Page 71 of The Fix-Up

“Mr. Gil’s room.”

“Why are you…” My voice faded as I rounded the doorway and into Gil’s room and stopped short at the sight in front of me. Gil and Oliver were on the floor along with two tiny black balls of fur.

“Kittens?” I gasped. “How?”

“Look, Mommy.” Oliver scooped up one of the kittens and held it close to his face. The kitten rubbed against his nose. He giggled. “Can we keep them, pretty please?”

I dropped to my knees and reached out a hand. Of course I wanted to touch it. I’d always wanted a cat when I was a kid but most of my family were dog people. Once, I found a cat in our backyard and begged to keep it. But its owner showed up at our front door three days later and I had to give it back.

The cat distribution system had never graced me again.

I gave the top of its head a scratch and glanced at Gil. He had the second kitten cuddled up next to his chest. It looked especially tiny in his big hands and, not gonna lie, everything about me wanted to melt at the sight. Handsome man holding kittens. Excuse me? Sign me up.

“Why do you have kittens?” I arranged myself so I was sitting next to him, both of our backs against the side of his bed.

“I found them in the backyard a couple of days ago.” The kitten let out a tiny mew and Gil smiled down at it. “They were in those bushes under my window. I could hear them meowing. I waited around for hours, kept checking on them to see if the mama cat returned, but…”

I narrowed my eyes. “And you didn’t say anything?”

He had the grace to look sheepish. “I wasn’t sure how you felt about cats, and I couldn’t just leave them there.”

“What exactly was the plan here?” I waved a hand in front of me. Oliver was now laying on the ground. The kitten crawled across his chest and settled under his chin.

Gil shifted uncomfortably. “There wasn’t a plan exactly. I thought I’d make sure they were healthy, then find them homes.”

I crossed my arms, hoping I looked serious and stern. “And I was never going to find out?”

“No.” He glanced down at the squirmy furball in his hand. “I mean, possibly.”

“Gilbert Dalton, did you just try to dupe me?”

“Maybe?” He smiled crookedly as he held the kitten toward me. “They’re so little and fluffy. Could you resist that face?”

The kitten blinked, then stretched out a tiny paw toward my nose. I held onto a glare for as long as I could before bursting into laughter. I held out my hands. “Can I hold it?”

He slid the kitten into my hands. My skin tingled where our hands touched. The kitten mewed and plopped down. “How old are they, do you think?”

“I guess five weeks, maybe? They’ve been eating the dry food I got and doing a good job of using the litter box. They do seem to have their days and nights mixed up, though.”

I grinned and held up my hands to eye level. The kitten lifted its head and seemed to stare right into my soul. “Just like human babies.”

He yawned. “They are all over the place at night.”

“Been there, done that.” I cuddled the kitten to my chest. “Oliver was the cutest baby. He was born with this scrunched-up, old man face and had these huge eyes.”

“I looked like Ollie, didn’t I?” Oliver asked even though I’d explained Ollie wasn’t an actual relative.

“Exactly like him. Being cute was probably the only reason you survived.” I nudged him with my foot.

He giggled. “’Cause I liked to cry all the time.”

“All the time. He was perfect during the day but once evening hit, a switch went on and he was inconsolable unless he was being held or attached to my boob.” I smiled, remembering those long, long nights. “It’s weird, though. It was hard when I was in the middle of it, but I’d give one of my kidneys to hold him one more time when he was that little.”

I glanced Gil’s way to find him staring at me with a soft expression. I swallowed and looked away.

Gil scooted closer and gently scratched the kitten’s head. “I bet you handled it like a champ.”

I snorted and glanced at Oliver, who was holding a fully one-sided conversation with the kitten and seemed oblivious to us. Still, I lowered my voice and leaned in, my shoulder brushing his arm. “I was terrified. I was a new mom, single. My mother had stayed with me a whole month before she had to get back. I had no idea what I was doing. Still don’t most days.”

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