Page 120 of Hate Mail

He shrugs. “They are your cats.”

“That you tricked me into adopting,” I remind him.

“I didn’t trick you. Besides, I wasn’t making fun of your snoring. I was doing us both a favor.”

He nudges the box closer to me. I pick it up and carefully remove the ribbon from the small box, then tear off the wrapping paper. Inside is a box of nose strips with a note attached:Just kidding. I’ll buy the cat food.

“See, I was counting on you to read the letter first. Otherwise the note wouldn’t have made sense.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t fight the smile tugging at the corners of my lips. I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him.

“Besides, the snoring is my fault. You were such a quiet sleeper before all this.” He waves his hand over my belly, distended from seven months of pregnancy.

“This was all your idea,” I agree.

I walk with him to the front door to say goodbye as he heads back to work to finish his day. I give him another kiss, then watch him leave. I’m still smiling as he drives away. I’m already thinking of what I’ll write in my next letter to him. I sit down on the couch, though there isn’t much room for me with Bruno taking up half the space. I pick up my notebook and my pen and I begin to write.