Page 99 of Sparking Sara

I like to think he looks at it and remembers, too. Remembers them. Remembersme.

I hear a noise before Denver comes back into the room. It sounds like the meow of a kitten, and I look around to find his cat. He never said anything about having one.

Then Denver comes down the stairs holding the cutest little white and yellow furball. I walk over to him as he holds the kitten carefully, like the way you might hold a new baby. “Oh, my God—you have a kitten.”

“No.Youhave a kitten,” he says. He looks at me hesitantly. “That is if you want him.”

“You bought me a kitten?” I say with a slack jaw.

“You seemed so lonely after you left the rehab center and moved back home. I know you have your painting to keep you busy, but since you aren’t traveling now and Oliver is gone all day long, I thought this little guy might keep you company.”

I take the tiny precious ball of fur out of his hands and pull it to my heart. “Oh, Denver, I love him.”

He looks relieved. “Thank God. I know he’s no replacement for Freckles, but I thought—”

“You know about Freckles?”

I nod. “Lydia told me.”

I sit down and the kitten explores my lap before curling up in the crook of my arm. My eyes begin to tear up. I swallow the lump in my throat.

I look over at Denver. “How do you always know the perfect gifts to give me?”

He smiles brightly. “I’m glad you think so.” He sits down next to me and pets the kitten. “So, what are you going to name him? Freckles, Jr.?”

I laugh. “No. He deserves his own name.”

Denver scrunches his brows in thought. “Cotton? He kind of looks like a big cotton ball. Or maybe Puff? Oh, how about Fluffy?”

I hold the kitten up and stare at him. I shake my head. “No, those won’t do. His name is Kokomo.”

The corners of his mouth turn up. “Kokomo,” he says. “After your mom’s favorite song.”

I close my eyes, wondering how this man gets me so much. The man who sat day after day by the bed of a comatose woman, learning about her from the stories of others.

He reaches over to pet Kokomo in my lap. I put my hand on his and stare into his eyes. “Thank you, Denver.”

His eyes burn into mine and I swear a million unspoken words pass between us. Intense words. Passionate words. Confusing words.

Confusing because I’m with Oliver and he’s with Nora.

Confusing because I’m torn between needing to remember my past and wanting to start a new future.

Confusing because his words tell me one thing and his eyes, another.

But that doesn’t stop me from wanting this moment to freeze in time. And that doesn’t stop him from slowly leaning closer to me. My eyes flicker to his mouth. My tongue darts out to wet my lips. My heart starts thundering in my chest.

Kokomo meows, breaking apart our moment. Denver jumps up off the couch and runs his hands through his hair.

“I’ll just go get his stuff,” he says, leaving the room. “Then I’ll take you guys home.”

And as I watch him walk up the stairs, I wonder—just for a moment—what life would be like if I were here in this townhouse with Denver. With Kokomo. Just the three of us.

But then my phone rings. I look at it and see Ollie’s face on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Miss me, luv?”

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