by Leslie North
Holly didn’t roll her eyes, but it was a near thing. It had been three weeks since his stroke, and every day, she found herself a little less on edge about when the other shoe might drop.
A little.
Her relief that there hadn’t been any permanent damage from the stroke left Holly breathless at least once a day. There was no doubt in her mind that she’d have gone back to Kansas City for as long as it took for him to recover, but with him in New York, she could keep up with her work and make sure that he was doing all right. And Holly was glad to do it. Her dad had always been there for her growing up, and she wasn’t about to tap out when he needed her.
Still…the constant fixation on death and grandchildren was beginning to get to her. There was only so much she could say when he brought up the subject, which he did every forty-eight hours, if not more often.
“I hear you, Dad.” Holly cleared her throat and hiked her purse onto her shoulder. “You need anything? I’m happy to stay, but if you’re good, I should head back to the office.” She’d come on her lunch break.
“No, I’m good. I’ve never been better.” Her father pushed the lever on the recliner and hopped up out of his chair. “It’s about time for me to hit the park.”
Holly did understand. It had been a shock, and her stomach still hit the floor every time she thought about receiving that phone call. When the private plane had touched down in New York, a car had been waiting for her on the runway. At the hospital she’d hugged her dad for as long as he’d let her. She’d felt the tremble in his hands on her back.
Since he’d been cleared to exercise a week ago, he’d been doing laps around the park down the street three times a day. He had even visited the gyms within walking distance and was planning on getting a membership. Once Holly had gone to college, her dad had mostly stocked his freezer with frozen meals. Now he’d switched to a meal delivery service with healthy options. He’d taken the warning from his body seriously.
But all the talk of grandchildren and the implied marriage that would precede them twisted at something inside Holly’s chest.
“Have a good walk, Dad.” She kissed her father on the cheek and headed back to the office.
It was busy, a hive of activity. Clifton’s firm wasn’t only involved in the Qadir project, of course. They had many more domestic and international contracts already in progress, and most people wanted his feedback while they were still in New York for a few more days.
Holly could hardly believe it, but by this time next week, they’d be touching back down in Qadir. The thought set her heart racing. She’d talked to Malik a few times since her return to the US, but between caring for her father and finishing the proposal for the royal family, she’d been swamped. They had never discussed what had happened between them.
That didn’t matter.
She thought of him almost every moment.
Holly sat down at her desk and glanced at a photo of the Qadiri desert she’d taped on the cubicle wall above her monitor before her first trip—a sunrise over rolling dunes. It made her think of Malik and his oasis. It made her think of being wild and free outside the city. It made her…kind of sick.
Her stomach clenched then turned, a hot nausea spreading from her gut to her fingertips. Holly’s mouth filled with saliva, and she swallowed it down, gripping the edge of her desk.
What was happening? She’d been fine in the morning, though without much appetite for lunch.
“Holly? Are you okay?” One of her coworkers, Samantha, stopped at the edge of Holly’s desk. “You look pale.”
She took a deep, steadying breath. The nausea surged, then retreated. “I just…wow.” Holly gingerly let go of the desk and sat back in her seat. “I felt off. Really off. For just a minute, and now…” Bizarre. It was bizarre. “Now I’m hungry.”
“Weird,” said Samantha. “It’s like you’re with child.” She laughed, but the smile quickly melted from her face. “Oh, crap. You’re not pregnant, are you? That was a dumb thing to say in the office. When my sister got pregnant—” Samantha covered her face with her hands. “I’m going to shut up now.”
Holly waved her off. “It’s fine. But it is strange, isn’t it?” The days went spinning through her mind. Her period was late by several days. Five? Six? Her memory slammed her back into the elevator with Malik. They’d gone up, and she had been so hot for him it was like her skin was on fire. Had he used a condom?
No. No, he hadn’t.
Her heart took a flying leap into her throat.
Holly stood up. “I’ll be back in a few, okay? If anyone asks for me, let them know I stepped out for a coffee.”
“No problem,” said Samantha.
Holly did not go for coffee. She went to the drugstore on the corner, bought a pregnancy test, and carried it to the store bathroom in her plastic bag. Let them search the bag, if they wanted. It was urgent.
She unwrapped the box in a series of loud crinkles that echoed off the bathroom titles.
She took the test, washed her hands, and set a timer on her phone for three minutes.
When the chime sounded, she had her answer. Pregnant.
“Look—they sent a car.” Clifton pointed out the windows of the Qadir airport to a uniformed man standing with sign that read BERBER INC.
“The royal family?” Holly covered a yawn with her hand. The flight had been exhausting, even in business class, and on top of that was the secret she was keeping. It was the biggest secret of her life, and it clung to the front of her mind every moment.
She was pregnant with Malik’s baby, and she hadn’t told him.
