and introduced Hakim.
“Good to see you again, Hakim.” Dan clasped Hakim’s hand.
Shelby held Lacey’s new baby, Cole, cradling him while she spoke with his four-year-old sister, Shay.
Shay’s hair was the same striking dark brown as her mother’s. It curled in bouncing ringlets. She wore a princess costume with a plastic tiara. Hakim couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
“Shay, this is my friend, Hakim,” Shelby said, waving a hand in his direction.
“I am four.” Shay held up four chubby fingers to show him.
“It’s nice to meet you, Shay.” Hakim knelt down to Shay’s height. “Shelby told me this is your new house.” He glanced around the small entryway, feeling claustrophobic with the low ceilings. The décor seemed cluttered, and like Shelby’s house the furniture was mismatched and the tables and shelves held keepsakes and pictures. A home. Not a showpiece of elegance like his palace.
“I have my own room,” Shay said. “Wanna see it?”
Unsure of what was appropriate, he looked to Shelby, eyebrows raised.
“Hakim would love to see your new room, and so would I.” Shelby reached for Shay’s hand.
The child reached instead for Hakim’s hand, grabbing it, and then she led them up the stairs.
Having little experience with children, he was touched and a bit bewildered by her gesture.
Shay stopped at a doorway and held her hands out in a grand gesture. “My own room.”
Hakim followed her into what he supposed was a typical American little girl’s room. A dresser and canopy bed were her only furniture, and a giant pink dollhouse filled the rest of the space.
Shay instructed Hakim to sit on the floor and began to hand him different toys, telling him each of their names.
Before long, he had a lap full of dolls. He had rarely spent time with a child and did not know how to act around a little girl.
“Which princess is the most beautiful?” Shay asked.
“Hmmm…” Hakim tapped his chin, pretending to consider her question. “I think Princess Shay is the most beautiful princess of all.”
Shay giggled and clapped her hands together. “Then you can be the prince.”
“Very well. What does the prince do?” Hakim lifted his shoulders. If the child only knew .
“He rides a horse, and rescues the princess, and dances with her,” Shay explained.
“Then, I will indeed be the prince.”
“We’d better save Hakim,” Lacey said from where she stood in the doorway beside Shelby. “It’s not often Shay has such a captive audience.”
Shay held tightly to Hakim’s hand as Dan and Lacey gave them the rest of the tour.
Five minutes later, the babysitter arrived, and Shay reluctantly said goodbye to Hakim, after he promised to try and return another day to play.
He was surprised when she hugged him, and when she planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek, an unfamiliar sensation stirred in his heart. He had never given much thought to having children of his own. Obviously, he was expected to produce an heir. He understood his duty, but he had never considered being a father would mean loving a child—and having a child love him. Putting away the thought to ponder later, he closed Shelby’s door and walked to the driver’s side of the rental car.
Hakim drove them to what Shelby claimed was the best restaurant in town: “Italian Garden.” He opened the door, and the smell of garlic and pasta sauce floated on the air. Shelby had informed him the restaurant hadn’t changed as long as she could remember. Built-in glass cabinets hung on the walls, encasing a never-changing display of faded silk flowers. The booths were upholstered with light blue vinyl, and yellow-paned light fixtures hung low over the tables.
At the side of the booth, Hakim helped Shelby take off her coat, noticing she exchanged waves with nearly every person in the restaurant. He stood aside to allow her onto the cushioned seat, but she preferred to keep her injured leg on the outside, and so he slid in first,
“Good to see you again, Hakim.” Dan clasped Hakim’s hand.
Shelby held Lacey’s new baby, Cole, cradling him while she spoke with his four-year-old sister, Shay.
Shay’s hair was the same striking dark brown as her mother’s. It curled in bouncing ringlets. She wore a princess costume with a plastic tiara. Hakim couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
“Shay, this is my friend, Hakim,” Shelby said, waving a hand in his direction.
“I am four.” Shay held up four chubby fingers to show him.
“It’s nice to meet you, Shay.” Hakim knelt down to Shay’s height. “Shelby told me this is your new house.” He glanced around the small entryway, feeling claustrophobic with the low ceilings. The décor seemed cluttered, and like Shelby’s house the furniture was mismatched and the tables and shelves held keepsakes and pictures. A home. Not a showpiece of elegance like his palace.
“I have my own room,” Shay said. “Wanna see it?”
Unsure of what was appropriate, he looked to Shelby, eyebrows raised.
“Hakim would love to see your new room, and so would I.” Shelby reached for Shay’s hand.
The child reached instead for Hakim’s hand, grabbing it, and then she led them up the stairs.
Having little experience with children, he was touched and a bit bewildered by her gesture.
Shay stopped at a doorway and held her hands out in a grand gesture. “My own room.”
Hakim followed her into what he supposed was a typical American little girl’s room. A dresser and canopy bed were her only furniture, and a giant pink dollhouse filled the rest of the space.
Shay instructed Hakim to sit on the floor and began to hand him different toys, telling him each of their names.
Before long, he had a lap full of dolls. He had rarely spent time with a child and did not know how to act around a little girl.
“Which princess is the most beautiful?” Shay asked.
“Hmmm…” Hakim tapped his chin, pretending to consider her question. “I think Princess Shay is the most beautiful princess of all.”
Shay giggled and clapped her hands together. “Then you can be the prince.”
“Very well. What does the prince do?” Hakim lifted his shoulders. If the child only knew .
“He rides a horse, and rescues the princess, and dances with her,” Shay explained.
“Then, I will indeed be the prince.”
“We’d better save Hakim,” Lacey said from where she stood in the doorway beside Shelby. “It’s not often Shay has such a captive audience.”
Shay held tightly to Hakim’s hand as Dan and Lacey gave them the rest of the tour.
Five minutes later, the babysitter arrived, and Shay reluctantly said goodbye to Hakim, after he promised to try and return another day to play.
He was surprised when she hugged him, and when she planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek, an unfamiliar sensation stirred in his heart. He had never given much thought to having children of his own. Obviously, he was expected to produce an heir. He understood his duty, but he had never considered being a father would mean loving a child—and having a child love him. Putting away the thought to ponder later, he closed Shelby’s door and walked to the driver’s side of the rental car.
Hakim drove them to what Shelby claimed was the best restaurant in town: “Italian Garden.” He opened the door, and the smell of garlic and pasta sauce floated on the air. Shelby had informed him the restaurant hadn’t changed as long as she could remember. Built-in glass cabinets hung on the walls, encasing a never-changing display of faded silk flowers. The booths were upholstered with light blue vinyl, and yellow-paned light fixtures hung low over the tables.
At the side of the booth, Hakim helped Shelby take off her coat, noticing she exchanged waves with nearly every person in the restaurant. He stood aside to allow her onto the cushioned seat, but she preferred to keep her injured leg on the outside, and so he slid in first,
Similar Books
