Twinkles Takes a Holiday by Cate Lawley

Author:Cate Lawley [Lawley, Cate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christmas, Contemporary, Cozy, Fantasy, Fiction, General, Holiday, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Supernatural
Google: YETHDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Cate Lawley
Published: 2019-03-08T08:27:29.601018+00:00

9

The Cat Cave

You can’t kill the cat,” Ben said as he blocked my path to the back door. “And you really can’t stuff him.”

“Says who?” I darted around him, and Alex, in a demonstration of solidarity, held the door for me. Between clenched teeth, I said, “Dead and stuffed seems fabulous right now.”

“You don’t mean that.” Ben hustled to walk ahead of me.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Alex murmured, trailing behind us. “Just in case anyone wondered.”

Ben stopped in front of the shed door and crossed his arms.

“I’m not going to actually kill the cat.” I shook my head and gave him a look of complete exasperation. We both knew I’d never do that to Camille. Also, I didn’t kill small, furry creatures—or even pixies, as bug-like as they might be—as a general rule of thumb. A little anger wasn’t changing that.

“True. But you’re not exactly yourself right now. You walk in like”—he gestured toward me, but wisely didn’t choose an adjective—“like this, and you’re not going to get very far.”

Then he uncrossed his arms and reached for my hand. Once he had my fingers held fast in his grasp, he leaned close and spoke softly, maintaining at least the fiction that Alex couldn’t hear us. “What’s really going on? Why have you been so…”

I saved him from having to say it. “Emotional?”

He didn’t agree or even nod, just waited.

“Santa’s reindeer? Isn’t that enough?” I asked. But he was right. Ever since Twinkles had gone missing, I’d been just a hair…off.

“I don’t think so.” He pulled our linked hands closer, hugged me, and whispered, “Preferably before I freeze my favorite parts off.”

Which made me laugh. It was the day before Christmas Eve. Even Austin got chilly this time of year—sometimes. But he was right, and I suddenly realized why.

Before I could think twice, I dropped the bomb. “You want kids?”

I knew he did. We both did. We’d talked about it.

But he played along and replied in the affirmative, then added, “When you’re ready.”

Note the emphasis on the me part of the equation.

Ben grinned and said, “And maybe after we’re married.”

“Have you asked?” Alex’s voice cut through our little bubble of privacy.

“Shut it,” I called over my shoulder, then turned my attention back to the important person in this equation: the love of my life, the man I wanted to have kids with. Not today, of course, but maybe soon. “If we can’t take care of a cat, Ben—a cat—then how are we going to handle a child?”

Except when I said “we,” I really meant me.

Alex cleared his throat—because he couldn’t refrain from inserting himself in our private conversation—and said, “A magical cat. A magical cat that turned into a human.”

Ben chuckled. “As obnoxious as he can be, he does have a point.” But then he turned serious. “You’re going to be an amazing mom. And I know all about great moms. I had about the best one a kid could have.”

Before I could reply—it was taking me a little time to come up with a response, because awwww—Matt-Twinkles poked his head out of the shed.

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