Undo Me Page 7

  “They finished installing a new fountain in the gardens. I know you and Luke like to go out there, so I thought you’d like to see.”

  “I’d love to,” I said. “Where is Alda?”

  Abir smirked as we walked down the front stairs and toward the entrance to the palace. Walking across the intricately designed stone floors, I still couldn’t believe that this was going to be my home for the rest of my life.

  “She’s home today,” Abir said. “She takes care of her younger sister when her mother goes to the market.”

  “I’m surprised you’re not with her.”

  Abir’s eyes widened. “It would not be appropriate for us to be unchaperoned.”

  I needed to learn a lot more about this culture. There were so many things I didn’t know. Luke would be helpful, but it might impress Gia if I was a quick study and learned about this stuff myself. I would need to know it eventually when Luke and I had children of our own. The thought created a wave of tingles that spread from the center of my body.

  “You spent a lot of time with her,” I said.

  “She’s great,” Abir said with a sigh. “I hope that Mother approves of our union.”

  “I’m sure she would,” I said. It was more “appropriate” than Luke and me. It would be like Gia to dote over Abir and Alda and completely shun Luke and me.

  “I know Alda and I are a good match. I hope to love her in the same way that Luke loves you.”

  “I think you already do,” I said.

  He nodded his agreement. “I don’t know what I would do without her. It hurts to think about it.”

  “Don’t think about it then. There’s no use worrying over nothing. As long as you treat her well, the both of you will end up quite happy. I’m sure of it.”

  “I appreciate that, coming from you,” he said. “If only everyone would make it easier on you and Luke.”

  “That would be nice.” I wondered if he could hint that to his mother, but asking for that would be putting Abir in the middle of our issues. I wasn’t going to drag anyone else into that mess. It was already crowded with too many people.

  “Here it is,” Abir said, holding out his hand in front of him.

  The new fountain was massive, reaching up at least ten feet in the air, and the pool width was at least three times the size of me. We were far enough away from it, but still, the water spray peppered me in the face as the water crashed down over the oblong-shaped pool. The stone was black and slick with water. It was a really beautiful fountain and only enhanced the look of the garden as a whole.

  “It’s breathtaking,” I said.

  “Father commissioned it before he died,” Abir said.

  “He did?”

  Abir glanced behind him and then back to me. “He did it for Luke.”

  “Does Luke know?”

  Abir shook his head. “I overheard Father and Mother discussing it. Only a few days before he passed. He knew Luke loved to come out to the grounds.”

  “I’m sure Luke would love to know that.”

  “I’m sure he would. But I can’t tell him. And neither can you.”

  “Why not?”

  Abir scratched his head. “It’s not the first time I’ve overheard things I’m not supposed to. It’s not my fault, but I usually end up in places I’m not supposed to. Mother would be furious.”

  “She adores you. I doubt she’d be upset with you.”

  He shrugged. “Just don’t tell Luke. Allow her to do it when the time is right.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  I went over to a small stone bench nearby, and Abir joined me. We sat and watched the movement of water in the fountain. With the sun beating on my face and the gentle flecks of water cooling the air around us, it was the perfect place to clear your mind. I knew that was what Luke hoped for every time he came to the gardens. If only he knew how much his Father did for him.

  I wondered if Gia would ever tell him. Would she hold it from him until he did as she asked?

  I tried not to think of her in a negative light, but she made that difficult. She could be such a shrew when it came to Luke. Sure, Abir was a people pleaser, but they were both her sons and she should treat them equally. It was her right to feel disappointed but at the expense of her son?

  The more I thought about her, the less relaxed I felt. There was no way that she would speak to me about Luke. She barely looked at me. As much as I wanted to help, this was between the two of them, much to my dismay.

  Abir shifted next to me, and I glanced in the direction he faced.

  As if from my head to physical manifestation, Gia walked in our direction.

  Abir jumped up from the bench and went over to his mother. I wasn’t sure what to do. If I stood up, then I would acknowledge her in the way that she never did for me. But if I ignored her, I would only be engaging in the game that she played with me.

  My body made a choice for me, and I stood up from the bench and faced the two of them.

  “Mother,” Abir said, bowing his head slightly. His hands were clasped in front of him.

  “Abir,” she said without a single nod or look in my direction. “It is time to come inside.”

  I gritted my teeth and used all of my strength not to roll my eyes. She didn’t even want her youngest son around me? I was the palace pariah, at least when it came to Gia’s two sons. I didn’t have the fucking plague. I was a human being. She took her hatred to another level, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take it.

  Abir turned and offered me a small smile before waving goodbye at me.

  Without another word, Abir shuffled off.

  Gia hesitated for a moment, staring at the fountain in front of us. Even though we were outside in the wide-open world, my skin crawled as if invisible walls closed in around us, stifling us with our awkwardness.

  I couldn’t take my eyes from her. I dared her to say something to me. She had no reason to interrupt my time with Abir. Soon enough, we would be related by marriage. She wasn’t going to stop us, so I didn’t understand why she continued to fight mine and Luke’s relationship.

