Chapter 7
IVAN
There are only a few things that can keep me from showing up to work and seeing Maeve.
One of them is a nasty cold virus.
I wouldn’t dare risk getting her sick—and we’re not on that level yet where I can just text her all day, even though I want to.
I appreciated the get well soon text followed by a GIF of two cats hugging, though.
I sent her one back, an image of cat that looks just like Bean, its mouth open in delight and showing off pointed fangs.
It was agony being away from her, especially when I chickened out about asking her on our date.
But now I’m back, and I keep a goofy grin on my face the entire morning of my first shift at the clinic as her familiar scent wafts through the building.
“What’s you got you smiling so much?” Doctor Jolie asks me, her voice fond.
“Just glad to be back,” I murmur as I clip a particularly grumpy cat’s claws. Even the hisses and growls can’t deter me today.
I’m asking Maeve out. I’m doing it.
Her chamomile scent stays in the air, an ever-present reminder of how lovely she is.
I’ve worked up my nerves enough over the week that I’m prepared to ask for what I want.
And what I want is her.
Even Logan notices it when I assist him with taking blood samples.
“Feeling better?” he asks me.
“Yeah. Did you miss me?”
He chuckles under his breath. “Sure. I mean, entering my own notes wasn’t too fun.”
“Aw. That must have been difficult for you.”
“It was.”
Logan has never been the best with playful banter, but I appreciate him trying.
When I originally trained under him, the only time he spoke to me was to give me instructions.
Eventually, I learned he wasn’t an asshole, just painfully shy.
So, this? I’ll take any bit of social growth.
“By the way,” he adds after a few moments of silence. “I talked to her. To Maeve.”
My chest tightens at her name and my inner Alpha growls to life.
Mine.
“You did?”
“I got her coffee order like you told me to, then apologized,” he murmurs, his attention turned back to the computer. “She was receptive. She was…kind.”
“Receptive and kind are words I would use to describe her, yes,” I say patiently. “What did she say?”
He stops typing at the computer and turns his head, his eyes wistful. “She called me a cat super genius,” he says softly and with reverence.
Like it’s the most amazing, precious thing he’s even been told.
I raise an eyebrow. “I mean, you kind of are.”
But his gaze is far away with longing etched into his face. “She accepted my apology,” he says. “Easily.”
“That’s Maeve for you.”
With a shrug, he returns to the computer.
I watch him carefully, eyeing him with scrutiny.
“Maybe we can be friends,” he says quietly.
And there’s something in his tone, in the way his words trail off, that makes me pause.
I’ve never seen Logan date anyone, ever.
Never even heard of it.
“I’m sure you can,” I say, carefully watching his face.
Something flickers there.
Want.
Interesting.
Maeve deserves the world. She deserves a pack that treats her with respect, loyalty, patience, and kindness.
I like to think that I fit that criteria.
But I wonder if Logan would, too.
It’s a strange thought, but not an unwelcome one.
“I’m going to ask her out,” I declare, still watching his expression.
His jaw clenches, but other than that, he appears unbothered. He types on the computer, scanning through test results and notes he’s made on our cat patients.
“That’s good,” he says, making it a point to not look at me. “You’ve liked her for a while, right?”
“Yeah. She’s great. Deserves a big pack.”
He won’t look at me, and I smirk.
But before I can say anything else, he stands suddenly. “I think the two ragdolls with stomach problems are here,” he says quickly. “Their ultrasounds are scheduled today.” He strides out of the backroom and toward the exam spaces, and I watch his departure with a smile on my face.
Logan is attracted to Maeve.
I file the information in my head away for later, following after him to prepare for the next appointment.
We’re slammed up until an hour before closing, but it’s a good shift. Meeting new animals, interacting with pet parents that only want the best for the cats, and Maeve’s sweet scent to get me through it.
Fuck, I missed her.
Thankfully, she has the same shift as me today, so she’ll be getting ready to go home right when I will.
“You’re practically bouncing off the walls,” Ramona says, chuckling. “You’re more energized than usual.”
I shrug innocently. “Just about to put some plans into place.”
It’s something I should have done weeks ago, instead of overthinking it.
“Ooh.” Ramona waggles her eyebrows. “Is it what I think it is?”
I grin. “Possibly.”
Her eyes widen with delight. “It’s about damn time. Doctor Jolie and I had a bet going about when you two would get together.”
“What? You did? It was that obvious, huh?” My cheeks burn, but the smile stays on my face.
I’ve never been shy about how I feel about Maeve, but I didn’t realize my coworkers were taking bets on it.
“The coffees, the longing looks?” Ramona says knowingly. “Come on, Ivan. If I didn’t know you, I would have thought you two were together.”
Hopefully soon, I think.
Mine, my inner Alpha agrees.
“Yeah, well, wish me luck,” I say.
Ramona scoffs. “Like you’ll need luck.”
“Wish it anyway, Ramona, come on.” I’m still smiling like a lovesick teenager, high off the scent that’s wafting into the building that I’ve missed so much.
“Fine,” she says. “Go get em, tiger.”
Not even bothering to change out of my scrubs, I exit the clinic and take the few steps into Furs and Purrs next door.
When I enter, Maeve and Piper are at the front desk, picking dark tabby striped kittens out of a cardboard box. Piper is chatting with the woman that brought the kittens in, giving instructions on how to foster them.
Maeve is all smiles with pure delight on her face while she holds one kitten at eye level, speaking in a high, bright tone.
Mine.
When she sees me watching her, she beams, and I forget how to breathe.
“Ivan!”
Mine. Mine. Mine.
I head toward her, breathing in her delicious, tempting scent.
She holds out the kitten to me, her eyes warm. “Want to hold him?” she asks.
I want to hold you.
It’s always been difficult for me to say no to a kitten, though.
“Sure,” I say. “After you answer my question.”
Her brow furrows. “What’s up?”
“You want to go to the bookstore and get dinner?”
Piper, Maeve, the foster parent, and the cats all stop to look at me.
There’s a moment of silence where no one moves, and then…
“Hell, yeah. Took you long enough,” Maeve says, then hands me the kitten.
I’m greeted with a purr, and Piper gives me a knowing smirk.
“About time,” she says.
“Congrats,” adds the woman. “That sounds very sweet. You two have fun.”
I catch Alvin, who was watching the kittens with interest, slow blinking at me.
I want to kick myself for waiting so long to ask her out, especially now that I know another Alpha is interested.
I need to make up for lost time.