Almost

Chapter 75: Crush

By the time Ezra and Katherine were done with dinner and went back to check on the townhome, she was exhausted. They'd sat on the back porch while she told him what she'd seen and heard in Pennsylvania, and discussing whether or not to go back. But Katherine kept circling back to her old argument, bolstered by Kevin's actions that night, that she wanted to give them a chance to change their minds.

Katherine watched Ezra's face carefully as she described her and Eddie's escape. But he didn't seem irritated by Kevin, not really. And when she asked him about it, he stayed oddly calm.

"I can't be angry with him," Ezra offered. "Not really. I mean, if how he feels about you kept you safe . . ." Katherine's eyebrow raised as he continued, "I can't imagine what it would be like if I had kissed you and you had told me you weren't interested. It was bad enough not knowing what you were thinking. But if you had said you were still in love with him . . . Don't get me wrong, though, if he hadn't respected your decision, I would have been there in a heartbeat."

"We need to talk about the tempering," she said quietly, changing the subject as she shivered at the thought of how that would have played out. "I need to know that you really are okay with me not giving it to them."

Ezra didn't answer at first. Instead, he looked up at the stars and tried to find the constellations she had pointed out to him. His mind drifted to Cassiopeia left upside down, Cepheus at her side. He hadn't asked her how he ended up there, too. But he brushed the concern aside. She might tell the rest of them that she wouldn't part with it because it was too special to her. But she'd told him the real reason—she wanted to be able to be stopped. Didn't want to be her own predator.

"I won't make give it to them," he said finally. "I just need to come up with a better solution. Something more permanent."

Katherine crinkled her nose—she didn't even know where it was.

"I'll help however I can."

"Let me sleep on it," he answered. "I want to try and take care of it for you. If I can."

She nodded, but as she laid in bed that looking up at the stars through the skylight, she couldn't sleep again. At some point, Ezra had rolled over and wrapped himself around her, his arm hanging over his waist like she'd seen it hang over the edge his bed. His soft snoring next to her, the warmth of his arm across her, and the blankets she'd burrowed under were all exceedingly comfortable. But it was nearly four in the morning and she hadn't slept a minute.

She turned, careful not to disrupt where Smithwick was curled by her feet, to look at her husband. At that calm, relaxed look on his face. And she laughed softly as he kicked off the last of his blankets and tightened his arm around her before stilling again. She reached her hand up and passed her finger along a wave of his hair, wrapping it behind his ear and then continuing down across his jaw, past his throat, and landing to trace a scar on his shoulder.

Her chest tightened, but not with fear or worry. That was already there. This was gratitude—immense gratitude—that she had found this man. And she was no longer afraid of the fact that she didn't know what she'd do without him. No longer afraid that she'd love him no matter what for the rest of her life. And though the logical part of her brain told her that she couldn't possibly know that now, every ounce of her had faith that it was true.

"Watching me sleep, Katiebird?"

Her focus left his shoulder and met his eyes, a lazy smile on his features. His voice was warm and soft as a blanket.

"You caught me," she whispered. "I have a crush on you. I know I should have told you before, but—"

Ezra cut her off with a kiss. "Thank Gordian," he said when he pulled away, rolling onto his back and pulling her to his chest in the same motion. "Have you slept at all?"