by Holly Rayner
“Is that for work?” Alyssa asked. She didn’t mean for it to, but her voice rose. “Are you working today?”
“I work every day.”
“I know, but it’s Saturday, so aren’t you going to at least take the afternoon off?” Alyssa shook her head and closed her eyes. “You know what? Forget it. I just…it’s fine.”
“It doesn’t seem fine.”
Alyssa opened her eyes and sighed. “It is fine, Ali. I’m tired. I’m eight and a half months pregnant. I don’t want to fight.”
“I don’t wish to fight, either.”
Ali’s phone buzzed.
Alyssa rubbed the back of her neck. “Can you please…I don’t know…put that away or something?”
Ali picked the phone up and peeked at it, just as Kinsley came into the room.
“Good morning!” she sang out. She practically skipped into the kitchen, her hair in a messy bun and her face glowing.
For a moment, Alyssa envied her. Kinsley had every opportunity in the world ahead of her, and here she was, married and pregnant and freaking out over everything.
Alyssa pushed the jealousy away. What was she thinking? She loved her family. Loved her life.
Tears filled Alyssa’s eyes. It was the hormones. The stress of the impending C-section. The anxiety over being nearly confined to her home—if you could call the house that. This place wasn’t her home. New York was. That’s where her parents and best friend and cats were. She missed the simple company and entertainment of Gambit and Ralph, who were living with Lucy until she and Ali returned to New York.
In Baqar, she had Rashid and Ali…sometimes. But that didn’t feel like it was enough.
Alyssa turned her face away to hide the tears, but it was too late. They spilled down her cheeks, and a sob climbed up her throat.
Kinsley’s mouth dropped, and her eyes went wide. Ali looked to be in equal shock.
“Did I do something wrong?” Kinsley asked.
“Alyssa,” came Ali’s calm, strong voice. The chair next to Alyssa creaked as he sat down in it and put his hands on her shoulders.
“I’m fine,” she choked out. But just saying the lie made more tears come.
Ali took a napkin from the middle of the table and handed it to her. Alyssa wiped at her face and worked to even out her breathing.
“Down,” Rashid demanded. He pushed at his high chair in an attempt to get out.
Alyssa went to stand, but Ali put his hand on her shoulder.
“Kinsley,” Ali said. “Can you?”
“Yeah, of course.” Kinsley pulled Rashid from his high chair.
“Let’s go sit on the patio,” Ali said, gently tugging at Alyssa’s arm.
The back patio, with its long couches and glass windows, was Alyssa’s favorite place in the whole house. Since moving to Baqar, she’d spent countless hours back there reading and playing with Rashid. Ali guided her to the couch with the most cushions and tenderly set her feet on the foot rest.
“Thank you,” Alyssa sniffled.
Settling next to her, Ali wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
Alyssa sighed and settled into the crook of his arm. With Ali so close, the negative emotions nearly drifted away.
Nearly. Not quite.
“It’s everything,” she said. “The C-section. Hormones, I think. Being stuck here.” Alyssa looked up at him. “I don’t mean that I hate Baqar. That’s not what I was trying to say.”
Ali rubbed her arm. “I did not think that was what you meant.”
“I’m just stressed, I guess. A little scared. Bored. I feel like I’m in a rut.”
“Hm.” Ali nodded. “Well then, let’s get you out of it. Today.”
“How?”
“There is a party on a yacht. We can go to it.”
“With Rashid?” Alyssa asked.
“It probably won’t be a…child-friendly party.”
Alyssa studied Ali’s face. “Does that mean it’s a work event?”
His eye twitched, and Alyssa stiffened. “I knew it,” she said. “You can’t stop working for even an afternoon.”
Ali dropped his head back against the cushions and looked at the sky. “This is something I can’t get out of.”
“A work party?” Alyssa swept her palm over her face. From inside the house came the sound of Kinsley and Rashid laughing over something. Part of her wanted to go in there and join them, to leave Ali to work his life away, if that’s what he chose.
