Three glorious days and two nights with Ryan mellowed Aziza. After a dinner of Mansaf, comprising lamb, yogurt, and rice, for Aziza and Ryan and a hamburger and fries for Sunita, they sat in the living area of the suite having dessert. The bite-sized servings of Kanafeh, a soft cheese pastry covered in syrup, took a little getting used to, but Aziza enjoyed every bite. Ryan declined, claiming he was stuffed.
After she and Sunita rid their fingers and mouths of the sticky delight, the girl ran back to the living room, dropped one arm around her plump brown bear, and pulled a book into her lap. While she didn’t yet trust Ryan one hundred percent, he gave her space, and as the days passed her jumpiness around him subsided.
Aziza forced Ryan to reposition himself on the loveseat so she could lie on his lap. She wriggled around, then settled in one position and sighed. “This is the life,” she mumbled. “Now, if Mom and Dad would stop asking when they will see us, everything would be perfect.”
Ryan’s chest rose and fell as he laughed. He lay the tablet aside and kissed her forehead. “We need to have that talk about our future. The Sheikh made me an offer.”
She went still, then raised her head. “How come you’re only telling me this now?”
“Sweetheart, a man has to work out things in his head before he can explain it to someone else, especially if it’s appealing and he might have to make a case to his wife.”
She sat up. “This sounds serious.”
After pulling himself upright, Ryan slipped an arm around her and kept his voice pitched low. “Sheikh Kamran asked me to be part of a task force to stem sex trafficking and organ harvesting.”
Her heart thudded in slow, painful beats. Although the few weeks had been a wonderful interlude, she’d been living in suspense and simultaneously looking forward to leaving Durabia. Now, Ryan was telling her something different.
“That sounds like staying here indefinitely,” she mumbled.
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I was thinking about it, but if you don’t want to be here, I understand. In any case, I have to return home. Myles and I have a big project on the horizon, and we need to plan for the future if I’m going to be in Durabia.”
Aziza poked him in the chest. “You didn’t even know if you’d find me, so that that tells me you planned to be here for however long it took.”
“You got that right.” He slid one hand down to her waist. “But let’s talk about it before we say no. I believe you’d be a great asset in terms of sharing your experience with other women, letting them know there’s hope. In fact, we could even develop a self-defense course, teaching women how to protect themselves both physically and mentally.”
She rubbed her cheek against his jaw. “You’ve put some thought into it already, huh?”
Slowly, Ryan nodded. “It would be something new and different for me. Myles can easily handle my end of the business by hiring someone to fulfil my role for the jobs on the ground. You would be safe since we’d be working together most of the time, but I know you can take care of yourself. We’d only have to upgrade your self-defense and coaching skills.”
“Like I said, you have it all figured out.” The thought of her family made her sigh.
“What’s the problem?” he asked.
“My family. I need to see them. Skype and Zoom are not the same as person-to-person contact.”
“Agreed. When we leave here, we’ll go straight to Evanston so Miss Constance can see that I brought her baby girl home in all her perfection. And since I don’t want your father to send out a search party for me … ”
His hand climbed and settled under her breast, kneading with gentle pressure.
Aziza sent a pointed look at Sunita. “Don’t start what you can’t finish, Mr. Bostwick.”
“Awww, shucks.” He laughed, then spoke next to her ear. “Should we talk to her now? Tell her what’s up?”
With an affectionate gaze focused on Sunita, Aziza said, “I don’t see why not.”
She leaned away from Ryan, but joined her hand with his. “Sunita, honey, we want to talk with you for a minute.”
The child dragged her attention from the open book and edged sideways on the sofa to face them.
“Did you enjoy your time in the palace over the weekend?” Aziza asked.
Sunita squeezed the bear to her chest. “Yes, I like the children there.”
“And you like Durabia?”
That dampened Sunita’s mood, but she looked directly at Ryan, then answered, “Not El Zalaam.”
“We understand that, sweetie.”
