At First Meow
(Bayou Rescue #2)
Taylor entered the home office he’d recently finished setting up and walked straight to the shelves on the opposite wall, where he’d displayed some of his trophies and mementos.
Austin stuffed his hands into his jean pockets so he’d stop picking at his thumbs. “So, what do you think?”
“All-star, huh?”
He shrugged. “Back in the day. Not so much now.”
But that reminded him to check if they had any adult rec leagues in the area.
“Don’t cut yourself short. Besides, you’re my all-star.” She punctuated that last bit with a wink. “And yes, I love this room. It feels very you. And very comfortable for an office.”
He’d intentionally set it up that way, with the only furniture being two cozy, oversized reading chairs and a small desk for his laptop. Aside from his memento shelves, the walls were bare. Some time in the future, he planned to ask if he could buy some of Geena’s photographs to hang on the wall.
He didn’t need an office, but he had an extra room, even with the guest room and his bedroom. He’d told his mother and the realtor that he didn’t want anything big, but they both insisted he wouldn’t find less than three bedrooms unless he wanted to take on renovations or consider a townhouse.
The house he’d settled on was absolutely perfect. It was raised and nestled far enough from the Bayou Teche that he didn’t have to worry about flooding, but it also had a gorgeous view of nature. The house was located only ten minutes from the high school and fifteen minutes from the shelter, so it would be easy for Taylor to swing by after work instead of her normal half hour commute back to her apartment.
Inside, the house was cozy, but big enough to be comfortable. Not anywhere near as grand as his mother’s house or even his uncle’s house. Which was exactly how Austin wanted it.
Uncle Kenny’s house officially belonged to Brandon now. Austin kept in touch the last few months, and they made plans to have dinner together with Taylor after Austin finished moving in. Brandon said he’d kept almost everything as it was in that house, but he wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to live there. The memories were just too strong to not be painful. Maybe one day, he’d said. In the meantime, he was considering making it a short-term rental, leaving it empty sometimes to vacation there with his own memories.
“You okay?” Taylor asked.
Without thinking, he’d apparently removed his hands from his pockets and was picking at his thumbs again.
Taylor’s hand on his arm confirmed that yes, everything was indeed okay.
But what if, after he said what he was about to say, it wasn’t? What if he was jumping ahead with this too soon? In his mind, the three months he’d waited had felt like a lifetime. More than he normally would wait to jump into something he was absolutely certain about. But Taylor wasn’t like that. He’d learned that it wasn’t just her relationship baggage that had held her back and made her second-guess everything when they were first dating. She took great care with every decision, risk-assessing and weighing options, even with something as small as choosing which pasta dish to order for dinner or which brand of cleaner to buy. Weirdly, Austin found that comforting, because once she came to a decision, he knew she wouldn’t change her mind and he knew it was something she definitely wanted. Which was why he felt confident in their relationship.
But this… this would require another decision-making assessment from her. And he wasn’t sure which side of that decision she might land on.
The timer blared from the kitchen.
“Pasta’s ready,” he said.
Howl.
They both looked down to find Tink staring up from between their feet.
“Sounds like Tink would like his dinner first,” Taylor said.
“Tink already had his dinner.”
Taylor bent to pet him, which seemed to be what he really wanted anyway, even though she’d already spent several minutes with him earlier. It was the first thing she did when she arrived.
“And what do you think of the new place?”
Austin squashed down the lingering guilt he felt over taking the cat away from Taylor.
He’d already donated a sizable chunk of his inheritance to the shelter and secretly separated out an investment account earmarked for future donations. And even though Taylor had officially adopted Tink, she’d agreed that he’d be better off here with Austin once the house was ready. Tink would have more space here and plenty of windows to bird watch in, and Taylor could still see him any time she wished.
Besides, if tonight went well, Tink and Taylor wouldn’t be apart much longer, anyway.
“He’s loving it here. Misses you, as you can see, but he likes all the birds in that Crepe Myrtle out back that he can watch from the bedroom window.”
She tilted her head and smiled as she continued to pet Tink. “Sounds like you’ve hit the jackpot, buddy.”
The timer reminded them again that dinner was waiting in the kitchen. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
He’d learned that she didn’t eat well on work days like today, often skipping lunch altogether or just nibbling on a few crackers or a granola bar. So he did his best to make sure she at least had a good dinner on those days.
