He walked past me and crouched down to pick the kitten up in his hands. “I thought it would be nice to have someone here on the nights I have to work and you don’t.”
I knelt down next to him and petted her soft fur. “She’s so gorgeous. I love the way she’s all white except for around her nose and mouth and on her ears and feet. It looks like she was dipped in chocolate. And she has the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen!”
Handing her to me, he said, “Here. Hold her. She’s obviously happy. She’s purring.”
She settled into my palms and opened her mouth wide to yawn. So small and so delicate, she made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. “She’s so beautiful. I can’t believe you got her for me. Nobody’s ever gotten me anything like this.”
“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“Why did you name her Angel? Isn’t that your name for me?” I asked as I rubbed her perfectly white belly.
“Because she’s sweet like you. I walked into the store and she looked up at me with those blue eyes and all I could think of was how beautiful she was, just like when I saw you for the first time.”
I could have sat in the middle of the living room floor and played with her all night. Angel was perfect and precious. I instantly fell in love with her.
When it was time to go to bed for the first time in our new house, I followed Kane up the stairs to a room with a queen size bed and other normal bedroom furniture, unlike in his room at the club.
Extending his arm, he showed off our new accommodations. “A real bedroom for us. You deserve better than to sleep on the floor or on that old twin bed of mine.”
With Angel in my arms, I climbed on top of the white down comforter and closed my eyes, loving the feel of its softness under me. Lying back, I set the kitten on my chest and whispered to her, “A new home for you and me, Angel.” Kane climbed into bed and as we fell asleep in each other’s arms, he whispered those same words to me.
“A new home for you and me, angel.”
Angel and I puttered around the house finding out about our new place after Kane left for the club just before eleven the next morning. I set up her food and water in part of the pantry at the back of the house and made sure she had a litter box too. Because she was a kitten, she slept a lot, so I busied myself with cleaning the first floor of a thin layer of dust before Gemma came by to see my new place.
Right before noon, she knocked at my door and peeked her head in. “Hey, you! Let me in to see your new digs!”
I opened the door and beamed my pride in the house Kane had given us. “This is it! Isn’t it incredible? And wait until you see what else he got me!”
Gemma walked in and looked around with her mouth hanging open in amazement. I knew how she felt. I’d been amazed when I first saw it too. Angel came trotting in and stopped at Gemma’s feet to look up at her with her big blue eyes as if to say, “Who are you?”
“Oh my, Abbi! She’s adorable! Kane got you a kitten?” Gemma asked as she knelt down to scratch Angel between the ears. The kitten lifted her chin to let her know some scratches on her neck were in order too.
“Isn’t she cute? Her name is Angel, after his nickname for me.”
Gemma picked up the kitten to cradle her in her arms. “Kane and a kitten. I can’t believe it. You must be the luckiest woman in the world.”
I ushered her over to the couch so we could sit and talk. “I think I am. It’s hard to believe just a few weeks ago I was living in that awful apartment with Aaron and out of a job and now today I get to live in a place like this with a man like Kane and my very own beautiful kitten.”
Angel kneaded my leg and found a place to snuggle on my lap as Gemma told me all about her new boyfriend and how happy they were. As she spoke, I couldn’t help but think we’d finally found the happiness we both had hoped for. Gemma might not have had a boyfriend who beat her, but she’d dated her share of losers and this new guy sounded like he treated her like she deserved.
“I’m so happy for you, Gemma. Billy sounds like a great guy. He’s got a great girlfriend in you too, so don’t forget that.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m more concerned about you and all this. You and Kane certainly do move fast. One night he’s taking you out of that club across town and the next he’s moving you into a house and buying you a pet.”
I sensed the caution in her words and knew she was probably right to be worried about how fast we were moving. “I know. I didn’t have anything to do with this house, though. I only asked him if I could stay at his place until I made enough money to get a place of my own, but then things just happened between us. He’s just so different when we’re alone, Gemma. He’s not that scary guy I met the day I interviewed or the quiet guy at work. He’s gentle and sweet and when he smiles, I can’t help but—”
Cutting off my sentence before I said the words I worried would get me a lecture, I switched my attention to Angel who had climbed up onto my chest and was now kneading on my collarbone. “And this little one is just too cute, isn’t she?”
Gemma knew me too well to let my diversion work and knitting her brows, leveled her gaze on me. “Can’t help but what? Are you falling in love with him, Abbi?”
I hung my head and quietly said the truth. “Yes.”
“I don’t want to put a damper on this for you. It’s just that you’re so open and vulnerable after the whole Aaron thing, which I totally get. He finally got his, though, so at least there’s that.”
I looked up at her, confused about what she meant about Aaron. “Got what?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I heard from that lady who rented the apartment to you two that somebody beat the snot out of him. They found him on the sidewalk in front of your old place all busted up. He just got out of the hospital, but he’s still a mess, Abbi. I’m guessing he crossed the wrong person finally.”
“Someone beat him up?”
“Yeah. Broken nose, ribs, internal injuries and all that. He had it coming to him, honey. He beat you up enough times to deserve whatever the world dumps on him.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said quietly, my mind drifting back to what Kane had told me about why he went to prison.
“What’s wrong? You can’t be sad about what happened to Aaron. He was a total asshole to you.”
Shaking my head, I forced a smile. “No. I wouldn’t wish pain on anyone, but I don’t care what happens to Aaron. Whoever beat him up just gave him a dose of his own medicine.”