Ahhhhh! Well it has come to an end. This book at least. I had started working on this story months before I had even put it up on Wattpad, so to finally see it come to an end is a huge accomplishment for me. I hope all of you have enjoyed the journey as much as I have writing it, and I hope to continue to see the same familiar people in the sequel, which will be coming out sometime this week! Look for the small blurb about it at the end of this (very long) chapter. I would really appreciate it if everyone could leave (positive please no negative) feedback, and again, I apologize for any mistakes, I cannot catch them all. Thank you for all of the support, I'm so excited for you to read it, and stay awesome!

ALMOST A YEAR LATER

"Has anyone seen my left shoe?"

"Where is my blue scarf!? Rana did you take it?!"

"It's right here Jenna! Rami get off of the couch and get dressed!"

"Let me finish this game!"

"No! Now!"

"Baba, you left your tie on the bathroom counter!"

"Give it to Hudayfah to bring it down will you Jenna!"

"Farris, do you want me to iron your white or your blue shirt?"

"I'm not sure Mama, ask Maria which she prefers. Has anyone seen my black socks?"

"They are on the couch next to me."

"What the heck are they doing on the couch Rami?"

"I don't know but they are here."

"Adam! I lost my bracelet! Has anyone seen it?"

"Calm down Yasmin, what's it look like?"

"It's silver with – oh never mind I found it!"

"I swear I left my loafers right by the door!"

"Hud habibi, they are in our bedroom under the bed."

"Rami! I told you to get up and get dressed!"

"Yes honeybee."

"Muhsin! Get up also!"

"Yes Mama."

"Oh my God! I can't find my veil! Where is my veil?!"

"I have it right here Maria." Emma called up the stairs, laughing at all of the voices that where echoing around the house. Maria and Farris's wedding was in an hour, and Hudayfah and Jenna's giant mansion was filled to the brim with people.

They were going to hold the ceremony and the reception in the huge backyard surrounding the lily pond under the stars and everything looked absolutely stunning. While Maria and Farris had hired professional wedding planners, Emma had been the one in charge, and she was absolutely satisfied with everything.

The color scheme was white and light blue, twinkling lights covered the length of all of the trees and bushes, the walkway had candles lining the sides, and in the middle white rose petals were scattered about. The tablecloths were white with light blue table runners, each plate was white with blue trimming, and the silverware were wrapped in blue cloth napkins, and tied up with white ribbon. The centerpieces were giant vases of roses, each table alternating between white and blue ones.

As Emma climbed the stairs towards where her sister was getting ready, she smiled to hear the buzz of conversation and activity from all corners of the house. Most everybody who was invited, lived in Arizona already, but had arrived at the mansion the night before to help out with the preparations. The only ones who were coming from out of town were Farris's older brothers Idrees and Saleh, their wives and kids, Farris's grandparents, and Hind and Hikmah who were coming alone as their parents were going to be out of the country, and Emma had never gotten a response from Jafar, so she didn't know if he was coming.

And she didn't care.

She really didn't.

Sort of.

She hadn't heard from him in almost a year. He had never shown up to Jenna's welcome home dinner, and he had let her leave New York without coming to say goodbye. Being Emma, she of course sternly told herself that she was okay, and from that point on, it seemed like she was.

But she did love him, and that didn't go away just because you tell yourself you're not in love anymore.

If only it was that easy.

If only.

"Here habibti, I took your veil to steam it one last time." Emma said entering Maria's room, before coming to a halt and putting a hand over her heart. "Oh Maria! You look absolutely stunning MashaAllah!"

Maria laughed, spinning in a small circle.

"Barak Allahu Feeki dear Emma. Ya Allah I'm so excited!" she squealed, and everyone laughed. She was wearing a long white lacey gown that trailed a good few feet behind her, her collar came up around her neck, and she wore a light blue sash around her waist. Her white satin scarf was wrapped around her head and tucked into her dress, and the veil, which her mom was now pinning onto her scarf, was also made of lace, but was in light blue.

"Our baby sister, all grown up!" Jenna exclaimed, pinning a blue rose in her Hijab. All of Farris and Maria's close friends and family where wearing blue or white, except for Farris who was wearing a black tuxedo with the blue shirt that matched Maria's sash.

