Page 187 of Shâhzâdeh

A gentle nudge on the side of my neck brought me back from whatever state I was in and as I opened my eyes I saw Xerxes’ smiling face but he was now covered back up. “I hate to disturb you, but you know we have to get moving.”

I stretched lazily wondering if I had any time to sleep. I was mentally thinking about where my silk bonnet was so that I didn’t wake up with a case of bed head. “That is today isn’t it?”

“It is. How would you like me to proceed? You said you wanted to come—”

“I do. I’m just a little tired. “

He chuckled and finished tucking me under the covers. “You’vebeentired, baby, but now I understand. You’re going to have to see Dr. McQueen soon.”

“Who is Dr. McQueen?” I was trying to understand how the hell he wanted me to go to the doctor already. But then again they had Dr. Tavior on staff so it wasn’t really too far-fetched.

“She’s Messiah Diallo’s wife, the one zhat works with Adam and Midas. He does zhat tech shit too just on the personal side.”

“And his wife is a doctor?”

“She’s an OBGYN who does her locums only with the Consortium so that she can build an all Black women run clinic in their hometown.”

“Dang, y’all have an on staff OBGYN?”

He nodded proudly and kissed my forehead. “She does a few things for the Davis family as well. But with the rate of new babies we’re going to have, zhere won’t be much time for her to do anyzing else. She was in Scotland with Frankie.”

“That’s right, but she called her something else. And now just in the next year it will be Nyima’s baby, then Bhaltair’s twins and now us.” It felt so incredibly surreal to say something like that. I was going to be someone’s mother.

“Ny and Jerica will cut it close. She’ll deliver Ny and Mir’s little one and then need to jump on a plane to Scotland to deliver zhe twins. We should be…early spring?”

I grinned then felt slightly panicked at the thought. “Yeah…dang that doesn’t seem so far away.”

“Another couple zhat won’t make it to zheir first anniversary without having a newborn. We will have to see who else keeps zhis tradition going. And maybe invest in a nanny service. But enough of zhat. Rest, my love. I almost want to tell you to stay here, but I know I could not in good conscience and expect you to still love me in the morning.” He had a hopeful look on his face like I’d change my mind, but today was too important.

“I would love you, I just might be mad at you and not want to talk to you.”

He picked up my hand kissing the back of it before pressing it to the side of my face. “A state of unrest I will not accept especially wiz you being zhe most precious zhing in the world to me carrying zhe most precious zhing in zhe world to me.To bozorgtarin mo'jeze-ye Khodâ barâye mani.” He peppered my face with kisses as though he were trying not to miss a freckle, causing me to laugh that morphed into a yawn.

“And what does that mean, baby?” I pulled his pillow to me so I could have his scent close by while I slept.

“You are God’s greatest miracle to me.”

My eyes got wet again, and he couldn’t keep doing this to me. “Xerxes,”

He smirked and wiped some of the moisture from my cheek. “I should’ve known wiz zhe tears somezing was up.”

“What is up is me being completely and hopelessly in love with a man that I would kill for. One I can submit to because I know he will protect every part of me: my independence, my health, my heart, and my wealth as fiercely as he would his own.”

His handsome face was a mix of emotions but the two strongest were love and pride. Xerxes leaned forward and placed my bonnet on my head, reminding me of why he was so easy to love.

“Even more fiercely. But rest,mon amor. I need you at your best tonight. I will wake you when it is time.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Meet the Mahdavi-Cannons

XERXES

“ARE YOU SURE about being here?”

I looked at Vanya who was sitting peacefully beside me in the back of the SUV and couldn’t help but feel nervous about what we were on our way to do. Not nervous about the actions, but nervous about how she was going to react.

“Yes. Your mother needs support.” She turned to me and smiled brightly and I could only stare at her, which made her laugh. The sun was setting but there was still light that cast their rays towards my wife. Like even the sun as it was fading couldn’t help but want to reach out and caress her, and highlight her beauty before it took its rest.

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