“Let’s go!” she beams, turning to Liam. “Hey, are you feeling okay? Your cheeks are flushed.”
I barely manage to hold back a laugh. Because Liam? Liam is definitely flushed. And I know exactly why. I meet his gaze. His jaw is tight, and his posture is stiff like he’s bracing for impact, and I have to bite my lip to keep from losing it.
With my most innocent expression, I say, “You do look warm. Maybe you should take a shower. It’ll help.”
Charlie nods in agreement, completely earnest.
Meanwhile, Liam mutters under his breath, low and rough, so only I can hear, “Only if it’s cold.”
Heat races up my neck, and I have to duck my head for a second to hide my smile.
I turn back to Charlie, my voice a little too bright. “Come on. I can’t wait for you to see the surprise.”
Charlie links her arm through mine, tugging me toward the door without another glance back.
But I feel Liam’s stare on me the whole way out. It’s heavy, hot, and full of unfinished business. And something tells me we’re nowhere near done.
I lead Charlie across the yard toward the main barn, the steady drum of rain on the roof above us fading into a soft hush. This barn is where Liam keeps most of his farm equipment, feed, and tools. But recently, it’s also become home to a much cuter kind of chaos when Snooki decided it was the perfect place to have her litter.
We step inside, the air smelling of hay, oil, and something faintly sweet from the rain-soaked earth. I close the door behind us, muffling the world outside, and call out into the space.
“Come here, kitties!”
For a heartbeat, there’s nothing. Then a rush of tiny paws pattering across the concrete, coming from every direction like a living flood with Snooki following them like a proud mama.
Charlie lets out an excited squeal, clapping her hands as eight little fluff balls race toward us.
Eight.
And, obviously, I had no self-control with naming them. Pauly D, Mike, Ronnie, Vinny, Angelina, J-Wow, Deena, and Sammi. Charlie drops into a crouch, her arms outstretched asthe kittens swarm her, noses twitching, tails flicking, and full of cuteness that makes it hard not to want to steal all of them.
While the others tumble around Charlie’s boots, Sammi, the tiny solid-black runt, beelines straight for me, letting out a scratchy little meow that sounds too big for her tiny body.
My heart squeezes.
I kneel and scoop her up, pressing her soft, warm body against my chest. She immediately starts purring, loud and fierce, as if she knows exactly where she belongs.
“Hi, love,” I whisper into her fur.
Meanwhile, Charlie is completely absorbed, cooing and laughing as she meets each kitten.
“Oh, you’re so cute. And so are you!” she croons, giggling as one climbs her leg like a tree. She glances up at me, eyes sparkling. “What are their names?”
I tell her one by one, and she bursts out laughing.
“I love it,” she says, grinning so wide it’s impossible not to smile back. “Only you would name a litter of barn kittens after the cast ofJersey Shore.”
I shrug, cuddling Sammi closer. “Iconic behavior deserves to be honored.”
Charlie snorts and gathers up two kittens in her arms, looking like all her dreams just came true. And for a moment, standing there in the cozy barn with the rain tapping on the roof, the air filled with kitten mews and laughter, it feels like the world has gotten just a little bit softer.
The soft, cozy chaos of the barn is shattered by a sudden burst of laughter as Liam and Sam stroll in, boots scuffing across the concrete. I glance up and immediately wish I hadn’t. Liam’s hair is damp, darkened and curling a little at the ends like it always does after a shower. Apparently, he took my suggestion seriously. I tear my gaze away before my brain can start filling in the details I have no business imagining.
Sam comes to a stop beside Charlie, slipping his arm around her round waist in that easy, instinctive way that makes something inside me ache.
“Well, was it a good surprise, darlin’?” Sam asks, his voice warm and full of pride.
Charlie leans into him, still cradling two kittens in her arms. “It was. But now I have a problem.” She looks up at him, wide-eyed and playful. “I don’t know which one I want.”
