“So, if we lived in Brooklyn, it wouldn’t be weird?” Ali asked.

  “If we lived in Ohio, it wouldn’t be weird,” she answered. “Brooklyn is still a little too close.”

  “I hear you,” Ali laughed. “But do you have any ideas for names?”

  “Hmm, let’s see… I was thinking up some the other day at work. Mia, Ford…”

  “Oh, really?” Ali said. “Ford? As in, a shallow water crossing? Like a river? Like the Hudson River?”

  Alyssa swatted his chest. “Wow, Ali,” she said. “That’s not a stretch at all.”

  “You said—”

  “Is there a Ford River anywhere nearby?” Alyssa interrupted.

  “We could move away from New York one day.”

  That made her drop her hand and stare at him. “You want to do that?”

  Ali took her hand in his, a serious look on his face. “Alyssa…if that’s what it takes…for you to allow me to name our son Hudson, then, yes.”

  “Oh my God,” she laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

  Grinning, Ali wrapped his arm around her torso and buried his face in her hair. “You bring it out of me.”

  They finished their tour of the Christmas windows, winding up right back on the edge of Rockefeller Center.

  “Wow, it’s cold,” Alyssa said, covering her nose with her hands.

  “Let us get warmed up, then,” Ali said, taking her hand again.

  Fifteen minutes later, and they sat in a window booth at one of the restaurants owned by Ali’s family. From their second-floor table, they had the perfect view of the Rockefeller tree.

  “Oh, gosh,” Alyssa breathed, taking her coat off. “I wish I’d known this spot had such a good view sooner. Do you ever come here?”

  “Occasionally,” Ali said. “To check on the operations.”

  Across the restaurant, a table of young women watched them with interest. Seeing Ali watching them in turn, they quickly averted their gazes and began whispering amongst themselves. Surely, they recognized Ali and Alyssa. What they were saying, though, he did not care.

  Derek’s retraction had been published a few days earlier, and Ali’s mother and the family publicist had pounced on the momentum. They had booked several appearances on morning talk shows, the first of which was tomorrow.

  Initially, Ali had fought against such a move. He wanted to keep his private life exactly that. Noura was so adamant, though, and Alyssa so eager to keep things smooth with the family, that he had conceded.

  “How do you feel about tomorrow?” Ali asked.

  The waiter dropped off the hot chocolate Alyssa had ordered, and she smiled her thanks, wrapped her hands around the warm mug, and tilted her gaze to the ceiling as she thought about it.

  “The jury is still out,” she finally said.

  Ali laughed. “You can take the paralegal out of the office…”

  Alyssa made a face. “Ugh. I’m never going back there again.” She dipped her spoon into the whipped cream on top of the drink. “Honestly, I haven’t been thinking about the talk shows much. It will make your parents happy, so…” She nodded. “There you have it.”

  Ali tapped his fingers against the table, nervousness rearing its head. “I’m clueless as to what I’ll say.”

  Alyssa shrugged. “We’re being interviewed. I don't think you have to plan anything. And Noura said your publicist already ran acceptable questions by the producers.”

  “True…” Ali shifted in his seat. He still didn’t like the idea of going on television, but if that was what it took to make everything right in his family, so be it.

  “Speaking of which…” Alyssa read something on her phone. “Noura just sent us a group text with the questions and some suggestions for answers.”

  “I’m sure she did,” Ali laughed.

  “Baby due date,” Alyssa read as she scrolled. “Names, wedding date… She says the interviewer won't be bringing up Derek's articles at all.”

  “Good,” Ali said.

  Alyssa put her phone down. “You know, it seems like no one is even talking about what he said in that article.”

  “How do you know what people are saying?” Ali asked. “I thought you said reading comments online drove you crazy.”

  Alyssa blushed. “Okay, I may have done a little poking around…and it seems that no one takes Whispers seriously, anyway.”

  “No surprise there,” Ali snorted.

  “Yeah, a lot of people consider most of what they publish to be rumors or outright lies, anyway.” Alyssa looked into her hot chocolate. “So, there’s one thing they’re gonna ask about, and I thought we should talk about it beforehand.”

