“You wouldn’t be alone,” he said. He knew that she had every reason to believe she would be, though.
“Ravi, really? Yes, I would be. Our destiny was pretty short lived, just long enough to involve someone else in it.”
They were both silent for a moment.
“Please, don’t do anything. I’m on my way to the States. I’ll leave by tomorrow at the latest.”
“No, don’t do that. You have too much to do,” Sasha said. She began shaking. Not once in her quick processing of the situation did she think he’d take off to see her. “You’re not obligated to me, regardless of what the decision is.”
“That’s not your decision to make—my obligation. It’s mine.” Ravi was rattled and scared by what Sasha had said, yet, in it he saw something of hope. He just had to get her to wait.
“Look, as the father, please, don’t do anything without me. Let us talk about it face to face. Will you please promise me that?”
“I don’t know.” Sasha didn’t want to get caught up in emotions when she had to make such a serious life choice. His presence would surely do that to her.
“Please,” Ravi said. The he looked at his office door. There was a knock and Jada was standing there. She mouthed, “Your father is here.”
“Look, please don’t go out of your way—”
Ravi had to go, but he had to state his case and hope that Sasha was the type of woman he believed she’d been. “—I will be there within forty-eight hours. Please, don’t do anything. I have to see you. I have to go, I’m sorry, I wish I didn’t.”
He hung up, not wanting to give her the chance to have any extra input. Please wait for me, Sasha, I’m sorry, he thought.
Jada looked at Ravi, trying to read his expression. He looked really distraught, but in a different way than he’d looked after his mother’s death.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. She didn’t want to invade, but her friend and boss looked like he was having an out of body experience—completely shocked and surprised about something.
“I’m fine. Father can come in.”
“Good,” his father said, rudely brushing past Jada and entering the office. He turned to look at her and she turned to leave, shutting the door behind him.
Ravi couldn’t stand his father’s abrasive behaviors since his mother had passed away. He’d always been short on patience and a bit overbearing, but he’d gone too far as of late. Yes, he was scared and lonely, he knew, but the man was taking it too far.
“Tomorrow we need to go check on the real estate by the Madain Saleh; the project is behind schedule and running over in cost.”
“I can’t,” Ravi said. He braced himself for the retaliation, which was swift.
“It is not a request. We are going.”
“I cannot go. I have to go to the States tomorrow, it’s urgent.”
“For what?” His father’s eyes squinted, doubling the amount of crow’s feet he had around his eyes and the veins in his temples instantly bulged out.
“It’s personal.”
“Nothing personal is urgent. Madain Saleh, that is urgent.”
“I’m sorry, Father. Do as you will, I am going.”
“Why?”
“I cannot say right now. I just have to have a face-to-face conversation with her before it’s too late.”
“Her. Too late. For what?”
Ravi didn’t answer and he glanced at his father, who was shooting daggers at him and looking like he was going to blow a gasket. “Look, Father, I’m sorry for being so elusive, but this is important and I must go. There is no other option, and time is of the essence in the matter.”
“You take an awful lot for granted, Ravi, and I assure you that everything you have—the title, wealth, and everything—is not a guarantee for your life, it is still a privilege, one that must be earned.”
“I understand.” Ravi did understand but the answer further angered his father, because it showed that he would not submit to his demand. He was not going to get out of this situation without feeling the burn of the angered man. Might as well just end it.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, Father, I’m very busy and I have a lot to get done in a short amount of time. The numbers for the new proposition will be to you by morning, as well, so you can review them when I’m gone. The meeting with the Patel family about the Greece project will be attended by Kareem, who can easily fill in for me. Jada will attend, as well, and take notes.”
“Are you dismissing me?”
“You may sit there if you like, Father, but I have things that I must get done. Both for you, and for me.”
With no way to gracefully end the conversation, his father got up and stormed out of the office, leaving the door wide open.
Jada appeared from around the corner and looked into the office.
Ravi looked at her and said, “Sasha’s pregnant.”
No more needed to be said. “Oh, I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”
Jada had been the one person that Ravi had confided in about Sasha and the feelings he’d developed. She’d been kind and supportive, not of the relationship as much as the wrath of his father. It was not easy to be the child of a sheikh, even if you were a sheik, yourself, by title.
If I can get Sasha to keep our child, I shall never be that type of father, he thought. His child would have freedom to love, explore, and pave their own destiny on their own terms.
***
When she got word from Jada, Ravi’s assistant, that he would be arriving at her home at 7 PM that day she was scared and over the top with anticipation too. She wanted to see him so badly, of course, but now her guards were up and the game had changed. Too bad she never got to master the first one. He’d been taken away so quickly, and without a proper adieu, that she’d felt like she’d been robbed of what she deserved.