But the larger part of her wanted to spend time with him. She was with Rashid most of the day, every day. At this point, she only really needed Kinsley’s help because she was so pregnant.
And once the babies came, life would be different. Probably in ways Alyssa hadn’t even considered. Even if Ali did take that break he talked about, he would be back to work soon enough. Just how much one-on-one time would they get?
A party sounded…fun. But Alyssa wasn’t ready to admit that to Ali just yet.
Ali still hadn’t answered her question. He looked down at the coffee table, his jaw tight.
“Why can’t you get out of this?” Alyssa asked. “What’s so special about the party?”
His dark eyes turned to her. “It’s being thrown by a man named Carl Lawson. He is an oil magnate from Texas, and we are hoping to secure a deal with him. This is the last chance to…butter him up, I suppose you would say. He leaves for America soon.”
“Oh.”
Ali arched a brow. “So, that means…”
“Do you really want me to come?”
He cocked his head. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I only want to know if you’re asking me to come because you feel sorry for me. Because I’m moping and crying and hormonal and nervous and—”
Ali clasped her hand. “You overthink things, my love. Have I ever told you that?”
Alyssa smiled shyly. “Maybe once or twice.” Or a hundred.
“I really am sorry that I have to do this,” Ali said. “Especially after yesterday and what I said about taking some time off. But this is a very important deal, and I have to be there to ensure that it happens. I hope you understand.”
“I do,” Alyssa whispered. “And I’m sorry. I’ve been freaking out a lot, lately.”
“You have every right to do that.” Ali squeezed her hand.
“I don’t know about that,” Alyssa said on a dry laugh. “There has to be a line, and I may have crossed it.”
“Not with me.” Ali pressed his lips to her forehead. “And, listen. I want you to come because I want to spend time with you, and I want you to feel better. Is there anything the matter with those two things?”
“No,” Alyssa admitted. “I still don’t know if it’s a good idea, though. What about what Dr. Latifi said?”
Ali frowned slightly, and Alyssa liked that he seemed to really be thinking about it.
“She said you can go out some,” he said. “Only to make sure to get plenty of rest and not do anything too strenuous.”
“Hm. Okay.” Alyssa nodded. “Where did you say this was?”
“On a yacht.”
“And how do we get there?” she asked.
“Via helicopter.”
“Ah. Yes. Of course.” Alyssa shook her head and grinned. “Silly me.”
“It should be fun. There will be a lot of people there.”
“You’ll be talking business, I assume.”
“Ah…” Ali hesitated.
“It’s okay.” Alyssa pressed her palm to his chest. “I’ll go. You do what you need to do there.”
“Tonight.” Ali ducked his head so he could look into her eye. “Tonight will be about us.”
“What does that mean?” Alyssa asked coyly.
“Dinner anywhere you want.”
“Home,” Alyssa said immediately.
“I thought you were tired of being here.”
“I am,” Alyssa said, “but the party should take care of that. Afterward, I’ll be tired
, and I just wanna spend time with you.”
Ali smiled and Alyssa’s heart warmed. Even after all their time together, one grin from him could make her melt.
“But maybe we should make plans to leave separately,” she said.
“Why is that?”
“Look at me.” She gestured at her belly. “Would you want to be standing and schmoozing all afternoon while lugging this kind of weight around?”
“Mm. Yes. I see. Well, how long do you think you might want to stay?”
“No more than a few hours,” she said. “Tops.”
Ali nodded. “That should be more than enough for me. If not, I’ll send you home in the helicopter and find my own way back.”
“One more thing.”
“Yes?” Ali asked.
“Is that helicopter going to hold me?”
Ali bent and kissed her belly, chuckling as he did. “Stop. Yes, it will hold you.”
Alyssa held her palms up. “I’m just checking. I don’t want to be held responsible for any accidents.”
Ali kissed her and stood. “What would you like to do now? How about a bath?”
“It’s early morning.”
“Is that a reason to say no?” Ali asked.
Alyssa tossed her head back in laughter. “Wow. Twist my arm, why don’t ya. Okay. I’ll take a bath.”
