Noah’s next, sprinting across the hardwood on socked feet, and immediately wipes out when Dusty, Logan and Lulu’s golden retriever, barrels in next to him.
Jake’s carrying Theo on one hip, and Charlie’s behind him with a tray of cinnamon rolls.
“Hey, Hutchy!” Jake claps me on the shoulder and lets Theo slide down to the ground. He immediately toddles forward with laser focus, eyes locked on Gremlin.
“Cat,” he announces. “Cat! Cat!”
Gremlin’s ears flatten.
“Theo, honey, I don’t—” Charlie starts, but it’s too late. Sticky toddler fingers lunge directly into Gremlin’s fur.
To everyone’s surprise, Gremlin doesn’t scratch him. She just stares at him like she’s making a list of people to kill later, and he’s now firmly at the top. She lifts a paw, but it’s not to swat. It’s to gently place it on his forehead and keep him at a safe distance, and the kid accepts the boundary without complaint.
Theo giggles again. “Cat!”
“Unreal,” I mutter. “She tolerates the drool goblin but tried to murder a croissant.”
Lulu is in next, cooing as she takes in the scene and nudging Logan in his side. “Aww, she likes him! Look.”
“I don’t think you know what liking looks like,” I say, as I lean in and let her kiss my cheek in greeting.
“Agreed,” mutters Eli, clearly referring to his sister’s choice in partner, as he shuffles in with Tamara.
Gremlin, as if offended by my accusation, leans forward and sniffs Theo’s hair once. Theo squeals and throws himself into a hug that isn’t a hug so much as a full-body constriction.
I lurch down, barely bending my leg, and gently prise Gremlin out of his toddler grip. “Cats need to breathe, buddy.”
Theo coos a chuckle and places his sticky hand on my face. “Hut!”
I can’t help the smile, because what can I say? I’m a sucker for this kid. “Good to see you too, bud.”
Zoe and Chase enter last, and are already arguing about something. Or flirting. It’s honestly impossible to tell with those two.
I turn toward the kitchen, and everyone follows. Bags hit counters and bottles clink. Someone laughs too loudly, and Dusty barks at his own reflection in the window.
Zoe sets a tray down and immediately starts pouring mimosas with the confidence of a woman who has never once considered a consequence.
Chase leans over my shoulder, eyes scanning the counter. “Do we have champagne flutes?”
“No,wedon’t,” I say. “I have stemless glasses.”
“Classy.”
Gremlin’s head snaps toward the mimosas being poured, and she hops onto the island again, tail twitching.
“She’s going for it,” Lulu whispers, delighted.
Gremlin inches closer to the nearest glass.
“Don’t,” I tell her.
Gremlin makes eye contact and deliberately lowers her head like she’s about to drink it anyway.
I slide the glass away at the last second. She follows. I slide it again, and she follows again.
Chase laughs. “This is like the pet version of edging!”
A silence follows, but not the good kind. The kind where little ears are definitely listening, and every adult brain has locked onto the same word at the same time.