Her phone rang and she looked over. It was the front desk of her apartment building. “Ms. Mason, a…” A voice in the background talked. “A, Sheikh Ravi Kapoor is here to see you.” They sounded confused and she had to admit, it made her laugh, which felt good. It relieved the nerves that were making her temperature fluctuate and her cheeks flush.
“Send him up, please.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
It took about five minutes to get from the desk to her door, assuming there wasn’t too long of a wait at the elevator. Sasha stared at her front door and wondered if Ravi would take the stairs up the ten flights or the elevator. It didn’t really matter, but it offered a distraction that seemed necessary. She put her hand on her stomach and envisioned that the butterflies swimming around in it were picking up her baby and gently swaying it to sleep.
The knock on the door was soft.
She walked over quietly and slowly, taking a large breath in before she slowly opened it up. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Ravi looked right at her stomach and then in her eyes. “You didn’t do anything, did you?”
He didn’t waste time, she had to give him that. “It’s nice to see you, Ravi, and no, I haven’t done anything.”
“Good. Please don’t; not until you hear me out.”
“Okay. Do you want something to drink? I have wine or beer.”
“You’re not drinking, are you?” His eyes were wide. “That’s not healthy.”
“No, I’m not, but it’s strange, news like this kind of makes you want to have a glass of wine to relax, but I’ve been good.”
“I don’t want anything now.” He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, keeping his hips back a bit. “Except to hug you, of course.”
His warmth felt good and the way he made sure he didn’t crush her belly entertained her greatly. It already seemed nice to have him there, because she’d had no one else to talk to about the situation t that point.
“I am so happy to see you,” Ravi said.
“But yet, it wouldn’t have been if not for our little emergency.” Sasha sighed; that was a lousy reality.
“
I’m sorry. I wanted to. Really I did. I’ll explain more later, but for now, we need to discuss this.” He moved back and put his hand on her belly.
“I know. I’m interested to hear what you have to say.”
Sitting on the couch, two glasses of water in front of them, Sasha turned to Ravi. She wasn’t going to say anything or lead. All she needed was to know what he was thinking.
His hands pressed against his jeans and he tried to calm down his heart. He’d thought he was poised, until…he saw her. Just one look at her reminded him of what he’d thought he could leave behind. He’d tried and failed, even without “the news”.
“How far along are you?” he asked.
“Seven weeks, I guess. That’s how long ago the conference was.”
“Yes, of course,” he said.
A moment of silence, where he played out what he wanted to say in his mind first, because he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. He just couldn’t risk it.
“I really want us to have this baby, Sasha.”
“How can it be us? We live in two different countries, each of us unable to leave for our own various reasons.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but I will leave. I can leave there, but I won’t leave you.”
“But you were willing to leave me before you knew about the baby.”
“If I’m going to be a father, I’m going to be a father who is present. You can count on me.”
“I don’t doubt your integrity, Ravi, but you shouldn’t feel obligated. I know you have so many people tugging on you from all directions. I’m not going to be a person like that.”
“If you keep the baby I’ll marry you.”
Whoa! That shocked her. She never would have suspected that comment to come from his mouth.
“I’m not asking for that, or looking for that. Did you get the impression that I was?”
“No, but it’s the thing of honor to do. We have something very special, we both felt it before the madness set in.”
“Intense feelings at the beginning of a relationship don’t necessarily mean we’re meant to be together, Ravi. It could be lust, passion, a number of things.”
“Including love.”
“Well, let me put your mind at ease, Ravi. I have decided to keep the baby, but I am not going to marry you. So, if that’s a problem, you’d better think of how you’ll handle it. Marriage is off the table.”
Ravi breathed a sigh of relief. She had to laugh at that. “Well, now you make me wish that I would have said yes.” His jaw dropped, which made her laugh again. “Just kidding.”
“I am not going to abandon you, Sasha.” He blurted the comment out forcefully, making sure that his point was taken.
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Sasha said, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “More than you know. So, what next?”
“We should get you ready for bed. You need a good night’s rest,” Ravi said. “After I tuck you in, I’ll go check into my hotel.”
“I’m not fragile. Do pregnant women get coddled this way in your family?”
“No.” His voice was defiant. “I shall not treat you or my child the way people are treated in my family. Not that it’s bad, but it’s stifling.”
“You can’t deny who you are, Ravi. You’re a great man, one that…” She didn’t finish her sentence. It wasn’t the time. He didn’t seem to notice, though.
“Perhaps not, but I shall not deny who you are, either, regardless if I’m having a son or a daughter.”
“You’re going to have it? Awe, thanks. I’ve heard it’s painful.”
