Maybe Later(57)

“Is this Sushi?” I ask, and she nods. “What happened with Ramen?”

Em explains to me that Sushi escaped her cage, and a dog attacked her. They don’t think there’s any internal bleeding, but she needs several stitches on her shoulder and arm.

“I just don’t understand how this happened,” she whispers. “They can’t just be leaving the door of the kennel open. How didn’t they notice she was on the loose or not have a German Shepard on a leash?”

“She’s going to be okay,” I insist. “They’re just going to stitch her arm.”

“Poor girl, she must be terrified,” she sobs. “At least they brought her to the veterinarian right away.”

I cradle her, speechless about the incident. Those kittens are her babies. She adores them.

“That’s why I have a pet sitter,” she explains. “But Jared is on vacation, and I should’ve waited. Do you know how much they’ve suffered already?”

“She just needs a few stitches, and we’ll take her home,” I say, rubbing her arms. “Do you think Sushi is okay?”

The poor cat is inside the kennel, his amber eyes glaring at me. I swear he hates me. If I ever sleep over at Em’s, he’s going to suffocate me with his chubby body.

“Thank you,” she says again. “You don’t have to stay.”

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to be with you. After they update us, we’ll figure out what to do next. We can take her home or go home and sleep a couple of hours before we come back to get her.”

She nods, resting her head on my chest. I’ve had a few relationships in my life. One during junior high that lasted almost a week. The second was during my senior year of high school. We only lasted a couple of months before realizing we were both leaving Sacramento and it wasn’t worth it to get attached. During college, I had hookups, a few short-term relationships, and then I met Vivian.

Never in my life have I felt as if I belonged to someone. Not even my ex-wife. If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve waited all my life for Emmeline to share this precise moment. It’s crazy to think that being at the vet and consoling her is more meaningful than any other moment I’ve spent in my life. In this moment, she’s both being herself and trusting me.

I’m what she has and needs right now—not her friends from Boston or anyone else. I never thought being this close to someone would feel this fucking amazing. Except, now I get what she means when she says the perfect moment or the perfect love. It’s about feeling exactly right. It’s about how you feel. Just right.

“She’s not going to be happy,” Emmeline says letting out a long exhale. “She’s very picky and doesn’t like when people touch her.”

“Should I remind you that she has let me touch her?”

Emmeline huffs.

“Will you help me take care of her?”

“Of course, I’ll even take the week off to be with her,” I offer and surprise myself with the words.

“You are one of the good guys, aren’t you?”

Good guys? I don’t know about that. In my experience, I suck at relationships—from the very first to the last—and I’m not doing that great in the current one. Since Vivian, I question if I’m the problem. Women aren’t easy to understand, but I’ve seen my parents happily married for years.

My mom is complicated, just like him, but they make it work. Whatever happens between them is handled just between the two of them. Life would be so much easier if we had a clue of when the love of our lives would arrive. I gaze around the waiting room of the animal hospital. There’s no one else in here but us. I could be at home, or on my way to California to see my family, but I’d rather be here with Em.

It scares me shitless to finally put myself on the line. The last time I did, I lost my privacy, my sanity, and even my zip code. It’s not like Em is asking me for a ring or giving me some shitty ultimatum. But what is she expecting?

“Ramen Lancaster,” someone calls out from the reception.

“That’s us,” I say.

I take Em’s hand, and we rise from our seats.

“How is she doing?” Em asks, studying the doctor in front of us.

“She’s sedated. We stitched her up. Four in her shoulder and a couple on her left paw.” She looks at her clipboard. “We recommend you come back to pick her up after seven.”

“It’s one,” I say. “We can get Sushi settled, get a few hours of sleep, and then come back to get her.”

Em looks at me and nods once. “Okay.” She turns back to the doctor. “Were all the wounds superficial like they said at the kennel?”

“Yes, there’s no internal bleeding or organ damage.”

“Let’s go, babe,” I insist. “We need to get some rest. Our girl needs us.”

She smiles at me, and her eyes look peaceful but still sad.

We drive to her place in silence. I park a block past her building.

“You would think there would be parking spots at one in the morning,” I complain.

She laughs. “We’re close to downtown, people are out at the bars. It’s the weekend.”

“Jesus,” I curse under my breath, shivering. “It’s fucking May. Shouldn’t it be warmer.”