Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

“She was dating an employee of mine and I snatched her right up,” Calvin says simply.
“After we broke up,” I add, so she doesn’t think I leapt off a smooth-sailing ship when I caught
sight of a better offer.
“Mm-hmm.” Calvin unwittingly mirrors his father, using his fork to slice off a bit of cheesecake,
too. “The man was a moron who didn’t appreciate what he had. He’s lucky I waited that long and
didn’t pluck you right out of his arms.” Glancing at his father, he adds, “Unappreciative men don’t
deserve to have extraordinary women.”
His father smiles a mad sort of grin like he’s close to losing it and shakes his head.
Wanting to spare poor Rose from another battle, I speak up again. “My cat loves him.”
Peter halts and stares at me across the table.
“The furry one,” Calvin says drolly. “Though I suppose the other one is fond of me, too.”
It takes a moment for what he said to land, then I stare at him in open horror. “Calvin! Oh my
god.”
He looks at me as if innocent. “What?” He holds my gaze, his eyes flashing with mischief.
“Marie loves me.”
Ignoring her son’s highly inappropriate comment, Rose says, “I’ve always loved cats. We used to
have a Chartreux named Misty. She just loved Calvin, she would follow him around everywhere he
went looking for a snuggle.”
“Damn thing always chased my feet,” Peter says.
“Do you have a picture?” Rose asks me.
“Oh, yes,” I say, eagerly pulling out my phone so I can show off my kitty.
“When’s the wedding?” his father asks.
“We haven’t decided yet,” Calvin answers. “There wasn’t really a lot of time to think about it
ahead of time. It probably sounds impulsive, I’ve never been one to spew lines like, ‘When you know,
you know,’ but after just a few weeks together…” He hesitates, then looks at me. “I knew I had to
marry her.”
My chest constricts, but not with anxiety this time. It’s the vulnerability in his gaze as he looks at
me now, like it’s the simple truth amid all his fuckery.
My heart aches, and I don’t even know why.
Since he’s sitting near me, it’s easy to reach across the table and cover his hand with mine.
And since my hand is covering his, I feel the tension hit his body the instant his father says,
“Doesn’t sound impulsive to me at all. By the end of the first date I went on with your mother, I knew
I’d marry her.” He smiles faintly at his wife and reaches over to touch her hand atop the table. She