Page 44 of Hiding Forever

“I’m outnumbered.” I pet her behind her ears while Itty-bitty continues to suckle my finger.

“This one is a boy.” Nova picks the calico kitten up and holds it close to her breasts. The shameless little guy nestles his face in her cleavage and purrs.

“Smart boy.”

Nova giggles. “Stop. He’s a kitten.”

“He’s a male kitten, making himself right at home.”

Asher laughs. “Damn straight.”

I shoot him a look. This isn’t the part where we fist-bump. It’s the part where he leaves, along with the informative and helpful Linda. “Looks like we’ve decided. Thank you so much for your time. What do we need to do to wrap this up?”

Gigi appears with a fond smile on her face as she gazes at me and Nova. “I already took care of it.”

“Gigi,” Nova says, the kitten still nestled in her chest, happy as a clam. “You do enough already. Let me take care of this.”

I shake my head. “I’ve got this. It’s the least I can do.”

“No way. You’re a guest and it was my idea,” Nova argues.

“And it’s my house. I’ve already handled it.” Gigi looks at Linda and Asher. “Thank you for what you do. You are incredible human beings.”

“And thank you for your generous donation. It helps more than you know,” Linda says while Asher packs up the kittens into a triple pet stroller.

Didn’t know those came in multiple sizes. Makes sense to use, though—a much easier way to transport pets than in carriers or boxes.

“What about these?” I ask. “How do we get them to the house? Or where do we put them in the house? They could get lost too easily in a place this big. They could die.”

Nova takes in my worried expression. “Don’t stress over it, Riley. I have the perfect place for them, and Asher is leaving us a box big enough for all three. Plus a few cat beds and kitten food and some toys.”

“And a litter box,” he adds and winks.

I sneer at him.

Gigi lets out a soft laugh.

My gaze jumps to her, but her expression is filled with fondness like before.

“You’ll need two litter boxes once they get bigger. Maybe even three depending on how often you scoop and change their litter,” Gigi says, like she has experience with cats.

“I recommend no more than two days,” Linda chimes in. “You’ll want a scratch pad too, so they don’t claw up the furniture.”

Sweat forms on my upper lip as I digest the instructions. Cute but a ton of work and we have three. We have three kittens. What happens when I leave here? Will Nova or Gigi keep them? Damn, this happened fast.

With the kittens secured in the mesh-enclosed stroller, Linda packs up the playpen.

Asher sets two large bags beside Nova and an opened cardboard box. “Want my help getting him in?”

He reaches for the cat nestled between Nova’s breasts.

I stand, a kitten in each hand. “We can manage. Thanks.”

Nova gives me a knowing grin. “I’m going to carry this one inside. He’s too comfortable for me to force him away.”

If I were him, I wouldn’t want to move, either. I nod and stick the kittens I’m holding into the box. They meow like crazy, only it sounds like they’re crying. My heart tugs, and I have the urge to rescue them from the safety of the box, which is crazy.

“Come on.” Nova stands and walks toward the pool house.

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