Where the Little Birds Are (Little Bird Duet Book 2)

by B. Celeste

  He must sense me watching because he glances up at me with a small smile. “I bought some baby books online to read for after you fall asleep, yet this thing has way more information in it than I would have thought.”

  My brows arch. “You’ve been reading baby books?”

  His cheeks tint.

  His phone goes off, so he pulls his attention to the screen before frowning. Picking it up, he greets his manager. “Yeah. Yeah, I get it. After Christmas?” His eyes find mine. “I’ll need to get back to you on that… Well, tough shit. You should know by now that I’m going to do what I want. Not much else they can do about it at this point.”

  I’m not sure what Eddie tells him, but his lips flatten and eyes narrow as he grumbles out a quick reply before hanging up. Instead of enlightening me on whatever soured his mood, he goes back to whatever he’s reading about.

  “Corbin.”

  His brow twitches.

  I sigh. “What happened?”

  He lowers the magazine. “Eddie wants me to head back to California after Christmas. There were a few interviews I canceled over the past month because I wanted to stay with you. He told me I needed to be on the first flight back on the twenty-sixth because I need to prepare for the promotional tour.”

  For the movie.

  “And you’re coming with me.”

  It’s not a question.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re. Coming. With. Me.” He doesn’t even blink as he enunciates each word clearly. “I know what Jamie’s team agreed on, but that was before. You’re the brains behind the story, so you deserve to be at these tour spots.”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “The world knows that, babe.”

  “But…” My lips close. “What else did Eddie say? If he thinks saying this baby isn’t yours is going to happen, then he’s got steel balls considering your last conversation. You look mad, so it can’t just be because he wants you to go alone.”

  “That’s part of it,” is all he says.

  “Corbin,” I hiss through clenched teeth. He is not ignoring me right now. “I’m moody, hungry, and tired. Stop pretending like something isn’t bothering you.”

  “Like you’ve been doing?” he snaps, jaw locking once the words are out.

  I draw back. “I’ve been under a lot of stress. The deal being terminated hurt me. Not just emotionally, but financially. You don’t understand that because nobody has cut you loose from anything over this!”

  “Nobody—” He closes the magazine and throws it onto the counter next to him. “I haven’t said anything because you were upset and I didn’t want to make it worse, but you couldn’t be farther from the truth, Little Bird.”

  I swallow. What?

  He swipes a hand through his hair. “I was in the running for the lead role of a new Stephen King movie. Eddie thought I was sure to get it but then all of this happened. He fought for me, but in the long run they didn’t want me after the shit they’d seen. They thought I was a flight risk.”

  Guilt crashes into me. “I’m so sorry.” My voice is no more than a broken whisper as I watch him shrug and look anywhere but me. “I’m really sorry, Corbin. I was so caught up in losing the deal that I thought… I just let my emotions get the better of me.”

  He leans forward, grabbing my hand. “I know this shit is rough right now, but we’re going to make it through. We just need to be there for one another. No fighting. No holding things back. The press hasn’t run as many features since we went silent and those images of Lena being escorted away in the police car surfaced. The world knows there’s more to the story and it’s best if we let things die down a little more before we move forward. But the important thing is that we do move forward. You’ll get another book deal, and I’ll get another movie.”

  “But what if—”

  “Nope.”

  “Corbin—”

  “You’re coming with me to California and doing the tour,” he states, not giving me any time to argue before there’s a knock at the door and Dr. Ray pops his head in.

  He instantly notices Corbin in the chair by the wall, his white brows arching before he closes the door behind him. “I heard there was quite a stir in the waiting room. Sorry to keep you two waiting.”

  The two shake. “Corbin, sir.”

  “Oh, I know,” the doctor chuckles, loading my file on the computer. “My daughters are fans of yours, Mr. Callum. Now, Kinley, you’re far enough along to determine the sex of the baby if that’s something you’re interested in.”

