I smirk. “Pretty sure I’m covered in pee and poop.”
“It just adds to your charm.” He leans in, placing a kiss on my cheek and I laugh, slapping my hand on his chest as I wiggle out of his hold.
“Be that as it may, I need to get changed so we can grab dinner.”
He nods, holding up the flowers. “I’ll just put these in some water while you get changed.”
As he heads off into the kitchen, I walk into the bedroom and strip my shirt over my head before tossing it into the hamper.
“Uh, baby?”
I poke my head out of the bedroom. “Yeah?”
“Why do you have a shotgun laying on your table?”
Sighing, I grab a shirt and walk into the living room. He meets my gaze with an arched brow.
“I had an unexpected visitor yesterday.”
His brows creep higher. “Meaning?”
“Meaning that my ex is back in town.”
“I see,” he murmurs, staring at the floor for a second before glancing up at me. “Are you in danger?”
“Not from him.”
He nods. “Do I have anything to worry about?”
“No,” I answer as I pull the shirt over my head and cross the room to him. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close. “Noah and my relationship was and is complicated but I’ll tell you the same thing I told Hannah earlier today. He and I are ancient history and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”
“Okay,” he says after studying me for a moment. Grinning, he leans in and presses a couple quick kisses to my lips. “Now, how about we grab some dinner?”
“Perfect. I’m starving.”
Chapter Five
Kady
Woof!
Woof!
Groaning, I roll over in bed and throw my arm over the edge as the click of Jack’s nails against the hardwood floors follow me.
Woof!
“Jack,” I moan, pulling the covers up over my head and when I drop my hand over the edge of the bed again, he starts licking it. “Seriously, puppy? You can’t wait for breakfast? You have to wake me up at the crack of dawn on my day off and demand food?”
He nudges me with his nose.
Woof!
“Fine,” I growl, throwing the covers back and swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I pry my eyes open as Jack sits in front of me and barks, his tail thumping against the floor as he wiggles with excitement and looks up at me expectantly. I sigh. “You’re far too happy for this early in the morning, pup.”
Woof!
“Yeah, yeah,” I mumble, wiping the sleep from my eyes. “I’m getting up.”
I push off the bed and throw my hands up in a satisfying stretch before letting them fall to my sides with a sigh. Jack dances in front of me and when I motion toward the door, he runs out of the room and down the hallway to the kitchen. Shaking my head, I follow behind him. He’s waiting patiently in front of his bowl when I walk into the kitchen and I laugh as I open the pantry and grab a scoop full of food.
“Here’s your breakfast, boy,” I tell him as I pour it into the bowl and he goes to town, chomping happily. After I drop the scoop back in the pantry, I turn on the coffee maker and get a pot brewing before I sink into a dining room chair with a yawn. Good Lord, I’m exhausted. As much as I needed a night out last night after the stress of this past week, I got in late and tossed and turned for hours before finally falling asleep. I’m halfway tempted to just drag myself back to my room and crawl into bed until, at least, noon.
My phone buzzes on the table and I scoop it up.
Dr. Hebert:
Good morning!
Please make sure you reset the alarm code after
you check on the kittens today and text me with
an update on how they are doing.
Me:
Of course!
Have a good weekend.
I read over his message again and nod before setting the phone down on the table. I might as well get my day started, I suppose. The coffee maker finishes brewing. I stand up and walk across the kitchen. Grabbing a mug from the hook on the wall, I stop in front of the pot and fill my cup before returning to my chair and sinking into it. I grip the cup in both hands and bring it close to my nose, the rich aroma of the coffee greeting me as I hum. My phone buzzes again and I sigh as I set the mug down on the table and grab it.
Mason:
Morning, beautiful.
You have any plans tonight?
Me:
Depends on the offer.
Why?
Smirking, I set my phone back down on the table and grab my mug before bringing it to my lips and taking a sip. I first met Mason a little over eighteen months ago when he brought his dog, Sadie, into the clinic for a checkup with Dr. Hebert. He was charismatic, devastatingly charming, and the first man in a very long time to catch my attention but I was vehemently against getting into a relationship so when he asked me for my number, I declined. Not that it deterred him. Over the next eight months, he brought Sadie into the clinic once a week for everything from teeth cleaning to mysterious illnesses that Dr. Hebert could never diagnose. It didn’t take long for everyone to catch on and Dr. Hebert even started to joke that if I didn’t agree to a date soon, Mason was going to fund a beach house for him and his family.
Eventually, Mason managed to wear me down and I agreed to one date. That one date turned into two and then three and four. For the first time in a long time, I could see a future for myself and I allowed myself to care for him. We’ve been seeing each other for close to a year now and I’m happier than I can remember being in a long time. What Mason and I have, it’s not the raw, passionate, chaotic love that I knew with Noah but I’ve learned over the past seven years that maybe that’s for the best. My relationship with Mason is older, more mature, and above all, stable. It’s something that can last through the years, something we can both survive in one piece and if I’ve learned anything from the fall-out from my relationship with Noah, it’s the importance of that. There’s a part of me that will always love Noah but that doesn’t mean we’re good for each other.
I learned that the hard way.
My phone buzzes and I shake my head to clear my mind as I set my mug down and scoop it up.
Mason:
I miss you already and
I want to see you again.
Me:
I suppose I can squeeze you in. ;)
I set the phone back on the table and lean back as I sip my coffee. There’s a couple steaks in the fridge and I just need to run to the store to grab a few things for a quiet night in and after going out last night, that sounds perfect. As I set the mug back down, I grab my phone and smile as I type out my reply.
Me:
I’m thinking you, me, candles, and a quiet
dinner at my place. You in?
Mason:
Baby girl, when it comes to you,
I’m always in.
My smile is wide as I set the phone down again and grab the mug. The large bouquet of flowers on the table catches my attention and I reach out to touch one of the petals. Despite all my objections, Mason still brings me flowers at least once a month and he never fails to show me how important I am to him. It’s one of the things that made him win me over. He always strives to make me feel like the only girl in his world and I love it.