Colin D eja smiled at me, radiant beneath layers of exquisite embroidery, delicate gold, and artistry so delicate and impeccable that it rivaled anything I’d ever seen in a museum. The imam pronounced us husband and wife as I stared back at her, absolutely speechless trying to believe that this beautiful, incredible woman, had just said yes. To me. Everything that screamed wealth and luxury was front and center at the ceremony, flowers, and color, and spices, but I barely even noticed it. There were white roses arranged with orchids, jasmine, and greenery. Brass lanterns flickered between arrangements of spices and candles while rich fabrics softened every corner of the venue, but as far as I was concerned, all of it paled in comparison to her. A heartbeat after we were officially married, our guests started cheering and applauding, and once again, we were pulled into hugs and our cheeks were kissed, but I was still reeling. I honestly couldn’t believe this. Any of it. Mostly that Deja was now my wife. Tension I hadn’t even realized I was still holding on to evaporated when she squeezed my hand, smiling up at me. Meanwhile, I just k ept staring at her. Finally, she laughed but k ept a firm grip on me as she pulled me toward the rec eption venue. “Just breathe, Colin,” she murmured, winking before hugging yet another aunt who flung herself at us. I hugged and talked, and I even managed to breathe eventually, but only once I saw my family also letting loose. Even my mom seemed to be having a great time, looking more like her old self while talking to these women than I’d seen her look in years. Something inside me released then, perhaps the fear that Mom would never recover. It’d taken her a long time, but here she was, living it up with Layla and her sisters as if she’d always been part of their family. Alex came up to shake my hand, a proud grin on his face, but instead of congratulating either me or himself for having put this arrangement together in the first place, he followed my gaze and smiled. “She’s happy here.” “Yeah.” “It’s hard not be,” he said, chuckling as he looked around. “This is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.” “Same,” I agreed, my gaze drifting across the room. Music had already started up, and even though some of our guests weren’t in the venue yet, others had already started dancing. “They sure know how to do celebrations in this country. It’s always like this. Just absolutely next level.” “I’m assuming the bit of Western flare they incorporated was for our benefit, but they shouldn’t have,” he said. “This is way better than anything we’ve got at home.”
As he said it, Jane danced over with one of their kids on each hip, a beaming, radiant smile on her face. She handed Cameron over to Alex. “Boy, is he getting heavy. We need you to come dance with us, Daddy. I can’t ke ep up with both of them.” Alex glanced back at me. “We’ll talk soon, but for now, duty calls. I’m pretty sure the same can be said for you.” I laughed, but he wasn’t wrong. As I headed off trying to find my bride, not even really sure how I’d gotten s eparated from her in the first place, I ran into Isaac, who was already nursing a very full tumbler of whiskey. “Are you okay?” I asked when I noticed that instead of drinking, he was just looking around, very obviously confused. “What happened?” “I’m trying to acc ept that it’s pointless asking who’s actually family and how they all fit in,” he said. “I thought I was being polite, but fuck. I’ve met at least a dozen men who’ve introduced themselves as Deja’s uncle.” I laughed. “Only a dozen? That’s nothing yet. Wait until the rest of them spot you. Do you want my advice?” “Please.” “Just ke ep smiling. It’s the safest strategy.” “I actually think sticking with Rami is the safest strategy. He’s been a real lifesaver so far.” I shrugged and glanced around the room until I spotted the brother in question, enthusiastically trying to instruct the rest of our brothers on how to do one of the traditional dances. Isaac saw it too, doubling over laughing as he finally shook his head. “Never mind. I’m not getting anywhere near him while he’s doing that. I do think I might go encourage some of the Westwoods to join him, though. What do you think? I reckon Theo and Jesse should be able do it.” “We can only try.” I crossed the room with Isaac and then laughed until my sides hurt when Jesse and Theo each downed the shot of tequila before acc epting the challenge. I felt strangely free as I watched our families mingling and getting along so well. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting would happen when they all finally got together, but it wasn’t this. This was so much better than I ever could’ve imagined. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives. The Mallory drama was finally behind us. I’d somehow lucked out and married the most gorgeous woman who had ever graced the planet Earth. For the first time in a long time, all was well in my life.
