Chapter Thirty-Three Dare
W hen I got out to the garage, Piper was waiting beside Niall. I guess he’d intercepted her before she could get in. “I didn’t know you were on this morning.”
“James needed to swap to go to his son’s t-ball game.”
“Gotcha.”
After opening the backdoor, I eyed the booster seat. How the hell did it work? Fuck. I should’ve paid attention to when Callum put Julianna or the twins in one or when Rafe put Dario or Matteo in one. Even Quinn had a better advantage than I did because of Henry.
Throwing a helpless look at Niall, I asked, “Do you know how one of those work?”
“Not a clue.”
“Now I wish you hadn’t traded with James,” I grumbled.
Niall held up his hand. “Give me four more months, and I’ll be an expert.” After being around Summer, one of Isla’s friends from university, they’d married two years ago and were now expecting their first child.
Piper tugged on my hand. “I know how to do it.”
“You do?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I’s not a baby.”
“Right. You’re not.” Moving out of the way, I said, “Go for it.”
With fascination, I watched her hop in the back seat and climb into the seat. Effortlessly, she slid her arms into the strappy things before snapping them in the middle. When she was done, she gave me a cheeky look. “See?”
“Amazing job!”
“Tanks.”
Nodding at Niall, I then climbed into the backseat with Piper. As Niall gunned the SUV into reverse, I saw Ava was chatting with Nick and Brody on the front porch. “Wave to Mommy,” I instructed.
Piper happily waved both her hands as we pulled out of the driveway. Since Nick and Brody were with Ava, I didn’t worry about waiting for them to see her safely inside. Once we got on the road, I realized I was officially alone with my daughter for the first time.
And I had to admit, it was scary as hell.
“Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I just ate bweakfast.”
“Right.” I thought for a moment. “Are you thirsty?”
“Uh-uh.”
“Do you need to potty?”
“Uh-uh.”
Easing back in my seat, I said, “Okay then. I guess we’re good.”
Piper peered up and down at me. “Why are you sweaty?”
“Am I?” When she nodded, I replied, “I’m nervous.”
“What’s that?”
“Uh, well, I guess it’s like when you’re scared of something.”
Her blue eyes widened. “Are you scawed of kitties?”
I laughed. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Then whys you scawed?”
Because I’m losing my mind over how I can potentially fuck you up mentally and possibly physically. “I just don’t want to mess anything up and make your mommy not trust me.”
“You’s doin’ okay so far.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As we drove on, I found myself glancing at Piper. Sometimes I let my gaze fall on her for longer periods. Despite spending time with her last night, it still felt surreal that I was with my daughter. A child, who up until twenty-four hours ago, I had no idea even existed.
The more I looked at her, the more I saw myself and even Maeve in her. While Dario, Maeve’s son, was the spitting image of his father except for his dark auburn hair, her youngest son, Matteo, favored her more.
Pursing her lips, Piper asked, “Whys you looking at me like dat?”
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph this kid was too perceptive for her own good. “I was just thinking about how much you remind me of my sister.” Taking out my phone, I flipped to one from my childhood. Enlarging it on Maeve, I held it out to Piper. “That’s your Auntie Maeve.”
Her eyes bulged. “I’s her twin!”
I laughed. “Yeah, you are. She’s going to flip out when she meets you.”
“When can I meet her?”
“Today if you want.”
“Does her wive close?”
“Actually, she lives in New York with her husband and two sons, but I can take you on my plane to see her.”
Piper’s mouth gaped open. “You has a pwane?”
“I do.”
“Do you fwy it by youself?”
“No. I have a man who flies it for me.”
“Wow. I never been on a pwane.”
“Well, if it’s okay with Mommy, we can all take a trip to New York.”
Bouncing her in seat, she exclaimed, “A kitty and a pwane? What a big day!”
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. When we pulled up at the animal shelter, Piper unbuckled and got ready to hop out. “Whoa, wait a minute.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Just give Niall a minute to open the door.”
“Why can’t you?”
“Because I like for him to check the area before I get out.” When she giggled, I asked, “What’s so funny?”
“You’s a scawedy cat.”
Although I wanted to scowl at her summation of me, I laughed when I thought of how I looked through her eyes.
After Niall opened the door, I got out and then pulled Piper into my arms. “Put me down,” she instructed.
“You’re bossy like your mommy,” I mused, as I set her feet down on the pavement.
When Piper started to make a beeline for the shelter door, I grabbed her hand. “Hold on. Don’t go running off.”
“Okay, Dare.”
Niall fell in step behind us. When we got to the shelter door, I shook my head at him. “Just wait outside.”
“If you insist.”
Since I was momentarily distracted, Piper took it upon herself to go on inside the shelter. I quickly followed behind her. Two women at the front desk looked up at us. “Hello. We’re here to adopt a kitten,” I said.
An older woman with salt and pepper hair rose out of her chair. “I’ll be happy to help you.” As she came around the counter, she smiled at Piper. “Are you ready to take very good care of a kitten?”
