Page 115 of Earned Husband

“Don’t worry,” she said quickly. “He’s fine now. Nanna refused to leave the house yesterday until he ate something.”

I leaned back on the lounger and exhaled heavily through my nose. “The poor guy. I think he’s starting to feel like our family is actually trying to kill him.”

She laughed. “It was all in good fun. It actually sounds like the boys had a blast. Tarek has some pictures, but he said he’s been sworn to secrecy.”

“We’ll find a way to see them,” I said. My mind was already drifting to wondering how Colin was feeling today.

Spending this week apart when we were so close to getting married had been torture. I missed him something awful, and as Jasmine kept going on about the plans they had for the Thayer and Westwood men’s arrival at the estate later, I realized that it presented an opportunity.

Both the men and the women were so focused on greeting our international guests that no one would be paying much attention to either Colin or myself. At least until dinner time, but that was still hours away.

“I’m going to have a nap,” I suddenly announced, getting off the lounger and faking a yawn. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

She pushed her sunglasses up to give me a knowing look. “Sure. I’ll tell everyone you need some rest this afternoon.”

“Thank you,” I murmured. “Keep Mom out of my suite, will you? I feel like you still owe me after what happened?—”

She cringed, her laughter cutting me off. “Yep. Yeah. You got it. I’ll owe you forever, and I’ll definitely knock next time.”

My cheeks flushed, but I nodded and spun around, careful to avoid my mom, aunts, and cousins that were scattered around the resort. It was exclusively ours this week, which meant that there were no crowds to hide between, but I headed up to my room, quickly changed, and then waited until I saw the American convoy rolling up to the lobby below before I made my escape.

A quick taxi ride later, I was sneaking around the back of the main house, the security guards pretending not to see me as I stuck close to the walls. The men were all around the front, welcoming the Thayers and the Westwoods in the driveway, which gave me a clear shot to Colin’s suite.

The terrace doors stood open and I slipped inside, finding him outside beneath the pergola in the courtyard on the other side. I closed all the doors behind me, smiling as I watched him recline on the day bed, scrolling through something on his phone while holding prescription allergy medicine in his other hand.

I folded my arms and propped my shoulder against the wall. “So, all this time, you have actually been allergic to me.”

He looked up, a soft, surprised smile on his face. “I’m allergic to your grandmother’s flowers.”

“Technically, they’re my flowers too,” I said, pushing away from the wall and sashaying closer. “Which means that our entire romance has been powered by antihistamines.”

“Powerful antihistamines.” He reached for me, one hand circling around my waist and the other grabbing my hand to haul me into his lap.

I gave a tiny yelp when I lost my balance but didn’t try to fight the sensation, knowing he’d never let me fall. He settled me comfortably against him, his skin sun-warmed and those grayeyes crinkled at the edges as he looked up at me. “You’re not supposed to be here, Ms. Saad.”

“I missed you.”

His arms tightened around me. “Yeah, I missed you too. I’m glad you came.”

“So am I.”

He rested his head against my shoulder and inhaled a deep, long breath. “You smell divine.”

My heart melted a little, but then he sneezed and I burst out laughing. “We’re going to have to tone down the American White Water Lily collection to Colin tolerance levels.”

“Definitely not,” he murmured, settling back against the chair. “I wouldn’t change a thing, but I’ll probably need a more comprehensive health insurance policy that covers allergy therapy.”

I leaned down and kissed the tip of his nose. “Or you could just let me tone down the scents.”

“Never.”

“Why not?”

“Because this smells like you,” he said simply, stealing the breath from my lungs for saying it the way he had, like it was the most natural, obvious answer in the world.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my cheek against the top of his head while he held me. For the first time in what felt like forever, it was just us, and I closed my eyes, wishing I could stay right here for the rest of the day.

“Deja?” he said quietly.