  “Which is?” Ali sat up straighter, sensing the changed mood.

  “The wedding.” She looked up, her face cautious. “Noura said they’ll probably ask about a date. A location.” She twisted her lips. “We haven’t even figured that out for ourselves.”

  Ali thought about that for a moment. “What do you want to do?” he asked. “You decide.”

  Alyssa didn’t look any happier, and Ali frowned. Wasn’t he giving her what she wanted by turning the choice over to her?

  “I want whatever choice we make to be mutual,” Alyssa said.

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  They looked at each other, Ali waiting for Alyssa to speak and getting the sense that she was doing the same.

  “So…” She tilted her head, eyebrows raised.

  “So.”

  Alyssa laughed. “Yeah. You haven’t been thinking about a wedding any either, have you?”

  Ali grinned. “I’ve been rather distracted by preparations for these interviews.”

  “Yeah.” Alyssa nodded. “And thinking about the baby.”

  “Exactly. We need to prepare a nursery.”

  “And I need to get my schedule squared away at work.”

  “Have you thought any more about that?” Ali asked.

  Alyssa sighed. “Yeah. Ideally, I’d like to be there part-time after the baby comes. I don’t know if they’ll be good with that, though. It could be that they’d rather replace me with someone who wants to work full-time, which I really don’t think I want to do.”

  “Don’t worry about it too much, my love. I know they love having you there. It could be that part-time will work out fine.”

  “Yeah.” Alyssa’s gaze shifted to the window. “It’s just so much to think about at once. These appearances. Getting ready for the baby. Work. Plus, I’m so freaking tired all the time.”

  “I know,” Ali cooed, reaching across the table to run his thumb down her cheek. “But that could change in a couple of months.”

  “I hope so. Still, we’re gonna be crazy busy.”

  They looked at each other, a new understanding growing between them.

  “Maybe we should postpone the wedding,” Alyssa said. She sat up straighter. “I mean, not the engagement. I still want to marry you, obviously.”

  Ali nodded and reached across the table for her hand. “I know what you meant.”

  Alyssa ran her thumb over the top of his hand. “Having a baby is a big thing, and getting married is a big thing… I just want to make sure we don’t rush anything, you know?”

  “You read my mind,” Ali assured her. “I don’t want to look back on this time in our lives and regret not taking the time to savor it all.”

  Alyssa grinned, her perky nature returning. “Yeah. Exactly.”

  “Then it’s settled. We’ll discuss the wedding after little Hudson arrives.”

  Alyssa threw her head back in laughter. “Again with this?”

  “There’s a nice river in Baqar that we can name him after, if you prefer.”

  CHAPTER 17

  ALYSSA

  Alyssa perched on the edge of a white couch, the bright lights shining on the layers of foundation, bronzer, and blush a makeup artist had caked on her face. Ali sat beside her, looking a great deal more confident than she felt.

  A producer whose name Alyssa had forgotten amid being introduced to twenty people that morning hurried up to the couch, clipboard in hand and walkie-talkie on belt.

  “How are we doing?” she asked, giving Alyssa and Ali a thumbs-up. Before they could answer, she plunged on. “We're back in sixty. Camera one is going to start on Trini and then we'll cut to a wide shot with you guys in it. All right? Great.”

  Alyssa looked at Ali, and he gave her a smile, but behind it she saw he was as nervous as she was.

  On the other end of the couch, the host of Waking Up New York, Trini Michaels, lifted her face so a makeup artist could brush powder across her nose.

  Ali squeezed Alyssa’s hand. “Five minutes,” he said. “That's all we need to do this for.”

  “Yeah,” she whispered back in agreement. Beyond the line of cameras, a studio audience filled every available seat. Noura was in the wings, no doubt holding her breath.

  “And we're back in ten,” a crew member said. He waved his arm through the air with each number he said, and Alyssa took in a long breath that rattled her rib cage.

  “Five…four…three…two…one!”

