I’ve been looking for Catherine everywhere and I’m trying to push away the feeling that something’s wrong. I keep waiting for her to leave me again, no matter how many times she says she loves me. She says I just need time to accept it, and maybe that’s true. I don’t care what holds us together, so long as she never leaves me.

I almost pass by the pile of two-by-fours and cans of paint, but then I catch sight of her out of the corner of my eye. She’s curled up in a ball on the reading nook I built for her. Each wall is a shelf for her books and there’s a giant window with a bench that I plan on padding for her. She’s curled up on the wood, napping.

“I gave you a fitting pet name, kitten,” I say as I pet her hair. She blinks a few times and yawns. She’s been tired from the move and from all the changes, but the one thing that stays the same is the look of devotion I get from her every waking moment. The move’s been good for her. She said she needed to be close to family. My familia. Our familia.

I have to admit it’s been good for her. For me, too. Which is surprising. Even Vince seems to be as happy as a pig in shit. And Catherine and Elle are thick as thieves when it comes to planning these fucking get-togethers she forces me to attend. Apparently having a girl that gets along well with everyone looks good for me and makes me more approachable. I’m still on my own when it comes to work, but that’s the way I want it.

I’m about to whip her ass though and she should know it. “You were supposed to be upstairs twenty minutes ago,” I tell her with a hard voice. She knows it’s play though. There’s a time for that side of me to come out, and right now, it’s time. She wanted to play, and so did I. She should’ve been there to greet me on her knees.

Her eyes go wide and she’s quick to pick up her phone. She checks it and shakes her head as she taps the screen and looks at her alarms. She winces and holds the phone up for me to see. She never turned the alarm on.

“I really hate to have to do this,” I say even though I fucking don’t hate it at all. She looks up with a bit of apprehension, but her eyes are full of lust and her legs subconsciously fall open. She knows she’s going to be cumming soon. She’s a spoiled pet. But I fucking love it.

I sit next to her on the bench and she quickly sits up and waits.

Since moving I’ve punished her ass at least a dozen times. Not for disobeying me, since she knows better than that. She deliberately disobeyed me once before we moved. She sought out Vince after I told her not to. I told her to leave it alone and let us break off from the familia. I thought it was best, but she defied me. My hand twitches remembering how I spanked her. I got her on edge and left her there, alone and crying. She took her punishment and waited for me to go back to her. It couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes. I’m not a man who makes love to a woman, but if I ever have, it was with her that night. And then of course I gave her what she wanted.

“What’s my punishment, Anthony?” she asks as she looks up at me with big doe eyes. She’s an awful actress. There’s nothing but excitement on her face.

“I set the bench up in the dungeon.” I can’t help but smile at her name for the basement. She bought a whip and a riding crop, stuck them in the corner on top of a bed and called it the dungeon. My little kitten is fucking adorable.

Her eyes glaze over with longing and she speaks in a breathy voice. “Yes, Anthony.” She loves that bench. I had to reinforce it because I almost broke it the last time I fucked her on it.

My brow furrows as she waits for me to lead her to the basement so she can take her punishment.

“Do you still want to play, kitten?” I ask her. After everything we’ve been through, I keep thinking one day she won’t want this. One day she’ll decide she doesn’t want this anymore.

“Always,” she answers. “I’ll always be your kitten, and you can be my bad boy.” She tells me like it’s a fact.

“Boy? No, kitten. I’m a bad man.” It’s the truth, and I wish she’d just accept it, but I don’t think she ever will.

Her eyes go soft and fill with sadness.

“You aren’t a bad man.” She shakes her head and it breaks my heart. I wish I’d never burdened her with my shit. None of that matters; it’s in the past where it belongs. And my sweet love is my future. It’s all for her.

“Bad boy?” I ask her. She’s gotta be fucking kidding me.

“It’s a genre of romance,” she explains.

Jesus Christ.

“Call me whatever you want, kitten, when we’re home. But please don’t call me your romantic bad boy in front of another human being ever.” That has her eyes filling with laughter and a silent giggle shaking her shoulders. That’s my girl.

I finger the ring in my pocket nervously. I just got it back from the jeweler. I had it custom designed for her to match her owl earrings. It took a little convincing, but now that she doesn’t fear losing them, she never wears anything else. I thought rubies in her engagement ring would be a nice touch. It’s the entire reason I wanted to play today. I need her to do this for me. We need this.

“You know you love it,” she teases me. As she says the words I slip the ring on her finger. She pulls back with a gasp and stares down at the diamond. She covers her mouth with her other hand.

“Marry me, Catherine.” I tell her simply. I want everyone everywhere to instantly know she’s mine. Always.

She nods her head as tears slip down her cheeks. She rises from her chair and wraps her arms around my neck as she says, “Yes, Anthony.”

“I love you, Catherine,” I whisper as I lean down for a kiss.

“I love you too, Anthony.”