19. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Noah
“ S nowy and Jasmine couldn’t have found a better home.” Pam grinned as she tucked the paperwork away and gazed at the two cats in the crate I just happened to have brought with me.
I’d completed the application online for the siblings.
Because I’d rescued from Safe Haven before, Pam had approved me right away.
They were also getting fuller. In fact, a mama cat and her seven kittens had just been rescued from a hoarder—along with eleven other cats.
I wanted to take mama and babies, however I’d managed to suppress the urge.
The family required constant care, and between my own brood, Christian, and my burgeoning business, I had too much going on.
Plus, Snowy and Jasmine—seven- and nine-year-old cats respectively, had been in the shelter for a while and really needed a forever home. Something Christian and I could absolutely offer .
I waved, then hefted the crate as I headed out. Neither cat was particularly huge, but their combined weight—along with the crate—was pretty heavy.
At the pet store, I grabbed a cart to put their crate in. The temperature outside was already warm, and the temperature inside the car would climb precipitously. I wasn’t going to risk them getting heatstroke.
As I stepped inside, Sam waved. “Hey, you’re back.”
“Yep.” I pointed to the crate. “And about to spend some serious dough.”
The gorgeous man clapped his hands. “Can’t wait.” The twinkle in his eye assured me that although he’d be happy for the sale, that wasn’t the only reason he did what he did. No, labor of love more likely. He gestured to the crate. “May I?”
“Absolutely.” I stood back as he made his way over.
“Their names?”
“Snowy and Jasmine.”
He chuckled. “Let me guess—the white Himalayan is Snowy. Is she a seal lynx point?”
I was impressed. The light tan stripes along the cat’s face and the color of her paws were pale enough to almost go unnoticed.
“She is. She used to be a queen, but she retired last year. Jasmine was just a plain domestic shorthair who lived in the house as well. The owner got sick earlier this year, and her medical bills are horrendous. She couldn’t keep the cats and so surrendered them as a pair. ”
“And now you’re rescuing them.” Sam placed a gentle hand on my arm. “That’s so good of you.”
For a moment, I simply started at my arm.
His dark skin was a shade lighter than mine.
The pads of his fingers were rough—clearly he was a man who worked with his hands.
He was just the sort of guy I’d have chosen in my previous life.
He appeared nice, though, so that was a bit different.
Not someone I had to try to change. “Uh, maybe can you show me to the cat aisle?”
“Sure. And I can help you pick out what you need.”
“Oh, as much as I appreciate that, I’ll be okay.”
“Really? I offer a discount to anyone who rescues an animal from Safe Haven.”
In that moment, I didn’t know whether to call bullshit or not. No question, he was hitting on me. The question was whether or not I wanted to be wooed by a stranger. A really cute, and apparently nice stranger, but I guy I didn’t know all that well.
Still, a discount was a discount, and even a few dollars helped—I could buy more stuff for the cats as well as a couple of squeaky toys for the dogs. I’d likely regret that decision when I wanted to get frisky with Christian—
Christian.
Huh.
By the time I had everything loaded in the car—with Sam’s help, I was tired. I just wanted to get home, get the cats settled, and maybe take a nap.
Preferably with Christian in my arms.
Christian’s never really had anything of his own in his life — he’s always been living for other’s expectations.
Whether marrying Laura, working for the family business, or just continuing to live at home — those were all things he did for other people.
Hell, moving to Foggy Basin was something he did for me.
So what did Christian really want in life? Was he really happy to settle with me and my growing menagerie? Could he spend the rest of his life working at a grocery store and be happy? Would it all be enough, or would he one day walk out the door like my father had?
Ouch. Christian is nothing like your father. If he got a woman pregnant, he would never abandon her. Just like he’s never going to abandon you…unless you send him away.
Or unless he met someone else.
That thought turned my stomach into knots. I didn’t want him to find anyone else. I wanted what we had to be everything he’d ever wanted. Everything that would bring him joy.
All I ever wanted was for someone to love me—and now I had that. Someone who would love me for me. Who would accept my collection of stray pets and help rather than be disdainful.
Really, at the end of the day, I just wanted someone who would be here for me. Someone who wasn’t going to quit, or cheat, or do a runner on me after just a few months.
Certainly, I hadn’t picked a single partner who fit that description.
And my mother hadn’t chosen a single man to be my stepfather who was a tenth of the man Christian was.
At some point, I’d probably have to examine why Mom and I continued to make such bad choices.
Because plenty of good men were out there—of all races—yet she and I had both fallen into a pattern of picking assholes who treated us badly and then, as often as not, walked out the door on us.
She deserved better.
I deserved better.
Doing something about her situation was damn near impossible. She was an adult—living her own life in a destructive way. I doubted very much I could get through to her.
But Christian, in his own way, had finally gotten through to me.
That realization might’ve only come after more pain—I’d never forget seeing those pictures of Leroy—but from that bitterness had risen something beautiful.
Something incredibly special. My best friend had found the courage to tell me how he felt. He’d laid his heart on the line .
I hadn’t rejected him—but I hadn’t embraced him either. How many times had I said we’re not dating, but … And then proceeded to do something that people who were dating might do? I wouldn’t blame Christian if he were confused.
You love him. You’ve always loved him — just in a different way. But now? The physical intimacy is nice, but you want more. You need more. You deserve more. So hurry the fuck along and tell him how you really feel.
The miles passed, and I fought the urge to put my foot to the floor.
I didn’t want one of Sheriff West’s deputies pulling me over.
