We cut it close when it came to packing up Sophia’s apartment. I didn’t leave much time for rest since I knew Mother was only going to keep blowing up my phone until we arrived back in Qatar. I hoped that with some time to let the news sink in, she would cool herself down, and we could have a civilized conversation.

It was probably wishful thinking.

I had taken a quick reprieve from packing to call Abir and inform him of what we’d done. I also asked him to keep Mother distracted until we returned. We had a long two days ahead of us. As much as I wanted to get the conversation over with, we had a planned stop in England for the pilot to rest and refuel while Sophia and I could do the same.

Two days was enough time for Mother to relax before we had to deal with her. There was nothing for her to do except to take what we had done and start to accept it.

She needed to understand I was no longer just her son. I was a ruling king and could make my own decisions in life. The sooner she knew that, the better.

I noted Sophia’s nervousness as we drove to the airport.

“What if I forgot something?” Sophia asked when we pulled onto the tarmac.

“The landlord is going to do a final sweep when the movers are gone. He has my number and email and has promised to let me know if there’s anything left.”

“You have thought of everything,” she said.

I kissed the top of her hand. “I want this to be as easy for you as possible. You’ve made me the happiest man alive; this is the least I can do.”

She let out a sigh and her shoulders finally relaxed. It was a good thing we were stopping in England. I wanted the transition to be as seamless as possible for her. A nice dinner in the country that we met was just the ticket to starting off this engagement the right way. I would pull out all the stops for her, starting today and for the rest of our lives together.

---

Since we were engaged, I didn’t feel the least bit guilty about sharing a bed with Sophia. After takeoff, we were both falling asleep in our chairs when I suggested we go to the bedroom to be more comfortable. We were going to deal with a lot of jet lag, and keeping up with the correct time zone, even when the sky was bright and sunny, was important. I wanted to be as fresh and alert as I could be when it came to speaking with Mother.

She would be ready to fight with me as soon as I arrived, and I was going to be ready for her.

The impending conversation aided in keeping me restless for the ride over to England. Here were the two most important women in my life, and there was this giant rift between them. I knew Sophia was trying as hard as she could, but Mother could prove to be stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be.

It was tempting to ask Abir to meet with us as a family so she would curb her tongue, but it was only a matter of time before she got Sophia or myself alone to tell us how she really thought.

I was a man who could stand up to his mother, and I would do just that.

Sophia turned in her sleep, and she clasped her hand in mine. Even though it was dark in the bedroom, her eyes opened. “Are we there yet?”

“No,” I said, kissing the tip of her nose.

“Go to sleep then,” she said and moved closer to me.

I inhaled the scent of her shampoo, and for a brief moment, I was able to forget about Mother. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Sophia’s breathing, the very sound lulling me into a deep and dreamless sleep.

A sharp knock on the door came sometime later.

Sophia jolted, and I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Glancing at the digital display next to the bed, Sophia and I had slept for most of the flight.

“Your Majesty,” one of the flight attendants said through the door. I couldn’t tell who it was over the engines of the plane.

“Yes?” I called.

“We will prepare for landing in ten minutes,” he said.

“Very well. Thank you.”

Sophia rolled over and stretched her arms over her head. “We have to get up?”

I kissed her forehead before getting out of bed. “I’m afraid so.”

I went to the window and flipped open the shade. The sun was setting in the distance, and the sky was darkening over the city. I drew in a deep breath, back in England once again. Since becoming king, I had no intention to return to England in the near future, but going back to gather Sophia had changed that plan.

Sophia went into the bathroom to change before we went into the main cabin area.

We sat together in the same places that we had every single flight we’d taken together. Side by side in the plushier chairs, overlooking the wing of the airplane.

I took her hand in mine as we watched the big screen television fixed on the wall in front of us. I enjoyed keeping up with current events and so did Sophia. The landing was smooth as we were distracted by the pretty news anchor on BBC News.

Once we were safely on the ground, Sophia let out a big breath.

“Everything all right?” I asked her.

“Yeah,” she said. “Sort of.”

Unbuckling from the chair, I turned to her. “We’re staying here for the night. I’d like to take you to dinner. Unless you’re too tired?”

She shook her head. “Surprisingly, I’m not tired. I got a nice rest before. I’d love to go to dinner. When do we take off again?”

I checked my watch. We didn’t have nearly as much time in England as I wanted.

“Early tomorrow morning.”

