IT HAD BEEN a long time since she’d been home. Jeena’s heart beat triple time as the relief plane that was carrying medical supplies and her team of doctors and nurses approached the island kingdom of Kalyana.
She took a deep calming breath as the cloud cover evaporated and the jewel of an island set against the Indian Ocean came into view.
Her home.
Only Kalyana hadn’t been her home. Not for a long time. Not since that night ten years ago when her father had woken her up and told her they were leaving Kalyana.
They were all leaving because they were in danger.
She hadn’t wanted to go and didn’t know where they were going, but her parents needed her and she needed them. So she’d left Kalyana for Canada.
She hadn’t regretted it. It had been for the best. Still, she’d never thought she’d see Kalyana again.
She glanced down at her Canadian passport gripped tightly in her hand and hoped she’d be allowed in.
Her father had made it clear they couldn’t go back. They should never go back. They hadn’t been banished, but her father had said they weren’t welcome in Kalyana. Because of her indiscretion, they would be judged. Harshly.
Jeena still found that hard to believe in this day in age, but her father had been adamant. He wanted to protect her and her unborn child.
The Canadian consulate had assured her that the visa had been cleared. That there shouldn’t be any issues.
There shouldn’t be a risk of someone waiting to pounce on her to ask her about her son and pry into her private life. She knew deep down there was nothing to fear. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
All she’d done was become pregnant and decide to have her child. A lot of women were single mothers so there was no reason she would have to watch her back, but still those old anxieties were creeping into the back of her mind. The night her father had insisted they leave. He’d been so scared. He’d thought they were in danger and Jeena knew that someone had made him think that.
And it was all because of who her son’s father was. If it had been someone else, they probably wouldn’t have left...
“Why do we have to leave?” she asked.
“Lady Meleena said that the King will take your child!” her father said. “We have to go to keep our family together. Your child would be looked down upon. Do you really want that?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But we can’t afford to leave.”
“Lady Meleena will help us. She just asks that we never come back. That we never contact anyone and keep your pregnancy secret. I promised her that for your safety.”
“How does Lady Meleena know?” Jeena asked, confused. “No one but Mother and you know. Did you tell someone?”
“Of course not!” her father exclaimed. “Someone at the clinic told her.”
“Why would someone at the clinic tell her?”
“Because people know about who you were seen with and it wasn’t long before Lady Meleena put two and two together. Meleena’s father invests in my plantation. There would be scandal for all of us, and Lady Meleena wanted to take care of us.”
“I’m pregnant. I didn’t commit a crime!”
Her father hugged her. “Of course you didn’t, but Lady Meleena knows first-hand how an illegitimate child with a parent in the aristocracy can be treated. Look at her half-brother Kamal. He was treated so poorly by his peers and then he died in that terrible accident.”
“But—”
“No buts!” her father snapped. “We’re leaving. It’s the best thing for you and the baby. It will protect our family’s name and avert scandal for all concerned.”
Guilt coursed through her. “Yes, Father. You’re right.”
Jeena shook the memory away and clenched her Canadian passport tighter in her fist.
The consulate might say that she was cleared to return and work in Kalyana, but was Lady Meleena, soon-to-be royal bride, okay with it?
They’d left ten years ago to save face and her father was indebted to Lady Meleena for her assistance, but then three years ago Lady Meleena had become engaged to the father of Jeena’s unborn baby and a little part of Jeena couldn’t help but wonder if Meleena had had her eyes set on a certain prize right from the start.
It had bothered her for years that Lady Meleena had taken such an interest in her.
Does it matter? He wouldn’t have married you anyway. He couldn’t. His family would have chosen his bride, and they wouldn’t have chosen a farmer’s daughter.
Her stomach twisted and she tried to relax on the last little bit of the long trip from Canada to Kalyana, only she knew she wouldn’t feel at ease until they landed and she was cleared by customs. She was breaking her father’s promise to Lady Meleena about never returning.
You didn’t promise.
Jeena relaxed then. She was different now. She wasn’t such a pushover.
This had been her home, whether Lady Meleena liked it or not. She was going to do her job here. She had no wish to interfere in Meleena or Maazin’s life.
Even then, she wasn’t sure she could relax, visa or not. She glanced out the window again and a lump formed in her throat, tears stinging her eyes as she saw the island get closer.
Home.
This was where her family had lived and thrived on the same vanilla plantation for generations and it was all her fault that it no longer belonged to her family. All because she’d got involved with and fallen in love with the wrong person.
“You okay?”
Jeena glanced at Teresa, one of the other doctors who had come to help with the relief efforts.
“Yeah, fine.” Jeena forced herself to smile brightly. “Just missing my son.”
Which wasn’t a complete lie. She did miss her son. She’d never really been apart from him for this long and with this much of a distance between them.
