Chapter 9

“You kissed me with your entire being. Like it was the best thing in the world. And you made these cute sounds that curled my toes in my boots.”

“Wow,” he exhales.

“Mhm.”

“I never knew.”

That makes my heart hurt. What kind of life did he live before we met if he couldn’t recognize love? “How could you not know, Sammy?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

He falls silent, but I can almost hear him think. I let him mull it over as I caress him, drag my big paw that spans half the width of his back, up and down in a soothing motion. His ribs are easily noticeable under my fingers, like speedbumps on a road, and I draw in a stuttering breath. I press a kiss on the top of his head, and he shivers.

“Laura…my mother…she…” His grip on me tightens. “She’s not…let’s just say she’s not going to win the parent-of-the-year award. Ever.” He chuckles out a humorless sound, and the way he holds himself against my body—stiff, unmoving—tells me he’s doing his best not to fall apart.