The Royal Heir - The Valtoria Diaries 2

How to survive a baby shower

"I'd still love to know when you became such an expert in prenatal yoga," Jen sighed, as she knelt on her yoga mat in the warm light of their solarium.

"Not telling," her yoga partner called across from the adjacent mat. "Can't a man keep an air of mystery?" He glanced across to see how she was getting on. "You're doing great! From here, we'll push up into a downward dog!"

Jen sniggered. "Are you sure that's a yoga position? Not, you know, something else?"

"Now, now, you'd know by now if it was the latter, being quite the expert in that department yourself." He moved his pose, and she watched him warily. "So don't drop the belly. Move your ribs up and back, so you're hugging little bean with your abs."

"I think I solved this little mystery," she said as she attempted said pose. "You started researching this as soon as we found out I was pregnant, didn't you?"

The upside-down wink was answer enough.

"You never cease to amaze me, Maxwell Beaumont," she giggled.

"Aw, shucks. Now, less praise, more warrior pose!"

"Wait, isn't that a standing up one?"

"Sorta. So you gotta start lengthening the sides of your body.... ah yeah. Then you pull your knee into your chest... careful of junior there mama, use your core muscles to push the floor away with your hands.. now lengthen..."

She sniggered. "That sounds so wrong coming from you."

"Hmm. You're looking hot in that lycra, so I could be multitasking. Anyway. Place the foot inbetween the hands, now spin that back foot down, go for a 45-degree angle there..."

"Is this right?"

He glanced across. "Are your hips square?"

"You tell me!"

"They look good! So now we lengthen again..." This time he was sniggering too. "Rise to standing, pull in your belly, keep your back thigh firm... there we are!"

"Hyah!" Jen cried in triumph. "I'm a warrior!"

"Feeling powerful?" he asked her.

"Invincible!"

"Ready to move to Warrior 2?"

"There's a sequel?"

"I know, right? It goes Warrior I, II and III, then Humble Warrior, then reverse Warrior..."

"Then reverse cowgirl?" She couldn't help herself. This was too much fun.

"If you're a good cowgirl, that comes later," he chastised her with a smirk. "For now, let's go for Warrior II!"

She moved her arms, reflecting his stance. "I guess learning all this is a bit like learning breakdance moves."

"Yeah, I guess it is. And other forms of dancing. I guess my brain just works that way."

"At this rate, we'll be the stars of antenatal class when we start it in a few weeks," she told him. "All those other future parents are going to be so jealous of our yoga prowess."

"We'll plank them all into next week, Jen."

"Wait, have you been swatting up on all the other things we'll be learning?"