"Oh my little baby!" Yasmin exclaimed, dabbing at her eyes before she pulled her daughter into a hug. Before the tears could start however, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it! It's probably my brothers! I'll get it! Don't worry I'm coming!" Farris shouted up the stairs, and his mom laughed.

"I've never seen my son so excited in all of his life. Thank you for being a big part of that." She said giving Maria a hug, and when the young bride began to tear up even more, everyone hurriedly reached for tissues so she wouldn't ruin her makeup.

After damage control had been done, Farris's mom went down to greet her sons, Yasmin went to get another rose for Emma, and Rana went to threaten her husband with bodily harm if he didn't get dressed, and the three sisters clasped hands, leaning their heads against each other.

"Okay you both know the drill, just like we made Jenna do on her wedding day! Jenna you want to go first?"

Jenna nodded, before taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes before opening them with a smile.

"Bismillah. In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful. I ask Allah Lord of the universes to bless this union between Maria and Farris. May he make them not only a wonderful couple here on earth, but in Paradise InshaAllah. Marriage is not always easy, I can attest to that, and I always have known and seen the love and mercy that Allah swt shows to us, and I pray that he puts his own compassion and mercy between the two of them, and that he fills their hearts with genuine and pure love, so even during the hard times, they can take strength from one another." here she had to pause as she choked back a sob, and both her sisters squeezed her hands comfortingly.

"Want me to take over?" Emma asked softly, and Jenna nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Okay, well you both know how much I hate to cry, so I'm going to keep this short and to the point. Maria, I pray that like Jenna said, your marriage is filled with love and mercy, and that even during the difficult times, you come out even more in love with each other. But just remember. If he ever, and I mean ever, does anything to make you upset or to hurt you, know that I will take care of him. I don't care if you have Muhsin, and Rami and Hudayfah and um anyone else in the family, it will just be me and him!"

"Oh Em." Maria said with a laugh.

"NO!" both Jenna and Emma shouted as Maria raised her hand to wipe her eyes, and she paused with a laugh as Jenna took a tissue and began to dab under her eyes, being careful not to smear the kohl.

"So is it my turn?" Maria asked, and both her sisters nodded.

"Go ahead habibti." Jenna said, and Maria took a deep breath, before smiling.

"I hope that a few years from now, we will all be standing together like we are now. And we will be watching our husbands talking and laughing, and our children will be running and playing, and we will say 'remember when we stood together praying and having hope in the beauty Allah swt had planned for our future?' and we will look around, knowing that he didn't let us down. Knowing how much he blessed us."

At that Jenna began to cry again, and then Maria and despite how hard she was trying, eventually Emma, and they all wrapped their arms around each other until the others had returned.

*** "Rami, can you help tie my ribbon? I can't reach the back of my dress." Rana said in an annoyed voice, and Rami stopped buttoning his shirt, coming over to her and reaching for the two pieces of ribbon.

"There you're all set." He said, and she turned to look in the mirror before groaning.

"I look so huge. I'm going to eclipse the moon!" she exclaimed, and Rami laughed, putting an arm around her.

"Honey, you look beautiful."

"I do not."

"You do too."

"I look fat and sweaty!"

"You look pregnant, and have a mother's glow!"

"Shut up!" she exclaimed giving him a push, and he laughed, pulling her towards him.

"Sweetheart, you have another month left, let's just enjoy this time before the sleepless nights begin." He said teasingly, and she rolled her eyes, but laughed, leaning against him. He kissed her head, before pulling away and buttoning his shirt.

"Did you finish setting up the crib before we left home yesterday?" Rana asked, pinning her scarf, and Rami nodded.

"Yup, and I finished painting the room also! Blue with ducks everywhere at your command!" he exclaimed, and she laughed.

"Well Yahya thanks you!" she said putting a hand on her stomach, and he stepped forward.

"How about you thank me now?" he asked with a small smirk, and she shoved him away, before relenting and stretching to kiss him.

"Is everyone here?" she asked, after he had stepped away, and straightened out his collar.

"I think everyone but Hind, Hikmah, and Jafar." He said tying his tie.

