“I got the door,” I call out, pivoting on my feet to head to the door. “You start the coffee.”
I open the front door to a grinning Mila and her husband Jackson hovering behind her. She’s holding a box in front of her.
“Hey guys,” I say, stepping out into the cold and pulling the door mostly shut behind me. “You got the goods?”
“Yup. Has she guessed anything?”
I shake my head, my smile covering my face. Jackson steps forward and puts a large bag on the porch. “Everything you’ll need for the first week is in there.”
“Awesome. Thanks for dropping it off.” I take the box from Mila, resisting the urge to peek inside. “Merry Christmas.”
Mila and Jackson give me a wave, then turn to make their way back to Jackson’s truck. I bend down, balancing the box in one arm, and grabbing the bag in the other before nudging the front door open. Setting the bag down just inside, I close the door, lock it, and make my way to the kitchen.
“Who was it?” Kat asks, her back to me as she does something by the kitchen sink. I quickly put the box down on the kitchen table, open it, and lift out what’s inside just as she turns to face me. Her eyes go immediately to the bundle of dark grey fur in my arms.
“Hunter,” she says breathlessly, “Why are you holding a kitten?”
“Her name is Diamond. Merry Christmas, Kitty Kat.”
“Diamond?” the love of my life asks, finally lifting her gaze to meet mine. Unshed tears are shining in her eyes.
I lift my shoulders in a shrug before placing the adorable fuzzball Mila helped me pick out in Kat’s open hands. “Yeah. Because claiming our coal was the start of our forever. And under pressure, coal turns into a diamond. We faced a lot of pressure and came out even stronger. Diamond seemed appropriate.”
“Hunter,” Kat murmurs as she nuzzles the kitten. “I love her. Thank you.” She reaches one arm out to cup my head behind my neck, pulling me in close. “And I love you.”
“Kat, I was lovestruck the second I laid eyes on you. This might sound crazy and like I’m moving way too fast. But I don’t care. I want forever with you, and someday soon, it won’t be a kitten named Diamond I’m giving you, it’ll be a diamond ring.”
Careful not to crush the tiny kitten purring between our bodies, I kiss her again. When tiny claws dig into my skin, we part. Kat readjusts Diamond, lifting her up to press a kiss to her tiny pink nose before setting her down on the ground. With both of her arms free, she wraps them around my waist and pulls me in close before staring up at me with love shining from her eyes.
“Forever sounds good to me.”