Everything that had stiffened up in the man relaxed. “Oh.” Finishing the food squirreled away in his cheek, he got back to mopping the plate clean to shove his last bite into his mouth.
Oh. Oh? “That’s all you have to say to that? Oh?” I spluttered. I’m not the irresponsible type. Not usually. But I’d admit to completely losing my head with this guy.
Frowning my way, again with the confused look, he blurted around a mouthful, “Cy not use birth control, neither.”
Nudging him with my foot, I rolled my eyes. “Be serious. This is serious.”
“Cy always serious, comes to my Pru,” he rumbled out curtly.
Butthurt, party of one.
“You know what I mean,” I grumbled. Folding my arms over my chest, I waited.
Setting the plate carefully on the coffee table, he twisted to grab his blanket off the back of the couch. Opening it up to come down over me with it, trapping my folded arms beneath it, he grinned down at me as I glared up at him.
“Pru Cy’s. Cy my Pru’s.” Leaning in, he nuzzled my forehead, his breath fanning across the spot, then placed a kiss there. “Cy claim. Pru claim.”
“What about when I have to move?” I croaked out. There I went, ruining what could have been a sweet moment, posing that damn question.
“My Pru stay with you Cy.” His thick shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug, like this was no big deal.
“And live with your parents?” I spluttered, agape.
Cy snorted. “What wrong my mama, da?” He was feigning offense. I wasn’t buying it.
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean. We can’t go on like we are at your parents’ house. We’re going to stay in your old bedroom and, what, boink like bunnies in there? Down the hall from Elm? How is any of that going to work?”
“Elm stupid. Not Cy’s problem. Mama no care. Da no care. Mama loves Pru.”
“Not enough to let you bring me home if she put her foot down about us and we were just friends back then,” I huffed out.
“What mean?” Cy pulled back, clearly confused.
Eyeing him, I scowled. “You mean you don’t know?”
“No know what?” he grunted out. He wasn’t faking it. He honestly didn’t know.
I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him, though I was tempted to ask him what his reasoning was for not hanging out with me anymore. Maybe they only told Elm and Cy thought it was a mutual pull away. “I can’t live at your parents’ house,” I repeated, more firmly than the last. I refused to stay where I wasn’t really welcome.
“We get place. Cy find one.” Patting my knee reassuringly, he motioned for me to lift my legs so he could take care of our dishes.
“How did we go from snow storm buddies to moving in together? I mean, is this something you really want?” I called out. If he was serious, I was serious. I mean, yes, this was all moving at the speed of light and that little voice in my head warned me I should proceed with caution but… it felt very right.
Sitting up, I wrapped Cy’s blanket over my shoulders and curled my legs up.
The back door opened and closed. I jumped at the slap of the back door smacking shut.
Shit. Where was he going? Had I upset him?
Hopping to my feet, I was almost to the door when I heard footsteps stomping back up the back porch stairs.
Running back to the living room, I hopped over the side of the couch, threw the blanket over me, and tried to calm my racing heart.
Cy wasn’t quiet about it as he clomped past me with the boots he must have slipped on before going outside in his hands, a duffel bag over one arm, and dumped the boots by the front door.
Tossing the duffel bag to the other end of the couch, he’d just sat down, started to rifle through it for something, when there was a heavy knock at the front door.
Cy glanced my way but I shrugged. “I’m not expecting anyone. It’s blizzarding out there.”