  Peppy music blared through the studio, and Trini gave the camera directly in front of her a million-dollar smile.

  “Hello, and welcome back to Waking Up New York. My next guests are Sheikh Ali bin Talid and his fiancée, New York native Alyssa Cambridge. Ali and Alyssa, welcome to the show, and congratulations on your exciting news. You're expecting a baby!”

  Trini turned to them, and Alyssa opened her mouth but ended up sucking in air.

  “Yes,” Ali jumped in. “We’re expecting sometime in May.”

  “That's wonderful,” Trini said. “Now, Ali, as a lot of our viewers know, you're a sheikh of Baqar, but you've been living in New York for a few years now, and this is where you met Alyssa. What do you think of people calling your romance a modern-day fairy tale?”

  “A modern-day fairy tale?” Alyssa repeated, forgetting for a second about the lights, the cameras, and the fact that her image and words were being broadcasted to millions.

  “It must be rather exciting,” Trini said with a nod.

  “It is,” Ali said, squeezing Alyssa’s hand.

  “And tell us a little bit about the baby, Alyssa. Boy or girl?”

  Alyssa swallowed hard. “Oh, we don't know. We're waiting to find out.”

  Trini’s eyebrows rose. “Now that's classic! I love it. You have to give us a little tidbit, though. I know you're not showing yet, but you brought some ultrasound pictures for us. Let's take a peek at those.”

  Trini gestured behind them, and Alyssa turned to see a big flat screen with her latest ultrasound photos displayed on them. When Noura had mentioned they should bring them to the studio “just in case,” she hadn't thought much about it. Now, she saw that Noura and the producers probably had a plan all along.

  And, surprisingly, Alyssa didn't mind.

  “Aw, look at that,” Trini cooed. A collective aww followed from the audience.

  Trini turned back to Alyssa and Ali. “Okay, let's get to the other part we’re all dying to hear about. You've been engaged for, what? A few months now? When is the wedding?”

  Ali and Alyssa looked at each other, and he gave her the nod to go on.

  “Well,” Alyssa started, “We're pretty happy right now, just being engaged and prepping for our baby. We've both talked about it, and we don't feel like there's any rush.” She looked back at Ali, and the smile on his face made her heart sing.

  “That's right,” Ali said. “We're exactly where we need to be.”

  “Sweet.” Trini made a cutesy pouty face. “You guys really give new meaning to ‘relationship goals’. And one more thing before we have to go. What do you say to those who say this was a hidden pregnancy—that Alyssa kept it from you for weeks, Ali?”

  Alyssa's heart skipped a beat. Noura had been over this with the producers, and they had agreed: no questions about Derek's article. Then again, Trini wasn't really asking about the article, per se.

  Yay for loopholes.

  “People will believe what they choose to,” Ali said, pulling Alyssa closer to him. “At the end of the day, their opinions do not matter. Alyssa and I are honest with one another. We trust each other and love each other, and that is what truly counts.”

  Even though they were on camera, Alyssa knew his words were true. Tears filled her eyes, threatening to ruin the makeup artist’s hard work. She blinked them back, smiling up at Ali as he lowered his face for a quick kiss.

  “That is incredibly sweet,” Trini said. She fanned her face. “And I think this is a good time to say goodbye, because you guys are about to make me cry. Alyssa, Ali, thank you so much for coming by today and sharing your story with us. Congrats again on the baby.”

  “Thank you,” Alyssa and Ali said in unison.

  Trini looked to the camera. “Next up, hearty crockpot recipes the whole family will love, with one of New York’s premiere chefs.”

  Music started, and the producer signaled at a few people. Right away, everyone started moving. Makeup was back at Trini. Crew members rushed across the stage.

  Someone appeared at the couch with two bottles of water. “I’m here to show you back to your dressing room,” the girl said.

  Alyssa took the water, allowing herself to be guided back down the maze of hallways to the dressing room where she and Ali had been waiting before going on air.

  “We did it,” Ali said, setting his water on a table.

  Alyssa laughed. “No, you did it. I got so tongue-tied. As soon as the music started, it was like I froze up.”

