by Holly Rayner
Finally, as the elevator made its way down to the first floor, Elora pulled away, stroking her daughter’s face.
“Can you forgive me?”
Steph’s eyes widened. “Forgive you? What for? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Didn’t I?” Elora asked, looking entirely miserable. “It was my need to stick to tradition that sent you running, and now I see that your fiancé didn’t want any part of it either. We could have just made a terrible mistake, thinking we were doing what was best for you.”
Before Steph had a chance to reply, the doors opened and they were met with compete chaos.
The security guard looked at the elevator with accusation in his eyes, and he wasn’t alone. Two police officers had arrived, and they were rushing toward the elevator even as it opened.
“That’s her! That’s the woman who forced her way in!”
The guard was pointing directly at Steph’s mother, who stepped out into the lobby as though nothing were wrong.
“There seems to have been some mistake, officers,” Elora said, her voice smooth as silk. “We were welcome here. Call Sadiq and ask him yourselves.”
The officers exchanged confused looks as they deliberated who to believe. Finally, one of them told the security guard to make the call, and he paused, glaring at Elora, before he stepped behind the desk and dialed the number.
The officer took the phone once the guard had finished dialing. “Yes, we’re here on account of a disturbance in your building. We have detained three individuals who just came down the elevator. They are saying that you granted them permission to enter.”
The officer listened to Sadiq speak at length before he hung up the receiver and glared at the guard. “False alarm. Let’s get out of here.”
The two officers headed for the door, one of them tilting his hat to Elora.
“Apologies for the misunderstanding, ma’am.”
“It’s no trouble,” Elora purred, casting a victorious stare at the guard, who pouted as he took his seat once again.
The three of them stepped back out onto the street, quickly finding their way back to the hotel. It was late, and Jerry was stifling yawn after yawn as they took the elevator back to the luxury suite Sadiq had paid for. Steph sent out a silent thank you to him, knowing he would never know how truly grateful she was for how the whole situation had played out.
“Well, my role in this is done. I’m going to bed,” Jerry declared, waving absently as he headed straight for his bedroom and closed the door.
Elora and Steph locked stares for a moment. As late as it was, and as tired as she should have been after a day in the sun with Mehdi, Steph’s heart was racing, and there was no way she would be able to get to sleep anytime soon.
“Would you like some tea?” Elora asked.
It was an olive branch. Steph could see that, and she decided it would be best to take it. A long, honest conversation with her mother was more than a little overdue.
“I would. Thank you,” she said.
“Sit down. I’ll put the kettle on.”
Steph sank into one of the large sofas as her mother filled a pot with water and turned on a burner in their small kitchenette. She rattled around for some cups and tea bags before joining Steph on the sofa.
“I feel like I have some explaining to do,” Elora began, and Steph remained silent, allowing her to speak. “I never had a mother who really listened to me. I was to do what I was told, when I was told, and that was the end of it. It was the reason I married your father, and while our beginning was a tad rocky, it became one of the best decisions of my life. I’d always secretly wished it had been my decision.”
Steph’s eyebrows narrowed in confusion. “Then why did you put me through all this, knowing it wasn’t my choice?”
“Because when you’re a mother, you will do anything to protect your child. You have fought me on things that were good for you all your life. You didn’t like vegetables as a child. You didn’t like math. I pushed you to realize the value of those things. Do you regret those decisions?”
Steph pondered her comparison for a moment. “Of course not, but liking vegetables and marrying someone are two pretty different things.”
“That is true,” Elora agreed. “However, you have to acknowledge the positive changes that came from a little pressure from us as your parents. To me, this was no different than that. I see now that, perhaps, in this instance, I was wrong.”
“In this instance?” Steph said with a smirk.
Elora’s grin was sheepish. “Don’t push it. You’re getting one of my rare apologies, and I’ve been very angry with you these past few days.”
“I’m sorry,” Steph said, and she meant it.
Elora reached out a hand and grabbed Steph’s, squeezing it gently. “Now, tell me what Sadiq was talking about when he said you were already in love with someone. As far as I knew, you didn’t have any love interests back in Vermont.”
Steph blushed a little, but she decided to tell her mother everything. After what she had just put the woman through, she deserved to know the whole truth.
“The other night, when I went out walking, I got lost. A man found me crying by a fountain, and he gave me a tour of the aquarium before showing me the way back to the hotel. He is the person who sent the limo to take me away, and he is the reason I didn’t show up to the wedding. Otherwise, I would have gone through with it.”
