Page 41 of Earned Husband

I let my eyes slide shut for a brief moment. She wasn’t wrong. The women in my family considered matchmaking a recreational activity and wedding planning a job.

“Yeah, that’s actually what I’m most worried about in all this,” I admitted as I looked at her again. “I don’t know if he understands what he’ll be walking into when he comes here. Let’s face it, our family can be incredibly overwhelming.”

“Sure, but it sounds like he actually likes you. Sometimes, when you care about somebody, you have to just learn how to put up with their families. You don’t have to like them too.”

“Fair enough, but liking me in Chicago is one thing. Liking me in Cairo is another,” I said. “He gave me a month to think about it before I give him an answer, but I kind of feel like he needs a month or more here to gauge whether he actually wants to do this.”

“Is that the only thing you’re actually worried about, that he won’t like it here?” she asked, frowning. “Dad is arranging your marriage, Deja. I feel like you should be more concerned about the fact that you’re not getting to choose your own husband, and hell, you probably won’t get to choose your own wedding date either.”

I shrugged. “Colin is sweet, and modest, and fun to be around. If Dad had to choose anyone for me, I’m glad it’s him. I don’t really care about a wedding date either.”

Jasmine stared at me for a beat, then slowly broke into a grin. “Oh my God. That’s why you’re so chill about all this. It’s a whole new Deja.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“You just described the man you’re going to marry assweetand you smiled when you said it.”

“So what? He is sweet.”

“You hate people who are sweet.”

I reached for my sunglasses and put them back on, suddenly feeling too exposed for my own liking. “I don’t hate them, and besides, there’s a lot more to him than just being sweet.”

“Maybe, but he still doesn’t sound like your type.”

“I don’t have a type.”

“You do,” she said, pulling her sunglasses down her nose to peer at me over the frames. “Guys with overinflated egos who you can argue with.”

“Okay, so that might not be entirely inaccurate, but Colin is different.”

“Different how?” she asked immediately. “First,sweetis suddenly a good thing and now he’sdifferent. What the hell did this guy do to you?”

“Nothing,” I said, turning to look out at the pool as I took a sip of my drink. “He just doesn’t need to be the loudest person inthe room, you know? It’s like he knows he doesn’t have anything to prove. He’s just… Colin.”

She laughed. “You’re smiling again. Wow. It really is a whole new you.”

“It’s not,” I protested. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. He’s hot too, okay? Is that what you wanted me to say? He’s really hot, and quiet, and thoughtful, and I like spending time with him, but that doesn’t mean I’ve changed.”

Jasmine sighed and leaned back on her chair. “Old Deja would’ve picked the man apart by now. She’d have found a problem with every hair on his head.”

I frowned. “What?”

“You know exactly what I mean. You’d have found fault with his hair, his clothes, his job, and probably even his handwriting if you ever saw it.”

My immediate thought was to deny everything she was saying, but I couldn’t. The truth was that I had standards, and as far as I was concerned, they were very reasonable, but while Colin didn’t necessarily match everything I’d thought I wanted, there was just something about him I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

“I don’t know,” I admitted after a beat. “It’s just different with him.”

Jasmine tilted her head, sounding genuinely confused. “Why?”

I looked out at the gardens as I thought about it, but the answer wasn’t just one specific thing. The men Jasmine and I had grown up around were usually impressive on paper. They came from powerful families, wore expensive watches, drove expensive cars, and carried themselves like they were self-appointed royalty.

Some of them were charming. Some were handsome. Some were both, but none of them had felt right.

“The other men I’ve been with have been flashy,” I said. “They like the idea of us. The connections. The family name. The opportunities that being with one of us would offer.”

Jasmine didn’t have to say anything for me to know she understood. All it took was a tiny nod and massive sip of her drink.