Yvonne nearly laughed as she tapped out an email to John on her phone, letting him know she would be out for the rest of the day due to a “family emergency.” After she hit send, she was convinced that she would be unemployed by morning, if not the end of the day.

A cold wind bit at her cheeks, but she needed fresh air. She set off in the direction of home, knowing the walk would take at least thirty minutes, and all the better for it. Her fingers itched to rest on her belly, where three unborn children were currently growing.

Zadid’s children.

Her mind drifted back to her holiday wishes—three wishbones won, three babies to give her the family she desired. It would almost be laughable, if it wasn’t so absolutely terrifying. While in a way she had gotten what she desired, her babies still lacked one very important element to a family.

They needed their father.

Finding Zadid was no longer a matter of her shattered heart being put back together. She had her future children to think about. At the very least, he needed to know that he would be a father before the year was over. Still, she thought about the fact that she had been unable to reach him since he’d left her that day three months ago. She would have to be a bit cleverer in finding him.

She began crafting a plan as she walked, her mind lost in thought as she approached her apartment building and welcomed the warm air of the lobby. Back on the tenth floor, she opened her apartment door and stared inside.

Could she fit three children in here?

It might be possible to make it happen, though of course, if she was out of work the next day, there would be a whole new list of challenges to overcome. Brushing that thought aside, she stepped into her home office and fired up her computer, tapping her nails on the desk as she waited for it to load.

Once it did, she began a search for Zadid. There was general information, of course, but she dug a little deeper until she found an article in a business journal about his company. Opening the article, she read through it, learning about the new business he had started in Abu Algar. She skimmed through until she finally found a contact number.

“Bingo,” she said to herself, writing the number down.

She picked up her phone and began dialing the long extension, waiting for the call to go through. Instead of the standard ring she was used to, there was a series of long beeps before a woman answered the phone in Arabic.

“Hi, I’m sorry, do you speak English?” Yvonne asked.

Zadid had taught her some Arabic when they’d worked together, mostly so she could work off of documents that he used for international accounts. While she could read basic words well enough, the spoken word was something they had never really worked on.

How she would have loved to take language lessons with Zadid.

“I do, yes. How may I direct your call?” the woman replied.

“I need to speak with Sheikh Zadid Al-Alamein. It is a matter of some urgency.”

There was a pause at the other end of the line.

“Hello?” Yvonne asked.

“Yes, I’m here. I’m just unsure how I am supposed to transfer you to the president of our company from this level. I don’t have that level of access, you see.”

“Please, I’m begging you. I need to find him, and his American cellphone was shut off when he left the country a few weeks ago. I’m his former assistant, Yvonne Hunt.”

“Let me just check on that, please.”

Yvonne waited while the woman clacked on a keyboard a world away. After a while, she spoke again.

“Your story appears to check out. Let me patch you through to my manager. He might be able to transfer you to the correct number. One moment.”

“Thank you,” Yvonne said, leaning back in her chair as she gave in to the urge to rest a hand on her belly.

Now that she knew the truth, the bulge was undeniable. Clearly, her comfortable winter clothing had done a good job of stretching just enough to keep her condition under wraps.

“Hello, who is calling, please?”

The man’s voice was deep, and he sounded like an older gentleman. Yvonne gave her story again.

“It’s extremely important that I get in touch with him, but he never gave out his new cellphone number. This is quite urgent…I’m sure he will be grateful for your help.”

The man cleared his throat.

“Yes, that’s all well and good, but I don’t have that level of connection. Allow me to transfer you to my supervisor. Perhaps she can help you.”

“Thank you,” Yvonne said, her voice weary.

“Of course, madam. One moment.”

The phone line faded to music as she sat on hold once again. She held her breath, wondering if this would work. He seemed impossible to find—had it been that way when he worked in the States? Yvonne could hardly remember. Of course, that was when she’d had unlimited access to him at any time, day or night.

Those were the days.

“Zadid Al-Alamein’s office.”

A woman’s gentle voice sounded like an angel as she said those words. Yvonne tried to keep her voice calm as she spoke.

“Hi there. My name is Yvonne Hunt, and I was Zadid’s assistant when he worked here in the States. It is absolutely imperative that I speak with him—a matter of utmost urgency. Can you please connect me?”

