His Accidental Baby (Wedded to the Sheikh Book 2)

  His Accidental Baby

  Wedded to the Sheikh Book Two

  Holly Rayner

  Contents

  His Accidental Baby

  1. Alyssa

  2. Alyssa

  3. Ali

  4. Alyssa

  5. Alyssa

  6. Alyssa

  7. Alyssa

  8. Alyssa

  9. Alyssa

  10. Ali

  11. Alyssa

  12. Alyssa

  13. Alyssa

  14. Ali

  15. Alyssa

  16. Ali

  17. Alyssa

  18. Alyssa

  19. Alyssa

  His Beloved Bride

  Introduction

  1. Alyssa

  More Series by Holly Rayner

  His Accidental Baby

  Copyright 2018 by Holly Rayner

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit written permission of the author.

  All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are entirely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  Alyssa

  “Sheikh Ali bin Talid,” the woman in a polka-dot bathing suit whispered to her husband, who appeared completely disinterested. “That's who I was talking about. That fellow looks just like him.”

  The middle-aged couple passed by Alyssa and Ali’s umbrella, the man with his face in his phone and the woman shooting Ali what she probably thought was a surreptitious look.

  As the two trudged over the sand and up to the hotel, Alyssa turned to Ali with an amused look on her face. Reclined in his folding chair, he had a paperback open, but Alyssa knew he felt her gaze on him.

  “What?” Ali asked, the corner of his mouth twitching as he tried not to smile.

  “I’ve never been with you when you’ve been recognized.”

  “It doesn’t usually happen outside of Baqar,” Ali said matter-of-factly. He put his book down and looked at Alyssa. “I was tempted to laugh.”

  Alyssa giggled. “You didn’t want to stand up and say, ‘Hey, it is me! Sheikh Ali! Gather round. Take a picture, folks!’”

  Ali chortled. “Are you imitating someone in particular?”

  “Ah, forget about it.” Alyssa waved her hand and grabbed her sunscreen. “American humor. You wouldn’t get it.”

  “American humor, huh? I must have heard that a hundred times from you. Perhaps, darling, you’re not as funny as you believe.”

  Alyssa fake gasped and nearly dropped her sunscreen. “Ouch, my poor ego!”

  “I kid, Alyssa.” He smiled mischievously and held his hand out for the sunscreen “Turn around. I need to get your back.”

  “I can reach,” Alyssa said, slathering sunscreen on the middle of her back.

  “But I want to touch you,” Ali said in a lower voice.

  “Oh.” A thrill went through Alyssa, and she handed the sunscreen over. “How can I say no to that?”

  Turning in her seat, she put her back to Ali. He pulled his chair closer to hers and began smoothing sunscreen across her back.

  “Did you not put this on two hours or so ago?” he asked.

  “Have you not noticed the way I burn?” Alyssa asked over her shoulder.

  “Ah. Yes. I forgot.”

  A short distance away, two small children—a boy and a girl—worked on a sandcastle while their parents sat under a cabana. The girl squatted down and dug her shovel into the sand, but something about the action annoyed the boy, because he crossed his arms, stamped his foot, and shouted, “No!”

  Alyssa chuckled to herself. “I like it here.”

  Ali still rubbed her back and shoulders, even though he had to have finished applying sunscreen by then—not that Alyssa minded the extra attention.

  “I do, as well,” he said.

  “We should move here,” she said wistfully.

  “We could.”

  At his serious tone, Alyssa turned around in the chair to face him. “I was kidding.”

  Ali lifted a shoulder. “We can live anywhere we want. My work has me constantly traveling, no matter where my home is.”

  “Mine doesn’t,” Alyssa pointed out.

  Ali smiled softly. “True. And you love your job.”

  “And New York.”

  “You complain about it all the time,” Ali said.

  “Yeah, because that’s what New Yorkers do. It’s our way of showing pride.” Alyssa cut her palm through the air and deepened her accent. “Hey! I’m walkin’, here!”

  “Now that one, I recognize.”

  Alyssa laughed. “Seriously, though, I can’t believe it’s been four months since we got engaged. That time has gone, like…wow.” She shook her head, not able to find the words.

  “A lot happened over the summer,” Ali agreed.

  He wasn’t kidding. Since Ali had slipped the engagement ring on Alyssa’s finger on a Costa Rican beach much like the one they sat on now, they had visited his parents together twice, Ali had resumed more responsibilities in the family business, and the two of them had moved in together.

  Alyssa had felt a tad guilty about the last change. Moving in with Lucy had been so exciting, and they’d had a fully fleshed-out plan for the next couple years of their lives. It hadn’t felt right to leave her best friend just because she’d gotten engaged.

  As it turned out, though, a classmate of Lucy’s had been talking about getting a place with a roommate, and Lucy had been happy to oblige. Her new spot in Chelsea was about as sweet as they came—thanks to the roommate’s uncle, who owned the building and rented out to his family on the cheap. It had exposed brick, towering ceilings, a rooftop with a garden, and it was cheaper than the place Lucy had given up.

