16. Zane
Chapter 16
Zane
I 'm more nervous than I want to admit as I stand outside Tessa's door, Espresso's carrier at my feet. For two years, he's been my secret—the soft underbelly of my supposedly hard exterior. Only Asher knows about him, and even that was an accident involving an unexpected visit and cat hair all over my supposed-to-be-intimidating black suit.
But Tessa… she deserves to know all of me. Even the parts that might ruin my carefully crafted image. I laugh at the thought, as silly as it sounds, of Harold Matthews seeing me right now with my cat.
When she opens the door, her whole face lights up. She's wearing festive pajamas with little snowmen on them, and my heart does that thing it always does around her—that skip-flutter that reminds me I'm completely gone for this woman.
"Merry Christmas, beautiful girl," I say, fighting a grin. "Ready for my secret?"
She bounces on her toes, looking so excited I almost forget to be nervous. Almost.
"Tessa, meet Espresso." I lift the carrier, watching her face as she sees him, the way her eyes widen, her hands flying to her mouth.
"Your secret is… you have a cat?"
"This is my baby boy." I can't help the softness that creeps into my voice. "Rescued him two years ago. Only Asher knows about him, and my parents—kind of ruins the whole brooding bad boy image."
Her delighted laugh eases the last of my nerves. Inside her apartment, I open the carrier, and Espresso struts out like he owns the place. He rubs against my legs first—his usual greeting—before immediately turning his charm on Tessa.
"Oh my God, he's huge!" she exclaims as he headbutts her hand, his purr kicking into high gear.
"Maine coons are the gentle giants of the cat world." I sit on her floor, watching them bond. "Though he thinks he's more of a lap dog."
"Is he Espresso because of his coloring? Or because of those cookies you used to steal in high school?"
I laugh, caught off guard by the memory. "Little bit of both. Plus, he keeps me up all night like too much coffee would."
She jumps up suddenly, returning moments later with a small box that makes my chest tight.
"Meatball's toys. They were his favorites," she says softly, pulling out a crinkly ball.
Espresso attacks it immediately, making us both laugh. But I'm more focused on her face—how it glows with happiness even as her eyes get a little misty remembering her own cat.
"Thank you," she whispers, looking at me, "for sharing him with me."
"Thank you for giving us somewhere to spend Christmas." I lean over to kiss her, tasting her smile. "Now, I believe you mentioned something about movies?"
We end up on her couch, Espresso sprawled across both our laps like the king he thinks he is. We’ve just started Home Alone , a Christmas classic we both love.
"Wait a minute," Tessa says suddenly, sitting up straighter. "How did you hide him all those times I was at your place?"
I laugh, running my hand along Espresso's back. "He has his own room. I kept him in there when you visited. Didn't want to stress him out, and honestly, I wasn't sure how you felt about cats. If you were allergic or more of a dog person."
"Are you kidding?" She looks at me incredulously. "Do you know what was the first thing I asked Ivy when we met?"
"What?"
"If she liked cats." She shakes her head, laughing. "It was my deal-breaker question for potential friends. I wish I had known sooner—poor baby stuck in his room while I was over." She plants a kiss on his nose.
"He didn't mind. He has a whole cat paradise in there—trees, toys, his own window seat…"
"Of course he does." She scratches under his chin, making him purr louder. "Spoiled just like his dad."
"I prefer to think of it as particular about our comforts."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, bad boy." She settles back against me. "Though I have to say, finding out you're secretly a cat dad might be the best Christmas present ever. Isn’t that right, Espresso?” She scratches his cheeks, his purrs growing almost obnoxiously louder.
“Mmm.” I nuzzle her neck and lower my voice. “Another cat daddy secret—I know how to make a kitty purr.”
Her head falls back in laughter before she turns to cup my face, kissing me sweetly. “Oh, trust me, cat daddy, I haven’t forgotten how stuffed full of coal your stocking was this year, and neither has my kitty.”
Within seconds we’re lost in each other. Hands, tongues, lips trying desperately to devour each other. It’s not until Espresso’s soft pawing at my arm that I pull back.
“We’re missing the movie,” I remind her, “and clearly not paying attention to this young man enough.”
She smiles, reaching over to grab Espresso and lean against my chest, the three of us settling in to enjoy the movie as a family.
Halfway through the next movie, our attempts at cooking dinner turn into a comedy of errors. The smoke alarm sends Espresso bolting, and I can't stop laughing at our shared culinary incompetence.
"Good thing I have backup plans!" Tessa announces, producing a frozen pizza and… Christmas tree cakes?
"Really?" I eye the packaged snacks skeptically. "You own a bakery and we're eating these?"
"Hey!" She pokes my chest, indignant. "These are a cherished tradition. Don't knock it till you try it. Besides, I’m clearly not the baker." She laughs, gesturing around the destroyed kitchen.
