Page 77 of Fearless Bond

We sat in a corner booth, and after a while, Monty joined us. He threw a couple of good-natured jokes at Barclay, but then he turned to me and asked question after question about Laure. It seemed my friend had left a lasting impression.

Then Hawke came to sit with us, followed by Hunter, who’d closed the office for the day, and I was once again surroundedby a bunch of bear shifter alphas. I didn’t mind at all. Snuggled to Barclay’s side, I munched on my fries and listened to their stories and friendly ribbing.

I was so content that when my phone buzzed and I saw my father’s caller ID on the screen, it didn’t even elevate my heartbeat. I’d unblocked his number a few days ago, just in case, but I hadn’t expected him to reach out anytime soon. Curious, I decided to accept his call.

“I’ll take it outside,” I told Barclay, who stood to let me out of the booth.

I grabbed my parka and answered. “Hi. Just a second, I need to go outside. It’s noisy here.”

In front of the pub, I shrugged into my parka before putting the phone to my ear. “Sorry for that. I’m listening.”

The phone was quiet, but I could hear his breathing. “Dad?”

“Hello, Calvin.” He sounded strangely unsure.

“Hi,” I repeated.

“Um. Where are you?”

“In Beauville. Where else would I be?”

“Hm.”

“What do you need, Dad?”

Another moment of silence followed. That was very uncharacteristic of my father. His phone calls were usually a barrage of instructions or a rapid-fire interrogation.

“You haven’t changed your mind.”

“No. I’m bonded to Barclay. People don’t just change their minds about their fated mates.”

“What you said before. About… being pregnant. Is that true?”

“See, strange as it is, I’ve never lied to you. Ever. People lie to their parents all the time, but I never did. Maybe I should have. Maybe some things would have been easier if I had learned to lie.”

His sigh crackled in the phone. “Are you pregnant or not?”

“Yes, I am. I was at a doctor today. It’s early days, but most definitely pregnant.” I couldn’t dampen the excitement in my voice. “And I’m about to start a new job at the daycare here in Beauville.”

“So you’re keeping the child.”

“Of course.”

“You’ll be earning pocket change as a daycare teacher.”

“Barclay and I will have enough to get by.”

This time, I let the silence stretch. If he ever decided to make amends for his behavior, I wouldn’t go out of my way to help him. I didn’t owe him anything.

“I won’t be employing Damian at the company.”

That made me pause. “Why?”

“He was understandably upset by the turn of events.” The accusation was clear in my father’s tone. I’d made his precious Damian upset.Well, tough. “But he should have handled his emotions in a dignified way. Instead, the day after we returned from the mountains, he caused a scene at the office. He made quite the spectacle of himself.”

I could only imagine. If Damian lost his temper in front of my father, the consequences must have been dire.

“Are you feeling well?” He sounded so disgruntled; it made me smile.

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