Page 49 of Falling With You

When we got to my house, and I let her in, Diego came running out and jumped on Sienna’s leg. She lowered to a seated position, picked up the little kitten, and rubbed her face on the little guy’s head.

“You are seriously the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen,” she said, her voice soft.

“He’s a menace, and I should probably keep him somewhere safer than just in my house roaming about. But he learned how to open the door to my bedroom, so there’s really no way out of it.”

She looked up at me then, smiling, even though it didn’t reach her eyes. “How did he do that? He’s tiny.”

“He sort of stretched from my dresser over to the door, and since I have the handles that go up and down rather than circular ones, I’m kind of screwed. So, he has free rein in the house. We are installing child locks on my cabinets, though.”

“He’ll probably figure that out, and then you’ll just be the one having to deal with opening cabinets and hurting yourself. Especially with that hand of yours. Believe me, I know. Four cats, remember?”

I sat down next to her in the middle of my foyer and just looked at her.

“I’m sorry. Sorry for reacting the way I did. I should’ve talked first, reacted second. But those guys just blew my temper. And I think that’s a problem. But I’m sorry.”

She looked down at Diego, petting the little purring ball of fur and raising him up to her chin. “I’m fine. I guess I’m just not over it.”

I wasn’t either.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” She said it quickly, and I held back a curse.

“But maybe you should.”

She was silent for a moment. “Maybe you should, too.”

“Maybe.”

We were silent for another moment, just sitting next to each other, not touching. Diego’s purrs were loud enough to rattle the windows, even though he was so tiny.

I didn’t know how to fix this, didn’t know how to make things better.

But then again, I didn’t know how to fix myself.

I hated that this had happened to her, and there was nothing I could do about it. Because trying to protect her, at least physically, just seemed to make things worse.

We sat there for a few more minutes until Diego fell asleep, and she handed him over to me so she could stand up, take the cat back, then put him on his little bed on the couch.

She tucked him in, kissed the top of his furry little head, and then looked at me.

I swallowed hard and then walked the few steps between us so I could kiss her softly.

She melted into me, and I held back a sigh of relief.

We could still do this. We could still make this work.

At least, I hoped so.

“Let me take you home,” I whispered.

“I think that would be best. But, Aiden? I’d like to do this again.”

I let out an audible sigh. “Oh, thank God. Tonight didn’t end the way I wanted. But I want to take you out again. I want to figure out whatthisis.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

And then I kissed her again before we walked back out to my car and I took her home.