Page 23 of The Sheikh's Secret Family

“It’s okay. You have something more important to do.” Tariq led them towards a large flower garden with a fountain in the center. “You need to explore your new home.”

“Yeah, Mom!” Owen agreed. “We need to explore!”

So, explore they did. Tariq led them through the gardens, pointing out his favorite spots. This started with the swing set in the citrus orchard where he’d played as a child.

“Can I swing now?” Owen asked, bouncing a little. Emelia knew that he would need to get out a little energy after the flight, so she nodded and he raced off towards the swing set. Emelia watched him for a few minutes, then felt a tap on her shoulder. Tariq was there, holding out an orange and standing very, very close to her. Emelia felt her heart start to race at his presence and wished that she could kick herself.

“Orange?” he asked, when she didn’t take it. Flushing a little, Emelia accepted the fruit and slowly starting peeling away the rind. Immediately, a delicious smell filled the air, fresh and citrusy. Emelia took a deep breath before popping the first slice into her mouth. The orange was juicy and just the right level of sweet.

“This is the best orange I’ve ever eaten,” she said. She held out a slice to Tariq and he took it, their fingers brushing slightly. Emelia felt a shiver run up her arm and turned away. How was it that after all these years, Tariq could still make her feel this way?

Emelia felt like a young college student again. She kept glancing at Tariq, wanting to see his face, and whenever she did, her heart would pick up its tempo. Tariq could still make her shiver with nothing but an innocent brush of hands. Maybe it would have been easy to slide back into their old patterns, but Emelia couldn’t let that happen.

So much trust had been lost when Tariq left without saying anything. Even though Emelia could understand why he’d done it, her heart still ached at the thought that he hadn’t tried to find a way to contact her when things settled down. The most important thing now was that they could be good co-parents to Owen. Anything else would just lead to bigger problems.

“You look thoughtful,” Tariq said, gently nudging Emelia with his shoulder.

“I’m just thinking about Owen,” Emelia said, somewhat truthfully. “I wonder how he’ll adjust to being here.”

“I’m sure he’ll love it,” Tariq said. “Kids at that age are adaptable.”

“How would you know that?” Emelia asked, putting her hands playfully on her hips.

“I did a little research last night,” Tariq admitted. “I couldn’t sleep, so I sat in my hotel room reading about how to parent six-year-olds.”

Emelia’s heart gave another little flutter, which she tried to ignore. Tariq doing research about how to be a good parent to their son wasn’t anything to get all swoony over. Emelia needed to approach this logically, like she would a business partnership.

“That’s great,” she said. “Did you learn anything interesting?”

“Apparently, six-year-olds have already developed object permanence,” Tariq said. “But babies haven’t, so when they don’t see something, they assume it doesn’t exist anymore.”

Emelia laughed. “Your research is very thorough, if you went all the way back to babies.”

“I wish I’d known Owen as a baby,” Tariq said softly. He held up a hand. “I know it’s my fault that I didn’t.”

“He was a pretty great baby,” Emelia told him. “He hardly cried and he would always wrap his little hands around my fingers. Plus, he was adorable with those big brown eyes.”

“Are you talking about me?” Owen had come running back over from the swings, looking very happy and a little flushed from the exercise.

“Just about how great you are,” Emelia teased, ruffling his hair. “Are we ready to continue the tour?”

They finished the circuit of the gardens and stepped into the palace itself, which was wonderfully cool compared to the heat outside. Emelia tried not to gape at the intricate designs on the floor, walls, and ceiling. Tariq gave them only a quick tour of the inside of the palace, showing the beautiful indoor pool with a pattern of blue and green tiles at the bottom, the bustling kitchens full of delicious smells, and the library packed with gorgeous books and enormous chairs.

“This is where you’ll have your lessons,” Tariq told Owen when they reached the library.

Owen made a face. “Do I really have to go to school?”

Emelia and Tariq exchanged a glance. “Yes, you do,” Emelia said. “Learning is important.”

“And I’ve found you a great tutor,” Tariq continued. “You’ll have lessons with her for a few hours every day, then some free time to play and explore the palace.”

Owen made another face. “I don’t like school. I have to sit for way too long and sometimes they ask questions that I don’t know the answers to and I feel dumb.” He hung his head and Emelia’s heart went out to him. He hadn’t been this open with her about his problems at school until now.

“Sweetheart,” she said, wrapping her arm around the little boy. “You’re the smartest kid I know.”

“You are,” Tariq agreed. “Plus, I’m sure Noora will let you get up for dance breaks sometimes if you get restless.”

Owen shrugged. “I guess.”

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