“You got her a hideaway and a cat tree?”
He shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I’m hopeful it will stop her from climbing my million-dollar statues.”
I smiled and patted his cheek indulgently. “You keep thinking that.”
He rolled his eyes and moved the carrier to the corner. My eyes swept over the living space, continuously amazed at how gorgeous everything was. The art, the view, the piano.
“Do you play?”
He nodded. “When the mood suits me.”
“What do you usually like to play? Got a favorite composer?”
He pursed his lips as he gravitated toward the grand black piano. “Many. I mean, with all the music in the world, it’s hard to choose just one.”
I walked closer to him. “When you play is it happy music, sad, angry?”
He snorted. “I suppose I play the emotion in that moment.”
I ran my finger along the shiny outer rim. It was immaculate, well loved. Lukas had many things in his home, and each was treated reverently; that was easy to see.
“What emotion are you feeling right now?”
He hummed and sat on the bench, his fingers kissing the ivory keys. “I’m content, I suppose.”
“You suppose?” I sat beside him.
He turned, his gaze moving over every facet of my face. “How about I play the emotion I believe you’re feeling?”
I swallowed loudly. “Uh…okay.”
With a quick nod, the first note echoed in the large space, followed by more until an achingly sad melody filled the room, the house—hell, the entire island. Tears prickled at my eyes because yes, I was sad…sad because in my gut I knew what was coming, heartbroken because if what I suspected was on the horizon, I wouldn’t get the everlasting love story I’d hoped I would with Lukas. There was a whisper of desperation to the song, and it weaved its way through, frantically trying to grasp on to anything tangible. It was exactly the emotion I was feeling.
Once the last note rang out, a tear slipped out. Lukas turned to me and gently wiped my cheek.
“When you’re ready,” was all he said.
That night, under his silken sheets, Lukas made love to me. Slow and beautiful. The pads of his fingers danced along my skin, leaving trails of goose bumps in their wake. I arched up as he took me in his mouth and shouted blissful relief while he came inside me.
As he held me close afterward, his arms keeping everything together, I chose to savor this time. Store it and lock it away for when I needed it most. We never spoke about the song, my sadness and worry, we didn’t say anything. We felt each other. Me reaching out for that tangible thing, and Lukas being just that. It was a moment of perfection; it was everything.
Morning camein the form of a snowstorm. It wasn’t brutal like the ice storm was. Large flakes spun around with the wind. I couldn’t hear the whistle of it, but I knew the sounds it was making. If I were in my apartment I’d hear it. But this place was well equipped for such things.
Lukas and I sat on his couch, fire blazing, Bubbles asleep on her cat tree, watching the snow fall.
“I didn’t know we were getting this.” I watched the winter wonderland as I sipped my coffee.
“It’s winter, always so unpredictable.”
I smiled and looked at him. “Does this unpredictable weather ruin plans you had today?”
He shook his head. “I’m rather enjoying what I’m doing right now.”
I opened my mouth but was silenced by my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Dr. Marin’s number. “I’ll be right back.”
I rushed out of the room to the first empty one and hit answer.
“Dr. Marin?”
