Alex raised a brow before pressing a kiss to my cheek as he passed, heading straight for the box in the corner where the kittens were. Grace snickered as he lifted a little fluff of white fur from the box and held it to his chest. The kitten meowed and crawled up his shirt, seeking his warmth.
“Hey, Angel,” Alex cooed.
“Angel?”I asked. “You’venamed her?”
“Well, kind of.” Alex turned and lifted her to his cheek. “I mean it fits, doesn’t it?”
Grace burst out laughing, while I put a hand on my hip. “I’m going to feel like my mom saying this, but… we can’t keep every animal that comes through here, Alex.”
“It’s only one! Not all four!”
“Alex!”
Alex gave me a smile and went back to doting on the kitten.
“There’s one other thing,” Grace said. “Chelsea stopped in today, asking if we still needed a home for any of the preemie puppies.”
My eyes went wide. “She did?”
“Yup. She said she definitely wants to see them.”
I hadn’t expected her to want another dog so soon after Beethoven’s death, but then again, dogs had a special way of healing a broken heart. “Well, that’s great. I’ll call her tomorrow. They should be ready in a few more weeks.”
Grace and I finished our paperwork before locking up for the day, and before leaving she paused at the door. “Six thirty is when everyone is meeting at Gino’s, right?”
“Yup. About an hour or so. See you there!”
“See you!”
Alex climbed out of the seat and closed the distance between us, leaning in for a kiss. Angel…the kittenpurred and meowed between us, attempting to reach for me.
“You think Roxy has jealousy issues now? Wait until you bring that thing into the house.”
His grin spread. “Already have. They get along great. Noel likes her too.”
I gaped. “You introduced her to our dogs without me?”
We both paused. Alex hadn’t been happy when I’d accidentally introduced Noel to Roxy without Alex being there the first day he’d arrived, so it was more than a little ironic he was using that against me to win the dogs over.
“You’re hopeless,” I muttered.
“Yeah, but you love me.”
I grinned. “Sure do.”
“Besides, it’s all part of my plan,” he mused.
“What plan is that?”
“Angel here is going to occupy our dogs so I can take you to bed without interruption.”
“Mmm, well, I kinda like that plan.”
“See?”
“It could always backfire, you know. Three sets of paws tearing at our door instead of two.”
Alex wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me in until our hips were flush. “I’m willing to take that risk if you are,” he whispered, planting another kiss to my lips.
