In front of the podium stood both an officiant and a priest, waiting for the bride and groom to start their slow walk down the aisle together. Their arms were twined together, as they smiled at their guests. Zaid wore a white gown with his black and gold robe over his shoulders.
Rebecca’s emerald green dress was decorated with ornate gold embroidery. Her auburn hair was hidden behind a headpiece that covered her head but kept her face uncovered, at Zaid’s request.
They reached the front of the aisle and stood at the podium hand in hand. Looking down at their hands, he squeezed hers, as she smiled at him. From the moment she had said yes, Zaid was sure his heart was that much lighter as he looked at the love shining in her eyes.
It was the beginning of their new life, and, honestly, for Zaid it felt like they were picking up where they’d left off five years ago, where they never should have left off.
As he stood there staring into his bride’s beautiful eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder how things would have gone if he hadn’t been the Sheikh of Sharjah. Would they still be getting married? Would they have ever found each other again?
He knew that no matter what, he loved her, and he would have loved her no matter their circumstances. But still, he couldn’t help but ask himself what their future would have looked like had he been just a normal man instead of a Sheikh.
She smiled at him as the ceremony began, and he knew that none of his questions or doubts meant anything in front of her. This was their life, and they were going to make the most of it. Together.
They recited their vows and exchanged rings, signifying their commitment to each other. Zaid looked back at Calum at one point and winked at his son.
Then, the time came. They both answered, “I do,” and they were introduced to their guests as Sheikh Zaid Al-Qasimi and Rebecca Reid Al-Qasimi, choosing to keep her last name since Calum was still a Reid as well.
Then, Zaid wrapped an arm about the petite waist of his bride and pulled her to him.
After the kiss, the ballroom erupted as their guests celebrated and cheered for their union . Her new father-in-law sat on his large throne-like chair and clapped for the newlyweds. They stepped down from the dais to join their guests on the floor of the ballroom.
Rebecca found herself surrounded by her new family, a close-knit group that looked after each other and took care of one another unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It was a big family, and she’d always wanted a big family. Maybe not wanted, but she’d dreamed about it.
Rebecca had grown up with her little sister, Amy, and her parents, who had always been so absorbed with their work that it was as if they were never around. She hadn’t even reached out to them to tell them about the marriage. She didn’t want them to know that she was marrying into a wealthy, powerful family. If they had known that she was the wife of a Sheikh, they would have immediately peppered her with requests for this cause or that one.
Instead, she spent the evening with her new husband and family.
“You looked so beautiful up there,” Casey shouted over the music as the girls were dancing after the wedding.
“It’s like having a new sister,” Melanie told her.
“Two new sisters,” Casey corrected her, throwing an arm around Amy’s neck.
There weren’t many other people at the wedding who Rebecca knew, so as her husband celebrated with his brothers and other male members of the family, she stuck by her new sisters.
There were still so many things to do now that she was married. There was a whole new life ahead of her, and she had to finish sloughing off her old life so that she could move forward, but she knew that her new family would help her where she needed them to.
In the meantime, she danced and celebrated the best new beginning she could have imagined. She celebrated finding true love and an opportunity to fight the good fight all rolled into one.
In a place like Sharjah, a place experiencing so much rapid growth, she knew she would be able to do a lot of good as wife to one of the Sheikhs. She knew that just as she had shown the royal family what was going on in the streets of the Emirate, she would be able to show the citizens of the Emirate how hard the royal family tried to work for them. She looked forward to all the good they were going to do together, all the love they would share, and to watching their son grow into a man under the watchful, caring eyes of their wonderful family.
It was her dream job, her dream wedding, her dream family, and a dream come true for Rebecca to have married Sheikh Zaid Al-Qasimi.
As the night ended, they found themselves back on the rooftop terrace again. So many nights had found them under the stars already, and that seemed to be the theme for them. Zaid stood with Rebecca in his arms, just as he had so many years ago on the balcony behind her hotel room.