She started to get up, but Ali gestured for her to stay as she was. “I’ll draw it,” he said. “You stay here, and I’ll come get you when it’s ready.”
Alyssa stared at him. “You don’t have to be so attentive, Ali. I’m fine. I can draw my own bath.”
“That’s not the point,” he said in a deep, smooth voice. He bent over so he could stroke her face. “I want to do it for you.”
A delicious shiver went down Alyssa’s back. “Okay,” she said through a smile.
Ali left the patio and Alyssa gazed happily out at the back yard. She felt silly that she’d been so resistant to the party. She couldn’t expect for Ali to cut back on his work immediately. And if he had to work, at least it involved hanging out on a yacht.
That night, they would get some alone time together. And next week…next week, their little family of three would become five.
Remembering that, Alyssa smiled. She worried too much. Obsessed over things she didn’t need to. When she really stopped and thought about it, though, she realized life was pretty amazing as it was.
Chapter 5
Alyssa
Bright blue water sparkled below the helicopter, the waves catching bits of light and tossing them back into the air like they were diamonds. A giddiness filled Alyssa; they hadn’t even made it to the party yet and already, she felt happier.
She’d worn a new dress for the occasion—one that Noura had bought her when they’d gone shopping together a couple of weeks before. Alyssa hadn’t even wanted to think about maternity wear—she’d had a hard time finding cute clothes while pregnant with Rashid, and she’d basically convinced herself that she would spend the whole pregnancy with the twins looking like she’d filled her closet with nothing but garbage bags—but she hadn’t factored Noura into the equation. Noura, always stylish and always ahead of the game. She knew just where the best maternity wear boutiques were, and she had taken Alyssa to them on several occasions, as her pregnancy progressed.
Now, clad in a sky-blue, Grecian-style dress, Alyssa looked over at Ali and they shared a smile. In the opposite seat, Fakhir scrolled through something on his tablet and frowned. It was too loud to speak in the helicopter, but it didn’t matter. Alyssa and Ali were both happy, and they both knew it.
A massive yacht came into view, and Alyssa felt her eyebrows rise. This had to be Carl Lawson’s. There were several decks, and on the topmost one, tables were set out, brightly covered canvases were stretched to provide shade, and what had to be close to a hundred people milled around.
Quite a party, considering it wasn’t even taking place on land.
The pilot navigated the helicopter to the other end of the yacht, where there was a landing pad. Several men dressed in crisp white outfits with gold buttons came forward to help them down the helicopter’s steps.
“Thank you,” Alyssa said to one man, though he probably didn’t hear her above the whir of the blades.
Once they had stepped out of the way, the helicopter took off, heading back to land. The pilot would return when Ali called.
Their helicopter had hardly cleared out when another one appeared to hover above the landing pad. Apparently, they weren’t the only ones flying into the party.
“Wow,” Alyssa said under her breath. No matter how much time she spent in Ali’s lavish world, there would always be things that blew her away.
“What was that, dear?” Ali asked.
She looped her arm through his. “This is a nice yacht.”
He nodded. “Let us go find our host.”
One of the men was already leading them to the front end of the yacht. Upbeat music tickled Alyssa’s ears, and she emerged onto the large deck to find a live band playing. Guests drank and laughed, and waiters in bow ties weaved among them with trays laden with appetizers.
Alyssa looked to the side and found Fakhir and Ali conversing with bowed heads, apparently already making a game plan. She mentally shrugged. Oh, well. She’d been telling the truth about not wanting to stay for long, so the sooner Ali finished his business, the better.
“Something to drink?” Ali asked, placing his hand against the small of Alyssa’s back.
She eyed a nearby bar—of which, it appeared there were at least two. “Sparkling, anything virgin.”
Ali nodded, but he didn’t have to approach the bar. A waiter came up to them and Ali ordered their drinks in Arabic. Fakhir had already moved on, gone to shake hands with several businessmen.
The waiter returned with sparkling flavored water for Alyssa and a bourbon for Ali.
