Final Vow (24 page)

“Actually, it’s
something I wanted to tell you, the real reason I’ve been so busy these last couple of days.”

Bridget didn’t know what to say
; she felt by the way his body tightened next to hers that it was serious. “Yes?”

“The king was so pleased with my service
that he ordered me back to Rahmi to serve as co-chief of security.”

Bridget felt as if the world had dropped out from under her. He was going back to Rahmi. “Well, um, congratulations. You deserve it.” Bridget felt the tears pushing on her eyes. Her nose started running and she had the strongest desire to leap into his ca
r and speed away for dear life.

“Thank you. But I didn’t take it.”

Her head shot up and she looked into Ahmed’s smiling face. “You didn’t?”

“I didn’t. I resigned from the
Royal Guards. Nabi will now be in charge of security for Mo and his family. Of course, I’ll be around if he needs an extra hand.”

“What will you do then?”

“Well, I’m now a co-owner of a horse farm. This horse farm,” Ahmed held out his arms to show off his stables. “I’m in charge of the breeding program and all the foals and yearlings we have and will have. And I do plan to have lots of these little guys running around here with the best bloodlines in the world.”

“I can’t believe it,” Bridget managed to say. She was shocked. Ahmed out of the security business and working with Mo at the farm
. . . it seemed so strange, yet so right. He’d been through so much, seen so much, and now he could have a place of his own out of danger. “Oh, that’s wonderful. No one’s going to be shooting at you anymore.”

Ahmed grabbed her as she jumped into his arms and laughed. He spun her around and set her down before placing a soft kiss on her lips. “Let me show you the
colt I’m really excited about. His mother won numerous stakes races at Ascot in England. The farm bought her last year and then she was bred to one of the best turf racers here in the United States.”

“Can’t wait to see him then. You’re a good man, Ahmed,” Bridget said with emotion building inside her. He was showing her the soft side he
had buried so deeply all those years ago.

“Thank you, my dear.” Ahmed pulled her close to
his side and led her past the stalls until he reached one with a small white cloth hanging over the brass nameplate on the stall door.

The
colt, with a pretty white diamond right between his eyes, eagerly stuck his head out as she and Ahmed approached his stall. He whinnied and stomped his hoof as Ahmed laughed.

“He’s demanding
an apple. Here, you give it to him.” Ahmed handed her a thick slice of apple to feed to the colt.

Bridget held out her hand and the
colt eagerly took the apple and then spun around in his stall showing off. Bridget laughed at his antics. “You’re a handsome boy, aren’t you?” The colt whinnied again and tossed his head at the compliment. “What’s his name?”

Ahmed gestured to the small white sheet covering the nameplate. “This just came in today. Why don’t you do the honors?”

The colt’s soft nose hit her arm, demanding more attention. She turned away from Ahmed to rub the horse's nose and was rewarded with a happy whinny. “Well, let’s see what your name is, handsome.”

Bridget lifted the white cloth from the nameplate and stared
in confusion.
Will You Marry Me?
What a strange name for a horse. She turned around to ask Ahmed if that was right when she saw him behind her on one knee. She whipped her head around to the nameplate again and then back to Ahmed.

He smiled up at her, but she just stood frozen to the spot. He looked so st
rong and sexy on one knee holding out a tiny black box. A diamond sparkled from its cushion and all Bridget could do was put a hand to her chest and stare in shock.

“There was a time in my life that I didn’t care if I lived or d
ied. My only thought was revenge until I met you. You have helped me out of the darkness. You changed my life and showed me there was a whole future out there waiting for us. You’re the most remarkable woman I have ever met. You’re strong and compassionate. Every day, I think I can’t possibly love and respect you any more. But then I’m with you and my love just continues to grow. Bridget, will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, I
love you.”

Ahmed stood up and she jumped into his arms. He kissed her and it was then she realized
why he'd been so nervous. His hands were strong, yet a little shaky as he slid the ring onto her finger.

“I love you
, too,” he said as he rested his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes. “Always and forever, but with you forever won’t be long enough.”

Bridget lost her battle with tears as she wrapped herself around him and kissed him with all the hope of t
he bright future ahead of them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Ahmed wrapped his arm around his fiancé
e’s waist and led her out of the barn. He had one more surprise for her. Thank goodness she said yes or this would have been very awkward. He pushed the barn door open as Marko and Zoti bounded forward.

“I still can’t believe it,” Bridget said as she
continued to stare at her ring.

“You’ll have the rest of your life to look at that ring because it’s never leaving your finger. But right now, why don’t you look up,” Ahmed grinned
, giving her hip a little squeeze.

Bridget elbowed him teasingly and finally looked up right in time for Marko and Zoti to come skidding
to a halt in front of her. Big white bows were tied to their collars and she smiled at how cute they looked. But how did they get here? She looked into the small parking lot and grinned at the happy faces there.

