The Sheikh's Surrogate Bride

by Holly Rayner

  The realization suddenly dawned on Olivia. She had left. Just like his mother and stepmother had. This was what he was talking about. He didn’t want his children to have to deal with their mother leaving. She had done exactly what he had been afraid she was going to do.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry, too. I did leave you, and I know how much that hurt.”

  “It’s what I needed,” he said. “It was the push that I needed to realize how I really feel about all of this.”

  “But what about your father? And Rashad? They’re furious with me.”

  “I told you, I cleared everything up with them. I swear. They’re sorry about their behavior. Rashad is desperate to apologize in person.”

  “Wow,” Olivia said. “I don’t even think he said hello to me when I was there. But if I go back, I’ll get an apology?” She crossed her arms and looked away.

  Yasin smiled. “That’s how sorry they are.”

  “But what they said…it didn’t affect you at all? You still want me to be your wife, even after all of the things Rashad said? He didn’t take your resolve?”

  Yasin cleared his throat. “That’s not his for the taking; my heart belongs to you, Olivia.” He paused dramatically, just as the actor did in her favorite movie. “And I’ll deliver that myself, thank you.” He dropped down on a bended knee.

  Olivia’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m doing this right, for once,” he said. He took a deep breath. “Throughout this whole process, I’ve seen your strength, your intelligence, your beauty, and your bravery. I’ve seen the best sides of you and some of the more awkward sides and it’s made me realize that I love you. I’ve fallen in love with you. Head over heels.”

  It was Olivia’s turn to have her eyes well with tears.

  “I know that we both took our previous arrangement to heart, but…I’d like to propose to you, for real. No contract. No conditions. I want you as my wife and as the mother of my child. Will you stay with me as my wife? Will you help me raise our baby?”

  The tears broke through the dam, spilling down Olivia’s cheeks. She nodded enthusiastically.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’d love to.” Tears streamed down her face. “I’ve fallen in love with you too, you know.”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t want to believe it when we were together before. I thought it would make everything too complicated if we both loved each other. But, as it turns out, it just made everything easier.”

  “I want to be with you more than anything. Ever since my first night in Rebayah, when we watched movies together and talked for hours, I felt like we had this deep connection.”

  “And that connection has become even deeper these past few months,” he said.

  “Yeah,” she said. She wrapped her arms around him. He held her in his arms and rested his head on her shoulder. “This is where I belong,” he said. “In your arms.”

  Jennifer burst in through the kitchen door, surprising both Yasin and Olivia. “Oh, you two,” she gushed as she ran over to give both of them a hug.

  Olivia laughed and embraced the group hug. “This is what you’re getting,” she said to Yasin. “When we’re in a relationship together, there’s going to be a lot of this.”

  “Group hugs?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “I think I’ll be okay with that.”

  Chapter 25

  Yasin

  They decided to wait a few days before flying back to Rebayah. Yasin wanted to see the town where Olivia grew up, and spend a little time with Jennifer. One morning, he took her out for coffee.

  “I’ve never known anyone to take such an interest in my sister,” Jennifer said, sitting across the table from Yasin.

  “She’s very important to me. And some traditions are also important to me, like getting approval for a marriage proposal from the bride’s parents. Unfortunately, your parents have passed away.”

  Jennifer nodded sadly. “Yeah. So what are we doing here?”

  “Well…I would like your approval.”

  “But you already married my sister and got her pregnant,” Jennifer said, raising an eyebrow.

  “I think we’ve established that Olivia and I don’t have a typical relationship. We’ve been doing things a little backwards. That being said, this seemed like a good a time as any to ask for your permission for your sister’s hand in marriage…six months ago.”

  “Mmhmm…” Jennifer said, unimpressed.

  “What can I do to prove to you that I’m a good husband for your sister?”

  “Well,” she said. “I know that you are good at taking care of her. When she got back here—despite having her heart broken—”

  “I fixed that, hopefully.”