“My goodness, that sounds very serious! I would be happy to connect you, he is just here. One moment, please. Thank you.”

Yvonne’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t heard Zadid’s voice in months, and she was about to hear it any second. How was she going to tell him? She had been so focused on finding him that she hadn’t considered what to actually say when she did.

A wave of panic washed over her as the phone clicked.

“Hello, this is Zadid.”

“Zadid,” she breathed, holding back tears of relief.

In spite of everything, it felt impossibly good to hear his voice. In that moment, she felt as though everything would somehow turn out okay, if only they were together.

“Yvonne? Is that you?”

“Yes. I have something I need to tell you, but I think I really ought to do it in person. As soon as possible, if you can.”

“Yvonne, I am working half a world away. My cellphone was turned off for good reason. I can’t talk about America right now, when I have so much going on here. I have to move on, and I need you to understand that. Please, Yvonne, it would be best for us both if you do not contact me again.”

“But…”

“Please, Yvonne. This isn’t helping either of us, I promise you. Please don’t call again.”

The line went dead, then, as he hung up on her.

“I’m pregnant,” she announced into dead air.

She stared out into space, desperation roiling through her body as she fought to regain control of her emotions. He had no idea what she was calling about, no idea that he had three children waiting to enter the world. If he knew the severity of the situation, perhaps he would not be so quick to shake her off.

But how could she convince him to listen to her?

Looking back at her screen, Yvonne pulled up an airline site and began to search for flights to Abu Algar, still pondering what she would do when she got there. As her mind raced, she realized that Zadid’s birthday was coming up in two days’ time.

What had he said about his birthdays back home? That his father always finished the day with an elaborate party in their family’s ballroom? Clinging to that piece of information, Yvonne began to formulate a plan, clicking through the steps to purchase a ticket.

It was more likely than not that she would be turned away from his office were she to try to approach him there, but if she could surprise him with her baby bump at his birthday celebration, perhaps he would listen to her then.

Making the final click, she purchased a ticket for the following morning at dawn.

She took a breath, looking at the arduous journey she was about to take. A whiff of stale coffee drifted in from the kitchen, something she would have not have picked up on had she not been pregnant. Again, she wondered how she had not noticed the signs. Knowing her condition now, it was terribly obvious.

Her mind drifted to John, and she realized exactly why. She had been so stressed out since he’d taken over, that she hadn’t had time to think about or even consider the possibility that her body was changing. She opened up her email, which was overflowing with new messages.

Frustrated coworkers were bombarding her with messages about the impossible tasks John was setting them up with. She finally found his response to her previous email. Her stomach twisted as she clicked on the message.

Fine. Don’t make a habit of it, Yvonne. I may talk tough, but you’re the one keeping the team together. Get back as soon as you can.

John

She had saved her job for another day, rereading the part where he’d said that she had value in keeping the team together. He had never, ever complimented her. She wondered what the motive behind it was. Realizing that she was still on the brink of losing her job, she hit the reply button and sent an email in return.

Thank you for the kind words. It turns out my emergency continues, and I will have to be out for the rest of the week. Please rely on Mackenzie for any team-based activity. I will do my best to keep up with emails during this absence.

Regards,

Yvonne

It was the best she could do on such short notice. She told herself that it most certainly was a family emergency, ignoring the pang of guilt she felt for leaving Mackenzie in the lurch with that incompetent nincompoop. Before she had a chance to read another email, John’s response popped up.

If you’re not back by Monday, don’t bother coming back at all.

Yvonne’s finger hovered over the reply key as she contemplated telling John exactly where he could shove that threat after everything she had done to help build the firm into what it was. Instead, she turned off her computer and decided to take a nice, long bath.

Stretching aching muscles, she walked across her apartment to her cozy bathroom with her large jet-stream tub. Lighting a few scented candles, she slid out of her work clothes and into the tub, sinking in with a groan as she closed her eyes, pondering her life.

What had started out as a fling, became a huge mistake, and that, in turn, became one of the biggest miracles of her life. Somehow, Yvonne was going to have to keep herself from getting whiplash at the changes going on around her and within her. Resting her hands once again on her belly, she stared at the little bulge, stroking it gently with her fingertips.

“Don’t worry, my little loves,” she whispered. “Mommy’s going to find a way to take care of you. I promise.”