The Sheikh’s Stubborn Bride by Leslie North

20

The next two weeks went by in a blur, between the town hall meetings set up by the palace staff for Kadir and Stella and incorporating all the information they received from the people of Al-Fatha into Kadir’s plans, as well as mapping out the specifics of Green Gardens. It was a huge amount of work, but both Kadir and Stella were happy to do it.

Their car pulled up to the private entrance to the palace after the last of the meetings. Kadir couldn’t wait to take a shower and fall into bed. Preferably with his wife. Stella gave a deep sigh as they stepped into the cool of the marble hall, and he could tell she was as exhausted and relieved to be finished as he was.

First, though, they needed to eat. He took Stella’s hand and kissed it then led her into the dining room where the rest of the family was gathered for dinner. Conversation filled the air as he helped Stella into her seat, then sank down into his own chair. The scent of roasted meat and grilled vegetables made his stomach rumble.

“Brother, long time, no see,” Salah said around a bite of lamb kebab. “Tell us how things are going with your meetings.”

“Very well,” he said, far more interested in the food he was piling up on his plate than his plans to revitalize old Jazid. “We are making progress.”

Yusef snorted. “That’s a brushoff if I’ve ever heard one.”

With a sigh, Kadir pulled out his phone and brought up a photo he’d snapped of the architect’s new plans for a particular section of the old town. He passed the device down the table so everyone could see.

“Here is what we are working on to turn the old gardens into the new location as well as the mosque beside the ruins of the Moorish fort.”

“Oh,” Naziha said, staring at the screen. “That’s lovely. Is that a glass dome covering the courtyard?”

“Yes,” Stella chimed in. “It will not only act as a greenhouse for the plants, but it also mirrors the dome design on the planetarium, to marry it all together. Although the mosque dome isn’t colored.”

“Beautiful,” Ibrahim said, grinning. “From these plans, it appears the architects have managed to merge the new glass and steel directly with the older architecture to create a seamless transition. Well done, my son.”

“Thank you.” He reached over and squeezed his wife’s hand. “I couldn’t have done it without Stella. Or the input of our people. It really is a collaborative effort.”

Stella beamed at him while devouring her food.

Kadir took a bite of kebab himself, savoring its spicy goodness before continuing. “And while it’s not the skyscrapers I’d originally planned for the area, it’s still innovative and new, preserving the old while incorporating the future. And we were able to fund local developers who are interested in rebuilding the city without destroying its character to do the work. So it’s a win-win.”

“Absolutely win-win,” Stella agreed, perking up. “I’m thrilled we can support local businesses with the money Kadir had set aside for international investors, so we keep it all within Al-Fatha’s economy. Oh, and I almost forgot the—”

“Scholarships!” she and Kadir said at the same time before laughing. His heart felt near to bursting with love for her at that moment, and he thanked heaven that they’d worked out their differences and were together again. He leaned over and kissed her quickly.

“Scholarships?” Salah asked.

“Yes,” Kadir said, keeping hold of his wife’s hand. “I want to set them up to support students with an interest in Al-Fatha’s growing tech industry.”

Naziha smiled at them both. “This is very different from your original plan, Kadir.”

“It’s different from both our plans,” Stella added. “But we believe in this so strongly now, and we’ve built this new idea together, with the citizens of Al-Fatha to guide us, so it’s better and more special.”

“Agreed, habibi.” He kissed her hand again, then dug back into his dinner.

They ate in silence for a while, the conversation continuing around them, until finally Kadir was full. He sat back in his chair as the servers removed their dishes, then waited while another staff member poured both him and Stella glasses of tea. He looked over to find his sister watching them both quizzically.

“What?” he asked Naziha over the rim of his glass.

“Nothing, brother. I was just wondering what your and Stella’s future might look like.” The other talk around the table quieted as the others turned their attention to Naziha’s question. “I mean, Stella left the palace for a while, and now she’s back. And you two have been working well together recently, but what will you do now that the town halls are finished?”

Stella gave him a quick side glance, frowning. “I haven’t really given it much thought yet.”

“I have,” Kadir said, not missing his wife’s surprised look. They had been working a lot and hadn’t had much time to talk, but he’d been thinking about this for a while now. Ever since his conversation with his father in the gardens. In fact, he’d even taken the chance of contacting his mother to try to reestablish a relationship with her. Once he’d heard his father’s side of things, Kadir had realized that he’d been viewing his parents’ divorce through far too narrow a lens, and perhaps it was time to reconsider everything from a new perspective. Besides, time was short, too short to hold grudges against those you loved. He squeezed Stella’s hand under the table and grinned, hoping she’d be as excited about their trip as he was. Kadir thought she might be, given it would be a chance for her to reunite with her family as well.

“I’m going to take my wife on a much-deserved honeymoon, since we never had one after the wedding,” he said.

“Honeymoon?” Stella repeated, her eyes wide. “Really? You never mentioned anything.”

“I wanted it to be a surprise, habibi.” He smiled fondly at her.

“And where are we going?”

“Hollywood.” He winked, then shrugged as her grin grew wider. “Sometimes the extras do get to meet the stars.”

After dinner, they excused themselves and went for a private walk in the gardens. As they strolled, Stella laughed, brightening his world. “Oh, Kadir. I’ll need to call my mom and let her know we’re coming.” Then her grin faltered slightly. “By stars, exactly who did you have in mind?”

He leaned closer to whisper, “My mother.”

“Your mom?” she whispered back. “But I thought you wanted nothing to do with her.”

“For a long time, I didn’t.” He exhaled slow and stared down at their hands. “But I talked with my father while you were gone. Turns out I’d been wrong about that, too. My mother and I have been emailing back and forth since then, and she’s agreed to host us at her Malibu home. I haven’t said anything to the rest of the family yet, so please don’t tell them until I have a chance to talk to my father first. Then, if he’s okay with us going, I’ll tell my siblings. But for now, I don’t want to get their hopes up or cause any more friction until I’m sure everything will work out. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Of course,” Stella said, kissing him sweetly. “My lips are sealed, darling. Well, not sealed, but I’ll keep it a secret for now.” She kissed him again, then leaned her forehead against his. “I’m so happy. Have I told you today how much I love you?”

Kadir grinned himself. “You have, but I’m always ready to hear it again, habibi.”