Leopold placed the books on the breakfast nook counter and pulled a high-backed chair out for me. “Sit.” I did as I was told, and he squeezed my shoulder, then moved toward the sink to wash his hands. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re strung tighter than a guitar?” He turned suddenly, his eyes as wide as saucers. “It’s not the baby, is it?”
“No,” I rushed out, placing my hand on my bump. “Not that. Baby is fine. I told you that Thursday after the doctor’s visit.”
He faux wiped his forehead and grinned at me. “But today is Saturday, and I’m past the age of twenty-one now.” He winked, and I chuckled, feeling more tension leave my body.
“I turned twenty-one over the summer.” It was an offhand comment. Birthdays were a big thing in my family, and I’d missed the one with them that would mean I could drink alcohol—legally anyway.
“I know,” Leopold said, wiping his hands dry and moving toward the countertop where he then placed ingredients to make pasta.
My brows rose on my forehead. “You do?”
“Yep.” He sprinkled some flour onto the counter. “I’m your boss, remember? I had to look at your ID.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you did.” I stared at his hands as he made a well in the flour and cracked some eggs into it. I wasn’t sure what the other ingredients were, but I was enthralled as he added them all and finally gathered it into a dough. He worked fast, and within moments, he was putting it through the pasta machine attached to the countertop and cutting it into strips.
“So?” Leopold asked, and I glanced up to look at his face. He had a splatter of flour on his waistcoat. “You want to talk about it or just eat pasta?”
I let out a breath and groaned. Leopold had become the one person I’d been able to confide in while I was here. There were things I couldn’t tell Curtis—or I felt like I couldn’t. Whenever I would mention Stella or Justin, he’d change the conversation. Whenever I got excited about the baby or scared, he didn’t react. So I’d taken to talking to Leopold, and he was a great listener.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been so confident talking to a stranger about my life, but my gut knew to trust him. I couldn’t explain what it was, but I knew I could tell him things and it would never go any further than him.
“I don’t know where to start,” I murmured, staring down at my hands resting on my stomach. “I’ve been thinking about reaching out to my mom, but I don’t know if I’m ready to face it all.” Leopold made a humming sound, not committing to an answer. “And I mentioned it to Curtis, and he was…I don’t know. Defensive?” I looked up and stared at Leopold as he placed the pasta in water and reached for his pot of trusty pasta sauce he kept on the back stove.
“Defensive in what way?” he asked, raising his brows at me.
“I don’t know…” I shook my head. “Maybe it was because of me asking about last night and the people he was talking to.”
“Huh?”
“I heard voices last night around three a.m., and I asked him who it was.” I paused and rested my face on my hand. “He said some friends from home had come to talk to him, and I mentioned about us going home, but…” I swallowed, trying to hold my emotions at bay, but it was harder than ever. “He said Ford wasn’t there, so I had nothing to go back to, and—”
“Wow.” Leopold strained the pasta and added it to the warmed-up sauce, his face a mask of surprise. “Sounds like he’s jealous.”
“Jealous?” I asked, frowning up a storm. “What does he have to be jealous of?”
He shrugged as he plated up the pasta and then brought it over to me with a bowl of his own. “Maybe he wants to be more than just friends?” Leopold sat next to me, his eyes shining with sincerity. “Or maybe he’s scared if you go home, and so does he, that he’ll lose you. He’s tried to do right by you these last few months. He’s just protecting you.”
I flicked my gaze down to my pasta and pulled in a breath, sighing from the smell of it. “Maybe…” I wasn’t too sure. Something had seemed on edge with Curtis. But I was overthinking everything, and I couldn’t help it.
“You are right, though, Belle,” Leopold said, breaking through my thoughts. “You should reach out to your mom. You need her more than ever now.” He glanced down at my bump and then back to my face. “I’m sure she’d want to be there for you.”
I let out a breath because what he was saying was true. Mom would want to be there, but… “The problem is, it wouldn’t just be reaching out to my mom.” I pushed my fork into the pasta. “As soon as I made contact, my dad would be all over it, and then it’d only be a matter of time.”
