The Return of the Sheikh

Epilogue

“Here are your babies, Mrs. Mehdi.”

After the nurse placed the bundles in the crooks of Madison’s arms, she could only stare at her son and daughter in absolute awe. Not only had her lone ovary functioned well, it had worked double time. She only wished their father had been there to see them come into the world.

As if she’d willed his presence, Zain rushed into the room sporting a huge bouquet of red roses and an apologetic look. “The damn plane was delayed because of the rain,” he said as he set the flowers down and stripped off his coat.

No surprise to Madison. Wherever there was rain, there was Zain. “It’s okay, Daddy. Just get over here and see what you’ve done.”

He slowed his steps on the way to the hospital bed, as if he were afraid to look. But when he took that first glance at his babies, his eyes reflected unmistakable joy, and so did his smile. “I cannot believe they are finally here.”

Neither could Madison. “After fourteen hours of labor, I was beginning to wonder.”

He leaned over to softly kiss her. “I regret I was not here with you to see you through this.”

“That’s okay. Elena stayed the entire time and held my hand, worrying like a mother hen.”

“Where is she now?”

“I sent her back to the condo. She mentioned something about napping beneath the California sun so she could work on her tan.”

He smiled as he brushed a fingertip across their daughter’s cheek. “She is beautiful, like her mother.”

Madison pushed the blanket away from their son’s face to give his father a better look. “And our baby boy is so handsome, just like his uncle Adan.”

That earned her a serious scowl. “You are determined to punish me for my late arrival.”

“No, I’m just trying to cheer you up, but I guess under the circumstance, that’s not going to be easy to do.”

“No, it is not.” He scooped their daughter into his arms with practiced ease, as if he’d been a father forever, not five minutes. “Holding new life in your arms helps ease the sadness.”

It had definitely been a time of sadness back in Bajul, as well as a week full of unanswered questions. “How is Rafiq doing?”

“It is hard to tell,” he said. “He seemed all right at the funeral, but he is not one to show any emotion.”

Madison had learned that firsthand. During the the two times she and Zain had returned to Bajul, she couldn’t recall seeing Rafiq smile all that much. Then, neither had his bride. “I wish I had known Rima better. Do they have any idea what happened with the car, or why she was even in it alone that time of night?”

When the baby began to fuss, Zain lifted their daughter to his shoulder. “No true explanations have emerged thus far. As it was with my mother’s death, we may never know.”

For months Madison had considered telling her husband about the conversation with Elena involving his mother, but she’d decided to put that on hold for the time being. Today should be about the joy of new beginnings, not sorrow and regrets.

The nurse returned to the room and when she caught sight of Zain, Madison thought the woman might collapse. It didn’t matter if they were seventeen or seventy—and this woman was closer to the latter—females always responded the same way to Zain. “Is this the babies’ daddy?” she asked.

No, he’s the chauffeur, Madison wanted to say but bit back the sarcasm. “Ruth, this is my husband, Zain.”

When Zain stood to shake her hand, Ruth grinned from ear to ear. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Is it true you’re a sheikh?”

“Yes,” Zain said. “But today I am only a new father.”

Madison couldn’t be more proud of that fact, or the way he pressed a soft kiss on his daughter’s forehead. She was definitely going to be a daddy’s girl.

The nurse lumbered over to the bed and took Madison’s baby boy out of her arms, much to her dismay. “Where are you going with him?”

Ruth patted Madison’s arm. “Don’t worry, Mommy. He’ll just be gone for a little while. Now that he and his sister have warmed up a bit, it’s time for their first bath.”

She was a little disappointed to give up her children so soon after their birth, but it would allow her and Zain some time to reach one important decision.

After Ruth carted off the twins, Madison scooted over, gritted her teeth against the lingering pain of childbirth and patted the space beside her. “Come over here, you sexy sheikh.”

He turned his smile on her. “Is it not too soon to consider that?”

She rolled her eyes. “I just gave birth to the equivalent of two five-pound bowling balls, so what do you think?”

“You have a point.” He kicked off his Italian loafers, climbed onto the narrow bed and folded her into his arms.

“We need to decide on their names,” she said as she rested her cheek against his chest. “We can’t just refer to them as ‘He’ and ‘She’ Mehdi indefinitely, although it is kind of catchy.”

“How do you feel about Cala for our daughter?” he asked.

Zain had never suggested that name before now, but Madison supposed his trip home to mourn after the end of a young woman and her unborn child’s life had somehow influenced his choice. “It’s perfect. I’m sure your mother would have loved having a granddaughter named after her.”

“Then we shall call her that. And our son?”

She lifted her head and smiled. “Why not settle for what we’ve been calling him the past five months?” The nickname they’d given him the day they’d learned the babies’ genders during the ultrasound.

He grinned. “Joe?”

“Short for Joseph, which just happens to be my great-great-grandfather’s name.”

“Joseph it is.”

Now that they had covered that all-important decision, she needed to address one more. “Do you have any regrets about giving up the crown and leaving Bajul?”

“Only one. We never made love on the rooftop.”

She elbowed his ribs. “I’m serious.”

“I have a beautiful wife and two perfect children. How could I possibly regret that?” His expression turned somber. “Do you regret that you have put your career on hold for me?”

Something Madison had sworn she would never do, but then she’s never imagined loving a man this much. And during the last conversation with her mother, she’d actually admitted it. “I haven’t put my career completely on hold. I’ll be doing some preliminary consulting for the senator’s campaign the first of the year.”

“And you do not mind traveling to Bajul in a few months and staying for a time?”

“As long as we wait until my parents come for their visit, I’m more than game. Besides, I’ve told you that I feel it’s important that our children know their culture, and you still have important work to do on your conservation plans.”

He planted a quick kiss on her lips. “Good. While we’re there, we will return to the lake and relive our first experience.”

The experience that had brought them to this day. This new life. This incredible love. “That sounds like a plan. You bring Malik’s truck, and I’ll bring my overactive ovary. We might even get lucky a second time.”

“I cannot imagine feeling any luckier than I do now.”

“Neither can I.”

When the nurse returned their children to their waiting arms, completing the family they had made, Madison and Zain settled into comfortable silence, as they’d done so many times since they had taken that giant leap of faith, and landed in the middle of that sometimes treacherous territory known as love.

Madison felt truly blessed, and it was all because of one magical mountain, and one equally magical man. A man who might not be the king of his country, but he was—and always would be—the king of her heart.