His name was Nathaniel

122

The water was still running down the glass walls of the shower when Adaliya stepped out, a soft trail of steam curling behind her as she wrapped her towel loosely around her body. She moved slowly toward the mirror, wiping the fog away with her palm. For a moment, she just stared at her reflection.

It wasn't something drastic or dramatic. Just the subtlest shift. A barely-there curve beneath her belly button, delicate and rounded—almost like someone had placed a gentle hand under her skin and pushed forward.

Her breath caught.

There it was.

Proof.

Not just the tests, or the sonogram prints, or the constant exhaustion. Not just the fluttering nausea and wild cravings. But a visual. A visible sign that their baby—their baby—was growing inside her.

She turned sideways in the mirror, running her fingers slowly over the small bump. A thrill of quiet disbelief ran through her.

They had a long way to go.

But this... this was the beginning.

She didn't even wrap herself back in a towel again.

⸻

Nathaniel was sitting on the edge of the bed, still dressed in his black slacks from work but barefoot, his shirt unbuttoned halfway, sleeves rolled to his forearms. He was flipping through an investor's proposal on his tablet, brows slightly furrowed.

When he heard her soft footsteps approaching, he glanced up—then froze.

Adaliya stood in the doorway, completely bare, her skin dewy from the shower, her expression uncharacteristically serious. His eyes immediately traveled up and down her figure before settling on her face.

"Not that I'm complaining," he said, brows rising slowly, "but... what's going on?"

She stepped forward, holding her belly gently. "Look."

Nathaniel blinked. "Look... where?"

She rolled her eyes and guided his hand to her abdomen. "Here."

His palm rested flat against her skin—and then he felt it. A softness with just a hint of firm curve beneath. His eyes widened, and his fingers instinctively began to move, tracing the gentle swell in disbelief.

"Wait..." His voice dropped. "Is that...?"

She nodded, smiling.

Nathaniel's throat worked silently, his brows pulling together in something like awe.

"I didn't even notice," he whispered. "How did I miss it?"

"You weren't looking."

He let out a soft, half-laugh, half-breath. Then he rose slowly from the bed and reached for the throw blanket on the armchair, wrapping it gently around her shoulders.

"You're freezing."

"I'm not."

"I'm still covering you."

She smiled, not fighting him this time.

His hand returned to her stomach, warmer now beneath the fabric, and he sank down to his knees in front of her.

His fingers curved reverently around the new shape of her body.

"I thought it would feel surreal," he said, voice low. "But it doesn't."

"What does it feel like?"

"Real. Terrifying. Beautiful." He swallowed, eyes beginning to mist. "Like I'm holding the future."

Her hand moved to his hair, stroking it gently. "You are."

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss right below her belly button, lingering there for a second longer than needed. His voice trembled when he spoke again.

"I've imagined this moment so many times... but I didn't know it would feel like this."

She cupped his face, lifting it toward hers. "How does it feel?"

"Like I'm finally meeting someone I already love."

He stood again, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly—one hand on the back of her head, the other protectively cradling her lower back. The blanket slipped slightly from her shoulders, but neither of them noticed.

Because in that moment, nothing else mattered. Not business. Not press. Not Edward or bloodlines or time.

Just them.

And the life they had created together, growing quietly between them.

⸻