Falling In Love

by Emma Easter

  Falling In Love

  Book Four

  The Sisters of Rosefield Series

  Emma Easter

  © 2019 Emma Easter

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. Copyright law.

  Table of Contents

  Thank You – Free Bonus

  The Sisters of Rosefield Series

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Also by Emma Easter

  About the Author

  Thank You – Free Bonus

  Thank you for picking up your copy of Falling In Love. I hope that you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it!

  As a token of appreciation, I’d like to offer you a complimentary copy of the prequel to this book series. A Rosefield Christmas is an entertaining short story that tells of a memorable holiday when the sisters were much younger.

  You can get your free gift by going to EmmaEaster.com/free

  Thanks again, Emma

  The Sisters of Rosefield Series

  Book One: Love Is Enough

  Book Two: Quest For Love

  Book Three: Love Means Everything

  Book Four: Falling In Love

  Book Five: Love Will Prevail

  Book Six: Blessed With Love

  Dedication

  To my parents, Joanne & Jim –

  thanks for showing me a wonderful example of true love

  Chapter One

  Zainah nervously entered the wedding reception venue, hand in hand with Faizan. She’d just arrived from the airport for her second visit to the United States. The last one, which was arranged by Faizan’s friends in the government, had been an impromptu visit. It had lasted only a few hours before she’d had to get back on the private plane and return to the women’s camp. Her K-1 visa had taken a few months to process, but she was finally here again. She and Faizan had just three months to get married or she would have to leave the country. It wasn’t a problem as they planned to tie the knot in just a month.

  She looked up at the beautiful coral and peach decorations, admiring the place. Since she and Faizan’s wedding would be in just a few weeks, she doubted they would have the time to plan such an elaborate wedding. She stared at the well-dressed wedding guests and then self-consciously looked down at her plain black skirt and ruffled purple top. Faizan had picked her up at the airport, and she’d quickly changed at his house before coming here, to his sister Trisha’s wedding. She felt even more self-conscious as a beautiful brunette, probably one of the ushers, came to lead them to their seats right in front of the hall.

  She turned and whispered worriedly to Faizan, “I feel so underdressed.” She’d worn her best outfit, but amongst these guests, it looked more like she was wearing her day dress.

  He turned to her as they sat down at a table that seemed to be reserved for just the two of them. He squeezed her hand and then kissed her on the lips. “You look beautiful,” he said, looking admiringly at her.

  She smiled at him, feeling a little better. “Thank you for coming to pick me up at the airport even though it’s your sister’s wedding today.” She turned away and her eyes searched for the bride. She immediately saw her, a beautiful vision in white, a few seats away. At her right side was the handsome groom. At her left was a delicate-looking blonde beauty Zainah guessed was Sienna, Faizan’s other sister. She was probably Trisha’s maid of honor. Sienna was dressed in a peach off-shoulder dress and she was smiling at another young man beside her.

  “I’m a little nervous to meet all your sisters and their husbands,” she said to Faizan.

  He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by a booming voice asking everyone to listen. She turned and saw the groom on his feet with a microphone. He looked around the hall, waiting for everyone to quiet down. When the place was totally quiet, he began to thank everyone who’d planned the wedding and made the day a success. He thanked all the guests for coming and then began a moving tribute to his bride that left Zainah tearful. A few other guests also had tears in their eyes.

  “I still can’t believe that Trisha is now my wife,” he said, looking down at her, his eyes shimmering with tears. Everybody clapped as he bent to kiss her. He sat down after that and the hall immediately began to buzz again.

  Zainah turned to Faizan, “That was beautiful. He really loves her.”

  Faizan nodded. “Frank has been in love with Trisha since they were teenagers. She only realized that she loved him some months ago. He wanted to marry her immediately, but Audrey and Sienna wouldn’t hear of it. And Trisha agreed with them. If not for my sisters, they would have just done a small wedding or maybe eloped.”

  Zainah looked longingly at Faizan. “I wish we could also elope, but I want your sisters to share in our joy. Since they have been so kind and taken charge of most of the planning because I wasn’t here, I want them to be happy and do whatever they want to do. I don’t even know anything about planning a wedding, so I’ll trust them to…”

  Her eyes widened as a pretty blonde-haired lady who was also dressed in a peach dress and looked like Trisha, came bounding toward her, her arms wide open. Zainah had only spoken to Faizan’s sisters once, but she guessed this was Audrey.

  Zainah stood just as Audrey reached and embraced her tightly.

  “You must be the beautiful Zainah that Faizan cannot stop talking about!” Audrey exclaimed. She pulled back from Zainah and looked her over. “My brother is crazy about you, but you know that already.”

  Zainah smiled. She liked Audrey already. “I love him very much too,” she said. “I’m so glad to meet you, Audrey. I’ve also heard a lot about you and your sisters from Faizan.”

  “Good things, I hope,” Audrey grinned and looked down at Faizan.

  Zainah nodded. “Very good things.” She grinned as well. “But he also said you are crazy.”

