Page 63 of Earned Husband

“I needed my brothers to get us out of the house,” she explained with a coy smile. “Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine without us. I’m pretty sure they’ve already found some pretty, shiny people to distract themselves with. They probably won’t even notice that we’re gone.”

She started walking and I fell into step beside her, not angry about the fact that she was still holding my hand. Deja led me down the sidewalk back to the main street, relaxing once we turned the corner away from the club.

Finally, she slowed to a more leisurely pace. Smiling, she lifted her golden eyes to mine. “This might be our only chance for some time alone, at least for a while until our engagement is settled, but there was no way my family was going to let us out of the house on our own, so I’m improvising.”

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” I asked, looking around at the bookstores, cafés, and tiny shops that were still bustling despite the hour. “I’m happy if you just want to sit somewhere and talk?”

I’d be happy just walking around with her too, but she smiled up at me again, motioning with her free hand at everything and nothing all at once. “You showed me Chicago, so now, I get to show you Cairo.”

“I like the sound of that.” I matched her pace and just let her lead. “I haven’t seen much of it yet, but I’m loving it so far. The way history and culture are weaved into every little corner is just amazing.”

“The old and the new existing peacefully side by side,” she said on a contented sigh, pausing to buy us paper cones of roasted nuts from a street vendor.

She chatted to him for a minute and he handed over a drink that she immediately held out to me. “Try it. It’s fresh sugarcane juice.”

I took it and tried a first sip. My eyebrows swept up in surprise. “This really isn’t bad.”

She laughed. “Did you really think it would be?”

“Fresh sugarcane juice? Sure. I definitely wasn’t expecting to like it.”

“And do you?”

“Yeah.” I went back for another sip. “It’s actually pretty good.”

Her smile lit up her eyes, making my heart go wild.

She waved goodbye to the vendor and continued the tour, pointing out small shops that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The neighborhood seemed to have a good mix of locals and tourists, and the wares on offer reflected that.

We passed places that specialized in extremely expensive, handmade leather goods, but right next door, there would be a stall overflowing with spices I’d never heard of. Eventually, we wandered into a textile shop filled with fine silks, and as I admired them, the shopkeeper greeted Deja in rapid Arabic.

She answered just as quickly, their conversation soon becoming increasingly more animated while I just stood there, smiling politely. A few moments later, Deja accepted a neatly wrapped bundle before handing over what I suspected was considerably less money than he’d originally asked for.

“You just negotiated that, didn’t you?” I asked, glancing down at the bundle. “What is it?”

“A shirt,” she said vaguely, taking my hand again and pulling me back out of the shop. “They always throw out a ridiculous first offer, charging way too much. Everyone here knows their tricks.”

“That’s good to know. I didn’t realize you could barter in actual shops, though. I’ve heard about doing it at markets, but I kind of figured stores were different.”

“Some are,” she said, leading me toward quieter paths along the Nile where the sounds of traffic softened and gardens lined the riverbank.

It was much more peaceful here, a far cry from the markets and built-up cosmopolitan area we’d just left behind. Deja exhaled, slowing next to a railing that overlooked the river. “This is the Garden District. I thought you might appreciate a break from the hustle and bustle. I love it out here at night.”

“You thought right,” I said quietly, stopping to rest my forearms against the stone and looking out at the river. “I think I might love it here at night too. It’s gorgeous. The view is spectacular.”

“I’m glad you like it.” She offered me a soft smile, coming to stand so close beside me that our shoulders brushed. “This is one of the places I was looking forward to showing you.”

“I’m really happy you did,” I said, but I also knew that this was the moment when I needed to ask the question that everyone else was already expecting us both to say yes to.

It was the first time we’d really had a minute to ourselves in over a month, and while I’d much rather just have enjoyed it, we needed to talk. If she was right that we wouldn’t have much time alone for the foreseeable future—and after today, I was convinced that she was—then it meant it was pretty much now or never.

Even so, I looked out at Cairo across the Nile for another moment before finally speaking. “Can I ask you something?”

Deja turned to face me. “You’ve been asking me things all night.”

“I know, but this is a little more serious.”

She tilted her head, the expression in her eyes honest and open as she stared up at me. “It’s that time, huh?”