Page 118 of Our Secret Moments

“I will be.”

As we all continue watching the stars, I know now more than ever that no matter what life throws at us, no matter what the disagreement, me and these girls are going to find our way back to each other. They’ve always been my family when I felt like I didn’t have one and that is never going to change.

FORTY-THREE

CONNOR/CAT

“JUST LIKE THAT.”

CONNOR

I closemy eyes and start to focus on my breathing when she tugs my arm. “Why are you nervous? You’ve met before.”

As much as she’s trying to calm me and settle the rapid pulse in my body, her words are not helping. I grip harder onto the flowers in my hand, trying my best not to crush them as we walk through the hallway. “I know, but I just want to make a good impression.”

Cat snorts, swaying into me slightly. “Your first impression was adorable.”

The first time I met JoJo, I was around eight or nine and I was completely obsessed with her. I went through a phase where I would spend every waking minute at Cat’s house when she was visiting just so I could listen to her talk. I was fascinated by her accent and I loved the stories she would tell. She had a way of entrancing all of us and we could sit and listen to her for hours. She easily became one of the most interesting people I’d ever met in my life to the point where I wanted to move in with them.

“Besides,” Cat starts, “A lot has changed since then. She’s either forgotten you, or you’re one of the very few things she can remember in detail. Unfortunately for us, there’s never any in between.”

“Let’s hope for the latter, sweetheart,” I murmur, leaning down slightly to press a kiss to her temple. “I want her to know just how madly I’m in love with you.”

Even as Cat squirms away from me, rolling her eyes at my comment, I knew the second we walked into the communal room that I was one of the lucky ones.

JoJo is just as intriguing as the last time I saw her. She radiates this warm energy that feels like you’re being hugged without actually being in her arms. And when she sees me and her smile doubles, I know she remembers me.

“Ah, there’s my favourite white boy,” JoJo sings when we sit down across from her.

“So, we’re doing this today?” Cat mutters, leaning over to give her a hug. JoJo kisses her teeth, waving her off when she sits back down in her seat. “I’m guessing you remember Connor then.”

“Is this the boy you were having unconventional sex with?”

I choke on air, my face burning red. I’ve never met any of my girlfriend’s family before. Mostly because I’ve never had a serious relationship. But I’m sure their grandparents don’t usually know what goes on in their sexual lives.Especially the unconventional ones.

“You told her about that?” I mutter to Cat and she shrugs.

“She just knows these things, Con. I swear it’s her superpower,” she replies, shaking her head at her grandma. She hasn’t stopped smiling since we sat down and I get this warm feeling in my chest.Thewarm feeling.

“Itismy superpower,” she confirms, nodding. Her gaze snags on the roses I’ve nervously been holding and I hold themout to her. Her hands shake as she picks them up, winking at me. “These are gorgeous,Conna. Thank you.” I nod and Cat rubs her hand on my thigh reassuringly. JoJo turns to her. “Why don’t you ask the reception for a vase and some water, Birdie. If they try to tell you no, just tell them I’m having a stroke.”

“I’m not going to say that.” Cat laughs a little, scooting out her chair. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

When she’s gone, I try to make small talk with JoJo. I mean, what are you supposed to say to an elderly lady who you’ve not seen in years, but the last time you did you were attached to her hip? She asks me about how college is going and when I ask how it is living here all she says is ‘it smells like dog shit.’ So, we’re off to a great start.

I don’t know what’s taking Cat so long, but the more time I spend with JoJo, the closer I feel to her. I see so much of her in Cat. They’re both smart, funny, and can make a casual innuendo without making a big deal over it. The one thing they both have in common the most? Confidence.

“You know, I might not have the best memory, right now, but my eyesight has never changed,” she whispers, glancing to the door and then back to me. My head tilts in curiosity. “I see the way you look at my songbird.”

“How do I look at her?”

“Like you’ve never seen anything like her. Like she put up every star in the galaxy.” She sighs, shaking her lightly with a laugh. Her words are true. Catherine is the brightest thing in my life. Sometimes she feels like theonlything in my life. “As sweet as it is, you’ve got to promise me you’re never going to break that girl’s heart. She’s suffered enough in the last few years, and I’m not letting all of her hard work to pull herself out of the darkness to be ruined.”

I swallow. Hard. “I’m never going to break her heart. I’d never do anything to hurt her. Ever.”

Her eyes narrow before they soften. She leans forward slightly, bringing her hands to mine that rest on my knees. “Good, because there is something I want to give you.” It feels exactly how it did as a kid. The way she speaks so softly, the way her words have a level of mystery and adventure in them. She twists a ring off her finger and slides it into my palm, closing my hand around it. “When you're ready, I want you to marry her. This is her mother’s engagement ring and I wanted to be here to give it to whoever was lucky enough to want to spend the rest of their life with my grand-baby, and you,Conna, you’re it for her. I see it in your eyes, in your heart. And I see it in hers too.”

The tightening in my chest grips onto my heart. Not out of anxiety, but out of pure love and anticipation for the day I’ll be able to slip this ring on Catherine’s finger. I think part of me has been waiting to marry her since the day we first met and we ate melted Kit-Kat’s on the sidewalk.

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