Chapter 26
Veer helped her settle into a comfortable position with a glass of water before starting to respond to her questioning look—a look that held a million questions.
“I know everything, Ariya. I knew it even before your mom told you about what happened.” His voice was steady.
“How did you…” Her voice trailed off when he smiled.
“How did I find you?”
She nodded.
“Aryan Devaraya… your little brother.” He smiled.
“Oh, he knew where I would be?”
“He knew how to get hold of his aunt, and that’s what I did. I called your mom and talked to her.”
“I should have guessed when she kept pressing Siri and me about her brother the past couple of days.”
“Keeping Siri and you in the dark about what really happened between your parents was the biggest mistake ever.” He sat next to her on the small sofa and put his arm around her.
“I can’t believe it… I don’t know why my mom…” Her voice was a whisper.
“Love makes people do crazy things… you disappeared from my life because of how much you love your mother, not because of the hate you have for the man who is your father.”
She held her head in her hands shaking her head. “I don’t know how to deal with it all, Veer. I am so glad you are here. I’ve felt stupid for doing what I did since the time I boarded that plane, but I just couldn’t get myself to call you… I was too hurt about the article.”
“Sweetheart, you’ve been in the broadcasting industry long enough to know people make up stories out of thin air. Stefan, Andy, and I went to get a drink with your father, and that article comes out,” he growled.
She placed her cheek on his chest, taking a moment to fight back the panic that was building, just at the memory of the time she read the article.
“I’m so stupid, I don’t … I’m sorry, baby.” She looked up to kiss Veer on his cheek.
Veer smiled at her and brushed his lips over her trembling ones. “I missed you, sweetheart.”
“Are you angry with me?”
“I was… I understand why you fled but promise me you will never ever walk away from me, and that you will talk to me about anything that upsets you.”
She nodded, tightening her hold on him.
“Say it, sweetheart,” he ordered.
“I promise never to walk away from you the way I did. I will not make the same mistake my mom made,” she said and broke into sobs.
“Hey… don’t… come here.” He pulled her into his arms kissing the top of her head.
“I despise myself for staying away from my father for so long, and I am the reason he is not here for Siri’s wedding.”
He chuckled. “I think that’s taken care of now.”
She looked up at him as he wiped her tears from her cheek. “Come with me.”
Veer led her out of the room and down the hallway like he knew where he was going. He changed directions and walked her toward the other end of the hotel toward the private residence of the royal family who owned the hotel.
“Veer, where are we going. This is a private space… we can’t be here.”
“I got this, sweetheart.”
He led her past a set of double doors that were opened by the guards as they approached them. Veer pushed open a tinted glass door that led to another hallway and stopped at a set of double doors.
“Time to make things right, sweetheart,” he crooned, knocking on the door.
The double doors flew open, and Aryan stood in front of her. He smiled and put his arms around Ariya. “So good to see you. Come.”
Ariya followed her little brother, Veer following right behind her. “He’s been on pins and needles since we landed.”
Ariya’s eyes met the eyes of the woman who she thought had stolen her father from her mother, but the concern the woman held in her eyes made Ariya smile at her. She saw the relief sweep over her face before she turned to look in the direction of the man who stood on the balcony with his back to them.
Aryan led her to the entrance of French doors and stopped behind her. She stood at the entrance taking in the sight of the tall man who stood with his back to her. She always remembered him as a strong man, but the weak image of the man in front of her made her want to take him into her arms and comfort him like a child.
“Papa…” The word rolled off her lips for the first time in almost seventeen years.
The man stiffened before turning to look at her, a smile blooming on his face. “My princess.”
She let out a sob and walked into her father’s arms, happy tears rolling down her cheek. “I missed you, sweetheart.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I hated you for so long.”
“I couldn’t do it… I couldn’t tell you about your mom when she had left us,” her father whispered, and the pain in his voice made her stomach twist into knots.
“You didn’t deserve this, Papa… I’m so sorry. I love you, and I missed you so much. When I saw you in the hospital, I wanted to talk to you, but I…”
“It’s all right, sweetie.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Are you going to introduce me to your prince?”
She smiled nodding and turned to look at Aryan and Veer. “Papa, Aryan… this is Veer, my everything.”
Aryan cheerfully hugged Veer before walking over to hug his sister and father. Ariya reached up to kiss her little brother on the cheek. “Thank you for helping Veer.”
“Anytime, sister.” He laughed.
“Ariya, you found yourself a real prince just like you wanted to,” her father joked.
“What?”
Aryan laughed, pointing his finger at Veer. “Prince Raj Veer Thakur.”