"Oh, Jafar is coming?"

"Last I talked to him."

Rana smiled slightly.

"That's interesting."

Rami turned away from the mirror.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"I'm not smiling like anything."

"Rana! You look like if Sylvester Cat had finally caught Tweety Bird!"

"Really? Tweety Bird?"

"Rana."

"Rami."

She let out a squeal of laughter as he dashed forward, gently pushing her against the wall.

"Tell me!"

***

"Woah slow down!" Hudayfah exclaimed as Jenna dashed by him, and as he gripped her arm, spinning her towards him, she laughed, allowing him to give her a quick kiss.

"Sorry, Maria's sash got a bit frayed at the ends, so I'm going to get the spare."

Hudayfah raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"You have a spare sash?"

Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Please with Emma? We have like fourteen!"

Hudayfah laughed.

"Well I'm glad she's so prepared. How are you holding up? I feel like I've barely seen you at all these past two weeks. The bed's been so lonely without you!" he said with a slight pout, and she brushed a lock of his hair away from his face.

"Well after tonight the wedding will be over, and I will be all yours."

"And I'll hold you to that promise. Midnight, you're all mine."

"Hudayfah! The party starts at nine! We will have barely finished dinner at midnight!"

He shook his head.

"I don't care. I don't care if you are in the middle of a speech. At exactly midnight, we are stealing away for a few moments."

"For what?" she asked with a tilt of her head, and he smiled mischievously.

"Not telling. But I will tell you that I will have you by my side at exactly midnight even if I have to carry you myself!"

"Okay, okay. Midnight it is."

"How is our bride to be?"

Jenna smiled.

"She's good Alhamdulillah. How's the groom?"

"He's good. Currently he and his brothers are arguing over who is going to have the best wedding in the end."

"I thought guys didn't care about that stuff!" Jenna exclaimed, and Hudayfah laughed.

"Oh it's always a competition with those three. They always have to try to be better than the other."

"Who is oldest?"

"Idrees. He has four kids, and Saleh has two."

"So Idrees won that one?"

Hudayfah laughed.

"Now you're catching on!"

"I guess I'll have to tell Maria she has to have five or more kids so her husband can win!"

Hudayfah laughed.

"I'm sure she will love that. They are all awesome and funny guys.

"Well I can't wait to meet them." She paused to pat his cheek. "Now may I go find the alternate sash before Emma comes looking for me?"

He laughed, kissing her forehead.

"You may go."

She gave a small curtsey.

"Thank you sir."

He laughed, the sound echoing over the grand hall, before he gave a deep bow, his head almost grazing the tile floor

"It was my pleasure m'lady. Do not forget our secret meeting at midnight! We shall steal away to the gardens!" he said, mimicking the language Jenna loved so much and spent most of her college career studying. Jane Austen was her favorite.

"I shall be waiting most anxiously until we are reunited. Think of me while I'm gone!" she said back, and he laughed.

"I shall my darling. I shall."

She laughed again, shaking her head as she walked away from her husband towards the guest bedroom Emma was staying in.

Gosh they were so corny but they had so much fun!

Alhamdulillah things were going well between them. Not long after Jenna had gotten out of the hospital, they had moved back to Arizona, and Hudayfah had been right, their house was impressive. Hudayfah had originally bought it for his parents when he made his first few millions, but they hadn't wanted to move from their home, so he kept it for himself. It was a lot more than they needed, twelve bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a library, which was Jenna's favorite room, a study, two living rooms, a family room, a giant kitchen, and a backyard so big that if Jenna went beyond the pool and the lily pond, she tended to get lost. But it had become their home, and the thing that she loved most, was that there was always room for their friends and family to come and visit. But she and Hudayfah never had to worry about privacy, they had a whole wing of the house to themselves!

The past year was beginning to feel like a distant dream, and every day Jenna just tried to live life to the fullest. As soon as she had gotten her staples removed, she and Hud had finally gone on their romantic honeymoon to Italy, and Jenna had loved every single second of it. They had stayed for a month before heading over to Egypt, and spending some time with their families there.