Leopold paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. “Matter of time until what?”
“I…” My eyes widened as I realized what I’d said. I’d told Leopold some things, but he didn’t know who my dad was. He didn’t know what he did for a living. I was keeping that secret, because although I trusted him, my instinct was to not tell anyone, especially after everything that had happened. “It doesn’t matter.” I smiled at him. “I’ll think about reaching out to her.”
And I would. I needed my family more than ever, but I couldn’t deny the glaring Ford-shaped hole that would be apparent. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face it all head-on, but time didn’t stop for anyone, and it was going by faster and faster.
* * *
BELLE
For five days, I’d gone back and forth about calling my mom and letting her know I was okay. I hadn’t spoken with her since I’d been with Ford at the lake house, and I missed her. But I wasn’t sure how to even start a conversation after all this time, not without blurting everything out in one go. I’d practiced it over and over in my head, but every time I went back to the cabin and told myself I’d call her, I chickened out. I’d pull my cell out, ready to put it back together and charge it, but then something stopped me. In my mind, I was geared up to tell her everything, but in reality, I was scared. Scared to tell the truth. Scared to be alone in this world. Scared to come out of the little safe haven that I’d created here.
It was all I could think about, although I hadn’t mentioned it to Curtis again after Saturday afternoon. He’d come home the next morning at around eleven, and although I knew he’d stayed with someone else, it didn’t bother me. He needed space, just like I did. He hadn’t brought up what we’d spoken about. In fact, he acted like we never had the conversation in the first place, so I was going along with it for now.
Curtis had been there for me when I’d needed someone to lean on, and I wouldn’t forget that. He’d lost people he loved too—Stella and Justin—and I had no doubt he was affected by it. I just wasn’t sure whether I should try and talk to him about it all or not. So for now, I stayed silent and tried to piece the bridge back together with some light conversation about nothing that really mattered.
I blinked several times, stuck in my own mind as I stared at the cash register. Tiredness was setting in after a restless night’s sleep, and my eyes felt like sandpaper. It didn’t matter what position I’d put myself in last night, I just couldn’t get comfortable. My back was aching, and my body was fatigued, but most of all, my brain was overworked.
I rang up the teenager who came in each week to pick up his grandma’s weekly order, and handed him the change. He grunted, “Thank you,” and left the store without another word, leaving me to mull over all my thoughts. They were on replay with nothing new coming into place and causing a deciding factor. I was at a crossroads, not knowing which way to turn.
And then it happened.
The worse pain I’d ever felt in my entire life radiated across my stomach, and I squealed and grabbed my bump. Sweat started to bead on my forehead, and my body sagged over the counter from the force of it. The pain lasted for only seconds, but it was enough to knock me off my feet.
I leaned back on the stool behind the counter and tried to take in even breaths, but it was hard after the shock of it. Was something wrong with the baby? I only had five weeks left until my d
ue date. It was too early for me to be in labor, right?
Holding my stomach, I considered calling Dr. Ponts, when a couple of minutes later, the pain hit me again, this time worse than the first. It didn’t matter that I was slightly prepared for it, it still knocked me sideways. I tried to breathe through it, but the more I let air in and out of my body, the worse it felt. My entire bump tensed, and I could almost see the way my muscles contracted and threatened to not let go.
I stumbled around the counter, tears springing from my eyes. I didn’t know what was going on, and I had no idea what I should do. I gripped on to a shelf and accidentally knocked over some canned food, but I couldn’t worry about that, not right then. All I was focused on was the street outside the window. Maybe someone would come inside and notice what was happening.
The pain subsided after what felt like a lifetime, but in reality, it was only seconds, and I stood in the middle of the store, wondering what I should do. It had happened twice, and I was scared it would happen again and again. Was this what labor felt like? Was the baby coming? I wasn’t prepared. All I had was a bassinet and a few clothes from when I last went into the city. And it was right at that moment I knew I had to call my mom.
