Page 113 of My Favorite Kidnapper

“It was just a dream, baby. Just a dream.”

I shuddered, nestling closer.

“I was only gone a little while. I was just getting coffee and going to come back,” he murmured. “I guess being alone in a strange apartment made you disoriented.”

I opened my eyes again and looked around. We were in Dante’s condo in Toronto. We’d flown here yesterday to get Roomba and our license. We were getting married and then going back to Italy. Somehow, he’d rushed all the paperwork through that we needed to make it happen.

Apparently he was good at rushing stuff through.

He tightened his arms and rocked me a little, the motion soothing the last of the tremors.

“Okay now?”

“Yes.”

He eased back and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “What brought that on?” he asked, looking concerned.

“I think the different place, the sounds, you weren’t beside me. Something about Toronto.” I shrugged.

He smiled tenderly. “You already miss the villa.”

“Yes, I do. I love it there.”

“We’ll go home soon. Today, we’ll get Roomba and bring her here. I miss that damn lump of fur.”

I smiled, pulling my legs up to my chest and resting my chin on them. “I bet she misses you too.”

“I’ll have to bribe her again not to shit on the carpet in the plane. I wonder if she likes smoked salmon?”

I laughed. “I don’t think there’s a food she doesn’t like.”

“There’s my smile,” he said, kissing the end of my nose. “Come and have coffee. Shake off the nightmare.” He paused. “You’ll never be without me again, Little Bee. And you’ll never go back to living the way you did. Ever. I promise.”

“Thank you.”

He stood and held out his hand. “Come.”

I let him pull me from the bed, and he helped me slip on my robe. We headed to the kitchen, and he glanced over his shoulder. “Paolo said to tell you he still has baking supplies at his house.”

I laughed. “Two peas in a pod.”

“Mockingbird, he said to me, in case you were interested.” He winked. “You can give him whatever kind that is, and I’ll take a hummingbird cake.”

I rolled my eyes at his teasing. “I think I can manage that.”

He slid a coffee my way. “I knew you could.”

He waited until I picked up my cup to set a small black box on the table.

I froze, the mug partway to my mouth. I set it down carefully. “What is that?”

He smirked. “A gift.”

“For?”

“You, Little Bee. Who else would I buy a gift for? The cat?”

“You are extraordinarily fond of her.”