They hadn't yet been able to have a baby, but they had decided that whenever and if Allah swt wanted to give them children, they would just accept his decision. But Jenna had kept up her steady Du'aa, and she just had a feeling that InshaAllah soon, they would have their own baby.

Rami and Rana had decided to move back as well, and honestly they had a lot of fun together. Making up for lost time. Rana had been searching for a job as a surgeon after they moved, but soon they found out she was pregnant, so she was taking time off from work for a while. Rami had decided to join Hudayfah in actually inventing the products, and just last month they had sold another version of The Palm Reader that acted as a security device and was quite successful.

Rana and Rami were now in escrow for a neighboring mansion.

Emma had kept up her physical training job, adding in kickboxing, and started teaching self-defense classes for women three times a week. She had even been approached by the police department, but had turned it down, feeling like she could make more of a difference working one on one with the women.

As for Maria, she was still in school, and would continue to be in school for the next few years, but had decided to change her major to dentistry, which made Farris very excited to be able to offer her a job in his office upon her graduation in a few years.

Muhsin had taken the law school bar exam and had passed, and was currently in law school. He had a few more years left before he would actually be able to practice, but he was working hard, and his professors were already singling him out for a position on a firm after he finished.

Both Jafar and Sami had received commendations for their undercover work, and Issam and Laith had been promoted. Laith to Special Agent in Charge, and Issam to Deputy Assistant Director, which gave him his dream of taking him out of the field work.

As for the villains that had wreaked havoc upon their lives, Jamaal had gotten life with no possibility of parole, so did most of his men, and as Issam had predicted, Ali had gotten ten years, possible parole after six years with good behavior.

As for everyone else, their lives had pretty much gone back to their normal lives and their normal jobs, but they made it a rule of getting together every Sunday no matter what they had going on in their lives, and it was so wonderful to have everyone here for the wedding.

Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah life was good.

*** "Okay. Fifteen minutes. Are you ready?!" Emma exclaimed, and Maria began to wave her hands in front of her face.

"Oh my God. Oh my God I'm so nervous! Is this normal?!"

"Don't worry habibti you're going to be fine!" Rana said reassuringly, and Maria shook her head, taking a drink of water before opening the window and leaning out.

"Hey! Farris could accidently see you!" Emma scolded.

"We don't believe in that bad luck stuff though." Jenna said in amusement, and Emma shook her head.

"I don't care about any bad luck, I just want the first time he sees her to be documented on camera, not through an open window!"

Just then the doorbell ring, and after realizing that all the men were outside, Emma gave a huff of annoyance.

"Fine. I'll get it."

Her heels were the only sound, clicking on the tile floor, and as she swung open the door, her face lit up.

"Hikmah! Hind!" she exclaimed giving both of them a hug.

"Sorry we are late!" Hind said apologetically.

"There was massive traffic coming from the airport." Hikmah added, and Emma shook her head, ushering them inside.

"No you're just in time! Maria is having a mini freak out right now, so you two being here will be just the distraction she needs! Go on up those stairs, first door on the right!" she said, and as the twins made their way up the staircase, Emma went to close the door, but a hand reached out, gripping the doorknob.

"AsalamuAlaikum."

Even with her being on the other side of the door, she knew who it was.

His voice echoed around the grand hall long after he had made his greeting, and she had to swallow a few times, trying not to run away before she opened the door all the way, coming face to face with him for the first time in almost a year.

He was wearing a white thobe (cultural dress for men), his black hair was brushed away from his face, his eyes were cast down on the ground, but his jaw was clenched tightly, as if he was scared of looking anywhere but the floor.

"Walaikumasalaam." She whispered eventually and at the sound of her voice, he looked up briefly, his eyes brightening.

"You look wonderful." he said quietly, and when she raised an eyebrow, he flushed all the way to the tips of his ears. "I meant with your Hijab on. I should have mentioned that to begin with. MashaAllah it suits you well." He finished nervously.

She tugged self-consciously on her scarf, it had only been four months since she had started wearing it full time, but she remained silent, avoiding his gaze.

"I um, I'm sorry for not RSVP'ing, at the last second my sisters convinced me to come. I uh, originally wasn't able to make it. I hope it's not too much of an imposition."

She shook her head.