  “Yeah, well,” Jennifer said. “Despite having her heart broken, she looked healthy. And she seemed happy when she was with you in Rebayah.” She cleared her throat. “But I would still like to see if you know my sister well enough to marry her.”

  Yasin grinned. “Okay,” he said. He thought for a moment. “Her favorite color is yellow. Her favorite dress is that yellow sundress. She loves romcoms. She likes to do things for other people. Her favorite movie snack is popcorn. She twiddles her thumbs when she’s nervous. She chews on her nails when she’s bored. She like to do puzzles and read. She’s also great at art, and she spends a lot of time painting walls.”

  “What?”

  “She’s really good at it.”

  Jennifer laughed and cocked her head to the side.

  Yasin leaned back in his chair. “When she was decorating the nursery and the art studio, she was really excited to paint, I guess.”

  Jennifer crossed her arms. “Hmm…” She leaned in. “Any male pattern baldness in your family?”

  He shook his head.

  “Okay, she said. “I guess you can have her hand.”

  He smiled. “Good. Now, I have a question for you…”

  Chapter 26

  Yasin

  Two Months Later

  “I was making dinner when it happened,” Yasin said. He was out of breath from running so hard, pushing a wheelchair. His palms were sweaty, almost causing the wheelchair handles to slip out of his hands as he ran. But he made it to the right floor. He just hoped that he’d made it in good time. “I looked over at her and she told me that her water just broke.”

  “Okay, okay,” the nurse said. “You’ve done fine. Let’s get you both to a private room.”

  The woman in the white uniform led Yasin and Olivia to a small room with a bed, a couple of chairs, and a small table with magazines on it. There was also a door to a private bathroom and a counter with a few of the regular doctor provisions.

  Yasin helped Olivia onto the bed and he and the nurse tried to get her as comfortable as possible.

  “Now,” the nurse said. “When the doctor comes back to get you, we’re just going to wheel this whole bed to the delivery room.”

  The doctor came to visit them every so often to check how much Olivia was dilated. It felt like it took hours for her to go from three inches to four, but as soon as she did, the rest went quickly.

  “Okay,” the doctor said. “Ten centimeters. Time to go have a baby.”

  Olivia, panicked, looked to Yasin. “Wait, what? Now? Are you sure?”

  The doctor smiled sweetly at her. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  Olivia reached for Yasin’s hand. He took her shaking hand in his. “I’ll be here every step of the way. I won’t leave you, don’t worry.”

  And he didn’t. Yasin stayed by her side the whole time. When she said she couldn’t push any longer, he asked her for just one more. He didn’t let go of her hand once, even after she dug her nails into the back of it, even long after it went numb from how tight she held it.

  After hours of pain, Olivia delivered a healthy and beautiful baby girl into the world. Their baby girl.

  Yasin felt like they just kept wheeling Olivia from one room to the nex
t. After the delivery room, they were wheeled to recovery, where she could get cleaned up and rest. He wiped her face down with a damp cloth, brushed her hair, and helped her slip on a new medical gown so she could be presentable for guests, whenever they decided to arrive. In the meantime, he was happy, just helping her feel like she was human again, after all of that pushing.

  “I love you,” he whispered to her after they got settled.

  “I love you, too,” she said. She looked around, suddenly more aware of what was going on. “Where is she?”

  “The nurse took her to get some vitals. She said that she’ll bring her right back.”

  Olivia began to tear up.

  “Oh, it’s okay, honey.”

  “I don’t know why I’m crying. I know you said that she’ll be right back.”

  He held her. “I know,” he said. “The doctor said this is normal as your hormones readjust. You’re just going to be really emotional for a while. I promise that I’ll take care of you, though. Whatever you need.”

  She nodded as she leaned against his chest.

  The sound of the door opening caught both of their attention. A nurse in pink scrubs came in, wheeling a small crib in front of her. Inside was a small baby girl, swaddled and fussing. “She’s looking for her mother,” the nurse said.

