"Emir! Put me down!"
Reyhan's objections are met with laughter from her mischievous husband.
"What kind of groom would I be if I didn't carry my bride into our new home?"
This new affectionate version of Emir really keeps her off balance. But if she's honest with herself, she kind of loves it. He makes her feel special now. Loved. Complete. Like her heart finally found its perfect match. She lets out a contented sigh and rests her head on his shoulder. And she's disappointed, despite her earlier protest, when he sets her down once they're inside the house.
"What do you think?" he asks, a huge smile on his face.
She looks around in awe. The house is beautiful. And somehow exactly what she would have picked. She's amazed that he either knows her that well or their tastes match so perfectly.
"I love it," she whispers, finding it hard to speak through the unexpected tears. "This is exactly what I would have chosen."
Ayla lets out a loud shriek when she finds her room, making Reyhan's tears turn into giggles.
"It sounds like she likes the house too," she says with a smile.
"You think?" Emir laughs, taking Reyhan's hand and pulling her towards Ayla's room. He doesn't let go when they get there, so the two just stand there holding hands while they watch the little girl run around looking at everything. Again, they're amused by her excitement.
She stops abruptly when she sees a picture on the dresser. It's a picture of the three of them from the hospital. Defne had taken it the day they signed the papers to be able to get custody of Ayla.
"We look like a family," Ayla says, her little voice filled with emotion.
Emir walks over to her and stoops down to her level.
"That's because we are a family, Aylacığım," he tells her. "If you want, we want you to stay with us forever. If you let us, we want to be your anne and baba."
"Really?" her eyes widen in surprise as she looks over at Reyhan, unable to believe what Emir is saying.
"It's true," Reyhan says with a smile, wiping away a stray tear that sneaks through. "But I've never been a mother before. I hope I can be a good one for you."
Another shriek from Ayla and then she goes running to Reyhan, the force of the girl crashing into her almost knocking her off her feet. Ayla throws her arms around Reyhan's legs and holds on tight. Again Reyhan struggles to hold in her tears. Emir comes to stand next to them and wraps her arm around Reyhan in comfort, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.
"Anne?" Ayla calls, looking up at Reyhan.
"Yes, Aylacığım?" Reyhan answers, not sure how she manages it through all her emotions.
"Nothing," Ayla says, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Just checking to make sure you answer."
The little girl skips off to examine more of her new toys.
"We've been accepted and dismissed," Emir says, amused by the little girl's quirky personality. "But she seems happy."
"She does, doesn't she?" Reyhan smiles, still wiping away tears. Without noticing, she's leaned more into Emir's embrace and has wrapped her own arms around him.
They stay with Ayla for a few minutes, but then Emir is taking her hand again and pulling her from the room towards another room.
"This is our bedroom," he announces, trying to sound carefree. But he sneaks a glance in her direction to see he's scared her. But he sees that she's too busy looking around. The room is large and spacious, with a huge bed in the center. This bed, like the bed at the hospital, is much larger than their bed at home. It has tall posts and white, airy curtains all around. Like with Ayla, Reyhan's attention falls on a picture on the dresser.
"Our wedding picture," she says, stroking her finger across the image.
"I had Suna send it," he explains. "I hope it's okay."
"It's perfect," she whispers, turning to him. "All of this is perfect, Emir. It feels like a real home. It feels like us."
She takes a few tentative steps towards him, but before she can think too hard about it, she closes the gap between them and falls into his arms for a hug.
He instantly wraps his arms around her, not wanting her to end the hug too quickly. It feels good having her there. It feels even better when she seems to almost melt into him. This is one way he can touch her and she doesn't seem to mind. But after a few moments, he knows he has to let her go. He's fine with the baby steps for now. She can take as long as she needs to be comfortable with him.
"I'm going to go check on Ayla," he says as she steps away from him. "Why don't you look around and make sure everything is to your liking. And you can let me know if you need anything else."
She nods and lets him leave, feeling strangely colder without his warmth. She's finding she's getting used to being in his arms. She's finding she really likes being in his arms. She glances over at the bed and remembers the nights in the hospital and the bed they shared there. She feels her cheeks heat at the realization that they will be sharing this bed now.
