Chapter 11
ELEVEN
I slam the door to my truck as I get out and head towards the house, the rain continuing to drench my clothes like it has been all fucking day. The never-ending downpour and thick fog made for a horrible day on the water, and I’m soaked, cold, and in the worst fucking mood. It took all day to haul in our catch, get it to the buyer’s station, and get back to the marina. Now it’s almost 5:00PM, which means I’ve run out of time to tackle the other jobs on my list. So it looks like I’ll be spending the evening in the workshop.
A wave of warmth washes over me when I enter the house, and I close my eyes and release a breath as I finally get some relief from the cold rain. As I kick off my boots and shrug out of my jacket in the entryway, I peer into the kitchen and notice a soft glow coming from the living room. I move further into the house and see a fire crackling in the wood stove, and Liam sitting on the floor in front of the couch.
My brow furrows as I pause in the kitchen, taking in his slumped posture. His head is down and his back is turned to me as he leans against the couch, which partially obstructs my view of him. My heart quickens as I step closer, flashes of him reaching into the fire flickering in my mind, until he lifts his head and our eyes meet.
“Hey,” he says, then quickly glances to the floor in front of him with a guilty expression. “Um, so… I probably should have checked with you first…”
It takes me a moment to catch up to what he’s saying as relief floods through me, and I step into the living room. Then I look down at the floor where he’s sitting, and see a tiny black kitten swatting at the toy Liam is dangling.
Liam looks up at me again, and I cock an eyebrow at him. This is not at all what I was expecting.
“I found her in the barn when I was getting spackle,” Liam says, eyeing me as he waits for my reaction.
I step closer, and the kitten looks up at me. One of her eyes is red, and looks like it has some sort of ointment on it.
“Is she ok?” I ask.
“Yeah.” Liam nods, turning his attention back to her as she starts playing with the little toy mouse again. “I took her to the vet. They confirmed she is a girl, and probably about eleven or twelve weeks old. She has an infection in her eye, but we got some drops to clear it up.”
I watch him as he picks up another toy that has a ribbon hanging from it, and she goes into attack mode, dramatically falling onto her back and reaching up with her little paws to grab at it. Liam chuckles, smiling down at her as she kicks her back legs at the ribbon, and I can barely hold back my own smile at the sight.
Of both of them.
“I didn’t know what to do with her,” Liam says, looking up at me again. “I don’t know if you want a cat in the house, but, with the rain…”
I lower myself onto the floor across from Liam, and the kitten watches me curiously. Then she bravely walks over to me, and playfully attacks my fingers as I wiggle them for her.
I smile down at the ferocious little beast. “It’s no problem.”
We’re both quiet for a bit as we watch this tiny cat chaotically play with anything and everything in her sight. And as I sit here in peaceful silence, feeling the warmth from the fire and listening to the rain on the window, with Liam and this little terror… the frustration from today starts to fade away.
“I wonder where she came from,” I ask, chuckling as she does an epic somersault while trying to catch the little mouse toy Liam tosses across the floor.
“I don’t know,” Liam says, glancing up at me. “She was just sitting in the pile of ropes and bobbers. I don’t know how long she was there.”
“Probably made for a nice little hideout,” I say, watching her as she climbs up on Liam’s knee.
He pats her head, and she nuzzles against his hand. “Did you like it in there?” he asks her softly, and my heart damn near explodes.
Watching him with her, I feel like I’m seeing the real Liam. He’s been showing more of himself the longer he’s been here, but a big part of him has remained hidden. Right now, though… I don’t think it is. And he’s exactly what I expected. He’s sweet, caring, gentle, and unguarded, displaying a vulnerability that has my attraction for him growing by the second.
“But I’m leaving for work in a couple days, so… we’ll have to find her a home,” Liam says, his smile falling as he keeps his eyes on her while she purrs and rubs against his knee.
And my heart sinks.
I watch the kitten for a moment before I shake my head. “No.”
Liam looks up at me and I smile as I see a flicker of hope in his eyes.
“She looks pretty comfortable here. And…” I shrug, reaching out to pat her, “I’m getting used to not coming home to an empty house every night.”
A gentle smile forms on his lips as we continue to hold each other’s gazes for a moment, and something passes between us. I’m not sure what it is, but it feels like some sort of unspoken connection, and a comforting warmth lingers between us.
Until we both bring our attention back to the kitten between us.
“She needs a name,” Liam says.
I nod, subtly blowing out a breath and trying to ignore the need to look into his eyes again. “She does.”
We watch her as she starts playing again, and Liam chuckles, gently poking at the little white tip of her tail. “She looks like a little bobber.”
I laugh, taking in the cute marking as she swishes her tail back and forth, ready to attack the ribbon Liam slowly drags across the floor. “Bob doesn’t quite work for her, does it?”
“No,” he laughs. “It doesn’t.”
I lean back on my hands, watching as Liam continues to drag the ribbon around, and the kitten chases it. “I’m not the best at naming anything, let alone an adorable kitten. Leave it up to me and she’ll end up being Miss Bobber, or something.”
Liam’s eyes meet mine, bright with amusement and joy as his smile lights up his entire face. “I think Miss Bobber suits her quite well.”
I smile back at him, taking this moment to study his face and the happiness written all over him, hoping I’ll get to see even more of it. “Miss Bobber it is then.”
Liam lowers his gaze from mine as the kitten heads over to the water and food dishes he’s set up for her, and I look around to take in everything he bought for her today. Dishes, food, toys, litter box… She’s all set.
But then I feel his eyes on me once again, and I shift my attention back to him.
His gaze roams over my wet hair and down to my damp shirt, where the rain leaked through my jacket. “How was it today?”
A small sigh escapes me as I look out the window behind him, where it’s still pouring. “Honestly… it fucking sucked.”
I bring my gaze back to Liam, his forehead creased with concern. But a smile tugs at my lips as I look into his icy blue eyes, alive with emotion, and so much behind them that I wish I could understand. Yet on some level, I feel like I already do. There’s no denying it now that I have a thing for him. And as much as I know I need to fight it, I can’t fight this moment of weakness as we sit here with a rescued kitten that now belongs to us… and with him looking at me like that.
“But… it’s better now,” I say quietly.
The concern in his face fades, replaced by a soft smile as he keeps his eyes on mine. “Same.”