18. Cat Dads

Icouldn"t stop smiling. Even as I stood behind the counter, steam from the espresso machine fogging up in front of me, I was grinning like a fool. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Hayes"s face, felt his hands on my skin, heard his whispered words of love.

Last night had been... well, there weren"t words. It had been everything I"d ever wanted and so much more. The way Hayes had worshipped my body, the reverence in his touch, the unbridled passion in his kisses, it was enough to make a girl go weak in the knees or the brain.

Wait, had he fucked my brains out? Sure felt like it, because there was nothing up there but ooey gooey mush.

"Earth to Willa," Trixie"s amused voice snapped me out of my daydreams. She and Marie were standing at the counter, matching Cheshire grins on their faces.

I felt my cheeks heat, but I couldn"t wipe the smile off my face. "Sorry, ladies. What can I get for you?"

Marie leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh, I think we"d rather hear about what"s got you looking like the cat that ate the canary."

I bit my lip, my mind flashing back to the feel of Hayes"s mouth on me. "I have no idea what you"re talking about."

Trixie snorted, exchanging a knowing look with Marie. "Please. You"re practically glowing. I know that look. That"s the "I just had mind-blowing sex with a Kingman" look."

I nearly dropped the mug I was holding, my jaw falling open. "Trixie."

Although, she would know. I"d Googled her and Chris since I got home, and that was quite the fun sex scandal and subsequent sex positive messaging they"d dealt out in return. I actually really admired her for it.

Trixie held up her hands, laughing. "Hey, no judgment here. I"m simply happy to see you and Hayes finally got your act together. According to Chris, that boy"s been pining for you."

I couldn"t help but smile at that, my heart fluttering in my chest. "I guess I just needed a little push to realize what was right in front of me."

Marie reached across the counter, squeezing my hand. "We"re happy for you, sweetie. I told you I thought you"d be joining the Cowgirls sooner rather than later. Now we have to help support your small business."

There was no denying I was officially a lover of a Denver Mustang now. Hayes"s fame didn"t matter to me personally, but already it was opening up networking opportunities to help the coffee shop.

"It"s not actually mine, you know." I pointed to the picture framed along with their first dollar bill from their first sale that hung near the cash register. "My uncles are the real owners. I"m just temporarily running it while they"re on an extended and well-deserved vacation."

"That is very generous and amazing of you." Marie folded her arms and studied me for a moment. "And do you have plans for after they"re back?"

Gulp. "Not yet. Right now I"m living in the moment. I want to do everything I can to make this place a success so when they get back, it"s a healthy business for them."

Trixie nodded but tipped her head to the side. "But aren"t you a teacher? You said something about living abroad before. Maybe you could look for a teaching position here, you know, after your uncles get back."

I wasn"t ready to think about all of that, much less talk about it. "I"m not that kind of teacher. I didn"t go to college or anything. I just teach English as a foreign language to little kids."

"There"s no just about that," Marie said. "We need those kinds of skills in Colorado too, dear."

Umm, I hadn"t really thought about that. But just hearing that there could be a job for me in Denver kind of gave me the heebie-jeebies. A job here meant being stuck here.

Nope. No. I was not thinking about that now. I was living in a happy brains-fucked-out bliss for today, tomorrow, and the rest of the near future. "Right. Sure. But let me show you the plans I have for what we can do for the Cowgirls and Cowpals here at Cool Beans."

I spent the next few minutes telling them about my plans for the coffee shop, including the upcoming cat adoption event. I knew Marie Manniway was famous for doing philanthropic work, so I hoped that would appeal to her. Trixie was particularly thrilled to hear about the spicy romance book club idea and promised to not only spread the word but participate. She said she might even know some published authors who would send swag for the readers, or even Zoom in to say hello and answer questions.

That would be incredibly cool. Authors were my rockstars.

Before they left, a woman from the local bakery arrived with the orders I"d placed for the new cat-themed pastries to go with the cat-themed drinks. They were my secret weapon for the day the actual cats that were coming to hopefully be adopted came in. I took pictures and posted them to the shop"s new InstaSnap, tagging the bakery.

Marie went on and gave the post a heart and commented that she"d be at the event in a couple of days. Which, to my surprise, made my phone blow up with notifications.

Over the next couple of days, I did not get to see Hayes as often as I wanted. I only slept over twice. Although Seven slept over every night. At this point he was basically living at Hayes"s house. Hayes even ordered him a very elaborate cat tree that now stood next to his live streaming and gaming set up in the living room.

