her stomach saw fit to move about the instant her eyes landed on him.
Impossible! What is he doing here? Teresa exclaimed inwardly and pushed herself further into the bush. She needed to get away. He can’t see her like this. It would crush her to see the look of disgust fall on Amoz’ face at the sight of her.
Amoz had never felt so sick before than at the sight of Samantha Monet. Teresa’s sister. Samantha, in turn stared back at him, her eyes full of fear as if Amoz was there to harm her or something. Shouldn’t she be looking to her own sister’s husband as the monster and not Amoz?
His gaze shifted to the elderly woman who was no doubt her mother, Linda Monet, with green eyes so similar to Teresa’s. She sat in a wheelchair and listened to Tariq, enraptured as his friend introduced Samara and Malik to both Samantha and the older woman.
“And this is another of my best friends, Amoz. He and I met your daughters during their trip to Elish,” Tariq’s words finally registered with Amoz and he sharpened his gaze back on Samantha, who inhaled sharply.
Nodding at Samantha, Amoz gruffly murmured, “It is good to see you again, Samantha.”
“You too,” Samantha murmured back, but was overshadowed by the elderly woman who shouted with glee.
“Oh yes, they went on a trip! And dear Gerry brought them back to me. I wasn’t sure if I would ever see them again,” Linda spoke dreamily as if it had just happened instead of six months ago.
Leaning down, Samantha squeezed her mother's shoulder, “Try to stay calm, mom.”
Waving her daughter away, Linda smiled at Tariq before her eyes shifted to Amoz, “You and my other daughter, Teresa, would be great friends. She looks so serious all the time, just like you. I tell her if she doesn’t smile at least a little bit before the baby comes, the baby will be born with a permanent frown.”
Mouth opened, Samantha clears her throat and glances at her bare wrist. “Well, would you look at the time, we best be going. Lovely to see you and meet you all. Toodeloo!”
Pushing her mother in the wheelchair past them, Amoz struck and grabbed Samantha by the arm, pulling her to halt.
“Teresa is pregnant?” Amoz growled through clenched teeth.
“Amoz,” Malik crooned warningly as everyone tensed at the sight of Amoz’ pent up anger slithering along the surface.
Staring up into his eyes, Samantha nodded hesitantly and Amoz pulled his hand away, shaking his head. “Is she happy?”
“Of course not! She’s p
regnant and unmarried! You know, when I was a young girl, if a man got you pregnant, he had the honor to do the right thing and marry you!” Linda Monet exclaimed loudly for all to hear.
“Sam?” Amoz practically yelled in question as he stared at Teresa’s sister. While their hair and eyes looked nothing alike their complexion and facial features were similar. Teresa’s sister was at war with her emotions and the situation.
Before he could say her name again, a cry of pain rang out over the once quiet gardens and everyone turned in the direction of the cry.
“That sounded like Teresa,” Linda Monet exclaimed. “Wasn’t she just with us a few moments ago?”
Another cry of pain had Amoz sprinting down the path in the direction of the sounds and came to a halt in front of a bed of roses. Laying in the center of the rose bed, like a gift from Allah, was Teresa Evans. Beautiful and obviously pregnant. She was paler than he remembered and the bags under her eyes were smudged with purple from tiredness.
“Amoz,” she whispered his name softly in shock at the sight of him before her face morphed into pain and she clutched her protruding stomach.
Jumping into action and ignoring the sounds of his friends, Sam and Linda approaching, Amoz stepped into the bushes and tried to stop her from moving about.
“What hurts?” Amoz asked, going into a medical mindset he hadn’t used since his time in the Elish army.
“My stomach started cramping. It could be false contractions, but I’m not sure. My water hasn’t broken and I’m not due for three more months,” Teresa gasped as another wave of pain morphed over her face and she breathed in and out harshly.
Six months pregnant, Amoz mused inwardly and a dark thought hissed back, just enough time for her abusive ex-husband to plant his seed.
“Shouldn’t we call an ambulance?” Samara asked frantically as she clutched her new husband's arm.
“It will take them too long. Let’s go in the SUV’s. Malik, let the team know we need a clear path to the nearest hospital,” Amoz ordered and without thinking, he knelt down and swept Teresa into his arms.
Even through the pain, Teresa protested and pushed against him. “No, Amoz! I’m too heavy!”
Rolling his eyes, Amoz strode through their small group, ignoring the shocked and concerned looks Teresa's mother and sister were sending their way as he rushed down the many paths toward the garden dome’s entrance. He didn’t even check to make sure everyone was following. All he heard in the back of his head was one voice.
Teresa is pregnant. Six months pregnant.
As Teresa continued to squirm, Amoz slowed his steps as they exited the garden dome into the cold, wintery parking lot where a few waiting SUV’s stood with Malik’s many guards.
“Stop struggling, ya helo, you aren’t heavy. You were never heavy,” Amoz murmured and she stilled in his arms at his words. Her face flushed from either the cold or his words. He didn’t know, but he wanted to.
As they entered the car, Amoz barked orders in Arabic for the SUV to take them to the nearest hospital. In the corner of his eye he saw Malik, Samara and Tariq helping Samantha and her mother into another SUV.
“Don’t worry about breaking any traffic laws,” Amoz growled in Arabic to the driver, “The diplomatic plates will keep the police off our backs.”
“Amoz,” Teresa whispered against his chest, even as they had slid into the back seat of the SUV, he hadn’t removed his arms from around her. Not wanting to ever let her go again.
Staring down at her, Amoz brushed his nose against hers as he watched her grimace in pain and clutch her stomach. “Yes, ya helo?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left without speaking to you in person,” Teresa whispered through clenched teeth as she breathed harshly through the pain.
