33. The Day Is Young
33
THE DAY IS YOUNG
“ I ’m nervous,” Angel said in their kitchen on Monday morning.
Coy turned from where he was making his coffee before they went to work. They’d been driving in together since she moved in a month ago too.
Things were great, but she realized that she never had space from her new husband.
Hmmm, was that a good or bad thing?
Guess they’d find out.
“Why are you nervous?” he asked.
“Because we are telling everyone we are married,” she said.
“So?” he said. “What’s the big deal? We are married. You’re my wife. Unless you’re embarrassed over it.”
“Wipe that smirk off your face,” she said, laughing. She dumped the rest of her tea. It wasn’t as good as coffee and she was going to make some decaf. The tea wasn’t cutting it.
“So you’re proud of it then,” he said, reaching his arm around her. “I know I am.”
“You’re trying to make me laugh,” she said, leaning in to kiss him.
“I am,” he said. “Relax. It’s not a big deal. We can make it fun.”
She frowned and grabbed her toast when it popped, then the Nutella. “If you say so.”
“Is that for me?” he asked, lifting his eyebrows.
She snorted and handed over the two pieces of toast that she’d prepared. “I didn’t know you liked this.”
“I’d never had it until you bought it. It’s good.”
She put two more pieces in the toaster and made her decaf coffee. “There, your wife just made you breakfast and I didn’t burn it. First chore of the day is done.”
He laughed. “What chore do I have to do for you today?”
“You can make my lunch,” she said. “Or better yet, you can buy lunch for me today.”
“I can do that,” he said. “Maybe I’ll do it for the whole office. You know, a little celebration. Make it fun. See?”
“Sure,” she said. “Fun.”
They finished their breakfast, left the house and drove to the practice together. As always, they were thirty minutes earlier than anyone else.
It felt nice to have their normal routine of walking around the building and turning everything on. Her diamond band flashed several times when the light hit it. How the hell could it not?
It hadn’t come off her hand once, but she knew that as she progressed in her pregnancy, chances are she wouldn’t be able to wear it and it was a sad thought that the symbol of her marriage would be off.
Silly on her part, but if she said anything, Coy would most likely go buy her a second ring and that wasn’t happening!
The two of them were in their office working like they normally were when staff started to come in.
Coy had gone in to get his second cup of coffee and she was making another cup of tea and hoping this one tasted better. Maybe a bit of creamer would help.
“Oh my God, did you get engaged?” Maria asked. She knew Maria and Sarah were the closest to Coy. The first ones to know about her relationship to Spencer and kept it quiet when they weren’t even asked to.
The minute that statement was said, it was as if dinner had been announced to a hundred ranch hands after being on the range for twenty hours. A stampede ensued.
“Let me see the ring,” Sarah said reaching for it. “That is stunning! Not surprised Coy went over the top. He’s fancy that way.”
Before she could say it wasn’t an engagement ring but a wedding band, Coy moved by her and put his left arm over her shoulder, his wedding band showing but no one noticed.
“You don’t like my ring?” he said, moving in front of his face in a vogue fashion. “I think it’s nicer than hers.”
There was silence in the room. Abby was the first to say, “You’re married?”
“We are,” she said.
Maria laughed. “That is why you were off on Friday?”
“Yes,” he said.
“So you eloped?” Emma said.
“I wouldn’t call it that,” she said. “We’ve been planning it for a month. Our immediate family was there with us. All of them.”
“Where did you go?” Sarah said. “Someplace warm, I hope.”
“The Bahamas,” Angel said.
“Can we see pictures?” Maria asked. “I believe it but not sure I believe it until I see it.”
The staff were all excited and laughing. Not Abby, though she expected that.
Kind of frustrating in a way since they’d been public about their relationship for months and everyone knew they were living together on top of it.
She pulled her phone out and handed it over with the pictures on it. Coy did the same with his and everyone was huddled over glancing at the file of some teaser pictures the photographer had sent them. Only ten, but it was enough.
“Your dress is so pretty,” Emma said.
“Thank you,” she said. “The wedding was beautiful. I’m not one to be the center of attention, and this was perfect in every way.”
“With the size of the Bond family,” Abby said. “There is no way not to have all eyes on you. I can’t believe it hasn’t made the rounds on the island yet.”
She snorted and looked at Coy.
“Most of my family is aware at this point, but not many are full of gossip.”
He reached for his phone and then walked out.
She stayed and answered a few more questions.
Yes, Coy was getting all sorts of text messages and congratulations last night. Mostly from his first cousins who knew the jet had been used this weekend and then Scott and Helena had let those closest to them know the reason why.
