Page 22 of The Sheikh's Secret Family

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Hours later, Tariq woke to the sound of crunching. He blinked, not sure how he’d fallen asleep, and opened his eyes. Owen was sitting next to him, one foot on Tariq’s knee, eating a packet of crackers and staring out the window.

“Hi,” he said. “Cracker?” He offered one to Tariq.

“Um, no thank you.” Tariq straightened up and looked around. Emelia was still sleeping, her hair like a halo around her peaceful face, but the flight attendant was up and going through her pre-landing checks.

“The nice lady said that we’re landing in an hour,” Owen informed him, sounding pleased to have this important information.

“That’s great,” Tariq said. “We should probably wake your mom up, right?”

“I’m up!” a slightly sleepy voice called from the middle of the plane. Emelia waved to both of them, then yawned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“No problem,” Tariq said. “Sorry if we woke you up.”

She waved him off. “Is there a bathroom? I want to freshen up before we land.”

Tariq directed her to the bathroom, then asked the flight attendant to get them something small to eat. By the time they landed, everyone had eaten and taken a turn in the bathroom. When the plane touched down, Owen started a wiggly dance of joy.

“I saw some deserts out the window,” he told Emelia. “And some big giant buildings!”

“Most of Al Salyah is desert,” Tariq agreed, standing and joining them by the door as the ground crew and flight crew worked together to lower the staircase. “But the capital, Adan, where we are, is very modern and beautiful.”

“I can’t wait to explore,” Emelia said, looking a little dreamy.

Tariq felt his heart squeeze. He wanted them to be able to explore too, but he knew it wasn’t a good idea. If Emelia and Owen were seen in Adan, with Tariq by their side, the press would put two and two together far too quickly. Even if Tariq didn’t go with them, the family resemblance between him and Owen was strong. It was possible that someone would guess who Owen really was. And that would be a disaster. Tariq could lose his credibility as sheikh, traditional members of society could try to shame him, Emelia, and innocent Owen, and all of their reputations would be ruined. No, it wasn’t possible to let them explore Al Salyah, not just yet.

“There’s also a whole palace to explore,” he said. Tariq knew that he should probably explain his concerns to Emelia, but he didn’t want her to feel unwelcome here. It was better to keep quiet for now, until he could make a plan about how to tell the rest of Al Salyah about them.

“I can’t wait to see the palace!” Owen exclaimed, wiggling some more.

“For now,” Tariq continued, turning away from the excited little boy and towards Emelia, “I’ll ask you both to stay in the palace. Adan is a big city, and I wouldn’t want you to be lost or overwhelmed. But don’t worry — if you need anything at all, my servants or I can get it for you.”

“All right,” Emelia said, but Tariq thought he saw a flicker of hesitation behind those beautiful green eyes.

The staircase finally opened and they stepped out into the hot desert air. They had landed on the royal family’s private airstrip, so the palace opened before them like a picture from a storybook. It was mostly white and gold, with high towers and a sprawling collection of smaller buildings scattered across the lush gardens. Tariq smiled a little at the sight of his home, then turned to Emelia. Her mouth was open in a slight ‘O’.

“You really are a sheikh,” she said, her voice full of wonder.

Tariq gave a little bow. “I am. Now, come on, I have a lot to show you both.”

CHAPTER14

EMELIA

Emelia held Owen’s hand as they stepped from the airstrip through the large, ornate gates into the palace. Partially, she was keeping him from getting too excited and running away. Partially, she was trying to keep herself calm. She had known that Tariq was a sheikh. She’d known that he was very wealthy. But actually seeing it all was something completely different. As someone who had struggled to save every possible penny her whole life, this felt like a different world.

Emelia felt a little guilty to admit that she kind of liked it.

“Lady and gentleman,” Tariq said, stepping in front of them and sweeping his hands to either side like a tour guide. “Welcome to Adan. I’ll take you on a quick tour of the palace while Hamid brings your bags to your rooms. Then I’ll let you both get settled in.”

“Sir,” Hamid said, trotting to keep up. Tariq waved him off.

“I’m home, Hamid. You don’t have to shadow me here.”

With a small sigh, Hamid headed off towards the palace, carrying Emelia and Owen’s bags as easily as if they were made of cotton candy.

“We can help carry our things,” Emelia said, looking after him.

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