Page 42 of The Sheikh's Secret Family

Tariq loved Emelia. He loved Owen. Together, they were his world.

And with that thought, the way forward became clear. Tariq stopped, sinking down onto the ornate bench where he’d read that first email from Stonebridge inviting him to the reunion. He knew what he needed to do now. He needed to do whatever it took to convince Emelia that here, in Al Salyah, with him, was where she belonged. He needed to convince her that he wasn’t ashamed of her or their son. He needed to prove that he was trustworthy.

There would be a scandal when everyone found out about them. There might be ripples of fallout for years to come. His mother might not want to talk to him, at least for a while. But if Tariq could keep his family, it didn’t matter. He would protect Emelia and Owen from any nasty press that might come out about them. As for his own reputation, he hardly cared. What did it matter what people thought of him? His family was more important.

The problem was that Tariq only had a few hours left. Emelia had said that they would leave that evening after just one more dinner together. She was expecting a goodbye, an ending to all that they had built together, but that wasn’t what she was going to get.

Once before, Tariq had planned a dinner to show his love for Emelia. He’d planned to open up about who he was, but he’d gotten scared. This time, that wasn’t going to happen.

Just like he had six years ago, Tariq sprung into action. He had calls to make. He had shopping to do. He had food to request. Most importantly, he had the love of his life to win back.

CHAPTER24

EMELIA

Emelia sat at the table in silence, tapping her fingers lightly against each other. She had agreed to this dinner because she knew it wasn’t fair to Owen to have to leave without saying goodbye, but she was ready to get out of here. She’d booked a flight that would leave late that night. Their packed bags, minus anything Tariq had given them, were sitting by the door of their rooms. All that was left was to say goodbye.

It was going to be beyond hard.

Despite his keeping her and their child a secret, Emelia still loved Tariq. He was a good person, a kind and intelligent man. He was beyond handsome. Just the sight of him made Emelia’s heart beat in her chest like a butterfly taking flight. And when they kissed, when he touched her, it was like the whole universe paused to take notice.

Emelia hadn’t known it was possible to feel a love this powerful. Back in college, she’d loved Tariq, but she’d done so with the innocence of a young girl falling in love for the very first time. Now she loved him more deeply than before. She loved him not only as a man but also as the father of her son and as a sheikh who cared for his people.

Still, Tariq had hurt her and Owen by keeping them a secret. Emelia felt like her heart had been torn to pieces. How could he keep them hidden away like a flea-bitten old dog on adoption day? He had said that he would tell everyone about them, but Emelia couldn’t trust that anymore. Tariq had had a hundred opportunities to come clean about them and he never had.

“Mommy?” Owen asked from across the table. His big eyes were round and sad. “Do we really have to leave?”

“Yes, sweetheart.” Emelia leaned over and tugged his ear gently. “But it’ll be nice to be back in Boston, right?”

Owen slumped lower in his chair. Tariq had asked them to meet in one of the palace’s smaller dining rooms today instead of in their room, maybe because he wanted a more neutral ground for the goodbyes. Emelia could only hope that he wasn’t planning to make more false promises or ask again for them to stay. She didn’t want Owen to have to hear that.

“No,” Owen said. “It’s not fair. Dad is here, Miss Noora and Mister Hamid are here, the nice pool is here. Boston has nothing!”

“That’s not true,” Emelia reminded him. “Your old school is back in Boston. I’m sure your friends missed you.”

“I’m sure they didn’t.” Owen crossed his arms, glaring. “But I am going to miss the people here.”

“I know, sweetheart.” Emelia gave him a gentle smile that he returned with a more intense glare. Emelia tried not to care. Her son’s feelings were perfectly valid. After all, from his point of view, things were fine. He had a father, one who was busy but who still showed up most of the time. He had nice lessons, a cool bedroom, and a whole palace with gardens to explore. Owen didn’t know about Tariq’s betrayal and Emelia wasn’t about to tell him. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them.

“Also, I’m hungry,” Owen continued, crossing his arms tighter. “We’ve been waiting forever!”

It had only been about ten minutes, but Emelia could understand the feeling. Had Tariq gotten caught up in yet another meeting? Would he really be late for, or even miss, his last chance for dinner with them?

“Hello?” an older woman, wearing a beautiful pink dress with white embroidery, stepping into the room. Her gray hair was tied back in an elegant braid and her eyes were a very familiar chocolate brown. “My son told me to meet him here for dinner, but maybe I have the wrong room.” She glanced around in confusion.

Emelia’s heart skipped a beat. Was this Maryam, Tariq’s mother? It couldn’t be. But she did have the same brown eyes as Tariq and Owen. Emelia opened her mouth, not sure what she was going to say.

Before she could say anything, Tariq walked in. Emelia almost laughed to see what he was wearing. Instead of the slacks and collared shirts or suits she’d mostly seen him in these days, he was wearing a Stonebridge hoodie and a pair of jeans. The same clothes, Emelia realized, that he’d been wearing when they first met. He shot Emelia a quick reassuring look before turning to the woman.

“Oh, there you are.” The woman, who Emelia now knew for sure was Maryam, turned to Tariq with a smile. “I was worried I was in the wrong place.”

“You aren’t.” Tariq gently spun his mother around. “Ummah, I’d like to introduce you to two of the most important people in my life.”

Emelia’s breath caught and she felt, for a moment, like time had frozen. Could this really be happening? And if Tariq was willing to tell his mother about them, what else might be possible?

“This is Emelia Parker,” Tariq continued. He shot a quick glance at Emelia, who nervously got to her feet, folding her hands in front of her like a schoolgirl about to give a presentation. Tariq crossed to her, taking her hand in his. Emelia felt a shiver of sensation rush up her arm.

“In college, Emelia and I had a relationship.” Tariq squeezed Emelia’s hand. “I loved her then. I still love her, now. And this—” here he reached over to place a hand on Owen’s shoulder “—is our son, Owen. He’s six. For a long time, they weren’t a part of my life, but I can’t live with that anymore. These two are my world and they’re too important to be kept in the shadows.”

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