Rais swung around, glaring at both of his brothers. “You were betting on my failure with Joline?” he demanded, furious that they would dare.
Both men laughed, not intimidated in the least by his fury. “Not failure, my man,” Ramzi said, slapping his brother on the back, a gesture that would take down an ordinary man; but the males in this family were made of sterner stuff, Rais didn’t even grunt. “No, we just knew that you’d stumble. But,” he turned and winked at his very pregnant wife, “where the women in our lives are concerned, we persevere.”
Rais’ shoulders relaxed slightly with that explanation. “But you bet that I would stumble; I think that deserves a few rounds on the mats in the near future.”
Ramzi laughed harder. “I look forward to you trying to beat me. But you’re growing soft in the business world, brother. I have no fears.”
Rais only smiled. “I make it a priority to keep up my skills.”
Turk chimed in with that. “In that case, count me in as well. I’d love to see these skills.”
The three men clinked glasses even as the four women rolled their eyes. “How can the three of them talk about beating each other senseless one moment, then acting like best friends the next?”
“Because they’re warped from testosterone poisoning.” Mia commented, lifting her glass of lemonade and taking a long sip, even as she gazed lovingly over at her husband.
Ramzi winked at her before turning back to Rais. “So what are you going to do to get your woman?”
Mia shook her head. “Wrong question, dear,” she said, trying to pinch her husband’s waist but there was no extra fat on his body to pinch. He was solid muscle and he chuckled at her attempt, giving her a look that promised retribution later on.
“Perhaps I should rephrase for the more tender feelings of the ladies present,” he teased, pulling Mia closer so she couldn’t hurt herself while trying to punch his ribs. “What are you going to do to convince the lovely lady of your sterling attributes and prove that you are the man of her dreams?”
All the ladies snorted with that comment. “Right. Nightmare was more like it,” Ciala commented as she sat down with her own pre-dinner drink. “I take it you’re trying to woo the lovely Joline and failing? Just as your brothers struggled with their ladies?”
“Still struggling, if you ask me,” Raven commented with a teasing glint in her eyes.
“All evidence to the contrary,” he argued, looking down at her with that special look in his eyes until she blushed and pressed her lips closed.
“You’re very rude,” she told him with a mock glare.
“And you love me.” He kissed the top of her head when she didn’t argue with him this time.
“So what’s the problem?” Ramzi asked, turning the subject back to the original topic. “Why won’t she marry you?”
Ciala gasped, her eyes wide with shock. “You proposed?” Her eyes flashed to each of her brothers and then to her younger sister.
Ramzi watched her carefully and noticed a strange expression come into her eyes. It was almost as if…could Ciala be scared? Impossible! What could she possibly be scared of? That wasn’t like her, he thought. She was normally calm and composed, facing each challenge with equanimity. When Shantra was bouncing around with exuberance, Ciala was cool as a cucumber.
He made a mental note to talk to Ciala at the earliest opportunity. He didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the whole family if nothing was wrong and he was only misinterpreting her reaction.
“She hasn’t said yes,” Turk pointed out.
“She hasn’t said no, either,” Shantra pointed out with a wise look, almost as if she knew something they didn’t.
Ramzi watched Ciala carefully, glancing at his wife to see if she’d noticed the same thing. When Mia nodded her head, he sighed but pushed the issue of his sister to the back burner. He’d talk with her later and figure out what might be bothering her.
“To your eventual success,” Ramzi said to Rais, lifting his glass into the air in a toast.
Rais clinked his glass to both of his brothers but the ladies were shaking their heads. “It is bad luck to toast something like that,” Shantra announced.
“It’s going to happen,” Rais announced with absolute finality. “She will be my wife. Soon.”
Shantra’s smile widened, she was practically jumping out of her chair to call her friend and find out what was going on. Their recent conversation hadn’t included any mention of a proposal. Obviously, a great deal more had been happening.
“I think I need to make a visit to Joline in New York,” she announced.