Chapter 40

▫️Christian’s POV...

The next morning, Titan showed up with the damn furball. I didn’t even touch it. That thing was smaller than the palm of my hand—hell, it looked like something I could feed to my dogs in one bite and they’d still be hungry. But whatever. Stella wanted it, and I wasn’t about to ruin her moment. I’m not *that* much of an asshole.

Titan shoved the thing into a box, and I took it from him.

I went straight to Stella’s room, and as soon as I walked in, I saw her getting ready for the day, looking cute as hell. My baby.

For a second, I forgot about the orange demon in the box.

But then it moved.

I swear, I felt the box twitch in my hands. That little bastard was alive, and it was already plotting my downfall. I could feel it.

Should I throw it out? No. Let's endure.

“Here’s your furball,” I said, placing the box on the bed.

She gasped, then jumped up and hugged me and kissed me,“Oh my god! Thank you, baby, you’re the best!”

I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle.  Damn it, she knew how to make me blush. I was trying to stay tough, but it wasn’t working. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm pretty awesome.”

Then, she did the unthinkable. She picked that dirty little thing up like it was some royal treasure and kissed it on the top of its ugly head.

That furball looking straight into my eyes. Like challenging me see your girl kissed me.

My nose wrinkled in disgust. “Ugh, you kissed that thing? It’s a rat with fur, not a freaking prince.”

She didn’t hear me, or maybe she was ignoring me on purpose. I wasn’t sure which. She held it out toward me, like she expected me to fall in love with the little beast.

“Nope. No way. I don’t do cats,” I said, backing away from the orange menace.

She raised an eyebrow, all smug. “Oh, come on, it’s just a little cat.”

"No."

“Baby, meet Christian,” she said sweetly, as if she was introducing us. “He’s your daddy now!”

My eyes went wide, and I pointed at the cat. “What?! I’m not its daddy! Hell no. I’m your daddy only, understood?”

She giggled, clearly not taking me seriously. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“I’m your impossible.” I flashed her a grin. “But, whatever. If you want this... furball in your life, I’ll tolerate it. Just keep it out of my bed.”

She nodded, looking at me like I was some kind of hero for tolerating the cat. “Thank you, babe. You’re the best!”

I shot her a look. “Don’t thank me. I’m not the one kissing the damn thing.”

She just laughed and went back to hugging the cat like it was her new best friend. Honestly, I didn’t get it. But if this was going to make her happy... well, I could suck it up.

And as I watched her happily bond with her new pet, I realized something. I'm doomed.

... Later...

When I walked into my room late that night, I wasn’t surprised to find Stella sitting on the floor with that fur ball of a cat. What did catch me off guard was Nick sitting there too, casually petting the creature like he had no better place to be. The cat apparently kept meowing nonstop. Just meow, meow, meow. It was like a toddler demanding attention.

Stella looked up, her face lighting up as she informed me, “We have a few options for her name, help us out.”

“We can name her furball,” I said, trying to sound casual.

She shook her head. “No. Listen, choose one. Mango, Sunny, or Pumpkin.”

I couldn’t help but think about it for a second.

Mango? Too sweet.

Sunny? Too cheery.

But Pumpkin? It was ugly.

That’s why I picked it. I didn’t even bother to tell her the real reason, though. I was being a little devil.

“Pumpkin,” I said quickly, not even thinking twice.

Stella’s face lit up. Without waiting for a second, she lifted the furry trophy. “She is Pumpkin Knight!” she announced, like she was presenting the Queen of England to the world.

I froze. “What the fuck? Don’t give her my last name.”

Stella didn’t miss a beat. “Okay babe, but will you give me your last name?” and then blinked her eyes at me with her cute face.

I felt my cheeks heat up, and heart racing. I couldn’t help it. “Of course, it’s only yours, baby,” I blurted out. She had me. Always had me.

She smirked, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Then I’ll give my baby Pumpkin the last name, and don’t you dare deny it.”

“You are cunning, Stella,” I said, crossing my arms.

She winked at me. “Learned from you.”

Nick, who had been watching the whole exchange, started laughing. “I’m getting a badge for her neck with the name Pumpkin KNIGHT,” he said, clearly on Stella’s side.

I just groaned and dropped my head back. “You’re all ridiculous.”

Stella winked at me. "You’re just jealous, Pookie."

It was hard to stay mad when she called me that. I tried to stay tough.

Pumpkin Knight. I should have thrown her out that day.

She laughed, but Nick, ever the dramatic one, rolled his eyes, said goodnight, and left the room.

I then obviously said so put the cat in her room and let's sleep.

She then put that furball on my bed.

I stared at her in awe. She actually brought the cat on my bed.

“Stella,” I started, trying to keep calm, “you know I said no cats in the bed, right?”

She looked up with those innocent eyes that made me want to punch a wall. “She’s just a baby! She can’t sleep alone. She’ll get scared. And call her by her name.”

I crossed my arms. “No. The cat ..I mean Pumpkin might pee on the bed. Even I have three dogs, and I’ve never invited them into my bedroom and kissed them all over.”

She pouted, and before I could steel myself, pumpkin joined her with those same pleading eyes. It was a team effort, and it was working. I could feel my resolve slipping. How can two living beings simultaneously be so adorable and so irritating?

“Fine,” I sighed. “But she’s not sleeping in the middle.”

Stella broke into the happiest grin, her laughter soft and musical. “Okay, okay! She won’t sleep in the middle.” She placed the cat on the floor, then disappeared into the bathroom to change into her nightdress.

While she was gone, I changed the sheets and blankets because, honestly, the idea of sharing my bed with a shedding furball was already testing my patience.

When Stella returned, I grabbed my clothes to change as well. By the time I came back, Stella had already crawled into bed, and surprise, surprise—the cat was nestled comfortably on my bed. That shit.

The sleeping arrangement? Me on one edge, Pumpkin on the other,( I might kick her down at night) and Stella, my baby smack in the middle.

We talked for a while as usual. It had become a habit—me summarizing my day for her, telling her about the chaos I’d dealt with in the mafia world. Tonight was no different.

“By the way,” I added, leaning closer, “you should learn some self-defense. You know, in case someone tries to approach you.”

She grinned, clearly amused. “I already know knife fighting.”

I blinked. “What?”

She giggled, clearly enjoying my shock. “Yeah, I’m pretty good too.”

“Okay,” I said, recovering quickly. “Then you deserve a knife as rare and beautiful as you. Something you can carry with you all the time.”

She beamed, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t say no to gifts, you know.”

We laughed, and the silly conversation drifted on until her eyelids grew heavy. Eventually, she fell asleep in my arms, her soft breaths the only sound in the room.

As I lay there, Pumpkin meowing softly in her sleep, I glanced down at Stella.

The light of my eyes. My chaos in human form. She could drag a cat into my bed, throw my rules out the window, and still, I’d do anything to see her smile.

And for some reason, I didn’t even mind.