"One of these days I will be kissing and tasting every inch of this delectable skin. So get ready. I'll get to see how far this beautiful blush goes," he had warned her. Or was it a promise? In any event, the thought doesn't completely terrify her anymore. The pounding in her chest isn't terror, it's excitement. Well, maybe with a little terror thrown in.
"He makes me lose my breath," she says out loud, fanning her face to cool the blush in her cheeks. She can't let him see her this way.
She decides to take a shower to wash off the hospital. She had been there so long that it will feel like heaven to get a really good shower. She searches the drawers and closets for clothes and finds a variety of things. When she first moved from Erzurum to the mansion, they had given her such formal clothes. And she notices a few of those similar dresses here. But there's also more casual choices as well. Tunics and leggings. Sweaters and jeans. Sundresses and cardigans. These all seem more her style and once again, she finds herself smiling at how well Emir seems to know her.
And it's at that moment that it hits her ... this is her life now. She has a home. She's a wife. She's a mother. And she's happy. So very happy. Cavidan is far away and can't hurt her anymore. Leaving home and following her uncle halfway across the country to marry a man she had never met was the biggest risk she had ever taken. And it's turned out to be the biggest reward. She's living a life she never even dreamed and she's happier than she could have ever imagined.
She sends up a silent prayer that she doesn't take it for granted and that she doesn't do anything to lose it. That she can be bold and brave and defend what's now hers. Because now that she has it all, she knows that losing it will be unbearable. And she can't let that happen. She never fought Cavidan or Cemre before. But she will now. She has too much to risk them taking it away. If they come up against her now, it will be war. This is her family. And she'll do anything to protect it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
They spend the rest of the day getting to know the house and getting settled into a family type of routine. Reyhan finally stops tearing up after about the fourteenth time Ayla calls her anne, having finally gotten used to hearing it. Dinner was a fun experiment in discovering what Ayla likes to eat. Reyhan had sent Emir to the store to get a variety of foods to offer the little girl. Fortunately the child has no allergies, so they were able to really have some fun.
But by the end of the day, after all the excitement, Ayla has exhausted herself and is out like a light after two bedtime stories. Reyhan isn't far behind. She did a lot for her first day out of the hospital, so Emir wasn't surprised to see her fast asleep when he got out of the shower. He can't help but smile at her choice of pajamas. It's the top to the set of pajamas he had planned on wearing to bed. She only left him the bottoms. He pulls on those bottoms and goes to his drawer for a plain t-shirt, but changes his mind. He decides to just sleep shirtless.
With a yawn, he turns off the light and climbs in the bed next to her. She doesn't know this, but while they were in the hospital, she had a habit of turning to him and burrowing into his side, her leg carelessly thrown over his. She'd always wake up surprised to be wrapped around him, not realizing she's the one who did all the wrapping. And sure enough, like clockwork, once he gets settled, she rolls over and gets into her usual position. Her warm, rhythmic breathing on his neck lulls him into a deep, peaceful sleep with her.
When morning morning comes, she wakes first. And as usual, she can't help but wonder how he pulls her to him while she's asleep without her waking up. Every morning since they changed rooms at the hospital, she wakes up to find herself practically wrapped around Emir. They fit together like puzzle pieces and sometimes she's reluctant to separate. This morning is no exception.
While he's still sleeping, she decides to take a good look at him. She smiles at how long his eyelashes are. Most women would be jealous of the length and wonder why such lashes were wasted on a man. But to her, they fit his strong face perfectly. She moves down to his cheeks where those dimples usually tease her. She's struck with the sudden urge to kiss those dimples to life, but manages to refrain.
Her eyes widen when she notices he's shirtless. She must have let out an audible gasp because when she looks up, his eyes are now open.
"Sorry," she quickly apologizes, lifting the arm that's casually slung across his chest.
"Don't move. It's okay, you can touch me," he practically growls, his voice rough with sleep still. He grabs her arm before she can remove it and slowly runs his hand from the elbow to her hand. Once he reaches her hand, he takes it and moves it back to his chest, holding it there when she tenses. She only hesitates for a minute before starting to stroke the light spattering of hair there. She moves first across the wide expanse of this chest and then allows her fingers to dance down his abs. He inhales sharply when her fingers dip into his navel.
"You're about to get into dangerous territory," he warns her, covering her hand with his own to stop any further movement south. He lifts their joined hands to his mouth and presses a kiss to her fingers. Then he lifts his hand to sweep her hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. With a clear path, he leans forward to press a kiss to the side of her neck. Her giggle surprises him.