"Of course not."

He let out an audible sigh of relief, the beginnings of a smile reaching his lips until he realized she was walking away from him towards the stairs.

"The men are outside, please shut and lock the door behind you."

*** "I accept marrying your daughter in accordance with the Islamic law, the agreed upon dowry, in front of all of these witnesses here, Allah being our best witness." Farris said loudly, and as the words left his mouth, the backyard was filled with cheering and yelling and 'Allahu Akbar' which only got louder as Farris stood and swept Maria into his arms. It was a good thing Hudayfah and Jenna's property was so big, because it was ten o'clock at night, and the sound was deafening.

"Barakallahu Lakuma WaBarak Alaikuma Wajamaa Bainakuma Fi Khayr!" the Sheikh shouted over the noise, saying the supplication that was said after a marriage, and as the crowed quieted down a bit, repeating it after him, Idrees, Farris's older brother stood, grabbing the microphone.

"Okay! Okay so as a lot of you know, Farris, Saleh and I are a little bit competitive."

"A little bit?!" his father shouted, and the crowd laughed.

"Okay fine! Fine! We are very competitive! And I have to admit I was finally looking forward to comparing which one of the three of us had the best wedding and eventually the best marriage. But I must say, that as I look at my wife Hajar, Saleh and Rasha, and now Farris and Maria, I see such love, such happiness and joy, I realize there is no possible way we can determine just one winner, because we have all been blessed beyond anything we deserve. So here is to a lifetime of happiness to my little brother and my new sister, and I look forward to watching the blessings grow from your union!"

The party exploded again as Farris hugged his eldest brother, and after Saleh had said a few words, and then their parents, Muhsin spoke, then Jenna and Emma and Yasmin, and finally Adam took the stage.

"I am already mentally preparing myself for Emma's teasing as I know I am going to be emotional here."

"Hey!" Emma shouted, and everyone laughed.

"Well it's true honey! I am going to keep it short and sweet. Farris, when you first told me that you wanted to marry Maria, my initial thought was 'oh my god! Not my baby girl!' I was going to say no. I was going to tell you she was too young. That she had to finish school first. But then I saw the way you looked at her, and while yes, you should have been lowering your gaze," here Farris's face turned red and everyone laughed again, "I saw the love there that I feel when I look at my own wife. And all you want as a parent is to see your child happy, protected, and loved. And I am now entrusting her to you. So make sure you look at her every day with that love that I saw the first time I saw you look at her."

A round of applause started among the guests as both Maria and Farris took turns hugging Adam, and after a few moments, Farris took the microphone.

"I must say that I am feeling overwhelmed by all of the love and blessings that is here with us tonight. I give thanks to Allah swt for allowing us to experience this wonderful time together, and for making this the happiest night of my entire life. The events that led me to meeting Maria were not of the best, and while I wish they would have never happened, I must be a little bit selfish and say Alhamdulillah I did get to meet her. Because she is my other half, she is my soul mate, my cover, my heart. And if she allows me, I will spend forever proving to her how much I depend on her, how much I find strength from her, and how much I love her." He said, and when Maria began to cry, the crowd 'aww'ed', getting louder as Farris gave her a hug. After a few moments, Maria stepped up to the microphone.

"When I was eleven," she began in a whisper, "I went to Mama, and I asked her how I would find my 'Prince Charming'. Yes, I thought of him as Prince Charming. It's all Jenna's fault for making me watch Disney movies, I should have watched Kung Fu movies with Emma." She said with a playful look at her sisters, and everyone laughed "And Mama told me that he was out there and I just had to patient and pray for him. And every day I would pray for my handsome prince. At first I started praying for things like that he would have brown hair and green eyes. That he would be tall and have a brilliant smile, and be super, extremely, incredibly handsome." Everyone laughed. "And as I grew older, my prayers would change and I would wish that he would be a good and kind person, a practicing Muslims, and a loving and wonderful husband. And I never would have realized that," here she paused pursing her lips as if she was trying to stop from crying, "that Allah would have granted every single one of my prayers from when I was eleven years old until now." She whispered, finishing off with a tear sliding down her cheek, and as everyone started whooping and cheering, Farris put his hands on her cheeks, and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"So you think I'm super, extremely, incredibly handsome?" he whispered in her ear teasingly, and she laughed, pushing him away gently.

