Page 17 of Where the Little Birds Are (Little Bird Duet 2)

I full on laugh, causing a few people near us to glance over. Hiding behind Corbin as he spins us, I move my hands to his shoulders. “I think my father would have a heart attack if he saw me dance like that.”

One girl starts moving down a guy’s body Dirty Dancing style until a teacher stops them. My eyes widen as I dart them away before they can see me watching.

Corbin glances at the same couple being scolded, smirking. “Your dad would definitely have a heart attack if he saw us doing that. Pretty sure he’d make you take a pregnancy test.”

My eyes widen. “Don’t say that!”

A laugh bellows out of him. “What? You do know that someday he’ll have to accept that you have sex.”

I blanch. “He probably thinks I’ll be a virgin forever. One time he made a comment about how I didn’t have enough clothes on when we went to the county fair. I was wearing bootcut jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, Corbin! I can’t even imagine having to tell him that I’m having sex much less pregnant someday.”

Humor dances in his eyes. “He’ll love you even when you tell him. If you even want that sort of life anyway.”

Now I look at him in confusion. “Why do you say it like that? You don’t want a family someday? I’m not asking like I expect us to…” My entire body heats as the song changes into something slower.

He holds me closer, locking one hand on my hip and the other on one of my palms. “I haven’t really thought about it. You and I are both career-driven anyway. Can you really picture a life with babies and a white picket fence? It just doesn’t seem like us.”

I gnaw on the inside of my cheek and shrug, not really sure what to say. It isn’t like I’ve thought about our future in depth, but it makes me wonder if I should. If he doesn’t want kids and I do, then where does that leave us after we graduate? Five years from now?

“We’re too young to think about this,” he adds, which breaks me from my thoughts. He’s right. Neither one of us are ready for that kind of commitment. I can’t help but wonder if we ever will be though.

Brushing it off, I nod. “Still think my father would try to shoot you.”

Corbin cringes. “Does he really own a gun?” I don’t confirm or deny anything, leaving a nervous look in his eyes. He blows out a breath. “I’m determined to make your family like me. Gavin might be hard to win over, but I’ll make it happen.”

I deadpan. “He caught you in my bed. That isn’t going to happen in this century.”

He frowns. “He’s protective of you, huh? Have to say, kind of like that about him. But he doesn’t have to be when it comes to us.”

The few conversations I’ve had with my brother about Corbin and I have stayed between us. I’m afraid if I speak it to anybody else, the possibility of his assumed tragic outcome could come true. Doubt already lingers in the back of my consciousness out of practicality. It doesn’t matter what I hope will happen. It’s not just up to me.

“Hey, Corbin?” I whisper, staring at the paper bird perched on my wrist. “We’ll always fly together, right?”

His hands twitch. “Always.”

I close my eyes and rest my cheek on his shoulder, letting the music fill the comfortable silence between us. Moments like this are what build the fantasies in my journal, immortalizing us no matter what happens.

Details of Corbin.

His warmth.

His touch.

Everything.

We’re Beck and Ryker.

And I love us.

Chapter Seven

Kinley / Present

I pull the jacket tighter around my body as I walk down the quiet street. The beginning of October brings cooler weather, and my on-again-off-again clammy skin welcomes the subtle breeze against it. The hot flashes during the summertime heat made my discomfort tenfold and my doctor assured me I’d do better once fall hit. Thankfully, he was right.

As I stuff my hands in my coat pockets, I look down and note the fallen leaves on the ground. The various colors of yellowing green make me realize the pretty foliage I love so much will soon disappear. Studying my surroundings, I let out a small sigh. When I arrived in California, all I wanted was to come home. I hated the noise and busy streets and wanted nothing more than seclusion. Now that I’m here, something feels like it’s missing.

Lake Roe borders one of the largest lakes in our region. It serves the summer tourists well with canoe races, barbecues, and fireworks for the fourth of July. Outside of tourist season, it’s much more peaceful. There are restaurants and stores in walking distance instead of cow pastures and endless fields, but it still has the rural atmosphere that I find comfort in like I did in Lincoln. As much as I wanted to get out of that town, I always felt like I couldn’t commit to the distance.

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