“She’ll be my wife soon enough, Theo, and trust me when I say you’ll be the first to know.”
Cat shook her head, grin brightening. “Do I have any say in the matter?”
“Sure thing, babe, you get to pick out the most expensive dress you can dream up, but otherwise, no future wife of mine is lifting a finger, not unless you want to of course.”
“You’re certifiably insane, Parker, off your rocker.” She shook her head, inching away as I passed Theo a stack of cash to pay for our meal.
“Only crazy for you, baby girl.” I scooped up our bag of takeaway Mexican when it was up at the window a few moments later, locking our hands together when we wandered around the corner of the food truck to find an open picnic table to eat at. The dozen or so tables were nearly full, but we found half of one side to huddle shoulder to shoulder and eat.
A loud family spoke in rapid-fire Spanish, little kids crawling on their mom’s lap as I made out a few words of politics from the father and what looked to be like his oldest son. They seemed to be butting heads, but good-natured enough with smiles and teasing tones between heated sentences.
It warmed my heart, thinking how good it felt to overhear them–memories of my own happy childhood with multiple siblings and a lively household coming back to me.
My parents hadn’t always seen eye to eye, but they’d communicated well and often, and had always been open in everything they shared with the kids. I hoped to raise my own kids someday in the same way they’d raised me.
And then I kicked myself, realizing that I’d never thought about marriage and family before. The idea of domestic bliss wasn’t even on my radar before. But with Catherine I wanted it all, every single piece of it. From the moment I saw her, I just knew. She would be my queen and the mother to our children.
The thought of settling down forever with this woman made me the happiest fucker in the world.
“I love this place. I have to say, I didn’t expect it from you,” she said between bites of her second carne asada taco.
“How so?” I asked, eating slower than usual because I was so taken with her.
“It’s so lively and artsy and casual, mostly the casual part. Every time I saw you coming and going in that suit I imagined you sitting in some stuffy corner office, bossing people around.”
“Bossing people around, huh?” I laughed. “Is that really my persona? Evil businessman?”
She shrugged, taking another bite and chewing thoughtfully. I narrowed in on her lips, the way she seemed to lick and savor the last bite before taking the next. Watching her was intoxicating. “At first I thought you just liked it here because it’s where the cool kids hang out. Maybe you like to feel young and hip like some trendy–”
“Wait now, your perception of me is pretty far-fetched–”
“I know, but you were always so buttoned up in that suit and tie, I couldn’t help thinking about…” She trailed off, suddenly clamping her lips closed and turning a shade of apple-red.
“Think about what, exactly?” I probed, teasing.
She shook her head, shoving a succession of bites into her mouth to avoid talking and my gaze.
“Come on, you’re toying with me now.” I tickled my fingertips up the line of her thigh. A full-body shiver coursed through her and made me even more anxious to get the fuck done with this meal and get to touching her again. “The truth is, I like food that’s home cooked. I don’t like to eat anything that’s been frozen, and I like a place that smells like grandma’s kitchen after cooking homemade Italian gravy all day.” I slipped my fingers higher up her thigh. “And you’re right that I work in a fancy office with a view of the city. I own my own legal firm and more than fifty percent of our cases are pro-bono work for lower-income families. We spend a lot of time suing insurance companies on behalf of sick kids that can’t get covered. It’s hard work and long hours to move the needle slowly, but it pays off when saving little kids’ lives is the goal.”
“Wow.” She wasn’t eating anymore.
“Wow?” I grinned, biting another taco.
“You’re a real life hero.”
I chewed for a minute, surprised she was still watching me silently when I finished. “I just want to help. I was lucky enough to have a fortunate upbringing with an expensive education, and I figure I should give back as much as I can.”
“Yeah.” She wrapped up the garbage from her final taco and stuffed it back into the bag before swiping our garbage and throwing it in the nearest bin. “You’ve really surprised me tonight, Parker, and I like it.”