Page 243 of Sins & Secrets

“Stop worrying about me.”

“You scared me last night with the night terror. And the ones you’ve had before,” she adds.

“It’ll be over soon,” I reassure her and get back to cooking. “I have sleeping pills and that’s going to help. It’s quiet for a moment, but that doesn’t last long. Kat’s not the best at giving up on what she wants.

“What about seeing someone?” she asks.

“What, like a shrink?”

“They aren’t called shrinks,” she says, reprimanding me. Some days I think she thinks it’s all in my head. Like maybe I’m crazy.

“I’ll see one. I promise.” It’s on my to-do list. It’s just at the very bottom of it for now.

The tension clears as I reach for the Italian mix of spices. With just a pinch of cayenne.

“Thank you,” she whispers and before I can respond, she asks again, “So what do youwantto do?” At least she moved on from talking about Pops, the nightmares, and seeing a professional about all the shit going on in my head.

Peering back at her and wiping my hands with a kitchen towel, I note the devotion in her gaze. It’d bother me, if I didn’t know how damn much she loves and needs me.

“I’m not worried about keeping myself busy.”

She purses her lips and nods, but she doesn’t seem convinced.

“I’m going to be fine,” I say and stir the sauce before layering it onto the cooked chicken.

She murmurs in that sweet voice of hers, “You better be.”

“You know what I’m going to do?” I ask her as I continue cooking and ignore the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach about everythingcurrentlygoing on. “I’m going to move us out of here and into our forever home. I promise,” I say, and she rolls her eyes.

“For the love of God, hire a moving company this time,” she states with exasperation and I give her the laugh she’s after. The move here was … something for the books.

“I’m going to find a house you love and help you make it ours.” I tap the tongs on the side of the pan as I pull it off theburner and then walk back to her. “I’m going to set up our baby’s room and make it perfect with all the little details.”

She likes that. Kat sways on the counter like she’s giddy at the thought and a genuine smile lifts up her lips. Making them that much more kissable.

“I’m going to make sure the two of you have nothing to worry about and that the three of us are happy and healthy, and all that good stuff they write about in fairytales.”

She lets out a small laugh and wraps her arms around my shoulders. That’s what I’m after. That’s all I’m after.

“I love you, babe,” I tell her, and she leans in for a small kiss.

“I love you too … I just hate seeing you anything other than happy.”

“I’ll be better when this is over with,” I say, bringing up the one thing I don’t want to speak about. She kisses me soft and sweet, and it feels right. She’s a balm to my soul, but it doesn’t take the pain away.

She doesn’t release me like I think she will. Instead she holds on tighter.

“I’m worried about you,” she whispers against my lips.

I brush my nose against hers. “It’s not supposed to work that way.”

Her green eyes peek up at me through her thick lashes and she says, “Yeah it is. It works both ways. Don’t you know that by now?”

CHAPTER 27

Kat

“Ithought we were just going to order out,” Evan says from across the table. The silverware clinks in his hand as he picks up the white cloth napkin and lays it on his lap.

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