Chapter 25
Henley
Five weeks later…
The little demon squirmed in my arms, running its sandpaper tongue up my skin.
With the nerve damage, I cringed at the sensation.
Feeling was coming back slowly, but I still had episodes where numbness would reach down to the tips of my fingers.
It was usually on the days I didn’t move my shoulder enough.
On the days I did, Grace would silently judge me when I walked through the door, dirt-stained and smelly from the ranch.
She’d still get in the shower with me and run those hands I loved so much over my skin.
I still felt her touching me while I was passed out.
Sometimes it was all I could feel when I closed my eyes at night.
Not the bullet breaking through my skin, or the beating I took beforehand. It was always her.
The loudest, longest meow known to mankind erupted in my arms as I trudged up the steps of Grace’s porch. I shot a look down at the tiny, furry beast. “Hush up, or you’re gonna give yourself away.”
Another meow came, this time loud enough to echo through the forest. Or maybe that was in my head, because this little shit was supposed to be a surprise.
“I knew a kitten was a mistake,” I grumbled, shifting the paperweight from one arm to the other to fish for the key in the pocket of my jeans.
The movement must’ve scared him, because I was met with needles piercing my flesh. I gritted my teeth, glaring at the fuzz ball. “Listen, there is nothing stopping me from taking your ass back to the—”
“Who are you talking to?” Grace asked as she opened the door for me.
The kitten and I both froze, staring at each other. “Don’t move, and she can’t see us,” I muttered.
A gasp erupted from her, followed by a squeal. The kitten turned his attention on my girl, big eyes practically the shape of hearts as he took her in. He knew right away he’d be getting all her love. I glared at him as she swiped him from my arms.
“You got a kitten?!” She brought him up to her face, his little body scrunched in her hands. She kissed his tiny nose, and he meowed. She melted, and in turn, I became a puddle. Seeing her happy was all I needed in life, and I knew this would do the trick.
Grace had been going through what I considered the phases of guilt.
What happened wasn’t her fault, yet she still blamed herself.
She was getting better about it with the daily affirmations I’d suggested we incorporate into our daily routine, but I still saw her struggle.
Her physical wounds might’ve healed, but the mental battle remained.
“I got him for you,” I said, which was partially the truth.
I’d been picking up some dewormer at the feed store and saw a rescue from one of the nearby towns doing an adoption event.
I’d passed by, thinking nothing of it, but this little guy had reached his tiny paw through the kennel and swatted my arm, effectively catching the sleeve of my jacket on his claw.
I should’ve known those would be a problem.
He was the last kitten there, all black and full of might. How the fuck was I supposed to say no to his green eyes that were too big for his face? Or the way he never stopped talking?
Grace walked backward into the house, giving me space to enter. I closed the door and carefully peeled my jacket off, eyes scanning the room like they had so many times since that day.
The bodies had been covered up as a shooting gone wrong.
It wasn’t uncommon for those types of things to happen in similar businesses in that area, so the cops hadn’t looked too far into it.
Even if they had, none of our weapons had been on the scene, so no bullets or forgotten items could be traced back to us.
The evidence of that day might’ve been erased, but the lasting effect on the two of us hadn’t. Grace often had nightmares of me dying, and I’d hold her in my arms, whispering in her ear until she went back to sleep.
I told her I loved her at least fifty times a day.
Excessive? Yes. But nearly dying taught me that life was too short to let my shitty past control the present.
And the moment I was fully healed? We’d be moving, starting new in a place to call our own.
I was living in Grace’s house now, but too many poor memories were held prisoner here, haunting her every day.
After everything, it was time for the two of us to start our lives together. And apparently, that included a kitten.
“He’s so cute,” Grace said, the biggest smile on her face as the kitten gently pawed at her lip. “Does he have a name?”
I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder. The kitten squirmed in her arms and moved his playful swatting from her to me. “Nope. That’s all you. Might I suggest Trouble? Demon? Evil Pussy?”
“Evil Pussy?” She snorted, bringing the kitten to her chest to cuddle him. He grabbed a lock of her hair between his paws and chomped at it.
“Hmm,” she hummed in thought. “Little Killer?”
I smiled, nuzzling my nose into her neck and breathing her in.
“I love that nearly as much as I love you.” I kissed her soft skin and she laughed.
The kitten batted the top of my head and I shot him a glare.
“She’s still my woman, you know. Just because you’re cute doesn’t mean you get her all to yourself. ”
He meowed that loud, drawn-out sound he seemed to love doing.
“Are you jealous of a kitten?” Grace asked, looking at me with a grin.
“He’s pressed up against your boobs, Grace. Of course I’m fucking jealous.”
She slid out of my arms, heading for the living room. I aimed for the attached kitchen.
“I’m making a sandwich if you want something,” I offered, opening the fridge.
Grace laughed, presumably at whatever Little Killer had done. “A sandwich too, please.”
I began grabbing the makings, setting them on the counter. “Oh, I also only got a small bag of food, because I wasn’t sure if you’d want to get him some fancy kibble or something.”
She grew quiet, and when I shut the fridge, I looked over to find her on her phone while she itched under the kitten’s chin. He seemed to love it, his paws digging into her thigh repeatedly while his eyes slowly shut.
I was halfway through making the sandwich when she said, “It says here that kittens do better in pairs.”
I snapped the lid back on the mayo and rested both hands on the counter, hanging my head. “This is how they get you, Grace. They tell you you need two, then you end up with six, and before you know it, there’s no space for me on the bed anymore.”
Silence followed, and I mentally envisioned how much chaos two kittens could cause.
“There’s a little tabby for adoption at the shelter,” Grace spoke up, excitement in her voice.
I groaned, running a hand down my face. This was inevitable. I knew what I was getting into when I adopted the little dude.
I shoved off the counter, collecting all the items I’d set out. “Get your coat. I guess we’re going to the shelter.”
She jumped off the couch, the biggest smile on her face. She ran over to me, pecking me on the cheek. Little Killer set a paw on my chest and shoved against me where he was stuffed between us.
“I love you,” she said.
I opened the door to the fridge and set the items on the shelf, then grabbed her arm before she could get away. I kissed her long and hard, loving seeing her happy. “I love you too, killer.”