Tied Bond (Bonded Duet 2)

“Sandy,” Curtis ground out, his gaze clashing with mine. I wondered if he was searching for any jealousy too? Was he hoping I’d say something about the way she flirted with him? The entire town knew that Curtis wasn’t my baby’s father, but I was sure they had suspicions of what we did in our cabin.

“Can I get the special and a glass of water, please?” I said, and they both stared at me as if I had two heads. I pulled my hand from under Curtis’, and the move shocked him into looking at Sandy. She twirled her golden blond hair around her finger and popped her hip to the side.

“I’ll have the same,” Curtis finally

managed to say, but I wasn’t sure what they were doing now because I was staring out of the window at the town. It wasn’t really a town, more like a main road with all the essential stores. The general store sat opposite the diner, and a little way down was the bar Curtis worked at.

I wasn’t sure how long I stared and thought about nothing in particular, but just as Sandy placed our waters on the table, Curtis’ cell rang. I expected him to answer it right away like he usually did, but when it kept ringing, I looked over at him. “You gonna answer that?” I asked, glancing at it. It stopped, and then almost immediately started ringing again.

Curtis huffed, and I raised my brows at him. He seemed annoyed by the call, but as I leaned forward to see the name on the screen, he snatched it up and answered it. “One second,” he said down the line, and he pushed out of the booth at lightning speed.

I sat frowning at him as he exited the diner, and I didn’t lose sight of him when he started to pace on the sidewalk. Placing my chin on my hand, I didn’t look away as he threw one hand in the air and then gripped his hair. I’d never seen Curtis so worked up, and I couldn’t stop watching him, wondering what was going on.

Sandy placed the plates down on the table, but I didn’t turn to look at her, and she didn’t make a move to leave either, just joined me in staring at Curtis. “You know he comes over to my place sometimes, right?”

I shrugged, not caring. “Sounds cool.”

“Just him and me,” she continued. “As in alone.”

“Nice,” I murmured, not giving two hoots about what she was saying. Maybe she thought there was more to Curtis and me, but I couldn’t be bothered to correct her and tell her we were just friends. Friends who lived together. Friends who had escaped here together. And it was only then I wondered if Curtis was escaping something like I was. He hadn’t hesitated to bring me here, and he hadn’t put up a fight to go back home. He’d finished his last year of college, but surely he had a plan. Was he running from something?

Sandy stomped her foot on the floor and spun, leaving her over-the-top flowery scent in her wake, but I continued to stare at Curtis. He spun around, looking directly at me through the diner window, and I tilted my head to the side, seeing him in a slightly different light. I wanted to ask him why he wasn’t going home, but fear of him leaving had me keeping my mouth shut as he put his cell away and walked back inside.

I turned as he entered the diner and looked down at my food. “Sorry about that,” Curtis said as he pushed back into the booth.

“No worries.” I took a sip of my water and glanced at him. “Something important?”

His eyes swirled. “Just my dad again,” he gritted out, and his tone told me he didn’t want to talk about it. But it was the way his shoulders tensed, and his hand shook that told me he was hiding something. I’d grown up around men who kept secrets for a living, and Curtis was keeping one right now, and I wondered if it was new or whether I’d been in my own head so much I hadn’t noticed before.

Maybe he had a girlfriend back home. Maybe his mom was sick again. Or maybe I was overthinking and looking for trouble where there was none.

Chapter Two

BELLE

The wind whipped around me, sending leaves scurrying across the sidewalk as I walked to the doctor’s office. It sat at the end of Main Street, but it wasn’t part of the stores. In fact, you’d have thought it was just another house. Its light brick was broken up by dark-stained wooden paneling between the first- and second-story windows, and only a small, wooden sign a little way back told people it was Dr. Ponts’ office.

I’d had my first visit with the doctor not long after getting here, and since then, I’d seen her every couple of weeks without fail. At first, I was in a daze about it all, but the bigger my bump was getting, the more real everything felt. I only had a matter of weeks until the baby would enter the world, and then it would all be so different.

I moved up the three steps, pushed open the large, heavy door, and stepped inside the hallway. My mind was a whirr of thoughts as I stared down at the terracotta tiles on the floor. The small cracks in them led to the legs of a small desk, which sat empty. I’d only ever seen one person sitting there before, and it was only because three people were waiting to see the doctor and only two chairs in the small waiting nook.

Dr. Ponts’ exam room door was open, and she looked up at me as I went by and waved her hand. “Come straight on it, Belle.” It wasn’t unusual for this to happen, so I swiveled and walked into her room. “How are you doing today?” she asked as I closed the door.

I took a breath as the latch clicked and prepared myself to put on the brave face I was so used to doing when I was out of my little bedroom in the cabin. It was getting harder and harder to act like nothing touched me. In reality, I was falling apart inside and needed help gluing myself back together.

“I’m good,” I murmured and faced her. She was already standing, and I knew the routine we’d created. First, she’d examine me, and then we’d talk. “Want me there?” I asked, pointing to the doctor’s office bed.

“Yes,” Dr. Ponts answered, her thin lips lifting up into a smile. Cynthia had filled me in on the doctor’s history after she’d seen me come out of the building from my first appointment. She’d grown up here and moved away for college, then come back, just like all the good people did—her words, not mine. That was fifteen years ago, and now in her mid-forties, she had two children of her own. That filled me with more confidence than anything. She’d been through this entire thing twice, so having that knowledge always made me feel less alone.

She pulled out a little stool, and I stood on it to get onto the bed. A groan left my lips as I lay flat and the baby moved onto my bladder. I hadn’t been able to sleep on my back for a few weeks, but Dr. Ponts had assured me that was normal. It didn’t feel normal. None of this felt normal.

“My hands are a little cold,” she warned, rubbing them together, and I braced myself as she lifted up my shirt and pressed against my stomach. “This is where the baby’s head is,” Dr. Ponts said, grabbing my hand and placing it at the top of my bump. She pressed lower down and to the side. “Bum is here.” I felt the baby move in response, and I laughed, causing my entire stomach to move up and down.

She pulled my shirt back down and held her hand out to help me up. I wasn’t afraid to admit I used her strength to sit back up, not when I had something the size of a watermelon inside of me. “Everything okay?” I asked. My stomach dipped, but I wasn’t sure whether it was gravity from me getting down off the bed or nerves.

Dr. Ponts moved over to her dark wooden desk and clicked on her old computer. I’d told her several times she should really upgrade, but she told me it worked and that was all she needed. “Everything looks okay so far. I need the usual urine sample.” She passed me a tube and cup, and I took it from her. This was the one part of my life I could rely on.

I moved across the hallway, did the sample, and then went back in to her. She was standing at the sink ready for me, and once she’d tested it, she washed her hands and announced, “Everything is okay with that too. All we need now is—”