Page 21 of The Sheikh's Fake Bride Scheme

“It isn’t, Father. I know that’s not all you’ve ever wanted, becauseyouknow I’ve been happy to date women all this time. You wanted me to marry for the good of the crown, even though I’ll never inherit.”

“It reflected badly on the family, the things you were doing.”

“And now those days are at an end.”

Kareem felt a pang of guilt as he said that. His days of womanizing and having fun weren’t at an end at all, and he knew it. He would set those things aside for the duration of his marriage to Keira so as not to blow their cover, but he had every intention of going back to the pursuits he’d always enjoyed once this fake marriage came to an end. He was intentionally misleading his father right now and he knew it.

“You should have told me,” his father said sternly. He fixed his eyes on Kareem. “You shouldn’t have just done this in the United States without so much as speaking to anyone in your family about it first.”

“I know. You wish you had been able to vet her. I promise, you won’t find anything when you do.”

“It isn’t only that — although how you can claim to know that when you’ve known the woman such a short time baffles me. But you should have given us a chance to know her. Didn’t you see how hurt your mother was?”

Kareem blinked. “Hurt?”

“She was devastated. You couldn’t tell?”

Watching his father interpret his mother’s emotions when his mother always kept her cards so close was like watching a magic trick. “She didn’t say anything.”

“She wouldn’t, in front of a guest. And she didn’t want to hurt your feelings. But you’re her son, Kareem, and now you come home and tell her that you fell in love and decided to marry without ever letting your family know. She would have wanted to celebrate that with you. Surely you can see that.”

Now Kareem was beginning to feel sick to his stomach. He clenched his fists at his sides to keep himself from resting a hand on his gut to try to settle it. “I thought it would be a good surprise. For you and for Mom.”

“Wouldn’t it have been a good surprise for you to bring her home to us and tell her that youintendedto marry her? To let us enjoy the moment with you?”

“Father, you wouldn’t have enjoyed it.” Kareem couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Don’t you remember when Saif brought Laila home and told us of his plans to marry her? You and Mother thought she was unworthy, and her father is a sheikh in his own right.”

“We always believed Saif would marry the daughter of a king,” Kareem’s father explained.

“Yes, I know. Laila was noble — a member of high society — and she very nearly wasn’t good enough for you. Now I come home married to a woman whose position in society couldn’t possibly be more different from ours. Do you really expect me to believe it wouldn’t have bothered you at all?”

His father sighed. “Kareem, I don’t wish to be unkind, but you must know that we never had the same hopes for you as we did for your brothers. We always knew you were willful. To me, the miracle is in the fact that you’ve chosen to take a wife at all. I didn’t anticipate that happening any time soon, and I’m very glad that it has. The fact that she isn’t noble… I can look beyond that as long as you’re happy. And it’s clear to me that you’re very happy indeed.”

“Is it?” Kareem’s heart missed a beat.

“I’ve never seen you smile as much as you did at dinner tonight — or asopenly. Usually, when I see you smile, it looks as if you’re enjoying some joke that no one else is a part of. There’s something prideful about your smile. But tonight, it was like you didn’t even realize you were being watched. Every time you looked at Keira, I saw you relax. How could I not be happy about anything that brings my son such joy? I’m glad to see you married, Kareem. I’m glad that you will finally bring honor to this family, that you’re finally settling down and living up to the expectations of your station. But I’m equally glad that doing so is making you happy, because you deserve to be.”

And then Kareem’s father reached out and placed a hand gently on Kareem’s shoulder.

For a moment, Kareem couldn’t move. His feet were rooted to the ground, and his muscles were so tense that they ached. His mind whirled.

When was the last time his father had put a hand on him?

King Hassan had never struck any of his children in anger. He wasn’t that sort of man. But he also wasn’t the sort to embrace them in love, especially now that they were grown men.Pride in their accomplishments was communicated verbally, or occasionally with a rare smile, and actual affection was never seen.

His father’s hand on his shoulder was nothing short of miraculous.

All too soon, though, the moment passed. His father stepped away. “You had better see to it that the young woman gets home,” he said. “Your mother will keep her out in the garden all night long if we allow it.”

“Right.” Kareem stepped back too. The world seemed to have turned upside down. He had never imagined leaving here with anything like approval from his father, and though approval wasn’texactlywhat he had gotten, he had come much closer than he would have dared to dream he might.

He moved toward the doors that led to the garden, but as he did so, he saw that Keira and his mother were approaching from the other side. A moment later, the doors were pulled open and the women entered.

“No, it was wonderful,” Keira was saying. “I’m so looking forward to a longer tour sometime in the future.”

“That’s right,” Kareem’s mother agreed. “We’ll make sure that happens soon. I suppose we have all the time in the world now that you and Kareem are married — though wewillhave to plan a royal wedding. It would be simply too scandalous not to have one. I’ll start making the arrangements at once.”

Keira’s eyes darted to Kareem, who could tell that she had no idea what to say.

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