The Prince’s Secret Twins (Al-Sintra Family #2)

Chapter 23

“ Who is coming to speak with me?” Khal demanded, his body tensing with anger. Immediately, Tasha put a hand on Khal’s arm and the man relaxed. Slightly.

His new assistant bowed slightly, nervous in the face of Khal’s temper. “Crown Prince Amit el Sandir of…”

“I know where the bastard lives!” Khal snapped, cutting his assistant off. “Lativa and Uftar don’t have diplomatic relations currently.”

“Maybe this is Prince el Sandir’s way of starting relations,” Tasha offered, her soft voice soothing her husband. “Sending his son here to talk to you is a pretty major deal.”

He glared thoughtfully at her for a moment. Then he shook his head. “No, someone from his embassy would have reached out to me prior to his son’s arrival if they were trying to negotiate some sort of treaty.” Khal turned back to his assistant. “What time is Prince Amit arriving?”

His assistant was noticeably trembling. “In two hours, Your Highness,” he said with another bow.

“Fine,” Khal snapped. “Reach out to the Uftar embassy and find out what he wants. His visit has to be significant.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the terrified man replied, then turned to rush out of the dining room.

Joran and Raj chuckled in the silence. “He’s not going to last,” Joran muttered, referring to the timid assistant. He turned to Tila. “Tasha used to be my brother’s assistant and she never would have put up with his foul moods.”

Raj snorted. “Tasha had been the reason for most of his foul moods for a while,” he replied, then popped a cashew into his mouth. “And we enjoyed the spectacle,” he added, winking playfully at his sister-in-law. “It was fun watching my big, bad brother being twisted into knots.”

Joran grunted. “You’ve had a few grumpy moods lately,” he said to Raj. “Care to explain why?”

Raj froze, his normally charming smile disappearing. For a moment, everyone saw the flash of pain. But it was quickly hidden and his smile reappeared, although there was a stiffness to it now.

“Nothing to explain,” he said and took a sip of his drink. “Just working a lot lately.”

Joran glanced over at Khal and Tasha. Yep, they’d both noticed it as well. He’d have a private word with Raj later. Something was definitely wrong.

Tasha changed the subject even as she rubbed her husband’s arm, obviously trying to soothe the grumpy bear. “I’ll reach out to find out why Crown Prince Amit is coming,” she told him and started to rise.

Khal put a hand to her shoulder. “You will stay and enjoy your lunch,” he told her. “You are my wife. Not my assistant. If that idiot,” he jerked his head towards the closed door where his current assistant had just disappeared through, “can’t handle the job, then I’ll find someone who can.” He caressed her hand with his thumb. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Joran and Raj snorted at that because everyone knew that Tasha always worried. She was a worrier and a fixer.

Joran reached out, putting his hand on the back of Tila’s chair. She stiffened when she felt his hand touch her hair, but tried to pretend that his touch didn’t bother her.

“Last year, while Tasha was Khal’s assistant, we discovered that our lovely sister-in-law was running from someone.”

“Hiding from him, to be completely correct,” Raj explained.

“It’s all over and done with,” Tasha replied. “The man is in jail. Everything was resolved.”

Khal moved his hand to cover hers where it still rested on his forearm. “It was a mess that would have been resolved sooner if someone ,” he obviously meant his wife, “had mentioned that there was a problem and not tried to handle it all on her own.”

She looked at him with a silent message that Tila didn’t understand. “If I hadn’t tried to handle it myself,” she replied back softly, “then I wouldn’t have accidentally burst into the interview room. I wouldn’t have become your assistant and I wouldn’t be here now.”

Tila watched them, her heart aching because she could feel the love between the two of them. The way their eyes lingered, the way they silently communicated. She glanced wistfully at Joran, wondering if he could ever love her that deeply.

When she caught his eyes, there was something there, but she couldn’t quite interpret his gaze. They stared at each other for a long moment, but she didn’t understand.

Looking away, she tried not to think about Joran loving her. She tried to convince herself that lust was enough.

It would have to be, she thought, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the snowflake ring. It looked so pretty on her finger and she wanted to keep it forever. But what if…?

The waiters brought the first course, interrupting her thoughts. Then Khal turned the subject to what could only be described as an interrogation. “What’s going on with the new aircraft?”

“I don’t like the terms of the contract,” Joran replied, taking a sip of his ice water. Khal and Joran got into a back and forth over the minute terms of the conversation, with Joran answering his brother’s questions.

Finally, Joran got fed up. “If you want the job back, I’d be happy to throw everything back on your desk.” He stabbed a potato. “But if you could back off, I guarantee that the planes will be delivered on time and within budget.”

The two men glared at each other for a long moment. Finally, Khal sighed and nodded. “You’re right. You took over the job last year and you’ve turned the military around. I know that you’ve traveled to the border check points and interviewed hundreds of defense employees, implementing many changes for the better.” He lifted his eyes to his brother. “You’ve done a great job. I’m sorry if I implied otherwise.”

