Page 50 of The Sheikh's Fake Bride Scheme

“We should always sit up here,” Allie said, leaning back in her lounger and accepting a drink from one of the waiters. “This is much nicer than the regular stadium seats. I shouldn’t have let you talk me into flying commercial, either. I can’t believe we missed out on the chance to fly in a private plane.”

“I’ll have my plane take you home, Allie,” Kareem said, not taking his eyes off of Keira. “But you might be on your own for that trip.”

Keira felt herself blush.

“You’re staying, Keira?” Allie asked her.

“I think I am,” Keira said quietly. “For a while, at least. If I can.”

“If it’s up to me, you’ll never leave,” Kareem said quietly. “But I understand you might have obligations back at home to tend to.”

“I don’t have anything coming up,” Keira said. “We’re heading into the off-season, so I was going to have a few months free before I need to start gearing up for the next major race. I usually spend those months on marketing and publicity, but there’s no reason I can’t do those things from Qalmar.”

“Then I’d like you to come back to my estate,” Kareem said. “I would like you to move back in with me, and we can take the chance to get to know one another better.”

“You’re going to move in together and start dating?” Allie asked, giggling. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean this critically. But you have to admit, it’s very unconventional.”

“Everything we’ve done has been very unconventional,” Keira pointed out. “I can’t see why this should be any different.”

“And we aren’t dating,” Kareem said. “We’re married.”

“You filed for divorce,” Allie reminded him.

“That divorce hasn’t been finalized,” Keira said. “I didn’t sign the papers.”

“You didn’t?” Kareem asked.

“I couldn’t,” Keira said. “I never received any.”

“I did send them.”

Keira laughed. “I’ll take it as a sign from the universe,” she said. “Maybe we’re not supposed to get divorced.”

“So you’re going to stay married?” Allie asked.

Keira shrugged. “I think so,” she said. “I know it’s strange to marry the way we did, and maybe I’m crazy to believe that it can work, but it doesn’t feel right to divorce someone I love.”

“We got married the way my parents did,” Kareem said. “We married for practical reasons — and then, over time, we discovered that we actually meant something to each other.” He smiled. “The main difference is that we haven’t known each other as long as my parents had when they made that discovery. I feel like we still have so much to learn about one another.”

“That doesn’t scare you?” Allie asked.

“I thought you supported this,” Keira said.

“I do!” Allie insisted. “So much. I just… well, I would like to imagine finding something like this myself one day, and it’s hard for me to think that I wouldn’t feel scared if I was in your shoes. But I look at you, and you both seem so confident. So sure of what you’re doing.”

“I do feel that way,” Keira said with a smile. “I wouldn’t have expected to. But Kareem brings it out in me.”

“I’m so happy for you, Keira,” Allie said. “I can’t imagine what that must feel like, but I know that there’s no one in the world who deserves it more than you. I’m so glad you’ve found love — and you’re going to be a member of the royal family!”

“Technically, she already is,” Kareem said. “And this is the only part thatdoesscare me a little, Allie. We have to go and speak tomy father about all this. He’s not in the best mood when it comes to the two of us.”

“I’m not worried about it,” Keira said easily.

“You’re not? I thought you had concerns about my father’s opinion.”

“I did. But I don’t feel that way anymore,” Keira said. “Things are different now. You’ve proclaimed your love for me so publicly, and it’s obvious that we have the support of the people of Qalmar. At this point, it will be hard for your father to get rid of me, even if he wants to do that. It would be a PR nightmare — which is something I know a little bit about.” She smiled at the thought of King Hassan having to explain to an angry kingdom why he had come between two people in love. “He might not be my biggest fan, but he is a practical man. He’ll do the right thing to win the support of the people.”

“You understand him better than I would have believed,” Kareem said with a smile. “But we do have to go and speak to him. We need him to know that you’re here, and that you intend to stay. And it would be best to do it quickly, because he may already have heard about what happened here from someone else. We can’t afford to look as if we’re trying to keep secrets from him.”

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