Setting the used tests on the counter by a vase of roses, Alyssa took a deep breath and did her best to stay calm. Gnawing on her lip, she paced the bathroom as she counted the passing seconds in her head. What if the tests were positive? Rashid had only just arrived. She hadn’t made space in her life for a second baby.

  Yet…wouldn’t that be amazing? To have their first two kids so close in age?

  But what would that mean for work? Alyssa had already taken so much time off. Did she want to do it again?

  Abruptly, Alyssa stopped pacing. She had lost count of time. Had three minutes gone by?

  Rushing to the counter, she looked down at the tests.

  All three of them had the same result.

  CHAPTER 20

  ALI

  “That was amazing,” Alyssa said.

  Arms linked, they walked out of the Moulin Rouge. It was their last night in Paris, and for it, they had enjoyed dinner and a show at the Paris staple.

  “What did you like best?” Ali asked.

  “Oh, gosh…” Alyssa bit her lip in thought. “I don’t know. It was all so amazing. The dancing, obviously. I also really just liked the decor.”

  “It was beautiful,” Ali agreed.

  They left the lights of the theater behind, and Alyssa stepped up to the curb.

  “I’ll get a taxi,” she said.

  Ali hung back slightly. Should he tell her? No. She would figure it out soon enough. Besides, he so did love surprising her.

  A taxi rolled up to the curb, and Ali opened the door so Alyssa could slide into the backseat. Settling next to her, he leaned forward to speak to the driver.

  “Champ de Mars, Place Jacques Rueff,” Ali said.

  The driver looked over his shoulder at Ali. “You are sure?”

  Ali nodded confidently. “Oui.”

  The driver chuckled lightly and turned back around. “D’accord.”

  “Hang on—that’s not the hotel’s address,” Alyssa said, shrugging out of her jacket. “Where are we going?”

  “Wait and see.” Ali winked.

  “More surprises.” She tried to look grumpy, but she couldn’t hide her smile.

  Ali reached for her hand, and they sat quietly as the cab turned through the streets.

  “I’m really going to miss it here,” Alyssa said, her face to the window.

  “Yes. I know.” Ali ran his thumb over her fingers. “I hope that tonight gives you some good memories to take home, though.”

  “Oh, for sure. This is the best honeymoon I’ve ever had.”

  Ali chuckled.

  “That wasn’t even funny,” Alyssa said. “It was such a bad joke.”

  “That’s why I laughed.”

  The taxi arrived at their destination, and Alyssa leaned past Ali to look out his window. “Um, why are we here? I mean, it’s pretty and all…”

  Ali paid the driver and opened his door. “Come and see.”

  They climbed from the car, which took off, leaving the two of them standing and looking at the sparkling Eiffel Tower. Nearby, other people gazed at the sight appreciatively.

  “Actually,” Alyssa said, putting her arm around Ali’s waist. “This is really awesome. I liked seeing it during the day, but this might be even prettier.”

  “Glad you think so.” Taking her hand, Ali started walking for the tower.

  “I’m not sure how close we can go,” Alyssa said. “I think they might have it roped off at night or something.”

  “We are going all the way up.”

  Alyssa’s brow lowered in the street lamps’ light. “It’s closed.”

  “That is why I booked a private tour.” Ali took her hand again.

  “Wow…”

  “Surprised?” he asked.

  “Very.” Alyssa bumped her shoulder against his. “So, wait. Someone’s taking us up there? Will there be anyone else?”

  “No. It’s a private tour.”

  Alyssa made a noise of giddy excitement. “Oh my gosh.”

  At the base of the tower, Ali checked in and a rosy-faced tour guide led them into the first elevator, which was a short ride to the next level. From there, they switched to the second elevator, which would take them to the very top.

  During the ride up, Alyssa clung to his hand as she took in the view. “I wonder if we’ll be able to spot our hotel from the top. Remember, I tried to find it last time?”

  “Perhaps tonight, we will,” Ali answered.

  The elevator opened, and the three of them entered the top level. The tour guide walked and talked slowly, giving the couple a breakdown of the tower’s history. Alyssa listened intently, nodding periodically and asking a couple of questions.

