Page 3 of Give Me Three

Sighing, I toed off my shoes and padded in my socks to the sofa, which was just sitting in the middle of the living room floor. I laid back on it, grunting at the pain in my back.

I was getting too fucking old. And sleeping on this couch wasn’t going to help my back pain one damn bit.

Tomorrow, I’d find the box with my painkillers in it, and then, I’d tackle the disaster of boxes and furniture that awaited me.

I hoped whoever figured out that coffee beans made this amazing drink lived a long, fulfilling life before they passed away. They deserved to.

I lifted the mug to my lips as I skimmed my eyes over my backyard, swallowing back the painkillers I’dfinallyfound after finding the box labeledBATHROOM, which had taken a good thirty minutes. The couch hadn’t helped my back at all, and I’d slept like shit on it, too. Maybe it was time to buy a new couch and throw that one out?

It was a problem for another day.

A tiny little meow met my ears, and I frowned, pausing with my coffee mug poised halfway to my lips. When I heard it again and saw something moving in the overgrown flowerbed beside the patio, I set my coffee down on the concrete and walked over.

“Here, kitty-kitty-kitty,” I gently called, crouching down.

A tiny little meow greeted me again. I dropped to my knees and moved an overgrown rose bush aside, avoiding the thorns as much as possible. A tiny little grey kitten, probably not even old enough to be away from its mother, peered up at me through pretty, blue eyes. A soft smile tilted my lips.

“Hi, little one,” I said softly, reaching out to pick it up with my other hand. She was so small, she fit in my palm. I brought her to my chest and stood up, leaving my coffee where it was as I carried her into the house. “You’re a cute little thing, huh?” Iasked, rubbing the top of its head with my finger. She purred. “Let’s get you to a vet.”

I grabbed my phone off the kitchen bar, and while still holding her cute, fuzzy body to my chest, I pulled up a list of vets local to me, choosing the one closest.

Dr. Eros Hendrix.

“Alright,” I murmured, pocketing my phone and grabbing my car keys. “Let’s get you to the vet.”

Dr. Hendrix’s parking lot was empty, and the street was quiet when I pulled up. With Ash cradled in my hand, I got out of the car and headed to the door, a bell above jingling when I pushed it open. A blonde man with sharp cheekbones and warm, striking green eyes popped up from behind the receptionist’s desk, a smile on his lips.

Fuck, he was gorgeous.

I blinked in surprise at myself. Had my first impression of him really been that he was gorgeous?

I wasstraight. Had always been straight. And obviously, I hadnothingagainst being gay considering my son was in a relationship with two other men, but was I suddenly having some bi-awakening moment at the age of forty-fucking-three? I was a little old for that, wasn’t I?

“Hey, how can I help you?” he asked, his voice smooth and deep but not overly deep. It was the kind of voice that couldsoothe you to sleep. The kind of voice that could read me the Declaration of Independence and keep me captivated.

“Uh, hi. I just moved here and found this cute kitten in my backyard roaming my flowerbed,” I told him, stepping closer to the counter so he could see her.

His eyes widened a little. “She’s young,” he said, frowning. “Hold on, and I’ll let you back. My receptionist is out grabbing us coffee. I’ll have her get all your info when she gets back.”

“Sure,” I said, but I wasn’t even sure if he’d heard me. He’d already disappeared from sight.

The door to my right opened, and the doctor poked his head out, smiling at me. Christ, his smile was pretty. This man was worthy of being a model—like front of GQ magazine kind of pretty. Why the hell had he decided to become a veterinarian?

“Through here.” I followed him through the door and down a short hallway, coming out into a bigger area with benches and pillows with little paws on them. My lips quirked. They were cute pillows. “What’s your name?” he asked, gesturing for me to follow him into a room off to the left. “You can set her on the table. Just keep an eye on her for a second.”

“Jaxon,” I told him. “Jaxon Wreath.”

He walked over and lifted up the kitten’s tail. She turned and hissed at him, swatting at him with her cute, fuzzy paws. He laughed, grinning at her. “She’s a feisty girl.”

I pursed my lips, nodding my head as I gazed at her. “Good to know. I’ve been thinking of her as one,” I confessed.

He chuckled, looking up at me from beneath his blonde lashes. “What’s her name?”

I looked at her gray fur and adorable, white paws. “Ash,” I finally settled on.

He nodded. “It’s a good name.” He rubbed his finger beneath her chin, and she began purring, her claws scraping against the table. I laughed softly. “I’m thinking she’s about four to five weeks old. I’m going to give her some deworming medication today, but in two weeks, I need you to bring her back for her first round of kitten shots and another deworming treatment.”

“Is there something wrong with her?” I asked, concern tightening my chest as I reached out to run two fingers down her back. She was a little bony, which worried me.

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