Last Night

Chapter 2, LAST NIGHT

Chapter 2

He could hear her upstairs. The floor was creaking as she walked, so, knowing his older house as well as he did, he knew exactly where Kate was at that moment. He listened to the squeak of the pipes and knew she was now running a bath, a bath he should have been sharing with her.

The fact was that Walker was fit to be tied. He couldn't believe Kate had calmly strung him along and now wasn't giving him an answer when he had expected her to be jumping up and down, accepting his proposal. Granted, now that he had time to think about it, he could have handled it better instead of dumping the ring in front of her and expecting her to just pop it on her finger and say yes without him having to utter a word.

Okay, so he'd caved and gotten down on one knee. He'd seen the way she'd freaked out, not having expected him to respond the way he had. The fact was that as he thought about life and his future, he saw Kate there. He couldn't imagine spending one moment away from her, not a second. She twisted him up in a way no woman ever had, and sleeping with one woman for the rest of his life wasn't as scary a thought as he had imagined. Sleeping with any other woman than Kate now held no interest for him.

So why the hell did she need to think? The woman was tormenting him now. Maybe it was payback, and maybe he should have thought of something more romantic, but he hadn't had time. He'd picked up the ring on a whim, seeing it in a glass case while working a robbery the week before. It had screamed Kate, so he'd gone back yesterday. Now he was out five grand, and the rock he'd bought for his girl was sitting where? Not on her finger. She'd tucked it into her purse as if it were just another thing she needed to take care of, signaled the waiter, and ordered a plate of veal parmesan. Walker had been too stunned to order anything but meatballs in a rich sauce, and for the first time in his life, he hadn't finished his dinner. He couldn't even remember tasting any of it.

What was going on with Kate?

He pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water, drank it down, and set the glass in the sink as he took in the changes Kate had already made to his place: the pink and purple canisters on the counter, the hot mitts, the matching trinkets beside the sink where Kate had stuffed sponges. It all added a homey, girly feel, those touches in his kitchen that had changed it from the man cave it had always been. They said without saying a word that a woman now lived here.

He didn't know when she'd done it. The changes hadn't happened overnight, but every time he came home he noticed something: a blanket over the back of the sofa, matching tables in the living room, pictures on the wall. Even his bedroom had changed, with a new duvet, pillows everywhere, a dresser with a mirror, and a chair with a matching stool in the corner. At one time he'd thought he would hate it, but seeing a piece of Kate everywhere in his house warmed something in him, and now he couldn't figure out why she hadn't said yes to his proposal. They should have been celebrating now.

He scratched his head, then pulled off his badge and set it on the kitchen counter. He flicked off the light as he locked the front door and started for the stairs, thinking. Kate was far from a typical woman. Even when he told her what to do, which he did often, he found she didn't always listen. No, scratch that. She never listened.

He stood in the open doorway of the bathroom, taking in the sight. Bubbles filled the tub, and there was Kate, leaning back, eyes closed, hair piled on top of her head and clipped in a messy bun. Candles were lit on the counter beside her girly products, makeup, and creams, and the light was off.

"So you know this is going to happen, right?" he said. It wasn't a question, because Walker didn't ask questions of Kate. He watched as an easy smile touched her lips.

"Are you going to join me in the bath?" She opened her eyes and turned to look his way.

"You're not answering me," he said as he unclipped his gun, set it on the counter, and undressed. Maybe it was the way something flickered in her eyes, a shadow of something, that bothered him as he stepped into the bath. "Scoot forward," he said, moving behind her, letting her lean against him as he placed his hands over her breasts. He kissed her neck, her cheek, and she let out a soft sigh as she leaned into him. "What's wrong?" he said. He had to know, because maybe she wasn't ready for this step.

"I still have no job, Walker, and now you want to get married because...?" He didn't miss the hesitation in her voice.

"You'll have a job, but that has nothing to do with us getting married. Are you just trying to drive me crazy, dangle me along for a bit before giving me an answer? Come on, Kate. It's not that difficult of a question. Yes or no."

She pulled away and slid around in the tub. Water sloshed over the sides. "It's not that simple, Walker. There's a lot to consider."

"No, Kate, you're wrong. It is that simple. Don't overthink this. Do you or do you not want to be my wife?" He knew he could get the answer he needed from her on her back in bed, but he wanted her to respond to him this way without having to resort to wearing her down sexually and teasing her. He knew how to make her concede, but he also knew himself well. He'd keep at her and eventually resort to whatever tactics were necessary to get her to give him the answer he needed.

"Walker, why do you want to get married? Really, everything is going well here. Why can't you just let things be as they are?" The way she said it, he could tell she was almost freaking out.

"You're scared of marriage." He didn't know why he hadn't figured it out before now. From the way she flinched, he could tell she was about to deny it. "Just admit it already."

"Walker, that's not true. It's not about me, it's—" She was getting flustered, and he could tell she was about to step out of the bath when he reached for her.

"Hey, what's going on? What are you so scared of?" he asked, sliding his hand under her chin until she looked over to him.

He saw her hesitation. In the second that she shut her eyes before opening them again, the light and spark that had always characterized his Kate dimmed to a worry he'd never seen before. "Walker, my parents have about the worst track record in marriage, and I've watched my mom and dad forever. My mom was a yoyo, being played by him. He'd cheat, she'd leave, he'd apologize and beg for forgiveness. It would never happen again, he'd say, and we'd go back. It took her so long to figure out that he'd never change. Then she divorced him, and now the only understanding I have of what a real marriage is supposed to be is from watching TV. How screwed up is that?" She was breathing hard and just sat there, glancing down again.

"Kate, I'm not a cheater."

She looked up fast. "I know that," she said, sounding so sure.

"So I don't understand what's going on in your head, your hesitation."

"Because I'm screwed up, and I can't shake this worry that you'll wake up and realize you got the short end of the stick, and you'll walk out."

He didn't know how to take that. It seemed so much like a slap in the face, so he stood up and stepped out of the bath.

"Walker, wait. Don't walk away." She reached out, touching his leg as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"You know what, Kate? You're right about something. You are totally screwed up if you think for one second I'm that shallow." He didn't give her a chance to respond as he walked out of the bathroom, needing some space.