  Ali wasn’t such a good student. He kept going to the fence and looking out. A sparkling city at night was one of his favorite things. He visited the tower at night a couple times, and the view never disappointed. Ali could not imagine even the coldest hearted person looking at such a view and not being moved.

  Though he had experienced it before, tonight was better than any other. Tonight, he had the love of his life with him, and he got to see her take in the shimmering view for the first time.

  The tour guide finished her history spiel. “And now, would you like some time to admire the view?” she asked in her thick French accent.

  “Yes, please,” Alyssa said right away.

  Ali drew Alyssa into the crook of his arm. “Right,” he said, “Now, where do you think our hotel is?”

  “Mm.” Alyssa pressed a finger to her pursed lips. “Let’s see…this is west, I’m pretty sure…”

  “I believe so, yes. Let me check and see what side of the trees have the most moss.”

  Alyssa barked out a laugh. “Right.”

  “You were the one who saved us with that knowledge.” Ali grinned.

  She snuggled closer to his chest. “Oh, you did plenty. Coconuts, remember?”

  “Ah, yes. My sexiest moment, you say.”

  “Oh, yeah,” she murmured distractedly, her focus still on the city. “I think our street is over there.” She pointed.

  Ali squinted, but she could have been pointing at one of a hundred streets. High up as they were, it was impossible to zone in so carefully.

  “Ah, yes,” he said. “I think you’re correct.”

  Alyssa looked up at him. “Are you just agreeing with me for the sake of it?”

  “Um…”

  “Ali.” She kissed his neck. “Stop it.”

  He hugged her tighter. “Stop agreeing with you? Okay.”

  Alyssa sighed and dropped her head against his chest. “Thank you for this.”

  Ali smoothed his hand down her hair. “You’re welcome, my love.”

  “I like standing up here and looking at all those lights. I kind of feel like each one represents a person. I mean, I know that’s not true, but…it just feels that way.”

  “Yes,” Ali agreed. “I understand what you’re saying.”

  “Back to reality tomorrow.”

  “You don’t sound bothered by that.”

  “I’m not,” Alyssa said. “I love my life.”

  Warmth filled Ali, and he kissed the top of his wife’s head. “I feel the same. It does not matter where I am. New York. Paris. The middle of a jungle on an island…as long as I am with you, I am happy.”

  Alyssa made a disgruntled noise. “Okay, that last one might be pushing it some.”

  “How about on an island?” he asked.

  “I’ll take the island. So long as I can know for sure that we won’t be there forever.”

  “Huh.” Ali stroked his jaw. “If I’d known that, I actually might have taken us there instead of Paris.”

  “Don’t even,” Alyssa warned.

  “But I did not.”

  “But you might,” Alyssa pointed out. “Someday.”

  “I do think of that place often,” Ali admitted.

  Life on the island had been simple. Primal. Even the fear, Ali had enjoyed. It drove him more than anything, excluding love, ever had.

  Alyssa shrugged in his arms. “Buy an island.”

  Ali laughed. “Maybe I will.”

  “I was joking,” Alyssa quipped.

  “I’m not. I can’t think of anything better. Imagine it. Living on our own island, with no one to disturb us.”

  “Is there electricity on this island? A frozen yogurt shop?”

  “Those rank evenly on your list of priorities?” Ali asked.

  “Yes, and I think you knew that when you married me,” Alyssa said.

  “Everyone has their vices,” Ali said with a laugh.

  “Hey!” Alyssa cried. “I resent that. Frozen yogurt is good for you. It has probiotics.”

  “It is good for you when you pile it with gummies and whipped cream?”

  “Let’s shelve this debate,” Alyssa said, chuckling. “I really don’t want to spend our time on the Eiffel Tower arguing about my dessert habits.”

  “Agreed,” Ali said. He glanced sideways, spotting their tour guide down the walkway some, enjoying the view on her own. She certainly didn’t seem bored by it.

  “By the way,” Ali said to Alyssa, “how are you feeling? You didn’t mention feeling ill today. Do you think it was something you ate?”

  “Um, no, I don’t so.” Alyssa paused. “I did feel nauseous today, though. Tired, too.”

