Epilogue: Hold the A-Claws
epilogue
HOLD THE A-CLAWS
Miles
One Year Later
I
wake up to the feel of a sandpaper tongue on my cheek. I crack a lid and find two blue eyes staring back at me. “You look like an angry gargoyle.” I roll over, but I’m greeted with dog breath. “Why don’t they harass you in the morning?” I grumble.
“Because you’re the one who gives in whenever they beg for food.” Kitty’s front presses against my back, and her arm comes around my waist.
I roll her way and press my lips to her temple.
Prince Francis takes the opportunity for what it is and plunks his butt down on my chest, continuing with his angry gargoyle impression. Kitty giggles and rubs under his chin. He flops over on his side and lands in the crack between our bodies. He struggles to right himself for a moment, then relocates to the pillows and wraps his body around Kitty’s head.
Wilfred sets his chin on the edge of the mattress and gives me his sad eyes while whimpering.
“I feel like we’re going to end up with really spoiled kids if these two are anything to go on.” My eyes flare, and I look down at Kitty. “I mean one day, eventually, in the future. Probably the distant future. After we get married.” I purse my lips and bite them to keep me from digging a bigger hole.
While a lot of things have changed in the past year, my ability to stick my foot in my mouth has not.
“Are you saying you want to marry me?” Kitty’s smile is full of amusement.
“I’m kind of attached to you.”
That beautiful smile of hers widens. “I’m kind of attached to you, too.”
She tips her chin up and I tip mine down so our lips can connect.
“I love you more than Wilfred loves cookie treats.” I slide my arm under her and pull her closer.
“And I love you more than Prince Francis loves licking his balls in front of company,” Kitty replies.
We both snort-giggle, then go back to making out.
Wilfred paws at my arm and whimpers, while Prince Francis starts grooming our foreheads, forcing us to break apart.
“Maybe we should hit pause and feed them before this goes any further,” I suggest.
Kitty sighs. “Probably a good idea. I’ll feed Prince Francis, and you feed Wilfred?”
Two minutes later we’re back in bed, the door to our room closed as we make morning love. It’s my favorite way to start my day.
Forty-five minutes later we’re sated, showered, and dressed. Kitty and I stand side by side in the kitchen, working around each other as I fry bacon and she toasts English muffins for our egg sandwiches.
Despite having just eaten their own breakfasts, Wilfred and Prince Francis are also seated side by side on the kitchen floor, their tails swinging in tandem, hopeful that we’ll drop something delicious. We sit at the kitchen table and talk about our plans for the day.
“I’m heading to Terra Cotta this morning, and I’m taking Prince Francis and Wilfred by to see your mom while I’m there.”
The pilot project with A Place for Paws has gone over incredibly well. It’s been backed by several celebrities, including Brit Sheers, and they’re developing a training program so other shelters can create something similar. And the Kitty Whisperer has grown exponentially, thanks to the support and help of A Place for Paws. We have a storefront now, with an office and staff, still based in Terra Cotta, where everything started. Kat’s Cat Café has become part of the project, too, and cats who are good with people often end up there on their way to finding their forever home. It’s been amazing to watch Kitty grow as a person and a businesswoman. She’s an inspiration, and I’m lucky to have her sunshine in my life.
“That’ll be great. She’ll love that.” The home has been great
about allowing pet visits, and my mom is thriving in the social setting. “Will you stop and see your mom, too?”
“She’s squeezing me in for a lunch date between all the other things she has going on.”
“Sounds like someone else I know,” I say teasingly.
Since her move, Lucile’s social life has blossomed, and she’s mentioned a “gentleman friend” that she’s been out with a lot recently.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, apparently,” Kitty says with a sly grin.
We finish breakfast, clean up our dishes, and get ready to leave for work. Kitty and I dress Prince Francis and Wilfred in matching sweaters, since today is supposed to be on the chilly side.
“Don’t forget that we have dinner plans tonight,” I remind her after we load our fur-children into the back of her Cat-mobile.
“It’s on my calendar. I’ll be home before five so I can de-fur myself and make this pretty.” She motions to her face.
“You’re always pretty.”
“And you’re always handsome.”
I drop a kiss on her lips and open the driver’s side door for her. I allow her to pull out of her spot before I hop into my car.
I head to work in a great mood, but I’m distracted during practice, because my head is elsewhere. Thankfully, Josh is on the ball, and he picks up my slack. Parker has truly blossomed over the past two seasons. He’s one of the top players in the league,
with an impressive scoring record. The team renewed my contract for five years and I’ve been given a substantial raise. I feel like I’ve found my calling, and there’s real satisfaction in knowing that I’m part of the reason why our team has been steadily improving since they brought me on board.
“Tonight’s the night?” Josh asks as we leave the arena and head for our cars.
“Tonight’s the night.”
“You need any help setting things up?” He spins his keys around on his finger.
“Nope. But if all goes well, I’m going to need your help a lot over the coming months.”
