Page 116 of Hired Husband

She pushed up on her toes to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Good. I feel the same way. Do you think we could get away with watching the sunset on the beach before we go back? I’m just not ready to face that crowd again quite yet.”

“Nanna will keep them busy,” I said confidently.

We walked down to the shore and sank down on the sand. Without even thinking about it, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into my side, my head coming down on top of hers. Next week, we’d be in Thailand for the first stop of our honeymoon, and after that, our plan was to make our way back up, just traveling to our hearts’ content until we’d come home to here, in Egypt.

In that moment, as we watched the sun disappear, it felt like the whole world was waiting for us beyond the horizon and I honestly couldn’t wait to explore it with her. We just had to survive tomorrow first.

CHAPTER 48

I’d spent most of my life being watched. My modeling career had started early, and ever since, it had been like I could always feel the eyes of the world on me, from photographers, to press, fashion designers, family, friends, and even my father’s business associates—people like David.

Because of that, it had been a relief when Isaac had told me about my father’s suggestion to keep the wedding out of Cairo, and when Isaac had told me the idea he’d had for an alternative location, I’d agreed immediately.

Just for today, I didn’t want the world watching me. I wanted only us and the people we loved. So here we were, in the middle of the desert near the Bedouin camp. In the dunes where Isaac and I had kissed for the first time. A cream-colored tent had been erected for the ceremony. The edges of the fabric fluttered slightly in the late afternoon breeze.

Rugs covered the sand beneath our feet and low cushions had been scattered for our guests to sit on. Hundreds of lanterns flickered against the darkening dunes as the sun started sinking. I watched from the tent we’d stayed in that night, standing on the open side of the canvas structure as I waited for our families and friends to take their seats.

This setting wasn’t what anyone would have expected from me, but that was probably why I loved it so much. Deja and Colin’s wedding had been spectacular, the kind of event people spoke about for years after, but ours would be quieter, a lot more intimate, and a little wild, which was exactly what we’d wanted.

I glanced down at my dress next. Smiling, I smoothed a hand against the cream fabric. It was soft enough that the breeze could catch it, with delicate embroidery and a few beads here and there but that was it. I’d opted out of everything else tradition in my family stipulated, including a massively long train, diamonds, and a bodice that tried to crush my lungs.

“Are you nervous?” Deja asked as she came up beside me.

That was the other thing I’d opted out of, having an army here to dress me. Instead, it was just her and me. Nanna, my mom, and Isaac’s mother had been with us earlier, but they’d been in and out, the entire day just relaxed and surprisingly lazy.

I smiled as I lifted my gaze to my sister’s. “Nervous? Nah, not at all.”

“Really?”

I shrugged. “Really. I’m excited, a little impatient to get it done, and hungry, but I’m not nervous.”

She groaned. “Don’t even get me started on the hunger. How is it that they can make the entire desert smell divine?”

I chuckled. “Wait until you try their food. These people know how to eat.”

She smiled, but before she could respond, a burst of laughter drifted across the camp. I refocused my attention on the tent below. Isaac stood with his brothers, dressed in a dark suit without a tie, his jacket already hanging open.

He looked completely at ease, not at all nervous either. When he pointed up toward the dune he’d tumbled down, I grinned and his brothers started laughing again.

“Knock, knock,” my father said, appearing around the side of the tent with a grin on his face and no tie around his neck either. He swept his gaze across me, then tears sprang to his eyes as he opened his arms for a hug. “Look at you, my ruby. You’re gorgeous. Perfect.”

I smiled, biting back tears of my own as I held him. “Are they ready for us?”

“They are.” He hugged me tight before letting go, bringing his hands to my shoulders and looking deep into my eyes. “No matter what, you will always be my little girl. Remember that. I will always be here for you.”

I stifled a sob and reached out to give his arm a playful smack, my voice coming out tight and choked. “Stop! You’re going to make me cry more.”

“That’s my job today,” he joked but then straightened to his full height and offered me his arm. “Okay. Alright. Don’t fret. I know we don’t have time to redo your makeup.”

“What do you know about makeup?” I asked, still sniffling as I wound my fingers around his elbow.

A booming laugh slipped out of him. “I have two daughters, a wife, and a mother. I know more about makeup than a man has any right to.”

The sound of his laughter had drawn attention our way, and as we started descending the dune, Isaac’s eyes found mine. Even across the distance, I could see his eyes soften and suddenly turn shimmery, like he was holding back tears too. In that moment, it was like everything else just disappeared.

The sand shifted beneath my sandals as I crossed the distance between us, his gaze never leaving mine. When I reached him, he took my hands, those blue eyes wide, bright, and happy. His blond hair was already windswept and he looked so painfully handsome like this that all I wanted was to kiss him. Unfortunately, today, I had to wait for permission to be able to do that.

Gah.