Page 67 of Broken Bonds

“They’re good. Link talks more than I do during them, and I enjoy hearing him tell stories about Lake when they were younger,” I say with a soft smile. “And it’s gotten easier to be around him. Now that I’ve spoken to him more, it’s easier to see how different from Lake he is. Makes it easier, if only a little, to be around him.”

He nods and leans his arms on the table, giving me his full attention. Something that unnerved me at first, but that I’ve come to appreciate about him.

“Good. Sleeping any better?”

I chuckle at him. He can be such a… I don’t know,Dad,with me sometimes. It’s amusing.

“Yes,Daddy,” I mock, tilting my head down and laughing under my breath.

Forde’s eyes widen in shock and his face turns a deep, vivid shade of crimson. He swipes his hand down his face and clears his throat.

“Please don’t call me that again, Baby Doll,” he says gruffly, his voice muffled behind his hand, while the other moves in his lap as he shifts in his seat.

Wha—Oh!

I tuck my lips beneath my teeth, my own cheeks heating. I can’t believe I just said that. One of the babies kicks at that moment like they’re in agreement.

But he also called me something…

Baby Doll.

I’m going to ignore how it makes me feel. Because that’s just what you do when you feel things you’re not ready for. You push those suckers to the back of your mind and ignore, ignore,ignore!

“Anyway…” I say, clearing my throat. “Yes, to sleep. And I’ve started gaining my weight back, so my doctor thanks you for that.”

“I can’t take all the credit. I just found a place I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist because the food’s that good,” he jokes with a wink, the red on his cheeks slowly fading back to his normal fair tone as he drops his hand.

The awkwardness dissipates rather quickly once Charity sets our food in front of us. I got both fry combos and a junior burger from the kids’ menu. I knew I’d never finish one of the giant ones from the regular menu, but a burger really sounded good.

Forde got the chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, plus fries, of course. His plate smells phenomenal, and I stare at it longingly.

I love mashed potatoes.

Forde laughs and shakes his head at me, biting into one of his garlic sauce covered fries.

“I’ll share if you will,” he says, a dimpled grin painted across his lips.

Like I’ll turn that down. I won’t pretend that I wasn’t totally checking out his plate like a weirdo. I’d like to blame the pregnancy cravings, but really, I just love food.

“Deal,” I say, grabbing my fork and immediately getting myself a bite of potatoes.

I express my satisfaction with a groan of delight. Forde only smiles good-naturedly and continues enjoying his fries. We keep to light topics tonight, eating off each other’s plates. I don’t manage to eat all of my food, which is kind of typical for me. What I don’t finish, though, Forde does. He’s like a black hole.

“Wanna come by and maybe watch a movie with me? Jillian is helping atJinxthe rest of the night, and I’m not ready to be alone yet,” I say as we walk out to the parking lot together, my hands tucked deep in my jacket pockets.

My cheeks feel like they’re on fire as I admit that, but it’s true.

When I’m alone, my thoughts consume me and work to pull me back down. Company helps to quiet it all down.

A gust of icy air brushes past me, my cheeks stinging and my nose going numb from the cold. Forde quickly glances in my direction before giving me a reply.

“Sure. Need me to stop and get anything?”

I shake my head. “No, I’ve still got plenty of snacks from mine and Jillian’s girl’s night a few weeks ago.”

We stop at my car, and he opens the door for me, waiting for me to sit.

So sweet.

---