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Two gray tabby cats in there, both of them scared out of their minds.

"You're okay," I coo and decide to leave them in there for now. Alerted by their meows, Luna and Bean dart into the room as if they’re on a rescue mission.

"Oh my God!" Nic clutches her chest and stares at them.

"Oh, they are so cute," Lauren coos and extends her hand to Bean.

"You're good with cats," I declare and watch the two of them fawn over Luna and Bean and win their hearts within barely a minute. "You don't want to adopt one or two cats by any chance?"

"I wish I could." Nic picks up Luna and cuddles her to her chest. "I'm afraid I already have two menaces keeping me more than busy. And so does she." She nods at Lauren, who is completely immersed in playing with Bean. “Otherwise, we would have kept those two, but it’s not possible.”

Wordlessly, I hand her one of our cat toys.

"What a shame." I sigh.

"The two of them seem alright, but Henry said he's going to meet us here." Nic glances outside, but there's no sign of him yet.

"Right!” How did I not connect her face to the name our vet has been throwing around for a year? “You're Henry's girlfriend."

"I am." She’s says it so proudly, too.

"Speaking of. Are you Kieran’s girlfriend?" Lauren asks from the ground, clearly fishing for information, about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Memories of yesterday evening float through my mind, and I don't even want to fight the smile tugging at my lips.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Well then." Lauren gets up and throws her arms around me. "Welcome to the family. And sorry in advance—we can be a little much."

"You can be a little much," Nic clarifies and pokes Lauren's cheek after she lets me go.

"You still love me."

"Yes, I do."

"Girls, I grew up with four brothers." Horror-stricken expressions wash over their faces. "’Much’ is not in my vocabulary."

"You know, compared to four brothers, we might be angels walking the earth." Lauren giggles. Suddenly, her eyes widen and she gasps.

"Oh my God."

"What?" Nic follows her gaze, and she promptly freezes. "Is it a bear? Brooke, tell me you don’t have a bear here. Bears don’t make great pets, you should know-"

"Of course it's not a bear." Lauren puffs up her cheeks and inches closer, face full of wonder.

"Well, it sure looks like a bear."

I grin and lean over the counter to see what’s going on. "I think you're about to meet Rose." As predicted, she trudges into the room, and Lauren squeals.

"Oh my God. She’s the dog equivalent of a giant teddy bear, and I want to cuddle her." She keeps watching me from the corner of her eyes as if she’s waiting for permission.

"You can cuddle her. She loves cuddling."

"Fuck yes." Immediately she drops to her knees and opens her arms. Rose, never one to turn down a good hug, immediately walks into them at the pace of a turtle.

"Do we want to know her backstory, or is it going to make us sad?"

I grimace and tap my lip. "I think it's going to make you sad."

Nic lets out a deep sigh. "You are such a hero for helping these animals. Really. My heart would break for each of them, and I’d be too much of a sobbing mess to help them overcome their trauma."