Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 134133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 671(@200wpm)___ 537(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 671(@200wpm)___ 537(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
I can’t help laughing. I like his spirit.
“Yeah, I think you can beat that other cat for her attention. Let’s go find out.”
I cradle the kitten so he doesn’t fall and break his little neck, then I sneak up on Sophie. She put the other kitten back in his cage, but she’s still playing with him.
“What about this one?”
She turns around and gasps, leaning down so she can visit with this ball of cuteness. “Aww, aren’t you a handsome boy?”
He likes her. He goes strutting toward her and when she picks him up, he gazes at her the way I do.
“I think he looks like a Snowball.”
“Are you a Snowball?” she asks in the cutesy voice she uses to talk to baby animals. The kitten flops over on his back and bats at her finger as she dangles it for him. “Oh, he’s so cute.” She looks up at me, bright-eyed. “Good find, baby.”
I grab her waist and tug her in for a forehead kiss. “I’ve got a good eye,” I murmur teasingly.
She carries the kitten around getting to know him a little better while we track down the lady we talked to before to ask about him. I figure we should make sure he’s not an asshole, but the woman mirrors my impression of him and says she thinks he’ll be an excellent pet for a family that makes time to foster a connection with him.
I fill out the papers and pay the adoption fee while Sophie bonds with her kitty. They’re well on their way to love a hell of a lot faster than I was able to get her there, but I try not to be offended. He is a cute little bastard, after all.
Hugh is waiting for us by the curb when we emerge with the newest member of the family. Sophie is cuddling him, but she stops to show him off to Hugh before we get in the car.
“What a fine choice,” Hugh tells her.
“We’re going to spoil him rotten,” she says, nuzzling his fluffy little head. “To the pet store!”
___
It’s the end of our first night as new cat parents.
Sophie’s lying on the floor where Snowball fell asleep, absently petting his soft fur.
I don’t like her being so far away from me, so I abandon the couch to join her on the rug.
She looks back at me, her face peaceful, and smiles. “Hey, you.”
I pull back enough of her robe so I can kiss her bare shoulder. “Hey, right back.”
“I’m sleepy.”
“I can see that. You ready to pass him off to Ilona so we can go to bed?”
Ilona is staying here with us for a while. I figured that would be easier while we’re training the kitten. Plus, then he won’t feel abandoned during the day when we’re at school.
“I just love cuddling him,” she says.
“And I love cuddling you.”
She smiles. “All right, all right. Twist my arm, why don’t you?”
I take the sleepy cat off her hands and carry him down the hall to the room Ilona’s staying in for the time being.
Sophie’s waiting in the bathroom to brush her teeth since we always get ready for bed together. Now that we’re in the privacy of our rooms, we strip off our clothes and climb into bed.
“Do you think we’ll be good cat parents?” Sophie asks, yawning.
“Yeah.”
She misses a beat, then rests her hand on her tummy. “Do you think we’ll be good human parents, too?”
I crack a smile, sliding my hand around to splay it over hers on her tummy. “I’m pretty certain we will be.”
“If we have a boy, he’s not allowed to grow up to be a kidnapper.”
“I make no promises.”
“And if we have a girl, we should teach her kidnapping is bad and to adamantly avoid boys who try to kidnap her.”
I lock my arms around her tighter, pulling her back against me and kissing her neck. “Mm, I don’t know. I feel like we should take it on a case-by-case basis. Maybe she takes after her mother and left him little choice.”
She rolls her eyes. “As if you tried to pursue any other avenue. You didn’t even ask me on a date until after you’d kidnapped me the first time.”
“If I did, you would have said no. I just skipped a few steps.”
“Skipping steps is your favorite,” she murmurs.
“Are you still meeting our moms to try on wedding dresses tomorrow?”
“Oh! Yes. Will you set an alarm for me? If I try to move… I won’t be able to.”
I smother a laugh. “Clever turn of phrase.”
“Listen, the baby is eating my brain. I can’t be expected to grow a human and come up with snappy comebacks.”
“Good thing I love you for your looks,” I tease.
“I’m going to murder you.”
I laugh and give her a kiss. “You can’t. You’d miss me too much.” I give her another kiss along her temple. “You’re tired. Why don’t you close those pretty eyes and get some sleep?”