  I opened my mouth to say something, but when Gia’s eyes snapped to mine, I clamped my mouth shut.

  Her dark eyes bored into mine, and a slight tremor shook my knees. For a split second, I could have sworn her eyes softened, almost as if the ice in her heart thawed for a brief moment.

  Then she turned away from me and headed off toward the palace.

  It wasn’t until she was quite a distance away that I was able to release a breath I’d been holding. What the hell was that? I wanted to think that she was warming up to me, but we had also been standing in front of the fountain that Erol had commissioned for Luke. Obviously, she would have a lot of feelings about it. Maybe it was her first time there, and a bunch of emotions flooded her mind. It was understandable.

  The warmth in her eyes wasn’t for me, but for her dead husband. I was a fool to think otherwise.

  11

  Luke

  The sense of calm that I’d felt in Father’s office stayed with me as I walked the halls of the palace, back to my chambers. When I arrived, Sophia was nowhere to be found. Checking my watch, I realized I’d spent more time away from her than I’d originally intended.

  Before going out to search for her, I wanted to change into something more comfortable.

  By the time I finished, the door had swung open, and Sophia stood in the doorway.

  “Hi,” I said. “Where did you go?”

  “Just took a little walk around the palace. Apparently, the servants had a lot of questions for me.”

  “What did they say?” I asked. The servants normally kept to themselves, but I imagined having an American woman in the palace was a novelty for them.

  She shrugged and sat down on the edge of the bed. “They asked about my life back in Dallas. They were much more excited about it than I was about living it.”

  “Most of them were born into this position. The palace is all
they know.” I crossed the room and planted a kiss on her cheek.

  Reaching to me, she pulled me down to deepen the kiss. “It’s all very strange to me. I know you normally don’t speak with them, but I enjoyed talking to them.”

  “I do speak with the servants,” I said. “It’s a fine line, though. As a child, I used to spend a lot of time with the grounds workers. They were like extended family to me. But since becoming king, I have to respect the traditions. I don’t have much time for myself, never mind keeping up with the staff and their lives.”

  Sophia frowned. “But they live here and work for you.”

  “As I said, it’s a fine line. To you, it might sound strange, but to us, it’s just how it is.”

  “Is that why your mother feels that way about me? She’s so wrapped up in tradition she thinks ‘oh, I have to hate Sophia because that’s how it is’?”

  I released a slow breath. I’d walked into that one. Sophia was not happy.

  “You know she came out onto the palace grounds where Abir and I were perfectly content with having a conversation, and she insisted he come inside to get away from me?”

  “Did she say that?”

  “Not with words. But she practically charged out there to get him. And then she ignored me completely. How much longer is this going to go on?”

  “I did speak with her,” I said.

  “Should I try to talk with her?” Sophia asked. “Your plan doesn’t seem to be working that well.”

  I took Sophia’s hand in mine. “We have to give her some time.”

  “Luke, we’ve given her plenty of time.”

  “My mother isn’t someone to be changed overnight.” Just like the council, which was why I had to do something about their ultimatum soon. Ignoring the deadline was only going to piss them off.

  “What did you say to her?” Sophia asked.

  I went over every last detail of the conversation between Mother and me.

  “She was hurt that I said I was going to choose you over her,” I said. “I explained that I wanted you both in my life, and I think she was a little more accepting after that.”

  “I don’t think she’s going to change, Luke. What are we going to do? I can’t be your wife, living in this palace, and having to fight with your mother every day. That’s going to put all of us in early graves.”

  I knew she didn’t plan on breaking things off with me, but her words instilled a sense of urgency to our situation. Mother had to accept Sophia before the council ever would. But pressuring her might force her to back away and lose whatever progress we’d made.

  “Please, just be patient, Sophia,” I said. “Things will be fine. Trust me.”

  Her eyes fixed on mine. “I trust you, Luke. But this is much harder for me than it is for you. I have no one here except for you and Abir.”

  “I know,” I said. “It will get better.”

  Someone knocked on the door, and Sophia and I jumped up from the bed as if we were two teenagers sneaking around together.

  “Yes?” I asked, unsure of who would be there. Was a servant calling me to the council meeting room? Surely, they wouldn’t expect my answer this soon. Then again, I couldn’t predict their behavior anymore.

  But it wasn’t a servant. Mother stood in the doorway. Her eyes slid between Sophia and me.

  Sophia stiffened.

  Mother lifted her chin. “Dinner will be ready soon. I would like the two of you to join Abir and me.”

  It was as if someone had her by the ear and was forcing her to speak to Sophia. I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t break out into a smile. This was her way of trying, and some small part of me enjoyed watching her squirm in front of Sophia.

  “Thank you,” Sophia said.

  Mother bobbed her head before turning on her heel and walking down the hallway.

  “She acknowledged that I was in the room,” Sophia said, a little dumbfounded.

  “That’s progress,” I said.

  “Sure as hell is,” she said with a grin.

  * * *

  I wasn’t sure what to expect when we arrived at dinner. The four of us hadn’t sat down together in quite a while. The last time we did, Mother forced Sophia to flee from the room after showing her true colors. I hoped that the conversation we’d had earlier in the day held some weight.

