There’sa child crying at the clinic.
My heart stops while I stand in the lobby, waiting to ask Ivan a question about different kitten milk replacers.
There’s a little boy weeping, his cries so loud and horrible that it makes me stand frozen in shock. The woman with him murmurs quietly to him, but it only makes him sob harder.
I’ve never seen a child weep like this, and it upsets me so much that tears spring into my own eyes.
Ramona leans over the counter and whispers to me, “his cat was throwing up, and he’s scared. It should be fine, though.”
“Oh.”
The cries are horrible. Heartbreaking sounds fill the lobby, and even Ramona is teary eyed watching the scene.
The door to the first exam room opens, Logan suddenly appears. He catches my eyes briefly, then kneels down to the child’s height.
I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I observe everything in his face.
The fondness in his eyes, the gentleness in his smile as he talks to the child.
He stays at eye level with the little boy and speaks quietly.
There’s so much in Logan’s expression, shining with empathy and vulnerability. He pats the little boy on the shoulder, then his face breaks out in a brilliant smile.
Logan’s smiles are rare, but they’ve become more frequent in the past few days.
And this particular smile that’s directed toward the little boy makes my own tears dry up.
My heart swells with fondness and affection, my mouth agape when the child throws his arms around Logan. The mother thanks him, and Ivan comes out of the same exam room with a cat carrier in his hands. The boy takes it from him and gives both Alphas a toothy grin.
“Wow,” Ramona says. “That was wholesome. Like something out of a movie.”
I sniffle and quickly wipe away the remaining tears on my cheeks. “Yeah,” I sputter.
“Aw,” she says. “You have such good men in your life, Maeve.”
“I do,” I whisper.
My inner Omega cries with me, moved at the gentleness of her Alpha.
After the boy and his mother leave, Ivan waves at me then motions to the exam room, closing the door behind him.
Logan comes up to me, his eyes soft.
“I have to go back, but since you were watching—the little boy was upset,” he tells me. “His cat was sick?—”
I cut him off with a swift, chaste kiss. Someone in the room chuckles while Logan stays frozen, shocked at my movement.
Then, he kisses me back, and before it can get too inappropriate, I pull away and smirk.
“See you later,” I say. “Tell Ivan I’m looking for him.”
I practically skip out of the clinic, warmth blooming from my chest, still overwhelmed by what I witnessed from Logan.
I knew he was smart, shy, and kind—but he was a natural with the little boy, and it’s activated something wonderful in me.
I can’t wait to tell Piper and Blair, ready to open my mouth as I pull open the door to the rescue.
“So, guess who has thebestscent matches in the world!” I blurt but freeze when I see who is at the front counter.