He was safe in Canada with her parents. His competitive junior hockey team was in the finals and they were playing at Scotiabank Saddledome, which was a huge deal. He’d gone on and on about it for months. As had her father.
Syman was the reason her parents had taken Lady Meleena’s aid and come to Canada, and why she needed them. She couldn’t have raised him alone in Kalyana or Canada. She couldn’t have become a surgeon without their help, and becoming a surgeon had been hard even with their help.
Still, there were things Syman would never know about Kalyana. Things she’d experienced that he’d never get to, like playing on the sand of a pearl-pink beach or swimming in a turquoise sea. Running through her father’s vanilla fields or climbing a palm tree to stare out over the Indian Ocean.
Canada had been a good home for them and Syman loved his life there, even with the ice and snow that Jeena had never gotten used to. That she didn’t miss.
If you’d stayed in Kalyana, Syman wouldn’t even be interested in hockey.
Kalyana was near the Seychelles and was very traditional. Hockey wasn’t one of the sports played in Kalyana. If she had raised Syman here, he would probably be into cricket.
Or polo?
Jeena shook that thought away. She didn’t want to think about Syman’s father and how she had met him during a divot stomp at a match she should’ve never been at. She had only gone because her friend had dragged her along and during the divot stomp she’d lost her footing and been rescued by the man of her dreams.
Well, she hadn’t been completely sure when she’d first met him. Maazin had been a known playboy and she’d known she should keep away, but when he had been with her, he hadn’t been the bad boy that everyone had said he was. He had been different.
So kind and caring.
And the more time they’d spent together, the more she’d truly believed he’d loved her.
Her heart skipped a beat just thinking about him. She’d been a fool. Young and naive.
Don’t think about him.
Only it was hard not to. He was never really far from her thoughts. The older Syman got, the more he looked like his father, the more she saw the only man she had ever loved. Syman was all the good parts of his father. He was kind and caring. Also driven and stubborn.
Her heart may have been broken, but she loved Syman and she was grateful that her time with Maazin had given her her son.
“You’ll see Syman soon. And I’m sure his team will win the tourney,” Teresa said brightly, interrupting her thoughts of Syman’s father.
Jeena chuckled. “They’d better or he’ll be lamenting it until next hockey season.”
Teresa laughed and went back to her book.
Jeena glanced at the reading material she’d brought for the long flight from Dubai, which was just one of the flights she’d been on since they departed from Vancouver. She really didn’t know which way was up and given that there was a significant time zone difference, she couldn’t help but wonder if Syman had actually won his tournament. Maybe he’d already played?
I should be there.
Only this was her job and her father had taught her and given her a work ethic she stood by. Kalyana needed her and her new country, Canada, needed her to represent them in the best possible light. She understood the customs. She knew the terrain and the people.
Even if it meant facing something that she wasn’t sure that she was ready to face.
And when she closed her eyes she could still feel Maazin’s arms around her, but then she was reminded of the pain when he’d turned his back on her, when Lady Meleena had told her he’d chosen his duty over her. When Lady Meleena had told her father that Syman would be an outcast. That Jeena would be an outcast because he would not marry her, even though he knew she was pregnant.
Then, a few years later, it had been announced that Prince Maazin had chosen his bride. None other than Jeena’s supposed savior, Lady Meleena.
She shouldn’t care, but it made her angry. Jeena knew her family had been manipulated.
Don’t worry about it. Maazin isn’t part of your life.
And she had to keep remembering that.
He hadn’t been there for her when she’d had Syman. Neither had he been there when she’d scrimped and saved, worked odd jobs while attending medical school. That had been all her. She didn’t need him. She was better off without him.
Syman was better off without him.
Are you sure?
“We’re making our final descent into Huban. Please buckle up. It’s a bit windy and there has been some damage to the airstrip from the cyclone so it might be a rough landing,” the pilot said over the speaker.
“Here we go,” Teresa said, setting down her book and buckling up her seatbelt.
Jeena nodded and pulled her seatbelt tighter. She kept her eyes focused on Kalyana as it got closer and closer. She could see the damage. Trees ripped from their roots, buildings along the coast destroyed, but there on the main terminal still flew the blue, green and gold flag of Kalyana. Untouched and fluttering in the strong winds in a clear blue sky. A sight she’d thought she’d never see again.
It helped tame the erratic beat of her heart.
She was home.
Maazin waited on the edge of the tarmac in a van to help transport medical supplies to the makeshift hospital that he and Farhan had set up between Huban and the southeast district, which had been the hardest hit when Cyclone Blandine had ripped through Kalyana.
Kavan, the bodyguard who also acted as chauffer-pilot, had seemed keen to accompany Maazin, but he’d eventually agreed it was best he stay with Farhan, Maazin’s older brother, Sara, and her grandfather, Mr. Raj. Ever since the cyclone had hit, Farhan had been jumpy, fussing and fuming over his new bride.