"Yes I do." She whispered back, and he flashed her a smile.

"Well I must say if we didn't have our parents and grandparents staring at us right now, I would kiss you."

"So if our parents and grandparents weren't here what about everyone else?"

"Nah I don't care about them. I'd kiss you anyways." He said and she laughed, putting her arms around his neck, and holding on as the tightness of his embrace caused her feet to leave the ground.

*** Jafar stood near the buffet table, waiting to get some food, and feeling extremely uneasy.

He shouldn't have come.

He should have just stayed home where he was safe from this pain.

He hadn't expected her to welcome him with open arms. But she was Emma. He also hadn't expected her to totally blow him off either. Yes it had been quite some time since they had been in each other's company, but he had to deal with his family. He had thought she would understand it.

True maybe a year was a bit of a stretch, but part of him had been scared to come back. He had taken the coward's way out. Instead of sitting down and talking with her and Adam and saying that he was interested but couldn't do anything about it now, he had run away.

Jafar wasn't a coward by nature, and he seriously hated himself.

He was just stepping up to the buffet, when he heard someone call his name, and as he turned around, his eyebrows raised as he saw Adam and Emma walking towards him.

"Jafar habibi. Ahlan, welcome!" Adam exclaimed pulling Jafar into a hug, and Jafar returned it uneasily.

"Barak Allahu Feek Adam."

"Would you mind if we had a word with you?" he asked, and after a beat of silence, Jafar nodded, returning his plate back to its place, before he followed the two of them back into the house. Once they were seated in one of the living rooms, Adam sat forward.

"Now. My baby girl's wedding is going on right now, so we are going to just put this out in the open. I think it took a lot of courage for you to show up today Jafar." Adam said, and at first Jafar felt himself become nervous, but when Emma rolled her eyes, he realized Adam was joking.

"Baba stop." She whispered, and Adam laughed.

"Okay, okay. Jafar, you hurt Emma a lot by disappearing a year ago. I know that we never formally discussed your feelings for each other, but everyone knew about it, and it was apparent to my wife and I within seconds of meeting you Jafar. So now that you have returned, what does this mean? What are we going to do about it?"

Jafar sat forward, suddenly tired of this.

Tired of being away from her.

Scared of not being with her.

"Can I be honest?"

Adam motioned with a hand.

"Please."

"I love Farris like a brother, and I am very happy for him and Maria. But I must admit I was scared to come back. I was worried how I would be received because I knew that I had done wrong last year. But I came back in hopes of being accepted. Of being back in your good graces Emma." He said quietly, and she remained silent, staring up at the ceiling, before she turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

She really did look beautiful with the Hijab on.

"I understand why you had to leave. I get that your family was important at that time. Nobody gets family more than I do. But you shouldn't have left like you did."

"I know." He said softly, and Adam cleared his throat.

"So what does this mean?"

"I want to marry you Emma. In front of your father right now I am saying that I want to marry you. And I know this isn't the ideal time, and it isn't the most romantic with flowery words, but it's my heart that cannot be silenced any longer, and if your father gives his consent, and you agree to it, I give you all I am with open arms and an open heart."

There was a beat of silence before Adam put a hand on Emma's back.

"Em? It's up to you, I approve most fully. Do you accept?"

For the first time since he had met her, Jafar was startled to realize that Emma was at a loss for words. Eventually she nodded, tears falling down her cheeks, and as Adam handed her a tissue, she said the word that Jafar had longed to here for so very long.

"Yes."

***

Jenna stood over the dessert tables, preparing everything so that it would be ready for Maria and Farris to cut into the cake. In addition to the giant raspberry white chocolate four tiered cake, they also had brownies, cookies, macaroons, and an assortment of Arab sweets.

People were just finishing up dinner, the speeches had took longer than expected, but soon the happy couple would get up to cut the cake, and as Emma was nowhere to be found, and Rana currently couldn't stand without toppling over, it was up to Jenna to make her sister proud.

She had just centered the knife in position next to the cake, when an arm came around her waist.