Ryan’s leg tensed against hers. It was clear Sunita still thought all men were bad people. That was something they agreed to work on, along with planning for Sunita’s schooling.
“Do you know what adoption is?” Aziza asked.
“No.”
“It’s when a child gets to live with a mother and a father who takes care of them.”
Sunita considered that, throwing shy glances at them.
Squeezing Ryan’s hand, Aziza said, “Ryan and I want to do that for you, be your mother and father.”
When she didn’t respond, Aziza said, “Would you like that?”
The little girl stared at the blank television screen as if she were the only one in the room.
“Sunita?”
She still didn’t move.
Aziza rose and sat next to her, with an arm around her thin shoulders. “It’s okay if you want to think about it for a while.”
Sunita shook her head so violently a bloom fell from her hair. She’d been so ecstatic with having her hair braided for the wedding, one of the adults at the palace re-did it in the same style, complete with miniature roses. With tears streaming down her face, she leaned against Aziza.
Instead of soothing Sunita, Aziza’s comforting words had the opposite effect. She cried as if someone had died, but when Aziza attempted to move out of her hold, Sunita’s arms tightened around her. All Aziza could do was stroke her hair and allow her to empty herself.
Aziza sensed Ryan’s helplessness, but there was nothing he could do. Seconds later, he got to his feet and went to the bedroom. He reappeared with a handful of facial tissue, which he gave to Aziza, then returned to the loveseat.
The minutes slipped by until Sunita was calm enough for Aziza to continue their conversation.
“Sweetie, do you understand what we are asking you?”
“Yes, Auntie.”
“Do you want us to be your parents? We’d love to have you.”
“That would make me very happy,” she said, wiping tears from her cheeks. She caught her breath, then added, “Are we leaving Durabia?”
“Ryan and I will have to go to America to see my family. Then we have to visit his home on Paradise Island, before we come back to Durabia.”
Sunita blew her nose, then asked, “I am coming with you to those places?”
“The answer is yes, if you would like to travel with us. If you don’t trust us enough yet, we can ask that you stay in the palace until we return.”
She answered without hesitation. “No, I would like to come with you.”
“That’s settled then.”
“How soon will we leave?” Excitement colored Sunita’s voice as her eyes sparkled.
Aziza looked at Ryan, who said, “We’ll be here for as long as it takes to get a passport for Sunita and a visa, if necessary, so she can travel.”
Hugging Sunita, Aziza said, “I’m excited about going home. We’ll have to do some more shopping to get you ready for the trip.”
Aziza removed the used tissues from Sunita’s hand and handed then to Ryan, who left the room. When he returned, Sunita smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said.
Assured that Sunita felt better and was back to exploring her book, Aziza tugged Ryan’s hand and walked him to the balcony. She stood in his embrace as evening turned to night and the calm river glinted below. The city lights flickered on as darkness fell, sealing them in a cocoon of contentment. Her heart was full, and her gratitude spilled from her lips, “Father God, we want to thank You for everything You’ve done for us and the gift of a daughter You’ve given us. Help us to continue to look up to You for help as we navigate the beginning of the rest of our lives. We give You thanks and praise.”
Ryan joined her in a resounding “Amen.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve decided what we’re doing,” he said, as she turned to face the starry sky.
She moved the back of her head against his chest. “You kinda led the way by telling me your plans.”
“They weren’t final before you approved them.” He chuckled and turned her to face him. “I’m no fool. My mama raised me right.”
Aziza slid both arms around his neck as love for him stole her breath. “Thing is, Ryan, you’ve ruined me for anyone else, so wherever you go, I go.”
His teeth flashed in a wide grin. “So, you love me like that, huh?”
“Don’t go getting big-headed. You love me the same.” Laughter spilled from her lips as her hands slid down to his chest. “I’d go even further and say you adore me.”
He rained kisses on her forehead and sealed her in his arms as if he had no intention of releasing her. With his lips nuzzling her ear, he whispered, “I do, Mrs. Bostwick. I do.”