When morning came and the children weren’t in their beds, an alarm was raised in the palace. Their parents and the palace guards looked everywhere and just when they were going to call the police, fearing the children had been kidnapped, Sadira and Hakim wandered in from the garden, blades of grass stuck in their hair.
Lauren laughed when Hakim imitated his sister asking, “What’s going on?”
“How long were you grounded for?” she asked.
“Well, they decided that grounding us wasn’t going to work—we’d just go play in the garden, and that was fine with us. So, my father contacted the head of the planetarium at the university and we went to work for him for a month. He said since we were showing such a passion for learning about the stars, we could do so under supervision.”
“Oh, that’s brilliant,” Lauren said.
“It was actually. We didn’t do anything more than hand out programs and take tickets, but everybody knew who we were. Still, we did learn a lot.”
Lauren felt more relaxed by the time they got to the palace, but her nerves came rushing back as the car pulled up in front of the most elaborate building she’d ever seen.
The palace sat up on top of a small hill, so you could see it easily. The circular drive in front was cobblestones and there were three flights of stone steps leading up to a very impressive portico. Columns held up the roof, which was decorated with colorful mosaic tiles in intricate patterns.
Two assistants opened the car doors for them, and another two opened the grand main doors. Guards stood at various intervals along the front of the building. Light spilled from every window and the air smelled like fresh flowers.
Lauren had to stop for a moment and take it all when they crossed through the doors. It was elegant and beautiful, unlike any other building she’d ever been in. Hakim watched her look around.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Lauren didn’t miss the note of hopefulness in his voice. Unless she was mistaken, he wanted her to like his home.
“It’s beautiful,” Lauren said as sincerely as she could. “It’s a little overwhelming, but I’ve never seen anything this stunningly gorgeous.”
“And this is just the entryway.”
Lauren turned to him, eyes wide. “The rest of it is more impressive than this?”
Hakim smiled and shrugged. “I just think of it as home.”
Lauren tried to nod. “Oh, sure. All my friends grew up in honest-to-goodness castles, so you know, this is no big deal.”
He laughed and held out a hand. “Come meet my parents.”
Which is how they came to be holding hands when Hakim’s parents found them in the hallway. They exclaimed delightedly when they saw Hakim, embracing him in turn, his father shaking his hand, his mother kissing his cheek.
Hakim kept his arm around his mother and turned her toward Lauren. “Mother, Father, may I introduce you to Lauren Sanders? Lauren, these are my parents Tarana and Musheer Khalif.”
Hakim’s mother held her hands out to her. “My dear, it’s such a pleasure to meet you and we’re delighted that you could travel with him this weekend. We were so worried that our darling son would never bring a young woman home with him.”
Lauren gave Hakim a slightly panicked look and Hakim winced. “Ah, Lauren’s just a friend. We’re not dating.”
Tarana Khalif fixed her son with a penetrating look and Hakim shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint, Mother.”
Hakim’s mother sighed as only a long-suffering mother could. “I live in hope for the day.”
Lauren tried not to smile as Hakim nudged his mother’s arm. “You have a grandchild now. Isn’t one enough?”
That remark got him another sharp glare.
“You wait until you’re a grandparent and tell me if one if enough. Of course, you’ll need to become a parent first…”
The implication was clear and Hakim mouthed “Save me” at Lauren over his mother’s head, which made Lauren choke as she attempted to hide a laugh.
“Pay no attention to them, Lauren. This is an old conversation, one I’m sure you have with your family, too.”
Instead of explaining that, no, her mother was more interested in business than in grandchildren, Lauren just smiled and took Musheer’s arm when he offered it. Hakim escorted his mother into dinner behind Lauren and his father.
The dining room—or grand hall, because really, if ever a room was meant to be called a hall it was this one—was stunning. Lauren glanced around, noting the elaborate decoration and huge windows scattered across the stone walls.
Musheer leaned toward her. “It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” he asked conspiratorially.