Later, with both of us full of pizza and surprisingly decent snack cakes, Espresso purring contentedly between us, I realize something. This is what happiness feels like. Real, uncomplicated, perfect happiness.
"What are you thinking about?" Tessa asks softly. I'm playing with her hair, loving how she fits against me.
"How right this feels." I pull her closer. "You, me, Espresso… it's better than I imagined."
"Yeah?" She tilts her head up to look at me. "Even with burned dinner and packaged snack cakes?"
"Especially with those." I kiss her gently.
"Merry Christmas, bad boy." She grins. "Though your reputation might be in trouble once people find out you're actually a big softie who rescued a cat."
"That's our secret." But I'm smiling as Espresso makes himself comfortable across our laps. "Though, I suppose some secrets are worth sharing."
We drift off together as snow falls outside, Christmas lights twinkling, Espresso's purrs a soothing rhythm. Just before sleep claims me completely, I whisper, "Thank you for giving me something real to believe in."
I wake up sometime in the early morning hours, Tessa curled into my side and Espresso stretched across both our legs. The Christmas tree lights cast soft shadows across her face, and I find myself memorizing every detail—the way her lashes fan against her cheeks, how her lips curve slightly even in sleep, the complete trust in how deeply she rests against me.
"You're staring," she murmurs without opening her eyes.
"Can't help it." I brush her hair back. "You're beautiful."
She blinks sleepily up at me. "What time is it?"
"Early." I glance at my phone. "Just after five."
"Mmm." She snuggles closer. "Remember when you used to get up this early to work?"
"Still do sometimes." I kiss her temple. "Old habits."
"Not today, though." She props herself up on my chest. "Today you're staying right here with us."
Espresso chooses that moment to stretch dramatically, digging his claws into my thigh before readjusting himself.
"See?" Tessa laughs. "He agrees."
"Like father, like son—completely wrapped around your finger."
Her expression softens. "I like that."
"What?"
"Like father, like son. It sounds… permanent."
"It is." I pull her closer. "All of this is. You, me, Espresso… it's forever, Tessa."
"Yeah?" Her voice gets small, vulnerable. "Even when the world finds out this ruthless CEO son is actually a big softie who rescues cats and builds homeless shelters?"
"Especially then." I tilt her chin up. "Because that's who I really am. Who I've always been, underneath all the walls and masks. And you saw that, even back in high school."
"I did." She traces patterns on my chest. "Though I have to admit, finding out about Espresso might be my favorite revelation yet."
"Just wait." I grin. "There's more where that came from."
"Oh?" She sits up straighter. "More secrets, Mr. Mercer?"
"Maybe." I catch her hand, kissing her palm. "Though none as devastating to my reputation as being a cat dad."
"I don't know…" She pretends to think. "The homeless shelter might give it a run for its money. The big bad businessman with a heart of gold?"
"Don't forget the culinary training program." I pull her back down against me. "Can't have people thinking I'm completely soft."
"Right, because teaching people to bake is very intimidating."
"Hey, you've seen what happens when I try to cook. That's pretty terrifying."
She laughs against my chest, and Espresso makes a disgruntled noise at being disturbed.
"Sorry, baby," she coos at him. "Daddy's just being silly."
My heart does that thing again—that skip-flutter that happens whenever she casually includes herself in our little family.
"I love you," I say suddenly, urgently. "Both of you."
She looks up at me, eyes bright. "We love you too. Even when you set off smoke alarms and question our taste in snack cakes."
"Those things are growing on me." I reach for the box on the coffee table. "Want one for breakfast?"
"Now who's being corrupted?" But she's already opening the package. "Next thing you know, you'll be trading in your fancy coffee for gas station brew."
"Let's not get crazy." I accept half of her snack cake. "I have some standards left."
"Mmm." She licks frosting from her fingers in a way that makes my body temperature rise. "Sure about that?"
I grab her hand, bringing her fingers to my mouth. "About some things."
Her breath hitches as I slowly clean each digit. "Zane…"
"Yes, baby?"
"You're making it very hard to focus on breakfast."
I release her hand with a wicked grin. "Just returning the favor. You've been driving me crazy since high school."
"Have I?" She shifts until she's straddling my lap, careful not to disturb Espresso. "Tell me more about that."
"About how I used to watch you pretending not to watch me?" I slide my hands up her thighs. "About how many times I almost kissed you in empty hallways?"
"Why didn't you?"
"Because you deserved better than the mess I was back then." I cup her face. "Still do, probably."
"No." She kisses me fiercely. "I deserve exactly what I want. And I want you. All of you. The CEO and the rebel. The bad boy and the softie. The whole complicated, beautiful mess of you."
"You have me." I pull her closer. "Forever."
Because that's what this is—what we are. Not just a holiday romance or a teenage fantasy finally fulfilled. But forever.
And as snow continues to fall outside, as Christmas lights twinkle and Espresso purrs and Tessa melts against me, I know with absolute certainty that this is exactly where we were always meant to be and where I want to stay.