  So, without any sort of warning, everything in life had worked out. The only one who hadn’t been completely happy with all the change was Ralph. The first week in Ali’s apartment, he’d scratched up the couches in retaliation.

  Hoping a little company might ease the pain, Alyssa and Ali had gotten him a gray kitten to befriend. Bringing Gambit home had been a test, as they’d promised each other they would take him back if Ralph couldn’t play nice. But Ralph had done more than be kind: he’d basically adopted the kitten, and now you couldn’t find one cat without the other. They ate together, played together, slept together, and spent hours lounging in the cat tower in the master bedroom’s window, looking down at the traffic and people below.

  Life, Alyssa was pleased to discover, only continued to get better.

  Ali pushed his fingers through his hair. “My hair is dry. Time for another swim.”

  Alyssa made a face. “How can you stand that water?”

  “You liked it last time.”

  “That was months ago,” Alyssa scoffed.

  While it was nice to lay out on the beach in Costa Rica’s balmy October weather, Alyssa had a completely different opinion of its water. It was way too chilly for her, and she didn't get how Ali could love it like he did.

  Ali grabbed her hips and pulled her across her chair till she was almost falling off of it.

  “Hey!” Alyssa protested.

  “All you need is to get into the water quickly. A nice dunk will do that.”

  “Ali,” Alyssa growled. “You better not.”

  He made a playful face, freezi
ng like he was about to grab Alyssa and stand up.

  “What would you do about it?” Ali challenged.

  Alyssa glared at him. “Finger locks may be off limits in MMA, but there's no referee on this beach.”

  Ali’s eyebrows shot up. “I did not think you were paying attention to those fights.”

  “Oh, I was paying attention.” Alyssa waggled her brows. “I'm a mental ninja. You don't know when I'm checked in and when I'm not.”

  That was another positive thing that had happened over the summer: while just a few months ago, Ali had claimed he had no close friends, now, he had someone in New York he hung out with regularly.

  Ali’s new friend was an accountant, Kurt, who worked for Ali’s father. Ali had known him for a while, but it wasn't until Kurt had suggested going out for a drink one night that they’d become friends. Since then, they’d developed what Alyssa jokingly called a beautiful bromance. Several times, she and Kurt’s wife had joined the boys at their local sports bar to watch the fights—a hobby she never would have expected of bookish Kurt—and the ladies had paid half-attention while chatting over wine.

  Ali’s posture relaxed, and his hands drifted down to her knees. “What will we do, then, if I'm not to throw you in the water?”

  “Well, for one thing, we could talk about the wedding. We still don't have any plans for it.”

  “As if either one of our mothers could allow us to forget,” Ali said.

  Alyssa giggled. “True.”

  She lifted her left hand and gazed at the diamond ring there. Months of wearing it later, the sight of it still made her smile. It reminded her of the love she and Ali shared, of all the messes they had waded through and come out on the other side of, and all the days they had yet to live together.

  She hoped it would always be that way.

  “You know…” Alyssa slowly lifted her eyes to Ali’s, already feeling guilty about what she was about to say. “Getting married is important to me, but I don't really feel in any rush. We’ll spend the rest of our lives married, but we’ll never be able to get back this time where we’re engaged, and it’ll be over before we know it.”

  Ali nodded, and she could see from the look in his eyes that he understood.

  “Let us take our time, then,” he said.

  “But our moms…” Alyssa cringed.

  “We can tell them we’re waiting for the perfect venue to open up, and the wait might be as long as ten years.”

  “Ali!” Alyssa exclaimed. “We can’t do that to them. And, okay, when I said I wanted to take our time, I didn't mean ten years.”

  Ali laughed and kissed the corner of Alyssa’s mouth. “I know, my love. And of course, I was joking. We can’t distract our parents forever.”

  Thinking about their parents made Alyssa’s mood dampen a bit. After she and Ali had flown to Baqar months before to convince his parents their relationship was real and the fake engagement was done with, Ali’s mother and father had told Alyssa they admired her honesty.

  But though they had been nice to her since then, Alyssa got the sense that she was still seen as an outsider. As an American who didn't have any clout or social standing whatsoever, she perhaps didn't fit the mold Ali’s parents had hoped their son’s wife would.

  A part of her wanted to do anything she could to please them, but that was a bad idea. Such acts would only make her look desperate.

  “Hey.” Ali gently lifted Alyssa’s chin so they were eye to eye. “I don’t care when we get married. I only care that you’re the woman I will spend the rest of my life with.”

  The light that was always present in her heart thanks to Ali’s love glowed like the sun, sending rays of warmth and joy through Alyssa.

  “Ditto,” she said.

  Chapter 2

  Alyssa

  “Now this…” Alyssa inhaled the delicious scents coming off her seafood dinner. “I’m gonna miss.”

  Ali grinned at her from across the table. “That’s true. New York has no good food at all.”

  Alyssa made a face at him. “Oh, boo. Whatever. Do we have a five-star restaurant in the ground floor of our building that delivers until four a.m.?”

  “Hmm. That sounds quite nice.” Ali took a bite of fish and looked thoughtful. “I think I will suggest that to the building’s manager.”

