Yeah, baths are something I’m going to have to make sure we do more often. Maybe I’ll even give her a few on her own and pamper her, if I can manage to stay on the outside, that is.
“Thank you.”
Her words are quiet and sluggish, and when I rub a hand down her spine, I feel her relax against me even more, until the point where I worry she might have passed out already.
It’s fine if she does. I’m sure she needs the rest, but I’d hoped she would enjoy the bath for a little while.
“There’s no need to thank me, Kat.” I press a kiss to the crown of her head and feel her breath roll across my chest. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, and I mean that literally.”
Her soft chuckle makes my heart squeeze.
“That sounds dangerous.”
I shrug. “Dangerous, dirty, take it how you want, just know I mean it. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
She’s quiet, and for a moment I assume she's fallen asleep, the stress of the day finally pulling her under.
Another second passes, and I feel her pulling away. My every instinct tells me to hold her tight and not let her go, but I manage to loosen my hold enough for her to look up at me.
Her eyes shine with unshed tears as she watches me, and I’m not sure what she’s looking for. I’ve never been a praying man, but I’d pray to any god that she finds it. That this wonderful woman doesn’t look at me and find me lacking.
It’s a lot to ask, and nobody’s perfect, but I don’t need actual perfection, only whatever she needs.
She doesn’t openly question my claim, but I see the uncertainty shining in her eyes.
Nobody has ever given her a reason to trust them with her heart. The one man she did was a piece of shit who never deserved it, from what I’ve learned.
“I love you, Kat.”
The words are out before I can stop to think about them. They’re true, have been for a while now, but I hadn’t wanted to spook her.
She sucks in a sharp breath, and the tears that had been collecting in her eyes finally fall, but her lips pull up in a wobbly smile that lets me know maybe I didn’t fuck this up.
Hopefully…
Kat all but slams back into my chest, sending water over the side of the tub, but I couldn’t care less right now. Not with her falling apart in my arms.
“I’m—” I start to apologize. I knew it was too early, and with how much has been going on, this was poor timing.
“I love you too.” She cuts me off. Her voice is quiet and shakes, but it's still the best thing I’ve ever heard.
If I thought it was hard to hold her without squeezing her before, it’s almost impossible as I hold her to my chest. I’m sure she can feel the way my heart races, and I hope she knows this is what she does to me. The happiness she brings me I’ve never felt before.
A sense of home and belonging that I didn’t know was possible.
Kat sniffles, and I rub her back as she holds me to her as tight as I hold her, and it’s perfect.
It doesn’t take long, maybe a handful of minutes later, I feel her arms slowly begin to slip and her breathing even out.
I should probably get us out and dried off before we turn into wrinkly prunes, but even knowing that, it takes me far longer to move than it should have.
Kat loves me, and while I never really questioned it, she shows it every day through her actions. I wasn’t sure she would be able to voice that feeling aloud for a while, if ever.
I’d feared Carter may have tainted her idea of love and relationships, and while I have no doubt he probably left some scars, I’m hopeful that with time, we can heal them, together.
Eventually, I stand, carefully moving from the tub. I move to the towel heater and grab two, carefully wrapping her up so she doesn’t get a chill. I expected her to wake, but she must be exhausted because she’s out like a light.
After we’re mostly dry, I move into the bedroom, bumping up the heat a few degrees so that we can skip the clothes and I don’t have to worry about her getting a chill. Thankfully, her hair was up for tonight, so only a small bit at the base of her neck is wet.
