by Kristi Gold
“You are absolutely correct,” he said, taking her by surprise. “And I plan to put an end to that fabrication immediately. Now that Talia has relinquished her rights, you have no cause to remain here any longer. I will make the arrangements for you to fly home as soon as possible.”
As she came to her feet, she seriously wanted to cry, maybe even beg, but instead called on fury to give her strength. “So that’s it, huh? I’ve served my purpose and now you’re going to toss me out into the street like refuse?”
“I am not tossing you out,” he said. “I am giving you back your freedom.”
And he was going to hold her emotionally captive for a very long time. But deep down, hadn’t she known all along this would happen? And she’d been an unequivocal fool to believe otherwise. “Shame on me for believing I meant more to you than just a quick fix to save your sterling reputation. And shame on you for leading me to believe you were honorable.”
She could tell by the harsh look on his face she’d delivered a knockout blow. “I would be less than honorable if I kept you here any longer when we both know that I will never be able to give you what you need.”
Battling the threatening tears, Piper snatched up the book and clutched it to her heart. “You’re right, Your Highness. I need a man who can let down his guard and take a chance on love, even though I’ve recently discovered love is a risky business. But just remember, there’s a little boy who’s going to need all the love you can give him, since, like his father, he’s never going to know his mother. Don’t fail him because you’re too afraid to feel.”
Without giving him a chance to respond, Piper stormed down the hall to the make-believe lovers’ hideaway, slammed the door behind her and started the process of packing. Only then did she let the tears fall at will and continued to cry until she was all cried out, though she inherently knew she was only temporarily done with the blubbering.
Not long after Piper finished filling the last of the suitcases, a series of knocks signaled a guest had come calling, the last thing she needed. Unless... On the way to answer the summons, she couldn’t help hoping Adan had somehow come to his senses and decided to ask for a second chance. That he would appear on the threshold on bended knee with his heart in his hands and a declaration of love flowing from his gorgeous mouth. As if that fairy-tale scenario was going to happen. Most likely she’d find Abdul standing in the hall with his head slightly bowed, a live-to-serve look on his face while he declared his unwavering need to carry her luggage.
She discovered she’d been wrong on both counts when she opened the door to the ever-smiling Kira. “I’m so sorry to bother you, Your—” She sent a quick glance over her shoulder. “...Piper, but the art shop didn’t have any canvases available and they only had colored chalk. They did offer to order the supplies for you.”
She’d forgotten all about the painting she’d planned to give Adan. “That’s okay. I won’t be needing those supplies now.” Or ever.
Kira appeared sorely disappointed. “But you seemed so excited over surprising your husband.”
He’s not my husband, she wanted to say, but opted for a partial truth. “I probably shouldn’t mention this, but you’ll know soon enough. The marriage isn’t working out, so I’m returning home this afternoon.”
Kira hid a gasp behind her hand. “I am so sorry, Piper. I was so certain seeing you and Adan together today that you were completely in love.”
“Love isn’t always enough, Kira,” she said without thought.
“I know that all too well, Piper.”
She sensed her newfound friend did, at that. “Oh, well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. And I’m going to miss having the opportunity to get to know you.”
“Surely I’ll see you when you bring the baby to visit his father.”
If only that were the case. Leaving Sam would be equally as difficult as leaving his father behind, never knowing what might have been. “Adan is going to have full custody. I travel a lot with my job and we both think it’s important Sam grows up in his homeland with his people.”
“But you’ll be coming here to see him often, right?”
And now for the final, and most painful, lie. “Of course.”
That prompted the return of Kira’s smile. “That’s wonderful. We can still have those smart-remark sessions when you’re here.”
“I’d offer to have one now, but I want to give Sam one last bottle before I go.”
As Piper stepped into the hall to do that very thing, Kira drew her into a hug. “Goodbye for now, Piper. I wish you the best of luck.”
“Same to you,” she replied as she started toward the nursery, before she gave in to the temptation to tell Kira the truth.
As much as she wanted to see the cherished baby boy, Piper dreaded telling him goodbye. That didn’t prevent her from lifting the sleeping Sam from his crib and holding him for the very last time. He opened his eyes slowly and didn’t make a sound, as if he understood the importance of the moment. She walked around the room as one more time she sang the lullaby she’d used to put him to sleep. If only she could be his mother. If only his father had loved her back. If only...
“The car is waiting, Your Highness.”
Piper wanted to tell Abdul it would just have to wait, but she saw no use in prolonging the inevitable farewell to the second love of her life. She kissed Sam’s forehead, laid him back in the crib and managed a smile. “I love you, sweetie. I know you’ll forget me once I’m gone, but I will never forget you.”
Or the man who had given him life.
After one last look at Sam, Piper turned to go, only to discover Adan standing in the open door looking somewhat remorseful. “I did not want you to leave before I expressed my gratitude for all that you’ve done for myself and Samuel.”
