Page 63 of Hearts to Mend

Dee pushes off me and hops down from the counter to hug Matty and pick him up. He thinks he’s too big for me to hold him, but he lets Dee. I’d be jealous if I didn’t love it so much to see him take to her like he has.

“Where are we going?” he asks her.

Dee glances at me, and I roll my eyes. Matty has no chill when it comes to surprises, which is why we’re keeping this one a secret to the bitter end. A lesson in patience. Dee turns to Matty and explains, “I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret.”

“You can whisper it to me.”

“Whispering is still telling. If I tell you, I’ll be violating your dad’s trust. Do you know what that means?”

Matty sort of nods.

Dee adds, “When people tell me secrets, I want them to know they can trust me to keep those things secret. You know, if you ever want to tell me a secret, I want you to know that you can trust me to keep it, okay?”

We’ve been talking about this a lot lately. I’ve been taking Matty to therapy sessions for a couple months now, and the doctor suggests we encourage him to share his feelings, fears, and anxieties. So far, Matty doesn’t seem interested in sharing, so I change the subject.

“Good news!” I announce as I tickle the bottoms of Matty’s feet. “Now that Dee is here, we can go see your surprise. Are you ready?”

“Yes!” Matty squeals, grinning from ear to ear.

I tickle his feet again, delighted by the sound of his giggles. “No, you’re not. Go get your shoes.”

Dee sets Matty back on his feet, and when he races down the hall and into his bedroom, I yank Dee back against me and take another taste of her mouth. She’s so sweet, the best kind of candy. I can’t wait for tonight. She already agreed she’ll sleep over.

After Matty is finally fully dressed, and we manage to get out the door and pile into my Charger, I make sure he’s all buckled into his booster seat before we take off toward town, then keep going past it. The sat nav points us up and down hills, in and around curves as we weave deeper into the Hill Country until it announces we’ve reached our destination. I turn onto a long gravel driveway, which curves through the live oaks and mesquite trees, coming to an old farmhouse flanked by a pair of massive barns. Over the top is the sign, Cassie’s Cat Castle.

“Daddy, it’s a cat castle!” Matty announces with awe in his voice, and I love the sound of it.

“It sure is!”

“What’s a cat castle?” Dee asks, right on cue.

“Well,” I pause to put the car in park, then turn to Matty, “it’s a place where some really nice people help scared little kitty cats feel safe, and then other nice people like us come and adopt a kitty cat.”

Matty’s eyes go huge. “Do I get to adopt a cat?”

“You do!” I love the smile on his face. I love that I put it there. Best surprise experience ever. “You get to pick any cat you want, and he or she will come home with us to live and play on the cat jungle gym, okay?” The house has felt too empty without Bodhi and Utah running all over the tracks that loop the walls. And I think a pet could be good for Matty as he settles into his new home and new life in Krause.

Matty has no chill and starts to wrestle with his seat belt. I spring into action and help him out of the back seat while Dee introduces herself to the petite older woman who’s come out to greet us.

“Welcome to the Cat Castle! You must be Mateo,” the woman, Cassie, says as she shakes my son’s hand. “Well, head on into the barn, and see which kitty cat is your favorite.”

Matty goes bouncing into the building, and Dee and I follow. We watch him as he runs around chasing cats and kittens. But he seems a little shy about petting any of them, so Dee and I approach, each of us squatting to his level and petting some of the chatty, purring cats who come looking for affection. Soon, Matty is doing the same, really connecting with a pair of black and orange kittens.

When he’s is clearly comfortable, chasing the kittens as they roll and run and frolic, I clasp Dee’s hand, and she squeezes as we smile, enjoying Matty’s joy.

“Beautiful family you have,” Cassie says.

“Couldn’t agree more.” I loop an arm over Dee’s shoulders.

“Looks like Mateo likes PB & J.”

“PB & J?”

“The kittens. They’re a pair of tortie females from a recent litter. The one with green eyes and a lot of orange on her face is PB, while the one with blue eyes and mostly black patterns on her face is J. They’re nine weeks old, fully vaccinated, and ready for their forever home. But they come as a pair.”

“A pair?”

Cassie maintains her patience with me as I keep repeating what she’s saying. “Yes, you mentioned on your adoption application that you were looking for one indoor cat. But PB & J are inseparable and very sassy. They would not approve of separation, so neither shall we.”

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