Page 46 of Sheikh's Unexpected Triplet Babies

Chapter Sixteen

The next day, Bedelia rose early and found a fairly nutritious breakfast in the fridge. The early morning light streamed into the tall windows, and dressed in a light tank top and a pair of yoga pants, she took herself through the exercises that she had been taught.

She heard Jahin stirring in his room, and then his familiar step in the hall, but she ignored him. She could feel his gaze on her back, but she continued doing the graceful exercises that would keep her limber and healthy throughout her pregnancy.

"Who taught you how to do that?" he asked softly, and she still didn't turn.

"The people at the hospital gave me a few pamphlets, that led me to a few different sites, that led me to some videos," she said, gesturing towards the replacement phone Jahin had left for her use at the townhouse, which she’d brought with her. "I don't have them memorized yet, but I figure that I will after a few repetitions."

"And these are meant to make labor easier?"

"Yes, and to keep me active for my pregnancy. I can already tell that it's very easy to give in to the fatigue and the sleepiness. It'll be better for me and for the children if I stay up and on top of things."

There was a pause, and somehow Bedelia was still certain that he was behind her, watching her with a dragon's avidity.

"There is a long tradition of dance among the women of Muneazil," he said softly. "I think in the West you call it belly dance, but there are dozens of different dances that are celebrated here. The dances are taught and performed for celebrations throughout the year, but the history states that they were originally created to help women through childbirth."

"Really? That sounds amazing. I don't know how to dance, but I've always wished that I did."

Jahin chuckled softly, and though she wanted to turn towards him and throw herself into his arms at that sound, she kept herself back. It felt as if anything at all could break the spell, and right now, she could not bear that.

"But of course you know how to dance," he said. "Every woman does."

"That doesn't sound very scientific," she commented with a slight smile. "When I was in the fifth grade, I danced so badly once at a school event that I knocked over an entire table of drinks, and that was basically that for my dance career."

"Ah, but you are not in the fifth grade any longer."

She gasped a little when she felt his hands on her shoulders, turning her around to face him. They were so close that she could feel the warmth of his body, closer than they had been since before he’d left, since before she’d found out about her pregnancy.

"Here, let me show you..."

He placed one of her hands on his shoulder, one of his on her hip, and he clasped their free hands together as he hummed a soft song.

"Now just follow me, forward and back..."

She did as he said, clumsily at first, but he was almost shockingly patient. In less than fifteen minutes, she was slowly but smoothly following him around the room. He was in a suit, and she was in workout clothes, but somehow, she had never felt more graceful and elegant than she did in his arms just then.

"And step back, and I bow to you...and you incline your head graciously to me. Good, just like that."

They stepped back from each other, and in the morning light, they simply looked at each other. It was as if they had never seen each other before and were just now noticing the other person.

He was still a painfully handsome man, but for some reason, that wasn't the most important thing, Bedelia thought. She could see now, after having spent so much time with him, how kind his hands were, how his mouth was made for laughter and for talk and for pleasure, how his copper eyes showed what he was feeling, sometimes whether he wanted you to see or not.

This was the man she loved, and every part of her ached for him. That would never change.

"See?" he said after a moment. "Easy as anything. I knew you would be a natural at it."

"If we have a daughter, will you teach her as well?"

He looked surprised at her statement, and then a kind of softness that she had never seen spread across his face. No matter who his children were or what became of the two of them, she knew he would always love them, and it made her chest contract with longing.

"But of course," he said, bowing to her slightly again.

The spell was broken, and he had business with the governmental offices that day. After the door closed behind his exit, the apartment was so quiet that she nearly went to the men stationed outside for a talk.

What if he doesn't come back?she wondered. The thought was horrid, but she had to face the possibility. If he was truly irritated with her being here, if he didn't want to see her, there were things he could do. Jahin could go to one of the other properties that he owned, and this time she might not be able to find him so easily. He might go to a hotel where she could not follow him.

She shuddered.

---