"Your beard tickles," she says, still laughing.
She realizes her mistake in admitting she's ticklish when his eyes take on that mischievous glint again. She barely has time to roll onto her back to try to get away before his fingers attack her sides.
"Emir," she squeaks, trying to get away from him and his tickling. "Stop!"
He crawls after her, but she manages to get out of the bed before he can reach her again. Laughing, she almost makes it to the door before he catches her, lifting her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He walks her back to the bed and dumps her there. She's laid out on her back and he steps between her legs, leaning over her with his hands on either side of her head. They're both breathing hard from all the activity.
"Now that I've caught you, whatever shall I do with you?" he asks. But the flash of fear in her eyes lets him know he's pushed her as far as she's willing to go. So he just gives her a quick little kiss on her nose and stands up to let her go free. "I'm going to go check on Ayla."
She's half relieved when he leaves. But she's also partly disappointed in herself for being such a coward. Didn't she decide just the day before to be bolder. To be braver. To fight for her family. She won't have a family if she pushes her husband away.
"Aptal," she scolds herself. She sits up from where Emir left her and climbs back into the bed. She's just getting under the covers when the door opens and Emir appears with a still sleepy Ayla in his arms.
"Someone wanted to say good morning," he says.
Emir brings Ayla and they both climb in the bed with Reyhan. Ayla crawls to her and cuddles with her.
"Günaydın, anne," she says with a yawn, laying her head on Reyhan's chest. A few seconds later, they hear smooth and rhythmic breathing to indicate she's fallen back asleep.
"She just wanted snuggles," Emir whispers, stroking Ayla's hair.
Reyhan bites her lip and looks at him, apology in her eyes.
"She's not the only one, is she? But I keep pushing you away. I'm sorry. I don't mean to, I just ..."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he stops her, not letting her feel bad about this. "Take as long as you need."
"Come here," she says with a smile, motioning him closer until his face is right next to hers. She indulges in her urge from before and places a kiss right where her favorite dimple should be. "That is for being so patient."
The kiss works and she's rewarded with a full smile from him, dimples included. She leans over and kisses the other cheek.
"And that is because I love these dimples," she admits.
A surprised laugh comes out of him and she has to cover his mouth to keep him quiet or risk waking Ayla. He kisses her hand before she removes it and pulls her into his arms.
"You really tempt me like no other, Reyhan hanım," he says, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
She gazes up at him, a sleepy, dreamy expression on her face. It's more than he can take.
"And stop looking at me like that. It's that look that always gets me in trouble with you," he admits with an uneasy laugh.
"Maybe a little trouble won't be so bad," she says. She nervously licks her lips.
Hope flickers in his heart. But he tries to convince himself to go slow. With the buffer of Ayla between them, he senses she feels safer.
"Let's try this," he suggests, his voice quiet and raspy. "Close your eyes ... if you trust me."
She gives him a gentle smile and lifts her hand to his cheek.
"I trust you."
He starts there and kisses the hand on his cheek. When she closes her eyes, he runs a finger across her eyelashes. He follows that with a kiss on each eye.
"You are so precious," he whispers. "I just want to show you how much I adore you."
He runs a finger down her nose before pressing a little kiss there as well.
"Still doing okay?" he asks her, making sure she's comfortable.
She opens her eyes to look at him again, tears in her eyes this time. She just nods. Then sighs her contentment when he kisses the tears off her cheeks. He slides to the corner of her mouth and her breath hitches. Without realizing what she's going, she turns her head just enough so their lips make contact. It's like an electric shot zapping through her body. She's breathless when he pulls away.
"How was ..."
He doesn't get the rest of his question out. She leans in for another kiss, going straight for the mouth she suddenly can't get enough of. She's lightheaded when he pulls away again.
"Wow," she says, causing him to laugh.
"I'll take wow."
"I can see now why you always want to do that," she admits, making him laugh even harder. "You, Emir bey, might actually become my first addiction."
She rests her head on his shoulder. All of this is becoming an addiction. One she has to keep safe. Because she doesn't know what she'd do if she ever lost any of it.
Emir's thoughts mirror Reyhan's. He holds tight to everything in his arms, realizing they're his whole world now. His whole life. He's going to protect them with everything he has.