Page 27 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

“Maybe.” Rashad shrugged. “I feel too busy to be a good father or husband, though. I wouldn’t want my family to come second.”

“I understand that.” Nina sighed. “I always try to make sure my kids come first, but it can be hard.”

“Mommy!” Kate came running over, her cheeks pink with excitement and her hair and limbs already sandy. “Can we go swimming?”

“Of course.” Nina rolled to her feet. “Rashad, care to join us?”

“I’d love to.”

“Then I’ll race you to the water!” Nina took off across the beach at a sprint, little storms of sand flying up behind her. Giggling, Kate fell into step beside her, and Rashad passed them both, running with the form of someone who did marathons in his spare time. He splashed into the water, Nina and Kate coming in behind him. Kate jumped into the shallow water, giggling, and her brother came running past Nina to join her.

The water was warm and refreshing on Nina’s feet. She listened to the sounds of her children shrieking with joy and watched the ocean stretching on towards the horizon and, in that moment, she felt that all was well with the world. Yes, there was Rashad’s business proposal to deal with, but even that didn’t seem as overwhelming right now.

“It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?” Rashad asked. He was standing beside Nina now, looking out towards the horizon, his brown eyes thoughtful.

“It is.” Nina dragged a hand through the water, then splashed Rashad with an arc of clear water. For a moment, Rashad just stared at her, and Nina thought she might have made a mistake.But he dipped his own hand into the water, sending a torrential wave over Nina and soaking her entirely. Kate and Miles caught on to the fun, and soon both twins were wildly splashing the adults, calling out to each other gleefully. It all came to a head when Rashad lifted Nina out of the water and into his arms before carrying her out into the ocean and submerging her entirely. Nina came up, spluttering and laughing, in time to hear Miles and Kate clamoring to be the next one Rashad picked up and set in the water.

It had been a while since Nina had felt like this, completely free and with abandon. Sure, she played with her kids often, but as much as she tried to focus on them, there was always a to-do list playing in the back of her mind. Today, Nina felt like a little girl again, splashing and laughing and swooping her kids through the air and trying to knock Rashad’s feet out from under him so that he’d take a dip in the water too.

“Come on, grab his hands!” Nina called to Miles and Kate. Obediently, the twins grabbed a hand each and pulled on Rashad as hard as they could. Nina took advantage of his distraction to push Rashad back by the shoulders, and finally, with a stumbling splash, Rashad fell into the water. The twins and Nina cheered as Rashad came back up, shaking water from his eyes. Nina tried to ignore how good he looked, shirtless and dripping-wet with seawater.

“You’ll all pay for that!” Rashad announced, his brown eyes gleaming. He went for Miles first, holding the little boy under the arms and spinning him around before gently tossing him into the water. Kate put up a fight, running away and laughing before she let Rashad catch her, but soon he was spinning her around and tossing her carefully into the water, too. Finally, Rashad turned to Nina.

“Okay, okay.” Nina held up her hands as she backed up. “There’s no way you can spin me around like that, so let’s call a truce.”

“No way!” Rashad shook his head as he advanced on Nina. “You were definitely the mastermind behind pushing me in the water. I can’t let you go.”

“I’ve learned my lesson,” Nina said, still laughing.

“I doubt it. You’ve offended an Al Soubi sheikh. You have no idea what you’ve done.” With one quick motion, Rashad closed the distance between them and swept Nina into his arms. She was so surprised that she wrapped her arms around his neck as he spun her around then gently dropped her into the water. When Nina reemerged, Miles and Kate were clapping and shouting for their turn to be next.

The four of them played in the water for a long time. The twins had so much fun that they dragged their feet and moaned when it was time to get out, but Rashad suggested that they could have a sandcastle competition next, and eventually both kids got out of the water. As they all flopped side by side on the sand, still laughing and all tired, Nina had the feeling once again that they probably looked like a family to a casual observer. There was the playful and fun dad, who had tossed Kate and Miles in the air over and over again while they begged for more. There was the equally fun, if a little tired, mom, who splashed everyone and laughed as hard as either of the kids. And there were the kids themselves, both happy and excited for a day out.

Of course, the four of them were nowhere close to being an actual family.

“Thank you so much for playing with us,” Nina said as she reclined back on her elbows. The twins had quickly regainedtheir energy and were working on a joint sandcastle that was already nearly as tall as Kate, but Rashad and Nina were still relaxing on the sand.

“Are you kidding? That was great.” Rashad flashed Nina a genuine smile that made her heart melt. “I’d play with you and the twins anytime.”

“The offer to join us is always open.” Nina rolled towards Rashad and sat up, crossing her legs. “Speaking of which…”

“Hmm?” Rashad looked up at her, his expression turning from playful to serious.

“I’d like to accept your offer.” Nina shrugged, trying to stay casual. “I think we should go into business together.”

“Really?” Rashad sat up too, his eyes wide. “What changed your mind?”

“I’ve seen a different side of you,” Nina admitted. “There’s more to you than just a ruthless businessman. I see that now. I think I can trust you.”

“Youcantrust me, Nina.” Rashad smiled at her, not a playful smile nor a conniving one, but simply the genuine smile of a man who cared. “And I think we can do amazing things if we work together.”

“I think so, too.” Nina smiled back. “There are a lot of details we’ll need to work out — like what exactly it means to be in business together. But I’m looking forward to figuring it all out.”

“So am I.” Rashad’s smile widened. “As long as you don’t try to knock me into the water again.”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Nina winked.

“How about we enjoy this afternoon on the yacht, and when we get back to San Diego, we can work out all the details of our new partnership?”

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