It aches.
It desires.
Ityearns.
For something I know I can never allow myself to have.
Six
Rhodes
I knewit was a mistake to give in to Chloe.
Iknewit.
But, fuck, her face when those kittens had curled up in her lap…
It wasn’t even a question.
She doesn’t ask for a lot, and she’s lost so much, and?—
Finn.
Her face had gone soft too.
And I knew that even though she wouldn’t say it outright, Finn wanted to take the kittens home too.
It’s dumb to even care.
She’s leaving at the end of the season.
She’s temporary.
She’s…nothing.
And yet as I watch her set the carriers down in Chloe’s room, I know she’s also…more.
There’s something special about her.
Something that makes me want to hold her close, coax out her secrets, take away the shadows that sometimes linger in her hazel eyes.
“Okay,” she says, jarring me out of my thoughts. “So, we’ll set the litter box up in your bathroom, Chloe, and try to keep the door to the hallway closed for a few days. The house is big and the kitties are small, so they’ll need some time to get used to everything.”
“’Kay.” Chloe nods seriously and when Finn’s eyes come to mine, I nod in agreement. “I’ll go close the other?—”
But before I can finish telling her I’ll shut the door to the hall, Chloe reaches for the carriers.
“Wait—” Finn begins.
Too late.
Both kittens spring out like furry missiles.
Chloe squeals with delight. “Olive went under my bed!” The other shoots into the hallway. “Pear!” Chloe cries. “Come back!”
Too late.
The kitten is long gone.
