“Nothing,” she says. “I’m just… really glad you stalked me at the coffee shop.”
I laugh. “I wouldn’t call it stalking.”
She raises a brow. “Wouldn’t you, though?”
I can’t help but laugh.
“But you’ve been slacking.”
“How is that?”
“On our daily questions.”
I close the back door of the SUV. “How so? I ask you questions every day.”
She shrugs. “I know, but they’re more like conversational questions. At the beginning, you had a dedicated daily question.”
“Alright. Daily question…what was your favorite part of the weekend?”
She smiles. “That’s easy. Being with you.”
“See.” I grab her waist and pull her close, giving her a chaste kiss. “I knew that would be your answer because it’s the same as mine. So the question was irrelevant.”
She circles her arms around my neck, stands on her tiptoes, and trails a line of kisses over my neck. “So just because you know the answer doesn’t mean the question isn’t worth asking.”
“Alright, fine. Prepare to get sick of my daily questions because I’m about to question the fuck out of you.”
She giggles. “I could never get tired of anything you do.”
I scoff. “I highly doubt that.”
My lips find hers, but this time, I take the kiss deeper. When we break apart, she’s smiling that smile—the one that makes everything worth it.
“Let’s go home,” I say.
“Yeah,” she agrees. “I miss Beatrice.”
“Oh, she’s fine. The cat sitter sent me a pic of her hiding under the bed. You can just make out an eyeball in the picture.”
“Aw,” Tessa whines. “She’s hiding and lonely. We need to hurry home.”
“She’s fine. I promise. The sitter said she doesn’t see her much but knows she’s coming out because her food disappears.”
“I don’t think Beatrice likes that sitter. We should find another.” Tessa’s voice is protective.
I chuckle. “She likes all of two people in this world, so I’m afraid that task would be impossible.”
As we drive away from the parking lot outside the ferry dock, I’m already thinking about where I can take Tessa next. Traveling with her is such a high that we’re going to be doing it often. Even if we have to put Beatrice in a cat backpack and take her with us. Though I’ll work really hard to make sure that’s not the case because if I’m being honest, I want Tessa all to myself.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
TESSA
Itwist a piece of my hair and pin it back with a bobby pin, putting the final touches on my hairdo. The rest hangs in long waves down my back. I apply some blush for a finished look and step back from the mirror.
Beatrice purrs against my ankles, doing figure eights around my feet, letting out pathetic little meows.