“You were kidnapped?”
The worry in Elora’s eyes was real, and Steph shook her head.
“It wasn’t a kidnapping. Well, it kind of was. The truth is, Mehdi offered me my freedom from an arranged marriage, and I took it. I didn’t have to stay at the palace. I chose to.”
Elora’s eyebrows shot up. “The palace? Do you mean to tell me that the man you have fallen in love with is...” She sputtered, unable to find the words. The teapot began to whistle, but Elora ignored it, waiting for Steph to answer her question.
Steph grinned. “Sheikh Mehdi of El Farah? Yeah, that’s the guy.”
FOURTEEN
Steph
Deciding to give her mother some time to absorb that information, Steph rose and removed the screaming teapot from the burner, filling two mugs and bringing them out to the living room, where she set them on the coffee table. By the time she sat down, Elora seemed to have recovered, somewhat.
“You know I would have approved of such a match, right? You would be royalty, Stephanie!”
The thought hadn’t really occurred to her, though Steph realized that marrying Mehdi would come with its fair share of royal obligations. She wondered if she would have a hard time adapting to that life. Then she thought about Mehdi’s face and couldn’t care less about the challenges. She would be with him, and that was what mattered.
“Yes, I suppose I would.”
“You speak as though your chance with him has passed. Has it?”
Steph hesitated, reaching for her hot teacup and blowing on the steaming liquid before taking a tentative sip. It burned her tongue, so she set it back down.
“Not necessarily.”
“What does that mean?” her mother asked.
“It means that I left him to come resolve our situation, but he’s left me a window. He said he’d wait for me on the beach tomorrow evening at sunset, if I could find a way to change my fate.”
Elora plucked her own teacup from the table and took a sip.
“And what are you going to do?”
Steph sat back, realizing she actually had a choice now. A real one. She could pick Mehdi and spend the rest of her life with him, if she wanted.
And, God, did she want to.
When Steph looked back at her mother, her smile was radiant. “I suppose I’ll just have to wait until sunset tomorrow and see if my king is waiting for me on the shores of El Farah.”
Elora grinned, gripping her daughter’s hand once again. “I should have allowed you to make your own choice. In the end you picked better than I ever coul
d.”
Steph laughed. “In the end Mehdi and I picked each other. At least, I hope so,” she said, looking out into the night.
Elora took a breath, letting out a gusty exhale. “I suppose we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go check on your father. I’m afraid I might have scared him a bit when prying information about your whereabouts from him.”
Steph winced a little at that statement, but Elora shrugged.
“We’ve been married long enough. He knows it’s all out of love.”
“I’m sure he does,” Steph said, her lips twitching ever so slightly.
“Get some sleep, my love. Tomorrow is another day, and you are safe and sound. That is all that matters. Unless, of course, you’d like to head back to Vermont?”
Steph stood and stretched. With a few sips of warm tea and a comfy couch, it hadn’t taken long for her exhaustion to catch up to her.
“Let’s see how tomorrow plays out, first. But I certainly hope the answer to that question is a resounding ‘no.’”
“So do I, sweetheart. So do I.”
Elora wrapped Steph in one last embrace before sending her off to her room to get some sleep. With no set obligations for the following day, they could afford to sleep in and get some much needed rest.
Steph closed her door behind her and stared out at the El Farahn skyline. The glowing domes of the city buildings gleamed against the inky black sky above. Steph walked over to her veranda and opened the door, taking a deep breath.
The air held that unique scent of ocean and desert. Two different kinds of sand melded together to make one perfect place. Steph allowed her mind to drift back to the island, to the gleaming caves that shimmered above as she held Mehdi’s hand. She cupped her hands together, imagining his touch.
“Sleep well, Mehdi,” she whispered into the night.
FIFTEEN
Mehdi
Mehdi stood on his veranda, staring out at the horizon. The city was far enough away that he could only catch a glimpse of the shining domes, but it was enough to focus on while he sipped his drink.
Steph was out there somewhere.
Mehdi frowned. It was quite possible that upon her return, Steph’s parents had instantly set her back up with her fiancé, that she had already been married to him. Mehdi shook his head, not wanting to think about that.
When he had come across her at the fountain, something about her had struck him in a way he had never felt before. She was different, and he’d wanted to know why. As he’d spent more time with her, he’d felt a connection he didn’t dare name but couldn’t imagine giving up. It was then that he had decided to take her fate into his own hands, if only for a little while.
