The Sheikh's Pregnant Wife - Leslie North Page 0,26

too long, but her feet ached if she stood up too long, so it was a delicate balance. What was not a delicate balance was that she was pissed at Yaseen. How could he be so narrow minded about the sports center? Couldn’t he see that financial profitability wasn’t the only way to measure impact? If all her projects were judged by that criteria, none of them would ever come to fruition.

“All right. We have news on the sports center,” she told the people circled around the table, holding their morning coffees, or in Leslie’s case, tea. “The government of Raihan isn’t going to fund it at this time. The numbers didn’t work out for them.”

Leslie shook her head, a little smirk on her face that pricked at something soft in Kara’s heart. She wasn’t happy, either. Michael and the others looked defeated. He pursed his lips and stared down at his portfolio, saying nothing.

That couldn’t stand.

“Obviously,” she said, putting an encouraging smile on her face. “We’re not going to give up. We’re going to seek out private funding and keep going. If we can get the money together, it’ll be clear sailing.”

“Will it?” said Michael. “I’m not sure I believe that.”

“Guys, this isn’t the end of the road. We have our work cut out for us, but we’ve done this before. This isn’t the first time funding has fallen through. It’s going to take more fundraising this time, but I’ve—we’ve never had a failed project yet. Think about why we do what we do and who we’re doing it for, and push for that.” By the time she finished speaking, Michael was nodding along and Leslie had her old determination on her face.

Kara’s phone beeped on the table in front of her. “Shoot.” The reminder on the screen was for her OB appointment. A message from Yaseen came in a moment later—he was waiting outside in the car. “Sorry, guys. I have to run to an appointment. We’ve got this!” She thrust her fist in the air, coaxing some applause out of them, and a little laughter, too.

Her lifted spirits lasted only as long as it took to sit in the car next to Yaseen. It was like walking into a cloud of perfume called Tension. He gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Feeling all right?”

“Yes. It was a productive hour at the office.” She returned that same tight-lipped smile, hating it to her very core.

Yaseen opened every door for her on the way into the doctor’s office, and the two of them sat side-by-side in the waiting room. It didn’t matter that Yaseen’s arm was only a fraction of an inch from hers on the armrest. He was really a million miles away.

The nurse ushered them into the exam room after only a minute, and Kara settled in on the table. It was another ultrasound day, and she got ready efficiently, tucking her shirt up above her belly and putting the sheet over her pants. The doctor breezed in, asked a few follow-up questions, and dimmed the lights.

Kara didn’t realize she’d been holding quite so much tension in her shoulders until the whoosh of the ultrasound filled the room. The baby’s heartbeat was steady and strong and loud, and her worry drained out of her, chased away by awe.

The little figure on the ultrasound screen was busy. Kara laughed out loud. “It’s like the baby knows we’re watching.”

“Isn’t that right?” said the doctor. “So active.”

The baby kicked its legs and waved its balled fists. One came up to its mouth. Kara’s heart melted.

Yaseen stepped closer and took her hand. “We made that,” he said softly, and Kara squeezed his hand tightly. They had made that. Who cared about the rest? She would fix it, like she’d always fixed everything else. He had been a partner with her in the most important project of her life.

“Did you care to find out the sex today?” asked the doctor. “Everything else looks good, but if you’re interested in knowing...”

Kara glanced up at Yaseen. He bit his lip, looking like he might argue, but he only looked down at her with an understanding smile.

“No,” Kara said firmly. But part of her felt lighter. “We’ll wait.”

Maybe Yaseen felt guilty about the project, and that was why he wasn’t putting up a fight. Or maybe...just maybe...he’d come around to her way of thinking.

Back at home, Yaseen swept into the suite to look over the suitcases his staff had packed while they were out.

“The baby looked