The Price of Pride

Chapter 14

"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.