“Don’t worry, Teresa, think only about the baby,” Amoz crooned back and placed his hand on top of her bulging stomach. A swift kick over his hand caused Amoz to pull back in shock as he stared in wonder at the small belly.
Chuckling softly to himself, Amoz placed his hand again on her stomach, marveling at the way the baby kicked back against his hand.
“Hush, little one, I will protect your Mama,” Amoz whispered so that only he and Teresa heard the exchange.
Inhaling swiftly, Amoz met Teresa’s beautiful eyes and, before he could stop himself, he placed his lips softly against hers. Amoz marveled at the feel of her soft lips, so plump and mouthwatering. He had missed them.
Against her lips, he whispered, “Always.”
18
Teresa had never seen the hospital in such a panic. As soon as they arrived, she was placed on a gurney and rushed into the emergency ward with Amoz barking orders in Arabic to the stone-faced men who dispersed throughout the room as if to search for something or to keep something out.
Finally, when the nurses and doctors had begun their tests, it became very evident Amoz was not leaving her side. From the glares he shot the nurses when they suggested he wait in the waiting room with the others, to the short comments that if they minded him being there, he would find someone else who wouldn’t.
Everyone here seemed to fear Amoz. She had never felt this kind of fear. She’d only known his love. Now, he seemed crazed with his worry for her. As she lay in the hospital bed, an oxygen mask placed over her nose and mouth, Amoz sat by her side stroking her hair away from her face and every so often placing his comforting hand on her stomach to sooth the kicking baby.
Tears pooled in her eyes as the doctor and nurse stepped out to review the results of her tests. Amoz had placed his hand back on her stomach and soothed the baby in Arabic, his words muffled by the beeping of the machines hooked up to Teresa’s wires.
When his eyes turned back to her, his face etched in concern. “Teresa? What’s wrong? Is something hurting?”
Shaking her head, Teresa pulled the oxygen mask off her face and murmured, “I’m so sorry.”
“For what, ya helo?” Amoz asked, placing his hands back on her forehead.
Before she could answer the doctor returned, his weary face smiling for the first time since they had arrived, “Good news, folks. It was just a mild case of Braxton Hicks contractions.”
Teresa shook her head. “It felt so real.”
The doctor nodded and clasped the clipboard with her information to his chest. “We can keep you overnight for observation. Obviously, the biggest worry is the fall you took. I only see bruising and we are going to perform an ultrasound to make sure everything looks okay. I also think it would be prudent for you to go on bedrest, Ms. Evans. You’ve lost a lot of weight since your last checkup according to your charts.”
Groaning, Teresa bit her lip. “It was the morning sickness, but it's over now, I hope.”
Nodding, the doctor smiled. “Let’s get the ultrasound over with and we can discuss some of your options.”
As the doctor opened the door once more and the nurse wheeled in the ultrasound machine, Teresa breathed heavily at the sight and turned back to Amoz.
“I need to tell you something,” she whispered.
The beeps of her heart rate on the machine distracted her handsome stranger and hushed her. “Be calm, love. No need to get too excited.”
“It’s important, Amoz,” Teresa murmured.
Sighing, Amoz leaned in close, “If it’s about Gerry, I’m sorry. He wasn’t listed under emergency contacts. I couldn’t find him.”
Shaking her head, Teresa closed her eyes tightly to keep the tears at bay. “Gerry and I are divorced now. It happened after I returned home. He and I were never together and haven’t been for a long time.”
Teresa’s words seemed to sink in for Amoz as he stared at her in shock, mouth gaping open. He didn’t look away from her as the nurse pulled back Teresa’s hospital gown and revealed her perfectly shaped baby bump. The familiar scars of her past seemed so insignificant now. Teresa gasped at the cool gel the nurse squirted onto her stomach. The doctor took over then and placed the probe on her stomac
h, fiddling with the buttons on the control panel as the screen flared to life. The thumping sounds of a heartbeat filled the silent room.
Not wanting to see his face morph into one of disgust, Teresa turned away and stared at the image of her perfect baby flash across the screen. Gasping at the sight, Teresa smiled when she saw the fingers and feet move and felt the corresponding movement of flutters in her belly. Smiling at the sight of her precious baby, Teresa only barely noticed when Amoz pulled away from her and moved closer to the ultrasound screen.
“There he is,” the doctor murmured.
“He?” Amoz asked in a whisper, “It’s a boy?”
“Were you both wanting to wait for the gender reveal? I’m so sorry, your Highness, I had no idea,” the doctor murmured, his voice frantically mumbling apology after apology.
“Highness?” Teresa asked in shock as both the doctor, the nurse and Amoz turned to stare back at her. “Why do you think Amoz is royalty?”
Clenching his fists, Teresa watched as Amoz sent a look to the doctor and nurse, “Leave us.”
Nodding slightly, the doctor stood and halted the image so that it was frozen on the screen displaying their perfect baby. Teresa’s mind was frantic. Why would they think Amoz was royalty? This question buzzed in her mind as she thought back to the way things just happened for Amoz back at the resort with a snap of his fingers. She’d thought it was due to his being a prominent businessman.
Then her mind snapped to just this afternoon when large, security type men appeared and escorted them to the hospital. Even now as the doctor and nurse exited the room, Teresa could make out the silent, sturdy bodies of two men guarding the entrance to Teresa’s private hospital room.
“Amoz, what’s going on?” Teresa asked in a slow whisper.
Turning back to face her, his face darkened with anger and obvious stress, Amoz bit back through clenched teeth. “I could ask you the same thing, Teresa. Were you ever going to tell me that you were carrying my child?”