  Audrey laughed out loud and then shook her head as she looked at Faizan. “So, I am crazy.” She turned back to Zainah. “He also has a crazy streak himself.”

  Faizan grinned. “No, I don’t! You and Trisha are a tad insane, but that’s one of the reasons I love you both.” He looked at Zainah. “Sienna is the angel of the family.” He looked up and chuckled. “Talk about the saint, here she comes.”

  Zainah turned away from Audrey and saw Sienna daintily approaching with a smile on her face. She cradled her huge belly with one hand and clutched a beaded silver purse in her other. She reached them and looked at Zainah.

  “You must be Zainah,” Sienna said in a silken voice that totally charmed Zainah.

  “Yes, and you must be Sienna.”

  Sienna nodded and reached out to hug her. She drew back, and Zainah looked down at her belly. “You’re almost due?”

  Sienna smiled. “Yes, the doctor told me the baby will probably come by the end of this month. I am super excited about that.” She shook her head and said, “But enough about me. How was your trip?”

  Zainah told her it was good but tiring, and Sienna asked if Zainah had taken her things to Trisha’s yet. When Zainah told her she had not yet done that, but would after the wedding, Sienna nodded. “I can’t wait for all of us to go wedding dress sho
pping. Unfortunately, Trisha will still be on her honeymoon, so she won’t be able to join us.”

  “But we will still have a great time,” Audrey said.

  “I love your accent,” Sienna said.

  Zainah thanked her, and Audrey asked what languages they spoke at the women’s camp.

  “We speak different languages there but mostly Arabic, French, and English,” Zainah answered.

  “Faizan told me a little about that women’s camp in North Africa you lived in for years. I can’t wait for you to tell us all about it. It sounds so mysterious.” Audrey pulled out a chair from the next table, dragged it to Zainah and Faizan’s, and sat down. Zainah sat as well.

  Faizan shook his head as he sat beside Zainah. “Let her be for today, Audrey. She can tell you about it tomorrow.”

  Audrey waved her hand dismissively and looked quizzically at Zainah, obviously waiting for her to start.

  Zainah chuckled at the look on Faizan’s face.

  Sienna said she wanted to hear about the camp as well and pulled another chair to their table. She sat and looked expectantly at Zainah.

  Zainah looked at Sienna and then at Audrey. She asked, “What exactly do you want to know about the camp?”

  “Everything. Faizan has told me a little bit about it, but I want to hear about your camp from you. A Christian women’s refugee camp in the middle of the Arabian Desert fascinates me.”

  Zainah thought briefly about the camp. Fascinating would not be what she would describe the camp as now. But she guessed it was kind of fascinating to her when she’d first arrived there, and definitely mysterious. She understood, though, how it would be fascinating to women like Audrey and Sienna. They were so sophisticated and delicate looking. They would probably not be able to live there as she had done for years. But then again, Faizan had told her Audrey was a tough police officer. Maybe she could live there.

  She began to tell them all about the camp; how she had been taken there when her family had driven her out because of her faith. In the middle of her narrative, the groom’s best man rose to give his own toast and she stopped talking.

  After the toast, Audrey urged her to continue. She went on and told them about the daily life at the camp. “Everyone has chores.” She told them about the daily chores. It probably all sounded like drudgery to them compared to their lives here, she thought.

  “It sounds so strange,” Audrey said. “But kinda exciting. You are telling me that when you aren’t doing chores, you are all in the prayer tent, praying collectively?”

  “Well, mostly. But we also chat and play with the children when we can.”

  Sienna looked up with a thoughtful expression. “It sounds a little like my first year at Beulah. All I did was pray and study.”

  Zainah lifted her brows and looked quizzically at her. “Where is Beulah?”

  “The Bible College I attend. I’m in my final year but since my husband and I moved to Peru, I’ve been taking my classes online.”

  Zainah nodded. Faizan had told her about his sister’s move to another country and how sad it was to see her go.

  “Go on,” Audrey told her.

  Faizan smiled at her and took her hand on the table. She smiled back and continued. She gave them a brief account of how she and Faizan had met, knowing he would have told them a lot about it. She told them a little about her vow and the dream God had given her about it. She told them about leaving the camp to search for Faizan, her kidnap by her father, and then finally coming to America after being rescued. She paused and stared at the center of the hall. It was filled with people dancing to the booming music, but she hadn’t even noticed as she had been completely engrossed with the story she was telling. She looked at Sienna and Audrey. Their gazes were fixed on her and they looked enraptured. Even Faizan, who already knew most of her story, was looking intently at her.

  She finally told them about Faizan’s proposal and how ecstatic she was when she finally knew she would be his wife soon. When she finished, she leaned back on her chair and sighed.

  “What a story, Zainah!” Audrey said. “And you told it so well.”

  Sienna smiled. “I think you and Faizan should write a book about your stories together. It would make for a fascinating read.”

  “There you all are!” a voice cried from behind.

  Zainah turned.