In the bathroom at the drugstore, she’d thrown the test and the bag away and went back to work with her head held high. It felt like the kind of thing she should cry about, or at least panic a little—having a baby was serious. Holly had never been the type to shy away from a challenge. Her dad had made sure of that. But a baby? With the crown prince of Qadir? For one thing, she didn’t live in Qadir. For another, what if something happened to her? To either of them? It hadn’t been easy to grow up without a mother, and there were no guarantees.
“The royal family.” Clifton smiled at her. “Hasim has invited us to stay at the palace for this trip. More comfortable accommodations, and he wants to catch up, since I wasn’t able to be very social last time.”
Holly’s heartbeat tripped down to her fingertips and pulsed there, just underneath the surface. “The palace,” she said softly. Where Malik lived. How was she going to play this? Walk into his rooms and blurt out the news? She’d planned to have a bit of a buffer between them, but now it was gone. “Maybe I should—” Should she really ask to stay in a hotel, after everything that had happened? The reason the firm was even up for consideration was Clifton’s friendship with King Hasim. It wouldn’t look good for her to stay elsewhere.
The two of them climbed into the backseat of the SUV.
“What was that?” Clifton asked.
“Nothing,” Holly said. “I don’t know where I was going with that.”
For the first time all day, she felt painfully awake.
“Leave them,” a voice said into her ear, and Holly’s entire body melted into the sound. “Let the two old friends gossip with each other. I have better plans for us.”
Holly turned around to find Malik smiling at her, a broad grin making the perfect lines of his face stand out. He was dressed down today, in casual slacks and a white linen button-down shirt. His dark eyes glinted in the sunlight coming in through the windows of one of the palace’s private sitting rooms. Clifton and Holly had been welcomed by the royal family, and the King had sat his friend down right away and entered into deep conversation.
“Hello, Malik the man,” she said. “I didn’t know you’d have plans in mind already.”
“How could I not? I’ve been thinking of you since the moment you stepped onto that plane.” Malik kept his voice low, but she heard something real and raw behind his smiling words. “I’ve been plannin
g for you to come back ever since.”
“Bold,” she said, her pulse fluttering at her throat. “Very bold.” The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn’t about to tell him here. “I’m ready when you are.”
Malik offered her his arm, and they left the sitting room together, then the palace.
Malik jogged across an open green space in the center of the city, chasing a soccer ball, and Holly cheered.
He hadn’t been kidding when he’d mentioned better plans. These plans had been better than sitting at the palace, though it was a beautiful space. Holly couldn’t argue with watching Malik’s hard body run across a field in front of her.
Of course, he wasn’t the only one running. He’d joined an impromptu soccer game when they walked past the park, his security hovering on the edge of the field. All the children seemed to know who he was, but none of them were concerned that he was the crown prince. They’d called for him to play their game, and he had agreed.
Malik kicked the ball into the net and laughed as the kids swarmed him, finally fighting them off enough to come back to Holly’s side.
“So,” he said, catching his breath. “Should I put on another show for you, or should we go to the market?” His eyes twinkled. “They sell everything you could imagine. Qadiri goods for a solid mile.”
“I’d like to see that.”
They wound their way through the market hand in hand, Holly snapping pictures of the tents, the clear blue sky, artisans working their crafts, the gold and silver jewelry glinting in the sun. Here, most everyone wore traditional Qadiri robes with loose, flowing trousers underneath. The women stayed close to their husbands at the stalls. Her heart sank.
She should just tell him about the pregnancy. That was the first step, even if it would mean coming to terms with the fact that she was never going to fit in—not fully—in Malik’s world. Holly had worked too hard to find her place in the business world. In Qadir, she could practically taste the tradition in the air. What role could she possibly play in all that?
“Hungry?” he murmured into her ear.
“Starving,” she said, though she didn’t know what she was so hungry for.
They ate at the oasis.
Malik had arranged a dinner under a private tent overlooking the sparkling water. A second tent housed the catering staff he’d brought from the palace, and two waiters worked as a team to bring out plates of chicken steeped in aromatic spices and rice that melted in her mouth.
“So, this belonged to your mother?” she asked. The word mother nagged at her again—she should tell him. But that would have been an awkward segue.
“It was part of her dowry,” Malik said with a smile. “She loved it here. She also loved the people of Qadir, and she wanted the oasis to go to them in some way.” He looked down at his plate. “I imagine she thought she’d have more time. Now it’s up to me to make sure that happens.”
The business side of her mind roared to life. “I can see why she’d feel that way,” Holly said, but she closed her lips when it came to the rest of her thoughts. Malik’s mother might have wanted it to be a public project, but this location would bring so many benefits to the royal family. If they could develop it in a way that met all those criteria…
She’d gone ahead and come up with plans for the oasis, simply because she couldn’t get the place out of her imagination. Malik could always turn them down once she presented the proposal. Holly looked out over the sunset, which reflected itself in the oasis pool, and covered a yawn with her hand. It had been a long day. She kept coming up against the moment when she would finally break the news to Malik, only to back down again.
Now it occurred to her that it might be a conflict of interest. She should wait until after her presentation, maybe even after Malik had decided which development firm would win the contract. Clifton was letting her take the lead on it, and a bombshell like this would only make things a thousand times more complicated.
