Page 40 of Where the Little Birds Are (Little Bird Duet 2)

Her body stiffens in my hold as I rub her arm, her cheek lifting from me. “Corbin?”

I hum, not really wanting to ruin the moment with words. Sometimes it’s better not to say anything. She could change her mind about me staying here for a while. I saw the contemplation in her expression when I proposed the idea, but something inside her beat back the reasons she was going to argue against it.

She doesn’t say anything more, and I continue my soft strokes over her arm. Her head rests against my chest, a sigh stretching out the silence between us. Her thumb caresses my shirt and I wonder if she’s doing it on purpose or has no idea.

I’m not sure how long we stay like that, afraid of speaking—of the reality that lingers. If we could avoid the topic, I have no doubt that we both would. But that reality isn’t ours. Like always, she’s the one who speaks it.

“We need to come up with a game plan.”

“Or,” I counter, brushing my fingers through her hair slowly, “we could just lay here and not do anything.”

She sits up, making my arm drop onto the mattress behind her. Her eyes don’t look nearly as tired as they did when I arrived yesterday, so I glance at the time on her alarm. My brows raise when I see we slept in until noon.

“If you insist on talking, we need food.”

She groans and pulls back, sitting cross-legged next to me. “Food and I don’t get along these days. There are takeout menus downstairs if you want something.”

“We could go somewhere.”

She deadpans, leaving me considering my words. Her expression breaks when I laugh, palming my face and sitting up. “What’s so funny?”

I stretch my arms and settle against her headboard. “Everything feels normal when I’m with you. We’re not Corbin and Kinley, public figures, we’re just two people who are about to be parents. Normal. It’s … nice.” I never used to crave such a thing, but now I’m beginning to realize maybe this is what I’ve needed all along.

She laughs and slides off the bed. “We’re anything but normal.” Gesturing to her midsection as if to make a point, she walks toward the bathroom door. “But I get it. It’s like that for me too.”

When she closes the door, I yell, “Normal is boring anyway, Little Bird. We’re meant to stand out.”

I’m pretty sure she scoffs, making me chuckle to myself before pulling off the blanket and standing up. Rolling my shoulders back, I grab my phone and notice the messages listed across the screen.

Eddie: Don’t mess this up

Lena: Where the hell are you?

Zach: She hates roses

Lena: You better call me. Now

Eddie: Son, answer your phone

Mom: Your father and I want to talk

Zach: She still loves pizza

Lena: I swear I’ll release more pictures

Grinning over Zach’s texts, I thumb out a thank you to him and ignore the others. I’ll deal with everyone else when I’m ready, but today is between Kinley and me. Nobody needs to ruin the olive branch that’s been extended.

“What are you smiling at?” she asks, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe.

I note the five voicemails I have yet to listen to, switching off my screen and depositing my phone into my back pocket. “Something Zach said. Would you eat pizza if I ordered it?”

Her arms cross over her chest. “You guys still talk? He’s never mentioned that before.”

“It’s a new development.”

“Seems to be a lot of those,” she murmurs, walking toward the door. Her cat appears by her feet, yowling. “Come on, Penny. I’ll give you some food.”

“What about pizza?” I repeat, following her down the stairs. She goes to the kitchen and opens one of the cupboards. Penny rubs against her shin as Kinley grabs some treats from a container. “Why Penny?”

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