“Thanks, Piper. I’ll talk to you later.”
“See you later today.”
I end the call, drape my wet clothes over their shower rod, and step out into the hallway.
Ash is waiting by my feet.
“Hey buddy,” I murmur, kneeling to scratch his head. “You look like you’re getting bigger. You should be on a diet.”
“He is. Rowan keeps sneaking him treats, though.” Travis says to my right. He’s still in his wet clothes, but he carries my go-bag in his hand. When I frown at it, he looks down at Ash. “You said you always keep one in your car,” he mutters. “I found it in your trunk.”
“Oh. I don’t remember telling you that,” I say.
“You said it at work once. I remembered because you were annoyed that Mervin kept clawing at it.”
My chest tightens. “I didn’t realize you were so good at remembering conversations,” I murmur, turning my attention back to Ash.
“I’m not, usually,” he says. “It’s mostly our conversations.”
Silence lingers in the air.
I don’t have a response.
I nod. “Well, thanks. I appreciate it.”
The hallway is thick with tension, but by the way Ash flops onto his side and exposes his midnight-colored belly, he doesn’t notice it.
“I set up the spare room for you the best I could. Are you sure you don’t mind sleeping with the kittens?” Travis asks.
I give Ash’s belly one last big pat before standing.
“Honestly? It makes it feel more like home. It would be strange if Iwasn’t surrounded by cats,” I say lightly.
“I could go check on Merlin and Marvin if you want,” Travis says softly, his gaze meeting mine.
His are eyes I’ve always trusted, even from our first shift together. They’re dark and can appear cold, but they’re full of warmth if someone knows where to look.
I shake my head. “They have their automatic feeder and their water fountain. I’ll check on them once I leave in the morning. But thank you, Travis.”
He nods stiffly, his jaw clenching. I can tell he wants to say something else, but he remains silent as he leads me back to the spare room with the kittens, Ash trailing behind us.
Rowan and Ryland are nowhere to be found when we enter, and I marvel at what has been set up for me. Extra blankets and pillows piled high on the bed along with a couple of sweatshirts.
There is more than enough to nest with.
I turn to Travis, who places my bag on top of the dresser, his ears turning pink. “I didn’t want to assume,” he mumbles. “Just in case you needed the options. I would never?—”
“Travis,” I say gently, “I get it.”
He nods. “I told Rowan and Ryland to leave you alone. You seemed a bit…overwhelmed.”
“Yeah. I was. But you don’t have to walk on eggshells around me. It’syourpackhouse. I’ll be fine.”
Sighing, I sit at the foot of the bed, the three kittens suddenly very interested in my bare feet. I wiggle my toes at them. Soon enough, three different sets of fangs are chomping on me.
Travis watches with interest, letting out a huff of laughter when I lift a foot to gently shake a kitten off.
“I’m sorry,” he says finally.
