Chapter 171 - A Small Family of Three

Damien tried to convince Katherine to go home instead of waiting in the Pet Hospital but she insisted on staying there. She scared herself when she kept on reading articles online regarding toad poisoning in dogs and there were a bunch of stories from pet owners about how their dogs ended up after an incident.

Damien took her phone from her as it only stressed her up even more. He could see how much she was affected by it and he definitely understood why.

"Hey, I was reading—"

"No, Katherine. You need to calm down… I'm sure it's not that bad." He pulled her to lean on the backrest of the sofa and held her hand. Even though Bear had only been with them for three weeks, getting attached to him was natural.

A couple of hours later, Damien and Katherine were finally able to see Bear in better shape. The veterinarian told them that thankfully, it wasn't that serious. But because it was summer, there were a lot more frogs and toads in the area so they just had to be more cautious about the more poisonous toads. 

When they got back home, it was already around noon. They placed Bear on his bed and where he stayed for a couple of hours before he came back to his old self – playful and full of energy.

After eating lunch, Damien just finished freshening up when he came downstairs and saw Katherine playing with Bear in the kitchen. She looked up and flashed him a smile before grabbing her bag to head out to the office.

"Bye baby… You be a good boy okay?" she said as she gave him soft pats.

Damien closed in and placed a hand on her arm, stroking it as he gave her a gentle smile. He watched as she tentatively fixed her bag on her shoulder, her eyes lingering on Bear that was on her feet. It was obvious that she did not want to leave him. His heart warmed at the sight and so he told her, "Why don't you take the day off?"

"No, it's okay… I'm fine, it's just one more day before the weekend anyway."

"I insist… You were pretty much shaken up earlier. You could use a rest… and maybe keep an eye on him — hopefully, there will be no more worrying symptoms. I know you won't be at ease and you'll just get distracted at work thinking about Bear."

Katherine's eyes shifted back to Bear and the little brown ball of fur wagged its tail at her. Damien could swear he thought Bear was being extra clingy to her because she saved his life. "You think so?" she probed.

He circled his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, placing a kiss on her forehead as he said, "Yes. Don't worry about anything else and just relax for the rest of the afternoon. I'll see you tonight?" 

"Thank you…" She nodded and pulled him in for a tight hug, kissing his cheek before they pulled away.

After saying goodbye, Damien went to the company while Katherine stayed at home. She didn't know what had gotten into her and why she reacted the way she did earlier. It was the first time in five years that she had felt really scared about losing something. There was this inexplicable feeling deep within her that was attached to Bear in ways she did not know she had.

She felt a little silly and laughed at herself but she couldn't help it… She wondered if she would feel the same way one day about her and Damien's child.

Then her eyes opened so wide, she looked like she had seen a ghost. Why was she suddenly thinking about having a child with Damien?! The idea of having a baby with the man she loved made her blush and her mind ran wildly, giving her images of a small family of three… maybe four… what about five? Or six? She gasped.

Katherine's head turned from left to right as though she envisioned cute little Damiens and little Katherines running all over the house. She had to shake her head to brush off the ridiculous thoughts.

"Are you okay, Ms. Katherine?" Rose asked when she appeared from the garden – she had cleaned the place and tried her best to make sure there were no more frogs or toads in the area. "You look a little red…"

"Uh… I… Yeah… I'm okay." She gulped before standing up and heading towards the stairs. "I'm going to change my clothes. Thanks for the lunch, Rose." 

…

The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur and the sky seemed to darken so fast. Damien had to meet with a business partner for dinner that night so he arrived home in the Pearl Gardens late.

Stepping inside the living room, he was about to walk up the stairs when his eyes caught sight of some figures by the sofa. His brows raised as he took in the sight of Katherine and Bear all cuddled up on the floor, her back leaning against the sofa while Bear laid by her lap.

Bear was staring at him and wagging its tail. Normally, Bear would excitedly greet him and jump on his feet whenever he arrives but it seemed like the fluffy furball was determined to be on Team Katherine and remained stuck next to her — though Bear's happiness couldn't be contained, what with how fast his tail was dancing.

Quietly, Damien walked over and crouched down on the floor next to Katherine and that's only when he noticed that there was a cake on the table. He looked at it and read the words written on top: "Welcome home, Daddy. - Bear" There was a little heart next to Bear's name. He chuckled upon seeing it. And without hesitation, he dipped a finger on the side frosting and put it in his mouth. 

He dragged his gaze towards Katherine and silently watched her sleeping peacefully. He was now sitting on the floor and had covered her legs with his coat. Damien remembered what Rose and Felix told him earlier about how Katherine reacted and handled the situation regarding Bear. A tinge of beautiful pain shot through his heart as he thought of how amazing she was. 

He knew that she had such a good heart as he had gotten to know her deeply all throughout their relationship but that day, he saw her in a different light. It was a different side of Katherine that he definitely loved. And with the way that his mother treated him during his childhood, he was certain that Katherine was a hundred times more motherly as seen from the way she cared for Bear for the past few weeks.

Without realizing, Damien had raised his hand up to her face and his fingers brushed on her cheek causing her to wake up. When Katherine fluttered her eyes open and saw him before her, she smiled ever so sweetly at him, matching his gentle gaze with her own loving one.

Seeing the warmth of her expression, he suddenly realized what he had been wanting all along. Damien leaned and pressed his lips on hers, kissing her tenderly before pulling away and looking into her eyes as he said, "Let's get married."