  Corbin and I share a look. His eyes brighten even more than they already were, making me smile over his enthusiasm. When I look back at the doctor, he’s waiting. “We’d like that. Thank you.”

  My eyes focus on Corbin as Dr. Ray applies the gel onto my stomach and presses the wand against me. When the softest thumps of a new heartbeat fills the room, Corbin’s lips part the same way mine did.

  And it’s easy to tell he’s a goner.

  He squeezes my hand tighter as he locks eyes with the screen, his throat bobbing as Dr. Ray points out a few body parts he sees on the screen. When the wand stops, I know he must have found what he’s looking for.

  “Ah, right there.” He taps the screen, causing me to peel my gaze away from the silver-eyed man beside me and at a spot on the screen his finger points to. “It looks like you’re having a little girl.”

  My heart dances. “A girl?”

  Corbin raises my hand to his mouth and presses a kiss on the back of it. “A girl, Little Bird.” He laughs and swipes at his face as he watches the screen some more as Dr. Ray captures a few images.

  Seeing his reaction makes everything that’s left me bedridden and depressed disappear. We’ve both had our fair share of losses, but I can’t hold onto anger or else it’ll consume me.

  He’s right.

  We’ll make it through this.

  Together.

  The three of us.

  I blink at the dress clinging to my body. I’ve avoided fitted clothing like the plague because ever since I hit the third trimester, I’ve hated the reflection I see in the mirror. My belly and boobs are huge and covered in stretch marks, and I feel the opposite of beautiful.

  My lip quivers as Corbin stares at me from his bedroom doorway. Or ours, according to him. Spending Christmas with our families seemed surreal, but even more so was the flight back to California. We’d both tried keeping to ourselves but were noticed just before boarding, leading to a lot of cell cameras pointed in our faces and questions thrown out.

  Now I’m here, in his condo, looking like a beached whale.

  “I can’t wear this, Corbin.”

  “You look beautiful.” He walks in and trails his eyes slowly down the front of me, the color flashing with lust that I truly don’t understand.

  “I look like a whale.”

  An angry expression crosses his face. “I don’t want to hear you say that again, understood? You are gorgeous, Kinley. Stop being down on yourself.”

  I go to open my mouth, but he glares.

  Sighing, my eyes look back into the mirror, studying the long black maxi dress. It’s plain and simple, nothing extravagant, and under any given day I’d love it. But not today.

  “I don’t see why I can’t just wear what I normally do,” I whine, wanting my leggings and oversized sweatshirt. Though the AC/DC sweatshirt, which mostly just says C/D on it from the faded lettering, fits me better than normal because of the size of my midsection.

  “Babe.” He presses a kiss to my cheek and pulls me into him for a hug. “I promise as soon as the interview is over we’ll come back here and watch a movie in whatever you want. Or, you know, don’t—”

  “Don’t even start with me.”

  He laughs and kisses the top of my head before drawing back. “Was worth a try. Are you ready? I already fed Penny and she has water. We’ll only be gone a few hours, so she should be fine for now, right?”

  I murmur a right as he guides
us toward his front door. He helps me into a jacket as I slide into my black ballet flats that barely fit my swollen feet anymore. I just want to soak them in Epsom salt and devour a pizza, not go get interrogated by people who will almost definitely stray away from the movie questions.

  When we’re in his car, he looks at me as he cranks the air conditioning. He’s gotten to know my hot flashes well, getting kicked a few times a night as I detangle myself from the blankets on his bed.

  “Are you okay?”

  No. But I nod because I will be.

  We kept our silence for two months, enjoying time together and with our families. We worked toward this very moment because we knew it’d come. Eventually, we’d need to speak about what happened—his marriage, the affair, and our baby.

