soon as I realized that my sons were in this house, I had my team split up and surround the house. They’ve been here all night long. You heard me make the call last night .”
She stopped trying to press the buttons and looked up at him. “Security? Body guards?” She looked around, trying to understand what he was telling her but the meaning of his words escaped her. “But why are they here?”
He tried to be reassuring, but firm. Having his children guarded was a non-negotiable issue. And he wouldn’t allow her to be in danger either. She was going to be his wife, she just didn’t know it yet. “Yes. It’s necessary. The boys can’t be without body guards ever again . Nor can you, actually.”
She stood there, staring at him for a long moment. “What do you mean?” She really didn’t like where her thoughts were leading her at his statement.
He raised an eyebrow. “One of them will be my heir, Siri. You had to know that this would happen.”
She was shaking her head and backing up. “No,” she whispered. “You can’t do that to them!”
“It’s the natural order of things,” he said, trying to calm her down.
She backed up, forgetting about the cell phone in her hands when he was telling her that one of her sons would be his heir while the other would be left behind, superfluous unless the first born died. The possibility was horrible and divisive to her children. They were great friends and raising them in this way would tear that bond apart. “Then stop the order! Change it!” She didn’t even want them being rulers, much less one of them being Malik’s heir. She’d known it was a possibility, but now with the reality of the future being shoved down her throat, she didn’t like it one little bit.
“I can’t. They’re my sons. They’ll need to come back to Duban and learn to rule the country. My people will demand it.”
“Then tell them no! They aren’t going anywhere.” She stepped back, refusing the reassurance of his arms. “If you’re in charge, then make them find someone else to rule when you’re….” she couldn’t say ‘dead’ or ‘gone’ or anything else that might force her to face this man’s mortality.
He sighed and bowed his head, then raised it once again to look directly at her. “We’ll also have to marry.”
She gasped and stepped backwards. “Marry? You?”
“Of course. You’re the mother of my children. We have to marry.”
He said it like the marriage was a foregone conclusion. In her mind, it was far from her future. Not even a remote possibility! “Y ou married some other woman! ” She looked him up and down with disgust and frustration. “Not only that, you married her days after…..sleeping with me! I won’t marry you now.”
He shook his head. “You’re tired from last night and probably not thinking clearly . I shouldn’t have kept you up talking so long but let’s just put this issue aside until we can think more clearly about this. Okay?”
Siri pulled herself together. “You can talk all you want. But you’re not taking my sons from me.”
“They’re my sons as well,” he countered.
“And you apparently have their whole future planned out for them. Well, one at least. The other we can toss to the side,” she said angrily and stormed into her kitchen, pressing the button to make the coffee. “Oh, no! ” she interjected after a moment’s pause. “ We can’t toss him out, can we? An heir and a spare, isn’t that the phrase?”
“ Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t consider either of them in that way and you know it.”
“Momma, what’s a spare?” Sam asked as he climbed up into his chair , looking at Malik as if he were an esteemed stranger. He’d helped with his frogs so in Sam’s opinion, the tall man couldn’t be all bad, the toddler surmised .
Jacob was right behind him and both looked
She stopped trying to press the buttons and looked up at him. “Security? Body guards?” She looked around, trying to understand what he was telling her but the meaning of his words escaped her. “But why are they here?”
He tried to be reassuring, but firm. Having his children guarded was a non-negotiable issue. And he wouldn’t allow her to be in danger either. She was going to be his wife, she just didn’t know it yet. “Yes. It’s necessary. The boys can’t be without body guards ever again . Nor can you, actually.”
She stood there, staring at him for a long moment. “What do you mean?” She really didn’t like where her thoughts were leading her at his statement.
He raised an eyebrow. “One of them will be my heir, Siri. You had to know that this would happen.”
She was shaking her head and backing up. “No,” she whispered. “You can’t do that to them!”
“It’s the natural order of things,” he said, trying to calm her down.
She backed up, forgetting about the cell phone in her hands when he was telling her that one of her sons would be his heir while the other would be left behind, superfluous unless the first born died. The possibility was horrible and divisive to her children. They were great friends and raising them in this way would tear that bond apart. “Then stop the order! Change it!” She didn’t even want them being rulers, much less one of them being Malik’s heir. She’d known it was a possibility, but now with the reality of the future being shoved down her throat, she didn’t like it one little bit.
“I can’t. They’re my sons. They’ll need to come back to Duban and learn to rule the country. My people will demand it.”
“Then tell them no! They aren’t going anywhere.” She stepped back, refusing the reassurance of his arms. “If you’re in charge, then make them find someone else to rule when you’re….” she couldn’t say ‘dead’ or ‘gone’ or anything else that might force her to face this man’s mortality.
He sighed and bowed his head, then raised it once again to look directly at her. “We’ll also have to marry.”
She gasped and stepped backwards. “Marry? You?”
“Of course. You’re the mother of my children. We have to marry.”
He said it like the marriage was a foregone conclusion. In her mind, it was far from her future. Not even a remote possibility! “Y ou married some other woman! ” She looked him up and down with disgust and frustration. “Not only that, you married her days after…..sleeping with me! I won’t marry you now.”
He shook his head. “You’re tired from last night and probably not thinking clearly . I shouldn’t have kept you up talking so long but let’s just put this issue aside until we can think more clearly about this. Okay?”
Siri pulled herself together. “You can talk all you want. But you’re not taking my sons from me.”
“They’re my sons as well,” he countered.
“And you apparently have their whole future planned out for them. Well, one at least. The other we can toss to the side,” she said angrily and stormed into her kitchen, pressing the button to make the coffee. “Oh, no! ” she interjected after a moment’s pause. “ We can’t toss him out, can we? An heir and a spare, isn’t that the phrase?”
“ Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t consider either of them in that way and you know it.”
“Momma, what’s a spare?” Sam asked as he climbed up into his chair , looking at Malik as if he were an esteemed stranger. He’d helped with his frogs so in Sam’s opinion, the tall man couldn’t be all bad, the toddler surmised .
Jacob was right behind him and both looked
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