“Wow! You’re multiple pages into that notebook,” he beamed.
I smiled and fanned through the pages now adorned in blue ink. “Three chapters in.”
“Amazing,” Dante praised. “I’m already itching to read it. But first, I have something for you.”
He stepped back and offered me his hand. I took it. He hauled me up and against his chest before shadows swirled around us. When they cleared, I found myself staring up at Dante, but behind him was … the outside of his house?
I quirked a brow. “What—”
He grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. The grassy backyard I remembered had been utterly transformed, but itwasn’t the small house, man-made stream and pool, or toys that made my jaw drop.
Dante came around me to look at the two tan, round lumps sitting by the stream. He cleared his throat. “It’s a capybara. Well, two, to be exact.”
The two heads swiveled in our direction and stared at me.
“Did you know?” Dante barreled on. “It’s legal to own capybaras in the state of Tennessee.” He shrugged. “Not that legalities would’ve stopped me.”
I covered my wide smile with both hands as I fell to my knees to get level with the two small capybaras. “Oh my gosh! Holy shit! I’m gonna cry. Is this real?”
Dante chuckled and knelt beside me. “It’s real. I know some demons who managed to spruce up the yard for me, ensuring I could meet all the capybara’s needs. Fencing, heated pool for when it’s cold, a mansion for them to call their own. I got two because—”
“Capybars are social and need to bond,” I sniffled, beaming at the two precious animals who decided to approach.
“Yeah. I guess you know all about the creatures, huh? Well, one’s a boy and one’s a girl. Figured you could name them since they’re yours.”
“Hi,” I greeted happily as the capybara pups sniffed my outstretched hands. “This feels like a dream.”
“It’s not.” Dante rubbed a finger over the head of the closest one. “It’s real, baby.”
One of the two capybaras prodded my folded legs, testing its safety. I held my breath and watched it with overwhelming excitement as it decided to hop into my lap. I barely managed to contain my squeal as I pet my new coarse-haired friend for the first time.
Happy tears rimmed my eyes, and I tilted my head back to keep the stupid drops from seeping out. “I’m so happy. I love them so much!”
Dante placed his hand on the small of my back before picking the other round capybara up to deposit it in my lap with its friend. I pet them, talking and cooing to them like they were the most precious babies on earth.
Dante pointed at the small house at the back of the yard. “I got them their very own house to fill with a bunch of babies, but I assume you’re going to want them close by, right?”
I grinned at him in lieu of answering.
He smirked and nodded his head toward his house. “Figured. So I actually installed a doggie door for them to go in and out of the house, too. We’ll have to teach them how to use it, but I—”
I leaned in to press a soft kiss on Dante’s bearded jaw. His dark eyes widened, and he slowly turned his head to look at me. I beamed at him, my broken soul soaring with more joy, hope, and life than it had in a long time.
“Thank you,” I whispered hoarsely.
He cleared his throat and looked at the two content capybaras in my lap. “It’s not a big deal. I read in a book that animals are a great source of emotional support for those who struggle with mental health. When I realized you could have capybaras in Tennessee, it was a no brainer. I’m sure others would recommend a dog or—”
“I don’t mean thank you for just this, Dante.” I reached out to grab and squeeze his hand. “Everything. Thank you foreverything. Thank you for giving me the space to not be okay. Thank you for not hating me when I was struggling. Thank you for believing in me and seeing me and hearing me. Thank you for being my friend. Just … Thank you, Dante. Thank you for being you.”
He stared hard at me. His throat bobbed on a hard swallow while his gaze searched mine. Finally, he announced huskily, “I really want to kiss you.”
My lip twitched with the threat of another smile. “Then do it.”
He leaned down, and his lips found mine. Sparks skurried through my insides like ecstatic tap dancers. The softness of his kiss was unexpected, and I leaned into the sweet feeling, opening for the slow glide of his tongue. These kisses with Dante were some of my favorites. Unhurried, gentle, tender. It was amazing how so much could be expressed without a single word being spoken.
I care about you.
I want you.
