“Not if this is her first litter. Two could be it.” She patted his shoulder. “Congratulations.”
He shook his head, bewildered. “Do I keep them?”
“You could take them to a shelter after they’re fed and cleaned up.”
“Abandon them?” The words stuck in his throat. Little Mama looked up at him with those trusting green eyes, her babies squirming against her belly. Something throbbed in his chest—an old, familiar ache he couldn’t quite name. Like pressing on a forgotten bruise.
“TheAword is a little heavy,” Harriet said softly. “You didn’t exactly sign up for cats.”
He watched the tiny kittens nuzzle closer to their mother, that nameless feeling sitting heavy. The thought of walking away, of being someone who could just... leave... made his skin crawl. Made his hands want to ball into fists against something he wasn’t ready to look at too closely.
“No,” he said quietly, the word coming out rougher than he meant it to. “They’re staying with me. I’ll figure it out.”
Harriet squeezed his shoulder, a look of understanding in her eyes. “Okay, then. Let’s figure it out together. I’ll help.”
He groaned, but couldn’t help smiling a little. “I’m in way over my head, aren’t I?”
“Welcome to parenthood, Gale.” Harriet grinned. “If I’ve learned anything from your sister, it’s all uphill from here.”
Gale looked down at the mewling kittens, then at Little Mama, who was licking their fur contentedly. His towels were covered in cat birth... stuff. But somehow, none of that mattered. He was a cat dad now. And honestly? He kind of liked the sound of that.
He glanced at Harriet, crouched nearby with her blond ponytail slightly askew and glasses perched on the end of her nose. She looked different from when he’d seen her at Brooke’s one time, holding Benji like she actually knew what she was doing while typing one-handed on her phone about some AI emergency. Now her crisp tech executive clothes were rumpled, and there was cat... stuff... on her sleeve.
“Shit, are you supposed to be at work?” he asked suddenly.
“I have a meeting at nine.” She checked her watch. “Which gives us about an hour to get these three sorted.” Her nose wrinkled. “Though I think Little Mama might have fleas. We should probably get some flea treatment before they infest your house.”
“Fleas?” Gale looked down at his bare legs in horror.
“Welcome to pet ownership.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m texting you my parents’ vet’s info. Dr. Chen’s been treating Smythe pets since I was in middle school. She’ll get you set up with everything you need—shots, supplies, the works.”
His stomach dropped. “How much does all that cost?”
“Less than one of your hockey sticks, I’m guessing.” Her eyes softened. “Hey, you’re doing a good thing here. And you’re not alone, okay? I’ll help. Plus, Brooke will love this—Benji gets some fur cousins.”
Gale watched her tapping away on her phone, already three steps ahead with a plan, just like always. That knot in his chest from earlier loosened a little. Maybe he couldn’t explain why keeping these cats felt so important, but having Harriet here, making everything seem manageable... it helped. Had this same womanreally been in his arms three days ago, fingers in his hair, kissing him like she meant it? It felt surreal now, especially after they’d spent the time after carefully navigating around it, scheduling beta tests for E.M.M.A. and pretending they were just old friends.
“Thanks for coming,” he said quietly. “Not many people would show up at dawn for a cat emergency.”
“What are friends for?” She smiled, but something in her eyes made his heart skip. That night flickered between them for a moment before she looked away. “Now, come on, new dad. Let’s get your family settled.”
He watched her gather the towels, all business now, like she had been in their texts about data collection and sensor calibration, and wondered if they were ever going to talk about what happened. Or if maybe they shouldn’t.
The next morning, Gale arrived at the Regals’ practice facility by eight, exhausted but oddly energized. He’d been up since five, learning that kittens needed to be fed every few hours. Little Mama was handling most of it, but he kept checking on them, tucked safely in the laundry room where Dr. Chen had helped him set up a proper nesting box. His phone was full of cat photos now—he’d sent about twenty to Brooke before she’d threatened to block his number.
As he pushed through the heavy glass double doors of the Iceplex, gear bag slung over one shoulder, he spotted Harriet sitting in the lobby, her blond hair contrasting against the giant Regals logo on the wall behind her. She looked fresh and put-together, like she hadn’t spent yesterday morning helping deliver kittens on his pool deck. Unlike him, who’d barely slept between kitten checks and overthinking everything that happened between them.
“You made it,” he called out—at least his voice was steady—nodding at the security staff.
Harriet rose and lifted the black computer bag by her side. “Ready to work with E.M.M.A.?” She already had a visitor tag. Her glasses were different today, pink with some sort of animal print on the sides. She’d reassured him late last night that she was working on the glitches—the program wouldn’t be asking anything too personal, just tracking his movements and reactions.
He wasn’t about to admit he was nervous about a computer program. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess. Let’s go. I’ll take you in and go suit up.” He slowed, glancing down; it always surprised him how short she was, since in his mind she felt so much bigger. “There’s a cafeteria in the building next door, you want anything? Coffee? Tea? Juice?”
“Nah.” She lifted a giant stainless-steel water cup in answer. “I’m good.”
As he got dressed in the locker room, luckily the other stalls were empty. He hadn’t wanted to see or talk to anyone. When he made his way out, she was waiting on the side and beckoned him over.
He skated up and she fastened a slim black band around his wrist.
