Page 71 of Wedding Season
Mariella stared at him then into the carrier, earning a throaty growl from Bex. “I thought you were a dog person.”
“I’m a dog person. I’m also a cat person. I’m a person who’s ready to make a commitment, and this animal needs a home.” Stating the words out loud gave him a rush of adrenaline.
Mariella’s eyes narrowed, but Meredith gave him an approving grin.
“You might only need one home visit,” she told him. “We’ll see how you do with her.”
“That’s big,” Ryan confirmed. “She must have a lot of faith in you.”
Alex glanced toward Mariella, who’d crossed her arms over her chest like a protective barrier. “I hope Meredith isn’t the only one.” Mariella looked like she was ready to either scream or hug him.
He couldn’t understand why it bothered her so much that he was adopting this cat, but she didn’t approve. Did that say more about him or the animal?
“I’ll keep her at the booth until y’all are finished at the market. When you pick her up, we can go over the rest of the care instructions and fill out the paperwork.”
Alex nodded while Mariella continued to frown. “Sounds good. We’re supposed to go to dinner with Dylan and Carrie. I can cancel if you think I should be at home with Bex.”
“She’ll be fine. Time on her own to acclimate will be good for her.” Meredith’s smile went soft at the edges. “Carrie won’t last late anyway. She’s about to pop. She is so fat right now.”
Ryan squeezed Meredith’s shoulder. “I don’t think that’s the best way to describe it.”
“She’s orca-whale fat.” Meredith doubled down on her original assessment. “And she’s happy about it so I don’t think she’d care about me calling her out. She’s fat and happy.”
“I guess you’re next,” Ryan told her with a teasing glint in his eye.
For an instant, Meredith’s eyes went wide and she clawed at her throat like she was having trouble breathing. “Alex,” she said on a croak, “you can leave the carrier under the table. I’ve got to go...” She looked around at the bustling booth without focusing on any one person. “Do something.”
“I like to freak her out,” Ryan said with an affectionate smirk as Meredith hurried off to talk to a family that surrounded one of the far pens. “We’re not exactly nearing the place Carrie and Dylan are, but we’re in negotiations. She’s going to make a great mom even though it terrifies her.”
“I have no doubt based on how she mothers her rescues,” Alex agreed.
He placed Bex’s carrier under the table as Ryan went to placate his fiancée.
“Anything else you want to see or booths we need to visit?” he asked Mariella as he straightened.
She was staring at him. “You can’t just do that.”
“Do what...adopt an animal? People do it all the time.”
“You said you weren’t ready for a commitment.” The words were spoken through clenched teeth and sounded like an accusation. “You told me that.”
“Things change. I saw Bex, and I knew I wanted her.”
“Do you know how old she is or her history? She could live a long time. People make emotional decisions without realizing what they’re signing up for—the good and the bad and years of either.”
“I’m aware. She’s also had a rough go of it. Meredith and I went through the details. I’ll be good for her, and I think she’ll be good for me.”
“You can’t bring her to my house. She looks like the type of cat who would knock Millie’s bowl off the counter for access to a fresh snack.”
“I’ll remember not to ask you to cat-sit,” he said as he led her away from the booth. A little distance from Bex might be in order at the moment.
Mariella jerked away from him when he put a hand on the small of her back. “Why are you so calm?” she demanded.
“Why are you so worked up?”
She looked like she didn’t know how to answer that. “I wasn’t joking,” she finally said, “about being an emotional train wreck.”
“Trust me.” He nodded and brushed a finger against her wrist, subtle so no one watching would even notice. “I picked up on that.”
