My Darling Shina - Book Three

Chapter Sixteen

Bringing up my camera, I slowly pressed down on the button as I stared at the tower ahead of me, still in awe at finally seeing one of the sites I had always dreamed of visiting. Even now, my chest filled with warmth at being able to see it with the man I loved, even if I was still sad that I was unable to be seeing it with Matthew as well.

Maybe someday I could share this picture with him, somehow.

Turning at the giggle I heard behind me, I sent a bright smile to Lucas as he squirmed within Leon's arms, wanting to run around and play. Putting my camera away, I reached out and grabbed him, lifting him up into the air before bringing him down for a gentle hug.

"I bet you're hungry, little man. How about we go get something to eat and then we can go play in the park. Does that sound like a good plan?" I questioned him, glancing at Leon before we both turned towards the quiet cafe we had passed by earlier, Leon placing a protective arm around my waist as we began walking.

I couldn't stop smiling as Lucas babbled about what he wanted to eat, mostly consisting of things he was already familiar with like various fruits and the few veggies he had taken a serious liking to. Although I was unsure if the cafe served many of the treats he enjoyed, I held out hope that they would at least make a peanut butter and grape sandwich if asked.

Even if I had to put it together myself.

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The first meeting with the agent from the publishing company went better than I had expected, Leon stepping in and making it obvious he had taken the time to look into the different aspects of how this could and should go. By the time we left for the day, he had made it clear what was and was not acceptable within the offered contract and the agent was nearly scrambling to take notes on what needed to be changed before the next meeting.

As if Leon would let them take advantage of my hard work. It isn't like I expected to be paid the same as an author on the Best Sellers list, but they should at least offer me something fair, considering I already had a huge audience online. If I polished the book up and cleaned up some of the mistakes I still made, no matter how many times I read through it trying to find them all, and maybe added a bit more depth to certain areas, I am sure many of them would be interested in purchasing the book.

Especially if I added in extra chapters, spinning new twists into the tale and adding meat where before there were only bare bones to the story. I was sure that I could take a story they loved already and make it something even more enjoyable to read. After all, even though I had put so much work into the story, I had grown as a writer since then and I just knew I could improve what was already there by using what I had learned.

That and there were side stories to the series that I had been writing, planning to release them after I was done with the next book, but if they published the first two books and they met with success, they could start publishing the side stories as extras only available for purchase. I knew that if I hinted at the stories contained within those books, the fans of those characters would happily spend a bit of cash to be able to read a story focused soley around their favorite character.

I knew it, because I used to do the same thing when such spin-off books came out for the series I used to read.

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I was walking down the sidewalk, having lagged behind Leon a bit as I took in the sight of the still blooming flowers that lined the streets in pots and planters of various shapes and sizes, when I heard it. A tiny mewling sound, soft and pitiful and completely capturing all of my attention with one simply cry for attention. Without even thinking, I darted into the shop it came from and froze, staring at the small creature that looked up from the other side of the clear wall before me.

Bright blue eyes surrounded by thick grey fur, the tiny kitten mewed again, clearly not happy being alone in the enclosure it was kept in. Nearby, a handful of puppies barked playfully, chasing each other around a larger space without a care in the world, just happy to be together. But this little kitten didn't have anyone in there with it to play with and the site of it sitting all alone in there broke my heart. Reaching over the high wall, I gently lifted the kitten out and hugged it to my chest, feeling the soft vibration as it began to purr in my arms.

"Shina? Ahh, there you are! Why did you- Oh, who's this little guy you've found?" Leon's voice grew soft as he looked at what I held in my hands, seeing the soft look in my eyes of someone who has found something they didn't know they were looking for. "So, what are you going to name him?"

Hearing his final question, I could only smile at him before turning to walk towards the counter and the older man standing behind it. Deep inside my heart, I felt a small part of the hole finally heal, just a little bit. It wasn't much, but it was something, and that was enough for me. For now, that would have to be enough.

"We can think up a name together. Until then, all I know is this little guy is part of our family," I said, a content smile appearing on my face.