Unraveling (39 page)

“Hey Mable,” I said, kissing her on her tiny head, right between her pointed ears. “You’re so cute. You know that, don’t you?

She tilted her head, blinking her owlish green eyes at me, and then proceeded to start licking her paws. I chuckled at her cuteness and got dressed before Jared came back.

Jared pushed open the bedroom door and stood there with his legs crossed at the ankle, leaning against the jamb.

His navy sweatpants hung off his hips and his long sleeved gray shirt was glued to his muscles, leaving nothing to the imagination. His hair was still damp and his face freshly shaved.

“I’m going to go start breakfast. You wanna help?” he asked.

“I’d love to help.” I grabbed Mable and carried her down the stairs, behind Jared.

I set Mable down on the floor and let her scamper about. Jared filled a small bowl with cat food and put it down for her.

“What do you want to make?” I asked him as he pulled out different ingredients and bowls.

“Pancakes,” he answered, already measuring out the ingredients into a mixing bowl. He handed the bowl and a wooden spoon to me. “Stir that together.”

“Yes, sir,” I said in a deep voice and he laughed, which was my goal. I loved the husky, warm, sound of his laugh.

I stirred the pancake mixture together and handed it to him.

He poured perfect circles out onto the hot griddle. I don’t know how, but he managed to keep them all the same size.

“I smell something delicious,” Karlie said from behind me.

I hadn’t heard her come down and the sound of her voice scared me. I jumped, grabbing Jared’s arm for protection.

“It’s okay,” Jared said to me in a soothing voice.

“I’m sorry,” I let go of his arm, embarrassed by my actions.

I moved out of the kitchen, needing to get away.

I heard Jared tell Karlie to watch the pancakes.

I felt his presence behind me before his arms circled
around my body.

“Katy,” he nuzzled my neck. “It’s okay.”

“I know,” I said, my lower lip trembling with the threat of tears. “I didn’t mean to freak out.”

“I know that,” his lips pressed against my neck. I knew he was trying to relax me, but it wasn’t working.

“I’m so sick and tired of being scared of the littlest things, Jared. I can’t keep living like this,” I said, damming the tears back. I would not cry.

“You’re getting better,” he said, turning me around so I face
d him. “You’re so much
better
,” he cupped my cheeks between his large palms. “There’s a difference in you, every day. Maybe you can’t see them, but I can. It all started when you let me in, Katy, and then, when you finally let me touch you… when you kissed me,” he breathed. “You’re better, Katy. You’re nothing like that frightened girl I defended in the club. You are a strong, powerful woman that was wronged. But you’re not letting that define you, anymore. You’re defining yourself.”

I soaked in his words, repeating them to myself.

I’m defining myself
.

“When you have moments like that,” he pointed over his shoulder to the kitchen. “It’s not because you’re weak, Katy. It’s because you were hurt. It’s a reaction you can’t control.”

I nodded.

“When this happens, don’t run. Please,
don’t run from me, kitten, but…” he took a deep breath, “on those rare occasions where you do run,” he grinned, “I’ll chase you.”

I laughed.

“Better now?” he asked, looking into my eyes.

“Yeah,” I nodded, putting my hand over his. “You always make me feel better.”

“Good,” he kissed the end of my nose and then my forehead. “Now, come eat my world famous pancakes.”

“World famous?” I raised a brow as he slung his arm over my shoulder.

He chuckled. “Okay, maybe their only famous, in my family’s eyes.”

“That’s what I thought,” I poked his side.

~***~

Dan and Patsy came through the door, stomping snow off their boots.

“It’s too cold out there,” Patsy shivered, removing her coat and scarf.

“I second that,” Dan replied, rubbing his wife’s back.

“Can you guys stop standing by the door so I can open my presents? Jared wouldn’t let me open them until you guys got here,” Karlie was dancing on the balls of her feet.

Dan chuckled. “You
’re always so impatient whenever presents are involved.”

“I can’t help it! It’s just all so exciting! Not knowing what’s hiding underneath the wrapping!” she gushed.

Dan shook his head and him and Patsy took a seat on the couch. Jared and I sat on the floor, side by side, with Mable climbing over our legs like they were giant mountains in her way.

I slid my bag of gifts over so that I could hand them out.

I handed Jared his boxes, Dan his, and tossed a box to Karlie.

The gift I had gotten Patsy was too heavy so I pushed the bag her way. “Your present is heavy,” I warned her, when she bent to retrieve it.

“Oh,” she said, pulling the bag down around it, revealing the shiny red paper with green polka dots. “You didn’t need to get me anything, dear.”

“No, you didn’t,” Dan held up his still wrapped box.

“I wanted to,” I brushed their concerns away. “Open them. You can open yours, too,” I told Karlie and Jared.

I rubbed Mable as everyone tore into
their gifts.

Karlie was ecstatic with her gift card. It was to her favorite store in the mall and I had been generous with the amount.

I had gotten Jared a gift card too. He’d mentioned not too long ago, about needing some new gym clothes. I also got him new gloves for his fights, Dan had helped me pick them out, since I was clueless on what to get.

“Thank you, kitten,” he grinned before kissing me.

I shrugged. “You’re hard to shop for.”

He chuckled. “I’m a guy, how am I hard to shop for?”

“Because, you’re a guy. I don’t know what guys like. Everything I got you seems pretty insignificant, compared to what you got me,” I held Mable up to my face.

“This is not insignificant,” he held up his gifts. “Plus,” he grinned like a little boy, “every time I wear my new gloves, I’ll think of my girl.”

I blushed, pleased by his words.

“Dan, Patsy, your
turn,” I told them.

