Page 26 of The Sheikh's Secret Family

As everyone started dishing up their dinner, Emelia leaned over to Tariq.

“Bribery,” she said, “A good start to your parenting adventure.”

Tariq opened his mouth to apologize, but saw that her eyes were twinkling with amusement. He grinned back, glad that they had returned to the easy banter that they had shared before.

“Are we doing Tadpoles, Frogs, and Mosquitos?” Owen asked, his mouth a little full.

Emelia turned to Tariq to explain. “We always play a game at dinner about our days. We should say a Tadpole, something we’re hopeful for, a Frog, something good that happened today, and a Mosquito, something bad that happened.”

“I read about this in one of the parenting books,” Tariq said thoughtfully. “But I thought it was called, Roses, Thorns, and Buds.”

“Technically, it is,” Emelia agreed. “But…” She nodded at her son.

“Roses are lame!” Owen finished. “So, we changed it to stuff about frogs. Do you like frogs?”

“Um,” Tariq said. “Yes?” He hadn’t given much thought to the topic of amphibians. Mostly, he was just impressed at Emelia’s parenting. Somehow, the quiet, studious girl he’d known had grown into a confident woman who made sweet traditions for her son.

“Me too! Can I go first?” Hardly waiting for permission, Owen jumped in. “My Tadpole is class tomorrow with Miss Noora. My Frog is that we live in a palace now, which is super-duper cool. And my Mosquito is I have to go to bed in a few hours.” He frowned.

“That all sounds pretty good,” Emelia told him. “Tariq, do you want to go next?”

“You can.” Tariq needed a moment to think about what he was going to say. He couldn’t well blurt out that his Frog was sitting next to Emelia, breathing in that coconut-y smell of hers.

“Okay. My Tadpole is exploring more tomorrow and getting to know our new home. My Frog is dinner with my two favorite boys.” She grinned at Owen, then at Tariq, who felt his idiot heart leap. Was he really still one of her favorite boys? “And my Mosquito is that I forgot to bring my favorite mug.”

“We can get you another mug,” Tariq said. “Or I can have yours shipped from your apartment.”

Emelia held up her hand, shaking her head despite her smile. “It’s okay. Really. The mugs here are fine. Your turn.”

“All right. My Tadpole is getting to know both of you better. My Frog is this dinner. And my Mosquito is that I had a lot of long meetings today, which weren’t very exciting.”

“What were your meetings about?” Emelia asked, taking a bite. “Mmmmm,” she added. “This is really good.”

“This and that,” Tariq said. He didn’t want to think about work now, when he was finally with Emelia and Owen. The best thing was to keep his professional life completely separate from his life with them. “Nothing interesting. What’s your favorite of the foods today?”

Dinner flew by, full of light conversation about food and Owen’s classes. Tariq couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed dinner this much. His weekly dinners with his mother were always nice, but they were also quiet with just the two of them and often plagued by his mother’s attempts to set him up. His other dinners, spent alone in his rooms hunched over a pile of documents or shared with dignitaries at a high table, were more about work than enjoyment. Not today, though. Emelia and Owen were clearly very comfortable with each other, and they drew Tariq easily into their circle of two, explaining inside jokes and asking him questions.

After dinner, Owen had a half hour of screen time while Tariq and Emelia cleaned up.

“Next comes Owen’s bedtime routine,” Emelia said softly. “It’ll take about half an hour or forty-five minutes. You don’t have to stay if you have places to be.”

Tariq had about a hundred places to be, but nowhere he wanted to be more than here. Plus, a plan had been growing in the back of his mind ever since lunchtime.

“How about you get Owen tucked in and then meet me back here in the living room?” Tariq suggested.

“Do you have some fancy plan?” Emelia asked, winking. “Maybe some performing turtles or a ball? I don’t know what sheikhs do for fun.”

“Turtles.” Tariq shuddered. “I’ll never forget the scourge of the greenhouse back at Stonebridge. But no, it isn’t anything too fancy.”

“All right.”

Emelia headed off to tuck Owen in and Tariq made a quick run to the kitchens. His plan was almost the exact opposite of fancy. He hoped that Emelia wouldn’t be disappointed.

Forty-five minutes later, Emelia emerged from Owen’s bedroom to find Tariq sitting on the floor of the living room. In front of him were two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Emelia looked from him, resting cross-legged with his back against the couch, to the two mugs, and burst out laughing.

“Hot chocolate on the floor,” she said, still giggling a little. “It’s like old times.”

“Exactly. Although, I think I was a bit less stiff in college, because I’ve been on the floor for about five minutes and I already think I’m getting a cramp.”

---