Page 30 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

“I used to run, before I had kids.” Nina’s face took on a dreamy expression, though her eyes were still closed. “It was lovely.”

“I wouldn’t describe running as lovely. It’s always hard work, and it isn’t exactly fun.”

“It was for me. My aunt Katherine was a runner — she was the one who inspired me to take up running. She always made it into a game for me. We’d do a scavenger hunt while running, or play prediction games, or go on routes that looped around to make letters and spell out words. Once, we even dressed up in reindeer costumes on Christmas Eve and dashed through the neighborhood.”

“She sounds like an amazing aunt. I bet the twins would have loved her.”

“Definitely. She was great with kids.” Nina smiled.

“Mommy?”

“Oh.” Nina opened her eyes, sending a knowing smile at Rashad. “Guess who’s up?”

The twins came over, hand in hand, looking adorable and sleepy. As one, they climbed onto Nina’s chair with her, one on each side, and she wrapped her arms around them, kissing their blond heads.

“How did you sleep?” she asked.

“Good,” the twins chorused.

“Can we play hide-and-seek now?” Miles asked. “Or Uno?”

“Wouldn’t you like to rest a little more?”

Both blond heads shookno, and Nina chuckled.

“All right, then. Let’s play some hide-and-seek. Rashad, if you’d like to rest more, you absolutely can.”

But Rashad shook his head too. “I’ll play.” After all, in a few days, he would go back to his normal life of work with little time for enjoyment or rest. He might as well enjoy a little childlike fun while he had the chance.

“First, a quick shower for each of you,” Nina suggested. The twins groaned and grumbled, but she expertly lifted them into her arms and carried them off to the cabin. Rashad took advantage of the break to shower as well, and about twenty minutes later, they were all back on deck, clean and dressed in new clothes. Nina had showered, too, and changed into a flattering black-and-white sundress. Her hair was wet and loose around her shoulders and she looked all the lovelier for her lack of jewelry or makeup.

“Mommy, you count first,” Miles suggested.

“Okay. I’ll count to twenty.” Nina relaxed back in her chair and covered her eyes as the kids scrambled to their feet. “One, two, three…”

Rashad and the twins hurried into the bowels of the ship. Kate slipped into a cupboard that seemed far too small for her with an expert ease, while Miles held up his hands to Rashad.

“Will you help me hide?”

“Sure.” Rashad picked Miles up and helped him settle into a hiding spot behind the pillows on one of the guest beds. There wasn’t much time left for Rashad to hide himself, so he quickly stepped behind a door and hoped he wouldn’t be too obvious.

As Rashad waited in the semi-darkness for Nina to find him, his thoughts drifted back to the last time he’d played hide-and-seek. It had been nearly two decades ago, when he and Khalid were both young. They’d played numerous games of hide-and-seek in the palace, always trying to one-up each other with a better hiding place. Rashad had always waited, brimming with anticipation, but absolutely certain his brother would find him.

The last time they’d played, he’d waited for what felt like hours, and Khalid had never come. It turned out that he’d run into one of their tutors in the hallway, who’d told him that heirs didn’t have time for frivolous, childish games. Chastised, yet seeing the truth in the tutor’s harsh words, Khalid had gone to study, leaving Rashad unfound in his hiding place.

“Hey, there.” The sound of Nina’s sweet voice startled him out of his reverie. She was peeking around the door, her eyes crinkling in a smile. “What a good hiding place.”

“Thank you.” Rashad stepped into the light, feeling a little too happy to have been found. “Did you find the kids?”

“Not yet,” Nina said in a louder voice. “Wherever could those kids be?”

There was a giggle from the bed. Nina winked at Rashad, held a finger to her lips, then made a show of looking under the bed and in the closet before finally pulling the pillows off the bed to reveal Miles. She found Kate in her cupboard soon after.

“Again! Again!” the twins chorused. This time, Kate counted while the other three ran off to hide. Rashad found a good spot in a linen closet and, just as time was almost up, the door opened, and Nina leaped inside.

“Hey, find your own spot,” Rashad said in a hushed voice, even as he moved over to make room for Nina.

“I couldn’t find one. Now shush.”

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