Joran nodded sharply, then jerked his chin towards Raj. “But feel free to question our baby brother’s choices all you want.”

Raj snorted and rolled his eyes. He pointed his fork towards his oldest brother. “If you start in on me, then I’m going to raise the interest rates on the banks and tell them that it’s your new policy. You’ll have fifty appointments with every top banker and several of the minor ones as well, asking for ‘five minutes of your time’ to discuss your new economic policy.”

Khal chuckled and lifted his hands, palms out in defeat. “I concede!” he said with a laugh. “When you took over the economy, a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. I admit that you understand the intricacies of financial issues much better than I ever did.”

“You’re lying, but I don’t care,” Raj replied. “I enjoy the intellectual challenge of managing the economic pulse of our nation.” He grinned, winked at Tila, then drained his glass of wine. “However, I have meetings this afternoon.” Raj wiped his mouth with the napkin and stood up. “I enjoyed our lunch,” he said. “We should do it more often, especially when Marianna is around.”

“Agree,” Khal replied. “Why don’t we keep a day open for a family lunch or dinner?” he suggested.

The two brothers nodded, and Joran looked to Tila, silently asking if she was okay with the plan while Khal looked to Tasha for her approval.

Tila shrugged, not sure she had any say in the matter. It wasn’t as if she was a member of the family, she thought with a pang. But she nodded, offering a one shouldered shrug as well.

“When’s the wedding?” Raj asked, moving towards the doorway. He glanced over his shoulder at Joran. “That’s a lovely engagement ring, by the way.”

Tila quickly covered her snowflake ring protectively even as she glanced at Khal, wondering if he was going to admonish Joran for proposing without his permission. But the big, terrifying man simply stared back at her as if waiting for an answer.

During the tense silence, Tila wasn’t sure what to say. She and Joran hadn’t discussed a date. Good grief, she wasn’t even sure if she’d agreed to the marriage proposal. But the way she curled her fingers around the ring told everyone her answer. They all chuckled and Raj walked out of the room, calling back over his shoulder, “Tell my assistant the date and I’ll be there.”

Khal sighed as he looked across the table at his brother. “You need to set a date,” he told him, then looked at Tila. “The boys need to be protected.”

Tila stiffened as her eyes narrowed on the man. “Are you saying that my children won’t be protected if I don’t marry Joran?”

“Our sons will never be left unprotected, Tila,” Joran assured her, shooting a hard glare at his brother.

Khal shook his head and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. The boys need your name in order to be assured their rightful place in the line of succession. We all remember what happened when our great uncle died suddenly. The country was in chaos and there was speculation of a coup.” He looked at Tila, his eyes not releasing hers as he continued. “It took years for my father, and then me and my brothers to regain control of the country. Yes, I was in charge, but many people were creating dissent in order to gain power.” He let those words sink in. “A year ago, Joran took control of the military of Lativa, as well as the defense of the country. He worked long hours, and I know he went through hell trying to fix the problems he discovered.”

“Is that…?”

“It was fine,” Joran assured her.

“It wasn’t fine,” Khal countered. “I’d been trying to do everything. So, when Joran stepped in, I realized just how bad everything really was.” He shifted his gaze towards Joran. “I’d tried to pretend that everything was fine but it wasn’t and you damn well know it. If you hadn’t taken over when you did, Joran, there would have been a civil war.”

“You would have suppressed the factions,” Joran said with finality.

Khal shook his head. “No, Joran. I wasn’t even aware there were problems in the military. I wasn’t aware that those traitorous factions existed. You discovered the problems, rooted out the traitors, and reorganized the military and our country’s defense. Don’t belittle what you did, Joran. It was…,” he sighed and looked down at the table. A moment later, he looked back at his brother. “You saved this country.”

“I didn’t,” Joran snapped. He looked self-conscious for a moment, then his expression hardened. “You’re an excellent ruler, Khal. I merely stepped in to tweak a few things.”

Khal rolled his eyes, then looked at Tila. “Don’t let him convince you of that,” he asserted adamantly. “Joran’s intervention literally saved this country. And now I want your sons to be recognized.” He leaned back. “I won’t have anyone voice concerns about the legitimacy of their right to rule this country if anything happens to–”

Tila gasped and shook her head. “Don’t finish that sentence,” she whispered, then looked over to Tasha. She looked pale as well. “Nothing’s going to happen to your husband,” she assured her. Tasha had accepted Tila as well as her sons as soon as Joran had brought them into the palace. Tasha was a beautiful, wonderful person, both inside and out.

There was a movement at the doorway and Tila turned, noticing Marianna standing there. She had a stricken look on her lovely features as she looked in. Before Khal could ask her to come in, the younger woman stepped back and lifted a hand.

