The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(75)

The night before raced through her head, reminding her of exactly why she was sleeping alone.

They’d had the rehearsal dinner on the beach, a private party set up just for them and their guests. Kaye and Amir had sat at a main table overlooking all the others, and Amir had stood, clinking his glass to get the room’s attention.

“All right, all right, I know there are a lot of you, but simmer down already.”

Various heckles had come from the myriad of tables with Amir’s massive family in attendance. He’d chuckled, and Kaye had beamed up at him.

“I wanted to make a little speech tonight before everyone gets too wild. Also, we are getting married tomorrow, so don’t go too wild. We don’t want any hangovers at the wedding, am I clear?”

He’d glared around the room, but all that had met him in return was a few quiet laughs.

“Right. Tonight, we’re here because a year ago, I was lucky enough to hire the best actress Hollywood has ever seen.”

There had been cheers, and Kaye had blushed.

“She was so good, in fact, that she managed to get me to fall in love with her, for real. You can’t get better than that, especially when you’re filming a reality show!”

“Get to the point!” one of Amir’s brothers had called out, and Amir had waved a dismissive hand at him.

“Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you for coming out to Barbados to celebrate our special day. Over the past year, Kaye and I have had quite the adventure, learning about each other and forging a new life together. It’s been amazing, and we couldn’t be happier to share it with you all this weekend. I want you all to enjoy yourselves, and to raise a glass to my stunning, beautiful wife!”

There had been a great cheer, then, with everyone lifting a glass. Kaye had smiled up at Amir as the crowd had chanted for her to give the next speech. She’d stood and cleared her throat.

“As many of you know, Amir and I have actually been married for a year, so really, this is more of an anniversary party than a wedding. Still, we want to do it our way. Tomorrow is going to be simple. It’s going to be about the love between two people from across the globe who happened to be lucky enough to find one another. I can’t wait to share it with you all.”

“Do the vows from the show!”

Kaye hadn’t been able to tell who’d shouted that one out, but she’d laughed.

“While those were quite lovely, I think we’ll be coming up with our own vows this time around.”

“You’re telling me reality TV is fake?”

Kaye had narrowed her eyes as she’d tried to spot the person initiating a conversation in the middle of her speech, only to find that it was her father, and she’d grinned.

“All right, someone cut off my dad’s drink supply. We need him upright and presentable for tomorrow.”

The room had laughed again, including her father. Kaye had been beyond grateful to see him there, happy and present.

After they’d returned to the States, Kaye and Amir had headed straight to Indiana to make amends with her parents after their fight. After a lot of tears and some heartfelt conversations, they had managed to make it through to the end, with hugs and apologies all round.

Kaye’s mother had stood, then, bringing Kaye out of her memories.

“When I first met Amir, I’ll admit it wasn’t the best of introductions,” her mother had begun.

No one laughed at that.

“As we were chasing an entire camera crew off our lawn, he approached us and he said something that I’ll never forget. He told us that we had an amazing daughter, and that we may not agree with her all of the time, but that she would be back with all her love, and that we should be ready to accept it and give it back in return.

“It was one of the most eloquent speeches I’d ever heard from anyone, and in that moment, I had regrets about sending them away. I knew, if that was something he had to say when she wasn’t around, it was what he truly felt. I knew, in that moment, that they may have been filming a show, but that boy loved my daughter.”

Kaye and Amir had glanced at one another. Glasses had clinked so that they would kiss, and Amir didn’t wait. He’d smooched her silly until the room was cheering once again. Kaye had winked at her mother as she’d sat back down, and the festivities had continued as planned. As the night had drawn to a close, Amir had walked Kaye to her room, which was a few doors down from his.

“This is going to be difficult. I want you more than anything in the world,” Amir had growled as he’d wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Kaye had smiled into his shoulder.

“You have me already, you silly man.”

“You know what I mean.”

She did, and she felt very much the same way. They hadn’t spent a night apart since returning back home, and it had been glorious. Kaye couldn’t imagine a bed without Amir in it with her, holding her close. Still, tradition was tradition.

“We can’t see each another until the wedding,” she’d reminded him.

“We’re already married,” he’d reminded her, in turn.

“Yeah, but that one didn’t count. Let’s do it right this time, Amir. Our parents would be proud of us.”

Finally, he’d sighed, stepping back from her, even as he’d held onto her hand, not yet willing to let go.