Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

Epilogue

"Beyah, we have two minutes left!"

"I'm coming!"

She ran as fast as she could, wanting to see the little one before they left for their first tour of the Caribbean island. The beach house her family would occupy throughout the vacation was lovely inside and out. She had a feeling she wouldn't want to leave when their annual trip was over.

She followed the muffled voices until she stood in the open doorway of the master bedroom her parents were to share. Mahmud noticed her first and he raised a brow. "Shouldn't you be on your way, Aman?"

She smiled despite being out of breath and nodded. "I just had to see him before I go."

Hauwa smiled at her. "You're going to spoil him at this rate, much more than you did with Saifullah."

Beyah's smile widened until she was sporting a full grin. She thought back to her immediate younger brother who was being watched by Hanan in the bus since Hauwa and Mahmud weren't going for the tour with them, both wanting to take care of the newest addition to their family.

She stepped deeper into the room. "I love them, Mama. I'm showering them with all the love I have to give. There's a difference."

Hauwa nodded. "If you say so, Ms Muhammad."

Beyah walked straight to the bassinet that gently swayed left and right where the little boy napped, wearing the teal coloured onesie she had picked out that morning. At a month old, it was quite clear he was only one who would look like Hauwa in every way possible. He even had the cute skin patches on his back.

Beyah sighed. "I love him."

Mahmud pushed himself off the bed and went to stand beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We all do."

Beyah was a very stubborn young lady. "I love him most, Baba. We've talked about this."

"Your mother loves him more than both of us, Aman. Don't let us argue."

Beyah nodded after careful consideration. "True." She pushed herself up and with Mahmud's help, she kissed her baby brother's cheek. "I'll be back soon, Kamal. When I return, I'm going to tell you everything that happened today. Maybe I'll get Yazan to draw you something too."

Mahmud's smile dropped. "Beyah-Aman."

Hauwa laughed softly. "Qalb, we've gone through this over and over again."

Beyah giggled as her feet touched the ground. She walked around the bed to where Hauwa sat and hugged her. "Baba likes to worry unnecessarily, Mama. He doesn't want to believe he's going to get grey hair at this point. Uncle Zayd has a few grey hairs already."

Hauwa chuckled while Mahmud glared at them both. "He will believe you soon, I promise." She kissed her daughter's head. "I love you, Beyah."

"I love you too, Mama. I love you more than everything the world contains. Even more than the moon and stars."

Hauwa smiled. "Me too, Beyah." She pulled back. "You don't want to be late, sweetheart. Don't keep the others waiting."

Beyah nodded and ran back to where Mahmud stood. He knelt and hugged her easily. "I love you, sweetheart."

She kissed his cheek and then whispered in his ear. "I love you more than everything, Baba. Way more than I love Mama."

Hauwa's eyes narrowed. "I heard that."

Mahmud chuckled and patted her back before he pulled away. "I love you too." He kissed her forehead. "Run along now."

She stepped back. "Bye Mama, bye Baba. Bye, Kamal. Stay safe until I return, okay?"

From outside, Yazan yelled. "Beyah-Aman Mahmud Muhammad!"

Beyah ran out of the room. "I'm coming!"

Mahmud glared at the open door. "I'm going to kill that boy."

Hauwa got out of the bed and walked over to where he stood. "You and I know you aren't going to do anything, Mahmud Muhammad. He always ends up being a gentleman and as much as you don't want to admit it, he has charmed you too."

Mahmud pulled her close and rolled his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She smiled at him, her hands on his chest while his arms were wrapped around her waist. "I'm not even going to argue with you, Qalb."

Her hands moved up until she had her arms resting on both shoulders. Her smile widened when they began to sway to a tune only both of them could hear. He smiled back at her, memorizing every detail of her face like he always did. It never got old and her blush never stopped melting his heart.

On the bus heading farther away from the resort, Beyah scrolled through the images on the tablet she and Yazan shared, teaching him every botanical thing she had recently learned from Mahmud. Like always, Yazan listened with full attention, amazed like everyone else at how she easily understood things even adults struggled to comprehend; obviously following in her father's footsteps.

Back in the beach house, Hauwa and Mahmud kept swaying with matching smiles and ever growing love. In the bassinet, Kamal Mahmud Muhammad stirred slightly before he relaxed and continued sleeping, recharging for the love he was going to be showered with as soon as he woke up; love that was never, ever going to fade.

The End