Page 54 of A Little Luck
The older my little boy gets, the less he likes public displays of affection, so I take advantage of them any time he wants to hug me.
I put my hand on his back, giving him a firm squeeze. “Fudge is a pretty cool cat.”
“He’s sticking around. I guess that means he wants to live with us, don’t you think?”
Sliding my hand in the side of his dark hair, my chest pinches with love. “Maybe, but it’s pretty early.”
“You’ll see—he wants to be with us. There he is!” He jumps away, running to where Fudge is lying on the railing now and scooping him up and over his shoulder. “Did you hear that, boy? You can stay with us as long as you want!”
Ryan runs out to where Owen is playing tug-of-war with Britt’s dog for the frisbee. I hold my breath, amazed Fudge is so relaxed. He doesn’t seem to mind my son dragging him all over the place.
“He’s a good cat.” Adam walks up beside me. “I kept waiting for him to scratch or bite us at the vet’s office, but he never did.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty great.” I blink up, swallowing my heart back down. “I never thanked you for helping out with that.”
“I told you, you don’t have to thank me.” His voice is low, and the twinkle lights cast an orange glow over his scruffy, square jaw.
It reminds me how incredible our secret trysts have been, our stolen nights in his bed with his cheeks teasing my inner thighs.
“I was thinking I should do a story on the new vet… so people know he’s there.” It’s a lame attempt to cool the rising tension between us. “What’s his name? Henry something?”
“Anderson. I’ll introduce you to him if you want. He’s organizing a feline rescue program, so he’d probably like the publicity.”
“Sounds like your kind of guy.”
“Not yours?” A smile curls his lips, and I blink a few times to restart my brain.
Since we’ve had sex, I seem to have lost all my sassy, cool collectedness. “There’s only one guy in my life.”
“Right.” He lifts his chin towards the yard where Ryan is playing then straightens, putting his hands in his pockets. “The contractor will be at your house tomorrow morning. Want me to meet him with you? I know you can handle it, but—”
“That would be great.” I want to reach out and touch his arm, tell him I meant to saytwo. There are two guys in my life now, but the moment has passed and it would be awkward.
“I need to get in there and see the damage. I cleaned up as much as I could that night.”
“From what I could tell, it’s not too bad. You caught it pretty quick.”
The air is thick with words needing to be spoken. I know he wants to know what I’m thinking. I know he’s wondering if I’ll be in his bed tonight and what these last few nights mean.
With the contractor coming to fix my little house, we don’t have much time left. I need to tell him everything, but my stomach twists at the thought of damaging what we have with my ugly truth.
“Who’s ready to eat?” Britt calls out, and I give him a tentative smile.
“Thank—” I start, but he puts his finger lightly to my lips before moving it away quickly.
“Me! Me! Me!” Ryan runs past us, this time without Fudge on his shoulder.
Owen and Pinky are right behind him. Adam turns to follow them, and I look out at the red, orange, and yellow leaves.
I see the cat sitting in the middle of the fall colors, watching me with his curious, yellow eyes, and I think about what my mom said. I wonder if he’s trying to give me good luck.
I wonder if it’s possible to change what I am.
* * *
Adam is sittingup in bed, shirtless and with a Kindle in his hand when I enter his bedroom. The lamplight deepens the shadows in the lines of muscles on his arms, the lines across his stomach. He’s absolutely mouth-watering.
When he hears me, he glances up, and the hunger in his eyes matches how I’m feeling, and a deep ache is in my core. I’m already wet and ready for him. It’s almost enough to cancel out the tendrils of fear that are never far behind me.