Page 76 of We Can Stay
“Where was she?” Her voice is still hushed, like speaking too loudly might make Cat disappear again.
“Under the post office box on Harbor Street. Wet and grumpy but otherwise fine.”
She glances over her shoulder at the oblivious kitten. “Little stinker scared me to death.” Turning back to me, she bites her lower lip. “I’ve been thinking... I’d like to change her name.”
“Really?” Though I can’t hide my smile. We both know where this is going.
“Cat isn’t fair. It’s not dignified enough for her.”
“It’s kind of stuck at this point, though.”
“I know.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief now, the worry finally fading. “So I was thinking Catherine. Cat for short. But if anyone asks, her full name is Catherine.”
“Catherine it is.” The timer beeps from the kitchen. “Hungry? I made enchiladas.”
Her jaw drops. “Are you serious?” She sets her bag on the chair, shaking her head in wonder. “You’re amazing. When did you even have time?”
“Well, turns out when you’re not at work, you have all kinds of time for things like cooking.” I head for the oven, her arm sliding around my waist as we walk. “It’s been nice, actually. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it.”
“Sebastian.” She stops me before I can grab the oven mitts, turning me to face her. “I mean it. Thank you. For Cat, for dinner, for... everything.”
The intensity in her gaze makes my chest tight. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“I like having you here.” Her fingers fidget with the hem of my shirt. “In my place, in my life. Actually, I was wondering...” She trails off, suddenly fascinated by a spot on my shoulder.
“What?”
“I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. Would you—” She shakes her head. “Never mind. You’ll be at work. I shouldn’t have?—”
“Flick.” I tip her chin up gently, waiting until she meets my eyes. “Are you asking me to come with you?”
The hope that blooms across her face is answer enough, but she nods anyway.
“Then I’m there. What time?”
“But your patients?—”
“Will be expertly handled by my staff. They’ll let me know if there’s an emergency.” The truth is, I’ll have to shuffle an entire day’s worth of appointments but I know that Flick asking me to go with her is a big step, and skipping out on my responsibilities is a small price to pay. “This is important. You’re important.”
Her smile could power the entire island. “Thank you. Again. I know I keep saying it, but this is all new for me.”
“The appreciating thing?”
“The letting someone in thing.” She stretches up on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to my jaw. “The trusting someone enough to ask them to come to scary appointments thing.”
The words “I love you” crowd against my teeth, desperate to escape. But I swallow them down. Not yet. Not when she’s just learning to let me in. I can be patient. I can wait.
Because this—Flick in my arms, Cat safe on the couch, enchiladas in the oven, a life that suddenly extends beyond the clinic walls—this is worth waiting for.
“Anytime,” I whisper against her hair. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
And for the first time in years, I actually mean it.
CHAPTER 22
Flick
I shift in the waiting room chair, but there’s no position that brings comfort. The cushion feels like concrete beneath me, and my jeans pinch at my waist where the steroids have added unwanted pounds. It’s also gotten harder to sleep—which means it’s harder to think straight, harder to work. And when I can’t focus, I get irritable and just feel like the whole world is against me. I want to lash out at everyone and everything.
