She had Rose call Bahan’s secretary the next day, but her husband’s assistant was sorry to report he’d flown to New York on urgent business concerning his property by Central Park and would be unavailable until he was out of meetings the next day. When she’d heard that, Jennifer’s heart fell. Part of her felt that it could be a very logical explanation, but at the same time, she was terrified that Bahan had enough. After all, in under a month, her sister would have her transplant and then Bahan had no reason to check in with her family at all until two years passed and he could serve her divorce papers formally without fear of losing his kingdom.
I couldn’t have pushed him away, could I have?
That gnawing fear was something she tried to push out of her head as she left her job and started for the street corner to hail a cab. Sydney was still in the hospital and she’d promised her sister that she’d bring the cheesy hats and glasses and confetti for tonight’s New Year’s celebration. She’d been let off at two and needed to get over to the hospital before the streets were impossibly jammed with traffic, if they weren’t already. The last thing she expected was for a limo to be parked out front and the driver, a swarthy man with a dark beard, to be holding a sign with her last name on it.
“I…do I know you?”
“My name is Dawan, my sheikha. I’ve been sent by Bahan. He’d like your opinion on something in his emporium property off Fifth. That’s all I know, and please don’t take this as being too forward, but I would like it if we could hurry. I hate to disappoint my ruler.”
She frowned, completely unsure of where any of this was leading, but she didn’t want poor Dawan to be penalized for her own confusion. Nodding briskly at him, she slipped into the back and waited patiently as they navigated the crowded streets to the shopping complex her husband had been developing all this time. When they pulled up, she pushed the call button between her seat and the front.
“What do I do now?”
“He said to enter and turn left into the store.”
“Which store?”
“You’ll know which one he said, my sheikha. Good luck!”
Furrowing her brows but truly intrigued, she hurried out of the limo and entered the complex. There were a variety of stores in the mall (though that seemed too crass a word for the shopping complex). Just on the first floor to her right were Gucci, Coach, and Prada. To her left was a massive, half-stocked Tiffany storefront. Standing in the middle of its display window and smiling broadly was Bahan, with a large Tiffany box in his hand.
She rushed through the door to hug him, infinitely thankful that he swept her up into his embrace. “I…I thought you were mad at me. I assumed your secretary was trying to blow me off. To be honest, I wouldn’t blame you, not in the least.”
He pulled away from her, his amber eyes still seeming to burn with his need for her. “My wild one, I could never hate you. I can be frustrated as hell, don’t get me wrong on that account, but I can’t hate you.”
“I never should have pushed you away.”
“Can I ask what changed your mind? Was it only because Sydney is better?”
She was about to ask him how he knew, but of course, Bahan still kept up with all her sister’s updates. Dr. Singal must have told him. “No, it’s not just because things are better. I promise I’m going to try and be a real wife
.”
“Then what changed?” he asked, pulling away fully and playing with the box in his hand. “I was hopeful you’d come but wasn’t sure you would.”
“Dawan played me, didn’t he? There’s no way he was actually going to be punished, was he?”
“No, never, but it did get you here,” he countered, flashing white teeth at her.
“I’d have come anyway. I wanted to see you. I needed you.”
“And I’m grateful to have you back, but even I need to know why. Call it satisfying my curiosity.”
She nodded and pushed long strands of hair out of her face and eyes. As intense as his gaze was, she wanted to meet it, wanted to give him all of her. “I was engaged once before.”
“I see.”
“And he cheated on me with some cheap cocktail waitress. I try never even to think about Dustin, but you’re the first guy I’ve been close to since then. I keep thinking that every guy is just like him or my dad. I was so scared that you were going to do the same. So, yes, I was trying to avoid being hurt because I’ve been burned so many times.”
“Now?”
“Mom told me I had to make a choice, that I couldn’t just be scared my whole life. I don’t want to be, and damn it, I missed you so much, my sheikh,” she said, her tone wry.
He stepped forward again and shifted his box to one hand as best as he could. Reaching out, he stroked her cheek. “I missed you too, my wife,” he said.
“Then what do you have for me?” she asked, the playfulness returning to her tone as she realized he really was going to take her back.
Bahan smiled, a mysterious grin that reminded her of the Mona Lisa they’d seen together. “Please take a look. I had this location make it special for me.”