Ravi looked at her strangely and he saw the smile on her face and realized that she was teasing him playfully once again and enjoying it quite a bit.
“I missed you so much. Can I kiss you?” he asked.
She nodded her head that he could. Despite what her logical mind said, she could not resist him and having him in her presence was a wonderful gift.
The kiss was sweet and tender, gentle enough that you could feel small movement in the air between their lips as they softly brushed against each others.
“We’ll figure this out together,” Ravi said. “I’m in love with you, you know.”
Did she hear him right? Her mouth opened slightly and she blinked.
“It’s true. I suspected it earlier, but knew it from the moment I saw you at the convention. It just didn’t make sense. I should have told you.”
“I suspected the same.” Her voice was soft and Ravi put his finger on her lips.
“I don’t expect you to say that just because I have. I have a lot to prove to you, and I know I’ve hurt you.”
Sasha nodded her head and then a rush of reality hit her and she yawned. No sleep, hadn’t come easy the past nights, and she decided to take Ravi up on that offer to tuck her into bed. He poured her a warm bath for her to rest in, brushed her hair gently, and tucked her in with four kisses—one on her forehead, one on her nose, and one on her lips. And the fourth one—it was on her belly, just below her belly button. “Goodbye little baby,” he whispered.
The sweetness of his actions had Sasha giggling, but she was tired and she did feel better, like the stress had taken a reprieve and she really wouldn’t be in this alone. It was one day out of an eternity of days that were yet to come, but it offered hope.
***
Sasha was on top of the world at work the next day, not ready to tell everyone about the pregnancy—not until after she went to the doctor, which was still a week away. When she walked in she got into her usual routine, organizing for the day’s events and chatting with Bev a bit, and then taking a few secret moments to delve into the thoughts of her little growing baby. It was a good day, made great by the arrival of a dozen roses—pink, blue, and yellow. How was she going to explain that, she thought as she smelled them in.
“Strange choice of colors,” Bev said, taking a sniff of the fragrant roses too. “Who are they from?”
“Ravi. Must be a good choice of colors for flowers in Saudi Arabia.” Sasha shrugged an turned her head to stop her smile.
“Sure, whatever you say, but maybe if you want to explain them less you should hide them.” Bev knew that would catch Sasha’s attention and when she turned around, she winked and then walked away.
And Sasha listened to the advice.
Then she got back to work, wondering what Ravi was doing. They were going to go out to dinner that evening and she was looking forward to it. From what she’d been reading, she might be feeling a bit off within the next few weeks so she had to take advantage of all the moment she had where she could have some energy without being too tired or worse, sick.
Sasha walked into the Ritz Carlton to meet Ravi in his room and when she got there she smiled. He’d had room service catered in. It smelled wonderful and he looked so handsome, a grand smile on his face and a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. She thought that if they had a boy who had eyes like that she’d always know if he was up to something.
“Wow, this is nice.”
Ravi came up to her and kissed her cheek and then guided her to the small table in the corner of the suite. “Please, sit down.”
“Okay, but I’m not fragile, you know.”
“To me, you are. When you’re on my watch, I’ll be taking great care of you. I know you’re capable, of course, but I hope you’ll indulge me, just a bit.”
“Who am I to argue with such an influential man?”
“You can pretty much get away with anything, I fear.”
“Highly doubtful. So, how was your day? I couldn’t stop thinking about you, about us, about this.” She pointed to her stomach.
“Me either. It motivated my every action.”
“Sounds intriguing.”
“I went looking for penthouses to buy here in Manhattan.”
“What? Really?” She was happy, but definitely surprised.
“Yes, we have to have a place to live.”
“Ravi, remember, I said that I wasn’t
ready to get married.”
“I know, but we can certainly live together.”
“Not just because you’re going to be a father. We have to be a solid couple, too. We don’t have to live together to be united parents. Let’s just see what happens.”
“Perhaps.”
“Ah, the ‘perhaps’ is back, I see. Very tricky, sheikh man.”
“My title is clearly useless, because I am not getting my way. He faked a pout that made Sasha burst out into fits of laughter. “At least I can make you laugh, that’s good.”
She laced her fingers through his and squeezed, loving the feel of his skin on her palm. It was so relaxing and appealing. “So, did you find any places that you liked?”
“Yes, two in Carnegie Hill and one in Central Park.”
Those locations were an instant reminder of how much money Ravi did have. “Well, you can’t go wrong with either of those locations.”
“I can’t, but what about you? Which one would you choose first?”
“They’re both great. If you want a lot of room, Central Park might be better. Carnegie Hill has a bit smaller place, from what I’ve read. Can’t say I know for certain.”
SHEIKH'S SURPRISE BABY: A Sheikh Romance Page 7