The Sheikh's Pregnant Wife - Leslie North Page 0,13
today. They’d spend the day meeting with the people of Mennah. Getting a chance to know them. It was her shot to get Yaseen to see the real benefits of the center. Kara hummed an inspiring tune to herself as she dried her hair and swept it away from her face.
“I didn’t want to startle you.”
Yaseen’s voice came from the doorway of the bathroom, filling Kara with a warm surprise. “You didn’t.” She turned her curling iron off and turned to face him. “In fact, your timing is perfect. I’m all ready to go.”
Yaseen’s gaze lingered on her, and that same want want want from last night filled Kara from head to toe. It was early yet. The two of them could tumble into her bed, and...
And miss the most important meetings of the trip.
Yaseen offered her his elbow. She took it, and the two of them went out to the SUV together.
They started with a community breakfast at a local café. The sandstone building, with its rough facade and bright banner, looked timeless to Kara. It could have risen up from the sands thousands of years ago or yesterday. The interior was all polished wood and low tables, and the owner had gathered several of the community elders to come eat with them.
“Come in, come in.” The proprietor, a woman in her sixties with laughter in her eyes, welcomed Yaseen and Kara with open arms. “The food is hot, waiting for you. No need to wait.”
Pleasure bloomed in Kara’s chest. Within minutes, she’d loaded up her plate with Raihani flatbread, hummus, and shakshuka. They gathered around a long table, one of the elders said a blessing, and they were off. The fresh scents of the food and baking clung to every moment. Kara had thought she felt great when she woke up, but now she felt amazing. She stole a glance at Yaseen. Even his normally serious expression had been replaced by a quiet grin.
“What did you think?” Kara asked him as they left the café and walked with the group toward the market, strolling in the mid-morning sun. “I thought the brunch was absolutely lovely. And the conversation was, too.”
“Lovely, yes.” Yaseen kept his eyes forward, scanning over the community leaders who walked proudly ahead of them. “It reminded me of my visits here as a child.”
Yes. Yes. She wanted more of that. “Then this whole day should be a bit nostalgic for you. Or do you not feel nostalgic?” She nudged him with her elbow to show him she was teasing.
His eyes flickered skyward, the hint of an eye roll. “Who wouldn’t feel nostalgic about a place like this? I am a member of the royal family, after all.” Yaseen glanced down at Kara. “But I can’t allow emotional attachment to cloud my judgment.”
“Of course not,” she said quickly. Nope—not down that path.
The group proceeded through the small business district, which was stuffed with shops and offices. “This workshop has been operating for decades,” said one of the leaders, pausing outside a storefront with a wide window set into whitewashed sandstone walls. “By the same family. Their garments are made from the region’s finest linen. Come in, please.”
Inside the store, a husband and wife from the family waited with bright eyes and garments hung on a simple rack. Kara wanted to put them on immediately—they looked flowy and comfortable, and if there was ever a time she needed comfortable clothes, it was now. The wife shyly offered her a smaller length of fabric, folded into a neat square.
“For the baby,” she told Kara, a smile stretching across her face. It squeezed at Kara’s heart. The people in Mennah had no particular reason to be invested in her pregnancy—another member of the royal family wouldn’t affect them now, and perhaps not for years later. But as soon as the woman had presented the embroidered shawl, the rest of the leaders gathered round to exclaim over it and ask questions. Kara felt lighter than air. Aside from Yaseen and his family, she had nobody else to celebrate the impending birth with. All of her friends, except for her coworkers, were back in the United States. Her parents would never meet her baby. These people might.
The gifting put them slightly behind schedule. They picked up the pace on the way to their last stop—a school. Kara’s heart revved up with the excitement. She’d planned this visit for when the children would be free for recess.
They were all there on the