“Your shyness is endearing. I promise.”
We lie in silence for a while, until both Ivan and Fang are gently snoring. I make pointed eye contact with Logan at the realization, and he chuckles quietly.
“Nest building is hard work,” I whisper. “Believe me, I know from experience.”
“Apparently.”
I begin to doze, my body relaxed and safe. I press my ear to Logan’s chest, listening to his heartbeat, recalling our conversation earlier.
“You’ve seen a lot of anxious animal parents in your career, right?” I ask slowly, as an idea forms in my head. It pulls me away from the lull of sleep, and my excitement builds, bringing me back to awareness.
“It depends. If it’s a routine checkup, usually not. But when there is something seriously wrong, yes. Or we have the overprotective, nervous parents. Or the kids, like that little boy you saw the other day.”
“You were so sweet with him,” I murmur.
“He was scared, and I told him it was alright to feel that way.” Logan kisses the top of my head. “But I’ve seen it all, Maeve. I’ve seen people’s hearts break or their hope restored. I’ve seen griefandhappiness. Anyone that truly cares about animals will have some type of reaction when their pet gets sick.”
“You’re kind, Logan. You have a big heart,” I whisper. “You’re gentle, but strong. And I see that.”
He’s silent for a moment. “I…thank you,” he stammers softly. “That’s a very nice thing to say.”
“It’s atruething to say. I have no reason to lie to you. If I didn’t think you were a good person, I wouldn’t be cuddled on you right now.”
“But we’re scent matches.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I would let you into my nest. I want you here because you’reyou.” I tilt my head up to meet his gaze.“I like Logan, the quiet guy that reads medical journals for fun and can talk about the injustices rock doves have faced for an hour straight.”
He huffs. “I appreciate that you call them that,” he adds. “And that you didn’t look at me like I was crazy when I told you about them.”
“Why would I? That information is important to have. It’s good to spread awareness. Like I said, you have a big heart.”
“I’ve cried about them,” he admits quietly. “And I couldn’t explain to anyone why. I wish…I wish I had known you back then. Maybe we could have talked about it, and you wouldn’t have judged me.”
“I cry at the hypothetical of something being wrong with a cat. So yes, I think I would have understood.”
An image of the three orange girl cats flash in my mind, along with Taylor’s words when she adopted them:
I just wish there was a pet owner support group I could have gone to.
“What do you think about the rescue offering some type of support group for animal lovers?” I ask. “Maybe a group where people can come together and talk about their pets? And maybe we could even incorporate the kitten therapy?”
I’m almost positive Piper and Blair would sign off on something like that, but is the idea even a good one?
I know I’m not the only one that worries about pets, and maybe Taylor would want to come.
Logan’s fingers freeze in my hair. “I think,” he says slowly, “that that could be something incredible.”
“Hell yeah, babe,” Fang croaks next to me. “My smart girl.”
“You’re supposed to sleeping,” I whisper back.
“I was, but you both won’t stop talking.”
Ivan lets out a giant yawn. “Cat shaped stress balls would be good merch, too. Piper was telling me about them. I was going to order you some, but I think having them custom colored would be even better.”
My eyes widen. “Yes! And we could give them out at the clinic!”
“That’s empowerment, babe,” Fang adds. “Facing your fears like a badass.”
