The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(58)
Kaye looked up at Amir, who was grinning down at her as they made their way into the palace.
Every moment held a new surprise, and she couldn’t wait to see what was next.
Chapter Twelve
Kaye’s eyes were wide as saucers as Amalia and Jamir led the tour through the sprawling palace. They even took her through several private chambers that had once belonged to ancestors long since passed. Amir seemed content to walk along in silence, relishing the sensation of being back home.
“Why did Amir leave?” Kaye asked, glancing his way.
His eyes met hers for the briefest moment before he looked back at his parents, waiting to hear their answer. His mother frowned, stopping their progress. She glared at Amir for several long moments before she turned back to answer Kaye’s question.
“Because he is a fool. And our youngest son, so he can do as he pleases.”
Kaye looked up at Amir in surprise.
“You didn’t tell me you had siblings!”
“It didn’t seem important,” he said with a shrug.
Amalia scoffed.
“He is the youngest of ten, Kaye. And not once did he think to mention them?”
“Feels like that would be pertinent to the plot of the show,” Kaye mused, all eyes boring into Amir.
He seemed entirely unfazed by this attention.
“We don’t want our audience getting confused by the number of siblings I have running around. Besides, I’m not the only one who left. They’re currently scattered all over the world, last time I checked.”
Amalia nodded.
“One is in Australia, one in Kenya…actually, come to think of it, we might have every continent covered at the moment. Jayla is currently on a scientific expedition in Antarctica.”
“That’s got to be a world record, right? All the members of one family covering every continent?”
Jamir grinned.
“I’ll have to make a call and see. We haven’t made the history books for anything interesting yet, have we my dear?”
“Perhaps as the most fertile royal couple, but beyond that, no, I don’t believe so.”
Was Amir blushing? She watched him carefully as his parents affectionately teased one another, their tour getting underway once more. It didn’t get past Kaye that they had all ignored properly answering her question.
Why had Amir chosen to leave?
“Lunch, anyone?” Amalia asked.
“Yes, please. I’m famished!” Amir said.
“You’re always famished. It’s a wonder you don’t weigh as much as an airplane.”
“It’s because I simply eat truckloads of vegetables, Mother.”
“Ha!” Amalia turned back to Kaye. “Talk about a bunch of lies! This boy would sneak more treats out of the kitchen than any other child I had. He has a notorious sweet tooth.”
“Don’t forget steak. That’s all he’s fed me, so far. I’m starting to feel bad for cows everywhere.”
“Steak?” Jamir asked, confused.
“It’s something we don’t really eat in Al Rayyan. That’s why I like it so much,” Amir explained.
Jamir grunted, stepping forward as a pair of servants opened a doorway to a covered desert garden. The vegetation was sparse, but the whole area was decorated with statues and stonework that would have made the ancient rulers proud. It was unlike anything Kaye had ever seen. Beneath the covered area, large, silent fans controlled the temperature around a circular table that was already set for four.
“You were expecting us,” Kaye noted.
Amalia nodded.
“Of course. We had to prepare for the roles, didn’t we?”
Kaye grinned.
“We’re going to have to try extra hard to get back into them, tomorrow. I already like you too much.”
“Aw, see Amir? This is a girl with some manners. You could learn a thing or two from her.”
“Yes, Mother,” Amir said sarcastically, his eyes sparkling as he sat down across from Kaye.
A waiter approached and poured them all glasses of an iridescent pink drink. Kaye eyed it a little warily.
“This is a sparkling wine made from a particular grape grown in the southern region of Al Rayyan. I think you’ll like it a lot,” Amalia said.
Kaye lifted the glass by the stem and took a sip. It was a sweet, crisp wine that perfectly staved off the heat hovering just out of reach, as though they had managed to create a perfectly cool, invisible bubble.
“This is amazing!” Kaye beamed, and Amalia nodded.
“Nothing but the best for our future daughter-in-law.”
At that, Kaye’s joyful expression faltered.
“You know about the wedding?” she asked.
Amir cleared his throat, and his father stared at him with a curious expression.
“Of course. You’re having a television wedding. I skimmed the script.”
Kaye and Amir exchanged a glance, and in that moment, she realized that he wasn’t being entirely truthful with his parents. They assumed that all of this was for show, when in reality, they would truly be man and wife…even if it was still quite fake. On paper, it would be official.
“Of course, I just didn’t realize that we would be giving away our big plotline all this time. Don’t you go running to the tabloids to give them all the spoilers, now.”