In memory of Nicole Lewanski

Cat
People
and its sequel, 
The Curse of the Cat People.
“I thought we could spend Christmas in bed watching them instead of the
Christmas shit they have on TV.”
“I thought the bed was off limits for us.”
He took a step toward me and put his hands on either side of my waist. “Well,
during World War I they had a truce on Christmas Day. The Germans climbed
out of their trenches and came over to say hello to the Allies. They even played a
friendly game of soccer.”
“What on earth are you talking about, Rad?”
“Clearly, if they can manage a truce on Christmas Day, then I think we can
too.”
He tilted my chin with the crook of his finger and kissed me. All of a sudden, I
was struggling to catch my breath. My hands tugged at his shirt, and he reached
down, pulling it up over his shoulders. I nuzzled his neck as he unzipped the back
of my dress until it fell to the floor with a soft rustle. He got onto his knees and
kissed my bare stomach. “Jesus, Audrey,” he said, letting out a deep breath.
“You’re a goddess.”
“W
HERE
DID
YOU
get that banner?” I asked later. We were stretched out on the
bed, my leg flung carelessly over his.
“That old thing has been in the family for seven generations.”

---

I laughed. “You’re such a moron.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Do you want it?”
“Yes, but I don’t know if you should be giving me family heirlooms just yet.”
“You’re right. Great-grandma Clark would be rolling over in her grave right
now.”
We were quiet for a few moments.
“I should get back on the pill,” I said absentmindedly.
“Don’t. Get pregnant.”
“Shut up.” I broke into laughter.
“I’m serious,” he said playfully. “Have my baby.” He reached out and put his
palm flat on my tummy.
“Stop it.” I brushed his hand away.
He reached over again and began tickling me.
“Rad, seriously! No! Rad—” I shrieked between fits of laughter, trying to fight
him off. “Stop it! Rad! Stop it right now! I will kill you—I swear.”
Somehow, I managed to get on top of him, pinning his arms back. “Nipple
cripple!” I declared, reaching for his chest.
“Don’t you dare!” he cried, grabbing my wrist. We were laughing so hard at
this point I could barely catch my breath. We wrestled around for a moment, and
before I knew it, he had me in a vice-like grip.
“Truce?” he said, breathing hard.
“Okay, okay, truce.”
He released me from his iron grip, and we lay there quiet, staring up at the
ceiling. He reached over and took my hand. “Seriously, though, don’t you ever
think about it?”
“About what?”
“You know, kids.”
“Sure, but there’s so much I want to do first. I mean, my mother had me in
her early twenties, and I think part of her feels as though she missed out on so
much because of that. When she talks about her life before I was in the picture,
she gets this look in her eyes, like she’s yearning to go back. I’ll bet if given the
chance, she would do it in a flash.”
“I think my mum was the same in that she wanted something more from her
life. Something neither Dad nor I could give her—a kind of fulfillment, I
suppose. Not that she didn’t do a great job with me, under the circumstances.
But I think she must have felt like she walked into something she couldn’t get
out of. I always sensed that she felt trapped in a life she never would have chosen

---

had she known any different.”
“That’s what I mean. It takes time to find out who you really are. I think it’s
important to get that part right before anything else.”
“Absolutely. I know it’s one of those things people roll their eyes at, but I do
believe you have to figure out who you are before you take on that kind of
responsibility. I always wonder what my mum’s life would have been like if she
didn’t have me. Maybe she would have gone on that road trip, and somewhere
along the way, she might have realized that she didn’t want the white picket
fence or that she preferred women over men. Even though she got there in the
end, she had to go through hell for it.”
“That’s something I am going to do my best to avoid.”
“Me too, though it’s not hard to imagine how it can happen, especially the
way I feel about you. I like the idea of the two of us in a little house by the sea
with a brood of our own—maybe a dachshund or two. But I know there’s no
rush.”
I laughed. “You know I’m a cat person.”
“Okay, how about a Shiba Inu? They’re very catlike dogs, apparently.”
“How about a cat?
“You can have as many cats as you want.”
“Can I have that in writing?”
He laughed. “I’ll get my lawyer to draw up the papers.”
I put my head down on his chest. “Why are you so good to me?”
“Because you’re the only girl in this world who can make me happy. Other
than Lexy Robbins, of course.”
“Idiot.”
Rad combed his fingers gently through my hair. “Do I make you happy?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, that’s all I want to do.”
I tipped my chin up to kiss him. I could never get tired of kissing him. “Well,
you’re doing exceptionally well so far,” I yawned.
“Tired?” Rad asked. I loved the weight of his body next to mine.
“Uh-huh. I think I’m falling asleep.”
“Audrey.” His voice was like a lullaby, and I could feel my eyelids growing
heavy.
“Mmmm,” I murmured.
“Merry Christmas.”

---