Page 42 of Earned Husband

Both of us knew that being a Saad came with a lot of advantages, but it also came with a giant question hanging over every relationship.Does this guy like me or what I bring to the table?

Especially since Jasmine and I were the only two girls. As far as we were concerned, our brothers had it much easier.

“You’re saying Colin isn’t like that?”

I smiled. “The only flashy thing about Colin is his watch. It’s a Rolex, but it looks like an antique he got from his great-grandfather.”

Jasmine burst out laughing. “You like the guy because he wears an heirloom. I’m not going to pretend to understand what that’s all about.”

“It’s about Colin’s watch not being about showing off,” I said quietly, ignoring her laughter as I watched the tops of the palm trees lining the perimeter of our garden swaying in the breeze. “He just not the kind of guy who expects people to notice him, and that’s why they do.”

Jasmine tapped her fingers against her glass. “Okay. What kind of car does he drive?”

“A Lexus.”

She stared at me for a beat. “A Lexus?”

“It’s a very nice car.”

“I’m sure it is, but let me just paraphrase this so you understand what I’m hearing. You’ve fallen for a man who wears a family Rolex and drives a sensible luxury vehicle.”

“Well, I mean, it sounds terrible when you say it like that.”

“It sounds like you’re eighty years old.”

I leaned over to throw a splash of water at her and she laughed again, but both of us fell silent when our mother appeared. Immediately, we both sat up straighter, pulling off our sunglasses to watch her approach.

Layla Saad would never just come out here to hang by the pool with her girls when she could be working. It was a family affliction, unfortunately, most of us completely addicted to productivity. Even I was only out here now because I’d needed some time away from it all to try to gather my thoughts.

“Hello, princesses,” she said, smiling warmly. “It’s hot out here today. Did we remember sunscreen?”

“Hi, Mama,” I said. “We did. Don’t worry.”

“I always worry. It’s a mother’s job.” She looked at Jasmine, her smiling fading slightly when she turned back to me. “We need to talk.”

I nodded, already knowing what this was about—the endless list of celebrations that would turn my impending marriage into a year-long, cross-border production. Everyone would be there, our entire extended family, our friends, and every other person my parents had ever met.

Engagements were a big deal here. If they excluded someone they’d met once at a dinner twenty years ago, they’d fret that person would feel offended. Honestly, I loved my family, but sometimes, I wished they knew the meaning of keeping things small and simple.

“Okay, I’m coming,” I said. “I just need to ask you a favor first.”

“A favor?” she asked, curiosity sparking to life in her gentle eyes. “What’s that?”

I stood and reached for my bag, pulling out a heavy envelope containing a letter I’d rewritten at least three times. As I handedit to her, I felt a spark of excitement mingling with a thread of nerves deep down inside.

“Can you give this to your assistant to mail for me?” I asked. “Preferably overnight.”

She smiled. “I’ll take care of it.”

I nodded my thanks, pretending not to notice the way both my mother and sister were looking at me right now. For me personally, the engagement, the wedding planning, and even the arranged marriage itself were nothing compared to this.

This was between Colin and me. It was building our relationship and exploring that connection I’d felt to him since pretty much the first time we’d met.

In that letter, I’d bared parts of my soul and I was finally ready for him to receive them. I just hoped he liked what he saw.

CHAPTER 19

COLIN