She shook her head smiling at Veer, who smiled sheepishly running his fingers through his dark hair.
“Yes, my prince, my hero.” She smiled at Veer, endless love flowing for him from deep within.
She walked over to where Veer stood and put her arms around him. “Thank you for giving me back my Papa, my family.”
“My pleasure, love. Life’s too short for regrets and grudges.” He smiled.
“Thank you. I need you to help me talk to Siri about inviting Papa to her wedding. She didn’t want him because of how I felt about him.” She felt guilty.
“That’s all take care of… Siri was here just before she went to meet Rohan’s family to invite her uncle… she wants her uncle to give her away at the wedding.”
She laughed, sobbing through the laughter and hugged him tightly. “I love you.”
“We should go get changed for the first wedding event.” He smiled.
“Veer, are you staying? What about the board meetings?”
“My dad’s got it. Nothing is more important than love, nothing.” He kissed her cheek.
“Take me back to your room,” she rasped and heard his breath hitch.
Veer nodded at Ariya’s father and brother and turned to leave, Ariya in his arms.
“Well, well, well… do we get to meet the mystery man?” Siri’s sarcastic tone made Ariya look up. She stepped away from Veer to put her arms around the bride-to-be.
“Siri… I…” She lost her words in the tight hug her sister gave her.
“You can introduce him to us now, right, Ma?” Siri laughed turning to look at her mother.
Ariya took a deep breath and reached for the gold chain around her neck to put her beautiful ring on display. She held the ring in her hand and smiled. “This is not how I imagined introducing Veer to you guys, but… this is Veer, the man I love and will love forever.”
Her mother squealed in happiness hugging Ariya. “I’m so happy to see you with your Papa.”
“I love you, Ma.” She kissed her mom.
“Love you, too, sweetie. This will be one of the happiest days of my life,” her mom said, wiping off a happy tear as Siri joined in for a group hug.
“Now, can we get dressed for the party?” Siri asked.
Ariya nodded and turned. Her eyes met with Rajee, the woman who took her mother’s place for her father. She walked over to the woman who healed her father and took her hand in hers. “Thank you for taking care of, Papa.”
Rajee smiled taking a deep breath. “I’m glad you are back in his life. He was not whole without you, Ariya. He named Aryan after you and has surrounded himself with your memories.”
Ariya put her arms around her, thankful for her being in her father’s life. “Thank you for giving Siri and me a baby brother.”
Rajee laughed, and the others joined them, happy faces all around her.
“All right, everyone… time to go to the party,” Ariya’s mom called out cheerfully.
Veer and Ariya left the family to go back to his suite to change. They stopped to pick up her outfit from her suite and made their way back to his room.
“How is it that you are not staying in the Royal Residence?” she teased.
He laughed. “I needed to be real nice to your dad, so he would agree to give your hand to me in marriage.”
She smiled, snuggling closer to him as they approached his room. He held the door open for her and looked at her smiling. “After you, my queen.”
She bit her lower lip and looked up at him. “I’m late.”
“I think your family will understand if we are late to dinner,” he said, walking her into the room and shutting the door behind him.
She stood rooted to her spot as he wound his arms around her from behind. “What is it, baby?”
Ariya reached for Veer’s hand and moved it from her waist to her belly. “I’m late.”
She heard his breath hiss, and the next moment he swept her off her feet, laughing. “Baby, this is the best day ever.”
She smiled, pulling herself up to take her lips to his in a tender kiss. “I still need to take the test, but I am already a week late, and I know…”
Her words were lost in his mouth as he claimed her mouth in a hungry kiss. A tear rolled down her cheek as he placed her on the bed. He left her lips and trailed them down south to bury his face into her belly. “Thank you, love.”
She took a deep breath when he pushed up her blouse to kiss the bare skin around her belly button. She felt the prickle from his beard and snaked her fingers into his hair, his nerves turning raw. He left butterfly kisses on her belly trailing his lips south.
He gently pulled on the tab of her skirt and pulled it lower along with her panties. His lips closed in on her throbbing clit. “I missed you so much, baby.”
She raised her hips off the mattress in anticipation as he dug his tongue into her depths humming his satisfaction. She let go of his hair when he went lower to kiss her inner thighs as he pushed down her skirt further. He planted kisses all the way to her ankle and pushed off her sandals and kissed her feet before making his way back to her throbbing folds.
“Veer.” His name rolled off her lips as a plea.
“Baby, I promise to give you every happiness in this world, just be mine.” He growled as he claimed her lips and drove into her with deliberation. She felt him hit her deepest point and came undone in his arms, loving every sensation that was a beautiful blend of sweet pain and pleasure.