We get back late and are laughing as we come in the door. I quickly try to shush the boys, who have gotten a little out of hand, hoping they don't wake up the rest of the house.

"This is another reason I love my sister," Dillion whispers to Alex. "She's showed me how to enjoy life, with not a drop of alcohol."

"I had a blast tonight. Thanks, Tiger." He gives me a kiss on the cheek, "Good night."

"Thank you for my present," I say, hugging the package from the toy store.

"Hey now! No getting possessive. That doesn't belong to you. You are only a temporary caretaker until the actual owner arrives."

I give him a mock salute. "Yes, sir. I will take excellent care of your gift. I promise."

"You better. Good night, Alex. Glad I've gotten this chance to get to know you better."

"Yeah, me too," Alex says, reaching out to shake his hand. My brother reaches for it, but then pulls him in for a hug. Alex's obvious surprise makes me chuckle.

"Hey, your family now," my brother tells him. "Thanks for looking out for Tiger here. I owe you one."

Alex glances at me and smiles. My heart flutters and I catch Dillion looking at me.

That smug grin is back, so I wrinkle my nose at him, and he laughs before heading up to bed.

Bed!

That's right, it's time for bed, a bed I'll now be sharing with Alex. I swallow hard. "Shall we?" I say, gesturing to go upstairs.

"Ladies first," he says, mimicking my gesture.

I give a shaky smile and lead the way back to my room. I find my way easily in the dark, having had a lifetime of wandering this room. Alex, however, is not so lucky. I hear him bump into something with a painful grunt just as I turn on the bedside lamp.

"Mm mmm!" I see Alex with his lips pressed together and rubbing his hip. He must have bumped into my bureau.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, I should have waited until you turned on the light. I just followed you blindly."

"Just admit it, you'd follow me anywhere," I say, surprising myself with how flirty I sound. I blush at my own words.

He looks at me slyly and comes over to the other side of the bed. "I think that's safe to say. May I?" he asks, pointing to the bag that's on the bed.

I shake my head yes, not daring to utter another word at this moment, and he pulls out my brother's present for the baby.

"It really is an awesome gift," he says, holding up a little tiger cub stuffed animal. "I feel bad that I haven't gotten you anything."

"Don't be silly," I say, reaching out for the toy. Alex hands it to me, and I instantly hug it to myself. "You don't need to do something like that."

"I know I don't need to, Cat, but I'd like to," he says, as he reaches down for the bottom of his shirt to pull it off. His delightful abs are now showing and I stare for a second or two before I shake my head and ask, "What are you doing?"

He pauses and looks at me strangely. "Getting ready for bed?" he says hesitantly, probably wondering what he is doing wrong.

Of course, he wouldn't think it weird to undress in front of me. I've seen him in his boxers dozens of times, but it's still a little too much for me to handle. "Do you uh... do you own pajamas?" I ask.

He just grins and shakes his head no. "Is that a problem? If you prefer, I can sleep with my clothes on. I just get a little overheated at night, but if it makes you feel weird, I'll deal with it," he rambles.

I don't want him to be uncomfortable. It is bad enough having to share the bed. "No, you're fine," I say, hugging the stuffed animal a little tighter, wondering how I am going to survive this week with him nearly naked and snuggled up next to me.

He shrugs and says, "Okay."

He pulls his shirt off and takes the time to fold it before placing it in his bag. When he goes for his pants, I spin around, but not before hearing a muffled chuckle.

I put down the cub, grab my pajamas, and make my escape to the bathroom. He may be okay with undressing in front of me, but I most definitely am NOT okay with doing so in front of him.

My mind plays with the idea of what it might be like to undress for him, and then I pat my cheeks. Wake up, girl. Not going to happen. I quickly dress, brush my teeth, and wash my face.

Having stalled long enough, I return to my room just to find him standing there with his robe on. It's the one he let me borrow the day I left Liam, and Alex found me crying in his bathroom. I am ashamed of myself for being disappointed that he's suddenly covered up. I'm hopeless.

I notice the toothpaste and toothbrush in his hand. Of course, he can't very well go traipsing down the hall in just his underwear. He's staring at me and I feel so self-conscious. I wish I had brought my PJ's with bottoms instead of this T-shirt nightgown that only comes to my knees, but I didn't expect to be sleeping with anyone.

"Bathroom is open," I say, breaking the awkward silence.

He just nods and walks off. I exhale as I sit on the edge of the bed and pick up the little cub stuffed animal again. It really is a cute tiger cub with enormous eyes, and I simply adore it. My own stuffed bear has been my favorite gift from my brother until now.

I giggle quietly. "But it isn't mine, is it, Peanut? This little guy belongs to you. I won't forget, but I hope you don't mind if I snuggle with him. Well, just until you get here."

"Who you planning on snuggling with?"

Alex's voice makes me squeak because I didn't realize he had come back into the room.

He laughs and then he sees the cub in my hands and says, "Ah," before putting his toiletries away. "And here I thought... never mind. You talk to yourself often?" he asks, changing subjects.

He lies on the bed. I turn to look at him, realizing instantly it's a bad idea because he's lying there in just his boxers, his legs crossed at the ankle and his arms behind his head.

