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“She’s back, and she’s here to stay.” Nahid had a suspicious twinkle in his eye. “I’ve seen pictures. She’s grown into the attractive woman.”
“Father, what have you done?”
He only shook his head and grinned. “Your party will be the biggest event of the city. And you will be slayed when you feast your eyes upon her. Now then, your mother would like to see you before dinner tonight. I have a meeting that I have to attend, and I’m not sure I’ll be home in time to eat. Remind your mother to leave me some leftovers. You know she fusses when I miss dinner.”
Slapping Kamal on the shoulder again, he turned and continued down the hall. Kamal sighed and turned back to the window. His view was absolutely breathtaking. As one of the wealthier families in the city, the mansion overlooked the ornate and expansive architecture of the city below. Despite the sand and the sun, his mother kept an oases surrounding their home, and she made sure every leaf was in impeccable condition. The home was breathtaking. The view was incredible.
But Kamal had spent so much time looking at it that it didn’t even move him anymore. Secretly, he expected that he was meant for more than this, but when Sara had left him, he could only return home and face the life his parents had chosen for him.
Jada. His father’s business partner and his father had pushed Jada and Kamal to play as kids. They didn’t realize their expectations at the time. In truth, they’d barely gotten along. In his mind, Jada had been a stubborn brat that talked too much and tried to boss him around. Looking back, he realized now that the two men had hoped for a union. But then Jada had gone away to school at an early age, and he’d never seen her again.
It wasn’t good news that she was back now. He could only imagine the schemes dancing in his father’s mind. He didn’t care how beautiful she might be now. The woman that he loved was oceans away.
With a sigh, he tried to push the memories aside as he searched for his mother. He found the beautiful Ameena arguing with the housekeeper.
“If we put the table of food in the middle, there will be no room for the musicians. The table will have to sit by the wall,” Ameena said in an exasperated tone. Her whole face lit up when she saw her son. “Kamal! There you are! I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“Mother, you saw me yesterday,” he said with a smile as he suffered her kisses.
“Did I? Well it’s been such a long day. I’ve been working on the details of your party, and you’ve been hard to track down. We must decide on a final menu.”
Kamal shook his head. He knew that it didn’t matter what he wanted. His mother would simply bully him into having whatever she wanted. “I trust your taste,” he said gallantly.
“You are too good to me,” she said as she clapped her hands. “Now then, has your father spoken to you? I know he had some news to tell you, but he’s home even less frequently than you. I’m starting to feel like the only person in this family that truly lives here,” she complained.
Nahid was a busy man. It was because he was busy that his mother was able to enjoy his wealth. “He might have mentioned something about a special guest,” he said wryly.
Ameena caught his tone and narrowed her eyes. “Jada is a lovely woman, Kamal. I would think you’d be excited to see your childhood friend again.”
He might be, if he didn’t suspect that his parents were matchmaking. Still, he would never in his right mind tell his mother that. “I am, but as you’ve already pointed out, I have quite a bit on my mind. I have barely even given any thought to the party.”
“Nor should you,” she said quickly. “I have everything under control.”
Kamal chuckled. His mother lived to entertain. It was her specialty, and he knew just what would happen if someone tried to take even an ounce of control away from her. Absolute chaos. “Is there anything else you wanted from me?”
“Will you be here for dinner?” she asked absently. “Your father mentioned that his meeting might run late, and I wasn’t sure if you were going to accompany him.”
“No. I’m actually leaving early in the morning to speak with some investors, so I’ll be retiring right after dinner.”
“You work too hard, Kamal,” she said with a frown. “I don’t want you to turn into your father.”
“There’s much to do mother. One day the business will be mine, and I want to make him proud. One day, I will be the Sheikh, just like him. I will always be busy.”
She turned her head abruptly and stared at him. “We are proud of you, Kamal. We simply worry about you. I know something happened to you while you were in school, and it’s changed you. We just want to see you happy again.”
“I am happy,” he assured her. “I just have a head full of ideas.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
Where his father had been strict and disciplined, his mother had always been loving. Nahid used to complain that Ameena would make him soft, but Kamal had always dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps. The corporate business man had impressed him so, and he desperately wanted to show his father that he was ready to take the company into the future.
None of that had changed because of Sara. He’d imagined doing everything with her by his side, and her refusal to return with him threw him off balance. His parents weren’t wrong. He felt like he was drifting through life. That wasn’t how a man should be. That wasn’t how he would be.
As he walked away, he made himself a vow. He wouldn’t keep thinking of Sara. He would lose himself in the dream of what could be. He was strong and powerful. If she wouldn’t have him, then that was her loss.
Still, he couldn’t help but realize that even his own monologue sounded hollow in his ears.
* * *
Jada stepped out of her car and surveyed her family home while hiding her emotions behind a pair of sunglasses. The sun was setting behind the stone structures and casting a shadow over her. It wasn’t an omen. She knew exactly why she’d been called back. Her father had never been one to hide the truth from her. Kabul Al-Basir had returned from the states, and soon he would make a bid for her hand in marriage.
