“I would, but we can just…”
He nodded. “Of course.”
Tory, hearing the carrier, immediately jumped in likeyes, finally, the chariot.She went right in, tail flicking with just a hint of impatience. Tabby started to purr like a motorboat as Jake scooped her up in his arms.
Tiddles strolled over to me, yawning again as if he was doing me the greatest of favors. When he wound around my legs, I released Archie’s hand and knelt to pick Tiddles up. He rubbed his head against my chin and began to purr.
As I rose, Archie’s eyes gleamed and his mouth curved into a warm grin. I didn’t realize I was smiling until my cheeks ached. Instead of leaving via the hall, Jeremy guided us through another set of doors to a back staircase that I always forgot was there.
Upstairs, the game room looked exactly like it always had—comfortable couches, a giant television, a bar area, shelves of games and books. Familiar. Safe. Like a place designed to absorb chaos and turn it into noise and laughter.
But tonight it felt like a bunker.
Archie shut the door behind us.
Jake leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes still sharp. He looked like a guard dog that had been trained to be polite.
I sat on the couch and immediately had two cats on me and one cat on the back of the couch, judging.
Jeremy returned in short order, setting down trays with surgical precision. Apple sauce pork chops. Stuffing. Roasted corn.
My stomach gave an embarrassing little lurch. Traitor.
Archie sat beside me—not too close, but close enough that his shoulder brushed mine.
Jake took the chair opposite like he was choosing distance on purpose.
No one spoke for a few seconds. Then Archie’s phone buzzed.
He glanced at it, jaw tightening, and stood. “I’ll be right back,” he said, voice calm but clipped, and stepped out of the room.
The second the door shut, Jake’s gaze landed on me like he’d been waiting.
“You don’t have to stay here,” he said.
I blinked. “Here as in… the room? Or here as in… the house?”
Jake’s mouth tightened. “Both.”
My chest squeezed. “Where would I go?”
He hesitated, and his anger gave way to uncertainty. I didn’t doubt the feeling at all. It was currently warping through me. I’d been running on pure adrenaline and terror, Jake had leaned on anger. Now… well, now reality was a hell of a lot harder.
“My place,” he said finally. “If you want. Mom and the girls would love it. You can have my room, I’ll sleep on the couch. Hell, they’ll even love having the cats there. I mean—if youdon’twant, that’s also fine. I just—” He dragged a hand through his hair. “I hate that this was decided for you.”
The words hit something raw.
Because yes.
Yes, me too.
I stared down at my plate like it might have answers. “I don’t know what I want,” I admitted. “I don’t even know what’shappening. My mom—she just—she didn’t even tell me. They took my cats.”
Jake’s expression twisted, pain and fury mixing. “I know.”
A knock sounded at the door. Before either of us could move, it opened. Bubba filled the doorway like a storm.
He took one look at me—pale, cats on me, plate untouched—and the expression on his face changed so fast it was almost scary. His eyes softened first, then hardened again, like he was deciding who to kill.