Why does he have to be so... so... is beautiful the right word to use for a guy? Even if it's a gay guy? I don't know, but it seems to fit.

I can't get over how awkward I feel. I lie down too and place the cub strategically between us. His eyes note the cub when he rolls over to look at me, and I watch the grin spread across his lips. Those wonderful lips.

My memory immediately brings to mind the way they felt when I kissed him or when I had dreamed we kissed, though it felt so real.

"I was talking to the baby."

His smile widens even further. "Ever wonder what the baby will be or what it will look like? How awesome would it be if it were a little girl, like you? I bet you were an adorable baby."

"I'll dig out a picture for you and let you decide," I tell him, smiling back.

"I'd like that."

My brows furrow. "You would?"

"Sure, to see a little KittyCat. KittyCat? I thought that was just William's nickname for you."

"He got it from my Mom when he stayed here with me. He liked it so much it kinda... stuck."

"It's cute," he tells me. His hand drifts absently over the tiger cub toy, stroking its fur, and I think, "Great! Now I'm jealous of a stuffed toy."

"I think your brother is right, though. Tiger fits you so much better."

I roll to my side so I'm now facing him. "Really? How so?"

"I don't know. You seem pretty fierce to me and cunning, and brave. You're obviously highly intelligent and you are definitely not lazy like a house cat... so, yeah, it suits you."

"Thanks," I say timidly, as I'm not really used to being talked about in such a fashion.

"I have to admit that I don't really feel brave. This entire situation has me feeling frightened most of the time. There so many unknowns and even more stressful moments I have to face, and I just keep saying I don't want to do it alone."

"As I told you before, being brave isn't being fearless, Cat. It is being fearful yet doing what needs to be done, anyway." He reaches over and tucks a stray hair behind my ear. Suddenly my mouth goes dry.

"I'm scared right now," I admit.

He looks at me in confusion. "Why now? What do you have to fear?"

"You," I say.

"Me?" He bolts up in bed, looking at me with deep concern. "Cat, I would hope that you have lived with me long enough to know you have nothing to fear from me. I would never..."

I sit up too, suddenly realizing he's got me all wrong. "No, no, I know you would never... it's just that I'm getting used to you being here, and leaning on you. I know there will be a time when I have to face being on my own and taking full responsibility, but it has been pretty wonderful. You've been pretty wonderful. I mean, you hardly know me, yet you've taken on a lot on my behalf and helped me more than you know."

His initial relief quickly turns into a frown. "What do you mean I hardly know you?"

I shrug. "Well, we've only known one another for a couple of weeks. It hasn't been a very long time is all."

He moves closer. My heart leaps, and my stomach feels like it's filled with Mexican jumping beans. "Oh, I know you, Cat, maybe even better than you know yourself."

I'm a bundle of nerves. I can't talk, or perhaps my brain has just shut down completely so I can't interrupt. He continues talking.

"You're a hard worker. You strive for perfection. You definitely are not a procrastinator. In fact, when there is a problem, you charge in ready to tackle whatever it is in front of you. You may feel scared, but you're a fighter, and you're willing to go the rounds for something or someone you care about, like William, and your brother. You look outside yourself for approval, but you shouldn't be looking to anyone, because you're perfect just as you are."

Tears sting my eyes, and Alex swipes one away that escapes my lashes. "Please don't cry," he begs. "I am trying to make you feel better."

"You do," I tell him. "Always. You have a gift for saying or doing just the right thing. I'm not used to someone talking to me how you do."

He frowns at me again. "Liam said nothing like that to you? You were together for six years!"

I scoff at the thought. "We met when we were sixteen. Our courting days were over before we were in our twenties. I can't imagine either of us was very eloquent with our words back then. Besides, Liam knew I wasn't going anywhere, so there was no need for flattery."

"Flattery?" Alex says, shaking his head. "It's honesty, Cat. Damn, I don't know why he'd let a day go by without telling you how incredible you are."

I sigh. "He isn't the only one to blame. I stopped complimenting him or even saying I love you a long time ago. I would encourage him in his goals and support his ideas, but somehow the little things just slip away."

Alex flops back onto the bed. "I guess it happens," he says thoughtfully.

I lie back down too but get under the covers because I usually feel cold at night. "Haven't you ever been with someone long term?"

He doesn't look at me, instead seems to contemplate something as he stares at the ceiling. "No," is all he says.

This takes me by surprise as he has all the makings of a true romantic, someone devoted to the idea of love and relationships mattering above all else.

"Really? Never?"

"Never found the right person, I guess. No, that's not true. I haven't really been looking, well, not until recently."

So, he's looking to make a long-term relationship with William. William is so lucky to have Alex's interest. To have Alex's love... I don't let myself complete that thought.

"You'll find the right one," I say encouragingly. "they may be even closer than you think."

He turns just his head and smiles that smile at me. The one that curls my toes.

"Maybe," he concedes.

I quickly turn away to reach over and turn out the light. "Good night, Alex."

In the darkness of my room, I hear, "Sweet dreams, Tiger."