He’d never stopped loving her. And with everything she’d done and still did, every breath she took, she kept proving to him that he’d always been destined to love her.
He loved her now more than he ever had or even believed possible.
Feeling her eyes on him after his impassioned pledge, he turned the force of his conviction on her, told her, wordlessly, but with everything in him, what he felt.
Meeting her eyes, he felt her spirit touch his, as it had from the very beginning. Now, even through the barrier she’d erected between them since that fateful night, it jolted through him again, how kindred it felt, how deep her hold over him was, how absolute. And he no longer wanted to sever it. He only wanted to cherish and revel in it. He only wanted to convince her to let him in again, to let him love her with everything he had, as he’d failed to in the past.
But something in her eyes sent his heart hammering. That vulnerability. And something else. Pain. Bottomless pain.
It disturbed him so much it had him on his feet, just as Farooq stood to vacate his place for her.
Heart ramming his rib cage, he held her seat as she sat, trying to catch her gaze again, to confirm what he’d seen. But there was nothing but a bright, neutral smile as she murmured thanks and looked away as her brothers continued poking and prodding him.
“No surprises here, Mission Impossible Man,” Shehab said. “Wrestling impossible odds and facing lethal dangers must be easier for you than sitting still through a social function.”
Kamal sighed. “Wait till you’re king. You’ll suffer through those till you want to cause mayhem to escape them.”
Taking Jala’s place between his cousins, Farooq chimed in, “Hmm, I can make use of your willingness to do anything for Jala. I have some chronic...problems I need taken care of.”
Reaching for the hand Jala rested on the table, he enveloped it, a thrill going through him when she relinquished it to him. “Make me a list and consider them resolved.”
Farooq grinned at Jala. “I’m sold. I like your fiancé. It’s very handy to have a cleanup expert in the family.”
“How about you ask him for a thousand red camels in the bargain?” Carmen ribbed her husband.
Everyone laughed at Carmen’s allusion to one of the most famous folklore stories in the region, the immortal love story of Antarah and Ablah. Antarah, a slave who won his freedom through heroic feats, asked for his beloved’s hand, only for her father to get rid of his nuisance by sending Antarah on an impossible mission to acquire rare camels from far-flung enemy territory, alone, unarmed and having nothing to bargain with. Antarah, of course, accomplished all this, and in the end won his Ablah.
If only everyone knew his mission impossible—winning back what he’d lost of Jala’s heart and then reaching the parts he’d never been able to touch—was far harder than any overwhelming odds they could throw at him.
After an interval of gaiety as they exchanged anecdotes and tales from the past about more men in his situation, dessert was served.
Jawad, who’d been the most outspoken of his cousins during the evening, grinned at him so widely he wanted to hurl a plate between his perfect teeth. “When Najeeb told us Mohab was getting hitched, we just had to see the impossibility of who’d made him consider this suicidal move.”
“Then we see Jala...and the rest of you ladies—” Haroon made a theatrical gesture around the table “—and now we know. Judar is the ultimate babe producer...and magnet.”
Najeeb glared at his younger brothers. “I knew it was the biggest mistake I’ve made in recent memory letting you two tag along. Now I know how the enmity between our families started. It must have been instigated by men with big mouths and bigger eyes, like you.”
“Chill, bro.” Jawad grinned unrepentantly. “Those guys know for a fact they have rare jewels that anyone with a heartbeat would admire.” He flashed the ladies another killer smile. “I bet they’d be offended if we pretended we didn’t notice.”
“Yeah.” Haroon smirked at Najeeb. “So maybe it was a tight ass like you, one who couldn’t take a joke or wholesome admiration, who started the enmities.”
Najeeb looked heavenward, then over at the Aal Masoods, focusing on Kamal. “See what I have to put up with? Now that you’ve seen my spare heirs, I hope you really appreciate yours.”
“Oh, our baby brother, Kamal, appreciates the hell out of us.” Farooq chuckled, eliciting an exasperated growl from Kamal. “You on the other hand, Najeeb, are to be pitied...”
Having had enough and still holding Jala’s hand, Mohab rose. “And here I want to thank you all for celebrating this momentous occasion with me and Jala.” He panned his gaze among Jala’s family. “But though I truly appreciate the welcome you’ve shown me, and forood walaa’ee wa ta’ahtee, my pledge of allegiance and obedience stands. Kamal was right. There’s nothing I want more than to have Jala to myself, at least for part of the evening, to make its memory a perfect one. So please, continue to celebrate, and excuse us as we go have our own personal celebration.”
As he pulled back the chair for Jala and she stood up lithely, his heart again convulsed when he noticed the glance she exchanged with Najeeb. Shehab and Farooq ribbed him some more, while Kamal said nothing, the gaze encompassing him and Jala still...unconvinced.
Kamal must realize Jala’s lack of interaction with him wasn’t a matter of shyness in front of her brothers, or on account of the suddenness of their resumed relationship and its rapid development. After all, Kamal was a man versed in both his sister’s nature and in matters of the heart. He must realize something was wrong.
But still giving him all the support he could, Kamal waved his hand in mock imperiousness. “You may be excused, but only because we now have said pledge of allegiance and obedience, and can do anything at all with you.”
As everyone laughed again, Jala said, “It’s only fair to warn you that while you’ll have the allegiance, you’ll be out of luck where the obedience is concerned. From personal experience you know where that will be expended.” She turned and winked at her sisters-in-law. “Right, ladies?”
As her family all laughed, and Jawad and Haroon begged to hear some obedience examples—to fortify their resolve never to marry—she waved a final goodbye. Then she turned and headed out of the dining room, with him a step behind her.