It was a strange feeling, but I was lighter than air as I made my way toward Nanna, since I couldn’t find my wife. She sat in regal disapproval, watching everyone else hop around on the dance floor with very little coordination. Before I’d even said anything, she narrowed her eyes and shook her head at me. “No. I don’t dance.” I answered in Arabic. “It’s your granddaughter’s wedding. You should dance. We’re celebrating.” “Have you eaten?” “I will if you dance with me.” She snorted. “I have a bad hip.” “Liar.” I laughed. “You forget that I’ve seen you sprinting through markets, helping me make a getaway from your very own son.” She fixed me a curious but approving smile. “Your Arabic has gotten much better.” “I’ve spent the last couple months practicing every chance I got.” “You still sound American.” I shrugged. “I probably always will, but do I get a dance for the effort?” “No.” “I’ll stop eating in protest.” She scoffed. “You wouldn’t dare.” “I might.” I extended my hand toward her. “How can you say no to your newest grandson who’s taken months to learn how to argue with you in your own language?” She let out a de ep sigh but finally allowed me to pull her up, placing her weathered hand in mine. Once we were on the dance floor, several family members started applauding when they saw her out here and Nanna grumbled curses but swayed with me anyway, rocking gently from side to side. When the song ended, she patted my cheek and gave me a surprisingly soft smile. “You’ll do. I approve.” “Coming from Salima Saad, that’s high praise.” She sniffed but didn’t argue, then motioned at someone behind me and spun around, marching right back to her chair. When I turned, Deja was there, smiling up at me. My wife. God. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that. “May I?” I asked, extending a hand toward her. “I’ve been waiting all night for a dance with the bride.” She st epped into my arms. “Funny, I’ve been waiting all night for a dance with my husband.” She leaned into me, her body molding to mine. We swayed together and a devilish smirk appeared on her face as she looked up into my eyes. “Did you take the entire bottle of allergy medicine to get through tonight?” “Well, there are millions of dollars worth of flowers in here, and while it smells like the world’s most luxurious greenhouse, yes. Yes, I did.” She laughed when I sneezed right on cue. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing very well.” “I deserve a reward,” I murmured into her ear, pulling her closer to me. “I was just thinking about going for a walk. Rumor has it this place is right on the banks of the Nile and I haven’t even seen it yet.” “We can’t have that,” she r eplied, sliding her hand down my arm until her fingers laced with mine.
“Follow me, but don’t look anyone in the eye.” “Got it.” We slipped out through one of the side doors, laughter drifting out behind us as we es caped from our own wedding. Cool evening air rolled off the Nile, the lights from the rec eption glittering across the dark water. Deja seemed to know where we were going, but I supposed she had spent the last week here, so I followed her across the lawn and around several swimming pools before we reached a thicket. She walked around that as well, all the way down to the edge of the garden where it kissed the beach. We were finally alone, but I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was already coming to get us just yet, and when I was sure we weren’t about to be interrupted, I pulled the flat package out of my inside pocket. “What’s that?” Deja asked when I held it out toward her. “Why did you bring a wrapped book to our wedding?” “Oh, you know me. I love reading.” I slid an arm around her waist to bring her closer. “It’s not just any old book. Open it. It’s your wedding present.” She frowned but carefully peeled back the wrapping, gasping when she saw the cover. “It’s a photo album.” “It’s of us. Our story written in pictures you’ve taken.” She flipped it open, tears filling her eyes as she recognized the pictures she’d sent me and those she’d taken during the time we’d spent together. Some were of the two of us, but others were of her family and mine, sunsets on special days and that cat winding between the boats back in Sharm El- Sheikh. “How did you do this?” “I worked with some people back home while you were busy with the wedding pr eparations. Jane brought it over with her. She picked it up for me when it was ready.” “I can’t believe you did this for me,” she whispered. “I love it.” “And I love you. I thought our coffee table back home was the perfect place to showcase your work.” She slipped her arms around my neck and kissed me de eply, like she had nowhere else to be and there was nothing else she’d rather be doing. I knew that our families were probably starting to wonder where the bride and groom had disappeared to, but I decided they could wait another minute, kissing her back and trying my best to believe that this was it. Me and her, together for the rest of our lives.
Epilogue Deja C hicago in the winter was like living in a photograph of a winter wonderland. Every morning, I sat in front of our windows at home with a cup of tea, just watching snowflakes drift into the yard. Colin didn’t even bother asking what I was doing anymore. He’d simply acc epted that to me, any snowfall was magical. Around here, the locals were so used to it that it was more of a nuisance to them than anything else, but not to me. This was the first real winter I was ever experiencing and the snow was such an integral part of that. I loved it, the peaceful quiet it brought and the picturesque beauty it could give to even the most ordinary street. It’d been a few months, and soon, winter would give way to spring. I planned on soaking up as much of this kind of weather as I could before things returned to my kind of normal. Well, close to my kind of normal, anyway. No matter what, my normal over here would still be a lot quieter. I loved that, too. The townhouse was always peaceful. Even when I was working from here to design the new White Water Lily office space or planning scent launches in Egypt from afar. Even when Colin’s siblings or his mom came over. There was still no barging in or shouting my name from three stories up. It was usually just me and him, and that was magical too. Maybe it was just this newlywed phase, but God, I couldn’t get enough of it. While Colin and I had gone home to Egypt once over the last few months, I was genuinely happy here. It felt like the life we were building was all our own and I was so desperately in love with him and with our life together that I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. As foreign as I’d found this place at first, I’d fallen into a routine in Chicago, and while I missed Cairo at times, this was home now too. Most mornings I worked from our townhouse, curled up on the couch with my tablet, but other days, like today, I came to Thayer Steelworks to get some work done while also spending time with my husband. I’d never expected to enjoy being in an office building, but somehow, this one became another little home. In time, White Water Lily would have its own offices in Chicago. I was already planning our launch event, but I liked being close to Colin. I also liked being close to his family. Jane, Isaac, Alex, or the kids popped into his office often, and while I enjoyed the privacy we had at the townhouse, I also enjoyed their version of family time. It wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as my own, but there was almost as much banter, teasing, and laughter.
