Page 74 of Unraveled Love

“And your parents wouldn’t get you one?”

She shrugged, and even though her smile disappeared, she explained, “My dad refused. Said he’d be the person responsible for taking care of it and he absolutely didn’t want the house smelling like cat poop and didn’t have the time to walk a dog. I begged for years before finally giving up when I was twelve.”

“Your mom?”

“Like she’d ever stand up to him.” Her face blanched, and if it was possible, I’d have kicked my own ass.

“Addi—I’m sorry.”Fuck.Maybe this shouldn’t have been the conversation starter I’d been trying to give her.

“Don’t be. She helped me when it mattered. When this is all over, maybe there might be a chance for us to actually have a relationship.” I opened my mouth to speak, but words didn’t come. Hell, I didn’t even know what to say to her, but she continued before I could anyway. “Anyway, the pet thing…I found a cat on the road once. No tags or anything, but it was the sweetest thing. Black and brown stripes with cute little white paws. It came right to me when I saw it, so I scooped it up and walked it to the vet. They couldn’t find one of those microchip things on it, or whatever they’re called, so they said I could take it home with me and they’d call me if the owners called looking for it. So I did. And I swear, as soon as that cat saw my dad when I was walking up to the house, it jumped out of my arms and took off so fast.” She flashed a smartass grin at me. “I’m pretty sure that cat knew how evil my dad was, even back then.”

I chuckled and brought the beer to my mouth. “Cats are good predictors of humans sometimes.”

“You had pets, didn’t you?” She grabbed some salami and cheese chunks, cupping them in her hand as she asked.

“I lived on a farm,” I drawled. “I had all manner of animals. And yeah, we had dogs, and lots of cats that were all outdoor ones. We had a donkey, some cattle but not many. Mostly we had horses to ride.”

“How many dogs?”

“Five.”

“Five,” she exclaimed. She shifted in her chair and hugged the wine goblet to her chest. “You hadfivedogs?”

She asked like it was the most exciting thing in the world.

“Yeah.” I laughed with her because she was so damn cute. “We still have three, but my parents are talking about getting a couple puppies since the dogs we have are getting older. They like the activity.”

“Your parents sound like great people.” She sounded wistful, and I wished she’d had the kinds of parents I did.

Mine were amazing people. Kind to everyone, always there to help whenever someone needed it. They were full of love and goodness, and I’d been lucky to grow up with an idyllic life.

“They’re the best. When this is all over, maybe sometime this summer, I’ll take you to visit them.”

“The dogs?” she asked, wagging her brows playfully.

I tipped my beer bottle in her direction and winked. “Sure, and maybe I’ll even let you meet my parents.”

“I’d like that.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you think they’ll like me?”

“The dogs?”

She snorted and grabbed a cracker. She threw it at me and it smacked me in the chin. I caught it before it fell to my lap and tossed it into my mouth.

“I deserved that, but obviously I meant your parents.”

“Of course they will. They’ll not only like you, they’ll love you.” Hell, if I told my mom I was bringing home a woman for them to meet, they’d start planning a county-wide party. And as soon as she saw Addi, she’d have her wrapped in a hug before we stepped out of the vehicle.

“How can you be so certain?”

I shrugged. It should have been obvious. It would have been to anyone who grew up in a loving home, but Addi hadn’t, and I needed to remember that. “Because I do.”

I stated it simply, because it was that simple. Had she had a father who gave a shit, she’d have known that.

As her expression changed to something sweeter, I couldn’t resist teasing her. “But the dogs might take some work. Pongo, especially, he’s a cranky old bastard.”

“You’re an ass.”

I was. I was also over the distance between us. Standing up, I flipped the covers off her and grabbed her hips, grunting since I had to bend over so far. She screamed at me in surprise, but I had her back and seated in my lap in the chair from hell and the cover back over her, her glass of wine in hand without a single spill, and I hugged her to me.

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