Chapter 17
Jayden froze completely, his eyes suddenly burning with tears he hadn’t expected.
She wasn’t pulling away anymore. For the first time since they’d found each other again, she was choosing him–choosing to trust him, to let down the walls that had kept her safe for so long.
Arianna’s voice was muffled against his chest, barely above a whisper. “While you were gone today… I
missed you. Like, really missed you.”
The confession hit him like a punch to the heart. He wrapped his arms around her so carefully, like she might break if he held too tight, his heart breaking a little at how fragile she felt, but also soaring at her quiet admission.
“That’s never happening again,” he promised, his voice rough with emotion. “From now on, wherever I
go, you come with me.”
She peeked up at him from his arms, and the smile that spread across her face was pure sunshine.
“Promise?”
“Promise,” he said, pressing the softest kiss to her forehead.
All those lost years–he was going to spend the rest of his life making up for them.
After a moment, Arianna pulled back and grabbed her phone, scrolling to a photo that made her face light up with that expression he remembered from when they were kids–the one that meant she was about to ask for something.
“Jayden,” she said, tilting her head. “I want to get a cat.”
The picture showed a ridiculously fat orange tabby with the smuggest expression he’d ever seen on a feline.
Jayden grinned, taking the phone to get a better look. “An orange cat, huh? Did you forget about middle school when you tried to feed that stray and it scratched the hell out of you? You cried for like an hour while they gave you those rabies shots.”
Arianna’s face went bright red and she slapped a hand over his mouth. “Stop! Don’t bring that up!”
“You were so dramatic about it,” he continued, his voice muffled by her palm. “Wailing about how you were going to die from cat scratch fever…”
“That was like fifteen years ago! I can’t believe you remember that,” she groaned. “Besides, I’m tougher
Chapter 1
now. I don’t cry over every little scratch anymore.”
Jayden caught her hand and kissed her palm before pulling it away from his mouth, his eyes dancing with mischief. “Sure you are, tough guy.”
That seemed to settle the cat conversation, but when Arianna woke up the next morning, there was a tiny orange furball curled up on the pillow next to her head.
All traces of sleepiness vanished as she sat up in excitement, accidentally startling the kitten awake. It let out a tiny, indignant mew that was more squeak than meow.
“Oh no, I’m sorry little guy,” she whispered, gently stroking its impossibly soft fur. “Go back to sleep.”
She looked up to find Jayden leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and wearing the most self–satisfied expression she’d ever seen.
“Well?” he said expectantly. “I think I deserve some recognition for this miracle.”
Arianna burst out laughing. “You’re almost thirty years old and you’re still fishing for compliments like you’re in high school.”
But seeing him standing there, looking so proud of himself for making her happy, made her chest feel too small for her heart. Last night’s embrace had changed something between them–brought them closer to
who they used to be.
བྷཎྜ་
Seeing that he was still waiting for proper appreciation, she rolled her eyes and gave him what he
wanted.
“Oh my God, Jayden! You’re literally the most amazing person ever! How did I get so lucky?”
Even as she was joking around, Jayden felt his throat tighten with emotion. This should have been their life ten years ago. This easy intimacy, this playful banter–it’s how they’d always been together before
everything went wrong.
He ran a hand through his hair with exaggerated smugness. “I know, I’m pretty great.”
Arianna threw a pillow at him, which he caught easily.
The kitten had already fallen back asleep, apparently unbothered by their conversation.
“So,” Jayden said, settling on the edge of the bed to watch her gently pet the sleeping cat. “What are you going to name him?”
“Orange,” she said without hesitation.
Jayden blinked. “Orange? That’s… very literal.”
17:27
Done Hiding as Your Backup Plaything I’m Shining Golden as a Queen
Chapter 17
“What’s wrong with Orange?” she asked defensively. “It’s simple and cute.”
“Nothing’s wrong with it,” he said quickly, fighting back a smile. “It’s perfect. Easy to remember, impossible to mispronounce.”
That afternoon, all the cat supplies Jayden had ordered arrived. He was in his home office dealing with patient consultations when he heard Arianna moving around in the living room, clearly trying to be quiet so she wouldn’t disturb him.
When he finished up and came out to check on her, his heart nearly stopped.
She was drenched in sweat, her face paper–white, struggling to carry a heavy bag of cat litter.
“Jesus Christ, Arianna!” He immediately crossed the room and took the bag from her trembling hands. “What the hell are you doing? Why didn’t you call me to help with this?”
She was breathing hard, clearly exhausted from the effort. “You were working. I didn’t want to bother
you.”
His heart lurched with fear and frustration. “Don’t you dare worry about bothering me. Your heart just stabilized. You can’t be doing stuff like this.”
17:27