I adjusted my grip on the bag of takeout I was carrying, and I waved to Jane across Thayer’s lobby, smiling when she waved back. She seemed to be in the middle of something with a whole group of powerful-looking men, but as always, she was completely in her element, clearly in control as she marched them into a conference room. God, I love her. Strangely, I’d grown to love all the other Westwood women too. They were becoming good friends, almost like family even if it wasn’t by blood or marriage. They treated Colin like he was one of their own, and I’d quickly learned that extended to me. After riding the elevator up to his floor, I pushed Colin’s office door open without knocking. He looked up when I walked in, smiling immediately. “Wife! This is a surprise.” I laughed. “How long are you going to call me that?” He winked. “For as long as it’s true.” “I brought lunch.” I held up the bag of Vietnamese food, a recent favorite of ours after we’d discovered a little spot right near his office. He inhaled de eply and groaned. “I married exc eptionally well.” “I’d like to think so,” I joked. My phone started ringing just as I set down my bag and the food on his desk. “Crap. That might be my mom. I’m expecting her feedback on some elements of the new office design.” “Tell her I said hello.” Colin chuckled and turned his attention back to his laptop while I fished my phone out of my handbag, smiling when I saw that I’d been right. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, snow drifted across downtown Chicago, and before I took the call, I snapped a quick picture to send so she’d be able to see what I was talking about. “Hi, Mom,” I said. “You should see the weather today. It looks like the picture on a box of chocolates. Hang on. I’m going to send you a photo.” I pulled the phone away, quickly clicking into our message thread and attaching the photo, speaking again even before I’d brought the device back to my ear. “Look at that! Isn’t it gorgeous?” “It looks cold. You’re not freezing to death, are you?” “Not yet. Colin got me a few pairs of proper boots. I’d recommend them if you’re planning a visit anytime soon.” Ignoring the fact that he was trying to type something on a boring Excel spreadsheet, I sat down on his lap, settled against his chest, and hummed along to her worries about how I definitely hadn’t brought along enough appropriate clothing for the weather we’d been having. After that, she launched into an update about the sales of our winter collection, droning on and on about the rave reviews we’d been getting before she started telling me about everything that had been going on with the family. “Nanna says Colin is looking too thin.” “I knew she’d say that,” Colin quietly muttered, his arms around me as he k ept trying to type.
I pressed a kiss to his temple, playing absentmindedly with his tie until he caught my fingers, kissed my knuckles without interrupting his spreadsheet, and k ept working. God, I really did marry the world’s most absurdly efficient man. Just as I was starting to wonder how efficient he’d be if I crawled under the desk once I finally got off the phone with my mom, she said Jasmine’s name and I frowned. “I’m sorry. What was that? I missed it.” “Oh, I was just asking about your sister. Why didn’t you tell me you’d invited her to stay with you in Chicago for a few months?” “I did?” “That’s what she said.” “Oh, yes. Of course, I did. Y ep. Jasmine will be staying with us for a few months, in Chicago. Yes.” My mother’s voice sharpened. “Deja, she should’ve landed by now. If she’s not with you, where is she?” Colin stopped typing and looked up at me, his widening eyes cluing me in that he’d heard her. “I’m on it.” He mouthed the words and grabbed his own phone. I finally stood up to let him do the same. Meanwhile, my mother was spiraling into a fullfledged panic. “Oh my God. She’s not with you. She’s missing, isn’t she? I knew we should never have let her go to America by herself. We I—” Colin gently took my phone from my hand, pausing with Isaac’s name already on his screen, but he hadn’t actually dialed yet. “Hi, Layla.” “Colin? Do you know where she is?” “Yeah, of course,” he said smoothly. “Isaac will pick her up from the airport. Everything is fine. I just couldn’t go because I was stuck in a meeting and Deja... got caught in traffic.” “Oh.” My mother let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I should’ve let Deja finish. A mother always worries.” “Only the good ones,” he said kindly. “We’ll have her call you as soon as we see her, okay?” “Thank you.” He ended the call, then turned to look at me. I looked back at him, and then, at the very same time, we both said, “She’s staying at the condo.” We both burst out laughing, but then Colin shook his head and reached for his phone again. “Okay, before we get too relieved, let’s actually find her. I can’t believe your sister decided to move to the States, told your family she was coming to stay with us, and apparently, forget to even let us know she was on her way.” “That’s Jasmine for you,” I said, finally reaching into the bag and extracting the containers holding our lunch. I had no idea what my sister was up to this time, but if I knew her—and I did—it was going to make for a damn good story one day. ***