They’d had an unexpected pregnancy, and he’d fixed the problem by making her his wife and part of the royal family.
“Are you coming, Issam?” Kyril said from the doorway.
“Where?” Issam wracked his brain. He’d had the meeting with Mackenzie, but with her being held—was there one with Kyril?
“Inan’s football practice,” Hannah filled in. “We’ll be late if we don’t hurry.”
He needed a few minutes to think. Just a few more minutes. “I’m coming with you.”
4
Issam stood on the sidelines of the football field, protected from the sun by a long tent under which all the parents and relatives could gather. The sports complex abutted the royal property, so it was easy for Kyril, Hannah, and Issam to come through the back gate, deposit Inan with his coach and the rest of his teammates, and take their places under the tent. Hannah had immediately gone to talk with friends of hers, other mothers with children on the team, but Issam stood next to Kyril, his mind racing. For one thing, there was an open gate at the far end of the field, and people came and go with no one to keep an eye on them. A clear breach of security.
For another…
Was his idea ridiculous? It had come to him in a flash, watching Hannah and Kyril stand in the doorway, so comfortable with each other despite the rocky start they’d had. An unexpected pregnancy. A whirlwind engagement. There had been no guarantee of a happy marriage, yet Kyril seemed happier than ever. And Hannah was radiant.
Could he have the same outcome with Mackenzie?
Not the same, no—he did not want a love relationship like the one Kyril had with Hannah. It was simply too risky, too distracting. He had responsibilities.
And one of them was to Mackenzie.
A shout broke him out of his thoughts just in time for him to realize that a ball was headed straight for his face. Issam caught it at the last moment, then threw it back toward the field. “Nice kick!” he shouted in Inan’s general direction, though he wasn’t sure if the boy had been the one to land the kick in the first place.
Should he propose to her?
“What’s on your mind, brother?” Kyril stood next to Issam, arms crossed over his chest, eyes scanning the field. “My son is not a breakout football star yet, but he’ll get there. Meanwhile, you’re distracted. Something is weighing on you. Tell me what it is.”
Kyril had such an easy authority. Issam’s shoulders relaxed. Surely he could tell Kyril about this, and his brother would give him an honest assessment.
“The accident at the mosque.”
Kyril shook his head, bringing his hand up to briefly cover his mouth. “We avoided tragedy today.”
“The woman driving the car—she hasn’t avoided tragedy.” He hadn’t yet told all this to Kyril, because all the details had been a spinning mess in his brain. Quickly, he sketched out what had happened—the driver running the red light, Mackenzie’s quick thinking, the column collapsing. Inan, perfectly safe.
“And the imam sentenced her to death?” Kyril was no longer watching his son on the field. He was watching Issam.
Issam’s gut twisted. “I’ve had my people researching since the moment I came back to the palace, but there’s no way out of the ancient law.”
“That can’t be true. There’s got to be a way.” Kyril furrowed his brow.
“There’s one way.” Issam’s heart beat faster. “I could marry her.”
Kyril was silent,
and into that silence, Issam poured out the plan that had been forming in his mind.
“She and I—we’ll be in conflict. I was supposed to meet with her about the no-man’s land at our border with Al-Madiza, and I know she’ll argue their side. But wouldn’t it be beneficial to keep our enemies closer? She might give me some insight. Or leverage.”
“She could,” Kyril said neutrally.
His lack of resistance made Issam more confident. “It could work like one of those political marriages. A union between two countries. And,” he remembered at the last moment, “it would solve the problem of getting married by my thirtieth birthday.”
“Yes.”
“It wouldn’t be for love,” Issam said firmly. “But the political and military advantages would be beneficial for us both.” He took a deep breath. “And it would save her life. As a member of the royal family, she would be immune to such judgments.”