by Lynn, Sophia
“You are not the first person who has said so,” he conceded. “The truth is that we are both right. Whether you like it or not, Sola is my child and my heir. In generations past, we would have said that her destiny belongs in Najma. At the same time, she has been yours and yours alone until this very moment. I believe with all my heart and soul that you want what is best for her, and that you will defend her with your very life.”
“Of course I will!”
He nodded. “I could sense that from the moment I saw you two together. Is it so difficult, then, to combine those things? Come back to Najma with me. See what I might have to offer her. Stay there, and see what kind of world could be open to her with the best doctors and the best teachers around.”
Penny bit her lip.
“And us?” she asked, keeping her voice neutral. “There is...so much between us. I have a lot of questions for you, and no matter how good last night was, I still never got any answers, and that's the sort of thing that will prey on me. What about us?”
For a moment, Ziyad looked torn. He reached for her, and then he checked himself, closing his hands tight on the table. God, it was still strange to see him here like this. He still felt like something from a past that she had mostly dreamed up. Here, in the United States, he barely seemed real.
“I think we should take it slowly,” he said. “There are reasons for the things I have done, but as I get older, I do not know at all if they were good reasons or if I was simply deceiving myself. I still don't know. However, if you come with me, I swear you shall want for nothing, and that you will get the answers that I can give you.”
Sola had eaten some of the egg her mother had set aside for her, and now was waving her arms imperiously. Absently, Penny scooped her up to hold her, thinking about what Ziyad had said. She was a little startled when Sola reached for Ziyad, babbling excitedly.
“Will you--?”
“Of course,” he said, taking the little girl in his arms.
Sola beamed to be in his lap, and something in Penny was decided when she saw Sola smile.
“All right,” she said. It was risky, but in her heart, it felt like the only right answer possible.
“All right? You'll come to Najma with me?”
“On one condition. You can consider this an audition. If you turn out to be a good father to Sola, and if Najma turns out to be a good place for her, then yes, we'll stay. If I decide that either you or Najma is lacking...you won't stop us from leaving.”
Ziyad's eyes hooded slightly, and it was an unnerving thing to see while he was holding her daughter.
“You realize that I do not have to agree to that,” he said coolly. “If I wished, I could start DNA testing, talks with the embassy here, and getting team of lawyers you couldn't hope to beat.”
Penny met his eyes squarely, refusing to back down. She wondered if he remembered her as someone who was more easily cowed, easier to direct, but it didn't matter. Becoming a mother had turned something within her to steel.
“Then I would know that you don't really have Sola's best interests at heart, wouldn't I?”
He held her gaze for another moment, and then he dropped it with chagrin.
“You are right,” he said. “Fine. I agree. Stay in Najma for awhile and see what kind of life our daughter would have. See what kind of father I will be. Then...well, then we can make our decision.”
She took Sola from him, even though the little girl fussed a bit. At the moment, she needed to have her daughter safe and snug in her arms. It was as if they had brushed up next to something dangerous.
“All right,” she said, and somehow, deep inside her, she knew that everything was going to change.
Chapter Fourteen
It took far less time than Penny would have believed. In less than a week, her condo in Washington DC was closed up, and now she and Sola were on a private jet flying to the Middle East. Ziyad had been with her for two days, but finally said that he had to return to Najma on the third day.
“I would love to fly with you both,” he said, holding Sola's tiny hand in his. “But I need to be back in Najma to make sure that a few deals go through.”
“I understand. Just be at the airport to meet us. I know that Sola will miss you.”
It wasn't just an empty platitude. Somehow, over just a handful of days, Sola and Ziyad had bonded in a way that took Penny's breath away. They were together as much as they could be, and Sola was fascinated with the man who’d sired her.
As for Ziyad, well, he was doing better than Penny could have imagined.
When she’d met the rakish young man at a museum in Rome, she had never thought he was capable of being taught to change a diaper, or to mix up the very earliest baby food a baby could have. As Penny was on the phone, getting her affairs in order to leave, he was behind her, patiently trying various foods to find out what Sola might accept or reject.
The strange thing was that it made him seem all the more attractive to her. She had seen him in slick, flashy outfits and in the more somber suits he wore these days, but seeing him dressed in nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, trying to feed a fussy child, was a strangely engaging sight.
They hadn't slept together again.
That second night, he had sent for clothes and supplies to be at her condo, but she had stopped him before bedtime.
“I think there's a lot going on right now. Maybe that means we should take...a little break from this?” she said, speaking as clearly as she could. Every instinct in her was telling her that she needed to have him, and she needed to have him now, but it couldn't be a good idea to move that fast, could it? It couldn't be smart to simply jump back into things without proper thought about what this meant to them, could it?
Ziyad had looked surprised, and then understanding.
“I understand that,” he said. “You are looking out for you and Sola, and that is not something I will ever fault.”