“Cheers.” Ali raised his glass.
“Cheers,” Alyssa agreed. She took a long sip. “So. This is more, uh, American than I thought it would be.”
Over Ali’s shoulder, she looked at the band. They had just started a cover of an eighties rock song.
“Carl is from Texas,” Ali said. “Remember?”
“Ah. That’s right.” Alyssa nodded. “Have you ever been to Texas?”
“Several times. Have you?”
“No. I missed the chance to go to Austin once with a friend.”
Ali grinned. “That is a…unique…part of Texas.”
“Yeah, I know. Austin is its own thing.” Alyssa sipped her water. “I think you’ve been to more places in my home country than I have.”
Ali didn’t answer, and it was then that she noticed he was scanning the crowd behind her.
“Looking for Mr. Lawson?” Alyssa asked.
Ali tapped a finger against his glass. “I don’t see him anywhere.”
“Well, he has to be somewhere. He wouldn’t abandon his own party.”
Still, Ali continued to search the deck.
“Ali.” Alyssa placed a hand on his arm. “Relax.”
His shoulders dropped with a huff. “I want to find him and get this over with. I know how badly you want to go home.”
“I can go without you. And, besides, I’m having fun so far.”
“You haven’t met anyone yet.”
“Yeah, because my hot husband is hogging my attention. Who would interrupt you?”
Ali tried to fight a smile. “Lies.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Sheikh bin Talid,” a man said in what Alyssa thought was an Australian accent.
Alyssa looked over her shoulder to find a man with a gray beard and a dark-haired woman wearing a diamond necklace. The man did a half-bow in Ali’s direction, then offered his hand for a shake.
“Samuel Maines,” Ali said warmly. “It’s been too long.”
“Yes, it has, my friend,” Mr. Maines agreed. He dropped Ali’s hand, and his gaze slid over to Alyssa. “And
this must be your wife.”
“Yes.” Ali draped his arm around Alyssa’s waist. “This is Alyssa. Alyssa, meet Samuel and Jenny Maines.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Jenny said.
Alyssa’s ears perked up. “You’re American.”
“And so are you, I see,” Jenny laughed.
“How do you know each other?” Alyssa asked, looking between the three of them.
“From many years ago,” Ali said. “When I first arrived in America.”
“College?” Alyssa asked.
Ali nodded. “Around then.”
Samuel laughed. “I hope this won’t cause any marital issues, Mrs. bin Talid, but Ali was quite…different, then.”
Alyssa smiled at Ali. “I’ve gotten that sense.”
Ali ducked his head in embarrassment. “Stop, Samuel. You’ll scare her off.”
Jenny gestured at Alyssa’s belly. “When are you due?”
“Next week.” Alyssa placed her hands against her babies.
“I guessed it would be soon.” Jenny smiled.
“If you’re trying to find a polite way to say I’m big, that’s all right. We’re having twins.”
“Twins!” Jenny cried, like it was the best news she’d ever heard.
“Twins,” Samuel chuckled. “Congratulations. And you have another one at home, don’t you?”
“Rashid,” Ali said, his pride evident in his voice. “He turned one last month.”
“Show us a picture,” Jenny said. “He must be so adorable, I bet. And what about the twins? Boys? Girls?”
“We don’t know yet,” Alyssa said, bringing her phone out from her clutch and scrolling to the pictures she’d taken of Rashid at the park a few days before.
“You’re waiting?” Jenny cooed. “Oh, how classic. No one does that anymore. And what about names? Do you have any picked out?”
“We’re hoping we’ll know when we meet them,” Alyssa said. “That’s what we did with Rashid.”
She angled the phone so Jenny could see a picture of Rashid in a swing, and Jenny made a noise of awe and pressed her hand to her heart.
“I knew it,” she said. “Just as beautiful as his parents.”
“Do you have any children?” Alyssa asked. She glanced at Ali and Samuel. The two men were talking rapidly, and Alyssa caught snippets about “KPIs” and “actionable solutions.” Now there was a conversation she wanted no part of.