Harris and the kids showed up right on time. He was carrying two large bags of Chinese food and each of her children had a backpack for the overnight. They rushed over, calling for Ramon, then dropped their packs and rushed toward him. He flew over and landed on Gentry’s hand, then hopped to Xander’s shoulder, then went back to Gentry. They stroked him andtold him how much they’d missed him. He nuzzled them both. When the greeting had calmed down, he flew to the floor and urged his cat toward them.
“So this is our new guy,” Jax said. “He doesn’t have a name yet. I thought we’d brainstorm tonight and see if Ramon likes anything we come up with.”
The cat allowed Gentry and Xander to pet him. While Harris took the food upstairs to the apartment, she and the kids fed both animals. When they were done eating, she explained about the big TVs and the movie marathons. Both of them wanted to watch one of the Marvel movies. That decided, they went upstairs to eat.
“Where’s Shawna?” she asked as they sat down at the round table in the apartment.
“She’s having a girls’ night out,” Gentry said, sounding wistful. “I think that sounds fun.”
“You have girls’ night every time you have a sleepover,” Xander pointed out. “It’s exactly the same.”
“I don’t know. Hers sounded better.”
“You just want to grow up too fast,” her brother told her. “You should enjoy being a kid.”
“Well said,” Harris told him. “I think you should both resist growing up.”
“I only care about getting my own car,” Xander told him. “Otherwise, being a kid is great.”
Jax had left the apartment door open. Ramon flew in and settled on a perch. The cat followed a few minutes later, stepping inside cautiously and looking around.
“He’s doing really well,” Jax said. “He’s in a totally strange place with a lot of people around and he’s not acting afraid at all.”
As if to prove her point the cat strolled over to the sofa, jumped up and started grooming. Ramon flew over and settled next to him. The cat gave him a quick lick, then returned to his ablutions.
“We should think about cat names,” Gentry said.
“Let’s call him the Hulk.”
Jax listened as her kids talked. Harris joined in with a few baseball player names as options. For the first time since Ramon had disappeared, she felt as if she could breathe. Her family was restored and now included a new member. At some point she would have to deal with the fact that Ramon had simply left, but that was for later.
When they’d finished dinner, Harris insisted she keep the leftovers. She packed them away while he went downstairs with the kids to start the movie. She’d just finished wiping down the table when he reappeared in the apartment.
“Heading out?” she asked. “Thanks again for dinner and letting them spend the night.”
“No problem.” He surprised her by shutting the door, then shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. “Can we talk?”
“Okay.” She motioned to the sofa. “What’s up?”
He sat at one end, while she took the other. He faced her, then got up and moved to one of the chairs. After sitting down, he stood again, paced to the door, turned and blurted, “I’m in trouble, Jax. Real trouble.”
She shook her head. “I’ve had a terrible week and I’m not sure I could take much more. Just say it and we’ll deal.”
He returned to the chair and sank down. His expression was pained and his eyes had a desperate quality. “You have to help me. There’s no one else.”
She waited, but he only looked at her. “Dammit, just say it.”
“I need you to break up with Shawna for me.”
“What?” She stared at him. “You’re serious.”
“Yes. Someone has to do it and I can’t.”
Unbelievable, she thought grimly. “I’m not breaking up with your fiancée for you. Man up and do it yourself.”
He hung his head. “I can’t. I want to, but I can’t. I’ve tried. I look at her and think the words, but then I remember how she’s going to be hurt and it’s awful. I’m desperate.”
“You’re not getting any sympathy from me,” she told him. “You’re the dick who proposed to her so you could get sex. That was a terrible thing to do. However you’re suffering, you deserve it. We talked about this before. You messed with her life, Harris. This is bad and it’s on you.”
