Page 63 of Hell's Kitten

I realize it’s not just any car. It’s Sheriff Chancey’s. As I catch her eye, she waves at me, her two teens by her side looking surprisingly enthusiastic. The boy is filming, narrating what’s going on for his followers. The girl…well, she looks delighted by the events unfurling around her. And their mom has her hands on both their shoulders, looking proud.

Community. That’s what I see. A network of people who care about this damn town despite the fact that its own mayor doesn’t. Not for the first time I wonder why he wants the job in the first place. It’s certainly not to do it well. Some men just want to be on the top of the pile even if it’s made from broken pieces, I guess.

I feel a tap on my arm, so I look around.

And there he is.

“Jessie,” I say, my heart leaping into my mouth. God, he looks gorgeous despite having crashed in his best friend’s room for the past couple of days. I hated that he never came home. I can’t stand what I did to him.

He takes a deep breath. “Stupid head,” he says, folding his arms and scowling at me.

“Uh…yeah. I deserve that.” I feel awkward as I turn the leaflet around in my hands. “Did you do this?”

He shrugs. “It was a team effort. Turns out one of the girls has a cousin who’s like a whiz hacker. The captain came and found me to tell me that she never wanted me to leave the squad. But it wasn’t just about me. It’s bigger than that.”

We both look at the crowd around us, all yelling and waving their banners. A couple of security guards have come down to glare at us from the other side of the gate, but for now, they aren’t doing anything more than that. Considering the sheriff is already here making sure we keep the peace, there isn’t much more theycando as I see it.

A TV crew has arrived. It feels like every other person has their phones out, filming events as they occur. The cheer captain has a group interviewing her as she talks them through the accusations against Mayor Durham and his wife.

Itisbigger than just us, but honestly in that moment, Jessie is all I care about.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

He nibbles his lower lip. “Not really,” he mumbles. “I told you not to break my heart, and you did it anyway. And before you say it,” he says, holding up his hand as I open my mouth to protest, “I know you think you were protecting me. I know you think that you’re bad for my image and that my life would have been just peachy without you. But you’re wrong, okay? I’m so sorry your family made you think that way about yourself. What they did to you was unforgivable. But that was a long time ago, Nim. If you don’t start accepting that people love you and want you in their lives now, you might be too afraid to ever do it.”

I’m aware that my jaw is hanging open. My heart is racing, and a shiver runs over my skin.

“Love?” I utter. I don’t deserve that word, but I want it anyway.

He rolls his eyes, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Yes, stupid head. I love you, okay? But if you don’t want to be with me?—”

I don’t give him a chance to finish. I grab him and pull him into a crushing hug, inhaling his scent as I bury my nose into his hair, loving how his fluffy cat ear tickles my cheek.

“I love you too, Kitten,” I say thickly. “So much. I was trying to be strong and do what was right for you, but I can see how wrong I was now. You’re everything to me. I only ever wanted your happiness, and if you’ll let me be a part of that, I’ll never take it for granted again.”

He leans back with a laugh, his eyes wet from tears. “Whoa, there, cowboy. Slow down before you hurt yourself. That was a terrifying number of words from you.”

I grunt out a laugh and brush a lock of hair back from his forehead. “That’s been happening a lot lately. I guess it’s easier to talk when I really care about something. Or someone.” We look into each other’s eyes for a moment, and my heart finally feels like it’s beating properly again for the first time in days. “May I kiss you?”

“You can kiss me forever, Daddy,” he says, leaning into me.

His lips taste like heaven, and his body fits perfectly in my arms. It’s funny he mentioned forever, because that’s where I want him to stay until the end of time.

“I hope you can forgive me,” I mumble into his mouth.

“Already forgiven,” he mumbles back.

“Jessie! Oh, hey…uh…”

We pull apart, and I see a redheaded girl with a pixie cut looking awkwardly at us. From descriptions I’ve heard, I guess this must be Alannah.

“I guess you guys made up,” she says with a smirk. “Did you tell him he was a stupid head?”

“He did,” I assure her.

“It’s okay,” Jessie says, hugging me tightly. “We’re okay.”

“Better than okay,” I agree, kissing the top of his head.

---