Page 5 of An Endless Memory

“This is indeed Cali,” I explained. “She’s in charge, and this is Lily’s son, Kellan.”

“We have different moms,” Cali informed us.

Both Wilder and I blinked at her, unsure how to respond.

I was the first to recover. “Cool.” Was the dad different or the same? None of my business, but I was curious. Wilder said Lily was a single mom. “Wilder and I have the same mom and dad, but I’m the better brother.”

Wilder narrowed his eyes at me. “Better at lying maybe. I’m gonna go check on Lily.”

Lily came to a stop behind Wilder, her gaze wide, taking us all in, finally landing on me, then dropping to her son. “I can take him.”

She scooted around Wilder. She wore a different gray scrub top, but there were faint disks of moisture soaking through.

I handed Kellan over. His volume decreased, and he turned his face into her chest.

“We have everything to change his diaper ready to go in the office. His clothes are damp,” I said.

“The extra was dirty,” Cali announced. Loudly.

Lily’s shoulders drooped. “Oh, right. I have to wash that. Come on, Cali.” She led her daughter out and stopped right outside the door. “I’ll be in the office for a little while.”

Cali peeked around her. “Feeding Kellan with her boobs.”

Lily briefly shut her eyes and sucked in a breath. When she opened them again, she looked at my chest. “Thanks.” Then she was gone, closing the door behind her.

Wilder and I stared at the door for a moment.

“Be right back.” Wilder disappeared. When he returned, he had a broom and dustpan. He scanned the mess. “I take it you didn’t shut the door?”

“No, but I met Bug the Dalmatian.”

He grunted. “He’s a lot of dog.”

“I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself to Lily.”

“Yeah, she’s…got her hands full.”

She was a cute disaster but a woman who had to juggle a lot of responsibilities. Just the type I stayed far away from.

Lily

It’d been two days since my milk letdown in front of the hottest man I’d ever set eyes on and the mortification was only starting to wane. I’d started wearing two breast pads in my bra to keep from having another accident. Not only had I looked incompetent at my job—again—I presented like a walking calamity.

I hadn’t even been walking. I’d been running after Bug, and I hadn’t even been able to catch him. Mr. Melt My Granny Panties Off had to do it.

I was cleaning out the holding cages when my boss appeared at my side. Her long blonde braid was wrapped around her head. She always appeared so calm and serene. I’d hear cats screaming from her exam room, and she’d walk out nonplussed. As for the cat, it’d have gotten its shots, its ears swabbed, mite treatment rubbed in those ears, and a rectal temp taken. Sutton didn’t need people catching dogs for her.

Someday, I’d have my shit together.

“Can I talk to you for a minute, Lily?”

Her voice might be sweet, but tears pricked the backs of my eyes. I was going to get fired. All weekend, I’d cared for Bug and the other furry guests that were stuck until Monday, but the one time I’d messed up, there’d been witnesses. Her husband and, judging from the resemblance, one of his brothers.

The better-looking brother, if I had to say so. I wouldn’t ever speak my thoughts out loud. Wilder was handsome enough. Ruggedly hot, if I were into that kind of thing. But I wasn’t. Carter, my ex-husband, had ruined good-looking men for me.

Wilder’s brother could get a girl out of her man-hating era. He could help a girl forget she was about to lose the job she’d moved to another state for in order to have a fresh start. Back to the beginning, so to speak.

The beginning of another end.

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