"It's almost midnight." He whispered leaning close to her ear, and she smiled, looking up at him.

"I thought you would have forgotten."

"Never! It's been all I can think about!" he exclaimed dramatically, and she laughed.

"Well they are going to cut the cake soon, we cannot go now."

"I have asked Rami to stall until we come back."

"How is he going to do that?"

"Karate? Shadow puppets? Karaoke? It doesn't matter, it's his problem now."

She laughed, allowing him to take her hand in his.

"So what is this big mysterious surprise?"

"Come with me!" he exclaimed eagerly before pulling her away from the crowd. The further they went, the less the music and the talking could be heard, and soon they had come into a clearing that the two of them often came to when they wanted to watch the sunset together. He sat her down on one of the benches, doing the same.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked curiously, and he put up a finger, glancing down at his watch, until his eyes lit up.

"It's officially midnight. Happy anniversary darling."

"Wait what?" she asked in surprise, and he laughed, cupping her face in his hands.

"Exactly a year ago today, we got married."

"How did you remember it was exactly midnight?!"

"I wrote it down." He said flushing slightly, and she swallowed before taking his hands in hers.

"Wow. That's so beautiful. I knew our anniversary was tomorrow, but I didn't realize it was exactly at midnight today."

"You don't remember? The Sheikh got into a small accident, and they police wouldn't let him come until he went to the emergency room."

She nodded, a small smile on her face.

"And all the guests had already gone except for our families."

"And that's when we signed our contract. Exactly at midnight." He whispered, and she leaned forward, giving him a kiss.

"Happy anniversary habibi." She whispered, and he stood, bringing her with him, his eyes sparkling.

"Darling look up at the sky."

She laughed, pulling his arms around her.

"Didn't we do this already when Omar first showed up?"

"Yes, but I don't want you to associate romantic moments with Omar." They both laughed. "So humor me, and look up at the sky."

She let out a breath before looking upwards.

"Okay I am looking."

"What do you see?"

"I see the stars."

He gently kissed the side of her head.

"How many?"

"Too many to count."

"How would you describe them darling?"

"Beautiful." She whispered, and he tightened his hold on her, leaning forward so he was speaking directly into her ear.

"When I was younger, I used to climb up onto my window seat, and stare at the night sky. It used to astound me at how bright and beautiful they were, and after many failed attempts I came to realize that there were too many to count. I would hope and pray that one day I would be able to reach into the sky, and capture a star. I couldn't imagine anything else that could be as valuable as one of those sparkling diamonds. But do you know what I never could have predicted?"

"What?" she whispered, smiling in anticipation of what was to come.

"That one day I would be the one who was captured by something much more valuable and beautiful than the entire night sky."

She turned in his arms, and wrapped them around his neck, and he leaned his forehead against hers.

"And what might that be?"

He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little box.

And in that little box was a chain.

And on that chain was a charm.

And that charm was of a sparkling diamond heart resting in a thin diamond cage.

He paused to clasp the bracelet around her wrist, before he kissed it gently.

"You. You captured my heart."

THE END

Sami Sulayman has been a secret agent for the past ten years working for the FBI, and after assisting in one of the biggest busts to date, he expects everything else in his career to be a breeze. That is until he's assigned to watch over an extremely spoiled, annoying young lady whose recently deceased father left her in danger and in need of protection. Since the death of his own mother, Sami built a wall around himself, locking out everyone and anyone. Now his only question is, will he ever find someone who holds the key to his heart?

Dalia Abushanab doesn't believe for a minute that her father is guilty of what the FBI is accusing him of. That's why when she's assigned a bodyguard, the intimidating and slightly arrogant Secret Agent Sami Sulayman, she instantly dislikes him, and refuses to cooperate and follow instructions, not willing to rest until she can clear her father's name. But when he agrees to help her in her mission of proving her dad's innocence, will she see him for who he truly is?

Stay tuned for the next book in the Touched Hearts series, Unlocked Hearts.

And for those of you following the Qadr series, Chasing Qadr will be put on hold as I am currently preparing Freddy's story as requested by all of you. :) So look out for Finding Qadr, coming out in the next few months!