Claimed by the Desert Sheikh: The Sheikh and the Pregnant Bride / Desert King, Pregnant Mistress / Desert Prince, Expectant Mother. Susan Stephens

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СКАЧАТЬ narrowed her eyes. “If you weren’t royal and my boss, I swear, I’d sock you for saying that.”

      He grinned. “Is it true.”

      “It’s not true. Men have issues. They come in drunk, aren’t responsible, pick fights.”

      “A lot of generalizations.”

      She smiled. “You mean like assuming a pregnancy is going to get in the way?”

      “Point taken.”

      She leaned against the car. “So is yours. My dad would never have admitted it, but I know he would have agreed with you. We used to argue about treating men and women equally. He kept saying they were different halves of the same whole. Yet he didn’t mind my being in a nontraditional job. I think he was even proud of it.”

      “I’m sorry I could not meet him.”

      “Me, too. You would have liked him.” She smiled as she remembered her father meeting various clients. He never cared about how rich they were or how important. To him, everyone was the same. “I still miss him.”

      “You have a lifetime of memories to draw upon.”

      “I know. That helps.”

      “Would he have enjoyed knowing he would be a grandfather?”

      “I hope so,” she admitted. “I know he would have been disappointed by the circumstances. I’m hardly proud of them myself. But he would have been there for me and in the end he would have been happy about the baby. He liked kids a lot. He would have been a great grandpa.”

      “Did he like Jon?”

      “Yes. They were close. He always thought we’d be a good match. I think that’s part of the reason we stayed together through his illness. Even when things weren’t great between us, we didn’t want to disappoint him.” And Jon hadn’t wanted to leave her alone.

      She’d sensed that perhaps even before he’d been able to articulate the problem.

      “Jon stood by me through the end and at the funeral. His parents also helped with so much.”

      The two families had been connected. That had been part of the problem, too. She and Jon had been walking away from more than just each other.

      “When will you tell him?” Qadir asked.

      Maggie folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t know.”

      He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. She could give herself the lecture well enough for both of them.

      Jon was the father of her child. He deserved to know there was a baby. He was a good man and he hadn’t done anything wrong. She owed him the truth. But …

      “I don’t want to mess up his life,” she admitted slowly. “Knowing about the baby is going to change everything. He’s happy with Elaine. This is the last thing either of them need.”

      He continued to study her. She sighed.

      “I know, I know. I’ll tell him.”

      “What do you think he’ll say?” he asked.

      “I have no idea. He’s big on family. I don’t think he can just walk away.”

      “Is that what you want?”

      “It would be easier for all of us if he would.”

      “Life is rarely easy.”

      “Agreed. It’s just … a baby will connect us forever. How are we supposed to get on with our lives while we’re so closely tied together?”

      “Because you are still in love with him?”

      “No. I’m not. I’m long over him.” She’d been over him before that last night together. She just hadn’t realized it yet. “But it creates tension and pressure. No matter who he marries, there will always be this child between them. She may be the first wife, but she won’t have the first child. That will be forever taken from her.”

      “Does that matter?”

      “I don’t know. I think, for a man, his first child is very important. There’s the whole pride thing. Telling the world he procreated. It’s different for women.”

      “Having a child with someone else would still be significant for you?”

      “Yes.”

      “Perhaps it will be so for Jon, as well.”

      “I hope so,” Maggie said. She just wished she didn’t have to deal with this at all. She got a knot in her stomach every time she thought about having to make that phone call.

      “I wish he would just walk away,” she murmured.

      “Will he?”

      “I don’t think so.”

      How ironic. A few weeks ago she would have done anything to get him back in her life. Now she had the perfect opportunity and she wasn’t interested.

      “But you would like him to.”

      She nodded.

      He moved forward and put his arm around her. “If there is anything I can do, you must tell me.”

      He was warm and strong. Talk about tempting, she thought, fighting the need to throw herself against him and beg him to handle everything. She knew he was more than capable. But this was her problem and she had to fix it herself.

      “Thank you. You’ve already done so much.”

      He smiled at her. “I have done very little.”

      He released her. She forced herself to step away.

      “There is a museum opening next week,” he said. “I would like you to come with me to the event.”

      She took a second step back. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

      “We have a deal.”

      “One you should be rethinking. Honestly, Qadir, you don’t want to go there.”

      “The longer we are together, the more serious the relationship will appear.”

      She pointed to her stomach. “Do we have to have the ‘baby on board’ discussion again?”

      “Once you leave, people will believe the child is not mine. That will solve the problem.” He looked determined. “I want to see this through. You promised to give me at least a month. I will hold you to that, Maggie.”

      She nodded slowly. Her reluctance came not only from the potential embarrassment to herself, but also from a tiny ache deep inside. She knew that Qadir was only using their relationship to fake out his father. Nothing more. Having him СКАЧАТЬ