Sophia had texted me almost an hour ago, telling me she was on her way back to the hotel. I timed it perfectly as I walked through the lobby doors and saw her walking toward the elevators. I took a moment to admire her from a distance. I still couldn’t believe I was marrying that woman.

The swish of her hips caught more than just my attention. A group of Asian men in business suits stared at her as if she were their next meal.

I cleared my throat. “Sophia!” I called across the lobby.

Several people—Sophia included—turned my way. A broad smile stretched across her lips.

After seeing me, the businessmen quickly returned to their conversation while staring at their shoes. I smirked.

Sophia strode over to me and stood on her toes to kiss me. “I think you just gave everyone a heart attack.”

“There are other people here?” I asked innocently.

She smirked. “You think you’re so cute, don’t you?”

“I do.”

She shivered in my arms, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the weather or what I’d said. The proclamation would come from my lips eventually, and I loved her reaction, even if it wasn’t for real just yet.

“Did you have a good day?” I asked.

“I did, but I’m freezing,” she said.

“How about we get a drink?” I asked her, noting the bar to the left of the lobby. There were several restaurants on site, but the lounge overlooking the street had a better view of the city.

“Sounds good,” she said. “I need something to warm me up.”

“Wine it is, then,” I said, taking her hand.

We sat down on one of the couches in the corner of the room. Sophia swirled the wine in her glass before taking a sip.

“This one is really good,” she said.

“I know,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m determined to find some wine you haven’t tasted.”

“You realize I spent years on my own, wining and dining clients from all over the world. You’d be hard-pressed to find one that I haven’t tried.”

“Challenge accepted,” she said, picking up the wine list from the table in front of us.

“You look different,” I said.

“Do I?” she asked, locking eyes with me. “It’s probably my hair. It’s not doing so well in this weather.”

She twisted up her hair away from her face, and I touched her hand, forcing it back down.

“Your hair is fine,” I said. “What did you do today?”

She shrugged. “Walked around a bit.”

“Did you do any shopping?” I knew how much fun she had the few times I took her shopping for new clothes. When we got back to Qatar, she was going to have to do more of that to replace most of her wardrobe. It was one thing to dress like a visitor; it was another thing entirely to dress like a queen.

She glanced at me. “Window shopping.”

“You find anything you like?” I asked.

She returned her gaze to the menu and shook her head. “I don’t need anything.”

I regarded her as she scanned the list. “You know you have all of my money at your disposal.”

She put down the paper and turned to me. “I don’t expect any of that.”

“I know, but it’s true. You’re going to be my wife. Everything of mine is yours and vice versa.”

She snorted. “I think you got the crappy end of that deal.”

“As long as I have you, I don’t need anything else. But I want you to be happy. You don’t need to worry about anything anymore. If you want a new wardrobe, get it. If you want the next best thing, get that too.”

“I don’t need things, Luke. I never did. You saw my apartment and my meager possessions. I don’t feel that it’s right to assume anything—”

“Then don’t assume,” I said. “It’s all yours. No questions asked. I’ve already started the process of getting you a credit card in your own name.”

“My name?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She pursed her lips. “What about later? I mean, I don’t want to assume, but do you want me to take your last name?”

“I would love that,” I said. “Then I can have another one sent right away. It’s not a big deal. Let me take care of you.”

She released a long, slow breath. “Wow, this is a lot for my first glass of wine.”

I drew her close to me and kissed her. “It would make me the happiest man alive to see you happy. So don’t stress about it anymore. Okay?”

“Okay.” She polished off the wine in her glass and poured another one from the bottle. “How was your day with Maddox?”

Her changing the conversation was obvious; she never liked talking about herself for too long. I didn’t mind changing the subject, though. I would get her to live my lifestyle eventually. That was, if she wanted to stick around forever.

“It was great, actually,” I said. “It was strange going back there without the stress of the job. I actually got to spend some time with my previous employees.”

“Maddox taking to the job all right?”

“Yes,” I said. “Admittedly, he’s made the environment a little more fun and light. Everyone still works hard, but I suppose his personality has bled into his managing style.”

“You were also the boss’s son,” she said. “There’s more stress to that than people know.”

“True.” My shoulders relaxed. For some reason, I always underestimated her and how she understood me so well.

“I bet you feel relieved that he fits in so well. I know you were worried.”

“Not worried, exactly,” I admitted. “It was a rapid transition, and I wanted to make sure that he was ready. From what it seems, he was ready and has thrived with more responsibility.”

“Too bad you don’t get a lot of time with him during this trip.”

“I know.” Again, I wondered what it would be like to stay in England permanently with Maddox and Sophia. How much different would my life be? I knew I would be happier.

“Maddox did say that I could come back to the company if I wanted to. He’d be ready to give it up just like that.”

Sophia turned to me, her eyes filled with curiosity. “Could you do that and still be king?”

By the wrinkle in her brow, I couldn’t tell if she was concerned or genuinely curious. If I told her I was considering it, would she try and pressure me as Mother would? I knew she wanted the best for me, but I couldn’t make both positions work. I would have to choose one or the other. Sure, we would have all the money we could ever need, but was that enough for her? Should I strive for the top job to make her proud of me?

“He was just teasing,” I said, playing it off as a joke. Until I made up my mind, I couldn’t involve Sophia. It would only make her worry. “I doubt he’d want to give up his title of CEO anytime soon. Apparently, the ladies like it.”

Sophia smiled and the mood surrounding us relaxed.

Why couldn’t I tell her what was going on? Every time I thought I could, I clammed up. Every part of me was pulled in many directions. I had to live up to my family’s and Sophia’s expectations. I thought Maddox was the only one I could bounce ideas off of, but even he left me wanting.

We had a limited time away, and I didn’t want to spend it distracted with thoughts of what the hell I was going to tell the council when I returned to Qatar. If I admitted everything to Sophia tonight, then she would have the opportunity to run again. Even though she had nowhere to go, I wanted her to return to the palace with me and be there when I made my choice.

Whatever that choice ended up being.

---

After finishing the bottle of wine, Sophia wanted to spend a nice quiet evening in our penthouse, ordering room service. Typically, when I visited England, I ate at different restaurants, but as we were leaving the next day, a quiet night was just what I needed.

I allowed myself to forget my impending future and enjoy her company. Mother’s disdain and the council’s watchful eyes were the only things waiting for me at home. The least I could do was take the night off from my constant worry and stress.

“Oh, I’ve been dying to see this one,” Sophia said, pointing the remote at the television. She seemed so excited that I didn’t even bother looking at the title of the movie before agreeing to watch it. I found slapstick humor and people with more unfortunate lives than me was a good enough distraction.

It wasn’t until the room was silent, and Sophia lay in my arms in bed that my mind clicked on again. I tried to push those thoughts away, but without Sophia to distract me, I dug myself deeper into my head. The questions and possibilities burrowed into the depths of my mind, and I fell into them.

The swirling faces of the council and Mother filled my vision until my stomach clenched and my armpits started to sweat. My breathing whooshed in my ears, and I could barely take a full breath without wanting to jump out of my skin. How could I have everything I’d ever wanted and have to choose to give it all up for a few old men and my mother’s approval? It didn’t make any sense to me. Living a long and miserable life as a king didn’t seem that appealing. Would I ever get a happy ending?

The thought of losing Sophia made my arms tighten around her. She let out a small sound, and I released her, realizing too late that I’d squeezed her too tightly. If it were possible, I wanted to keep Sophia at arm’s length for as long as I could. She was the most important person in my life, and there was no way in hell that I could ever give her up for anything or anyone.