“Ready to go?” asked Malik.
“It’s been so wonderful, I almost don’t want to leave.”
“I know that feeling.”
He took her hand anyway, leading her back toward the SUV.
Holly made a silent vow to stay professional. She broke it the moment they slid into the back of the car and Malik leaned in for a kiss.
She’d just have to try harder. For now.
9
“Come for drinks with me.”
Holly had been quiet on the way back to the city, and Malik hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. She’d been back in Qadir for less than a day. He wanted to be next to her more than ever. Malik had thought the distance between them was most painful when it spanned the ocean. Now he knew that having her just down the hall was worse.
It was worse tonight, anyway. She hadn’t wanted the evening to end. That had to be why she was so quiet. That, and maybe the flight. Or any number of things. It was no small thing to fly to Qadir. At least her father was doing well—he’d asked her about him the moment they were alone in the car. Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried about him.
Holly released his hand and straightened up from climbing out of the car. A tired smile flickered across her face. “I don’t think I’m up for a bar.”
“Not at a bar.” He raised his hand to brush his thumb against her cheekbone. “My family is gathering in the sitting room tonight. Clifton is probably already there.”
She pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint the boss.”
“Don’t think of it that way.” Malik felt a tug at the center of his chest. Yes, business had brought her to Qadir in the first place, but business wasn’t what he wanted from her tonight. It wasn’t what he wanted with her. “Clifton is there as a friend, and I’d like to introduce you.”
Her eyes went wide. “I’ve met your brothers before…and your father.”
“Not my sister. And not like this.” He took her hand in his. “I’m making it sound like you should feel a lot of pressure, but that’s the opposite of what I want.” He felt pressure building in his own chest. “And I don’t want the evening to be over.”
Holly let out a little sigh. “I can’t argue with that.”
“One drink,” he said. “Tea, if you’d like. We have an excellent selection.”
She arched one eyebrow. “I could get on board with tea.”
“Tea it is.”
Malik escorted her into the palace and to the private family wing. His heart beat loud in his ears as they approached the sitting room. Murmuring voices floated out through the open double doors. Holly took her hand out of his elbow, her steps slowing.
“Your entire family is in there?” she asked softly.
“Just my immediate family,” he answered. “My brothers, my father, my sister. And Clifton. That’s all. If it were the entire family we’d need most of the palace.”
“You have that many relatives?”
“My mother came from a large family.” Malik guided her forward so she could see into the room. His siblings were clustered on a pair of sofas near a coffee table, and Clifton sat with his father near a fireplace. The fire was lit, burning low in the grate, and the two men looked like something out of a storybook. It was a different atmosphere entirely from the sun-soaked meal they’d had earlier. “See?”
“I see.” Holly squared her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
She matched him step for step all the way to where everyone was chatting. Amina, his sister, looked up first. “Malik,” she said, rising from the couch. “You’re just in time for drinks.” She gave Holly a wide, welcoming smile. “You must be Holly.” She came to clasp Holly’s hands in hers, and Holly’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “How did you enjoy dinner? I heard my brother took you to the oasis.”
“He did,” answered Holly. “It was lovely. So lovely that we decided to continue the evening with all of you.”
“Good choice.” Amina turned back to the rest of her family. “You’ve met my brothers and
my father, of course.”
They greeted Holly with a chorus of hellos, Zaman and Baqir making room on the sofas for them. Holly sat next to Malik, keeping her hands folded in her lap. Clifton and Hasim had looked up to wave, but they were already absorbed in their conversation again.
“Finally,” said Baqir. “We can ask you all the real questions we have.” He looked over his shoulder at the older men. “Anything but looking at sketches of mile-high buildings. Your boss has been showing off his portfolio.”
Holly laughed, and Malik swallowed a sharp spike of jealousy. It took him off guard, making him feel like the sofa was tilting under his body. Why? It made no sense to be instantly envious of his brother for making Holly laugh one time.
“What kinds of questions?” Holly inched closer to Malik. “I can’t promise I’ll answer everything.”
“But don’t you want to?” Zaman said smoothly, a coy smile on his face. “It’s more fun when everyone is open with each other.”
Amina reached over and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Zaman, don’t.”
“What?” He didn’t take his eyes off Holly’s face. “I’m only curious.”
“You’re a terrible flirt,” Amina warned. “You know it’s not right.”
“Oh, I disagree.” Zaman cut his eyes over to Amina. “Flirting is part of forming a human connection.”
“Not with Malik’s…” Amina’s voice trailed off, color coming to her cheeks. Malik felt his pulse in his temples. This conversation was not going in the direction he’d planned.
“Where did you grow up, Holly?” Baqir cut in. “The United States is huge. I keep picturing you in the middle of a wheat field.”
Holly let out a low chuckle. “I didn’t spend a lot of time in wheat fields growing up in Kansas City,” she said. “But we did have a few tornadoes touch down nearby.”