She truly wanted to tell him what he should do with that gratitude, but she couldn’t. She honestly wanted to hate him, and she couldn’t do that, either. “You’re welcome, Your Highness. It’s been quite the adventure.”
He attempted a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yes, it has. And I also want to assure you that I will treat my son as he should be treated. I will make certain he has all that he desires.”
Too bad he couldn’t promise her the same. “Within reason, I hope. I’d hate to think you’d buy him his first plane on his first birthday.”
He favored her with a dimpled grin. The same grin she’d noticed the first time she’d laid eyes on him. “Rest assured I will withhold that gesture until his second birthday.”
“Good idea. We wouldn’t want him to be too spoiled.”
A lengthy span of silence passed as they remained quiet, as if neither knew what to say next. Piper had already said what she’d needed to say when she’d told him she loved him, even if he hadn’t done the same. Now all that remained was the final goodbye. “Well, I guess I need to get my things and take to the friendly skies. I’d like to say give me a call if you’re ever in need of ending your celibacy, but that wouldn’t be wise.”
He streaked a palm over the nape of his neck. “I suppose it wouldn’t be, at that.”
“And just so you know, I don’t regret the time we’ve spent together. I only regret this little fake fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending. But that’s life. Goodbye, Adan.”
When she tried to make a hasty exit, Adan caught her arm and pulled her into an embrace that didn’t last nearly long enough. “You are a remarkable woman, Piper McAdams. I wish for you only the brightest future with a deserving man.”
She was convinced he could be that man, if only he believed it, which he didn’t.
Piper began backing away, determined to leave him with a smile. “I’m going to forgo the whole man-hunting thing for a while, but I’ve decided I am going to further pursue a career in art.”
“I am please
d to hear that,” he said sincerely. “Perhaps you can send me some of your work in the future. I will pay top price.”
How badly she wanted to run back into his arms, but her pride had already suffered too many hits as it was. “I’ll certainly give that some serious consideration. In the meantime, take care, Adan.”
“I wish the same to you, Piper.”
She chose not to afford Adan another look for fear she might do something foolish, like give him another kiss. But after she climbed into the black limousine a half hour later, she glanced back at the red-stone castle and caught a glimpse of someone standing at the second-floor-terrace railing—the someone who had changed her life.
The sheikh of her dreams. A prince of a guy. The one who got away...with her heart.
Ten
“This arrived for you a little while ago.”
Adan turned from the nursery window to find Elena holding a large rectangular box. “More gifts from some sultan attempting to insert themselves in the government with bribes for the baby?”
She crossed the room and handed him the brown-paper-wrapped package. “This one is from the United States. South Carolina, to be exact.”
He immediately knew what it contained, though he never believed she would actually honor his request. Not after the way he had regretfully treated her.
While Elena looked on, Adan tore through the wrapping and opened the box to find what appeared to be a painting, exactly as he’d expected. Yet when he pulled it from the box, he didn’t expect that the painting would depict a slumbering father holding his sleeping son in remarkable detail, right down to the cleft in his chin and Samuel’s prominent left dimple.
“Oh, Adan,” Elena began in a reverent voice, “this is such a bella gift.”
He would wholeheartedly agree, if he could dislodge the annoying lump in his throat. The baby began kicking his legs in rapid-fire succession against the mattress as if he appreciated the gesture.
After resting the painting against the crib, Adan picked up Samuel and held him above his head. “You are quite the noisy character these days.”
His son rewarded him with a toothless smile, something he’d begun doing the past month. A milestone that had given him great joy. Bittersweet joy, because Piper had not been around to share in it.
“You should call her and thank her, Adan.”
He lowered Samuel to his chest and faced Elena with a frown. “I will send her a handwritten note.”
She took the baby from his arms without invitation. “You will do no such thing. She deserves to hear from you personally. She also deserves to know that you have been mourning your loss of her since she departed.”
“I have not been mourning,” he said, sounding too defensive. “I have been busy raising my son and seeing to my royal duty.”
Elena patted his cheek. “You can deceive yourself, but you cannot deceive me. You are so sick with love you could wilt every flower in the palace courtyard with your anxiety.”
He avoided her scrutiny by picking up the painting and studying the empty wall above the crib. “I believe this is the perfect spot, right above Samuel’s bed so he will go to sleep knowing I am watching over him throughout the night.”
“Since it is obvious you are not getting any sleep, why not watch over him in person?”
He returned the painting to the floor at his feet. “I am sleeping fine.”
“Ah, yes, and I am entering the marathon in Dubai two weeks from now.”
That forced Adan around. “Would you please stop assuming you know everything about me?”
She kissed Samuel’s cheek before placing him back in the crib, where he began kicking again at the sight of the colorful mobile above him. “I do know you, cara, better than most. When you were Samuel’s age, I stayed up many nights while you were teething. When you were a toddler, I put you to bed every night with a book, the reason why you were always such a grand reader. When you were six, and you broke your right arm trying to jump the hedges, I was the one who fed you until you learned to eat with your left hand. And when you were twelve, I discovered those horrid magazines beneath your bed and did not tell your father.”
