Loving Ali, Shånnon Marie [i like reading .TXT] 📗

with us. "Rico, I love him," I sighed again.

He gave me a wry smile. "He's the stupidest bastard on Earth to have let a woman like you go."

I gave a small laugh. "Thanks, Rico."

"So, you're not gonna give that Kip fellow a chance?"

I groaned. Since Ali's departure, Kip had pursued me relentlessly, buying me all sorts of things and presents for the children. "Nothing against him, Rico. It's just that....he's not Ali."

Rico nodded. "Poor girl," he said. "Want to take the rest of the day off?"

"Will you be alright without me?"

"We'll manage," he smiled. "Feel better, ok?"

"Ok!" I bobbed my head furiously. "Thank you, Rico!"

 

 

"Mommy!" the twins shrieked, crowding around  my legs and demanding my attention.

"Hello, darlings," I smiled and picked them up in either of my arms. "Did you both have a good day?"

They were so beautiful, wich Ali's curly dark hair and twinkling chocolate eyes. Their skin, while not as dark as Ali's, was still much darker than my pale colour. They meant the absolute world to me. 

"Yes!" they grinned. "Nora gave us cookies!"

I groaned. "Nora!"

She walked into the front room, smiling sheeplishly. "They wouldn't leave me alone, Claire! I had to distract them some how!"

I laughed and shook my head, then put the twins down and let them climb all over the furniture. "As if they're not bad enough without sugar, Nora."

"You're telling me!" she chuckled. "They have to be the world's most energetic babies."

I smiled, and helped Nora slip into her coat, although she really didn't need it in this warm June weather. "Goodnight, Nora!" I waved as she left. Then, I turned to the twins.

"Mommy?" Leah tugged on my pants.

"Yes, dear?"

"Who's dat?" she pointed a finger towards a picture sticking out of my wallet that had slipped out of my pocket somehow.

"That's Ali," I sighed, taking the picture out and tracing a soft finger over his face. "He's your daddy."

"Daddy? Is that like Mommy?" Carter smiled.

"Yes, Carter," I tucked his curls behind his ear. "Except Daddy lives far, far, away."

Leah started laughing. "Daddy!"

I smiled. "Yes, Leah. That's right. Ali is Daddy."

"Daddy!" she srieked again. "Daddy, Daddy!"

Carter scrambled up onto the chair next to hers and began laughing too. "Daddy!"

"What on Earth has gotten into you two?" I frowned and Carter pointed out the front window. "Daddy!"

"What are you guys talking abou-OH. MY. GOD." I breathed, as I saw what they were pointing at. I had to be dreaming. Ali was stepping out of his Maserati and coming towards my front door. I hurried over to the door and threw it open. Before I could stop them, the twins went scrambling outside and attached themselves to Ali's legs. "Daddy!" they cried over and over. 

Ali bent down to greet them, with a frown on his face. Then, his eyes grew large as he realised who they were. He gathered them up easily into his strong arms and approaced me. 

I couldn't breathe. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I put out a shaky hand against his warm, soft cheek. "Ali?" I could barely make enough noise to be heard. "Is that really you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's me, Claire." He bit his lip as he glanced first at Carter, and then Leah. "I'm a father," he said. It was a statement, not a question, but I answered anyways.

"Yes, yes you are, Ali. This is Leah, and Carter. They'll be two years old tomorrow night." I nervously looked up at him, expecting him to be horrified at the thought of having children. But instead, I saw warmth and love in his eyes. "Ali? Why are you here?"

"Mommy?" Leah and Carter scrambled out of Ali's arms and tugged on my leg. "Mommy okay?"

I shushed them and sent them into the kitchen for more of Nora's cookies. 

As soon as they disappeared, Ali let out a nervous sigh and let his posture slouch. "Claire, please don't cry." Before I knew it, he'd gathered me up against his hot muscular chest and I was lost in the smell of his spicy scent once again.

"Ali, I've spent the past 3 years trying to forget you, and in the four minutes you've been here you've undone any progress I'd made." I said shakily.

He stroked my hair. "Don't forget me, Claire. Please."

"Why not?"

He stepped back and held me at arm's length. "God, you're so beautiful, woman."

"You are too," I sniffed.

"I've missed you," he smiled softly.

I just stared at him, too confused and dazed to say anything.

He sighed again and raked his fingers through his hair. "Where do I even start?"

"How about by telling me what the hell you're doing standing in my doorway?"

"You're right, how rude of me to let all the air conditioning escape," he boldly stepped inside and dragged me over to the couch where he sat and pulled me into his lap before I could react. "As you know, my father called me back home after Ingrid found us...you know..."

I blushed and tried not to die. As if sitting in his lap wasn't enough to screw with me, the memory of our lovemaking.... God, I needed help.

He paused for a moment. "I know this is a little off topic, but are you with anyone? Am I intruding on anything, have you had any other men after me?"

"None of your damn business!" I snapped. "Story. Now."

"Fair enough. Anyways, so I got back home, and my dad forced me into marrying Ingrid."

"Forced you? You were already engaged, remember?!"

He shook his head. "We weren't engaged, Claire. I just gave her a ring to make her and my family happy. We didn't actually get engaged until after we got back to Saudi Arabia."

"Ingrid seemed to think otherwise."

