Mehdi loved being among the people. It was something his parents had always made sure he did, so that he could be reminded that they were not above anyone just because they were royal.
He heard the lapping waves of the beach before he saw them. As he approached the ocean, he gazed out at the blue sky which was dotted with a few clouds. The beach was fairly busy, with children playing and couples relaxing on the fine, warm sand.
Mehdi's eyes combed the beach, looking for Steph. Perhaps she had come early and would be waiting for him? When he saw no sign of her, his hope dwindled.
It was far more likely he was being a complete and utter fool. Would he stand on that beach alone until the stars came out? Would he stand there alone forever?
Plopping down on the sand, Mehdi waited, hardly daring to hope.
"Steph, I'm here," he whispered.
EIGHTEEN
Steph
Time seemed to dissolve into eternity as Steph learned everything there was to know about each El Farahn family member she had never known existed. The house was somewhat lacking in windows, and when she finally got a chance to peek outside, she felt a wave of panic.
"It's almost sunset!" she cried.
Her father approached to look out the window with her.
"Why does that matter?"
Steph huffed in frustration. "Tell Mom I had to go-she'll know where."
"Steph, what on earth-"
Before her father could finish his exclamation, Steph had her purse in hand and was already out the door. She spotted a cab a block away and ran for it.
A man and woman were exiting the vehicle as Steph approached the driver, her breath labored.
"Please, I need a ride to the beach," she said.
The driver lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "You have money?"
Steph nodded. "Of course. I can pay you. Please, just get there quickly."
The driver nodded and gestured for her to get in, which she did, sliding onto the leather seat as he peeled out onto the road and headed back toward the city. Steph watched the sun sink farther under the horizon, and she feared she would be too late. She had no idea how long Mehdi would wait for her, if he was even there.
He had to be there. He simply had to be.
The cab sped up as it drove along a coastal highway, finally making its exit and pulling into a beach parking lot.
"Thank you," Steph said, giving the man a generous tip.
He grinned and nodded to her. "I hope everything works out," he said.
"Me too," Steph said, stepping out of the car and into a cooling desert dusk.
The sun was nearly underwater by the time her feet hit the sand, the sky an inky indigo with just a sliver of creamy orange beneath it. She began searching the beach. There were still plenty of people there, and she walked at a quick pace as she tried to get a good look at the men's faces without being rude.
Finally, standing alone at the water's edge, she found him.
He had come.
Mehdi stood, his shoulders slumped, staring out at the fading sun. He looked crestfallen, and Steph could hardly keep herself from jogging over to him. She gave in and did so, though he continued to look out at the sea, totally distracted. When she reached him she gave herself a brief moment to catch her breath before stepping up next to him and looking out at the ocean.
"Room for one more?" she asked.
Mehdi's eyes widened as he realized who was standing beside him.
"Steph?" he asked, as though trying to prove to himself that she was real.
After a pause, his face broke out into a wide, delighted grin as he wrapped his arms around her and swung her around, her feet landing in the lapping waves.
"You came!"
Steph laughed as she rested in the circle of his arms. She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek.
"Of course I came. Did you really think I wouldn't?"
Mehdi looked sheepish as he placed his fingers on top of hers, which still rested on his face.
"I thought for sure you would stick with duty and do as your parents asked. I've been in that position … I know what it means to have to make that choice."
Steph stared lovingly into his green-speckled eyes, doing her best to memorize his features, to capture the moment with perfect clarity.
"I choose you, Mehdi. You're the one I want."
At her words, Mehdi smiled so deeply that both his dimples showed. He tightened his grip around her as he dipped his head to claim her lips in a kiss, sealing their fate, once and for all.
The sun finally set, and a few pinpricks of stars poked out against the night sky before Mehdi was willing to release Steph from his arms so they could walk along the beach together, hand in hand.
"So, what do we do now?" Steph asked.
Mehdi looked ahead, swinging her arm a little as they walked.
"Well, that's the beauty of it, I suppose," he said, glancing down at her with gleaming eyes. "Anything we want."
NINETEEN
Steph
"I think I see them!"
Stepping out from the cabana, Steph cupped her hand over her eyes to stave off the glaring light of the midmorning sun. Mehdi joined her shortly afterward, his eyes searching the skies. A small helicopter came into view, and he grinned.
"Yes. That should be them!"
Steph could hardly contain her excitement. After meeting Mehdi on the beach that day, several months ago, the two of them had gone to her parents and asked if she could stay in El Farah while she got to know the Sheikh better. Jerry and Elora hadn't taken much convincing, though it had been a tearful farewell when Steph saw her parents back to Vermont. Her father still had a job there, and he didn't want to shirk his duties. Mehdi had surprised them with a private jet for the plane ride home, much to Steph's delight, and from that moment on her world had completely opened up.
Not wanting to break with tradition even more, Steph and Mehdi had opted to live separately while they dated.
"Where is a good place to stay?" Steph had asked at the time.
Mehdi had smiled, pulling a set of keys from a pocket and handing them to her. "I've got a tidy little apartment downtown that will do just the trick. It's not the palace, so you can renovate it however you'd like. Just tell them to put it on my bill."
Steph had taken one step inside the place-an expansive penthouse with a beautiful view of the city-and decided not to change a single thing. It was clear that the clean, classic style was much more in line with Mehdi's personality than the palace's decor, and that made her like it all the more.
Next, Mehdi had introduced her to some of El Farah's greatest fashion designers. At a meeting with a notable couture house, the owners were thrilled with Steph's sketches and immediately took her under their wing. At first, Steph had been skeptical that they were only helping her launch her own line because of her connection to Mehdi, but he laughed that suggestion off.
"You think I have any power over the fashion industry here? Hardly. Believe me, if they didn't think you had what it takes, you would know. Those women do not mince words. It's one of the reasons I like them."
Steph's new line would be coming out in a few short weeks, and she had been living in a whirlwind, working to get everything made and ready for the big launch event. Somewhere in between design meetings and seamstress discussions and drawing sessions, Steph slowly acclimated to life in El Farah, which was so different, but really only in the best of ways.
That might have had a little to do with dating the Sheikh, though.
The new couple had spent countless evenings out at the theater, more on the beach, and had even made some desert excursions. Mehdi took the courtship process very seriously, and he did everything in his power to ensure that they enjoyed themselves together, doing fun things and getting to know one another as their love blossomed more every day.
Now, standing on the leaf-shaped island where they had first gotten to know one another, Steph's stomach was filled with butterflies as she waited impatiently for the helicopter to land. As it dropped closer to the ground, she saw her mother's face pressed against the window, and she waved furiously while Elora waved back.
Once the helicopter landed and the blades stopped turning, Elora threw open the door and ran straight into her daughter's arms. Steph laughed and wiped away a tear as she hugged her mother tight. Jerry approached, then, and she hugged him just as fiercely. She had never been away from her parents for so long.
After their joyful greeting, Jerry gave Mehdi a firm handshake.
"Thanks for flying us out, Your Highness."
Mehdi winced. "Please, ‘Mehdi' is just fine. And it was no trouble at all. We have lunch prepared, if you're hungry?"
Jerry grinned. "Famished."