  Trisha was walking toward them with a huge smile on her face. Frank was beside her, their fingers threaded together. They stopped at the table and Trisha held out her arms to Zainah. “I’m so glad to finally meet you,” she said as Zainah stood up. She hugged Zainah tightly and then turned to Frank. “This is the famous Zainah, Frank. Faizan’s fiancée.” She looked at Zainah again and said, “You are truly beautiful. Faizan told me you were but knowing how much he loves you, I thought he was exaggerating. I know now he wasn’t.”

  Zainah smiled widely and thanked her. She stole a glance at Faizan, gave him a sweet smile and then turned back to Trisha. “Congratulations on your wedding.” She looked at Frank who hadn’t taken his eyes off his bride since they’d come to the table. “You are both a lovely couple.”

  “Thank you,” Frank and Trisha said at the same time.

  Audrey chuckled and waved at them. “They have me to thank for bringing them together, isn’t that right, Frank?”

  “Yes, Audrey,” Trisha said, smiling and shaking her head. “You’ve said that a million times already.”

  Audrey stood and said to Zainah, “It was nice meeting you. I have to go find my husband now. Knowing him, he’ll probably be considering how to escape the wedding and go home. I have to make sure he doesn’t.”

  Everyone laughed as she left. Sienna stood and told Zainah she also had to go to her husband. Trisha and Frank soon wandered away.

  “I love your sisters,” Zainah said, grinning at Faizan.

  “They are very lovable.” Faizan smiled back at her. He took her hand on the table and kissed it. “I know they love you too. Everyone who meets you falls in love with you.”

  Her heart soared at the love in his eyes. She couldn’t help herself as she shifted her chair close to his and kissed him briefly on the lips. When she drew back, he looked into her eyes and sighed heavily.

  “I wish I could kiss you now the way I’ve been wanting to for months, but we are still not alone.”

  She nodded. She was dying to kiss him passionately too after months of being apart. When he’d picked her up at the airport, they’d had to hurry back to his house so she could change and go with him to the wedding. After a while, she chuckled to break the intense desire she was feeling.

  “I would have said we should go back to your house as I want to kiss you so badly, but I know it would probably not be a good idea.”

  He nodded. “It would be a very bad idea, especially as Ken and Audrey are not there now.” He grinned at her and a mischievous look crept into his face. He leaned forward and whispered, “We could go outside. There is a huge tree at the back of this building where we can kiss as much as we want without anyone disturbing us. It’s private, but not too private that we will go too far and get into trouble.”

  Zainah’s heart pounded with excitement as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked out of the noisy reception hall.

  She giggled and kissed his cheek as he led her to the back of the building. They were acting like two infatuated schoolchildren, but she didn’t care.

  Faizan pulled her to the back of the tree and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She trembled with anticipation as he kissed her hair, her nose, her chin. Just as their lips met, someone coughed loudly. Faizan groaned and pulled back slightly and Zainah shut her eyes, frustrated.

  Zainah opened her eyes and saw a gorgeous blonde dressed in a red, figure-hugging dress approaching them. Something twisted inside of her as the blonde smiled at Faizan. Her smile was too familiar.

  “I’m sorry for intruding, Faizan,” the beauty said. “Trisha is looki
ng for you. She and Frank are leaving for their honeymoon tonight. She wants to say goodbye to everyone before they do.” She looked from Faizan to Zainah and then pressed her red painted lips together. “Umm… this must be Zainah.”

  Zainah blinked. The blonde even knew her name. That meant that she and Faizan knew each other quite well. Her stomach churned and she knew she was jealous. Involuntarily so, but still, jealous.

  Faizan gave the blonde a small smile and said, “Yes, this is Zainah, my fiancée.” He looked at Zainah and pointed at Lauren. “This is Lauren. She is Trisha’s friend and Ken’s as well.”

  Lauren smiled up at him. “I thought I was your friend too, Faizan.” She shook her head and smiled at Zainah. “Faizan has told me so much about you, Zainah. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  Zainah tried to push away her jealousy and forced a smile. “It’s nice to meet you as well.” She wanted to add that Faizan had told her nothing about Lauren, but she held back. It would definitely sound petty. When Lauren went away, she would ask Faizan about her. She trusted Faizan completely, but there was a look in Lauren’s eye. A look that clearly said she was attracted to Faizan. He probably didn’t know she was.

  Stop obsessing over it, she scolded herself. Surely other women would be attracted to him. He was a handsome man. There was no way she could stop that from happening.

  But other women don’t talk to him with such familiarity. She’d always been a perceptive person and her heart told her that Lauren and Faizan were more than acquaintances.

  “Zainah!” Faizan said, looking curiously at her. “Did you hear what I just said?”

  Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Sorry. What did you say?”

  “I said we have to go back in.”

  “Okay.” Zainah turned and saw Lauren was staring at her. Why is she still here?

  Faizan’s eyes studied her face and then he said to Lauren. “Go ahead, Lauren. We’ll be there in a minute.”