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69
“It’s okay, Chandler. You were surprised and out of your element, and you should have heard it from me.” Elena told him.
“Don’t let me off the hook, love.” He dropped his hand, but his eyes were still fixed on her lips. “I’m so sorry for what I said to you, and I plan on apologizing to Emily and Daniel for walking out of their house. I have no excuse.”
“Okay.”
He smiled. “Just okay?”
Elena’s hands found their way up his chest, a slow trek, and she relished the heat of his skin coming through the material of his shirt. She only stopped when her palm was over his thudding heart. “Yeah. I don’t think either one of us needs fancy words or big speeches about what happened. I just … I just need you to know that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for not telling you when I had the chance. I need you to know that I’m in this with you, even if you screw up, which you will. Just like I will too, but we’ll always find our way back to each other. That’s all I want.”
Chandler plucked her hand off his chest and pressed a fervent kiss into her palm. She wrapped her other arm around his waist, he slid his arm around her back and tugged her into his waiting embrace. Everything settled into place, blissful warmth filling all those cold places that she’d not known existed until him. Whatever happened to bring this, him, into her life, she was so thankful, she could hardly think of a way to process it.
“I’m so in love with you, Elena,” he whispered into her ear.
Elena squeezed him even more tightly, her forehead resting against the side of his neck as she breathed him in. “I love you too.”
Chandler pulled back, his face split in a massive smile. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. Do you really think we can do this?” he asked.
“I’d like to see who could stop us.”
His chest rumbled with pleased laughter, and he lowered his head and brushed his mouth once, twice over hers. The sound he emitted-from those two small kisses- gave her goosebumps. It was a hum of contentment, a growl of satisfaction, and she wanted to record it so that she could listen to it on a loop for the rest of her life.
Exerting pressure on the back of his head, she deepened the kiss, letting her tongue brush against his just once. She sighed into his mouth happily, which made him smile into the kiss.
“Do you want to get outta here?” she murmured against his lips. “Go out?”
Chandler pulled back and shook his head. “Wow. Look at you, ready to run off into the sunset with me. I’m a lucky man.”
“Not run off,” she explained with a smile, “maybe just … I don’t know… Go out… Somewhere… Have some fun,”
Chandler smiled. “Before you open your present?”
In his free hand, he was still clutching the small basket. She smiled. “What is it?”
“The reason I was late to Emily’s party,” he told me. “I thought it would be easier to find.”
Brow furrowed, Elena released his waist to take the basket. It was small, with a small eye hook keeping the lid closed. Something moved inside, and she gave him a quick look. He was grinning widely. That was when she heard the teeniest, tiniest meow she’d ever heard in her life.
“You didn’t,” she breathed.
She couldn’t open the basket fast enough. In her haste to get the latch undone, she almost dropped it. He took pity on her with a laugh and braced the bottom with one hand. Carefully, Elena lifted the lid, and the small patchwork face that popped out had her gasping in delight. It had bright green eyes and brown ears, long white whiskers, and orange patches on its face. The kitten mewed pitifully as she lifted it out of the basket and cradled it to her chest. “Oh, my goodness,” she whispered. “Aren’t you the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”
“You once said you wanted one that looked just like Agnes and you and Agnes got along really well,” Chandler said. He smoothed a big hand over the top of its head. “But I had to make sure this one didn’t hate me first.”
“You got me a kitten,” Elena said.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
He shrugged, looking shy for the first time since he set eyes on her . “I’d give you anything you want, baby. Anything to make you smile like you are right now.”
The cat pushed his head against her chin, and she laughed, so full of love, it didn’t even seem fair.
“Just you,” she told him. “That’s all I need,”
“So, I can keep the cat with me then?”
She kissed its little head. “No.”
He laughed loudly. “You’re gonna have to name her.”
“Ahh …” Elena glanced down at the little green-eyed face and grinned. “A girl, are you?”
Chandler scratched under her chin, and she meowed again.
“Belle,” she said.
His answering smile was massive. “How’d you know?”
“Know what?” Belle licked her chin with her sandpaper tongue, and she laughed.
“My number one favorite Disney princess.” His eyes twinkled mischievously. “Why do you think I started calling you that?”
She smiled and he took her mouth in a slow sweet kiss. When they pulled back, she felt so happy she thought she’d burst into tears. “You are an amazing man, Chandler Kendrick,” she said. “And I love you,”
His cheeks were endearingly pink from her praise. “But it’s still not the best part.”
“There’s more?”
He shook his head, eyes tracing every feature on my face. “There’s you.
That’ll always be the best part of me and my day.”
“Total boyfriend material,” Elena whispered through her face-splitting grin. They kissed again, and when they finally had Belle settled and headed out of the house together, she grabbed his hand, curled her fingers through his, and squeezed.
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THE END
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