Page 24 of The Sheikh's Secret Family

After a little more time spent cheering Owen up, they finished the tour in Emelia and Owen’s quarters. The rooms were big and as beautiful as the rest of the palace. There were three bedrooms, plus a large sitting room, a small kitchen, and a dining room. Outside, a balcony looked over the rest of the palace.

“This is too much,” Emelia said, feeling her cheeks redden. She’d imagined a bedroom each in a tucked-away corner of the palace, not this. This was bigger than any apartment or house she’d lived in her whole life.

“No, it isn’t.” Tariq shook his head firmly, meeting Emelia’s eyes with his own deep, brown ones. “You and Owen will be comfortable here. It’s just right.”

For a moment, Emelia felt near tears. It had been a long time since anyone was this kind or concerned with taking care of her. She took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay. Thank you.”

“I’ll leave you two to get settled in. Please call me if you need anything, I’ve left you a phone that will work here. Oh, and I asked the kitchen staff to bring you something for dinner in an hour or so. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to join you tonight, but I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Emelia said.

Tariq just nodded. “It’s the very least I can do.” With that he waved goodbye to Owen and headed out, leaving the two of them alone.

Owen immediately started racing around the rooms, pointing out the view of the garden and making a case for getting the biggest bedroom. Emelia sat down on the couch, looking around. She was still a little bit in shock. How was it that the man who’d eaten instant noodles with her in a dorm room was a sheikh who’d grown up in a palace? And how was it that, despite everything that had happened, all Emelia wanted to do was follow Tariq into the hall and wrap her arms around him?

The important thing is to be good co-parents,she reminded herself. Emelia just needed to enjoy living in the palace and having help with Owen. Nothing else mattered.

That night, Emelia and Owen stayed in their rooms, eating dinner, playing a board game that Emelia had brought with them, and having an early night. The next morning, though, Emelia woke to a message from Tariq, which reminded her that they would have to leave their rooms sometime.

I hope you slept well. Owen has lessons from nine a.m. to two p.m. in the library. Would you both like to join me for dinner around six?

Emelia replied right away, thanking Tariq and accepting his dinner offer. Then she spent a few moments grinning down at her phone, thinking about how much Tariq’s writing style had changed. In college, she’d get notes from him that said nothing more thanDinner — 7:00?Now he was writing full sentences with punctuation.

She put down her phone and went to get Owen ready for the day. He grumbled a bit about going to lessons, but agreed when Emelia reminded him that he could explore more afterwards. They headed to the library together, passing a few servants who nodded to them.

In the library, Noora was already waiting at a large table. She was a petite woman, with long dark hair and hazel eyes. Emelia walked straight over to her and introduced herself.

“I’m Emelia,” she said, “And this is my son Owen. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“I’m Noora.” The woman reached out to shake Emelia’s hand, then Owen’s. “Nice to meet you both.”

“Are we going to do writing?” Owen asked, looking at the table full of books and worksheets with distrust.

Noora smiled. “Yes. I bet you’ll like it, though. I have some pretty fun games.”

“I’ll try,” Owen said. He gave them both one of his adorable smiles.

“That’s great, sweetheart.” Emelia kissed him on the head, waved a goodbye to Noora, and headed out of the library. It was only then, when she was out in the hallway, that she realized she had nothing to do today. Nothing. Emelia couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a free hour, much less a whole free day. That was probably because it hadn’t happened since Owen was born, or maybe before that. What was she going to do with herself?

Emelia considered going to find Tariq, but he was probably busy with meetings or court or whatever sheikhs did all day. Then she considered going back to her rooms, but it seemed a shame to waste such a beautiful day. Instead, Emelia headed out to the gardens.

She spent almost the whole day there. She walked through the rows of flowers, the citrus orchard, and the native plants section that was full of beautiful desert plants. She stopped for a while near a fountain, breathing in the sweet smell of jasmine that seemed to be everywhere, then walked to the ornate wall at the edge of the palace grounds and skimmed her hand along it. Everything felt incredibly luxurious. Around lunchtime, she ended up near the kitchens, where she was rewarded with a plate of flavorful lamb and rice, along with a fresh salad studded with mint and pomegranate seeds.

“I could get used to this,” Emelia whispered to herself as she settled onto a sweeping veranda, her plate of food on a small metal table in front of her. There was a faint salt smell in the air up here, and she could make out the blue of an ocean in the distance. Owen would love that.

Just as Emelia was taking her first bite of salad, the door to the veranda opened and Tariq came through, looking slightly out of breath. His gaze swept over her and he nodded, seeming satisfied that she was safe and well.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi. I didn’t expect to see you until dinnertime.”

“I know.” Tariq took a few short breaths. “I have a few minutes between meetings and I heard you were up here. I wanted to make sure that everything was all right.”

“Everything is perfect,” Emelia said, meaning it. “I went for a nice walk, I got to practice my Arabic with your kitchen staff, and now I’m eating lunch. How are you? You seem busy.”

“A little,” Tariq agreed, contradicting the statement by glancing at his watch and trying to slow his quick breathing. He crossed to Emelia, sitting on the chair next to her and crossing one foot over his knee. The posture was so familiar that Emelia was struck with a sense of déjà vu. “Do you mind if we eat dinner in your rooms? A few cabinet members are having a formal dinner in the main dining room.”

“No problem.” Emelia set her plate of food to the side and looking at Tariq, trying to evaluate him. “Do you need to join them for the formal dinner?”

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