Page 11 of The Sheikh's Defiant Girlfriend

“Well, I’m not sure, actually. I keep looking at pictures, but nothing has really seemed right yet.”

“Then let’s try a variety of styles and see if that helps.” The saleswoman retreated, leaving the women to talk and snack for about ten minutes. When she finally returned, she was wheeling a rack of dresses. Not all of them were white. Sara spotted a beautiful deep sapphire blue dress and one a luscious peach. Many of the white gowns were adorned with heavy gold embroidery. This wasn’t going to be nearly as much fun as the movies made it out to be.

Sara felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her pocket. It was a text message from Amir.

Amir:What are you doing?

Sara:Wedding dress shopping. Kill me now.

The doorbell sounded.

“Are you expecting another member of your party?” the saleswoman asked.

They all looked at each other and shrugged, shaking their heads. The assistant went to the door, and when she opened it, Sara was surprised to see Tariq’s mother walk in. She wore a stern expression. Sara got up to greet her, but she was feeling awkward. She was not expecting to see her future mother-in-law, nor did she know what to say to her. She hadn’t seemed to want to be part of the wedding planning.

“Hello, Sara,” Mrs. Botros said formally.

“Hi, how are you?” Sara replied.

“I am well.”

“What brings you by?” Fiddah asked the question on everyone’s minds. While Amir and Tariq’s grandmother had quickly become friends with Sara and had supported their relationship from the beginning, the same could not be said of their mother.

“I have come to help choose the dress, if you’ll have me,” she replied. Before Sara could say anything, her mother jumped into the conversation.

“No, we will not have you,” Sara’s mother said as she stood up, and Sara’s eyes widened.

“I understand you are feeling—” Mrs. Botros started to say.

“No, you do not.” Mrs. Matthews was not pleased with Tariq’s mother, and her tone and words made that very apparent. “You act as if your family is too good for my girl simply because we come from a different background. It’s a shame I was not here when you insulted her, if I had been—”

“Mum, enough.” Sara quickly cut her off before she could finish. The last time Sara had seen Tariq’s mother was in the hospital when Leylah was born. She had fallen in love with the baby, as they all had, but she’d paid little attention to Sara or her mother. “She is here now. Let’s accept her help. In the near future, she will hopefully see why her son loves me,” Sara said softly.

Mrs. Botros looked down at the stroller, and her expression softened when she saw little Leylah cuddled up in her stroller.

“She’s so adorable,” Mrs. Botros said.

“Thank you,” Sara replied.

“I do know that my son loves you, Sara. I see that now. I can learn to love you too,” she said looking at Sara. “I have never seen him so passionate about someone, or so protective. It’s hard for a mother to get used to.”

Sara smiled and nodded. That was enough for her.

Sara escaped to the dressing room with a few dresses. The atmosphere was so intense with Tariq’s mother there, she was grateful for the short reprieve. Once alone, she pulled out her phone.

Amir:I can’t come rescue you, and a dress has to be picked. I hate my assistant.

Sara laughed softly. He complained about his assistant every chance he got.

Sara:Give her a chance. Your mother is here, what a surprise...a very awkward one.

Amir:What? Why? How did she find out? How are you coping?

Sara:She’s here to help with the dress. I am trying one on now. It’s so frumpy.

Sara left the dressing room to model the dress for the other women. They looked unimpressed when they saw her.

“I dislike it too,” she said.

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