“I’m ready for it.” He claps me on the shoulder. “Kitty’s sister will probably be heavily involved, too, won’t she?”
I give him the side-eye. “There’s a very good chance of that, yeah.”
He managed to get her number after he helped move her into her apartment, but I warned him not to get involved with her if she was just going to end up as a notch on his bedpost. I’m guessing he took the advice and backed off, because as far as I know, he never did call.
I’m grateful that my day ends early. It means I can pick up all the things I need for tonight, including a premade dinner from Kitty’s favorite restaurant. That way all I have to do is heat it up and not make a mess of the kitchen. I arrive home at four in the afternoon. I preheat the oven and jump in the shower, then put on fresh dress pants and a button-down.
The moment Kitty walks in the door, she makes a beeline for the bathroom, telling me she needs to have a quick shower.
I call after her to take her time. I feed Prince Francis and Wilfred, because they’ll follow me around and Prince Francis will yell at me until I give him food, which is distracting, and I don’t need to be tripping over them when I’m rushing around.
I quickly set the table, light a couple of candles, and put dinner in the oven to warm. By this time, Prince Francis and Wilfred have finished scarfing down their dinners, so I dress them up in their new outfits. I pull the bottle of champagne from the fridge and set it on the table. I don’t want to pop the cork preemptively. Just in case.
“Okay! I’m all set! I don’t think I asked where we’re going tonight. Oh!” Kitty comes to an abrupt halt when she sees the setup. “What’s all this?” She bites her lip, gaze flitting from me to the table to Wilfred and Prince Francis. Wilfred is being his usual well-behaved self, sitting beside me, tail wagging happily. Prince Francis has one leg extended and is licking his toes.
“I thought we could have a romantic night in.” I clasp my hands in front of me, then behind my back, suddenly nervous.
Kitty crosses the room and comes to a stop in front of me. She smooths her hands over my chest and links them behind my neck. “I love it. What’s the occasion?”
I lift a shoulder and let it fall. “Not really an occasion, per se. I mean, I’d like it to become an occasion. But it isn’t one yet.”
Her brows pull together in a slight furrow. Probably because what I’ve just said is confusing.
“I love you,” I blurt.
“I love you, too.”
“And I want to love you for the rest of my life.”
She smiles up at me. “That’s good, because I want to do the same thing.”
“Good. Okay. That’s great. This sort of seems like the perfect segue.”
I get another confused look. “Perfect segue for what?”
I unlink her hands from around my neck and jam my hand into my pocket. At the same time, I drop to one knee in front of her. Unfortunately, Prince Francis’s tail swishes in my direction as I kneel, and his tail ends up under my knee.
He yowls loudly, hisses, and swats at me, managing to get the back of my hand. The one holding the small velvet box. Which I drop on the floor. It pops open and Wilfred lunges for it, probably thinking it’s a toy.
“No, Wilfred!” I do the only thing I can, which is shoulder him out of the way and cover the box with my body. Wilfred clearly thinks this is a game, because he jumps on top of me and starts trying to nose his way under me, his dog breath and his tongue all over my face.
“Oh my gosh! Wilfred, off!” Kitty pulls him back. “Sit!” she orders. “That’s a good boy.” I roll over and sit up and covertly check the small box to make sure the contents are still inside. Thankfully it is.
“Are you okay? Your hand is bleeding.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” I glance around the room for Prince Francis. He’s now sitting on the arm of the couch, licking his tail, giving me his angry gargoyle face.
“I should check it out, and we should disinfect it.” Kitty’s expression reflects her concern.
“In a minute. You can let go of Wilfred.” I grab one of his toys from the floor and toss it across the room, then resume my kneeling position and flip open the box.
Kitty’s breath leaves her on a whoosh. “Oh.”
“Kitty, you came into my life exactly when I needed you the most.”
Prince Francis meows loudly from the arm of the couch as Wilfred rushes by and drops his toy at my feet.
“Let me amend that. You and Prince Francis came into my and Wilfred’s life at exactly the right time.”
Wilfred sets his chin on my outstretched arm. Kitty bends to pick up the toy and throws it again. “And you came into our lives at exactly the right time.”
“I love you, and every moment of every day, that love grows. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you and falling asleep beside you. I want to raise fur babies and real babies with you. I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
“You are the most amazing man, Miles Thorn. And I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I want all the same things, and I would absolutely love to be your wife.”
I lift the ring from its velvet cushion and manage to get it on
her finger before Wilfred comes back again with his toy. I try to nudge him out of the way, but he licks my face, completely oblivious to the moment he’s ruining.
“Dude, read the room.” I push up to a stand, which means Wilfred tries to stuff his nose in my crotch.
Kitty laughs, and I do too. And then I take her face in my hands, ignoring the scratches on the back of it, and press my lips to hers. “You’re a sunrise in human form,” I tell her. “And I’m lucky I get to see you shine every single day.”