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“Yeah.”

He sighed. “I just got in Axel’s good graces. And now I’m going to upset pumpkin by returning this cat? Great,” he muttered under his breath.

I mean, Scarlett hadn’t really liked Larry. But I liked the guilt factor here. So I didn’t correct him.

“I really don’t want a pet, Aphrodite.”

“Larry is hardly a pet. He’s family.” I swallowed hard. That’s what I wanted. For Adonis’ house to be filled with family like mine. Larry could be that. He was a piece of us. Couldn’t Adonis see that?

He slowly exhaled. “You’re not going to take him back, are you?”

“I can’t. She looked so sad in that store, Adonis. She needs us. Besides, she’s a present. You can’t return a present, that would be very rude.”

Adonis sighed and shook his head. And then he slowly reached out to pet Larry.

Had he not read the list of hates? It was better to be cautious. “Be careful, she...”

Adonis’ hand touched the top of Larry’s head. I waited for Larry to bite. Or hiss. Or scratch Adonis’ eyes out. Instead, Larry jumped onto Adonis’ lap and started purring.

Adonis looked very freaked out. He lifted his hands in the air like he didn’t know what to do.

“Wait,” I said. “Are you scared of cats?”

“No,” he said, but it didn’t sound very convincing.

I laughed. “Oh my God, you are.”

“I’m not,” he said. “I’ve just never been near one before.”

“Just pet her.”

Adonis slowly lowered his hand onto Larry’s back.

Larry immediately started purring.

“I thought she was supposed to be fiery,” Adonis said with a laugh. “What the heck is this?”

“She is fiery. When she wants to be.”

Adonis shook his head. “This pussy doesn’t remind me of you at all. She’s very sweet.”

“Hey.”

Adonis looked over at me and smiled.

And I was pretty sure my heart melted.

“Good, Pussy,” Adonis said and kept petting her.

“Don’t call her that,” I said.

“But you said she needed a new name...”

“That’s not a name.” I smiled as Larry snuggled her big furry head into Adonis’ stomach.

“Of course it is,” Adonis said. He scratched Larry behind the ears. Which Larry supposedly hated. And Adonis was wearing a blue t-shirt. And Larry wasn’t losing her shit at all.

I lay down on the bed and tried not to laugh as Adonis did his best to act normal around Larry. But I could tell he was a little uncomfortable. I was grateful that he was trying though.