Despite how much she warmed at his understanding, there was still a part of her that twitched when he offered her a chaste kiss on the forehead and retreated to the couch. For the rest of the time he was in DC with them, she had lain awake for long hours in her bed, thinking about the lover she had been dreaming of in the fold-out couch just a few yards away. Once, she dreamed so vividly of crawling out of bed and going out to the living room to him that she woke confused that she hadn't actually done it.
The week had passed somehow, and now she and Sola were making the trip around the world to see Ziyad. The first few hours were difficult, as Sola couldn't understand what the pressure was doing to her tiny ears, but after that, she had dropped off into an exhausted slumber, much to Penny's relief.
“It is completely normal,” the plane's attendant had said reassuringly. “She'll likely sleep all the way back home.”
Penny was still having trouble with the fact that the plane was essentially a comfortable lounge with herself and Sola as the only passengers, and that the attendant was only for them.
She smiled shyly at the woman. “Thank you, that's good to hear. Are you a mother too?”
“No, but I'm a devoted aunt and a registered nurse,” she said with a smile. “I was picked specifically for this flight by the sheikh himself.”
That was certainly food for thought, but Penny couldn't say that she wasn't grateful. She settled into the seat as the captain announced the landing, and she wondered what life was going to have in store for her, for Sola, and for Ziyad as well.
The moment she stepped out of the plane, she could see Ziyad waiting for them in front of a large black car. They had arrived on an empty, private airfield, and with Sola in her arms, it was easy to see Ziyad. From her vantage point, she could also see that he was dressed in a sharp black suit and that the expression on his face was a happy one. She grinned, waved, and then hurried down the portable staircase.
He met her halfway across the tarmac, and juggling Sola to one arm, she reached up to hug him.
“Oh my god, y
ou feel good,” she murmured. It was true. After being busy all week, he felt like pure heaven, solid and powerful and protective.
“It feels like I have been waiting for the two of you for the last twenty years,” he said softly, planting a soft kiss on the crown of her head. She felt that same twinge of attraction deep inside her that would always respond to him, but she ignored it, stepping back.
“Sola has also been excited to see you...”
Ziyad eagerly took hold of Sola, who unfortunately was far from happy about anything. Already grumpy from the flight and from missing her established routine, Sola broke into a loud wail. Ziyad held on to her, settling her as comfortably as he could into the crook of his arm, and gave Penny a wry glance.
“I think you are overstating things, but thank you for doing so. It makes a man feel missed.”
Penny laughed as they started to walk towards the car.
“I really do mean that. After you were gone, it felt like she moped. She kept looking up when someone rang the bell or when there was a noise at the door.”
“Well, she's here now, and if all goes well, she'll have a brand new home to see and love.”
Penny was slightly surprised when Ziyad sat down in the driver's seat. Somehow, she’d figured he would have a driver. She was not surprised at all when there was a baby seat in the back, an elegant one that she knew was ridiculously expensive and ridiculously safe. As she buckled her daughter in, she was surprised to feel as if she was coming home, despite never having been to the country before.
“So where to now?” she asked, buckling herself in. “It looks like we are all set for adventure.”
He pulled out of the airport onto the road and started driving. “Well, I honestly didn't think that you would be up for any kind of adventure today after an international flight. About all I had planned was taking you home.”
Penny laughed. “I need to remember to explain to you that ‘adventure’ when you have a kid under two is maybe a new movie and some takeout. That sounds amazing. Perhaps in the next few days, we can get out and explore a bit, but right now, I'll be happy to go get settled.”
Ziyad laughed, but she wondered if there was something a little tense about the way he did it. At that moment, however, he pointed out some gorgeous mountain ranges that they were passing by, and she was distracted.
Najma was a singularly beautiful land, she discovered. It was a desert country, like most of the UAE, but it lived in the shadows of a mountain range, giving it protection from the desert winds and from the real heat of the sun.
Slowly as they drove, the capital city of Najma rose up around them, more quickly than she would have thought. One moment they were driving along a desolate road, and the next, they found themselves among tall buildings of glass and steel.
“Oh, it looks so modern,” she murmured, staring out the window. “This makes Washington DC look ancient.”
Ziyad glanced at her, amused.
“What you're seeing is oil put to work,” he said proudly. “We have always been very careful about how much oil we sold, and now that care and caution is paying off. Najma has always been well off as a country, but in my father's generation, we became one of the most wealthy emirates.”
“You must be very proud.”
To her surprise, Ziyad shook his head.
“I am proud of my country,” he corrected her. “To say that I had anything to do with it would be disrespecting the business sense and wisdom of my father and my grandfather. I am merely a steward, and throughout my life, I will do my best to safeguard the thing that they have worked so hard to build. I have been offered a legacy, and it is one that is very important to me that I pass on to those who come after.”
He glanced into the backseat, where Sola was sleeping again, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was. Najma was Sola's birthright, and there was a chance that it would be her responsibility as well. She didn't know what Najma had to say about female royals assuming their rights and responsibilities, but she could see that Ziyad would want to make sure she did not shirk them.
“She's a part of this, isn't she?” Penny asked quietly. “It would never be something that she could understand or have explained to her while she was still in the United States.”
She could see Ziyad was relieved that she understood.