He’d forgotten that incident, with good reason. “I realize you’ve been there for me through thick and thin, but that does not give you carte blanche to lord over me now that I am an adult.”
“I agree, you are an adult.”
“I am pleased to know you finally acknowledge that.”
“An adult who has absolutely no common sense when it counts most.”
He should have expected this as soon as he opened the box. “If you’re going to say I made the wrong decision by allowing Piper to leave, I would have to disagree.”
“And you would be wrong.” Elena leaned back against the crib’s railing and donned her stern face. “As I have told both your brothers, you all have a great capacity to love, but it would take a special woman to bring that out in you. Zain and Rafiq learned that lesson by finding that special woman, and so have you. Piper is your soul mate, cara. Do not destroy what you could have with her by being so stubborn you cannot see what was right in front of you and you foolishly let go for good.”
He hated that she had begun to make sense. “I am not being stubborn. I am being sensible. If you know me as well as you say you do, then you realize I have never stayed involved with one woman longer than six years, and we know how well that turned out.”
Elena glared at him much as she had when he’d been a badly behaved boy. “Comparing Talia to Piper is like comparing a cactus to a down comforter. It’s true Talia gave you a precious son, but she also gave you continuous grief. Piper gave you not only this touching portrait but also the means to heal your wounds with the truth. And you repay her by not admitting how you feel about her.”
“I’m presently not certain how I feel about anything.” Other than he resented Elena for pointing out the error in his ways.
“And you, cara mia, are guilty of propagating the biggest lie of all if you do not stop denying your love for Piper.”
“I have never said I love her.” He was too afraid to leave himself open to that emotion, more so now than ever.
She pointed a finger at his face and glowered at him. “Adan Mehdi, before your obstinate behavior destroys what could be the best thing that has happened to you, listen to me, and listen well. First of all, consider how Piper selflessly cared for your son. How she protected you and Samuel by putting her life on hold while pretending to be your wife, only to be dismissed by you as one would dismiss a servant.”
“But I never—”
“Furthermore,” she continued without regard for his attempts to halt the tirade, “should you finally regain some semblance of wisdom befitting of royalty and decide to contact her, you will beg her forgiveness for being such a rigid cretino.”
The woman knew how to deliver a right hook to his ego. “I take offense to my own mother calling me an idiot.”
Her expression brightened over the unexpected maternal reference. “It means everything to hear you finally acknowledging me as your mother.”
He laid a palm on her cheek. “I suppose I have known that all along. Only a true mother would tolerate my antics.”
“And only a true mother would agree to raise a child that is not her own, and love that child’s father with all her being despite his shortcomings.”
He recognized the reference to Piper, yet he couldn’t quell his concerns. “What if I try to contact her and she rejects me? And what do I say to her?”
“You must speak from the heart.”
“Something I have never truly mastered.”
She sighed. “Adan, your father also viewed revealing emotions as a sign of weakness, and in many ways you have inherited that trait from him. But in reality, it’s a brave man who show
s vulnerability for the sake of love. I implore you to call on your courage and tell Piper your true feelings, before it is too late.”
Admittedly, Elena—his mother—was right. He had never backed away from a battle, and he shouldn’t avoid this war to win Piper back. Better still, he had the perfect weapons to convince her to surrender—his well-honed charm, and his remarkable son.
* * *
When she sensed movement in the corner of her eye, Piper tore her attention away from the painting of the red-stone palace and brought it to the window that provided natural light. And after she glimpsed the tall man pushing the stroller up the guesthouse walkway, she blinked twice to make sure her imagination hadn’t commandeered her vision.
But there he was, the man who’d haunted her dreams for the past four weeks. He wore a crisp tailored black shirt and casual beige slacks, his perfect jaw covered by a shading of whiskers, his slightly ruffled thick dark hair as sexy as ever. And she looked like something the cat had dragged into the garage.
She barely had time to remove the paint-dotted apron and smooth the sides of her lopsided ponytail before the bell chimed. After drawing in a cleansing breath, she opened the door and concealed her shock with a smile. “To what do I owe this honor, Your Highness?”
Adan reached into the stroller and retrieved the baby who had stolen Piper’s heart from the moment she’d first held him. “This future pilot insisted on paying a personal visit to the artist who presented us with such a fine painting.”
She couldn’t believe how cute Sam looked in the miniature flight suit and tiny beige boots. “He really said that, huh?”
“He did.”
“Wow. I had no idea three-month-old babies could talk.”
“He’s an exceptional child.”
Born to an exceptionally charming father. A charm he’d clearly passed on to his son, evident when Sam kicked his legs and smiled, revealing his inherited dimples. “Well, don’t just stand there, boys. Come inside before you both melt from the heat.”