One of the nights my mother called and insisted she wanted to take me Christmas shopping, and we met Xander out at The Mall of the Rockies. We stayed until closing, which, since it was December, was ridiculously late. While Hayes insisted he had plenty of stamina and didn"t need a full eight hours of sleep, I knew better.He was a professional athlete who needed his rest.So instead of going over, I texted him a picture of my boobs and told him to have sweet dreams.

Strangely, the next night, my dad asked for my help picking out a present for my mom, and we once again met Xander, but this time downtown at the fancy pants Peachy Creek Mall. I was definitely missing the small shops that the rest of the world bought their things at instead of these giant American islands of mass consumerism.

I"d never known my parents to care so much about getting their shopping done. The last few years while I was abroad, they just put money into my account. Xan said it was because this would be the first Christmas all of us could be together since I"d gone galivanting around the world.

Hayes and I did make up for lost time when he did as promised and bent me over the desk in the back room after closing the shop one evening. Another new kink unlocked that night when I learned I really liked it when he wrapped my hair around his fist and pulled on it while he was fucking me from behind. Good times, good times.

Cool Beans was busier than it had ever been, the tables filled most mornings with chattering customers, and the line at the counter was steadily growing. But it still wasn"t enough to get the numbers out of the red. I did have someone call to book our first after-hours event on Sunday night.

Thankfully it would be after the Mustangs" game. The guy who called said something about a family game night and wanting room to spread out and snacks that he didn"t have to make. The shop would be perfect for that, and they were going to pay my shiny new café rental rate of a hundred bucks an hour plus the cost of food and beverages.

That Friday was the cat adoption event, and my day dawned bright and early, this time in Hayes"s bed. He came with me to the shop before sunrise to help set up the play area for the cats and make sure everything was perfect.

"Good luck today, babe. I"ll be back early, it"s just run through of a few plays for the KC game."

I gave him a slightly distracted kiss on the cheek. "Okay, I"ll see you later. Don"t be surprised if we accidentally end up with a new cat."

He stopped dead in his tracks and grinned like a loon.

"What?"

He jogged back over to me and gave me a ridiculously hot kiss. "I just like that you"re thinking about us doing things like that together."

Was I? I guess I was. Instead of the idea of making a commitment like that with him scaring me, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. "I"ll make a cat dad out of you yet."

Just as long as he didn"t get ideas about being a baby daddy anytime soon. No way either of us were ready for anything like kids.

When the shelter volunteers arrived with a dozen adorable felines in tow, I couldn"t help but let out a little squeal of excitement. They were just so darn cute.

"Thank you so much for coming to do this." I shook hands with the woman who was my contact. "I"m very excited to have the cats here."

"We"re excited that Cool Beans is still willing to host."

Still willing? "Umm, did something happen to make you think we wouldn"t?"

"Oh, you know, just that time when one particularly feisty tabby managed to escape the play area and led us on a merry chase around the shop." She shook her head and laughed. "But once we got him safely out of the espresso machine, things ran smoothly from there."

Well, that explained a lot.

It was a good thing I"d added extra staff for today because we were packed from the moment the shop opened. It probably helped a ton that Marie Manniway stopped by first thing and posted a shot of a fluffy cat named Princess Moondrop sitting on the table next to her Calico Cappuccino with the cat design in the foam and a slice of almond bis-cat-i.

So many customers came in and cooed over the playful kittens, falling in love left and right. My cat-themed drinks and bakery items were a huge hit. To my surprise, the Tabby Tea Latte with orange pekoe sold out because it was so popular.

By midday, we"d already had six adoptions and the shop was purring with a happy, lively energy that made my heart swell. This was what I thought the shop should be like all the time.

I was just saying goodbye to a newly adopted black cat and his new owner who promised to come to the spicy romance book club when, to my surprise, Xander walked in. He was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes taking in the festive decorations and the playpen full of frolicking felines.

"This is pretty cool, Willabean. I don"t think I"ve ever seen the place this busy." He pulled me into a big bear hug, lifting me off my feet. "I had no idea you could pull off something like this."

"Thanks." I think. "It was a lot of work, but I"m so glad it"s running so well."

Xander released me, his expression turning serious. "Listen, sis. I know you"re probably going to the Mustangs game on Sunday and all, but I was sort of hoping you might come to my game on Saturday."

I didn"t know what to say. Maybe he really was trying to be good about Hayes and I being together. Even if he hadn"t said another peep to Hayes since the night he crashed on his couch.