“Yes. Some things...well, some things you have to live. I did not understand what it meant to be sheikh until my father died, but he did the best that he could to prepare me for it. He made sure I know how Najma thinks, who its friends are and who its enemies are as well. I could not have done that from boarding school in Switzerland, where so many of my compatriots went. I was sad not to join my friends, but in the end, it was for the best.”
“Your friends were Westernized?”
He smiled at her a little wryly. “There is no terrible thing about being Western. But the fact remains that I am not. I am of Najma, the way my ancestors have been. I belong to this land just as much as it belongs to me, and that is what I want to give Sola.”
She could feel it then, the deep, deep roots that bound Ziyad here. That would bind Sola here as well, and for a moment, she felt a thrill of fear for her daughter, so small and already with the potential of all of this responsibility hanging over her.
Ziyad broke into these thoughts by pointing out the broad expanse of the Dula River, which flowed through the heart of the city, and the museum nearby, which contained some amazing artwork he wanted to take her to see.
By the time they pulled up to the tall building that he called their home, Penny felt more like a little gawky tourist than she had in a very long time.
“You're telling me that this whole building belongs to you?” she asked.
He grinned as he handed his ID to the guard in the garage.
“It does, but don't get scared. I only live in the penthouse, which are the top two stories. Everything else is rented out, and there are some marvelous shops and businesses here. You could get almost anything you want without ever leaving the building.”
“A life hermetically sealed,” Penny mused, and she wasn't sure whether she liked the idea or not.
He hesitated a moment as they got out of the car. “Would...would it be all right if I were the one to carry Sola up?”
Penny felt something inside her melt at that. No matter what came next, no matter what she thought or feared, this was a man who loved his daughter. When she nodded, he removed Sola from the car seat with exquisite care. Penny stood back just to watch, and then she followed him up the elevator. The glass and steel machine moved them to the very top of the skyscraper with dizzying speed, and when she got out, she gasped.
“Is...is this really all yours?” she asked, aware that she likely sounded like a rube and unable to help herself.
“And yours for as long as you will stay here,” he said with a smile. “I take it that it suits your needs?”
The penthouse was incredible. She had wondered on the flight over whether it would be some pure white and steel monstrosity, something that would make her completely uncomfortable to have a sometimes messy, sometimes noisy child there. As it turned out, the apartment was amazingly cozy and warm. With vaulting ceilings and classic furniture, hardwood floors and cozy rugs everywhere, the apartment made her want to sink into it and never leave.
“It's amazing,” she said with a smile. “Thank you, I had no idea it would be so lovely.”
“This place has been mine for several years,” he said, showing her around. “It was only after my father died and I returned to live in Najma permanently that I started seeing it as a bit more sterile than I would have liked it to be. I got a few decorators in, made it a bit warmer, a bit more like someone lived here. I am glad it meets with your approval.”
She couldn't help grinning at him.
“That means it was an ultramodern nightspot where you could bring all of the women you were chasing, right?”
Ziyad made a face that only made her laugh
.
“The past is in the past,” he said primly. “Come, let me show you the future.”
The first room he showed her was the nursery. It was a gorgeous place full of sunlight and warm wood, with a rocker just like the one she had at home in one corner. There was a banner stretched across one wall that proclaimed “WELCOME, SOLA!” and a state-of-the-art baby monitor sitting next to the crib. The crib itself was a gorgeous piece, elegant and modern at once. When Penny commented on it, Ziyad smiled.
“It was the one that held my father and I. When I got back to Najma, I had someone who knows carpentry take it apart and put it back together like a modern crib, complete with safety features. Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she said with a grin. “Ziyad, this is all wonderful...”
At that moment, Sola yawned, and the new nursery got its first test run as they both put her down for her nap. Penny warmed when she saw Ziyad coast his hand over the tiny girl's hair, brushing it aside gently.
“I was born with a full head of hair,” he said. “Hers is already so thick and beautiful.”
“She was born with it,” Penny said softly. “Scared the wits out of me when it all fell out a few weeks later, but the doctors told me it was normal.”
For several long moments, they stayed to watch Sola sleep, but then finally they had to step outside. With the door closed between them and their daughter, they gazed at each other almost solemnly.
“I am glad you are here,” he said quietly. “This whole week, I was afraid you would change your mind.”
“There was no chance of that,” Penny replied.
She wasn't sure why she needed to touch him then, but somehow, it felt like if she didn't, she would die. With a trembling hand, she reached out to touch his mouth, tracing the pads of her fingertips over his lips. She could feel how warm his skin was under her fingers, and she shivered when she felt his lips part suddenly.
When the tip of his pink tongue flicked out to lap at her fingertips, she gasped, and she might have pulled back, but then he took her hand in his, holding it steady as he turned it over. Penny whimpered softly when he pressed his lips into the cup of her palm. There was something about even this gentle, simple touch that sent thrills of pleasure through her. It felt as if a part of her would always belong to this man, no matter how many years or miles separated them. It didn't make her afraid, however; it only made her feel lucky that there was something so splendid between them.