“Um…I was going to offer to help, but now I think I’m interrupting something.” A big guy with tattoos—Zander, I think his name was—appears from the back door.
“Take these.” Liv hands him a stack of paper plates.
“What do you teach again?” I ask.
“English lit.”
I laugh. “You always wanted to be a lit major?”
“Nah. I started reading in juvie.”
He turns and descends the stairs, and the three of us exchange a look.
“Did you know…”
“No idea,” Liv says.
But there’s no time to contemplate the burly lit professor and his secrets as I follow him out to the yard to finish setting up.
“Is Daniel coming?” I ask Liv casually as I refresh my drink at one of the tables.
“He wasn’t sure. There was something he needed to do with Andy.”
She turns to look past me, and I follow her gaze to see Adam bend to grab a beer from the bucket of ice beneath the table.
“Hey, Kat. Your brother put my tape in front of some people. Thank you.”
“I hope it works out.”
“Me too.” His shoulders slump a little under his varsity jacket. “Listen, I’m sorry for barging in. I guess I was pretty worked up. It’s just that basketball’s my chance to be something other than what my family expected.”
“I get it.”
He pops the top of his drink and lifts it in my direction with a small smile.
Jules descends, wrapping an arm around my shoulders from behind. “We need one more for cornhole to kick the guys’ asses. Let’s go.”
Liv, Jules, Tess and I form a team, squaring off against Sawyer, Ric, Zander, and another of Sawyer’s friends from the department at a bunch of outdoor games, most involving tossing beanbags or balls.
It feels good to be back with my friends. Living together was amazing, but I know deep down we’ll find ways to stay connected.
Except…
I still feel like I’m missing something.
Not another person, but a piece of myself. A part of my heart I grew to know these past weeks and months.
Okay, so I do still miss one particular person. Someone with knowing eyes and dark hair and the kind of displays of caring that steal my breath.
“Kat.”
Daniel stands at the entrance to the back yard, a bottle of wine tucked under the arm of his bomber jacket. His jaw works, his hair blowing lightly in the breeze.
“Daniel.”
“How are you?” It feels like more than simple care for my well-being, but maybe that’s me hoping for the irrational.
“I’m good,” I say honestly.
His eyes shine.
“Kat, you’re up!” Tess calls before Jules shushes her. Something soft hits me in the back—a beanbag, probably.
Daniel closes the distance between us. His woodsy scent fills my nose. It’s familiar and so damn right.
“You didn’t cash the check.”
“I’ve been busy. You see that platter over there? I’ve been up in the attic for days looking for it. It’s a miracle I made it out.”
I glance past him, where most of the attendees are oblivious to what’s happening, but my friends are riveted. “Is Andy here?”
“He’s at his grandparents.”
“You sound okay with that.”
“I am. In fact, I was hoping you’d be here. I want to show you something. Can we go inside?”
Yes. I want that.
Except…
I don’t trust myself not to throw myself at him.
“Let’s talk out here.”
His brows lift. “You might regret that.”
I fold my arms. “Doubtful.”
He reaches for the hem of his shirt, tugging it up over his chest.
Behind me, the other guys holler and Jules laughs.
On his pec is a tattoo the size of my hand.
“Please tell me that’s not real.”
“After all that talk about picking out a spot for that tattoo, you never did it. So I had to. I couldn’t find one with your name, so I got a cat.”
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. “We’re even.”
“No, we’re not.” He drops his shirt and grabs my arms. “When my wife got sick, I told myself if I cared enough, there had to be a way to save her. But I couldn’t. So after, I set about making sure nothing else in my life, my son’s life, could be broken again. Until I met you.”
His eyes fill with emotions that make it hard to breathe.
“You changed everything. You helped me see I was alive but not living. Since you left, I miss your company. You making me laugh. I miss you in my bed. I know what it’s like to miss someone I love. But the thing is, you’re here. You’re right in front of me, and I won’t miss you when I could be with you.”
My throat swells.
“Kat, I know my life is complicated, but I want to make this work.” His eyes search mine, earnest and convicted. “I don’t have all the answers but I’m good at finding them. Let me have your back. I will be there for you no matter what.”
Happy.
I’m so fucking full of joy, and hope, and love, I feel like I could explode with it.
All I can process is him standing in front of me, saying he loves me. Asking me to be part of his life.
Saying he’ll be there.
I take a deep breath.
“Well…I can see why you didn’t want to do this in public.”
“Too late.”
“It’ll be really awkward if I say no.”
“Then say yes.”
I bite the inside of my cheek.
“Yes.”
Daniel grins, his expression full of relief and joy.
Before he can kiss me, something runs between my legs.
“Was that…?!”
“Shit!” Daniel turns in a circle, surveying the ground. “We adopted Angel. The little demon’s snuck out twice already.”
I spot him under a buffet table, nibbling on a piece of bell pepper that’s fallen from the tray.
I kneel next to him, and he gives me side eye for a moment before letting me scoop him up.
When I straighten, Daniel’s in my path.
“A pet is a big responsibility,” I say.
“I understand.” He matches my solemn tone.
This time when he pulls me to him, he’s careful not to crush the bundle between us.
His lips are hungry and familiar and I’m going to have to spend the next week just kissing this man to make up for how long it’s been.
The applause and hollers that go up are too loud to hear anything else. When Angel squirms in my arms, I pull back a few inches.
I lift the hem of Daniel’s T-shirt to scratch the edge of his tattoo with a fingernail. “Too bad it’s temporary.”
He captures my hand with his.
“You want me to wear this forever?”
“Let me think about it.”
Daniel kisses me again.
35
DANIEL
“This is going to be weird.”
I glance over at Kat in the passenger seat of my truck. Her fingers are laced with mine.