Page 74 of Earned Husband

“I know.” She gave an exaggerated shiver. “It’s disgusting.”

I laughed. “Why are you so judgmental?”

“I’m just trying to save you from Nanna. If you act like this in front of her, you’re really going to be in for it.”

Colin frowned. “Khaled has been telling me she’s the nicest woman on earth.”

I glanced at Jasmine, finding her already looking back at me, but since neither of us could say what was on our minds with a whole plane full of Saads around us, we both kept our mouths firmly shut. The matriarch of our family would be waiting when we arrived. It wouldn’t be long now until Colin found out exactly what we meant.

CHAPTER 31

COLIN

The first thing Salima Saad did after I met her was grab me by the earlobe. She pinched my ear between surprisingly strong fingers, clicked her tongue, and marched me through the house while muttering under her breath in rapid-fire Arabic.

I glanced at Deja, but she just winced and followed behind us. “Good luck.”

“That’s not a translation,” I murmured in a stage-whisper, doing my best to keep up with the old woman.

Unfortunately, she must’ve heard me because she paused briefly and pointed a slightly crooked finger at me. “You’re too thin. You look sick. Also tired. Why do you look so tired?”

Deja giggled. “Dad has been keeping him busy, showing him off to his friends like a new puppy.”

Nanna sent a piercing glare over my shoulder, presumably at Basel, but then continued our march-drag to the kitchen. She deposited me at an old wooden table, pointing for me to sit before placing a steaming bowl of food in front of me.

“Eat.” She folded her arms, leaning against the table and watching until I picked up my spoon.

I didn’t even know what the fragrant, stew-type dish was, but I dipped the spoon into it and ate. Nanna made a contentsound before finally turning away from me and heading back to the stove. The rest of the family had caught up at this point, and with as much authority as a tiny, eighty-year-old woman could muster—which was a lot in her case—she sat them down at the table too and started handing out more food.

While they got settled, I took a minute to try and get my bearings, but honestly, the house itself made no sense to me. From the outside, it was a sleek beachfront villa overlooking the Red Sea, but the interior was a different story altogether.

It almost felt like every generation had simply built another room whenever they’d needed one. Hallways narrowed before opening into airy courtyards while old stone gave way to polished marble which in turn gave away to wood.

This kitchen looked like it’d been built sixty years ago and lovingly preserved ever since but never modernized. The cupboards were worn and the stone floor was uneven, but it was warm and comfortable, clearly a very lived-in room.

Once the others were seated and had been served, Nanna looked back up at me, her black eyes alive with amusement but her features somehow still stern. At first glance, she could’ve passed as any older woman we’d passed on the streets between the airport and the house, her skin wrinkled and her frame small but strong.

However, the more I looked at her, the more I could see why Khaled, Deja, and Jasmine had spoken about her the way they had. It was clear that they respected the hell out of her, but it was also fast becoming evident why.

She took no prisoners, treating even Basel like a five-year-old. When I made the fatal mistake of setting my spoon down halfway through my first bowl, she slapped the back of my hand and pointed at the bowl. “You’re not done.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I picked the spoon back up, holding it while I took the sip of water I’d wanted, and then digging right back in.

She seemed satisfied, but five minutes later, after she’d taken my empty bowl, another equally full one materialized in front of me, and once again, she waited until I picked up my spoon. I looked around, but every Saad man appeared accustomed to this treatment.

Rami caught my eye and offered an encouraging thumbs-up before returning to his own lunch. Nanna barked something in Arabic when Tarek tried pushing his bowl away, but her tone was different with the women, sweet and gentle.

She hugged them and let them pause to breathe through the meal, but the men seemed to be expected to keep eating. The food was incredible, but when she turned away, I set my spoon down again, so full that I felt like I was about to pop.

Immediately, she reached behind her and swatted my hand again, looking at me over her shoulder and motioning for me to keep eating. Deja finally stepped in when I felt myself starting to sweat, arguing with her grandmother in Arabic.

Nanna waved a wooden spoon as Deja confronted her, pointing at me. Her hands joined the chat, both of them quickly becoming animated as it became obvious that Deja was attempting to rescue me.

Jasmine quietly translated under her breath. “Nanna thinks you’re way too skinny and Deja says to leave you alone because you’re healthy, but Nanna thinks it’s just because nobody loves you enough to feed you properly.”

I winced. “Damn, Nanna. That’s harsh.”

Jasmine flashed me a sweet smile. “In that case, I won’t tell you the rest because it gets worse.”