Having her with him in the palace had seemed so…natural. And that kiss they’d shared?
Pure magic.
Mehdi tipped his glass back, finishing the hard alcohol in one gulp. The liquid burned down to his stomach, calming him as he stared out into the night. He thought he heard Steph’s voice, but he reminded himself that there was a strong chance she was lost to him forever. What they’d had was far too much like a dream to be real.
“Good night, Steph. Sweet dreams,” he said, instantly scolding himself for being such a romantic fool.
Mehdi stepped inside, where he was met by his butler.
“Are you ready to turn in for the night, sir?”
“Yes, Kalin. Thank you. I will no longer be needing your services.”
“Very good, sir,” Kalin said, giving a slight bow before making his exit for the evening.
Mehdi cleaned up for bed before lying down, staring at the ceiling for longer than he dared to check. He rationalized that the sooner he fell asleep, the sooner he could wake up to a new day. The sooner he could see if Steph would find him on that beach, and perhaps give them a chance at a life together.
That logic did not work on his busy mind, and Mehdi lay awake for many hours before finally losing consciousness in the early hours of the morning.
SIXTEEN
Steph
Steph woke leisurely, taking her time. She knew that day would be one of the longest of her life, so she spent as much time in bed as she possibly could. Then her mother was knocking at the door.
“Steph! You need to wake up. We have plans today.”
Steph sat up, stretching before rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“What plans?” she said though the door.
“Today would have been the day you met your El Farahn family as a married couple. As we have no husband for you to do that with, we are going to have to do it on our own.”
Steph groaned. “Do we have to?” She could just imagine the torment of facing relatives who would judge her harshly for the decision she had made.
Elora opened her door then, her expression brooking no argument. “Yes, we do. You should have thought of the repercussions before you ran off.”
“Great,” Steph said, not moving.
She could still smell the ocean on her skin, the slight scent of the sunscreen Mehdi had rubbed on her back still lingering on her bedding. She secretly hoped housekeeping didn’t change the sheets while they were gone. She wanted another chance to breathe it in.
“Come on then, let’s get going,” Elora said impatiently.
“Okay, okay. Let me just take a quick shower and I’ll be ready to go.”
Elora grunted something incoherent before closing the door behind her, clearly grumpy about having to face her family in the wake of Steph’s actions. Still, Steph knew her mother would be by her side, and that was what really mattered.
Reluctantly, Steph shed her clothing and stepped into a hot shower. It was nothing compared to the one she had experienced in Mehdi’s palace, but it still got the job done. She took a little extra time to enjoy the hot water on her tense shoulders before stepping out and dressing, braiding her hair to keep it in place.
When she stepped out into the living room, she found her parents ready to go, her father looking a little worse for wear.
“Are you all right, Dad?”
Jerry sniffed, but with one glance at her mother he stood a little straighter.
“Just a little jet lag. Nothing some fresh air can’t help.”
Steph nodded. She could see he wasn’t terribly thrilled about this outing either.
The three of them made their way out onto the street and hailed a cab, which drove them to the northern part of the city. There, the car pulled up in front of a large, teal-colored house.
“Here you are,” the driver said.
Elora paid the man before exiting the vehicle, and they all stood in front of the building, preparing themselves for a taxing afternoon. Steph had been surprised to see that she had slept into the afternoon, but she was grateful. Sunset would come all the faster for it.
They walked up to the front door and rang the bell, and a young girl opened it almost immediately.
“You’re here! I’m Beyah. I’m your cousin!”
The young girl’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Steph found a smile for her even as her stomach twisted into a nervous lump.
“Come in, come in!” Beyah said, grabbing Steph’s hand and pulling her inside.
Her two cousins from her wedding day were there, along with their husbands and several children. There were a few other people Steph didn’t know, and while she was introduced to everyone, she almost immediately forgot their names.
Shivika watched as they came into the kitchen, her eyes searching for and not finding the husband who should have been there.
“What is this? Where is your new husband? He would insult us by not joining you for this ceremonial meeting?”
Steph glanced at her mother, who nodded, which was in no way reassuring.
“There was no wedding,” Steph blurted out, and the room went silent.
Steph allowed her family to absorb that information. It felt so strange to have a room full of strangers so heavily invested in her mari
tal status. She defiantly made eye contact with everyone in the room, though it was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do.
“And why not?” Shivika asked.
Everyone continued to stare at Steph, who looked around with as much solemnity as she could muster.
“It turns out an arranged marriage isn’t in my future. I’m going to marry for love.”