Page 42 of Glitter

After the incident, he’d taken me back to his place where I cuddled Sir Cattus for the rest of the day while he tried to salvage my phone. I’d been devastated that I’d lost access to my online world. It had been the only thing giving me peace for so long, and seeing it crushed under the heel of yet another bully had splintered my soul. Henry told me later that Roman had offered to buy a new phone as a replacement, but I’d been in such a state of shock that his words hadn’t registered.

The only thing that had reached me was Sir Cattus’s soft fur under my palms as I patted him, and the rumble of his purring that seemed to echo into my chest and soothed my frayed nerves.

When Henry had declared that my phone was beyond saving, he’d immediately followed that up with news that he’d ordered a brand-new phone for me and it was already on its way.

I’d burst into tears.

My worry with how I was going to pay for a new phone warred with how well-cared for I felt by his thoughtfulness, and I was left an even more emotional mess than I had been when I’d walked through his front door.

He comforted me and told me that Roman would reimburse him for the cost when he returned to work. That, of course, only made me cry harder, this time in relief.

That night, we’d stayed up watching a feel-good movie before he took me to bed and made love to me. Henry waited for me to fall asleep before he got up and spent the next several hours transferring everything from my old phone to my new phone and getting it set up to where I didn’t have to do anything at all other than turn it on the next morning and set a password.

At lunchtime the next day, Amy and Matthew dropped by to spend a few hours with me while Henry took my keys and went to get a change of clothes for me from my apartment. He’d returned with almost every piece of clothing I owned stuffed into his car and told me I could stay at his place for as long as I wanted. To reinforce his words, he gifted me a key so I could come and go at my leisure.

I never did end up leaving.

Less than a week later, on the Fourth of July, he officially asked me to move in with him, and we spent the next couple of weeks moving all my belongings into his house.

“What are you smiling about?” Henry asked with a cheerful smile on his own face as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

I hummed and leaned back into him. I loved snuggling into him like this. “Just thinking about how it’s been a year today since you asked me to officially move in.”

“Mm,” he murmured, nosing at my shoulder blade. “What a year it’s been.”

“Indeed.” Without moving his arms from around me, I turned around to place my arms on his shoulders and leaned down to kiss him, a slow, lingering press of our lips that wouldn’t lead to anything heated but showed how much I cared for him. “I love you, pocket bear.”

His eyes sparkled as he grinned up at me. “I love you too, angel.” He glanced at the oven timer. “Do I have enough time for a shower?”

“I think so. Your folks didn’t specify an exact time, did they?” I asked him as I brushed my nose with his.

He shook his head. “No, but it’ll be a busy night. The whole family will be there for the first time since Daniel’s wedding, and Roman and his family will be there too. Mom said she hasn’t had a full house like this in decades.”

“True.” I kissed him quickly one last time, then pulled back and smacked him lightly on the ass. “Hop to it, then. If I didn’t have to keep an eye on the pie, I’d join you.”

His eyes heated, and he groaned as he adjusted himself. “Tease.”

I smirked at him before I turned around and gave my hips a little wiggle. “You know it.”

Henry disappeared down the hall to the ensuite and I heard the pipes kick in moments later. Sir Cattus sauntered into the room, obviously having been kicked out of the bedroom, and headed straight for the cornbread still cooling on the kitchen counter.

“No, no. This is not for kitty cats,” I said, grabbing the tray and putting it on top of the fridge.

Sir Cattus glared at me, licked his lips before turning around to show me his butthole and stomping off to the sofa. If he could have pouted, he would have.

“Oh, don’t be like that. If there’s any cat friendly food from the leftovers, I’ll bring them back for you. Deal?”

Sir Cattus raised his nose in the air, sniffed, then circled in his spot before settling down with his back facing me.

“Don’t like leftovers, huh? Your loss.”

As I waited for the pie to finish baking, I let my mind wander over the family that had basically adopted me over the past twelve months.

Henry had wasted no time in taking me along to meet his parents, assuring me they’d love me as much as he did. Once I’d recovered from hearing him say that he loved me for the first time, my nerves kicked in with a vengeance.

I didn’t have the best history with my own family, even taking into account the fact that they’d kicked me out of home for being gay. A loving family seemed alien to me.

But he’d been right. His mom, Bev, had embraced me the moment she met me and led me into their house arm in arm, giving me a guided tour while Henry caught up with his dad. Once she was done, she settled me onto their sofa and, much to Henry’s mortification, pulled out several photo albums.

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