“So if we don’t get a lot of sleep tonight, we can sleep on the plane?”

“Yes,” I said, a little confused by her question.

It didn’t take me long to put together what she’d said and the quick flash of something in her eyes. Clearing my throat and adjusting the growing hardness between my legs, I followed her off the plane.

---

Even though it was late afternoon, the streets of London were bustling with activity. Those coming from a long week of work were off to their families or out to the pub.

Since I wasn’t sure what tonight would entail, I ordered a car service for us so neither of us would have to worry about driving under the influence of jet lag or the costly bottle of wine I was about to purchase at dinner.

I wanted as much time together in our hotel as possible, so I’d sent our things to our room, and we headed off before the flight attendants and pilot even left the tarmac.

They had a long working day ahead of themselves; I hoped they rested appropriately.

We arrived at one of my favorite restaurants in the city. It showcased garden to table entrees in a modern British fashion. I always loved the unique menu and freshness of their food.

It was a good thing I’d booked the restaurant when I did. The main dining room was packed with people.

The hostess led us to the private dining room upstairs. While I’d hosted several meetings there, I enjoyed having the intimate setting for just Sophia and me.

The room was beautiful, and Sophia mentioned it to me, but she no longer had that wide-eyed response when we arrived at places like this. It gave me a little thrill to see her melding into the lifestyle that I’d cultivated for myself a long time ago. It gave me faith that she would blend into my life just as seamlessly.

With everything that happened in the past few days, Sophia took to quietly brooding during most of the dinner. I wanted to press her about what she was thinking, but I was in my own head about a lot of things as well. I played different iterations of the conversation between Mother and me when we returned to the palace. In my mind, all of them resulted in a lot of screaming and anger.

I debated having Sophia somewhere else when this conversation occurred with Mother. Sophia was a catalyst for Mother. I’d gone behind her back to propose to the one woman she didn’t want in my life, and I knew she would throw everything she could at us since it was her last chance to do so. I was still on the fence about what I wanted to do.

Sophia enjoyed comfort food, so I took the liberty of ordering several samplers of the decadent desserts the menu offered.

But when Sophia didn’t turn her head at their arrival, I knew I had to say something.

“You should try the soufflé,” I said to her.

She blinked and then came back to the present with me. “Sorry.” She lifted her fork and dug in.

“I know what you’re worried about,” I said, testing out the flourless chocolate cake.

“Is it that obvious?” she asked.

“Not really,” I said. “But she’s on my mind, too.”

Sophia sighed and took a sip from her wine glass. “I’ve never been this nervous in my life. I mean, going to Qatar the first time as your fake girlfriend, I had nothing to lose. Now, this woman is about to be my mother-in-law, and she hates me.”

I could have attempted to calm Sophia down by saying my mother didn’t hate her, but we both knew that wasn’t true. Getting Mother to accept Sophia was the solution. The only way to do that was to not back down on my decision to be with the beautiful woman in front of me.

“We’re going to do this together,” I said. “You and me. I love you so much, and I never want to see you upset about anything. I will make this right for all of us.”

She nodded, but I wasn’t sure she believed me.

Sophia wasn’t the type to just let things go. She needed more proof than that, and I was going to give it to her.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I asked her.

She chewed on her lip and then shook her head. “I’d like to try some more of these desserts.”

For the short remainder of the meal, we both put Mother aside and enjoyed ourselves. I didn’t want to scare Sophia and tell her we weren’t going to leave the palace for a while, but with the impending wedding and proving to Jaabir that I was the king for good, I wanted to put some roots down in Qatar. Sophia would have a lot to get used to as well, and I hoped that Mother would be a positive influence at some point.

---

After dinner, we went to the hotel. Even though we only had a few hours left in England, the wine and caffeine from dessert buzzed through my system so we decided to get a room. With the change in conversation leading in a positive direction, I was able to enjoy Sophia’s company more. Being in the city that I loved with the woman I adored shifted something inside of me. I wanted her so badly. It was the last chance we would have to be intimate together in some time, and I hoped she wasn’t too exhausted.

When we entered the suite, Sophia dropped her bag near the door. She walked through the living space and opened up the curtains, displaying a breathtaking view of the city.

“So beautiful,” she said.

I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned her head back, tilting her chin up so our lips brushed against each other. My hands explored lower. She leaned against me and spread her legs open, inviting me to touch her some more.