The Bound Between Us

Chapter 1002

Katelyn was just joking around, tossing out a comment without a second thought.

Autumn was in her fifties-pregnancy at her age was pretty much unheard of. Most women she knew had already gone through menopause.

But sometimes, a joke lands in a way you don't expect.

Autumn's heart did a little flip. She thought of all those years she hadn't gotten pregnant, how her body had never really recovered after that miscarriage. It just wasn't in the cards for her-at least, that's what she'd always believed.

She pressed a hand to her nose, her face a touch pale. "Katelyn, you always mess with me. It's probably just my stomach acting up. I haven't had much of an appetite lately. Honestly, if I told anyone I was pregnant at my age, they'd laugh me out of the room."

"What's so funny about that?" Katelyn grinned. "You and Mr. Walker never had kids-maybe Riverdale really is good for the soul. You never know. It's never too late for a woman to have a baby."

Katelyn's words lingered in Autumn's mind, stubborn as a weed.

She barely touched her dinner, just ordered a sour plum drink and sipped it slowly, lost in thought.

Lately, she'd been craving sour things. Anything else, anything too rich, just made her queasy.

After dinner, driving home, it hit her-her period really was late this month. On a whim, she stopped by the pharmacy for a pregnancy test.

At her age, buying a pregnancy test felt beyond embarrassing. She put on a mask, bundled herself in her coat, sneaking around like she was up to no good. Back home, she slipped into her room, feeling like a teenager up to mischief.

She knew she was probably overreacting, but she just had to be sure. She took the test, nerves jangling.

Those few seconds waiting for the result felt endless.

One line. Then... two?

wide-eyed, at the two red lines. Was this real? Pregnant, at

her eyes, she took another test. And another. All

a flood of anxiety and dread, mixed with a

baby... might not

without a child with Mr. Walker, and now, after just one night with

were, this was

a mother again, not at

maybe, her late daughter Julie had come back to her,

welled up and spilled down her cheeks. She gently touched her belly and made up her mind-this child

home yet, so Autumn destroyed all evidence of the tests. She played it cool, telling no

day, she went to the

was your last period?" the

eighth," Autumn lied, deliberately giving a later date.

match up, just in case Mr.

days' difference-no one would suspect a

were clear: she

date she'd given, she was now forty days

Autumn took

report, a mix

swirling inside

for me to have a baby

firm. "You're fifty-five. This is a high-risk pregnancy. I really think you should talk it over

encouraged to go through

nodded. "Thank

up. She asked for prenatal vitamins and whatever she'd need to

in hand,