Page 27 of The Sheikh's Secret Family

Emelia crossed the room and held out her hands, helping Tariq to his feet. Once he was standing, they both lingered for a moment, hands intertwined, before stepping apart and sitting side-by-side on the couch. Emelia bent down to pick up the mugs and handed one to Tariq.

“It’s still like old times,” she said. “We’re just old people now.”

“Hardly.” Tariq had to hold himself back from saying more about how Emelia looked even more beautiful than she had before. Instead, he continued on another track. “I’m only twenty-eight. How dare you call me old.”

“My apologies, Your Highness,” Emelia said, grinning. Tariq rolled his eyes.

“So, how are you enjoying the palace?” he asked.

“I love it,” Emelia said. “Truly. The best part is seeing Owen so excited about school. And it’s nice to see you after all this time. What have you been doing for the last six years?”

“Trying to figure out how to rule a country,” Tariq said, honestly. “And you?”

“Trying to figure out how to raise a child,” Emelia said. “But I think I asked the wrong question. I’m more interested in the details. What was it like, becoming a sheikh so young?”

Tariq gave a little sigh. “Incredibly difficult. Especially since I’d just lost my father and you. Plus, no one believed that I could do a good job since I was only twenty-two. There was even talk of putting in a regent until I got older.”

“But obviously, you proved them wrong,” Emelia prompted. She lifted the mug to her lips and took a long sip, smiling. “Also, there’s no way you made this. Your hot chocolate always had little lumps.”

“It did not,” Tariq said, shaking his head. “But you’re right, I got this from the kitchens. There’s a little cinnamon in it.”

“I can tell. So, tell me about how you proved yourself.”

“In my first week as sheikh, there was a dispute with the Sultanate of Koula over our border. A lot of the border between our countries is in the desert, where almost no one lives. But the sultan created some documents showing the borders almost three hundred miles away from where we agreed in his favor. He must have seen the change of ruler as a time of weakness.”

“Wow.” Emelia shook her head. “I’ve been dealing with playdates and timesheets while you’ve been dealing with international crises. What did you do?”

“I’m sure playdates and timesheets were harder,” Tariq said. “Being a parent is already overwhelming. Anyway, I thought of you.” He looked down at his mug, not wanting to see the expression on Emelia’s face at that comment. “My advisors were all telling me to send troops, but I remembered the story you told about how a war almost started back in the 1900s because of an incorrect translation. So, instead, I went to meet with the sultan, against everyone’s advice. I told him that I was very new as a sheikh and that I would rely on his expertise and hoped that we could work together. Then I took out the documents with the wrong border and started asking questions, very politely, like I was just confused. The sultan got more and more embarrassed and finally said that the maps must have been a mistake and that he would fix it right away. He did. After that, my advisors listened to me a little more.”

“Wow,” Emelia said again. Tariq finally looked up to see that her green eyes were full of warmth. It seemed like her walls might be starting to come down ever so slightly. “It’s really cool to think that I might have helped stop an international crisis, even if I didn’t know anything about it.”

Tariq nodded. “It might be weird to say, but I thought about you a lot over the years. What you would think or do or say if you were here.” He’d done his best to keep all thoughts of Emelia pushed to the back of his mind, but still, at night or when he was alone on a walk, he would remember her.

“I thought of you, too,” Emelia said softly. “I was mad at you for leaving, but I would also sometimes imagine that you were still there and that we were raising Owen together. I always figured that you would be a great dad.”

“Thank you.” Tariq said. The moment seemed to stretch between them as their eyes met, reaching back to the young people they had been and forward into an unknown future. Tariq realized that he was holding his breath and let it out in a soft sigh. “I’m glad we found each other again.”

“Yes,” Emelia said. Then, very gently, she added, “as co-parents.”

“Of course,” Tariq agreed. “As co-parents and… allies.”

“You’ve been in politics for too long,” Emelia said with a little laugh, turning away slightly to take a sip of hot chocolate. The movement broke the spell that had been building between them and Tariq felt relieved — and a little disappointed. “I think partners or friends would be more accurate than allies.”

“Fine.” Tariq grinned. “Partners it is. So, tell me, what was Owen like as a toddler? Was he one of those little angelic ones or did he throw a lot of tantrums?”

“Oh, definitely the second,” Emelia said, giggling a little. “This one time, when he had just turned two…”

Conversation flowed easily after that, as Emelia and Tariq shared all that they had missed in each other’s lives. Neither of them touched on anything vaguely romantic, but Tariq put together that Emelia hadn’t dated anyone since he had left. The realization made his heart flutter a little. By the time he looked at the clock, still laughing from one of Emelia’s stories, it was after two in the morning.

“I am so sorry,” he said, eyes wide. “I didn’t mean to keep you up.”

She waved him off. “That’s okay. It was nice talking to you, and anyway, I’m used to not getting a lot of sleep.”

“Me too,” Tariq agreed. “I guess the life of a parent and the life of a sheikh are the same in that way.”

“True. Still, we should get some rest.”

“We should.”

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