Like Father, Like Son ✔

Chapter 16 - Unexpected Surprise

"I don't know, does Nick wanna do story time?" Cat asked, her gaze falling onto Nick. He was still seated on the floor with his back against the couch and his long legs stretched out in front of him.

"Yeah, sure, Nick will do story time," Nick chuckled.

Cat was surprised at how quickly Luke went through his evening routine. He didn't argue once when she told him it was time to finish playing and get out of the bath, and he brushed his teeth and went potty like a champ. When the time came to actually get him into bed, he bolted into his bedroom and got right under the covers.

"That kid, I swear," Cat giggled, wrapping her arm around Nick's waist and leading him down the hallway, although at this rate he didn't really need her help at all. He knew her apartment pretty well, enough not to need his guide dog or his cane anymore, which was probably another sign of just how much time he spent at her place. "I don't think you can ever leave now, he never gets into bed that fast," she told him jokingly.

Story time with Nick was a lot more fun than just regular story time; at the expense of her ego, Cat was fully ready to admit it. She didn't have any children's books in Braille, so Nick resorted to making up his own story on the fly. He was so hilarious, making all of these cute little voices to go with each of the characters he made up. Luke was just absolutely enthralled, and Cat was a giggly mess, trying to stifle her laughter so that her son would get somewhat sleepy.

"Say another one, Nick!" Luke said excitedly when the story came to a close and the hero had saved the day.

"Not tonight, okay buddy? You have daycare in the morning, you need to go to sleep," Cat said with a small smile, hating the disappointed look on her son's face but still standing her ground.

"Can you tell me another story tomorrow, Nick?" Luke murmured in a defeated sort of voice, wriggling a little in his sheets in an attempt to get more comfortable.

"Yeah, if your mom wants me to," Nick answered.

"She wants you to!" Luke grinned.

When Cat turned off the light and closed the door a few minutes later, she let out a sigh that Nick didn't miss. "Come on," he whispered. He reached for her hand and led the way back to the couch. He sat down first and pulled her on top of him, causing Cat to gasp slightly in surprise as she suddenly found herself in his lap.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingertips playing with the short hair at the back of his head. "Thank you... for doing that," she whispered. Her mouth was barely a fraction of an inch from his but he didn't kiss her.

Instead, he started tracing her jawline with his thumb, slowly. He moved his fingers up to trace her cheekbones and the dip of her nose, lingering finally on her somewhat parted lips. Cat remained incredibly still, not even breathing, letting him see her in his own way. She was afraid. He'd touched her face before, but never quite like this... never with that analytical expression. He was judging her, she could tell.

"What?" he asked curiously after a moment. It was as if he could read the expression on her face just by sense of touch.

"Nothing," Cat lied.

"Oh come on, something's bothering you," Nick countered, not having any of it.

Cat struggled to stand, using Nick's chest to push herself back up onto her feet. She started to pace the length of the coffee table, not quite sure if she should say what she really wanted to say.

"Cat," Nick sighed. "I can't make you feel better if I don't know what's wrong. I'm in the dark here, literally," he said with a small smirk. Cat knew when he pulled out the blind jokes that it was his attempt at making her smile. It worked.