  Olivia held out her arms. The nurse placed the baby with her and left them alone for a few minutes while she called on the doctor to do a routine check.

  Alone in the room with his family, Yasin watched his wife as she held their baby girl.

  “I have an idea for her name,” Olivia said softly.

  His gaze went from his daughter to his wife. As it did, tears broke free from his eyes and raced down his face. As Yasin had been staring at their baby, he hadn’t even realized that he’d been crying.

  He wiped them away. “Oh?”

  She nodded. “I’d like to name her Munira. After your mother.”

  Yasin opened his mouth to say something, but the emotion was too much. He just nodded as more tears came.

  “Yes,” he finally said. “I’d—I’d love that.” And then he wrapped his arms around his baby and his wife.

  Chapter 27

  Olivia

  After two days of recovery, Olivia and baby Munira were ready to go home.

  Yasin drove them home, and Olivia clutched their swaddled baby in her arms as he pushed her wheelchair over the threshold—Yasin had insisted on holding onto the chair for a few days as her body began to heal.

  Yasin had assured her that the house was ready—Rashad, Nylah, and Maalik had been busy babyproofing the house while they were in the hospital. Olivia was expecting to see rounded plastic edges on the corners of tables and covers on the outlets, and while those things were in place, what surprised her were the hundreds of flowers in the foyer.

  “Oh, wow!” Olivia said. “I’ve never seen so many bouquets!”

  “They’re from our neighbors,” Yasin explained.

  “I haven’t even met some of our neighbors,” Olivia said, a little shy.

  Later, Olivia held Munira close as she rocked slowly in the chair. The soft colors of the nursery caught the baby’s eyes as she looked around. Olivia wondered whether or not she could make out shapes or understand what was going on around her yet. There had been little in the child-rearing books about this part of Munira’s life, except for the directions for swaddling, diapering, and routine feedings.

  The door to the nursery squeaked open and Yasin poked his head in. “There you are,” he whispered.

  “Is everything okay?” Olivia asked.

  He nodded. “I just wanted to go over something with you,” he whispered.

  “Oh?”

  He produced a piece of paper from behind him and he opened it for her to see. It was their contract, for the job he’d hired her for.

  She scoffed.

  Yasin laughed softly. “There’s something that I’ve wanted to do with this for a long time,” he said.

  Olivia cocked her head to the side, curious.

  “You now have full rights to your baby—no, to our baby,” he said. The sound of the paper ripping as it was torn in half was the best sound in the world. Olivia smiled as the baby fussed.

  “Oh, sorry,” Yasin said. “Was that too loud?” His eyes fell on Munira. The paper fluttered to the ground as he dropped everything to see to the fussing child. “Hey, angel,” he said. “Sorry Daddy was loud.”

  The baby cooed at him, calmer for hearing his voice. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, then looked up at Olivia and kissed her on the lips.

  “Doesn’t she smell amazing?” Olivia asked.

  He laughed and nodded.

  “I mean, I’m sure that won’t last too long, because she keeps pooping up a storm, but…”

  The sound of Yasin’s hearty laughter brought a smile to Olivia’s face. This was her family, now, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later: Olivia

  “I’ve never been on a plane before,” Jennifer said, her hands shaking. “It was so—”

  “Scary?” asked Olivia as she took her sister’s hand and helped her out of the car.

  “Amazing,” she finished. “And the descent? It was like I was in a roller coaster, only it wasn’t scary and I didn’t feel like throwing up. But that feeling was so cool. I felt like I was lifting off of my seat.”

  Olivia laughed. “I forget sometimes,” she said, “that you haven’t experienced a lot of the things that other people have. You weren’t scared of flying?”

  Jennifer shook her head. “I had a while to mentally prepare,” she said. “Remember when Yasin came to Dallas to come get you, and he took me for coffee one morning?”

  Olivia nodded. “Yeah. I was jealous of the two of you getting your caffeine hit!”