“Sorry to interrupt,” their sister said in a soft, halting voice. “One of my classes was canceled, so I…” she took a step back, still eyeing everyone. “I’ll just…,” and she took another step back.

“Marianna!” Khal called out.

But before he could say anything more, she turned and ran from the room, disappearing down the long hallway.

There was a long, painful silence after that. Khal looked at his wife and Tasha nodded. “Yeah, she’s upset about not being included.” She folded her linen napkin into a neat square and placed it on her plate, then stood up. “I’ll go find her and talk to her.”

Khal nodded sharply, then watched as his wife left the dining room. Tasha moved with dignity, her shoulders back and her head held high. The navy blue sheath dress she wore moved with her figure as she hurried to catch up with the winsome teenager that was on the cusp of womanhood.

Tila sighed, trying to figure out all of the complicated personalities and palace protocols. Prior to meeting Joran, she’d lived life without worrying about the future much. She worked hard at her job and put money away towards any possible emergencies as well as a bit towards her retirement, but she hadn’t considered world peace or civil wars.

Khal and, apparently, Joran, had to consider all of these issues when planning out their days. And that’s when Khal’s words registered.

“A year ago” he’d said. Joran had taken over the responsibility of the military and country’s defense a year ago! That must have been right after the last time he’d left her!

If that was the case, then Joran hadn’t abandoned her! She looked at him, her heart pounding against her ribs as she watched Joran and Khal discuss something. She didn’t understand the technical terms they were using so she ignored the conversation. Plus, she was too overwhelmed by the possibility that Joran hadn’t deserted her when she’d needed him most. Maybe he’d been overwhelmed as well! Maybe, he’d wanted to come back to her.

It wouldn’t excuse him not sending her a message. He should have done that. A phone call, a text message…anything would have helped her get through those long, lonely, terrifying nights.

The men suddenly stood up, startling Tila out of her thoughts. She looked up at Joran who immediately bent low and kissed her. She was startled by the open show of affection and, to be honest, slightly self-conscious as she glanced over at Joran’s older brother. But Khal was already leaving the dining room. He glanced back at them and Tila only saw approval on his tough, grumpy features.

Sighing, she looked back at Joran. He was pulling away, but that little peck wasn’t enough. She grabbed a fistful of his dress shirt and pulled him back down for a longer, more satisfying kiss.

When he pulled away this time, his eyes lingered on her lips before he looked into her eyes. “What was that for?” he asked, his voice rough with desire.

Tila smiled. “Because I wanted to kiss you,” she whispered back at him.

He gave her a crooked smile that warmed her heart. “Feel free to do that anytime.” Then he straightened up. “I have another meeting. What are you up to for the rest of the afternoon?”

“I’m going to log into my email,” she said, startling even herself. “I want to catch up on work issues now that we have the nannies to help out.”

Joran hesitated. “Tila, you know you don’t have to work. I will take care of you, no matter what.”

Tila rolled her eyes and stood up, moving closer to him. She felt warmed when his arm automatically wrapped around her waist, pulling her in even closer.

“Joran, I appreciate the offer, but I enjoy my work. I like helping my clients with websites and I’m good at my job.”

He grunted. “As long as you are happy,” he kissed the top of her head. Then he turned and walked out of the dining room, leaving Tila alone.

It was a strange experience, she thought as she looked around at the empty plates and coffee cups. She was alone! Completely…nope. The guards at the doorway shifted, reminding her that she wasn’t completely alone. Tila suspected that there were servants hovering behind the doorway to the kitchen as well.

She wondered if she would ever be alone again. Was this her life now? Looking around at the lavish red and gold décor of the dining room, Tila sighed. It wasn’t a horrible existence. Plus, the small cottage that she’d inherited from her grandmother had been cramped after she’d brought the boys home.

She noticed the two bodyguards standing outside the doorway. One kept peering inside and Tila wondered if she should be doing something other than just sitting in an empty dining room. Perhaps she should get out of here so the wait staff could clear up the table?

This servant-issue dilemma would take some getting used to.

But as Tila walked back to the suite she’d been sharing with Joran for the past two weeks, her mind drifted back to his brother’s comments about how Joran had avoided a civil war. Had it really been that dire here in Lativa? As a citizen of a different country, Tila hadn’t been aware of the problems. Of course, she’d been oblivious to so many concerns during the past year. Becoming pregnant and learning that she was going to give birth to twins had taken over most of her processing capacity.

Maybe Joran had been equally overwhelmed. Maybe she’d been unfair to him when he hadn’t called or texted.

When she walked into their suite, she saw both of the day nannies sitting beside a pair of bassinets. Smiling, she walked over to her baby boys, amazed at how sweet and innocent they looked when they were blissfully asleep.

“I’ll take over for a while,” she told the nannies. Immediately, the two women stood up and left the suite. Tila sat down between her boys, thinking back to the days when she’d been alone with them in her small cottage. Goodness, life seemed more like a whirlwind lately!