Luke tossed and turned for most of the night. If I didn’t already know he had something on his mind, I would have then. My night of distractions hadn’t worked as I’d hoped. Something was bothering him, and I wished he would only tell me what.

I had kept a secret from him too. It wasn’t a big one, but if I told him about the wedding dress, then he would probably feel the pressure that I wanted to get married right away. I didn’t want to be engaged for the next ten years, and I did want to discuss the timing eventually. It would come up sooner or later when we got back to Qatar. From what he’d told me, it wasn’t like a king to remain unmarried for so long.

Though, if Gia had anything to do with it, she would postpone it as long as she could in the hope of finding Luke a more “suitable” wife.

I couldn’t believe that we were headed back into that mess in just a few hours. I wished we could live like we did in Dallas, where Luke and I shared our own little bubble and nothing could stop us from being a happy couple.

Reality struck, and my mind started to whir.

Glancing at Luke, he was finally asleep. I had the urge to touch his rock-hard body, but instead, I let him sleep. If I knew him as well as I thought, he wouldn’t sleep much on the flight back to Qatar. It seemed the closer he got to confrontation, the less he could relax.

As quietly as I could, I pulled on the same jeans I wore the day before and pulled my cardigan over my shirt.

Grabbing the keycard on the way out of the room, I closed the door as quietly as possible.

The hallway was much brighter than the room, and it took a second for my eyes to adjust. The plush carpet was springy under my feet, and even though it was cold as hell in England, I was going to miss this place. I loved jet-setting with Luke by my side. Anywhere other than the palace, we could be ourselves and not worry about the pressure of Gia or the kingdom. At least, that was how it felt for me. I hoped that wasn’t what was bothering Luke. Though hearing him laugh last night at the movie we chose gave me hope that the short time away relieved some stress from his mind.

I shoved my fingers through my hair a few times to smooth down my locks. I should have grabbed a hair tie, but whatever I looked like would have to do. In the elevator, I used the reflective surface of the walls to make myself appear as normal as possible before running into any other guests.

Down in the lobby, I made my way to the small cafe across from one of the fancier restaurants that we hadn’t had a chance to visit. The cafe was more my style, and I wanted to get back up to Luke as soon as possible. He would worry if I was gone too long.

Standing in line, I felt a prickling sensation at the base of my neck. I tried to brush it off, but when it intensified and cascaded down my back, I turned to see where the feeling was stemming from.

A man stood behind me. He was only a few inches taller than me, but his eyes locked on mine.

I gave him a polite smile, and I was about to turn around when he said, “What’s good here?”

He had an accent that I couldn’t quite place. He was a little overweight, but he had a kind smile.

“I’m not sure,” I said. “It’s my first time here.”

He nodded. “Me too. I prefer a good English breakfast, but I don’t have the time.”

“Maybe a pastry then?” I suggested, unsure why I kept talking to him.

“That sounds like a splendid idea, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I turned around just as he said, “Traveling alone?”

I bit down on my lip. Could this line move any faster? He was trying to make conversation, but it bordered on flirting now. I glanced around. If Luke saw this guy standing so close, he would get the wrong idea. The guy moved closer to me now and tapped me on the shoulder.

“Not alone,” I said, lifting my hand and wiggling my ring finger adorned with the impressive diamond. “With my fiancé.”

He blinked and then took a step back. “Oh. That’s nice.”

His gaze returned to the menu as red splotches formed across his cheeks.

I held back a smile and waited in line for my turn.

---

Coming back up to the hotel room, I was surprised to find the bed empty and Luke nowhere to be found.

“Luke?” I called, balancing the two coffees and bags of breakfast. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, so I grabbed a few things, more than enough for two people. I figured it was easier to bring food onto a private jet than a commercial airplane.

“In here!” Luke called from the bathroom. He came out wearing only a towel with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. “Oh great, you brought food. I’m famished.”

Steam rolled out of the bathroom behind him, outlining his handsome figure.

“You didn’t wonder where I was?” I asked.

He cocked his head to the side. “Should I have?”

“No,” I said, not wanting to make him uncomfortable to know that a strange man hit on me. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

“If you didn’t return by the time I changed, I would have come looking for you. Be sure to take your cell next time.”

My phone sat on the side table next to the bed, still connected to the charger.

“I’ll be in the other room,” I said, tearing my eyes away from him.

I set up all the food at the table near the window. Overlooking the city, I sipped from my cup and leaned back against my chair. This was the life. Qatar had amazing views too, but at least here, Luke and I could live without the fear of his mother butting into our lives to wreak havoc on our relationship.