  “Well,” Jennifer went on, “that was the day he asked me if I’d ever consider moving to Rebayah.”

  “Oh,” Olivia said, thinking back on her conversations with her husband. “I had no idea you’d been planning if for that long! And here was me thinking you were just sparing me the coffee envy.”

  Jennifer laughed. “Well I’m sure that played in, too. We had to wait until the hospital discharged me before I could make the move official, and we didn’t want to give you anything more to be stressed about, what with the pregnancy and all.”

  Olivia gave her sister a warm hug. “Well I forgive both of you for keeping it from me. I’m just so happy to see you. I feel like it’s been forever.”

  “It has,” she said. “Motherhood will do that, though. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”

  Olivia’s shoulders slumped. “You have no idea. I love Munira to pieces, and I wouldn’t change a thing but…dang, if she isn’t tiring.”

  They both laughed. Olivia looked her sister up and down. Jennifer stood in a pair of plaid shorts and a light T-shirt.

  “You dressed a little too cool for this time of the year,” Olivia said.

  “I’ve never been to Rebayah before,” she explained. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

  Olivia wiped a tear from her eye. She wore her favorite yellow sundress with a white cable-knit sweater over the top. Her hair was loosely curled and lightened naturally from the sun.

  “What’s with you?” asked Jennifer.

  “Don’t give me that,” Olivia said, wiping her other eye.

  “You promised me no tears,” she said. “I know that they’re happy tears, but I just can't stand it when you cry. I always end up crying, too.”

  Olivia thanked the cab driver and gave him a tip before taking the bags from the trunk and walking her sister to the mansion.

  “You live here?” Jennifer asked.

  “Nope,” she replied. “We do. We live here.” She put a free arm around her sister’s shoulder.

  “Heh, right,” Jennifer said. “In that case, I can’t believe that I live here.”

  Olivia watched her sister’s reaction
as her gaze fell upon the estate. She wondered if she had looked like that back when she first arrived here.

  “Yasin said that you can have my old wing of the house.” She gave her sister’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It’s surprisingly roomy there and it has access to the back garden as well as being on the first floor, which is just handy in general.”

  “I always thought that it was strange hearing you say ‘wing of the house.’ Back home, we didn’t have wings. We barely had floors.”

  Olivia snickered. “Yeah. Well, now you get a whole wing to yourself. I even converted the old art studio into a sewing room for you.”

  “Oh wow…you didn’t have to do that.” Jennifer stopped walking, her brows furrowed. “You worked hard on that room. I remember how excited you were while you were putting it together.”

  Olivia waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “We just moved all of the art supplies into a different room that we’re converting. If it makes you feel better, that room is bigger, anyway.” She started walking again, pulling Jennifer along behind her.

  Jennifer laughed. “Well, I guess it’s all right, then.”

  “Yeah, Munira and Yasin are combining their art rooms.”

  They walked across the foyer slowly, Jennifer looking around with her mouth agape.

  “Wow,” she said. “Wait, did you say that Munira had her own art room? Isn’t she, like, one?”

  “Well, we had planned on it for when she got older. We want to give her as many opportunities as we can. We thought that maybe art ran through her veins like it does Yasin’s. But we also have a huge library, so if she wants to be anything else, we’ll probably have a book about it for her,” Olivia said as she opened the door to the sewing room. “This will be your new craft space.”

  “Oh Olivia, it’s beautiful!”

  Olivia had left the gray wall and the exposed beams, but had added a few splashes of color to brighten the room up. She had painted some of the built-in cabinets and the long utility table a beautiful turquoise color. It was bright and rich. Instead of the closet being filled with canvas and notebooks, it was now filled with fabric. The sewing notions were all stacked underneath the utility table. A dress form stood in the corner of the room and in the center of the room, instead of the small round table, there was a rug which had all three decor colors on it to tie the room together: white, gray, and turquoise.