Chapter 139 BOOK 2: CHAPTER 29

Chapter 139 BOOK 2: CHAPTER 29
—Nathaniel—
I slid out of bed and quietly stepped out of the room in order not to wake the love of my life who was still sleeping soundly in bed.
In the hallway, I shut the door to my room and traced my way to the terrace.
Then I took the call.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Nate. Did I wake you?”
“It's still 6 a.m here, Eloise. Is everything alright?”
She drew a deep breath. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your beautiful sleep. But I wanted to know your location.”
“London. Why are you asking?”
“It's about Amira.”
My brows creased. “What about her?”
She paused, the silence nerve-wracking.
“I was thinking of spending one more day with Amira before you guys head back to Nigeria,” she said, her voice soft. “As my future sister-in-law, I thought we should strengthen our bond.”
She made a point—but something about her request felt off. Maybe because Eloise isn't the type to socialize with females, having grown up around boys.
She didn't even have a girlfriend through college. Could this be the beginning of a newer friendship?”
“Alright. What time should we expect you?”
“This morning.”
I blinked. “This morning?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact, I'm about to board my flight. Talk to you later!” she said, and ended the call.
I glanced at my phone. What's with the excitement?
Exhaling, I slipped my phone into my pocket and walked back to the room.
Amira was still asleep.
I washed my face in the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and she was still in lalaland.
A faint smile touched my lips.
Quietly shutting the door, I headed again to the terrace and sat on a nearby couch.
I watched as the sun rose over the horizon.
“Sir?” a housekeeper approached with a cup of coffee.
“Thank you.”
I picked up the cup of coffee and sipped as the receding footsteps of the housekeeper echoed.
Then someone placed their hands over my eyes.
I didn't need to look to know who it was. Her scent already betrayed her.
“Amira.”
She burst out laughing.
Then she let go, followed by a kiss on my cheek. “Good morning.”
“Oh! You can do better,” I drawled, lowering the cup and reaching for her arms.
One single movement and she was in my arms. Her laughter echoed, but tempered as I captured her lips in a kiss.
Heat exploded between us.
Then I pulled back and noticed she had freshened and changed into new clothes. A T-shirt, blue jeans and a pair of white canvas shoes.
“Are you going somewhere?”
Her eyes fluttered. “No.”
I smiled and caressed her neck.
“Eloise is coming over. She said she wants to come see you.”
Amira gasped. “Is she?”
I nodded, “Yes.”
The doorbell rang. A housekeeper answered and it was Eloise.
“Eloise!’ Amira called and bolted.
I watched the ladies share an embrace, just as footsteps inched toward us.
A housekeeper.
“Breakfast has been served,” he announced, and headed back.
I turned to the ladies in my life. “Shall we?”
We walked into the dining room and settled down around the table. To my surprise, Amira ate her food.
After a few spoons, she covered her mouth and excused herself from the table.
“It must be the food,” Eloise said as I meant to follow her.
I sat again. “The food?”
“It's a bit too sweet—I mean the porridge,” she explained. “She’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Curiosity tugged at me.
Amira returned to the room with a smile. “Sorry about that,” she said. “I'm not used to fruit porridge.”
“Are you alright?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes.”
Eloise cleared her throat and lowered her cutlery. “Nate. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to hang out with my sister, Amira. I promise we'll be back before dusk.”
She'd already mentioned it earlier. Add to the fact the idea was beautiful.
But why did I feel jealous, cornered?
I swallowed hard. “Alright. Be back before dusk as you promised.”
Amira hugged me. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too,” I replied.
She kissed me. Then straightened and walked out of the dining room. Eloise stood... patted my back and followed suit.
I walked to the terrace and watched them join Eloise's convoy, her security shutting the door and sliding into the next cars.
They eased out of the driveway and merged with the streets of London— going farther until my eyes couldn't tail them.
An ache pushed my heart.
I hadn't realized how fondly I had become of her... how much her presence lit my day.
Sighing, I headed inside again, straight to the study. I tried to keep myself busy with the files piled up on my computer.
My thoughts drifted to the conversation with Mama Emelda and Veronica yesterday. Somehow, they'd successfully ignited a spark in me.
A craving for a child.
An heir with Amira.
But then, before I made Amira a mother— I had to make her a wife first. 
I pulled out my phone and dialed Damian. He picked up immediately.
“What's up, bro?”
“I spoke with Mama Emelda and Veronica yesterday. They're trying to talk me into getting married, but I reminded them there's you, the first son.”
He laughed. “You traitor! No, you didn't.”
I smiled. “I'm sorry, but I still think it's not fair.”
“You were the one flaunting your relationship at the gala, not me.”
“Yeah,” I breathed. “Love is a beautiful thing.”
Damian exhaled. “How's Amira?”
“She's fine. Just stepped out with Eloise.”
“ Is Eloise with you?”
“She flew in this morning... talked about bonding with Amira before we headed back to Nigeria.”
“Oh! I see.”
“I want to propose to Amira,” I blurted before I realized it.
A beat of silence.
“Congratulations. But don't you think you should wait until you've secured the deal with the Nigerian government?”
“Yes, you've flaunted her, but I still think proposing to her—especially publicly—would be a scandal we can’t afford right now.”
I stood up and walked to the windows.
“What do you think I should do? The only reason I'm in this mess is that I agreed to go to Africa just so I can forget Amira. But fate had other plans.”
“I understand how you feel, brother,” Damian puffed. “But I still think you should wait, unless you want to take the bull by its horns.”
He made a point.
Waiting had always been my armor. But what if I lose Amira while waiting? 
I raked my fingers through my hair. “Let's talk later, Damian.”
He hesitated. “Alright, brother. You take care of yourself.”
“You too.” I ended the call and drew a deep breath.
That was it. If I moved now, I risked everything. But if I didn’t… I might regret it for the rest of my life.
My phone buzzed with an email.
The FBI.