Page 39 of Catch Me (Becoming Us #4)

“It’s a mystery.” I continued to scroll through the projects until he snatched the tablet. With a huff, I looked up at him. “I’ve seen you type the PIN. You should probably use face ID instead.”

His eyes narrowed. “You memorized my passcode, but you lose your headphones constantly.”

“For your information, they’re on the kitchen island.”

“Yeah, because I put them there earlier.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” After considering it for a second, I clicked my tongue. “Did you?”

He pointed at the steps leading up to the deck. “They were right there.”

“Hm. Well, I was out here while I polished off the first pot of coffee, so that makes sense. I would’ve found them eventually.”

“Not before they got rained on.”

“They’re waterproof.”

With a laugh, he sat down beside me. I took his hand, which made his eyes widen briefly. When he relaxed and held onto me, I rolled my lips inward to hide my smile.

“Dinner is on its way,” I said.

“I don’t even get a say in what we eat?”

“Nah, I’m craving tacos.”

“Again?”

“If we’re gonna be together, you should know that I’m a slut for them.” I realized what I’d said and tried not to completely fall to pieces over it. “Uh, like, if we’re gonna hang around each other...hang out...be...something. ”

Stealing a glance at him, I was relieved to see that he looked calm as he stared at the horizon. He could’ve been internally freaking out, but he hadn’t pulled his hand away, so it couldn’t be that bad.

“Well,” he began slowly, “you should know that I think nachos are better than tacos...if we’re gonna be together.”

I didn’t get a chance to tackle and kiss him because my phone buzzed, telling me that the delivery driver was here. With a smile, I got to my feet and pulled him up. He kept hold of my hand, and I could’ve sworn there was amusement on his face that he wasn’t able to completely hide.

I met the driver at the door and passed him some cash for a tip, then dragged Roman to the living room. Once we dropped onto the couch, he stole the bag from me and leaned away.

“Don’t you dare eat all of the tacos,” I warned.

“You have enough energy.”

“Tell that to the bags under my eyes.”

He laughed. “There are no bags under your eyes.”

“Okay, so my body doesn’t betray my exhaustion. I wake up at five every morning and I accidentally stay up until midnight way too often. Give me my fucking tacos.”

He unwrapped one and brought it to his mouth while he kept eye contact. I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist. He didn’t fight me when I took a huge bite out of the taco. When I went for a second, he shoved the whole thing into my mouth.

“Wuhdda fahk,” I garbled. Trying to talk almost made me choke on the food, so I resorted to glaring at him while I got it down. It was like chubby bunny all over again.

He took a normal-sized bite of a taco and watched me with a smirk. It was a sexy expression on him, but I wasn’t going to let him know I felt that way.

“You’re an asshole,” I said when I wasn’t at imminent risk of aspirating my food.

He shrugged. “You like tacos. I gave you a taco.”

“Maybe I should feed you next.”

“Sounds kinda hot.”

I breathed a laugh as I reached into the bag. When I held a taco up to him, he eyed it suspiciously, but he opened his mouth. I wanted to return the favor, but instead, I delicately brought it to his lips. After he took a bite, I ate the rest of it.

Tessa ran inside at the speed of someone trying to escape a demon. She sat in front of me and wagged her tail expectantly.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Tessa. I forgot to tell you.”

I grabbed the container from the bag and took off the lid. She set her paws on my knees, and I frowned when a stream of drool hit my fingers.

“Thanks.” I clicked my tongue and she moved back, waiting for me to set it down. I put it in front of her, then motioned for her to have at it.

“You’d be a good dad.”

I glanced at Roman and chuckled. “I like kids when I’m allowed to return them at a certain point. Dogs are my thing.”

“Pretty sure I’d be terrible with kids.”

“Never been around them?”

“Just my dad’s, but they’re a year older every time I see them.”

“You were great with Carl.”

He shrugged. “That’s different.”

“Would you have any of your own?”

He looked contemplative as he ate a taco. When he finished, he shook his head. “Maybe. For a while, I thought I’d have to if whoever I ended up with wanted them, but if I remove those expectations, I just see myself being happy by myself or...I don’t know. With someone.”

“As long as you have your art, right?”

Finally, he smiled again. “Nobody can take that from me.”

“Unless they cut off your hands.”

He burst into laughter, and I found myself dreading when we’d have to go our separate ways in two days.

We hadn’t discussed the specifics of this thing yet, but the separation wouldn’t be forever.

After the holidays, we’d figure out how to see each other.

The distance could be worse, so I guess I should be grateful that either of us could jump into our car and drive for half a day if we felt like it.

I felt hopeful about this, despite training myself against doing that, especially so soon. This was the first time I’d opened up the opportunity for something real in a few years. Even though I was nervous, when I looked at him, I was overcome by a sense of calm.