I pull away just enough to look at her.“Sorry I didn’t stay in bed.I know waking up alone probably felt like—” I stop, not wanting to put words in her mouth, but she’s watching me carefully now.“I just...when I woke up, I watched you for a while.You looked so peaceful, and I wanted you to wake up so I could see your eyes open, see you smile at me.”
Her expression softens slightly, but the walls are still there.
“And then I realized I have thousands of photos of you calling out to me from my laptop.”I run a hand through my hair, frustrated with myself.“I know that’s not an excuse.I got sucked into editing and lost track of time, and by the time I looked up, it was hours later and you were probably thinking?—”
“That last night was a mistake,” she finishes quietly.
“Bailey, no.”I cup her face, forcing her to look at me.“Last night meant everything.You mean everything.I’m just an idiot who gets tunnel vision when I’m working.”
Her eyes search mine, and I can see her deciding whether to believe me.Finally, her shoulders drop and one corner of her mouth lifts.“You really are an idiot.”
“The biggest.”I grin, relieved.“But I’m your idiot.At least for today.”
The reminder that she’s leaving makes both our smiles fade.
Bailey peers over my shoulder.“You’ve been editing?Anything I can see?”
She can’t see my monitor since it’s facing the other direction.I do have some photos that are nearly done, but I usually like to sit on them and then take a fresh look before I show her.
“Not yet.How about after we eat?”
She hesitates.“All right,” she agrees, and steps back to let me out of the room.
“Why don’t you start the coffee and I’ll put some clothes on.Then I’ll make us breakfast.”
Bailey retreats to the kitchen and I pull on pants and a Henley.My bedroom smells like sex and Bailey and I want to bottle it up.
When I emerge from my room, the coffee machine is chugging away but I don’t see Bailey.
I call her name, and she responds with, “Down here.”
I walk around the kitchen island to see Bailey on the floor, Echo on her lap.My cat is standing on her thighs, rubbing her face against Bailey’s and purring so loud I’m surprised I didn’t hear it earlier.
My heart lurches.
Echo doesn’t do this with anyone.She’s friendly enough—she’ll let Kit and Hunter pet her—but this?The face rubbing, the aggressive affection?This is reserved for me.
Until now, apparently.
“I think she likes you,” I say, my voice coming out rougher than intended.
Bailey laughs, scratching behind Echo’s ears.“The feeling’s mutual.”Then she looks up at me, and there’s something soft in her expression.“She’s a good judge of character.”
“The best.”I grab my phone and snap a picture before Bailey can protest.I need to remember this—Bailey on my kitchen floor, my cat in her lap, that smile on her face like maybe she could belong here.
Like maybe she wants to.
Look, I know what you’re thinking.“Silas, it’s been one night.Calm down.”But I’ve been waiting for this since I was fifteen.So yeah, I’m taking pictures of her with my cat.Fight me.
“Stay right there,” I say, my throat tight.“I’ll make us breakfast.”
“I don’t think I have a choice,” Bailey says, as Echo starts kneading her right boob.“Your cat has me hostage.”
“She knows a good thing when she sees it.”
So do I.
I work around them, making waffles and bacon.My toaster oven sizzles and smokes away, the bacon smell permeating the air so much that Echo raises her head and sniffs.Bailey scratches her chin and Echo decides chin scratches are better than exploring where the delicious smells are coming from, especially since I never feed her human food.