“Uh, huh.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I corrected.
“Yes am,” Piper sort of replied.
“I think you’re going to make a very responsible kitty mom.”
“I pwomise,” Piper said solemnly.
The lady smiled. “Follow me.”
After tapping in a code on a keypad, she ushered her down a long hallway. High pitched whines and loud barking could be heard at the end of the hall. Piper must not have liked it because she tucked herself to my side.
The woman stepped into a large room on the left. It had row after row of cages. “These are all the kittens we have. Normally they would all be filled, but some of them are in foster homes. You’re more than welcome to look at pictures and then go and meet them.”
Chuckling, I replied, “Somehow I don’t think that is going to happen.”
As we started past the cages, a paw darted out followed by a plaintive meow. “Hiya, kitty!” Piper proclaimed as she waved to the orange and white kitten.
“That’s Creamcicle,” the woman pronounced.
It looked nothing like its name. As it continued trying to get a hold of her, I recoiled slightly. It was missing one of its ears, and the fur on its face was singed.
“What happened to that one?” I asked the woman.
Her eyes grew sad. “He and his littermates were being tortured by some teenagers when a good samaritan came upon them.
“Sick fucks,” I muttered, which caused the woman’s eyes to pop wide. “Sorry about that.”
She held up a hand. “It’s fine. I mean, I’m totally in agreement.”
As the kitten continued swatting at Piper, she giggled. “I want him,” Piper said.
“But you haven’t looked at the other kittens yet.”
“He wants me.”
Eyeing the disheveled kitten, I said, “I bet the others do too. Let’s take a look.”
When I eased her down the line of cages, the kitten wailed in protest. Piper took in the black ones and the calicos. She momentarily paused to giggle at a snoozing tiger striped. But regardless of how much she interacted, her gaze kept going back to the orange menace who continued screeching in her absence.
With a frown, she started back to his cage when I stopped her. “What about this one?” I questioned about a gorgeous white ball of fluff with ocean blue eyes.
She shook her head and headed back to the orange one. The moment she stood before him, he stopped wailing. “See. He needs me.”
“I’m afraid if you adopt him, you have to adopt his sister,” the woman remarked.
“What sister?” I asked.
The woman pointed into the cage. If it hadn’t been for the green eyes shining back at me, I would’ve never noticed the tiny fluff of black. “Her name is Cinder. They’re a bonded pair.”
‘“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means they can’t be without each other.” The woman stroked the boy’s head through the cage. “From what the good samaritan told us, he attacked the kid who was trying to hurt her. Despite being beaten and bloody, he was trying to save her.”
“Jayus,” I muttered under my breath. I must’ve been out of my fucking mind because as I eyed the kitten, all I could see was my brothers. And when I took in the cowering little female behind him, I thought of Maeve. All those years we defended her against our father came flooding back, causing my chest to ache.
“We’ll take them,” I pronounced.
Piper shrieked as she jumped up and down. “I get two kitties?”
“He needs a friend, right?”
She nodded emphatically. “Mm, hmm.”
“Then you can have them both.”
Taking the carrier from Piper, the lady opened the cage and put the orange menace inside first. The minute her brother disappeared, the little black fluff went into panic mode and began wailing. When he realized she wasn’t with him, he began fighting to get out of the carrier to get back to her.
Fatherhood had turned me into a complete pussy because I teared up. “Hurry up and put her in,” I commanded.
The woman gave me a funny look before she scooped up the black furball and put her with her brother. Instantly, they both chilled out.
“If you guys will follow me, there’s some paperwork I need you to fill out.”
“Why don’t you think of what to name them as I fill out the forms?” I suggested to Piper.
“They has names.”
The lady smiled. “While we give them names, you’re welcome to change them.”
Piper appeared thoughtful. “How about Cheeto and Blackie?”
I chuckled. “Great choices.”
After filling out the forms and paying the adoption fees, I also gave a fat donation to the shelter. While I was much more a dog person, I couldn’t help wanting to support them for the work they did for animals.
When we reached the car, Niall opened the door for us. At the cacophony of meowing, he cocked his brows. “You got two?”
“They’re a bonded pair, so they had to come together.”
He had the audacity to chuckle. “It was nice knowing you, mate.”
I scowled at him as I handed the carrier to Piper. “Ava didn’t say anything about only getting one cat,” I shot back.
“I think she expected you to have enough sense where she didn’t have to.”
“So you’ve been married two years and now you think you think you know everything?” I asked, as I climbed in the back with Piper.
“Obviously I know more than you.”
“Just shut up and drive us home.”
Piper gasped in the seat next to me. “That’s not a nice word.”
Great. Now I was getting shit from a three-year-old. “I’m sorry.”
“Tell him yous sowee,” Piper said pointing at Niall.
This child was going to be the death of me. “Sorry,” I grunted.
Niall had the audacity to grin back at me. “Drive us home,” I reiterated while resisting the urge to punch the grin right off his face.