I had been planning on sneaking into the hotel again, since this was a home game and I didn"t have to close the shop for the whole weekend to be with him. But if Xan was really offering an olive branch, I was going to take it. "Sure, I haven"t been to one of your games in years. It will be... weird."

He grinned, ruffling my hair like he used to when we were kids. "Yeah, yeah. Don"t go getting all mushy on me. Now, how about you introduce me to these furry little matchmakers?"

As I watched Xander cradle a tiny orange kitten, making silly faces at it, I couldn"t help but feel like everything was falling into place.

The shop was thriving, my relationship with Hayes was stronger than ever, and now, even Xander was coming around.

Life was good. Really, really good.

And as I looked around at the smiling faces of my customers, the playful antics of the cats, and the love and support of my friends and family, I knew one thing for certain.

I was exactly where I was meant to be today.

The bell above the door jingled again, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Hayes walk in, a big palm in a pot under his arm. Why did I just know he"d done the research to know that ponytail palms were cat safe before bringing it on cat day at the café?

He caught my eye across the room, his smile brighter than the sun.But before I could make my way over to him, Xander intercepted me, the kitten still nestled in his arms. "Willa, you"ve got to see this little guy"s trick. I think I"ve found my new best friend."

I laughed, indulging my brother as he showed off the kitten"s ability to give a tiny high-five. It was adorable, sure, but I had a twinge of impatience. Hayes was here, and all I wanted was to be in his arms.

Xander kept on chattering about the cats, the shop, and everything in between. "You think I"d make a good cat dad, don"t you, Beanie?"

"Sure. Why don"t you adopt this one and name it Dragon or Mustang?" I tried to step away to go greet Hayes, but Xan didn"t seem to notice I was trying to end our conversation.

"He looks more like a Dragon to me, don"t you, little guy?" Xan bopped the kitten on the nose, and it mewed at him. "See how fierce he is already?"

I looked and scratched the spot between my eyes. "I think that one is a girl."

"Ooh, Dragon Slayer then. Killer of men"s hearts everywhere."

Was Xan having girl problems? I wasn"t going to ask.From the corner of my eye, I saw Hayes waiting patiently near the counter. He could have just come over here, but somehow, I knew he was trying not to engage with Xan. I didn"t blame him.

"Mommy, look, an orange kitty. It matches daddy"s hair. Can we get this one?" Xander"s attention was diverted by this little girl who clearly had her heart set on his Dragon Slayer. When he knelt to show the kitten to her, I took my chance, slipping away and making a beeline for Hayes.

"Hey, you," I murmured, rising up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. "I"m so sorry about that. Xander"s weirdly enamored with the cats."

Hayes shook his head, his smile understanding. "It"s okay, Willa. I get it. He"s your brother, and he wants to spend time with you."

I sighed, taking the plant from him, and carrying it to the sink behind the counter. "Yeah, you"re right but... I feel like I"ve hardly gotten to spend time with you at all this week."

He pulled me close, his arms wrapping around my waist. "We"ve got all the time in the world, sweetheart. I"m not going anywhere."

I leaned into him, breathing in his familiar scent. How did he always know just what to say?

Over Hayes"s shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Xander watching us, his expression unreadable. Please let him finally be happy for me for once.

"Hey, boss," Javier, my most reliable employee who"d actually volunteered to work the cat rescue shift with me, stuck his head out from behind the espresso machine. "It"s doing that thing again. I think it"s gonna blow."

"Shit." I dashed over to the backline and hurried to examine the machine. The repair guy had given me a couple of tricks to do if it started acting up again. I went through a few of them, but in the end, I gave it a swift smack to the side, and the rattling it was making stopped.

"Phew. Crisis averted." Javier snorted at me. "I don"t think it"s used to working this hard."

I helped him catch up on the orders for the waiting customers, and while I was putting the fancy cat foam topper on a latte, I noticed Hayes and Xander standing near the door talking.

Xan said something to Hayes, too low for me to hear, but I saw Hayes"s jaw tighten almost imperceptibly. When he didn"t reply, my brother slapped him on the arm and walked out the door, without so much as a goodbye wave to me.

After I got Javi caught up, I made my way over to Hayes. "What was that about?"

Hayes shrugged, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Nothing important. Just guy stuff."

I didn"t believe that for a second. These two were the most important men in my life and I was going to sit on one or the other to find out what had just happened between them. One I was going to smack around in the way only a younger sister can, and the other... I decided I"d start with Hayes, because sitting on certain parts of him would be a lot of fun.

Starting with his face.