Page 65 of Rowdy & Kat

“I don’t feel hot. Every time I look at Maria, I remember when I was thin like her.”

“It’s temporary.”

“You say that because you’re already at your sexiest.”

Opening the door to the pool room, I insisted, “I feel I could be sexier.”

“No, you’re why my panties need replacing several times a day.”

I grinned at her comment and waved at the indoor pool. “There’s a gym next door. We also have a game room.”

“You live in a very upscale condo building.”

“I wanted you to see how you could work out in the future until you feel better about your body. We can work out together and then work out more in bed. But working out and fucking will need to wait until you’ve been given the green light by the doctor.”

Kat’s amusement faded. “My doctor is in Little Rock.”

“We’ll drive down for the day to get that done and pack up more of your stuff.”

Kat looked around the pool room and sighed. “I can imagine us bringing the babies here to swim. Maria and I swam a lot when we were little.”

“Why do you sound sad?”

“I don’t know. I feel restless.”

“Because you’re missing the boys, or are you suffering from Maria withdrawal?”

“Both, maybe,” Kat said and began to breathe faster. “I’m also picturing Maria and me packing up our stuff in Little Rock and putting it in storage.”

“It’s only temporary,” I said and wrapped her against me. “We’ll eventually move to a house and mix your things with my things until there’s only our things.”

Kat looked up at me with panicked green eyes. “Why aren’t you more freaked out about everything changing?”

“Babe, I’m insanely freaked out, but my natural swagger hides my fear.”

Kat’s expression warmed. “You do have excellent swagger. Doesn’t it bother you that I don’t have any swagger?”

“No, dum-dum, why would I want to compete with you?” I said and kissed the top of her head. “Marrying myself would be insufferable. I want to be with someone who possesses the qualities I lack, like patience, artistic skills, and school learning.”

Finding her smile, Kat murmured, “I remember when you’d follow me around school, tugging at my hair and asking me to tutor you.”

I chuckled at the memory. “I had the smoothest moves as a teenager.”

Kat grinned wider. “You were so sexy, like you’d skipped all the gawky things most teenagers struggle with.”

“You were sexy, too.”

“Not really,” Kat said, growing pouty. “I was chubby.”

“No, you had a smackable ass and bodacious boobs. Those are winning qualities in a chick.”

Kat laughed. “I wonder what would have happened if we dated back then?”

“I would have fallen in love with you. Then, when you moved away, I would have cried. No one needed to see that.”

“So, I did you a favor by saying no?”

“You saved me from crying myself to dehydration. Now, we’re together without any of the drama.”