  “I couldn’t tell,” Ali said, reaching for her. “And if I couldn’t, no one else could, either.”

  Alyssa raised an eyebrow, knowing he was probably lying, but also not caring. She wasn’t good at being in the spotlight, and she couldn’t care less. A few more appearances on shows, and they would be done with this whole circus—and hallelujah to that.

  “The interview wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be,” Ali said, “but I still can’t wait for the last one to finish.”

  “You read my mind,” Alyssa said, leaning onto her toes so she could brush her lips against his.

  The door burst open without a knock, and Alyssa pulled back from Ali. Noura rushed into the dressing room.

  “That was wonderful,” she said. “Truly wonderful.”

  “Thanks.” Alyssa smiled. “I didn’t look too awkward up there?”

  “Only a small amount,” Noura said. “But that’s to be expected, all things considered.”

  “Uh, thanks?” Alyssa glanced at Ali, who frowned.

  “Now,” Noura went on, unflustered, “you have the interview near Times Square this afternoon. They will be asking you similar questions. Baby, wedding, and so on.”

  “But nothing about Derek, right?” Alyssa asked, twisting her hands together nervously.

  “No.” Noura pursed her lips. “And I did not appreciate that question about the pregnancy being hidden. I will be speaking to the producers about that.”

  “Forget about it, Mother,” Ali said. “What’s done is done. There is no need to cause a ruckus. This will all be behind us, soon.”

  “You’re not enjoying this?” Noura asked, eyeing him. “At least a small amount?”

  Ali snorted. “Perhaps a year ago, I would have enjoyed being on television…but, no, I can’t say I do now.”

  His mother smiled approvingly and patted his cheek. “My boy has turned into quite the man.”

  Alyssa looked at the carpet, not adding anything to the conversation. She was still thinking about Derek. She hadn’t heard from him since he left the apartment that day they’d cornered him. She’d caught wind through the grapevine that Shannon had been pretty peeved about his manipulating Alyssa for information, and that Derek had apologized to her.

  Alyssa was glad the situation wasn’t ripping their marriage apart. As painful as his betrayal had been, she knew that Derek had acted with his family’s interests at heart. That was something she could understand. With each passing day, she was beginning to feel lighter.

  “Hmm,” Noura said. She was looking at something on her phone. “The emails are…” She shook her head in disbelief. “What would you say? Flooding in.”

  “Emails about what?” Ali asked.

  “There is one,” Noura said, “from a production company asking to meet with you regarding a reality television show.”

  Alyssa laughed. “Are you saying that someone wants us to star in our own reality show?”

  Noura nodded, her eyes still on her phone. “And here’s another one our publicist just forwarded me, regarding guest-hosting a morning show.”

  Ali and Alyssa looked at each other in amazement.

  “It appears,” Noura said, “you are making quite the impact on America.”

  “Hosting a show, Ali said. “Being on reality TV…”

  “We don't even watch reality TV,” Alyssa said. “That's…” She looked at Ali, hesitant to speak her true feelings in front of Noura.

  “Insane,” Ali finished.

  “It’s certainly not what we do in Baqar,” Noura said, putting her phone in her designer purse. “But it’s nice to know that your first television appearance has been so well-received.” She cleared her throat. “Our car is waiting outside. I have lunch booked at that Korean restaurant you love so much, Ali. After that, we will need to go promptly to the next studio.”

  Ali’s hand found Alyssa’s. “You go ahead, Mother,” he said. “We’ll be out in a minute.”

  Noura nodded, shutting the door behind her on her way out.

  Alyssa turned to Ali. “You don’t really want to do a reality show?” she asked. “Or host something?”

  Ali rested his hands on her shoulders. “Certainly not.”

  Alyssa sighed in relief. “Good. I mean, it sounds cool, you know…for some people.”

  “But not for us.”

  “Yeah.” Alyssa looked into his eyes. “I just think that we’re right where we need to be. Nothing needs to change.”

  “I agree completely.” Ali nodded.