Page 12 of The Sheikh's Secret Family

“I do like Leila,” he said. “Because she’s a very good education advisor. Not because I have any romantic interest in her. Now, please, let’s talk about something else. How was your day?”

“Not bad,” Maryam said. “I met a lovely young woman today. Her name was Noora, I think.”

“Ummah!” Tariq wasn’t in the mood for any more romantic proposals.

“No, no, not for you. I ran into her in the downtown market when I went to buy some new books. She was working at her father’s bookstand, because she had struggled to find a job as a teacher. Anyway, I asked her to come to the palace. Maybe she can be a teacher for some of the servants’ children. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Maryam’s big heart was one of the things that Tariq loved about her. “I’m sure we can find something for her to do.”

“Perfect.” Maryam rested a hand on Tariq’s arm for a beat, then reached for a plate. “Let’s eat before the food gets cold!”

They continued talking over dinner, Tariq relaxing now that they’d moved on from the subject of his nonexistent love life. Afterwards, he bid his mother goodnight and went back to the palace to review a few briefs on trade agreements before the morning. When he was finally done, he fell back into his large, pillow-covered bed and expected to be asleep in moment, as he usually was.

Instead, Tariq laid awake, staring at the dark ceiling, thinking about the email. Or, to be more precise, about Emelia. His last hours at Stonebridge had been very painful, but there had been good moments, too. He smiled to himself, thinking of endless walks and cups of hot chocolate with Emelia, studying together and watching old movies, kissing and more.

Maybe it would be worth going back to give the speech and attend the reunion. For old time’s sake. Emelia might not even be there: she was probably off somewhere, traveling, meeting interesting people, and using those languages that she’d spent years practicing.

Tariq smiled at the thought of her off in the world, achieving the dreams that she’d worked so hard towards when they were in college. Maybe she would come back for the reunion. If she did, Tariq could finally explain what had happened and get some closure. He could finally say the goodbye that he should have said years ago. That would help him move on. Maybe it would be helpful for her, too.

Even if Emelia wasn’t there for the reunion, Tariq could still look around the campus one more time. That would give him some closure.

Finally, with the decision made, Tariq drifted off to sleep. He dreamed of Emelia the way she’d been in college, in her oversized sweaters and leggings, hair loose around her shoulders, always carrying a book.

When he woke up the next morning, he couldn’t reply to the email confirming his attendance fast enough. Even the chance of seeing Emelia again would mean everything.

Of course, Tariq reminded himself, the only reason to see her was to get closure on their relationship from years ago. He certainly wasn’t in love with her anymore.

CHAPTER8

EMELIA

The weeks flew by, full of preparations for the reunion, worries about seeing Tariq again, and joyous celebrations for Owen’s sixth birthday. After what felt like little more than a few heartbeats, the evening of the reunion was here.

Emelia thought she might keel over with nerves. Instead, she went to work and, distracted, spilled tea all over a stack of reunion agendas, which she then had to reprint. Then she came home and spent a long hour sitting at the table with Owen while he did his homework, trying to stop herself from staring at the clock. Finally, at five, she fed Owen a quick dinner of fish sticks with mashed potatoes and carrots and headed upstairs to get dressed while Owen played in his room.

When she opened her closet, Emelia felt her heart sink. She wanted to look nice for this evening. Even if Tariq wasn’t going to be there, she would want to look put-together for the rest of her former classmates who she’d be seeing again for the first time in years. She didn’t want to look like a struggling single mother. Tariq being there did add another level to her clothing worries; she’d changed since Tariq had last seen her, but she wanted Tariq to look at her and remember who she’d been. Maybe that would make this impossible conversation easier.

Finally, Emelia pulled her best dress out of the closet. It was the same dress that she’d worn to graduation — pale green, with a flared skirt and fitted top. It also had a small stain on the hem where Owen had reached for her with ketchup-covered hands, which Emelia tried to ignore. There was no getting it off.

“Where are you going?” Owen asked, startling Emelia out of her reverie. She turned to see him standing in the door, holding a coloring book in one hand. He must have gotten bored and come to check on her.

Emelia set the dress down on her bed and knelt down in front of her son. “I’m going to my college reunion, remember? We talked about this yesterday.”

“Can you stay?” Owen asked, sticking out his lower lip and widening his eyes. “We could have popcorn and watchDinosaur Worldagain.”

Emelia grinned. “Maybe you can watchDinosaur Worldwith Jen before bed. She’s coming to babysit you, remember?”

Owen usually loved hanging out with Jen. She was a local high school student who had been babysitting Owen for the past couple years. She always brought some special treats, like games that Emelia didn’t own or new crayons. When he heard Jen was coming, Owen usually did a happy dance to rival all others. Today, though, he just shrugged and climbed onto Emelia’s bed to watch her get ready. Maybe he was picking up on Emelia’s nerves about the evening. She needed to pull it together before her worries affected her son.

Emelia quickly changed in the bathroom, taking a moment to smooth the dress and look at herself in the mirror. At twenty-seven, she was hardly old, but she’d certainly changed since college. Would Tariq even recognize her? Would she recognize him without his usual Stonebridge hoodie and goofy smile? Emelia had looked up pictures of him a few times since he confirmed his attendance, and in all of them, he was wearing a suit and smiling a politician smile. It wasn’t at all how Emelia remembered him.

Shaking her head, Emelia went back into her bedroom, where Owen was now bouncing slightly on the bed. She gave him a warning look and he grinned, showing off the gap where he’d lost a tooth a few days before, before flopping backwards.

“What do you think,” she said, “should I wear my hair in a braid or a twist?”

“I don’t know,” Owen said, rolling his eyes. For a moment, Emelia had a glimpse of the teenager he would become. “That’s girl stuff!”

“Oh, the horror of girl stuff,” Emelia said. She grabbed a hairbrush from her bedside table and waved it in front of Owen, making ghost noises. He laughed, batting the brush away, and Emelia smiled to herself as she turned to put on a touch of makeup. Owen seemed to be in a good mood again. As if to prove it, he launched into a story about school that day and what he and Jen might do that evening.

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