I had to go home.
Gripping my stomach, I grabbed the keys to the store and then walked outside and locked up. Leopold wasn’t due to come in until this afternoon, but I couldn’t stay here without being checked out. It was only a two-minute walk to Dr. Ponts’ office, but it took me three times as long to get there.
The one time you needed someone to be lingering on Main Street, and it was empty. I’d never seen it empty before. There was always someone sitting on one of the few benches scattered around, but today, there was nothing.
Sweat started to bead on my forehead as I opened the door to Dr. Ponts’ office, my body reacting to something which it knew was coming. I slammed the door shut behind me and leaned against the wall, screwing my eyes closed as it happened again.
“Dr. Ponts!” I shouted, but it sounded more like a gasp because the agony was taking my breath away.
Heels clicked along the floor, and then Dr. Ponts was in front of me, saying things I couldn’t understand and ushering me into her room. All I could concentrate on was taking air in and out of my lungs and wishing the pain would disappear.
“Belle,” Dr. Ponts said, moving some hair out of my face. “Sit down.” She helped me into a chair, and I kept my gaze focused on the floor, and the pain subsided slowly. “What happened?” she asked, crouching in front of me.
“I…” I pulled in a deep breath. “That was the third one in the last thirty minutes.” I grasped on to her arm, trying my hardest to stay calm, but I felt anything but that. “What’s happening? Is something wrong?”
“Concentrate on breathing,” Dr. Ponts said, her blue-eyed gaze connecting with mine. “In and out. That’s it.” I focused all of my attention on breathing as she did the motion with me. “Okay…how many times has that happened?”
“Three,” I repeated, now feeling a little calmer.
“Did you time them?” I shook my head in the negative. “All right, let’s examine you and see what’s going on.”
I nodded and let her help me over to the bed in the corner of the room. My mind was a whirl of thoughts as she pressed on my stomach and then did an internal examination. All I could think about was what would happen if something was wrong. Who would I lean on? Who would be there for me? And, most importantly, who did I want there. I vetoed that thought right away because the one person I wanted beside me would never be there. He’d never see his baby being born. He’d never hold his baby. He’d never see his baby grow up. He’d miss it all.
“Let’s move you back to the chair,” Dr. Ponts said, helping me up into a sitting position. Her voice made me focus on the here and now, and not on the darkness my mind veered to. A quick look at the clock on the wall told me twenty minutes had gone by, and the pain hadn’t come back, and when she said, “You’re experiencing Braxton-Hicks,” I knew what she was talking about. The books from the library had come in handy, even if it was only for this one time. And although I’d read about them, it didn’t make a difference to the decision I’d made. The shock of reality had hit me at full force.
“So, it’s just practice?” I asked, needing her to confirm what was happening.
“Yes.” She sat in the chair next to me and placed her hand on my arm. “Go home and rest.” The second she said rest, my body sagged. Tiredness was already taking over my body before what had happened, but now I was utterly exhausted. “Have you closed the store?”
“Yeah. I need to call Leopold.” I bit down on my bottom lip. I was sure he wouldn’t mind, but he’d need to get there to open it back up as soon as possible.
“Okay. How about you call him from here, and I’ll drive you home?”
“I can walk,” I told her as she handed me the handset to her landline.
“No.” She brooked no room for argument with the way she stared at me, and I wondered if that was how she looked at her kids when she was putting her foot down. “I’ll drive you.” She didn’t wait for me to answer before she walked out of the room. Even though I’d been prepared to put up a fight, I was glad I didn’t have to walk back to the cabin.
I dialed Leopold’s number, and he answered on the second ring. “Leopold,” I whispered, feeling tears coming to the forefront again. I was overwhelmed with everything, and although the people I’d gotten to know in this town were comforting, it was nothing compared to what I’d have from home. “I had to close the store to see Dr. Ponts.”
“What? Are you okay? What’s happened?” I gave him a quick rundown of everything. “She’s right. Go home and get to bed. I’ll come and check on you after I close up later.”