  “What do you think is going on? Do you want to see a doctor? Should we delay the flight tomorrow?”

  Alyssa turned around to face him. “I’ll see a doctor once we get back to New York.”

  Ali pressed his palm to her forehead. “How are you feeling now?”

  “I’m okay.” Alyssa licked her lips. “Mostly tired. A little nervous.”

  “Nervous?” Ali’s heart thumped loudly. “Alyssa, is everything all right? You’re worrying me.”

  “Yes, yes. Sorry.” Facing him straight on, with Paris sparkling behind her, Alyssa laced their fingers and stepped a little closer to him. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I just…I have some news, and I was waiting for the right time to share it.”

  Ali’s mouth went dry, and his pulse rang in his ears. “Good news, right?”

  She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. “I hope so.”

  Could it be…? Was this why…? Ali forced himself to stop with the questions. There was no sense in getting so ahead of himself.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Last night, when I went down to get some air, I also ran across the street to go to the store. I took a few pregnancy tests, and…they were all positive.”

  Ali’s jaw dropped. “You…uh…”

  “Yeah.” Alyssa nodded. “All of my symptoms add up. They’re the same ones I had with Rashid.”

  “You’re pregnant,” Ali said slowly, testing the weight of the words.

  “It looks like it.” Alyssa’s face was cautious. “I know we weren’t planning on having another one so soon…”

  “No,” he breathed. “We weren’t, were we?”

  “What do you…” She cleared her throat. “What do you think?”

  A laugh boomed from Ali’s chest, and he pulled Alyssa into a tight hug. She giggled.

  “You’re crushing me!” she wailed, her voice muffled.

  “Oops.” He let her go. “I’m sorry. This is simply so wonderful!”

  “Yeah?” she asked. “I mean, it’s a little crazy. I don’t know what I’m going to do about work.”

  “Whatever you want,” Ali said. “I’m sure they will continue to work with you, just as they always have.”

  Alyssa tucked her hair behind her ears. “I couldn’t believe it. When I saw those results, I was just blown away.”

  “And how do you feel now?” Ali cupped her face.

  Alyssa’s shoulders lifted and dropped with a long exhale. “It’s still sinking in… I’m trying to imagine Rashid a year from now, with his baby brother or sister.” She shook her head. “Wow.”

  “Two babies.” Ali kissed Alyssa’s lips. “Two,” he repeated.

  “I guess you’re excited,” she giggled.

  “Alyssa, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Hold on.” Leaving her, he went to the fence and cupped his hands around his mouth. “We’re having a baby!” he shouted out to the city.

  “Ali!” Alyssa laughed. “Stop!”

  “A second baby!” Ali added. “Just to clarify!”

  “Congratulations!” the tour guide yelled back.

  “Oh my gosh.” Alyssa covered her face.

  Laughing, Ali pulled her to him. “Do I embarrass you?”

  “Yes,” she laughed, dropping her hands and looking up at him. “But you do so much more than that.”

  “Like what?” Ali asked.

  “You love me. Inspire me. Encourage me to be better.” Alyssa scrunched her face. “Didn’t we just go over this with our wedding vows?”

  Ali stroked her cheek. “I love you so much.”

  Alyssa beamed brighter than the city lights behind her. “I love you more.”

  “Not possible.” Ali gently pressed his palm to her tummy. “Wow. Another baby.”

  “I know, right? Now we’ll have an even baby-to-cat ratio in the apartment.”

  Ali threw his head back with laughter. “I’m not sure how the cats will take the change.”

  “They’ll get used to it,” Alyssa said. “They love Rashid.”

  “Come here,” Ali said gently. Hooking his thumb under Alyssa’s chin, he guided her lips to meet his. Their kiss was slow. Heated. Layered with a hundred unsaid feelings and desires. Thick with their past. Bursting with a bright future.

  Alyssa broke her lips from his. “I could kiss you all night,” she murmured, her breath sweeping against his mouth.

  “Then why stop now?” Ali asked, before kissing the woman he loved again.

  Book Four is Available Now.

  To read a sneak preview, keep scrolling!