I had gotten Dan a gift card to the local fishing shop, because Jared had mentioned briefly that it was a hobby outside of MMA that Dan enjoyed.

Patsy ripped the paper off her gift. She and Karlie had been the easiest people for me to shop for. After Thanksgiving, I had known the perfect gift for Patsy.

“Katy,” she said, bursting into tears.

I bit my lip. That wasn’t the reaction I had been hoping for.

“This is too much, Katy. I can’t
accept this,” she stared at the box.

“Yes, you can. I wanted to get you something,” I shrugged.

“It’s too expensive. I can’t keep this,” she said, wiping tears from under her eyes.

“What did you get her?” Jared asked me.

“A Kitchen Aid stand-mixer,” I answered.

Jared’s jaw dropped. “She’s been wanting one for years.”

“At Thanksgiving, I saw that she didn’t have one and even I know that anyone that likes to cook needs one.” I looked back up at Patsy. “Please, keep it.”

“I-” she stuttered. “Okay,” she nodded. “Thank you, Katy. I honestly can’t believe you did this.”

“I wanted to,” I said, with a shrug. “You’re a special lady, Patsy.”

“Jare, get me a tissue,” she said and he promptly did so. “Can I give you a hug?” she asked me.

I nodded, standing.

She stood up from the couch and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me like a mother would her child. “You’re such a special girl,” she whispered in my ear. “Jared is so lucky to have you.”

“I’m the lucky one,” I told her honestly, just like I had told Karlie.

“Thank you, so much,” she gently squeezed my arms before letting go. “I can’t wait to use it.”

“You’re welcome,” I smiled before sitting back down, beside Jared.

“You’re amazing,” Jared kissed the side of my head.

“I try,” I laughed, smiling up at him.

“And you succeed,” he grinned.

“Is Holden coming over?” Dan asked.

“I told him to,” Jared said, “but I don’t think he is.”

“I knew I should have called him, myself,” Patsy said. “I hate for him to be alone on Christmas.”

“Holden doesn’t like Christmas,” Jared said. “He didn’t say, but I got the impression he was going back home.”

“Oh,” Patsy said. “I hope that father of his isn’t too hard on him.”

“I don’t know why he bothers visiting. Every time he comes back, he swears he’s never visiting the guy again. He’s just a drunk piece of shit,” Jared snapped and pain flickered over his face, no doubt
, thinking of his own father.

“It’s his father,” Patsy said. “He probably hopes that each time will be different.”

“It never is,” Jared said.

“You can’t blame the guy for hoping,” Dan said. “It’s just a good thing his aunt stepped in to raise him, or who knows what he would’ve turned into.”

Jared cleared his throat. “Who’s ready for lunch?” he asked, changing the subject. His brows were pinched together.

“I brought a spiral ham,” Patsy said. “It’s in the car, already cooked. We’ll just have to heat it up.”

“Sounds delicious, mom,” Jared said, standing and holding out a hand to me. I took it and he pulled me up. “I’ll go out and get it. Katy, can you get the plates out?”

“Of course,” I said.

I got the stack of plates out and lined them up. Jared came in with the ham and what I assumed was a bag of other food.

We each dished our food out and heated it up.

Since there wasn’t enough room for us all to sit at the table, we ended up eating in the living room.

I smiled and laughed, even joining in the conversation. I didn’t feel like I was on the outside looking in.
I felt like I belonged, and that was a very good feeling.

34

I stared at my ringing my phone, tempted to smash it into a wall.

“Are you gonna answer that?” Jared asked. He was stretched out on my couch with his arms behind his head. Mable snoozed pleasantly on his chest.

“It’s my mom,” I growled.

“She’s called like five times in a row. Maybe it’s an emergency,” he said.

I rolled my eyes.

Spring Break had started two days ago, Easter happened to be this weekend. I knew exactly what my mom wanted, and it had nothing to do with an emergency, and everything to do with her selfish ways.

“I know what she wants,” I mumbled under my breath.

“I still think you should answer it,” he said, as it started ringing again.

“Fine,” I snapped. I picked up the phone and answered.

“Katyrina, I don’t see why you weren’t picking up,” my mother snapped into the phone. No, hello, or hey, how are you doing.

“I was in the shower,” I lied.

She plowed on, like I hadn’t said anything at all, her tone clipped. “My annual Easter Charity Brunch is this Sunday and I need you to attend. It makes me seem more personable if people see that I have a daughter.”

I rolled my eyes. I was like a doll to her. She could pick me up and play with me when she wanted to, and discard me when she was done.

“I have things to do,” I said, pacing down the hallway.

“Katyrina, this isn’t open for discussion,” she shrieked. “You
will
be there.”

“You do realize that I’m
practically twenty, not ten, right?” I asked.

“And you do realize that I pay all your bills and for school, right? I don’t ask you for much Katyrina, but this is im
portant to me. You’ll be there,” her tone was sharp enough to cut.

I couldn’t help chuckling at her words though. She didn’t care about the charity. All she cared about was what people thought of her. Her charity brun
ch made her look like she cared, which she didn’t.

I ran my fingers
, angrily through my hair, hard enough the rip out a few strands.

“Fine, I’ll be there,” I ground out between my teeth. I was fearful of what she may do if I said no
, again. “Same place?”

“Yes, Katyrina,” she said in a tone that implied I was stupid. “I let you off the hook last year, but I can’t do that again
, this year. It was embarrassing trying to explain your absence.”

I snorted. “I was busy,
” I lied.

“Regardless, it was an embarrassment. You should have been there. I have to go,” she said.

It didn’t escape my attention, that she’d not even mentioned my birthday, less than a week away.