Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 88456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
I’m taking the salmon out of the oven when I hear the front door slam, making me jump. I listen to his steps getting closer and closer to the kitchen. His face is hard and tight when he sees me. “You didn’t call me.” He puts his hands on his hips.
“I didn’t think I had to call you.” I place the salmon down, taking off the baking mitt. “I finished work and got a cab.” I try not to let my voice show how pissed I am. I have to wonder if I’m this pissed off because so many things haven’t been said out loud. Like, for example, how he’s feeling toward me. How do I feel toward him? I’m in love with him, but does he know this? Does he feel it? The elephant in the room is getting bigger and bigger, and it looks like neither of us is going to take the leap and bring it up.
“I waited and waited for you to call me.” He doesn’t move from where he is, which is weird, since every single time he comes into the house to find me, he comes right to me to kiss me. Today is not like that, and I have to wonder if today is the day everything changes. I notice he isn’t even wearing his suit jacket. Instead, his white dress shirt is rolled up to the elbows.
“Well, as you can see, I made it home.” I extend my hands beside me on the counter. “And I made dinner. Have you eaten already?”
His eyebrows push together at the question. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”
“I have no idea.” I shrug. “All I know is you went to run an errand at three, and it’s almost seven.”
“Yeah, and I’ve been on the road the whole time,” he retorts. “They called me, and I rushed out of there.”
“Who?” I ask, the curiosity getting the better of me as he holds up his finger, turning and walking back out of the house.
It doesn’t take him long to walk back out of the house, the door slamming, and then maybe a couple of seconds later it slams again. I walk around the counter toward the hallway and see him walking in, holding a little crate in his hand. “What is that?” I ask him. My heart speeds up a million miles a minute, and it feels like it’s going to come out of my chest.
“This is…” he says softly, opening the front of the cage and taking out the most beautiful kitten I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s all white, and he holds it gently against his chest. “Whatever you want to name her.” I look at the little ball in his hand, her blue eyes looking around as she shivers in his arms. “I ordered her the minute we got home, but she wasn’t ready until today. They called me at the last minute. I rushed over there to pick her up, but I had to go and get all the things she needed. It’s all in the car.”
“You got me a cat?” I whisper, my hands itching to hold her but standing here in shock. “A real cat?”
“Well, she’s not fake. I can tell you that.” He takes a couple of steps and holds the cat out for me. I gently take her in my arms and hold her like a baby as she looks up at me. “I’m going to go get the things out of the car.” He points at the door, turns, and walks out as the cat looks around at the house.
“You are the most beautiful little cat I’ve ever seen in my life,” I tell her as she squirms a little in my arms until I rub her head. “Like the most beautiful.”
I hear a thud and look to see he was not kidding. “I bought whatever they suggested,” he says. “I even got two cat trees that need to be put together.”
“Nash, you got me a cat.”
“Yeah,” he confirms as if it’s nothing. I’m trying not to freak out, but I’m looking at a cat I’m probably going to fall in love with. “You are always watching those cat videos, so I thought this would be perfect.”
“We should have perhaps spoken about this,” I start to say, and everything with today just snowballs. “Like what the fuck happens if this doesn’t work out, and now we have to figure out custody of the cat?” I ramble a bit.
He stands there confused. “Excuse me?” His head tilts to the side.
“After ninety days, we could be divorced,” I remind him, thinking I’m being honest with him about the situation. What happens if he gets bored with this life we are creating and suddenly wants his old life back? “What if you, or we, decide this isn’t what either of us wants?”