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Tears surged into her eyes as her whole face tres I thought were no longer relevant, but I never and will never lie to you, ya ati It’s the truth You can have yourlove and thankfulness in utratitude, before he turned to Haidar and Jalal

“I’m sorry, ya shabaab, but your mother was solely responsible for this” At their pained, resigned looks, he added, “But she didn’t order my mutilation, or death, after they extracted the inforing me, then keep me prisoner until she carried out her plan What they did was their own payback to me I’d been responsible for their imprisonment or that of their relatives”

Haidar frowned “Are you saying this to make us feel better?”

“With Sondoss as your rinned,them do a hilarious double take “Seriously, she’s not as bad as I thought she was She has lines she won’t cross, which uided but not a hardened criminal As far as I’ So I basically forgive her And so should you”

Haidar groaned “It’s a miracle we’re so well-adjusted”

Jalal’s eyes widened “You’re talking about us?” He shook his head as he rose, put his hand on Rashid’s shoulder “The only reason we’re not as dangerous as our mother is because we found you so early on And before we strayed too much after you left us, we found Roxanne and Lujayn”

Haidar rose, huffed a h “That was a couple ht people at the right tiht dom off our hands?”

“Uhnever?” As they all exploded in protests, he s to be totally off your hands Even after I take the throne, you’ll share it with me You pick your titles”

Jalal shook him in mock panic “Please, not heir and spare Harres and Shaheen suffer untold horrors being Aly caressed Laylah’s round belly, soaked up her adoration “You can be anything and everything else”

“Sokrunn ya rubb—thank God!” Haidar pretended relief “But we’ll have to get back to you on that, after Roxanne and Lujayn tell us exactly e’ll be, and e’ll do”

Rashid laughed “A very wise if ter once told me that a man can’t call hiuffawed “We’re the manliest men who ever lived then”

Rashid looked down at Laylah, loving her, thanking the fates for her with every heartbeat “No one isaselse

When he returned fro Haidar and Jalal off, he came down on the floor beside Laylah as she stretched on the couch, rubbing and kissing her belly soothingly

Sighing her pleasure, she drew her hands luxuriantly through the hair that now brushed his neck “Thank you, ya rohi”

“I’ive you this”

“I’ all this in the hope of exonerating iven her for, or for giving me the chance to rebuildyou, for being mine”

“You thank h I will keep on thanking you But then you do the sauys”

“I ao back there with our whole fa or not re yours, and our baby’s”

“The throne is the other half of your destiny!” She pulled him up to her by his hair “Didn’t you claim to be the ‘manliest’ man there is? Prove it Say it is and that you’ll take it”

Taking her lips, taking her into his are “Amrek, ya habibati As you cohtedly, she enfolded him back in her arms and heart “Good man”