I turn to Mom and Grant, my own heart splintering. “Can you find someone else to adopt him? What about Gina and Ash?”
“Allergic,” Grant says. “Already asked.”
Of course they did.
I rake a hand through my hair. “Noah? He’s got that cottage in the country.”
“Can’t risk a kitten getting loose out there,” Mom says. “I hear his big Bernese Mountain Dog Mabel recently broke the fence. Too many predators. Plus dogs and cats don’t get along.”
“There has to be someone on the team,” I mutter, glancing toward the booth. “You’d think one of the guys could…”
“You’d think,” Mom agrees. “But no. We tried.”
Josh walks back to the table like he’s carrying something sacred. Something breakable. He slides into the booth beside Nicklas, who immediately reaches over and scratches under the kitten’s chin.
“Well hey there, little guy,” Nicklas murmurs, his voice dropping into that soft register he doesn’t let many people hear.
Maybe Nicklas could?—
“Achoo!” Nicklas jerks back, blinking rapidly. “Oh God,” he mutters, rubbing his nose. “I think I’m allergic too.”
“Josh, bring him over here,” I say quickly. “Away from Nicklas and the food.”
Josh stands, cradling the kitten against his chest. The tiny thing starts to purr—deep, vibrating contentment that you can almost feel in the air. The tabby crawls higher, burrowing its little face into the curve of Josh’s neck like it’s found the safest place in the world.
“Mom,” he whispers, and this time there’s no bravado. No teenage edge. Just my little boy. Sad and…fearful. “I want to keep him.”
My throat tightens. “You know we can’t,” I repeat, softer now.
“But… but…” His voice wobbles, and he looks dangerously close to breaking.
That’s when I look up. Tuck is watching us. Our eyes meet. Lock. There’s something raw in his expression—I don’t know what exactly. Helplessness. Guilt. But whatever it is he sees on my face, prompts him into action. He pushes back from the table and rises to his feet without a word. The scrape of the chair against the floor is loud in the quiet café.
“Let me see the little guy,” he says gently.
Josh hesitates only a second before handing the kitten over. I brace myself. Wait for the inevitable sneeze. But Tuck doesn’t sneeze. He cradles the kitten in his big hands, absurdly careful. The contrast steals my breath—the size of him, the softness of the animal. The kitten sniffs his flannel, then climbs, tiny claws catching lightly in the fabric.
And then it settles. Right against his chest. Curling in like it belongs there. Like it’s found home. Tuck looks down at it, something shifting in his expression. Something warm and unguarded and so achingly tender it makes my heart flip hard enough to hurt. And for one reckless, impossible second, I don’t see the team captain, a man guarded around my kids. I see a man holding something small and fragile like it matters. Like he’d protect it. Like he already is.
“He likes you, Tuck,” Josh whispers, brushing the kitten’s soft fur between his fingers. His eyes are wide, hopeful. “Do you think?—”
“I can’t take care of a cat, Josh,” Tuck interrupts gently, looking down at the tiny tabby curled in his hands. His voice is steady, but there’s a faint tension in the way he holds himself. “I live alone. I’m on the road all the time. In three days, we’re away in Edmonton. It’s not fair to leave this little guy home alone that much.”
Josh’s shoulders slump, a little, but then?—
“What if…” The voice cuts in from the stairs. Lucas leans over the railing, eyes bright. “What if you keep him at your place, Tuck, just until we get a bigger place?” He glances at me. “Mom, you’re always talking about getting a bigger place.”
“Yes, but who knows when that will be.”
“So Tuck can take him temporarily but Josh and I take care of him? He’ll be our cat. When you’re away, we’ll stay at your place.” He points up. “It’s crowded here anyway.”
For a moment, the room feels suspended. Josh and Lucas exchange a glance—something quiet and brotherly, full of warmth, a little defiance, a little mischief. My chest tightens, watching them. They bicker, they squabble, they drive me crazy sometimes, but when it matters, they’ve always got each other. Always. That’s the kind of man I want in their lives.
“Boys,” I say carefully, trying to get this situation under control. “That’s a lot to ask of Tuck. You can’t just be running back and forth to his place, especially when he’s away on trips, and you can’t be there overnight by yourselves.”
“I’m sixteen, Mom. I drive, and maybe you can stay too. If it’s okay with Tuck.”
“Yeah,” Josh piles in. “You’re always saying how noisy and loud we are. At Tuck’s you wouldn’t even hear us.” He throws one arm out. “His place is huge.”
