Remind Me [WWE] [Shawn Michaels] {Book 2}

Chapter Thirty-Two: Can You Stay?

"No, no, I like it," Kat said, following me. "I just didn't know you knew how."

"When I was living by myself, I had to eat somehow." I opened the fridge and grabbed the sauce I had bought.

"What are you making?"

"Good ol' fashioned spaghetti. Mama's recipe, so you know it's good."

She hopped up onto the island, facing me. "If you can execute the recipe."

"I'm not the one who set off the fire alarm."

"That was--"

"Three times!" I exclaimed. Kat was never known for being the best cook, but she sure tried. Sometimes that was for the worst.

"I never said I can cook. I just didn't know you could," she said. "So what else do you do now?"

I shrugged. I poured Kat a glass of wine, which she happily accepted. "Not a whole lot. I'd like to get back into hunting. My dad used to take me when I was a boy."

Those memories with my father were dear to me as bonding experiences. Maybe one day I would be able to take Scottie and Cam hunting or fishing. They were still too young for any of that.

"I think I'd like to try growing a garden," Kat said, looking out the window. "I've never done it, and I don't really have the space for it here, but I think it would be fun."

"We have the land for it in San Antonio."

"We?"

As much as I would love for Kat to move back in with me so we could spend more time together, I didn't want to push her into anything too soon. She had asked if we could take our relationship slowly, and I was trying my best to accommodate her wish.

"That is, if you wanted to move back in," I added quickly. "You don't have to, I don't mean to rush you or anything."

"I think I'd like that." She paused, looking out the window. "You know, I've been coming here since I was a little girl. It was our vacation home. Dad handed over the keys when I turned 19. He thought it would make me like him again."

"Did it?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Vince and Kat had a rich history when it came to their relationship, part of which I was there for.

"No, it wasn't that simple." Kat became quiet for a minute, considering my offer. "This place has never felt like home. I would love to move back in with you. Scottie will have so much yard to play in."

"I can build a swing set for the kids."

"You're a chef and a handyman now?" she teased.

"Not really." I stirred the pasta sauce. "But it can't be that difficult. The stuff my siblings and I played on was all handmade by my dad. That is, until we moved."

"You moved a lot, didn't you? What was your favorite place?"

As much history as Kat and I had, there were still some things we didn't know about each other. Our first time together, we weren't worried about all the backstory; we just let ourselves get swept up in the chemistry. I was glad we were at a place where we could have deeper discussions.

"My favorite house was probably the first one I can remember," I said. "I was around Scottie's age. That's where the swing set was, and I was friends with all the neighbor kids. I wasn't in school yet, so I didn't have to worry about that."

"Was changing schools the worst part?"

"Oh, absolutely," I emphasized. "I was constantly the new kid. It's hard to make friends that way. It got better once we moved to San Antonio, while I was in high school. Got to stay until I graduated, and that's when I finally felt like I fit in."