For one suspended moment, neither of them moved.
Her eyes lifted to his.
Tom’s heart pounded, and his pulse raced.
Before he could stop himself, his head bent slowly.
Lila’s eyes closed.
Tom’s mouth closed over hers, and she leaned into him as the world fell away. The small, distant hum of the cicadas faded. The marina lights faded. The soft creak of the bakery sign faded. There was only the small warm sweetness of Lila’s mouth against his, the soft catch of her breath, the warmth of her fingers against his shirtfront as she let herself melt into him.
Then something warm pressed against his shin.
Tom drew back slowly, his mouth lingering on hers a half second longer than it needed to.
He looked down.
Harold was winding himself in a slow figure eight around Tom’s left leg and Lila’s right one, his black-and-white body weaving the two of them together, his tail lifted high in unmistakable pride.
Tom laughed. He couldn’t help it.
The cat finished his loop, hopped up onto the small wooden post at the top of the staircase, settled himself on the railing with absolute contentment, and proceeded to wash his front paw withthe air of a creature who had just successfully carried out his mission.
“If I didn’t know any better,” Lila chuckled, her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes shining, “I’d say Harold was trying to push us together.”
“I’m starting to get that feeling,” Tom agreed warmly.
Their eyes met again. She was still in his arms as he drew a breath.
“I’m not going to apologize for kissing you,” Tom told her softly. “I think I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”
“I don’t want you to apologize,” Lila assured him, her smile soft. “I willingly participated and admit I, too, have wanted to be kissed by you for a while now.”
“So,” Tom asked her quietly, “where do we go from here?”
“How about we take it one day at a time?” Lila suggested. “Let this grow into what it’s meant to be.”
“I can do that,” Tom said with a warm smile. “But I have one stipulation, though.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Lila looked up at him.
“That we have dinner together at least five times a week,” Tom laid out his clause in their blossoming relationship.
Lila laughed, a soft warm laugh that wrapped around him comfortingly.
“And, I can do that.” Lila conceded.
Tom kissed her again. Slower this time, with the small certainty of a man who had been given permission to take his time, and with the soft, careful gratitude of a man who had not been given anything quite like this in a long, long time.
When they drew back, Tom kept her in the easy circle of his arms. He looked down at her face in the soft porch light and tried to think of a single thing he wanted to say that was not too big for this moment.
“Oh, and Lila,” Tom’s eyes held hers.
“Mm?” Lila stared into his eyes expectantly.
“I should warn you. My family already knows about us,” Tom warned her.
Lila’s eyes widened. Her cheeks went a darker pink. “Oh.”
