The Sheikh’s Sham Engagement (The Safar Sheikhs 3)

Willow gnawed on the inside of her cheek as she mulled over his words, eyeing her food. The rice might be the wisest place to start. She hated how disappointed she was in his reaction. He’d agreed to the calendar, but not exuberantly, and probably only because he could tell she was disappointed.

Because the calendar was an extension of their life together. Their future. This baby inside of her.

Sure, he’d take a look at the calendar once, maybe twice, just to keep tabs on things like he’d said.

But she didn’t want someone poking his head in once every few months. She wanted someone right beside her in all of this.

And that brought up the real question: did Nasser really want a future with her?

Willow decided to let it lie for now. She wanted to enjoy lunch and get things squared away with the school, so she made the decision not to push him on it. Not until she could let it sit a while longer and think about how she really felt.

The rest of the day flowed quickly with more work on the school, a family dinner, and an early bedtime for Willow, since this first trimester was kicking her ass. The next mornin

g, she and Nasser had a plan to go visit the school site together. They held hands in the backseat of the car and snuggled the whole way out there. Once the school finally came into view down the road, Willow gasped.

“Look at it!” she cried out. “It’s a real school!”

“The finest school in all of Amatbah,” Nasser said, grinning as the car pulled into the large cul-de-sac in front of the building.

Stucco siding with artistically exposed areas of tiles, just as Willow had planned for. Eventually, students would design their own tiles, which would then be added to the exterior structure. A way of immortalizing all the students who helped give this new school its start. Red clay tiles on the roof were an accent on the neutral color of the school. A wide entryway beckoned students and parents alike into a reception area filled with natural light and lined with enormous billboards that would eventually showcase student achievements.

Willow and Nasser walked hand in hand through the entire school. Even the area they’d spent the night in a couple weeks ago was now totally transformed. The computer lab sat quiet and spacious. The lunch hall just waited to be filled with excited chatter. Everything was ready, all the way down to the outlet covers. All that was missing was the furniture and the people.

And soon enough, their first graduating class would filter in through those front doors.

Willow unloaded her laptop—lo and behold, the wireless network was working. “This is amazing. I’m going to get started on the curriculum paperwork for the state agency.”

“I thought I was doing that,” Nasser said as he slid his tablet out of its sleeve.

“No,” she said, knitting her brow. “I moved that to my task list because the author of the document needs to match the signature, and I don’t want to take any risks. Did you look at the calendar? I put together a replacement curriculum document that needs approval. I actually consolidated both your and my ideas in there, so you can see it all at a glance.”

Nasser set his jaw, swiping through his tablet. “Right. The calendar.”

That prickling sensation spread across her shoulder blades. The one that preceded a fight. The same one that had plagued her during the final days of her relationship with Nasser the first time around.

“You downloaded it to your tablet, right?” she asked, trying to keep her tone light. “Seriously, it’s the best way for us to stay on top of this. With all the moving parts of this project, you should keep close track.”

Nasser swiped lazily through his tablet, and she glanced at his screen. He had Facebook open.

“So did you download it?”

“I will now,” he said. And continued scrolling through Facebook.

She clenched her teeth, trying to keep herself from snapping at him. Don’t cause a stink. Don’t cause a stink. But it was hard not to when he was acting like a petulant teenager just because she wanted him to download an application.

She waited a few moments, trying to absorb herself in her laptop and let the frustration pass. Keeping her tone even, she said, “Just because a calendar exists doesn’t mean you have to commit to anything on it.”

Nasser glanced at her, that squint returning. “I know that. I just don’t need someone dictating my tasks.”

Willow swallowed a knot in her throat. Here they were again—back to the meaty center of what had always been the problem between them. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same and all that. But this time, she wouldn’t freak out. She’d keep herself calm. They were adults. They could work through it. “I’m not trying to dictate. Just trying to be helpful.” And maybe the best way to be helpful was to retreat. “I’ll go work in the other room. You know what you need to do, so I’ll just let you work here by yourself.”

“I’m not sure what I can do that hasn’t been decided already by you.”

Her heart raced as she packed up her things. “Well, this is my project. Shouldn’t I be this involved?”

“You know what I’m getting at.”

And she did. Oh, she knew too well. This was about to become the same argument that had plagued them throughout their relationship. Except now, she needed to come at it in a new way. If she were going to have any hope of truly solving things.