“This all looks great,” he said, grabbing a croissant and biting into it.

“What time are we leaving?” I asked.

Luke shrugged. “Whenever you get ready. The pilot is on standby.”

His gaze settled on the window next to the table. To anyone else, it might have looked like he was admiring the scene below, but to the knowing eye, I could tell there was something on his mind.

I’d asked him several times in the last few days, and he refused to talk to me, yet the same faraway look continued to take over at random parts of the day.

Chewing over his mood and the delicious breakfast sandwich, I contemplated how to ask him again. I wasn’t the type of girl to lay down and let her man suffer without any assistance. He hadn’t asked for help, but I knew he needed it.

“What is your plan when you get back home?” I asked.

He blinked a few times and then shook his head as if he were slowly coming out of a trance. “What was that?”

“When you get back,” I repeated. “Do you have plans?”

“Oh,” Luke said, finishing his croissant before picking up a scone. “I have to make a big decision when we get there.”

I sat up straighter in my chair. This was the most information I’d received since we’d left Qatar.

I waited for him to elaborate, but he pulled the chair out from the table and plopped down on it. “Can you turn the television on?”

Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the remote and turned on the news. Luke put me in a hard spot. While I wanted to be the doting fiancée, I also needed him to be honest with me.

I kept my flurry of questions to myself. If he planned on deciding whatever was on his mind when we arrived in Qatar, I didn’t have much longer until I figured it out. Once he made whatever decision he spoke of, I was sure he would talk to me then.

While Luke’s attention remained on the news anchors on the TV screen, my mind began to race with all the possibilities of what was on Luke’s mind.

Would he finally stand up to his mother, telling her that it was unacceptable for her to treat me the way she did? The bond between Luke and I was stronger than ever. He was the type of guy who expected and told the truth. If he didn’t want to be with me, he would tell me. His mother’s approval was all he needed to finalize our marriage.

But he was lost in his head during random moments of our trip when his mother’s name was far from our conversation.

Did it have to do with the council meeting? He’d completely changed after that, but what could they have said to him that would force the man in front of me to disappear into his head on a regular basis?

Maybe it had to do with Abir or something totally unrelated to his family.

Keeping Luke in the corner of my eye, I willed him to tell me. But when it came to secrets, similar to me, Luke was a vault.

I gave up trying to use my nonexistent mind powers to force it out of him. I had to be patient. There wasn’t another option.

---

The flight back to Qatar was uneventful, yet the stress level in the cabin was overwhelming. This time, I was the one feeling restless. My brain didn’t stop rolling over the possibilities of what was to become of Luke when we returned to the palace.

I knew I was worrying over nothing, but nothing could take my inquisitive reporter side out of me.

We watched endless movies; I barely retained the plot of any of them as the minutes ticked by into hours.

Luke was abnormally quiet, but neither of us spoke of the elephant in the room. Granted, I had no idea what that elephant looked like, but I wanted to stare it in the eye more than Luke probably did.

It wasn’t until we were about an hour away from landing when Luke dropped the polite conversation and gave me a hint to what was on his mind.

“Sophia, do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?” he asked.

I paused the movie and turned to him. I was about to ask if he was serious, but the tightness in the corners of his eyes and his hard-pressed lips gave me the answer. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he said.

I took his strong hands in mine and forced him to look at me. “Luke, you can’t ask a question like that and expect me just to let it go. Did I do something to make you doubt us?”

“No. The question stemmed from a force outside of our relationship.”

“Your mother?” I asked.

He sighed. “I don’t want to get into it.”

He gave me the door I needed to get into his head, and I kicked it open. “Is this a part of your ‘big decision’?”

He nodded. “I’d prefer to decide before discussing it. If you wouldn’t mind.”

His tone held no anger or malice. It was simply a request. One that I couldn’t refuse.

Even if he was going to distance himself emotionally, I squeezed his hand, unwilling to let him go physically. If he wasn’t ready to discuss what was on his mind, I would show him my support in other ways.

“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” I said. “That’s the honest truth. And I hope you believe me.”

“I do,” he said with a small smile. “Thank you for saying that.”

“Thank you for not giving up on us.”

Resting my head on his shoulder, I may have looked calm and relieved to be with him, but my nerves were firing all over the place. Whatever this big decision was, we were both in on it together even though I wasn’t sure what the hell it was. Either way, I would be there for him and hope that we would come out on the other end without too much damage.