Chasing Happiness by Raine English Read Free Book Online Page B

refrigerator before going back into the other room, where she plopped down next to him on the couch. When she spoke, her voice wavered. “Zoe caught Dan fooling around, and if that wasn’t bad enough, it was with Ariana’s friend Maggie.”
    Jake looked up from the computer. His astonishment was apparent on his handsome face. “Babe, that’s awful. Guess you were right about him.”
    Katie leaned back against the cushions. “Yeah. This was one time, though, that I wish I hadn’t been.” Her gaze raked over Jake. “What makes a guy cheat?”
    He closed his laptop, then set it on the coffee table and stared back at her. “I don’t know. Why ask me?”
    She shrugged. “Cause you’re a guy.”
    “Well, that doesn’t mean I know what would make another guy cheat.”
    “I guess. I just thought maybe… I don’t know. Never mind.” She looked down at the floor.
    Jake draped his arm across her shoulders, and with his other hand, tilted her chin up so that her eyes met his. “You don’t think I would ever—”
    “No, no,” she said, cutting him off, but that wasn’t entirely true.
    He studied her face. “I can tell you’re not being honest. What’s on your mind?”
    A tense silence fell between them, and when she finally answered, her voice was low. “I tried to call you last night, and you didn’t answer.”
    Jake laughed. “Come on. Don’t tell me you thought I was with another woman.”
    She bit her bottom lip, then looked away. “Maybe only for a moment.”
    Jake pulled her closer. “Katie bug. You don’t ever have to worry about that. You’re the only woman I’ll ever want.”
    “Promise?”
    “I promise.” He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her with a passion that reassured her she had nothing to worry about.
    When their kiss ended, he held her out so that once again he looked directly into her eyes. “There will always be temptation, Katie, and it comes in all different forms. For some men, it might be another woman. For me, it might be taking on too much work, but I promise our love will always come first. No matter what.”
    Katie’s heart swelled with joy. What had she done to deserve such a wonderful man? She snuggled back into his arms and whispered in his ear, “Thank you. You’ll always come first with me too.”
     
    ****
     
    Ariana rinsed her dinner dishes, then loaded them into the dishwasher. As she turned off the light above the sink, she caught sight of Maggie through the kitchen window, heading into her condo. She had a Victoria’s Secret bag draped over her shoulder and obvious bed head. Looked like Ariana had been right about her having a boyfriend. Hmm, when was Maggie going to fill her in on this new beau?
    With a sigh, she checked Tabby’s food bowl to see if it needed refilling before retiring for the night, but it was still full of kibble. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Tabby since she’d gotten home.
    Her heart thundered. Could she be sick? “Here, kitty, kitty. Tabby, come get your food.” She picked up the bowl, rattled the food, and then waited for the usual squawking as the cat came running. However, when that didn’t happen, panic set in.
    She began looking in all of Tabby’s favorite places—under the couch in the living room, on the bed in the spare room, and in the clothes hamper in the laundry room—but there was no sign of her. With a heavy heart, she headed down the hall toward her bedroom. After scanning the room for the second time, she noticed her closet door was slightly ajar. Could the cat be in there?
    She bit her bottom lip as she pushed her clothes aside so she could get a look at the back. A moment later she let out a gasp. Tabby lay on her side, letting six adorable kittens nurse. No wonder she’d been putting on weight. Ariana got down on her knees and stroked the cat’s head. “What a good mom you are.”
    The kittens kneaded their paws against her belly, and one with markings very similar to Tabby’s let out a