least, Kayleen thought the woman was being friendly. She could have just been acting nice because of the money that would be spent, but Kayleen hoped not.
She followed Glenda to the dressing room where the girls were giddily trying on clothes.
“I have socks with kittens!” Pepper yelled. “Can I have socks with puppies?”
“Yes,” the woman helping her said with a laugh. “We even have giraffes.”
“I
For Nadine there were dance clothes and frilly dresses, for Dana, clothes that were slightly less girly, but still pretty. Pepper ran to Kayleen and thrust kitten socks in her hand.
“Aren’t they the best?” she asked breathlessly.
“They are.”
“I love shopping!”
“So you’re starting them young,” Glenda murmured.
“Apparently.”
She was taken into her own dressing room where dozens of items hung. There were dresses and jeans and blouses and skirts and suits. In the corner, three towers of shoe boxes stood nearly four feet high.
“We’ll start with the basics,” Glenda told her. “The prince mentioned you didn’t have much of an appropriate wardrobe.” She laughed. “Hardly something he had to mention. Not many of us have clothing fit for royal duty. Of course you’d be starting over. And isn’t that the best place to be?”
Kayleen fingered her plain dress. “I’ve never been into fashion before.”
“That is about to change. Fortunately you can learn a lot fairly quickly. Pay attention to what looks good on you rather than what’s in style, go with classics and coordinates. And expect to be tortured by pretty shoes on formal evenings. All right, dear, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Glenda waited patiently until Kayleen figured out she was expected to undress.
Kayleen reluctantly unzipped her dress and stepped out of it. Glenda nodded.
“Excellent. Not too curvy, so you can dazzle in evening wear. That’s good. No offense, dear, but you have very ugly underwear. If you’re going to marry a prince, you need sexy and pretty. You want to keep him interested.”
She began making notes, then motioned to the rack on the right. “We’ll start there.”
An hour later Kayleen realized she’d underestimated women who shopped for sport. It was exhausting. Trying on, walking out for As’ad’s approval, then getting pinned and poked so everything fit perfectly, finding the right shoes, walking around in them, getting another nod from As’ad, then starting the whole thing over with a different dress.
She was zipping up a simple day dress when Dana walked into the dressing room.
“We’re finished,” she said. “As’ad said to tell you Aunt Lina is coming by to take us to the movies.”
Kayleen smiled. “Are you as tired as I am?”
Dana nodded. “It was fun, but work.”
“I didn’t get to see half of what any of you bought. We’ll have to have a fashion show when the clothes are delivered.”
But instead of agreeing, Dana moved close, put her arms around Kayleen’s waist and started to cry.
Kayleen sat down and pulled the girl onto her lap. “What’s wrong?”
“I miss my mom and my dad,” she said as she cried. “I know it’s wrong, but I do.”
Kayleen hugged her tight. “It’s not wrong to miss them. Of course you do. This is all new and different. You want to share what’s happening and you want the comfort of what’s familiar. I don’t blame you at all. You’ve been so brave, sometimes I forget you’re not all grown-up.”
“I get scared.”
“Because all this is different?”
Dana buried her face in Kayleen’s shoulder. “We don’t want you to go away.”
“I won’t.”
“Promise? Not ever? No matter what?”
“We will always be together. As’ad and I are getting married. We’re going to be a family.”
Dana looked at her. “If you leave him, you’ll take us with you?”
Kayleen smiled. “I’m not leaving.”
“You could. People leave.”
“I won’t, but if something happens and I do, I’ll take all three of you with me. I promise.”
Dana wiped her face. “Okay. I trust you.”
“Good, because I love you.”
Dana sniffed. “Really?”
“Really. You and Nadine and Pepper. I love you all so much. I always wanted girls and now I have three.”
Dana hugged her hard. Kayleen held her, willing her to feel safe, to know she, Kayleen, would always protect her. At last Dana straightened.
“I’m better,” she said as she slid to her feet.
“I’m glad. I’m always here, if you need to talk or anything. Just tell me. Okay?”
Dana nodded and left. Kayleen stood and smoothed the front of the dress. “We know it wrinkles,” she said to herself.
As’ad stepped into the dressing room. He stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“I heard your conversation with Dana,” he told her, meeting her gaze in the mirror.
“Do you disapprove?” she asked.
“Not at all. You reassured her and she will reassure her sisters.” One corner of his mouth turned up. “Perhaps you could have hesitated before agreeing you would probably leave me.”
“I never said that. I won’t. Marriage is forever for me.”
“As it is for me,” he told her, then turned her to face him. “You are an excellent mother. That pleases me. For the girls and the sons to follow.”
“You do realize that you’re technically responsible for the gender of any children we have. That if I have girls, it’s your fault?”
He smiled. “Yes, I know. Although I would remind you I am one of six brothers. So the odds are in my favor.”
She wanted to mention that a healthy child should be enough, regardless of gender. But what was the point? As’ad was a prince and a sheik. He was arrogant, but he was also kind and charming and she didn’t want to change anything about him.
“Are you enjoying shopping?” he asked.
“It’s a lot of work. I’m not really used to this level of service.”
“You will become accustomed to it.”
“Maybe. Do I really need all these clothes? It seems excessive.”
“You are my wife.”
“I get that, but still…”
“You represent El Deharia. The people have expectations.”
Oh. Right. How long would
“So you will do what is necessary for my people but not for me.”
“Pretty much.”
He bent down and kissed the side of her neck. Her insides clenched in response.
“I see I have to teach you to respect me,” he murmured, his mouth moving against her skin.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her back against him. He was warm and hard and she loved the feel of him so close.
She wanted this to be real-all of it. The girls as her family and As’ad as the man she loved more than anyone else. She wanted him to feel the same way. She wanted to make him weak at the knees and be all to him. If only…
He turned her to face him. “When we return to the palace I wish to discuss finances with you,” he told her. “You and the girls will always be taken care of. Even if something should happen to me, you will be financially secure. The palace will always be your home, but should you wish to live elsewhere, money would be made