“Dani
, you knew about this and didn’t tell me?” Bridget finally laughed when she saw Mo, Dani, and Nabi standing shoulder to shoulder with matching smiles.

“I know
. I also didn’t tell you about this.” Dani and Nabi stepped apart as her father and mother got out the car they had been hiding in.

“Dad? Mom? What
. . .?” Bridget looked to Ahmed and kissed him. “Thank you,” she whispered before running to her parents.

Her father engulfed her in a bear hug and her mother dabbed the tears from her eyes.
When his soon-to-be father-in-law handed Bridget over to Patty’s embrace, Ahmed stepped forward and held out his hand. “It’s good to see you again, sir.”

“You too, son. Turns out my daughter was right the whole time. She said you were a good man and you are. Congratulations to you both.” General Ward grabbed
his outstretched hand and shook it.

“Wait, you all met?” Bridget asked from her mom’s embrace.

“Oh yes. He was so romantic and came all the way to Virginia to ask us for permission to marry you,” her mother told her.

Bridget pulled away from her mother and walked over to him. Ahmed looked down at her eyes shining with happiness. “Thank you.” He’d never felt more like a hero than he did now. “I will show you how happy you
made me later,” she whispered. He’d live the rest of his life trying to be her hero if this was his reward.

“We are both so happy for you two. Now, we have a party to go to,” Mo said as he shook his
best friend’s hand.

“A party?”

“Yes, Dani arranged the whole thing. We have two things to celebrate today—my partnership with Ahmed at Desert Sun and your engagement. I hate to rush, but when we left, Miss Lily was about to hit Edna over the head with an empty casserole dish for talking to John. And Miss Violet was trying to tell Anton, my chef, how he should fix his pastries. Needless to say, it was a good thing the Davies crew arrived. They’re my only hope there will be no bodies when we get back,” Mo told them as he hurried Dani into their car.

“We will see you there. We’ll take Marko and his new brother back to Ahmed’s and feed them. Sorry to have gone into your house, but Mo gave us the key. And we’re family now,” Patty said apologetically.

“I don’t mind. And I know the boys won’t mind either,” Ahmed said gently.

As the group dispersed, Ahmed realized he
had a general calling him
son
and a sweet woman telling him they were family. It touched him deeply. He discovered what a real father should be like after his long talk with General Ward in Virginia. Hard, but supportive. Tough, but compassionate. He’d been slightly jealous of Bridget’s upbringing with a loving mother and father, but now he had a second chance at family. They were his family now, too. And he hoped he and Bridget would have their own children.

“
I can’t believe you did all this since we got back. And I love you for it and so much more, but I gotta see if Miss Lily took out Edna,” Bridget teased as she hurried to the car.

“I see I’ll just have to prove to be more interesting that the granny
gang. I can think of a few ways.” Ahmed pinned her against the car and rocked the slightest bit to give her an idea of what he had planned. “If the pastries aren’t up to par, then I’d better have my dessert now.”

Ahmed popped the button to her jeans and showed her why he was definitely m
ore interesting than the senior showdown.

Cars were everywhere. Ahmed had said to invite some of their friends, but it looked like Dani took that to mean the entire town. Ahmed parked and opened the door for Bridget. All he could think about right now was how long they needed to stay before he could get her home and finish what he’d started against the car.

They made their way toward the
wide stairs leading to the front door when Ahmed stopped. “Do you hear something?”

“No. Wait. It’s
. . .” Bridget turned her head toward the sound and they crept around a truck to see what it was.

“My dear, can you tell me if I’ve gone crazy? I think I see Mr. Tabernacle’s pig dressed in a white tutu with a veil attached to her collar eating some apples
on the prince’s lawn.”

He felt her body shake as she stared at the pig happily eating while her tutu shook with
each snort. Soon they were leaning on each other as laughter overtook them. “There are no words, but bless his heart,” Bridget said.

The front door opened and their friends spilled out onto the stairs. Bridget hurried to where Annie and the rest of the girls
were and they immediately surrounded her with squeals of joy as she showed them her ring.

“Come inside.
We have champagne ready to be popped as soon as Bridget’s parents arrive,” Mo called as he gently guided everyone except Cy inside.

Ahmed climbed the rest of the stairs and shook hands with the man who had quickly become a close friend. “Congratulations. Mo told me about the king. It’s going to be strange for you to leave that life behind, but you have one hell of a person to move forward with.”

“Thank you, Cy. You are a good friend and I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“Shoot, you jumped out of a plane to help me save
the woman I love. I think I still owe you. Come on, let’s get a drink and talk about the good ol’ days of fighting, guns, and secret missions.”

Ahmed laughed and followed Cy into the house. The party was in full swing and soon the women turned on him. “We knew she’d be perfect for you,” Miss Dai
sy said as she patted his hand.