  Taking Sophia’s hand in mine, we entered the dining room as one unshakable force. Nothing was going to come between us, and I wanted to show Mother that. The sooner she realized it, the sooner we would be able to move on.

  Mother sat next to Abir, to the right of the head chair that I was supposed to occupy. Finding that spot empty was strange. We hadn’t had a proper meal in that room since Father died, and after the conversation about Sophia, the weight of the moment crashed over me.

  Sophia’s hand in mine gave me the strength to hold in the myriad of emotions swirling through me.

  I pushed her chair in as she sat. Then I took my place at the table.

  Mother still held her chin high, but her eyes were glossy with emotion as well.

  “It’s nice of everyone to join us tonight,” Mother said and then signaled for the servants to start the meal.

  Sophia’s foot rested on mine, and it was nice to have physical contact with her. I doubted Mother would appreciate us holding hands during the meal, but we both needed each other’s strength.

  “What did you do today?” I asked Abir, steering the conversation away from Mother or Sophia. We had to take baby steps.

  “Not much,” Abir said. “After my studies, I took Sophia out to the gardens to see the new fountain.”

  Mother cleared her throat, and Sophia stared down at her plate.

  Narrowing my eyes, I inspected the both of them. The same reaction from the two women in my life that were supposedly feuding was bizarre.

  “I expect it came out okay?” I asked.

  “It’s beautiful,” Sophia said.

  Mother stared at my fiancée as if she were waiting for Sophia to insult the fountain or something. What was going on between the two of them? Had Sophia misled me about what happened in the gardens earlier that afternoon?

  “We should take a look sometime soon,” Mother suggested to me.

  “I’d like that,” I said.

  For the remainder of the meal, the conversation stayed on safe topics. Abir continued on about he and Alda and their copious time spent together on the palace grounds and their outings around the city.

  Sophia smiled the entire time and engaged with him.

  Even though I enjoyed seeing Sophia and Abir get along, my focus was on Mother. She contributed to the conversation only when directly addressed by myself or Abir, but the permanent scowl around Sophia was nowhere to be found that evening.

  I bet Sophia didn’t realize, but that was significant progress for Mother. It warmed my heart to see Mother try so hard when Sophia’s presence went against everything in her mind about tradition and our culture.

  Convincing her gave me a sense of accomplishment and a little boost in confidence that I could do the same for the council. Mother was as hard-headed as the rest of the old men in that room. This was one more step in pushing toward my goal of keeping the kingdom under my rule with Sophia at my side.

  * * *

  After dinner, Abir went off to call on Alda, leaving the three of us in his wake.

  One look from Sophia, and I could read what was going on in her mind. She was unsure of what would happen without my little brother in the room. But I had no issue with being alone with Mother. Sophia didn’t realize how much had changed in a day.

  Sophia turned to Mother. “Goodnight, Gia.”

  “Have a pleasant evening,” Mother said. She forced the words out, but they were better than any other remark that Mother made in reference to my fiancée.

  I kissed Mother’s cheek. “Thank you for a lovely dinner.”

  Mother clasped her hands in front of her and shuffled out of the room.

  �
�That was… strange,” Sophia said.

  “That’s what I call an improvement.”

  “That’s one word for it,” Sophia said. “Did you slip something into her soup?”

  I laughed harder than I had in a while, releasing a massive weight from my shoulders. “Come on. Let’s go back to my chambers.”

  The euphoric feeling continued to lighten my steps as we walked down the quiet halls toward my bedroom. As much as I loved staying in hotels with Sophia, nothing could compare to going to my private room with the love of my life.

  For once, I could see and the possibility of my fiancée and my mother getting along. I hoped Mother would continue her efforts to be nice and get to know Sophia. If she did, then there should be no reason why the council wouldn’t respect my decision to choose Sophia as my wife, no matter what her nationality.

  Sophia was all in for me, and I was going to do the same for her, no matter what it took.

  When we reached the bedroom, Sophia tugged at her ponytail and let her hair down in loose waves over her shoulders.

  “What a day,” she said, sighing. “Can we hold off on the traveling for a bit?”

  “I can’t make any promises on that,” I said.

  “Are you planning on going anywhere for work without me?”

  “Not work, exactly.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “What are you thinking?”

  I stepped closer, pulling her into my arms. “I’m thinking about how much I love you.”

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  I silenced her with a kiss, and she melted into my arms.

  “That’s not fair,” she said.

  “I don’t like to play fair all the time,” I said against her lips.

  She looked up at me through her thick eyelashes, fluttering them once before dragging her teeth over my bottom lip.

  Her meaning was clear, and within seconds, I had her against the bedpost, pressing my body against hers. She let out a yelp of surprise and then smirked. Her hands reached under my shirt, and her fingers splayed across my chest. We were both breathing hard and ready for each other. I could almost see her sharp peaks through her shirt. I licked my lips, ready to have them under my tongue. How I yearned to hear the little noises she made when I touched her naked body.