Page 34 of Why Not Me?

Despite meeting Blade in several supervised visits, it almost feels like a first date. I want him to love his home, I want him to love me. Whenever I pictured my home, ever since I was a little girl, a cat was a part of that picture. And now it’s becoming a reality.

The staff comes back out with the cat carrying case I bought, Blade’s golden eyes peering out the mesh sides at me. My heart breaks a little when he gives a nervous meow.

I take the case, thank the staff, and follow Landon to his car. Sliding into the passenger seat, I carefully set Blade on my lap, cooing at him in a soothing tone when he continues to cry in his rough meow.

The drive to my condo feels like it takes forever, but Landon pulls up to the doors so I can head upstairs while he parks.

Yesterday I took a half day off work so I could get my apartment ready for him. I installed a kitty door into my storage room and built a special litter box with a lower edge to make it easier for him to get into.

Instead of the normal cat towers, I had one specially built for him with a ramp into a cozy bed, because despite his inability to jump he loves to perch up high and look around and I wanted to be sure he would be able to do so.

Sitting on the floor, I cross my legs and unzip the case. I open it up and watch as he inches toward the edge of the case, his ebony head poking out cautiously.

“Welcome home, sweet boy.” My voice is low, a soft coo.

When he inches out of the case even more, I reach my hand out slowly before running my fingers over his cheeks. He creeps closer, but then Landon comes in and he bolts back into his case.

Turning around, I smile as Landon frowns. “I’m sorry, buddy, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

In his hands, Landon is carrying a huge bag of cat toys. A variety of fake mice, some feather toys, and a scratching mat for him.

“Wow! You really spoiled him.” The gesture is so touching, my throat cracks with emotion. He’s been counting down with me, helping me get my condo set up to welcome Blade home. He even got me a collage picture frame that says “Fur Baby” so I can hang it up once I have my first photos with Blade. Then to add in this on top of that, it makes my heart skip a beat.

Landon sits next to me, kissing me before turning to look at Blade who’s peeking his head out of the case again, his pupils dilated as he stares at the pile of toys Landon just poured onto the floor.

I don’t know how long we sit and play with Blade as he gets more and more comfortable, but Landon stays the whole time. I fall for him a little more as he spends hours with me and Blade, not once getting bored or complaining.

“I think we should order takeout. I know you don’t want to leave him, but I can hear your stomach growling.” Landon laughs as I put my hands on my stomach and grimace.

“You’re right, and you’ve been incredibly patient with me.” I lean into Landon’s side, my eyes never leaving Blade as he continues to explore. “We’ve crawled after him into every room.”

“It was a unique way to get a tour.” He laughs.

I feel myself flush red as I bury my face into Landon’s shoulder. “Oh my God. I only have one cat and I’m already a crazy cat lady.”

I don’t move when Landon kisses me on the crown of my head with a chuckle. He pulls out his phone. I glance at his screen to see he’s ordering us a couple of pizzas. He stands, reaching down to help me to my feet before wrapping his arms around me. “Not crazy, you just finally have the finishing touch to your home. You’ve wanted a cat for as long as I’ve known you.”

He pauses, tilting my chin back so we’re looking at each other, his expression curious yet a little cautious. “Why didn’t you and Brendan have a cat? It’s all you talked about when you were dreaming of having your own place.”

“Brendan was allergic and it seemed silly to not move forward with him just because I wouldn’t be able to have a cat. It was a small sacrifice at the time.”

Landon nods, giving me another kiss before dropping his arms. He wanders into my kitchen, grabbing us a couple glasses of water before sitting down on the couch. Blade has disappeared into one of the other rooms, when I start to follow Landon clears his throat. “He’s fine, come sit with me. We can hunt him down later and force more cuddles on him.”

Smiling, I sit next to Landon and lean into him. “Will you stay the night?” My voice quivers a bit, nervous to take this next step with him.

A part of me feels guilty that I’m so happy with Landon. The devil on my shoulder telling me I’m heartless for being able to move on so quickly after Brendan.

Then the other half of me has never felt so complete and I know I need to accept things for what they are. There is something between Landon and I, something irreplaceable.

“I packed a bag and left it in the car. You know, just in case.” He gives me that sexy smirk I love, the one that he gave me right before he kissed me the first time.

Even though we’ve been intimate before, being with him now feels like we’re experiencing everything for the first time, maybe it’s because for the first time we’re just us without anything else standing in our way.

“Good. I don’t want tonight to end. This day has been perfect and I’m so happy I got to share it with you.” It’s something I always imagined, us picking out a cat together and bringing it home. While it didn’t quite happen that way, Landon is still here sharing this with me. It’s a moment that will always just be ours.

Landon pulls my legs so they drape over his. Our fingers are linked together, I sigh as his thumb strokes soothing circles over my skin.

“When do you break ground on the park?” he asks.

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