“We’re so happy for you both,” Miss Lily said with half
an eye on John talking to Will.

“Oh, b
less your hearts.” Miss Violet grabbed Ahmed and before he knew it, his face was buried in her billowy bosom as she hugged him tightly to her chest.

“Don’t
smother him before the wedding,” Kenna teased. “Congratulations, Ahmed.” Kenna rose up and kissed his cheek. “I’m so glad you found your love.”

“Me
, too,” Tammy sobbed. “I’m so happy for you. Damn pregnancy hormones. I swear these are happy tears.”

Ahmed wrapped the closest thing he had to a little sister in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you, Tammy.”

Bridget finally broke free of Morgan, Pam Gilbert, and Neely Grace and made her way to his side right before her parents were escorted in. Her father looked imposing, except for the big smile on his face.

“Holy
. . .” Miles started to say before Miss Lily swatted the back of his head.

“I can’t believe it.” Marshall stopped bouncing Sydney from where h
e stood between Miles and Cade.

“General Ward? What are you doing here
?” Cade questioned in surprise.

“You know him?” Bridget asked the Davies brothers.

“Know him? Shoot, we went to war with him,” Miles joked before the three broth
ers surrounded her father.

“I can’t believe you came all this way to see us. Especially now
that you’re a big shot in Washington.” Marshall shifted Sydney to his left arm and shook the general’s hand.

Cade pinched his lips. “He has
diplomatic immunity. Whatever laws he broke, you can’t arrest him.”

“I’m not here to arrest Ahmed.”

Ahmed almost broke out in laughter as he watched his future father-in-law fight a grin as they both remembered their first meeting.

“Then why are you here?” Miles asked. “Not that we aren’t glad to see you again.”

“I’m here to welcome Ahmed to my family. The man
is
marrying my daughter.”

This time Ahmed couldn’t stop the laughter when he looked at their faces. Miles, Marshall
, and Cade all had their brows furrowed. They looked first to him, and then to Bridget, and back to the general.

“Bridget is your
daughter?” Miles was in shock.

“Sure is. And Ahmed’s
going to be my new son.”

“Oh shit.” Cade paused
as Miss Daisy hit him up against the back of his head for cursing. “Does the president know?”

“And the CIA? FBI? Homeland Security?”
Marshall added.

“They have all been informed and were relieved to hear about his career change,” General Ward laughed as he reached over and grabbed Ahmed
by the shoulder. “Very relieved. Although I think our president has a sweet spot for you after His Highness told her about your love story. She sends her congratulations. Patty?”

“It’s right here, honey,” Patty pulled out a bottle of very expensive bourbon. “There’s a note
, too.”

“Good luck with your
green card application,” Ahmed read out loud. “You can use me as a reference. Signed, President Sheila Nelson.”

Everyone laughed and soon
people started breaking into groups as the champagne was popped and poured. Bridget made her way over to her parents and Ahmed, who were now surrounded by the Davies family.

“Dad,” s
he interjected, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you knew the Davies family?”

“I may have wanted you to find a nice place to call your own. And I knew you would be safe
here.”

“Wait, back up. You wanted me to find? What did you do?” Her voice raised and everyone stopped talking and looked at them.

“I may have suggested Marshall’s sheriff’s department could use a K-9.”

“Suggested to
whom?”

“That would be me,” Cy said proudly.

Ahmed turned and looked at his friend. “You?”

“Y
ep,” Cy grinned as he rocked back on his heels. “I’m the one who hired her after her father suggested it. I looked into her a bit. And yes, I knew he was her father and I knew he had been my brothers’ commander. I am a spy, after all.”

“Way to help a friend out.
It would have helped if you’d told me who her father was
before
I showed up at his house asking permission to marry his daughter,” Ahmed said as he gently punched Cy in the shoulder and they laughed.

The champagne was handed out and Ahmed slid his hand onto the small of Bridget’s back. She smiled up at him and rested her head against his shoulder for just a moment.

The
general cleared his throat and raised his glass. The room quieted as they waited for his toast. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“We’re practically family now. Call me Mo.”

“Well, thank you. To Mo, and your beautiful wife, Danielle, for hosting this party. And to all of you for loving and caring for my daughter,” he tilted his glass toward the packed room. “My dear wife of thirty-eight years and I only had one child. Who could top perfection? We knew it would take someone special to make her fall in love. Now, Ahmed isn’t exactly what we expected, but we’ve seen them together and we’ve heard them talk about each other. We know our prayers have been answered. The man she fell in love with will cherish her. And we all know he’ll keep her safe.”

“And she’ll keep him safe
,” Annie called out over the laughter.

“True
,” her father bellowed. “But most importantly, he’ll love her and that’s all her mother and I could ever want. To Bridget and Ahmed.”

“To Bridget and Ahmed!”