Not that Maazin could blame him.
If he had someone he loved...
Maybe if he still had the one woman he’d once loved he would’ve felt the same way that Farhan did, but he didn’t have anyone.
He didn’t deserve anyone. Not even the arranged marriage his father had set up three years ago. Not that he’d really cared for Lady Meleena. It had just been expected and since Maazin had lost the only woman he’d loved when she’d left in the middle of the night, he had settled for the bride his father had chosen. Or eventually settled. After everything that had happened when Jeena had left, he’d spent some time doing what good he could.
He’d served in the Royal Guard and earned his doctorate as a surgeon in the guard. It gave his life meaning, after all his past actions had caused so much pain. His service was the least he could do.
Which was why he’d agreed to marry Meleena. His father had guilted him into it and he had been tired of the nagging to find a wife. He’d had no interest in Meleena, so had had very little to do with her.
Of course, Meleena hadn’t liked it too much when he’d devoted his life to healing others, to serving his country, and had ignored her. She’d left him, but no one knew about that yet and that’s the way his father wanted it. There were diplomatic policies and contracts at play and his father wanted to wait until it could be properly addressed after Kalyana recovered from the devastation of Blandine.
So he had no one.
No one to worry about. No one to care.
Which was what he deserved.
It was best that he handle this. He was just as capable a doctor as Farhan and Sara were. This was what he lived for. This was all that had mattered since Jeena had left and his brother Ali had died trying to help him. The last thing he wanted to do was put Farhan or Sara in danger.
His mother had already suffered enough because of him. He wasn’t going to put Farhan in harm’s way when he had military training and could manage this kind of disaster situation with ease. Not that they were in much danger now. The cyclone was over. It was just a matter of picking up the pieces. Cyclone Blandine had done severe damage to the islands.
He couldn’t remember such a storm ever hitting Kalyana.
His father King Uttam was all for Maazin helping with relief efforts. He should be a part of it. Farhan was an excellent doctor, but he didn’t have the training Maazin had.
However, his mother Queen Aruna was a little more reluctant to hear a prince of Kalyana was out there helping with relief efforts and getting his hands dirty. She thought it was unsafe.
Of course, even if she didn’t show it, Maazin worried his mother had never been happy with anything he’d done since Ali had died.
But Maazin wanted to help.
He needed to help.
Still, his mother had made her reservations clear...
“You’re a prince!”
“So? What else should a trained surgeon be doing, Mother?”
“You’re only a surgeon because of your time in the Royal Guard.”
“So what would you have me do?” Maazin asked.
“You should stay in the safety of the palace.”
“And tend to royalty? To aristocrats?”
“Perhaps. And perhaps if you had done more of your royal duties and spent time with your betrothed, Lady Meleena wouldn’t have left!”
“I don’t care that she left, Mother. I don’t love her. I couldn’t stand be around her.”
“Ali did his duty!”
“I’m sorry that I’m not Ali.”
His mother’s had a faraway look as she murmured, “You’re right. You’re not...”
Maazin winced. He hadn’t wanted an arranged marriage. Especially with someone his father had chosen only for the betterment of the country.
Your father chose for Ali and he’d been happy. Your father chose for Farhan and he’s happy with Sara.
He ignored that niggling little thought.
Right now Kalyana needed him. When Ali had been alive, he’d always been out there lending a hand, and that was the least Maazin could do since he was responsible for Ali’s death.
You’re not.
Only he felt he was. And he was sure his mother felt that he was responsible for Ali’s death. Ever since then his mother had been cold and distant. With him especially.
And he hated it that he was the cause of her grief, that he was just a living reminder of her pain. And he couldn’t help but wonder if she wished it was him who’d died instead of Ali.
He pushed that thought aside and watched as the Canadian plane landed with much-needed supplies. Cyclone Blandine had done so much damage and they hadn’t been very prepared. Storms had come and gone, but there had never been a cyclone like this. It had formed out of nowhere and so quickly and it had struck so hard.
There was no way they could prepare for quite how extreme it was and they were lucky that it hadn’t done even more damage.
The plane from Canada that he’d been waiting for made its landing. Maazin had made sure that the airport runway in Huban had been cleared of debris so that they could receive assistance from other countries, like Canada, and he had his sister-in-law Sara to thank for that assistance.
The plane circled as the winds were high.
Maazin waited with bated breath as the plane came around again then touched down. He didn’t know why he was so nervous about this plane landing, but something about this was eating away at him.
He hadn’t felt like this in so long.
The last time he’d felt like this...well, he didn’t want to think about her.
This was not the time to think about it. It was not time to think about Jeena. Of course, she was never far from his mind. He was always thinking of her, whether he liked it or not. Always wondering why she’d left him. It drove him mad.
“They’re ready for us, Your Highness,” his driver, Kariff, said.
