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Chapter Eighteen

Cat

The smile clinging to my lips from Scarlett’s demand fades as soon as David’s lips press against mine, and the only thing that exists is him. The kiss is gentle, his lips soft, but my pulse is racing.

Sparks shoot down my spine, and my stomach flutters. The skin under his hand ablaze.

And the truth I didn’t realize I was holding in consumes me. I’m his. I’ve always been his.

And now he’s mine.

All the feelings I felt for him as a teenager come rushing back. Our awkward kiss as kids hinted at what I’m experiencing now, but never in a million years could I have imagined this all-consuming need to share my life with someone, to open myself, to let someone in absolutely and completely.

I am slowly pulled back to the present, and the sound of clapping drags me from the overwhelming realizations, and David slowly pulls away.

Taking a piece of me with him.

When my gaze meets his, I see the same wonder reflected in his eyes, but almost immediately, his gaze is filled with confusion. My heart falls, and the reality of our situation is brought to the forefront of my mind.

This marriage is in name only.

It is supposed to be pretend, but that kiss was anything but fake. My feelings are anything but pretend.

Anxiety washes over me; a heavy weight crushes my chest, and I’m struggling to breathe.

Before I can have another thought about anything that just happened, a small body slams into the two of us, wrapping her arms around our waists. Uttering words of excitement that my addled brain can’t decipher.

Glancing down, Scarlett’s head is tucked between us, and a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth, the tightness loosening. I run a hand over her hair, and my heart aches with a completely different emotion.

Is it possible I’m already in love with this man and his child?

When I look up, David is staring down at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

A wave of dizziness hits, and I sway. Without hesitation, David reaches out to steady me, pulling me tightly against him. This leaves me questioning whether the dizziness is from my condition or his touch.

“Cat? Are you okay?”

I raise my hand to my forehead and nod, remembering I haven’t told him about my illness. “It’s nothing. Sometimes I get a little dizzy.”

“Are you sure?” His voice fills with concern, and his narrowed eyes scrutinize my face at the same time his grip tightens.

When I look into his eyes, I see a fear that makes my stomach twist. My only desire at that moment is to relieve him of his fear. Without hesitation, I reach up and cup his cheek, needing to erase the worried look from his face. “Yes.”

His gaze roams over me, and his tight lips loosen before he nods. “We need to talk about this later. Okay?”

Before I can agree, David and I are surrounded. Multiple conversations are being had at once, making it difficult for me to focus on anything.

I’m not physically dizzy anymore, but my head is definitely spinning from all the activity.

“We need a picture,” Scarlett shouts, taking one of each of our hands. Glancing down at her, I smile. This child is more confident than most adults I’ve ever met. She starts tugging at us when I hear Ava’s voice.

“Can we please give them a moment before we start directing them everywhere?” She reaches for my arm and looks at me pointedly, and my heart sinks.

She saw too. Ava steers David and Scarlett over toward a spot with a gorgeous view of the mountains as a backdrop.

“Scarlett, take your dad over there and get some photos with both of you and Uncle Duncan first. We’ll meet you there in a little bit. ”

“Okay,” Scarlett beams, grabbing David’s hand and tugging. “Come on, Daddy.”

David glances between the two of us before locking onto Ava. He nods at whatever silent message she conveys and starts to move with Scarlett. I let my gaze linger on them as they walk over to Duncan and Finn.

“Are you okay?” Ava whispers, her brow furrows. She gently takes my hand and pulls me off to the side.

Feeling a tingling on the back of my neck, I glance over my shoulder to find David watching me. Without looking away, I blow out a slow breath and nod. “Yes.”

I turn from him and look back at Ava, her worried expression focused on me. I force a smile. “I’m sure it’s just from all the activity and not eating breakfast.”

Studying me for a moment, her face relaxes, and she gently squeezes my hand.

“Missing breakfast can definitely have that effect. We’ll need to get you something to eat soon,” she murmurs, and just like her niece, she grabs my hand and starts tugging me to where everyone is standing. “Let’s finish this up quickly, then.”

A warm breeze brushes gently against my cheek, and I take a moment to breathe in the fresh air, grounding myself.

From the corner of my eye, I see David approaching us, and my pulse jumps at the sight of him.

“Cat.” He gently takes my elbow, causing tiny tendrils of warmth to shoot through my body. “This is my agent, Finn Mitchell. Finn, this is Catherine Bailey…James.”

My gaze shoots toward David, and my heart flutters at hearing my new name fall from his lips.

Schooling my expression, I turn to the man, the myth, the matchmaker. Finn Mitchell.

“It’s good to meet you, Finn.” My lips lift at my thoughts, and I shake his hand. “You’re kind of famous.”

“Famous?” He waves a hand in the air. “Nah. I’m just the person behind the scenes, lucky enough to have some amazing clients. Like this guy.” He grips David’s shoulder and gives it a gentle shake.

I haven’t known this version of David James very long, but from what I’ve seen, I have to agree with Finn’s assessment: he is amazing.

“ Tea Time is starting to wonder about you ,” David teases. “Careful, or you could be their latest brew.”

Turning my head to look at my husband, I become aware that he’s still gently holding my elbow. The simple gesture is supportive and possessive. The lopsided grin he’s giving Finn makes my chest flutter, and I let my eyes dart over his features.

When my gaze finally meets his, it’s to find him watching me. Heat creeps up my face, and I feel my cheek pull up as I shrug. Not even trying to hide what I was doing.

David gives me a smirk that turns my knees to jelly, and then Finn chuckles, cutting through the tension as we both turn to look at him.

“There’s nothing for them to dig up, so I’m not worried,” Finn retorts, still talking about Tea Time.

Then, changing the topic, he moves on to Bark In The Park.

“I’m excited for your debut event. Some of the Mavericks players are planning to be there with their pups.

Not to mention, I can’t wait to meet Emmy. ”

Waving to Duncan and Ava, he starts to back away. “I gotta run. Let me know what I can do to help with David’s social media, Cat.”

“Thanks, Finn.” A small smile creeps along my face. “Expect to hear from me.”

My stomach swirls at the thought of my first event for the Smokies organization, which is coming up fast . Which is par for the course at the pace my life has been moving these last few months.

Hope and I have been working hard to pull it together, and everything is almost in place. We just have a few wrinkles to iron out. But I’ll feel better once it’s over.

“Cat. David,” Ava calls out, drawing my attention to her. “Let’s take some pictures before we get you settled at David’s.”

The smile on my face falls as I remember that not only is my name changing, but so is my address.

So much has changed in a very short period. My job. My state. My name.

A surge of panic rushes over me, but before it can take hold, I catch sight of Scarlett joyfully running toward us, her laughter ringing through the air. When she grabs my hand, a calmness comes over me, and my mouth tugs at the corner.

Maybe, if only for the moment, I can let myself view this situation through Scarlett’s eyes. If I can just embrace her enthusiasm, maybe the nagging feeling that I’ve made a gigantic mistake will disappear.

The sinking feeling settling in the pit of my stomach doesn’t leave, but a tiny thought pushes through…what if I could be that excited?