Maybe one day I’ll get to find out.
Chapter Ten
Misty
Iget home from work to find Bernie on Zep’s porch. Again.
As much as I want to hate this overly masculine man covered in tattoos, I can’t. He’s really good with Bernie, and he’s the only adult I’ve met who talks to her like a person. Their conversations sound grown up, and he never talks down to her. More grown up than some of the conversations I have to have.
My stomach flips when I see what Zep holds. A damn kitten.
Please, please don’t make me the bad guy who has to say no to the adorable girl who just wants to take home the kitten her new best friend gave her, Zep. Don’t ruin the progress we’ve made.
“Where’s Chunky?” Bernie asks as I walk up the steps, the dread increasing with every step closer to the two of them.
I know the cat’s name is Chonk, but it’s slowly changed to Chunky. It’s actually kind of cute, and Zep never corrects her. He even uses the nickname—or a variation—around Bernie, so I suspect he may have let her rename his cat.
“Inside. He’s not too happy with me,” Zep says and looks up at me. “I found this kitten on my porch. Just like Chunk.”
“Can I hold it?”
He hands the kitten to Bernie who looks like she’s died and gone to heaven. The little gray furball immediately curls up on her lap and falls asleep as my daughter pets it gently.
As comfortable as I am with Zep, I can’t get over the fight we witnessed. It reminded me just how dangerous he can be. But I’m surprised he just took most of it without fighting back. It wasn’t hard to understand what it was about when I saw the sheet-clad woman. He was with another man’s woman.
“Is it a boy or a girl?” Bernie asks.
“Girl.”
“You should name her Peanut Butter.”
I frown and glance at Zep. What her gender has to do with a name like Peanut Butter, I don’t really know. But Zep doesn’t look concerned. He seems more than happy to just roll with whatever Bernie wants.
“Bernie, baby, the kitten’s gray, not brown,” I say.
“So?”
All I can do is give Zep a defeated look because I don’t have any comeback for that. Just as I open my mouth to come up with something—anything—he jumps in.
“Peanut Butter sounds like a perfect name.”
A large smile appears on her face, and she gives me a triumphant look. “Can I bring her inside and try to introduce her to Chunky?”
Zep’s eyes meet mine for an answer, and the look he gives me says he’ll do whatever I want. It’s astounding how a simple look from this man can make my heart skip a beat.
“If it’s okay with Zep,” I say.
Nodding to her, he turns back to me. “She’s a cat girl, that’s for sure.”
“She’s scared of dogs.” He doesn’t need to know that, but I felt like I needed to add something, and my mind is a complete blank. Which happens a lot more around him than I’d like admit. “You can rename her.”
“It makes her happy,” he says with a shrug. “What the fuck do I care what her name is?”
I smirk. “Thanks for waiting until she’s out of earshot to use the wordfuck.”
He smiles at me, and it nearly makes me melt. Zeppelin Molloy has a beautiful smile. “I’m learning. Never said I was a fast learner, but I’m working on it.”
“We’re going to have to drag her out of there, you know.”
