The Sheikh's Rescued Baby - Leslie North Page 0,38
way, because you’ve spent the last five days in your rooms, alone, doing nothing except watching the world go by.”
Nadim shrugged. “I have to shake off my past.” The swell of longing was almost too much to continue, but Nadim forced himself onward. “I have to find my life path before I can ask a woman to join me on that path.”
Yaseen exchanged a look with Zayid.
“What?” Nadim snapped.
“What if Aisha is your life path?” Zayid leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees. “Why doesn’t your work in Kendah count as an accomplishment?”
“Have you even seen the news out of Kendah lately?” Yaseen sounded astonished.
“I’ve kept up with it.” No. I can’t stand looking.
“Please. If you’d seen it, you—” Yaseen dug his phone out of his pocket, flicked across the screen, and handed it to him. “Just look.”
The news app showed article after article out of Kendah.
WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF KENDAH?
TIME RUNNING OUT FOR THE SULTANA
A FUTURE OF UNCERTAINTY
“They’re worried.” Zayid met Nadim’s eyes. “The press and the people are all concerned about the upcoming...transition.”
Nadim scrolled through article after article, all of them filled with questions. What would happen when Jamad took over? Aisha had been the one to guide them through a challenging time, and Jamad was nowhere to be seen. Could he keep them on an upward trajectory? One of the reporters had interviewed a person on the street. The quote stuck out at him as if it had been printed in bold, red letters. “I had hopes for Sheikh Nadim. He lifted up everyone he encountered. Especially Sultana Aisha. They were a strong team.”
He blinked, then blinked again. Nadim had the sensation of rising up from deep water and breaking the surface.
Of course. Of course.
“Zayid.” His brother looked at him, eyebrows raised. “I’m going to need a few people and some construction equipment.”
Aisha’s mother sighed on the other end of the line. “Darling, why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong? We’ve been talking for twenty minutes, and I can tell you’re holding back.”
Aisha spun around in her office chair, frowning. She didn’t want to admit that she still had feelings for Nadim. But her mother had been busy lately, and their catch-up calls had grown farther and farther apart. If she wanted to spill, she’d have to do it now.
She let the sadness come back in.
“Well.” Aisha swallowed a hard lump in her throat. “I might have ruined everything.” A strangled laugh escaped her. “Nadim was my best hope for marriage, and now he’s gone.”
“Oh, Aisha, you haven’t ruined everything.” Aisha could hear the breeze in the background of the phone call. She’d caught her mother on one of her daily walks, and she could just picture her, sitting there on a bench near the path. “Your father and I had some terrible arguments, you know. But we always found our way back to each other. There’s still time.”
Aisha’s mouth dropped open. “You and Dad never fought.”
Her mother’s laughter warmed her, despite how lonely she felt. “Oh, yes, we did. We just did it behind closed doors. No relationship is without its rough patches. That doesn’t mean we loved each other any less.” Aisha heard the smile in her voice. “It shows that we loved each other enough to work through the hard times. Do you and Nadim love each other enough to find a way back to each other?”
“I do,” she blurted out, her face heating and her heart breaking all over again. “But I’m not sure about Nadim. And I—I’m not sure how to navigate this rough patch. I sent him away. And even if I can fix it, it might not be fast enough to save Kendah.”
“Irene!” her mother called. “Yes, I’m ready to walk.” Her voice got a little louder. “Aisha, I love you. You can figure this out. I’ll be done walking in an hour if you want to talk. But honey?”
“Yes?”
“Have faith in yourself. You can get through this.”
Sanaa came in while Aisha was still staring at her phone, thinking about what her mother had said.
“I have a message for you, Sultana.” Sanaa approached the desk, a curious look on her face. “You’re needed in Liddah.”
“All right.” Aisha allowed herself a small sigh. Something to do with the storm, no doubt. The repairs wouldn’t be done for years. Even if she didn’t remain sultana, she’d still help. This was her country. Her home. “Let’s go.”
Sanaa put her in a black SUV and sent her on her way. Aisha