Page 106 of Catching Feeling

“Come here, you three,” Hallie sighs, waving them over as we stand from the rickety chairs and face them.

Their expressions are so worried and nervous that I can’t help but laugh a little.

“It’s okay. My mom’s okay. She’s pretty banged up, but she’s okay.” The guys take turns each giving me a big hug. First Eli, then Lane, and Grant last. His tall, lanky body wraps around mine for a lingering squeeze.

Meow.

My eyebrow shoots up. Was that… did he meow?

Grant’s expression turns panicked as he leans away to rearrange his hoodie carefully before flitting his gaze back to me.

Meow. Meow.

Oh my god. Is that an actual cat?

“Did you… sneak … Boo in here, Grant?”

The satisfied smirk on his lips is my answer. He darts his eyes around like he’s checking to make sure no one’s watching, then pulls the front of his hoodie down slightly, revealing my baby girl curled up on his chest, staring up at me with her wide yellow eyes. I can hear her purring from here.

My god, these guys are out of their minds. Who sneaks a cat into a hospital?

I reach forward and scratch her head lovingly.

“I figured you would wanna see her, and we didn’t know how long we’d be here and didn’t want to leave her alone. She’s actually an angel, and I think she might love her Uncle G the best,” he jokes. His long finger strokes her head, and she rubs it against him, eyes dropping closed. “Actually, I know she does.”

“It is kinda weird how she’s taken to him,” Eli mutters, running a hand over his short blond hair that’s slightly darker than his brother’s.

Grant smirks, dipping his broad shoulder in a shrug. “What can I say? I’m a pussy magnet.”

We all groan in unison at his terrible joke, and it only makes him smirk harder, a full smile that lights up his whole face. “What? You can call me a pussy connoisseur if you must. All the pussies love me.”

“I’m done,” Lane grunts. He steps in and gives me a slightly awkward but sweet pat on the shoulder. “You need anything, Viv, you know where I’m at, ’kay?”

“Yeah. I do. Thank you.”

When he steps away, Eli sweeps in and gives me another quick hug before saying, “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much lately, but you know I got you always. Except don’t put me on the cat-sitting list. I don’t think the cat likes me.”

Hallie giggles, and Grant interjects, “Bro, you’re not watching Boo. You don’t even know how to warm her food up just how she likes it.”

Eli’s eyebrow shoots up. “In… the microwave? Press Start?” He rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, but for how long? You’ll burn her tongue if it’s too hot. And she needs her favorite dish,” Grant says, a dead serious expression on his face.

Jesus Christ.

“Okay, enough. No fighting over Boo,” I tell them with a stern look, biting my lip to keep from laughing. “In all seriousness, thank you for being here for me. Thank you for showing up tonight.”

“We got you, Viv,” Grant says, still petting Boo discreetly.

“Yeah, we’re family. It’s what you do,” Lane adds. When he reaches out to pet Boo too, Grant slaps his hand away.

Reese has created another cat daddy monster.

I feel Hallie slide her hand into mine and squeeze reassuringly. “We’re here for you, Viv.”

I nod.

From this point forward, I make a promise to myself, and to them, that I’m done shutting out the people I love when all they want to do is support me, especially when I’m going through hard things.

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