Aside from the ticket I’d have to pay, I would also be later getting home to see Christian.
I doubted he’d found someone else today, but I needed him to know right fucking now how I really felt about him.
I pulled up to the gate, hopped out and opened it, then drove to the house. I jogged back to lock the gate and, by the time I got back to the car, Stormy and the puppies were doing their best to stick their noses in the crate. “Be patient.” I met Christian’s gaze. “I love you.”
“I know. I love you too. I was going to bake some chicken—very healthy—but I opted for tacos instead.”
“My favorite.”
“I know.” He gave me that sly smile.
I pulled him into my arms and kissed him soundly.
He molded himself against me.
We eagerly fought for dominance with the kiss. In the end, though, he let me win.
Finally, I pulled back. I met those beautiful green eyes and stared into them. “I love you. I mean, I really love you. I didn’t know what love was, but you’ve shown me every day for the last twenty years. I know I’m a little late to the party—you figured out the romantic love thing about, what…? ”
“Thirteen years ago. Give or take.”
I blinked. “You’re a patient man, Christian Carter.”
“You’re worth the wait, Noah Gainey.” He placed a quick chaste kiss to my lips. “The cat room is ready, so how about you introduce me to the newest members of the family and, after we get them settled, we eat tacos? Then I want to take you and the dogs out for a treat.”
I cocked my eyebrow. “A treat?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
Since I trusted him, I snagged his hand and brought it to my lips so I could kiss it. “Yes. Whatever you want.”
His eyes lit. “Great! Now…cats…?”
“Snowy and Jasmine.”
“Snowy and Stormy…well, life will never be boring.”
“Probably not.” I hefted the crate.
Christian grabbed the cloth bag with their toys and treats. With the other hand, he grabbed their large bag of food. “I’ll come back for the litter and the other bag.”
“It’s got the bowls and a few more things. I bought a cat tree, but we’ll have to take your SUV to get it.”
“We should consider swapping vehicles.” He followed me into the house and up the stairs—with our three dogs hard on our heels. Once he put everything he carried on the floor, he whistled and had three pooches dutifully following him.
I shut the door. “Okay, ladies, this is your new home.” I almost opened the crate, then decided to keep it shut until Christian returned with the last of the things. While I waited, I sorted through the bag and got the food organized.
He was back within just a few minutes. He put the litter box and bag of litter on the ground, then handed me the bag with the dishes. “ I’m going to put our lovely pooches downstairs in the family room so the cats aren’t scared out of their wits.”
After grabbing the three squeaky toys, I handed them to Christian. “Hopefully they’ll all enjoy and not try to steal.”
He eyed me.
I sighed. “Yeah, we’ll wait until after dinner.”
“Well…I have plans for us for after dinner.”
“Oh?”
“Yep. Food first, treat later.”
“Treat?” I cocked my head.
He wagged his finger. “Let me dish out dinner while you finish in here.” He placed himself before the crate—out of reach of any claws.
As I expected, none appeared.
“They’re adorable, Noah. Perfect additions to the family.”
“You mean, purrfect.” I elongated the r .
He rolled his eyes. “If everyone gets along, do you see them roaming the house?”
“I worry about Miss Esmeralda’s things.”
“Tomorrow I’ll tackle cat-proofing the rest of the house.”
After a slight hesitation, entirely mine, I pressed a kiss to Christian’s cheek. “Thank you.”
His cheeks turned a cute pink shade. “I want this too, Noah. We need to create our own menagerie. Our own family.” With that, he left, clicking his tongue, and with three dogs obediently following.
As I set out the litter box, and organized the food—on a desk that was easily accessible for the cats, but that even Stormy couldn’t reach—I tried to see our lives ahead of us. Would Christian still want me as time went on? Conversely, what if I got tired of him?
Even as I had the thought, my mind rebelled. Sam had flirted with me, and I hadn’t been the least bit interested. Before, he’d have totally been my type—except maybe too nice—but that was hard to tell after just a couple of meetings.
The point was—I had someone who professed to love me. Someone I could see loving in return.
I opened the crate.
As predicted, Snowy exited first. I’d guessed she’d be the braver of the two.
Jasmine, not to be outdone, soon followed.
Snowy leapt off the bed and headed to the litter box. She went inside, did her business, and then jumped out. Eyeing her food, she leapt back onto the bed and then to the desk where she dug into the wet food I’d put out.
Jasmine, having watched her sister with great interest, leapt onto the desk and started in on her food as well.
“I’ll drop in after dinner to check up on you and as well when I get home from…
wherever. Try not to destroy everything.
” I placed a small blanket in their crate and put the two beds on the human bed.
One was an enclosure and one was just a big basket.
Both had enough room for the two cats—should they choose to share.
“Dinner’s ready.” Christian’s voice carried through the closed door.
I eyed the cats. Snowy had finished her wet food and was eyeing the dry kibble. Clearly having decided that could wait, she leapt onto the bed and started nosing around the various beds I’d set out for them. She decided on the enclosure. She settled in and started licking her paw.
By the time I turned my attention back to Jasmine, she’d finished her food, nibbled on a couple of pieces of kibble, and met my gaze with her intense eyes.
“You’ll be happy here, I promise.”
She leapt down and headed over to the litter box .
I waited until she finished, then watched her as she leapt onto the bed. She made a beeline for her sister, and nestled herself into the enclosure as well.
Snowy grasped Jasmine’s head and started licking her ear.
Both cats purred so loudly, I could hear them—despite being several feet away.
They’ll be okay.
Maybe I will as well.
I headed down for dinner.