Page 14 of Sheikh's Unexpected Triplet Babies

She was prepared for him to laugh at her, but instead he shot her a look that was oddly sweet.

“I am glad,” he said simply.

As they walked down the street, she could tell that preparations were coming to a head. Vendors were making sure their stalls were in order, and people who were vending food were making sure that everything looked and smelled amazing. Despite how tantalizing the meat on spits and beautifully arranged fruit looked, however, no one was taking a single bite.

When Bedelia commented on it, Jahin smiled slightly.

“They're not going to, either. People don't starve themselves on this festival, but food that is made for this festival is only eaten once the festival begins. There are some foods that are only prepared for this festival alone; they are only made once a year.”

Something about that thought, of food that was so precious or significant that it was only prepared once every year, struck her. It made Bedelia glance up at Jahin, thinking about it. She could only imagine how one might wait all year for a special treat, only to realize upon eating it that it would be a full year before you could taste it again. You would think of it, and you would dream of it, and throughout all of it, you would be sure to love it.

“Here, let me show you something...”

He led her down a few streets, and then to her surprise, she was confronted by an enormous citadel, a grand building three stories tall and built directly into the rock.

“The Shining Star,” she whispered in awe, and Jahin looked at her with a small smile.

“You know it then,” he said warmly. “The home of my ancestors, or some of them, at any rate. This is the place where we came first when we wanted to keep people safe. When we wanted them to know that we were powerful and strong and would protect them. This place, more than any other.”

“This is what I came to Masir to see,” she said quietly, “but I will admit that some part of me came to see it because of you.”

He gave her a gentle look at that, something warm enough to make her smile, then they continued their walk together, arm-in-arm through the descending night.

It would be all right, she decided. It will be all right. I know it will be.

Walking through the dusk with a man who made something flutter inside her like the wings of a bird, she felt strangely at peace, even if she had no idea what the next thing would bring.

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