  Alyssa took a sip of wine and sighed in pleasure. The bottle the waiter had chosen for them went perfectly with her meal. Seated at the back of the restaurant, with the fireplace crackling and the ocean’s waves crashing on the beach beyond the window, she was extraordinarily happy.

  A buzzing sounded nearby, and Ali looked down at his pocket and frowned. When he looked like he wouldn’t answer it, Alyssa spoke up.

  “It might be important,” she said.

  “We’re on vacation,” Ali answered.

  “Exactly.”

  Ali pulled the phone out. “It’s work.”

  “Answer it.”

  Ali pursed his lips, and the buzzing stopped.

  “Really,” Alyssa said. “Go call back. Just don’t be too long, or your dinner will get cold.”

  Nodding, Ali stood and kissed her on the forehead before departing for the hotel’s lobby. Alyssa took another sip of wine and looked around the restaurant. She didn’t feel like eating without Ali there, so she would amuse herself for a few minutes by people-watching.

  At a table halfway across the restaurant, a group of guys in their twenties laughed and talked in what Alyssa thought might be German. She smiled to herself, missing Lucy.

  Over the years, friends had drifted away, either physically or emotionally, and those few who hadn't had become busy with their careers and families. But Lucy was different. She and Alyssa had made a pact to always be there for each other. It didn't matter that they both had work—and, for Lucy, school—Alyssa knew she could turn to her friend at any time and for anything.

  The hostess walking across the floor caught Alyssa’s eye, and she stopped spying on the group of guys to watch a couple about her age take a seat at the next table over. The woman carried a baby dressed in pink and yellow. Alyssa was awful at guessing the ages of little kids. All she knew was that this baby looked old enough to probably crawl, but not yet old enough to walk.

  The woman sat with her back to Alyssa, the baby still in her arms. The little one looked over her mother’s shoulder, her blue eyes wide. Her gaze scanned the restaurant, her pouty lips parting in awe as she took in the room around her.

  The baby’s attention fell on Alyssa, and Alyssa waved. The baby giggled, a little chortle that turned into a full-belly laugh. Alyssa laughed as well, surprised at the infant’s random reaction.

  The mother looked over her shoulder at Alyssa and smiled.

  “I don't know why she's laughing,” Alyssa explained. “I didn't do anything other than wave.”

  “That's the way they are at this age,” the other woman said. “You never know what they're going to find funny.”

  “How old is she?” Alyssa asked, hoping she got the gender right—the baby was wearing pink, to be fair.

  “Six months.”

  The baby giggled again and waved her arms while making an excited cooing noise.

  “She likes you,” her mother said.

  Alyssa smiled. “I don't see why.” She looked down at her blouse, which had blue and green flowers on it. “Maybe she likes the bright colors on my top.”

  The waiter had arrived at the couple’s table, and Alyssa was about to tell the woman to have a good night when she spoke.

  “Do you want to hold her?”

  Alyssa’s jaw fell. It had been forever since she’d held a baby—maybe not since the family reunion on Long Island two summers before. She hadn't realized till now how badly she wanted to do just that.

  “Um…yeah. Sure.”

  She thought about mentioning that she was out of practice when it came to baby holding, but it was too late. The infant was in her arms, patting at Alyssa’s shoulder and makin
g gurgling noises.

  “What's her name?” Alyssa asked.

  “Katherine.”

  “Classic.” Alyssa smiled. “I like it.”

  Katherine had that sweet scent that only babies could—a combination of powder and something else that didn't have a name. Alyssa bounced the baby on her knee, and Katherine tried to grab at one of the flowers on Alyssa’s blouse. Realizing it couldn't be seized, she grunted in discontent.

  Suddenly, without any warning, Katherine was crying. Her face turned red and her high-pitched shrieks pierced Alyssa’s ears.

  Alyssa bounced her faster. “It’s okay,” she said in what she hoped was her most soothing voice. “Hey, don’t cry, little lady.”

  But the baby only cried more. Alyssa looked at the mother in desperation.

  “She's probably hungry.” She held her arms out, and Alyssa turned the baby over, feeling slightly guilty over how relieved she was to do so.

  “Here we go.” Mom dug through her bag and brought out a bottle, which Katherine reached for. The rubber nipple hit her lips, and like her vocal chords had been put on mute, the crying cut out.

  Alyssa sighed in relief. It felt like a million tiny bolts of electricity danced around on her skin, and her heart beat fast. Was it normal to feel so frantic when a baby cried? Or was she just that bad at being around them?

  She was so lost in thought over this that she didn't notice Ali had approached. One second he wasn't there, and the next, he was sliding into his seat, blocking the baby and her mother from view.

  Ali raised his eyebrows at her. “Loud baby,” he whispered.

  Alyssa felt defensive. “She was hungry.”

  But Ali was already moving on, the baby nothing more than fodder for a passing note. “I apologize for that taking so long. There was a minor issue with the reconstruction of the Desert Rose Club.”

  “Is everything okay?” Alyssa asked.

  “Yes. It is now.” Ali dug into his meal. Over his shoulder, Alyssa caught a glimpse of baby Katherine happily sucking her bottle.