On this particular day, he was serving up blackened shrimp pasta with a garlic cream sauce. Taylor hovered over the saucepan while he drained the pasta.
“Smells delicious.”
“Have a seat,” he said. “I’ll bring you a plate.”
She gave him a quick kiss. “A personal chef and dinner service. I like it.”
“For you? I’d do this every night.”
There were those butterflies again.
Not because it wasn’t true. He meant every word. Even though he didn’t care for fancy meals or bother with cooking for himself most of the time, he’d cook every night to bring that joy to her face.
The butterflies were reappearing because the idea of cooking for her every night meant he still had a question to ask. A question that would have to wait until after he’d put a solid meal in Taylor’s belly.
They ate their meal accompanied by tons of happy food noises from Taylor. Austin basked in her praise of his cooking skills, further fueling his desire to take care of her this way as often as he could.
In between bites, they discussed the events of the day. Taylor recounted the shelter’s latest intakes and Austin updated her on what his Mom and Zeke were up to. It sounded like Zeke was spending even more time there, leaving Austin to wonder if he might officially stay there at some point. He tried not to let that thought bother him. Surprisingly, it didn’t take much effort to let it go.
When Taylor finished her plate and thanked him for the fifth time for an excellent meal, Austin cleared their plates and decided it was time.
“Wait right here,” he said. “I have something for you.”
He went to the kitchen counter, where he’d left a small envelope. Close in reach for this exact moment.
But the envelope wasn’t there.
Austin frantically looked around the area on the floor and on the other counters. Had he moved it and forgotten? Decided he didn’t want it in sight? He dug through all the nearby drawers with no luck.
“Did you lose something?”
Austin didn’t lose things. It couldn’t be lost.
But not knowing where it was right now was frustrating the heck out of him. Not to mention ruining his plans for this moment.
“I thought I left it right here,” he said.
“Want some help looking?”
“No, but thanks.” That would completely ruin the surprise. But, he decided, it was being ruined anyway, so he might as well just say what he needed to say.
He returned to the table and sat across from her. “I invited you over to show you the house and to cook for you, but I had another reason.”
She narrowed her eyes in curiosity. “Oh? What reason? Do I have to guess?”
He mentally told all those butterflies to get lost and blurted out what he’d been waiting to say all night.
“I never thought I’d be so happy to move back to this area, but I love this place. This house, this town, and, most of all, being closer to you.” He took a deep breath. “It’s been great seeing you more often, and it’s only made me want more of that. So if you want to, I’d love it if you’d move in here with me.”
Taylor’s big brown eyes widened as she stared silently at him for what felt like days passing. Austin wasn’t patient normally, so waiting to tell her and now waiting for an answer was killing him.
“I mean, whenever you feel ready,” he added in a stumbly rush of words. “No pressure to answer now or jump into it or whatever. I just want to put it out there that I’d love to have you here with me, and the offer will stay open for whenever you’ve considered it and are ready. Or not. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Did that cover it all? It didn’t sound like pressure, did it?
Austin wanted to express how much he loved her and wanted to see her every day when he woke up and every night before he closed his eyes. But he didn’t want to scare her off or pressure her into a decision she wasn’t ready to make. As fast as they’d fallen for each other initially, he understood that wasn’t her normal pace for considering options.
She blinked out of her surprise, and her lips stretched into a smile. “You know I need to sleep on it, right?”
He smiled back. “Take all the time you need.”
“Thanks,” she said. “And I don’t want to leave Ellie in a bind.”
“We’ll make sure Ellie’s okay, of course.” He’d planned to pay Taylor’s share of the rent through the rest of the year, if they were fine with that. But they could discuss the details another day.
“I do love that idea,” she said. “And I love you.”
She kissed him, long and passionate this time. But she pulled away abruptly to eye him with curiosity.
“What were you looking for?”
“A spare house key,” he said. “I know I put it in an envelope and left it on the counter.”
Howl.
They both turned to find Tink sitting on the tile floor beside the table.
Howl.
They turned back to face each other and broke into laughter.
“Not again,” he said when he caught his breath.
“Nope. Absolutely not.” Taylor shook her head and stood. “Let’s find that key.”
He stood with her. “Does that mean your answer is yes?”
“That means I want to find it so we know where it is after I sleep on this decision and know for sure that my answer is yes.”
He took her face in both palms and kissed her. “Then let’s definitely find that key.”