Maazin nodded. “Let’s go and fill this van with supplies and their doctors. The southeast region is in dire need of supplies and medical help.”
Kariff nodded and drove the van toward the large plane that had dropped its rear door to make a ramp, ready to start unloading its precious cargo of medical supplies and doctors to aid them.
Kariff parked close and Maazin got out of the van. He opened the side doors and the back so that Kariff and a couple of the other men he’d brought with him could start loading up.
“Who should we be reporting to?” a female voice asked, which sent a shiver of recollection down his spine. He knew that voice. He knew it well because it was burned into every single neuron in his brain. Just the mere sound of her voice fired them off, bringing every bitter-sweet memory to the surface.
Maazin turned around and came face to face with someone he’d never thought he would see again.
His blood froze and everything around him stopped. He couldn’t quite believe his eyes and he wondered if he was dreaming. It was like she had walked right out of his dreams, like nothing had changed, like time had stood still. She hadn’t changed one bit. Her rich, dark brown hair was tied back in a braid, just like the first day he’d met her. Her skin was still a warm, rich tawny color.
Her deep brown eyes widened and her red lips, lips he remembered so well the taste of, dropped open for a moment and a subtle pop of coral colored her cheeks. She was just as shocked as he was.
Jeena.
In an instant he remembered when he’d first seen her. She’d looked so out of place and uncomfortable on the polo pitch.
She’d worn a long emerald dress and high heels as she’d teetered on the grass, trying to flip over a divot.
He’d been so entranced by her and had wondered who she was...
“You’ll fall over, trying to flip those divots in those heels.”
She looked up, embarrassed. “Pardon?”
Maazin knelt down and took her foot in his hands. “May I?”
She pursed her lips and nodded. He removed her shoe and pried off the large chunk of turf that had been impaled on the end of her stiletto heel. He replaced the shoe and then stood, steadying her in his arms, catching a scent of her perfume.
Jasmine and vanilla. It was intoxicating and he was instantly drawn to her.
“Thank you... Your Highness.”
“Ah, so you know who I am.”
“Everyone knows who you are,” she whispered, and wouldn’t look at him.
“Well, I am at a loss. I don’t know who you are. I have never seen you at one of these events before.”
She smiled. “My name is Jeena. I am here with my friend as her guest.”
“And who is your friend?”
“Aishraya Raj.” Jeena nodded in the direction of her friend. “Her husband is a diplomat, but I’ve known Aishraya for a long time.”
Maazin smiled and bowed at the waist. “Well, allow me to welcome you to our little match...”
Maazin tried to calm the pulse that was now thundering in his ears. She had been the only one to truly see him.
The world thought he was this playboy and he let everyone believe that. The tabloids, his parents all believed it and it had got him off the hook of so many responsibilities, but Jeena had seen past that.
He had been so in love with her. He’d wanted to marry her, even though he had always been afraid and not interested in marriage because he’d felt it would tie him down, just like his royal duty.
And he hadn’t wanted to drag Jeena into a life of protocol.
She had been free. Which was why he’d wanted her.
Jeena had left him. Left him without a word, and it was because of her leaving that he’d gone to that party to drown his sorrows and then called his brother Ali to get him.
And that had cost Ali his life, because after she’d left, Maazin had decided to take the bad boy road everyone thought he traveled. Ali came to sweep his indiscretions under the rug and died trying to cover up his mistakes.
It had destroyed him when Jeena had left. It was his own fault, though, because he knew he’d driven her away. He didn’t deserve her and he certainly didn’t deserve anything now. He knew that.
“Maa... Your Highness.” And she curtseyed.
He was angry that she had almost addressed him with familiarity, like he wanted, but had then changed it to a formal address and curtseyed in deference to his station, which he hated.
Were they such strangers?
Yes. They were now. She’d left. He’d never left Kalyana. He’d never left in the dead of night, not telling anyone where he was going. And when he’d tried to find her there’d been no trace of her. It was as if her whole life in Kalyana had been erased.
She’d cost him so much.
You were the selfish one. She cost you nothing.
“I’m surprised that you’ve returned to the country you abandoned with such ease,” he snapped.
Her expression hardened. “My apologies, Your Highness. I’m the lead surgeon on this relief mission. I’m representing Canada and I’m here to deliver your supplies and lend my services to your country.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
She was a doctor?
Maazin was shocked, but as she stormed away he couldn’t help but smile to himself. She still had that spirit he’d admired in her.
That fire.
That had been hidden under the surface, something she’d tried so hard to control, but he’d known what a strong woman had been under that demure exterior.
It’s what he’d loved so much about her then.
Now, to see her standing her ground, it surprised him, but pleasantly so.
It woke up a piece of him he’d thought was long gone and as he watched her walk away, giving out orders, he knew that working with her would be a challenge.
One he hadn’t expected.