  HIS ROYAL TWINS

  CHAPTER 1

  ALYSSA

  “You really must read to the babies,” Noura said. “Are you reading to them?”

  “Uh…” From where she sat on the couch, Alyssa looked up at her mother-in-law. “Not out loud?”

  Noura threw her hands up. “Oh, my. That won’t do at all.”

  “I didn’t read to Rashid while he was in the womb,” Alyssa pointed out. “And he’s doing just fine.”

  Hearing his name, the thirteen-month-old looked over his shoulder at his mom. He sat on the floor surrounded by his new wooden zoo set, courtesy of his grandparents.

  “Dat,” Rashid said, and banged a wooden giraffe against the floor, grinning.

  Alyssa smiled and reached down to smooth her palm over his head. “Dat” was one of her baby son’s favorite things to say, and it could be applied to any and everything. Have a question? Dat? Angry at someone or something? Dat!

  His most interesting attempts at language, though, involved mashing up English and Arabic words. When he did that, it was extremely difficult to understand what he was saying—but also the cutest thing in the world.

  “I’m ordering you some books,” Noura said, pulling her phone out. She squinted at the screen. “These text messages are so difficult to send. Who can read the letters when they are so small?”

  “We have books,” Alyssa pointed out. “Rashid’s.”

  “He needs new books, as well. Ones for the learning stage he is about to enter.”

  Alyssa nodded. Why argue against a gift?

  By “ordering” books, Noura meant that she would have her assistant pick some up. Not that Alyssa had anything against that, either. After spending the last few months living in Baqar, Alyssa had come to appreciate having help around more and more.

  At first, it had felt weird to have people waiting on her hand and foot. But then, she had become more pregnant. And even more pregnant. At this point, pulling into the eight-and-a-half-month mark with not one, but two babies in her belly, Alyssa felt she could hardly do a thing for herself. Forget about tying her shoes or getting into the top or bottom cupboards in the kitchen. Those days were long gone.

  “Oh, never mind.” Noura waved her hand and put her phone into her purse. “I’ll do it later. Right now, I must spend time with my grandson.” Settling onto the carpet on her knees, she smiled wide at Rashid. “How is my sweet little one?”

  “Dat,” Rashid said, handing her a zebra.

  “Yes,” Noura said, “I will hold this for you.”

  One of the babies kicked, and their sibling followed suit—right into Alyssa’s ribs.

  “Yikes,” she gasped, pressing her hands to her belly.

  Noura frowned, her perfectly arched, dark eyebrows pushing together. “Shall I call the doctor?”

  “No,” Alyssa said quickly. “It was just a kick. Anyway, I have an appointment this afternoon.”

  Noura nodded firmly. “And will Ali be accompanying you?”

  “He will,” Alyssa said.

  “Good.” Noura nodded again and looked around the living room, as if on the hunt for something else that needed her attention.

  “Everything is good, Noura,” Alyssa assured her. “We’re doing great.”

  Noura sighed slightly. “To be pregnant in this heat. With twins.”

  “At least I have air conditioning. Not everyone is that lucky.”

  “That is true,” Noura agreed.

  Rashid grabbed hold of her arm so he could stand, and all of Noura’s attention went to him.

  “Look at you,” she cooed. “Walking everywhere you go.”

  Alyssa’s gaze turned to the back windows. Beyond the glass, a verdant garden sat in the late morning sun. The house that Alyssa, Ali, and Rashid had been living in the last few months was nothing short of amazing. In the past, she might have gone so far as to call it a palace, but that would have been before she’d been in an actual palace. Noura and Fakhir lived in a palace. Alyssa and Ali lived in a mansion.

  Still pretty amazing. And weird, sometimes.

  When they had decided to migrate from New York to Baqar for at least the summer, Ali’s parents had begged for them to move into the palace. Though Ali’s cousin was the ruler of Baqar, many members of the royal family occupied the palace. The place was a never-ending labyrinth of rooms and halls, and it could have fit twice the number of people who already occupied it, but Alyssa didn’t want to live there. Call her difficult—which she was sure some of Ali’s relatives did behind her back—but she wanted some semblance of normalcy. She wanted a home of her own, where she could kick back at the end of the day with a low amount of disturbances.