Read Online Skinbound by Anna Kittrell - Free Book Online Page B

weeks before her due date, and knew she would need a caesarian. Your daddy was worried sick. He was in tears as we wheeled her away.”
    Darcy couldn’t picture her cool, collected father even mildly rattled, let alone “worried sick.”
    “In a jiffy, I had her opened up. I was pulling one of you free when realized I had a...unique situation.” He paused and reached for his coffee cup.
    Darcy, riveted on the edge of the sofa, forgot to breathe.
    Lorne returned his cup to the table. “Ah, where was I?” he asked, a twitch on his lips.
    “A ‘unique situation,’” she reminded him.
    “Oh, that’s right. As I pulled the first baby free, the second baby’s foot pulled out of the incision along with it. As it turns out, your feet were fused together.
    Air gusted from her lungs as if she’d been punched in the stomach. “You mean we were conjoined twins?”
    “Scarcely.” He placed his first finger on his thumb and held them up. “The skin-tag was miniscule, just enough to tack your little feet together.” He pushed up from the chair. “May I?” he asked, scooting Cabin over as he sat down beside Darcy on the sofa.
    Lorne motioned to her left foot. “You’ll have to hold it up to me. I can’t bend that low anymore.
    Sliding from her sandals, she stretched her foot up to his eyes.
    Rebecca Creighton shuffled the fritters to the opposite end of the table. Darcy, distracted by the oceanic roar inside her head, barely noticed.
    After fishing his glasses from his shirt pocket, Lorne studied her foot, holding it by the heel, turning it in the light. “Nope, nothing on this foot.” He released his grip, then motioned toward the other one.
    Darcy squirmed her right foot out to him, thankful she had worn jeans.
    “Hmm, I think...” He ran his finger lightly across the inside of her foot, tickling her. “Right here, on the side of the ball, beneath the edge of your big toe...do you see that little streak?”
    Darcy took her foot from him and pulled it close to her eyes. A tiny silver dash, barely visible, caught the light.
    “Oh my God! I see it!” She tugged her foot until it almost touched her nose.
    “You’ll find a near-identical scar on your sister’s left foot. I’ll never know how you kids merged like that.”
    “So, I guess you performed the operation?” Why hadn’t Gigi or her parents ever shared this story with her?
    “I wouldn’t call it an operation. I just took my scalpel and sliced through the seam, separating the skin-tag. Neither of you even bled. The trouble is, anytime a doctor uses his scalpel inside a hospital, it’s considered surgery. I didn’t tell a soul, not even your parents. It wouldn’t be right for them to shell out for another ‘surgery’ in addition to the hefty fee for the caesarian. So, I just kept quiet. Until now. I guess after thirty years, it doesn’t matter. Interesting stories need to be told.” His eyes twinkled. “What do you think about all that?”
    She traced her neckline with her fingers, unable to produce a coherent thought. “It… is a lot to take in.”
    “Lorne, dear, go wash your hands,” Rebecca Creighton snarled.
    The rest of the evening passed in a blur as Darcy let the strange news of her birth sink in. Could that have anything to do with the doll curse protecting Scarlett? She inwardly shook her head. That would be ridiculous. It was just a legend after all. Grateful when Cabin stood and announced it was time to leave, Darcy robotically said her goodbyes.
    “Are you all right?” he asked after they drove for several moments in silence.
    Darcy stopped her subconscious stroking of Lucy’s fur, and snapped her focus to Cabin. “Fine.” She forced a smile. “Thank you for the lovely evening.”
    They arrived at her house, and Cabin unbuckled his seatbelt.
    “It’s okay.” Darcy stopped him. “You don’t need to walk me to the door.” She’d had a long evening and needed to be alone to mull over the revelation from Cabin’s