The Sheikh’s Secret Heir(42)
He seemed to mull that over for a time before speaking again. “If I do discover that I am a true son of the king, perhaps it would be best if we wed to give our child a name.”
Where had that come from? “Oh, sure, Tarek. Let’s engage in that archaic practice of marrying for the sake of a child. Thanks, but no thanks. I would rather raise our baby on my own than be tied to a man who hasn’t the first clue how to love someone unconditionally.”
When Kira pushed back from the table and came to her feet, Tarek asked, “Where are you going?”
“To my room to pack.” And probably cry. “You told me I could decide when to leave, so I plan to do that tomorrow. The resort is almost finished and the designers can take it from here. I wish you much success in your endeavors, and if you by some miracle decide you want to be a proper father to our child, send me an email and we’ll make arrangements then.”
“I would prefer a face-to-face meeting.”
“I wouldn’t.” A personal encounter would take away her advantage and possibly strip of her strength.
Not waiting for Tarek’s response, Kira rushed out of the room and retired to her quarters. She had no expectations when it came to Tarek Azzmar. She also didn’t expect the tears streaming down her face would end anytime soon. She could foolishly hope that he might come around, or she could move on with her life without him.
Her hand automatically came to rest protectively on her belly. Sadly she would always have a little reminder of him, no matter what the future held.
* * *
“May we come in?”
Kira unpacked the last of her clothes before turning to discover sisters-in-law, Madison and Piper Mehdi, standing in the bedroom doorway. “You two girls are always welcome so feel free to come in.”
“Girls” being the operative word in that instance considering the two closed the door and practically bounced onto the bed. “Thank you, Kira,” Piper said, her palms resting atop of her T-shirt covered pregnant belly. “We had to have a break from toddler central. The kids are absolutely wild today. Sam’s on a sugar high, thanks to his grandmother giving him two cookies.”
“Mine are more than wild,” Madison said as she tightened her blond ponytail. “I’ve never liked the term ‘double trouble’ when referring to twins, but that describes the way they’ve been acting since they awoke at dawn.”
Kira cleared away the folded clothes from the club chair and set them on the bureau before claiming a seat. “How is the new governess handling everything since I hired her?”
Piper tucked one bent leg beneath her and twisted her elaborate wedding rings round and round on her finger. “I’m worried she might quit today.”
Madison fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “I’m worried Zain is going to start hounding me to have another baby. I just got the twins fully potty-trained.”
Piper playfully slapped her arm. “You know you want another one. Or at least you like the procreation process.”
“Yes I do,” Madison said with a smile. “I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if Zain hadn’t stopped me from leaving and I had to raise the babies on my own.”
That struck a deep chord in Kira. She really had no place to go except for Canada and that could prove to be a disaster. “Luckily you didn’t have to face that.”
Madison’s grin deepened. “True, and he got two babies for the price of one.”
“Adan did let me leave,” Piper began, “but I have to give him credit for coming after me in the States with his heart in his hands once he learned he couldn’t live without me.”
She certainly couldn’t count on Tarek returning to profess his undying love. “And now he has a mother for his son and a new baby on the way. Both of you have done very well for yourselves in the procreation department.”
Madison popped up like a jack-in-the box. “Since we’re on that subject, did you do any procreating with Tarek Azzmar on your trip?”
If she didn’t know better, she’d think both Madison and Piper were privy to her pregnancy. “I went on the trip to work, not procreate.” That had happened before the trip.
After leaving the bed to press her palms against her lower back, Piper sent Kira a skeptical look. “Are you sure about that? I would swear you’re practically glowing, or maybe that’s a blush.”
Kira automatically touched her flaming cheeks. “It’s a little warm in here.”
“Speaking of Tarek, go get the picture, Piper.”
“It’s not finished yet,” Piper said.