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Love by Accident Series – An Introduction                             Elizabeth Lennox
    The Beginning….
    Nine year old Rashid looked at the pink and pudgy thing in his mother ’ s arms, disgusted and irritated.   He didn’t want to be here.  He wanted to get back to his studies.  His instructor was just telling him how to calculate an angle which was much more fascinating than whatever this…thing…was.   “It’s a girl,” he said with nine year old disdain and stepped back from the bed where his mother was laying with the ‘thing’ in her arms.  He didn’t know why she wanted anyone else in the family.  The three of them were just fine!
    Lila, Rashid’s mother laughed softly and nodded her head.  “You’re very smart,” he teased.  “She’s a girl and she’s very interested in meeting you.”   Lila looked down at her already handsome son with pride, understanding that he felt as if this new baby might usurp his place in her heart.  She had to be gentle so that he knew that she loved him just as much as before the birth of their new baby. 
    Rashid glanced down once again, noting that the eyes in the round, pink face were closed.  He discarded the notion that the baby was even remotely interested in meeting him.  “I believe it’s more concerned with sleep mother,” he said carefully, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but still not interested in his new baby sister.  “Besides, I wanted a brother.  Not a sister.”
    Lila glanced up at the man standing at the end of the hospital bed with amusement.  Majid El Hasham Busain, current Sheik of Tasain and one of the most handsome men she’d ever met in her life, looked down at his first born son with pride and amusement as well.  When Lila looked back at her son, still standing stiffly beside the bed and pretending to not be interested in the baby girl, she chuckled.  “Why would I want another boy?  I have a perfect son with you,” she replied and leaned over to kiss his dark hair. 
    Rashid sighed, leaning in to the kiss and stepping closer to his mother.  “What are you going to call it?” he asked, trying to get into the spirit of the occasion.  Since they were alone in the room, he accepted her affection but he didn’t like it when others might see him.  They might think he was weak if they knew how much he liked his mother’s hugs and kisses and that couldn’t be allowed.  His father had told him over and over again how a ruler must never show weakness.  And the people of Tasain loved his father, almost as much as he did, so the invincible man must be doing something right . 
    His fathe r smiled down at his slightly larger family , beaming with delight .  “Her name is Isla and she’s going to love you just as much as we do, son.” 
    Rashid felt better when his tall, strong father walked to the side of the bed next to him.  “Will it cry?” Rashid asked carefully, slipping his hand into his father’s larger one, feeling better when his dad’s warm, strong hand wrapped around his smaller one. 
    His mother laughed softly.  “Your sister isn’t an ‘it’, dear.  And yes, Isla doesn’t know how to talk yet so the only way she can tell us she’s hungry or uncomfortable is by crying.”
    Rashid leaned against his father’s strong leg.  “I still don’t understand why yo u wanted a baby,” he grumbled.
    He didn’t see the look cross between his mother and father because he was watching as the pink bundle moved, her lips pouting together and one hand reaching out as if to touch him.  Her eyes were still closed so he wasn’t sure what she was doing, but he reluctantly agreed that pink wasn’t such a bad color, as long as it was on a girl. 
    Eight years later ….
    “Come on!” Rashid called out, pulling eight year old Isla along behind him.  “You’ve got to see this!” he said. 
    Isla ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, but her older brother was much