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“You go ahead and call them. I’ll get the kitchen sorted.”
I’ve not seen her this happy since she found a mint condition, original release of the Harry Potter Books. Making her happy makes me happy. And I mean what I say: I’ll always do my best to give her anything that she wants or needs.
Since meeting her, my world that was lonely at times has been full of happiness, love, and intrigue. I’m not giving any of that up. It’s safe to say, without her, I’d go back to being a shell of a man. I’ve done that already. I don’t want to do it again.
I finished the clean-up while I listened to her on the phone from the other room. I go into the mud room to walk into the laundry room and stop in my tracks. Poking out from Stanley’s litter box is a piece of black fabric. My eyes narrow.
That fucking cat!
“You furry bastard, I’m going to skin you.”
I walk over, using the tips of my fingers to pull a sock out of his litter box. It’s ruined.
The tinkling of the bell around his neck has me looking back. He sits in the doorway to the kitchen, his green eyes locked on me, tail flicking.
If a cat can look smug, the bastard does.
“Hey, what’s all the…Stanley! Not again.” She hides her face but not before I see her start to laugh. She turns back into the kitchen. When she comes back, her composure is in place and she has a small bag in her hand. I grimace, dropping the sock into it. She ties it up. We both sigh.
“You know, this cat is becoming expensive.”
“He’s just…I don’t know. Gretchen says it’s his way of showing dominance.”
“He keeps it up and he’ll be a barn cat,” I mutter.
I don’t mean it; I’m just saying what I need to. Letting off steam. But the sudden change in her demeanor says she thinks I did. I watch her pick up the cat and walk away. I let out a long breath and toss the bag with my soiled sock into the larger trash can.
I give myself a minute to think by washing my hands and grabbing a beer from the fridge.
Taking a long pull from the bottle, I walk into the living room. Ness is sitting on the couch, scolding the big cat softly.
“I didn’t mean it.” She gives me a look. “All right, I meant it., but I’d not actually do that. He’s just being a dick. I get it. He thinks I’m stealing you from him. He’s not smart enough to figure out he’s gaining a human, not losing one. Seems all male creatures think the same. Protect the women at all costs.”
I drop to the couch and scrub a hand through the cat’s fur. He paws at my hand. His claws barely snag my skin as he chews on my finger. It isn’t hard enough to hurt. I think he’s just making a point.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re putting up with a lot from him. It’ll get better.”
“It’s okay, really. I overreacted a bit. It’s just a sock. Can we just keep him out of the bedroom and bathroom upstairs? The socks in his sleeping hut are one thing, them being buried in the shitter—I draw the line there.”
“Absolutely.” She leans her head against my shoulder. “He’s sorry too, even if he doesn't act like it.”
“Hey,” I wrap my arm around her, “It’s alright, please don’t apologize again.”
“All right. How about we watch a movie? I can make popcorn and get snacks.”
“What’s on your mind to watch?”
“I’m feeling Jason Statham or Liam Neeson.”
“We have several movies of both in our videos on the Zon, or we can see what’s on the Plex?”
“I leave it to you.” She kisses my cheek, gets up, drops Stanley on the couch, and hurries off to the kitchen.
Smiling, I reach over to the side table and grab the TV remote. Our TV is huge. Seventy-five inches. Surround sound. All the bells and whistles. The house has a huge living area, so the TV is not in the way nor does it take up too much space. Who needs to go to the theater when you can have it at home? No one that’s who.
I pull up the right screen and arrow over until I find the list of movies. I have an idea of what to watch. One of her favorites.
“Twizzlers, popcorn, Reese Pieces, and another ice-cold beer for you. Diet Coke for me.”