“Okay,” I murmured as Dr. Ponts walked back in the room with her purse in her hand and her keys in her palm. She reminded me so much of my mom at that moment, and I couldn’t deny that I wished she were here with me and not hundreds of miles away. “Dr. Ponts is back. I’ll speak to you later.”
“Okay. You look after yourself, you hear?”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “I will.” I ended the call and placed the handset on the desk. I swayed a little as I stood slowly, and I knew she was right. I needed rest, more now than ever. “Thank you,” I said to Dr. Ponts, and she graced me with a small smile.
“Of course.” She hooked my arm through hers, letting me lean on her. “Now, let’s get you home and in bed. You and the baby need rest.”
Chapter Four
BELLE
I wasn’t sure what woke me, but my eyes burst open, and my heart was racing, causing my body to be on high alert. Was I having Braxton-Hicks again? Drifting my hand over my stomach, I waited with bated breath, but after a few seconds and no pain, I realized it wasn’t that. Frowning, I glanced around the darkening room and wondered what had woken me, but I couldn’t pinpoint any one thing. I groaned and tried to roll over, but my pillow fort kept me in place, not letting me move. Dr. Ponts had made sure I was as comfortable as I could be when she’d brought me back to the cabin earlier that day before she’d left me to rest. Curtis hadn’t been awake because he’d worked late last night, but she said she’d leave him a note after she’d essentially tucked me in my bed.
“Curtis?” I called, staring out of the window. The day was turning into night, but there was still a little light coming into my bedroom from outside. I had no idea what time it was, but my stomach rumbling let me know it wanted food.
Footsteps echoed throughout the cabin, and a couple of seconds later, my bedroom door opened, and Curtis’ smiling face appeared. “Hey,” he greeted. “Want me to put the light on?” I nodded and placed my hands over my eyes to ready myself.
“What time is it?” I asked, sensing the light coming through the cracks between my fingers. I slowly pulled my hand away, letting my eyes adjust to the now bright light.
“Just after six.” His vo
ice was closer now, and a second later, my bed dipped. “How are you feeling?” He placed his hand on my shoulder, and although the touch was light, it felt heavier than usual. Maybe it was because I’d made up my mind about what I was going to do after what happened today.
A weight sat on my chest as I stared at Curtis. He’d been there for me, and now I was willing to abandon him. But I had to do what was right for the baby and me. I couldn’t keep running from my problems. I had to face them head-on.
I tried to push myself up into a sitting position, and Curtis placed his hands under my arms to help me. “Thanks,” I murmured, moving farther back until his grip left me. He pushed his fingers through his hair, and I stared down at him, not seeing his usual work clothes. By this time, he would have normally left for the start of his shift. “Are you not going to work?” I asked.
He shook his head, causing some hair to shift over his face. “No. I want to be here in case you need me.” I opened my mouth, about to tell him I’d be okay on my own, but he placed his pointer finger over my lips and grinned. “And you can’t talk me out of it. That baby is wearing you out.”
He wasn’t wrong. The more time went by, the less I felt like a human and more like an oven cooking this baby. I was a vessel, and I was starting to break down. “Okay,” I whispered, not having the energy to fight him. My stomach rumbled again, and I groaned. “I’m starving.”
He chuckled and stared at me, his gaze not veering from mine. “Leopold brought you some soup earlier. I’ll go get it.”
Curtis stood, and I leaned forward. “Leopold is here?” He’d said he’d come and check on me, so I wasn’t surprised he’d brought me some food, although I was a bit disappointed it wasn’t his delicious pasta.
“He went home,” Curtis said, his back to me. He gripped the doorframe and turned to face me. “He wanted to stay and check on you, but I told him you were sleeping.” A muscle in his jaw ticked, and I frowned at it, but a second later, his face was neutral, and he smiled. “I’ll go get the soup and bring it to you.”
Tied Bond: Bonded Duet: Book Two Page 4