Did she think it was making its way through the Bond family today? Absolutely. Coy had gotten two texts this morning and she knew within the next twenty-four hours he’d get more.
News of the pregnancy hadn’t spread, but that would soon enough.
She’d had her last doctor’s appointment on the island and had scheduled the rest here also. She hadn’t met Ava, though she would in a few months, since Ava had her daughter yesterday and was on maternity leave.
At some point, people were going to put it together that she had doctor’s appointments monthly. She couldn’t hide those things when she was leaving the building and did not have appointments scheduled for her for a period of time.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Maria said. “It’s almost as if the island hit Coy like it did his brothers.”
“It’s romantic,” Sarah said. “Coy has always had a touch of that in him.”
“Yeah,” Abby said. “All the women he’s dated before loved how romantic he was.”
Angel kept her smile in place. She wouldn’t be baited. It was not the first time Abby made little comments like that.
She was Coy’s wife now. No one else.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said. “I’m going to get ready for my first patient.”
She retrieved her phone and put it in her pocket, then brought it to her office.
“Not so bad,” he said.
“No,” she said. “It wasn’t. But the day is young.”
Things were going well for a few hours and then she snuck into Abby’s room between patients to give a quick exam.
“You said Dr. Bond was coming in,” the woman said in the chair.
“This is Dr. Bond,” Abby said, grinning. “The other Dr. Bond. Coy’s wife.”
That was one way to get it out. It’s not as if she’d addressed this with anyone.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m Dr. Jansen. Yes, I’m Coy’s wife, but as of today, it’s still Jansen.”
“You’re not taking his name?” Abby asked. “You’d be crazy not to.”
She turned to Abby and then her patient. “My medical license says Dr. Jansen on it, so that is who I am. Will I be changing it to Bond? I will in the future; however, it’s not as easy of a process as someone who isn’t a licensed practitioner. So for the time being, it’s Dr. Jansen.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” her patient said. She looked at the chart.
“Everything looks good here, Stacy. Did you find any issues, Abby?”
“No,” Abby said.
She always asked the hygienists first, then the patient. “How about you, Stacy? Are you experiencing any pain or discomfort anywhere?”
“Nope,” Stacy said. “Everything is good. I can’t believe Coy got married and I just found out. I know Helena. We are on the same fundraising committees. When did you get married?”
“They got married over the weekend,” Abby answered for her. “The family all flew to the Bahamas for a destination wedding.”
She looked at Abby and held her smile in place. Good to know she had a mouthpiece doing her talking for her.
“That’s so sweet,” Stacy said. “I’m sure the news will travel fast.”
Especially if Abby was announcing it like this. She wondered how many other patients had been told.
She finished the exam and then went back to her other patient.
Twenty minutes later, she was done with her filling and went to fill her water bottle up.
When she passed the conference room she heard voices in there and Abby making some joke about wondering if it was a shotgun wedding.
Angel held the cringe in place.
There were no guns there, but the fact she was pregnant had pushed things into motion more. There was no denying or lying about it.
She moved past quickly and went into her office to get some gum.
“Hey,” Coy said, reaching his hand out.
She put the pack in his hand. “Hey.”
“What’s going on?” he asked. “I can see it on your face something happened.”
She wouldn’t mention the shotgun wedding comments. No reason for it. Coy might get worked up and she didn’t want that.
She’d have to get some thick skin and move past it or address it herself.
“Has anyone said anything to you about the marriage? Patients?”
“No,” he said. “I don’t think they know. Why?”
“Oh,” she said. “When I went into Abby’s room for the first time, my patient said she thought Dr. Bond was coming in and Abby explained I was Dr. Bond. That I was your wife.”
He frowned. “Legally, you’re still Dr. Jansen. You can’t address yourself as Bond because of your medical license.”
“I made sure to point that out,” she said. “I think I got my point across. But I also believe she is telling patients so it will make the rounds fast.”
He laughed. “What’s the big deal? You should know by now nothing on this island stays quiet long. It will all blow over in a few days.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m being sensitive and shouldn’t be.”
“I understand. Or I’m trying to,” he said. “But I don’t get the big deal either. I’ve kept my personal life private for years. You know how things are on this island. It’s not a secret we were dating and then living together.”
“No,” she said. “It wasn’t.”
“Then don’t worry about it.” He leaned in. “Us Bonds, we are known for going after what we want and doing things our way.”
“And being the Bond, no one will say anything to your face,” she said.
“You’re a Bond too,” he said. “Whether it’s on your license or not. You can start to act like it, and trust me when I say: it will all stop very quickly.”
He was smiling when he said it. She knew it was the truth.
But she didn’t know if she had it in her to be that confident in herself.