Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Whit

"Do you think she'll try to go on the honeymoon with them? How pathetic can you be?"

I try to peer around the corner so I can find out who the harpie is talking about when I hear a very familiar voice. The voice of my little kittycat.

"Wow, what an absolute bitch, Ariel! I mean really… Isn't the fact I'm single kind of like the pot calling the kettle…I don't know, unmarried and lonely."

Pride swells in my chest at the fact my girl isn't letting someone step on her. She's got claws and she's not afraid to use them.

"I choose to be single thank you very much. That way I can play the field, silly. You can't even find the field to play in it. You are single because you are pathetic and no one wants you."

That's it. I can't take anymore and step around the corner so I can head towards Kat. Her back is turned towards me so she doesn't see me coming. I wrap my arms around her and give her a little squeeze.

"You ready to go home, Kittycat?"

"Whit. You scared me." I bend down so I can snuggle into her neck. "Yeah just let me…uh, grab my stuff."

"Where has Kat been hiding you, handsome?"

The Harpie comes sashaying over and puts her hand out to try to touch me but I move so she never makes contact. I recognize her voice and I'm really satisfied that her face matches the name I gave her.

I narrow my eyes at her and give her a wicked grin before giving her my answer, "In her bed."

Harpie's mouth falls open and she flounders a little, "Wh…what?"

"I'm her man."

"Her…man?"

"My what now?" I turn to find Kat standing behind me and reach for her hand to pull her into me.

"No use hiding it, Kittycat. We won't be able to hide it for much longer anyway." I tip her head up with gentle fingers and drop a kiss on her lips before pulling back to look at the shocked look on Harpie's face. "We've been keeping us undercover because of her brother and best friend's wedding. Kitty didn't want to take the attention away from Bea and Bear. That's just not her way. My kitty is too sweet for that."

"Wait…," the Harpie's eyes narrow on the hand I have placed on Kat's belly. "Didn't…Isn't Bea pregnant? Oh my God, you're pregnant!"

Kat goes stiff in my arms and the color washes out of her face. "What? W…," she turns her eyes up to me, "Do I look…?"

She seems more upset that this chick would assume she's knocked up, but I am not hating the idea at all. In fact, the spot I am touching on her belly has my hand tingling with the idea. I have to pull myself back before I do something stupid. What the hell am I thinking? What the hell am I doing?

I bundle her into the truck and head back to the little house we're staying at now. And what the hell does it mean that doing this simple act of pulling into a house's driveway with her sitting beside me makes me so happy? Like maybe I wouldn't mind doing it a lot longer than just for a couple of months.

I hardly slept that night, knowing she was just down the hallway and that I know how it feels to have her warmth on top of me is making things even worse. I need to put space between me and this little redhead that has swept into my life and caused so much chaos. I need…to stay with Spade for a couple of days and keep Kat out of my line of sight. Find some answers to all those questions that haunt me.

I don't even wait till Kat is awake before I pack and leave. I leave a note on the kitchen table telling her something has come up and Spade needs me. And then I leave her.

I keep telling myself this is the right thing to do, the only way to get her out of my system. I just need a little break. Maybe familiarity has bred something that isn't really there. But I can't stay away from her forever. I promised her I would escort her to Bea and Bear's wedding, and I never break a promise.

I catch her just as she is about to go out the door. She's in a short, light purple dress with her hair up and makeup on. When she opens the door and sees me on the other side, I am reminded of the first time I ever met her, the day she was running off to another wedding with another bride and groom.

"Whit…what are you doing here?"

"I promised to take you to the wedding. I wouldn't let you down."

She screws her face up in an expression I can't read. "You don't have to. Really. No one is going to expect you to come to a stranger's wedding just so you can babysit. I can assure you; that I don't need a babysitter. I can cope just fine."

There's a coldness that ices her words that makes me wonder if maybe she realizes what I was doing when I left to stay with Spade. "I really don't mind coming with you. I should probably be there out of respect for Bear if nothing else since he knew about this place after all."

"Sure, okay. Should we take separate cars? I don't want you to have to wait on me when it's over."

"Where are you going after?"

She actually looks flustered like I might have caught her in a lie. "I just thought you might want to leave early, and I want to stay so I can help out if they need me. That's all."

"I'll wait."

"Fine. Oh, let me just…" She turns around to grab her purse before she steps out on the porch. "Kay, I'm ready."

I lead her over to my truck and help her in by lifting her into the cab causing her to gasp out. I reach around her and buckle her seatbelt for her and spend the next hour and a half thinking about things that I thought I had gotten out of my system by putting space between me and my little redhead. And how do I get rid of all that space?