  His marriage ended three weeks ago after an ugly divorce hearing. Lena got half his money after the judge pointed out the evidence of adultery, stating that Lena deserved her fair share since her “mental and emotional health” were impacted by his actions. Corbin wanted to fight the claims Lena made, but one look at me in that courtroom—a room I told him I had no place being given I was one of the reasons their marriage failed—and realized that it wasn’t worth it. I think Lena wanted him to battle her, and it was clear to see she wasn’t okay when he agreed on the judge’s terms without saying a word about it otherwise.

  It bothers him though. All the money he worked for was his own, and now she has half of it padding her bank account. But neither one of us spoke a word of it on the way home from the courthouse because we knew that there was some justice paid in that room whether we like how she bent it in her favor or not. The pictures that surfaced of her in the cop car only helped her case, making the judge sympathize with her.

  I hold my stomach, caressing it with my thumb and wondering if our baby can feel it. “I’m nervous people will hate me.”

  “They’re not going to hate you,” he assures, reaching over and grabbing my hand as we pull out of his driveway and toward the locked gate surroundings his property. “If I’m being honest, people eat this kind of shit up. It’s ridiculous but true. Eddie has called me everyday trying to get me to do interviews with you about our relationships for weeks, especially once the divorce was finalized.”

  “What?”

  He just nods.

  I’ll never understand why everyone is so consumed in other people’s business. It seems strange that the public wants to know the answers to questions that have been asked ever since the very first article about Corbin and me came out. And the video still circulating the internet admitting our past only sparked people’s interest.

  Jamie had told me not to do any interviews until the tour started, so I agreed. If she hadn’t, I’m sure Corbin and I would have gotten convinced by Eddie to speak up sooner. I’m glad we didn’t though.

  The past two months have been about us, our plans, and what the future holds. Since his marriage is no longer between us, we’ve taken it a day at a time. He’s mentioned me moving here, I’ve mentioned him moving back to New York. We disagree on baby names, talk about what’s healthy or not for me to eat, and argue about how many interviews on this tour I need to be on.

  He says all.

  I say not.

  “There will be someone to try redirecting questions that stray too far from the movie,” he tells me, eyes focusing on the road. “I’m not saying a few won’t be hard to move away from, but it’ll work out. I’ve had experience with this, so I’ll do what I can to make you comfortable.”

  But he can’t.

  He’s used to this. I’m not. That’ll always be the difference between us. As soon as we step onto the lot they’re filming the interview, it’s his territory. I get emails from bloggers wanting me to answer questions for them but that’s the extent of it—what’s my favorite book, genre, and trope, and what am I writing next. What we’re about to face is nothing like this.

  I look down at my stomach and groan.

  “Are you nauseous?”

  He quickly gets his answer when I empty my stomach into the purse he insisted I didn’t need to bring.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  WKDP REPORTER: Mr. Callum, Ms. Thomas, this question is for you. There was a lot of speculation over whether you’d appear together for this interview since you opened up about your relationship in October. Can you comment on that?

  CALLUM: We’re both here because Kinley wrote a story worth telling and deserved to get the credit she deserved for it. There’s no reason why we wouldn’t be doing this interview.

  WKDP REPORTER: And can you comment on the relationship that has progressed since your divorce to Lena Dasani last month?

  CALLUM: I’m not here to talk about my ex-wife or any other relationship.

  WXRZ REPORTER: Ms. Thomas, what was your first reaction when you found out about your book being picked up?

  THOMAS: Shock. I spent a long time hoping I’d be able to do something nobody else had and finding out that Through Shattered Glass was becoming a movie was something I’d never thought would happen.

  WXRZ REPORTER: And what would you say about the assumption that your book is based on real-life events?

  THOMAS: All my work is fictional, but there are always going to be pieces that are related to something in my life.

  WKDP REPORTER: What are your thoughts on the cast of the movie? Were they who you pictured as the characters?

  THOMAS: I couldn’t have chosen anyone better to play the lead roles. Corbin and Olivia brought this story to life.

  WXRZ REPORTER: Mr. Callum, what led you to audition for the role of Ryker after the string of action movies you were cast in?