"Clarie, shut up about Ingrid! I don't give a fuck what that snotty entitled bitch thinks." He crossed his arms and leaned back.

I blinked, completely caught off guard. "That's not a very nice way to speak about your wife."

Ali frowned. "She's not my wife....yet."

"What? But you were supposed to have gotten married last year!"

"I cancelled."

I held my forehead. My head was spinning with all of this. "Explain, Ali, please."

He sighed yet again. "I couldn't marry her."

"Oh right," I scoffed. "Mr. I-Don't-Do-Commitments strikes again."

"Claire, stop it with that attitude! I couldn't marry her because I didn't- and I still don't- love her."

"And what do you know about love?" I winced at how harshly that came out.

"Claire just let me finish! Jesus! You're acting as catty as Ingrid!"

I bit my lip and nodded for him to continue.

"My father, naturally, wanted to strangle me when he heard I'd cancelled the wedding. For the next year, I was pretty much confined to the palace with my grandfather, King Abdullah. Even though he agreed with my father that I needed to marry, he told my father I could choose whoever I wanted to be my wife."

"So, who did you choose?"

Ali looked me stone in the eye. "I chose you."

I squeaked as my jaw dropped open. "Ali, if this is your idea of a joke, you can go stick your dick in the sharpest of thorn bushes, because if you think it's ok to show up like this and play with my heart like it's a toy-!"

In the blink of an eye, Ali stood both of us up and pulled me tightly against him. I tried to push him away. "Ali, I think you need to leave," I said in a tone a lot firmer than I felt. "I need to put the twins to bed, and I've had a long day, and-"

"I'll do it."

"Do what?"

"I'll put the kids to bed, Claire. And then we'll finish talking."

"Like hell you'll put my children to bed!" I growled at him.

"Claire, they're my kids too and I've just about had it with your viscious attitude tonight. I know you've been through a lot but I didn't fly all the way out here for you to kill me. Let me put the kids to bed and then I still want to finish what I'm trying to tell you. Now, sit."

I surprised us both when I obediently plopped myself down in the chair. 

He went into the kitchen and gathered the shrieking and giggling children into his arms. He tickled them and played with them and chased them around until they were too exhausted to play anymore and then he took them upstairs. He was gone for about 45 minutes before he reappeared downstairs, eyes glistening with tears. "Claire, why didn't you ever tell me?"

I slowly rose to my feet. "And where were you that I could reach you, Ali?"

He glanced at the ground. "They're wonderful, Claire. You've done a terrific job with them. I love them so much already."

I almost choked. "You love them?"

He looked up at me, tears spilling softly down his cheeks, and nodded. "I love them Claire, and I love you."

My knees began to shake, and he crossed the room just in time to catch me before they gave way. He laid me down gently on the couch and then dimmed the lights before laying himself down next to me. I couldn't think of what to say. We laid there in silence for a few moments, my heart racing as he just held me. It felt so good, I'd wanted this for years. I never imagined it could have really come true though.

He took a deep breath. "Claire, that day, the last time we were together. In the heat of your passion, you told me you loved me. Do you still love me, Claire?"

I bit my lip.

He put his finger under my chin and lifted my gaze to meet his. "If you don't want to marry me, Claire, I understand. But I have to know: do you still love me?"

I nodded. "I never stopped loving you, Ali. Every time I look into the eyes of my children, I see you. And I love you. And I miss you so badly it hurts."

"Would you marry me, Claire?" he whispered, leaning in so I could feel his breath against my lips. My mind reeled as the memories of all our kisses came flooding back. "Marry me, Claire," he nuzzled my cheek with his lips. "Marry me, and save me from a life of terrible loneliness."

"It's what you deserve," my voice shook from the tears streaming down my face. "You broke my heart, Ali."

His arms held me even tighter to him. "I know," he said. "I'm so sorry. I was such a stupid fool. A scared, stupid fool. I broke the most important heart in the world. I know it's a lot to ask, but please let me fix it."

"I'm not going to Saudi Arabia," I said.

"You don't have to," he replied as his warm hands started to slide under my shirt. "We'll live here. It will be like old times. I'll buy you anything you want Claire, anything and everything you could ever-"

"You can't buy love, Ali."

"Ingrid seems to think so," he sneered. "All it takes is a rich man with a hot car and she's all over him."

"I'm not Ingrid."

"No, of course not. And thank God for that. You're Dr. Claire Bennet, the soon to be Mrs. Ali-Akim Hassan Dashkir Abdul-Aziz, princess of Saudi Arabia and-"

"I didn't say yes yet!"

"Say yes, Claire," he kissed the dip at the bottom of my neck, sending tingles down my spine. My body remembered him, oh yes, it remembered him.

"Ali, it doesn't work like that," I whispered, wanting more than anything to stay in his arms forever, but I was so scared.

"Why not?" his hands cupped my breasts.

I gulped back a moan. "You can't seduce me into a yes. Sex doesn't make people fall in love."

"It made you fall in love," he shifted his weight to try and position himself on top of me but I resisted.

"Is this all a game to you?" my voice sounded haunted, and he froze. "You think you can leave and then show up out of the blue almost 3 years later and have sex with me and expect me to marry you and everything is suddenly happily ever after like you didn't completely