  CALLUM: I was looking for a change of direction and knew that this movie was one I couldn’t turn down.

  WXRZ REPORTER: And why is that?

  CALLUM: Because I knew that it was Kinley’s book and I wanted to support my best friend in any way I could. That’s all I’ll say about it. Next question.

  WBRB REPORTER: Ms. Davies, what was your favorite part of playing the role of Rebecca?

  DAVIES: Getting to be part of a beautiful love story. Beck and Ryker have the type of love that is unforgettable because it’s real. Plus, Kinley is my favorite author and being able to play a character I admire for her has been a dream.

  WKDP REPORTER: Mr. Callum, do you believe that Ryker was written about you like reports have indicated?

  CALLUM: I believe that Kinley wrote the kind of man that I hope to be someday, regardless of who he’s based on.

  WXRZ REPORTER: And what kind of man is that?

  CALLUM: The kind that doesn’t give up no matter the circumstances. I spoke to Kinley on set about Ryker being my favorite character to take on because of his resilience. His love is raw, and he was able to let Beck go because he knew that’s what she needed. But they came back to each other like no time passed at all.

  WKDP REPORTER: Does that sentiment relate to how you view your relationship with Ms. Thomas?

  CALLUM: My relationship with Ms. Thomas is simple. We’ve been best friends for ten years despite the distance, and we’ll be best friends for life despite the circumstances. Kinley has always been my biggest supporter and being part of this movie has opened my eyes to new possibilities with her.

  WXRZ REPORTER: So, you don’t regret the people you’ve hurt during the time you pursued Ms. Thomas?

  CALLUM: I’ll always regret hurting people I care for, but there’s a lot people don’t know about my former marriage that I have no intention of revealing. If there’s one thing I’ll never regret it’s being part of Kinley’s life in any way she’ll have me.

  WKDP REPORTER: There’s speculation that you two will get married in the near future. Are either of you willing to shed on light on the rumors?

  THOMAS [laughs]: Right now, we’re preparing for our daughter and trying to mend the past that separated us for the last decade. It’s obvious that we’re not perfect, we both have regrets, but we’re trying to make up for it.
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  WXRZ REPORTER: Ms. Davies, what was it like working with Mr. Callum and Ms. Thomas on set?

  DAVIES: Everyday was amazing. Knowing Kinley was watching always made me push to be my best and working with Corbin was great too. They’re both talented.

  WXRZ REPORTER: And as a couple?

  DAVIES: That’s an inappropriate question, but in my personal opinion, I’m rooting for them. If people can fall in love with Beck and Ryker, there’s no reason why they can’t with Corbin and Kinley.

  WKDP REPORTER: Last question. If you could change anything that’s happened in the last six months, would you?

  CALLUM: No.

  THOMAS: No.

  DAVIES: No.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kinley / 22

  I’ve become accustomed to the grumbling coming from the other room as soon as the door closes, followed by a tired voice calling my name, a heavy sigh, and the sound of a bag hitting the floor.

  He always brings me a hot chocolate after work on Fridays, setting it down beside me where I work at our island in the kitchen before pressing a kiss to my head. Today is Friday and there’s no hot chocolate or kiss. I save my word document and turn in the stool as he walks over to the fridge and pulls out a beer.

  Parker rarely drinks.

  “Are you okay?”

  “The place is a mess,” he tells me, looking around at the dishes piled up, the shoes on the floor, and the candy wrappers littering the countertop.

  I blush, closing my laptop. “Sorry, I was busy writing. Jamie—”

  “I don’t care about Jamie right now.” His tone causes me to wince, so I press my lips together and nod. Sighing, he sets the beer bottle down and begins cleaning up after me. “You’re always writing. Have you even gone outside at all today?”

  Lips twitching, I answer, “I haven’t been writing all day. I finalized the wedding invitations. I showed them to you the other night, remember? I ordered them this afternoon. They’ll be here by next Wednesday.”