He turned away and walked out of my view, replying, “Like I said, there’s something you need to see.”
“Define ‘something,’” I called out. No response. “Dane, what is it?” Again, nothing. Cursing, I stalked up the stairs, ranting, “Dammit, Dane, just tell me what’s wrong. My imagination is going haywire here.”
I found him in my bedroom, his face still utterly unreadable. My stomach did a slow roll. “What is it?”
“Follow me.” He walked into my closet.
I trailed after him, stopping only when he halted near the shoe carousel. “What is it?”
His gaze briefly slid to one of the shelves. “Look.”
I looked. And I did a double-take. My lips parted, and my body went utterly still. I had to be seeing things. I really had to be. Because there was no way that there’d be a—
“It’s your ‘something blue.’”
I blinked at Dane. “My what?”
“You told the planners you had something old, something new, and something borrowed, but that you needed something blue,” Dane reminded me. “Well, now you’ve got it. In fact, her name is Blue. I’m guessing her previous owner named her after the color of her fur. Not very original.”
“Her?” I echoed, feeling my mouth dry up. “You found her?”
“At the cat rescue center, yes. Her owner died. There was no one to care for her.”
Whoa, back the fuck up. “You … you went to a cat rescue center?”
He nodded. “I went while you were at the mall. I didn’t go there looking for a Russian Blue cat. But when I saw her and remembered what you told the planners, I figured she’d do.”
I swallowed. He’d gotten me a cat. A cat. And now I was feeling all choked up. With one act, he’d turned a shit day into the best day ever. The backs of my eyes burned with hot tears, and my throat began to ache.
I turned back to the gorgeous feline, who was curled up in a ball on my shelf, looking wary and cautious.
“Well, do you want her or not?” he prodded, impatient.
My eyes widened. “Of course I want her. I’m just shocked. I mean, you don’t really like animals.”
“But you do. And you wanted a cat. Now you’ve got one.” He crossed to the shelf, eyeing her just as he’d eyed those meerkats at the zoo. “She’s not so bad. Just a little unsettled. Which is probably why she’s hiding in here.”
I swallowed again and nearly choked on the knot of emotion clogging my throat. I hugged him tight. “Thank you,” I rasped. “Really, thank you. She’s the best gift anyone’s ever given me.”
His arms came around me, and he rubbed his jaw over the top of my head. “You’re welcome.”
I closed my eyes. “Why?” I asked, my face in his chest. “Why did you do this for me?”
He squeezed my nape. “You know why,” he said, his voice low.
Yes, I did know. He’d gotten me a cat … because it was all he could give me. The other things I wanted out of life—children, a real husband—weren’t things he would ever want to offer me. Although that thought made my chest ache, it didn’t dim my happiness at the gift he’d given me. Because he hadn’t had to do it. It wasn’t like it was my birthday or Christmas or anything. No, he’d done this utterly sweet thing for me … just because.
I didn’t need to ask why he’d picked a cat from a rescue center. The animals there were all in the same position we’d once been in—they had no one to care for them and needed a new home.
Blinking my teary eyes, I lifted my head. “She’ll need food.”
“It’s in the kitchen, along with cat litter and a bunch of other stuff that was on the list.”
“List?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have a clue what cats need. I had to Google it. I bought it all on the way home.”
My heart melted. I smiled. “Dude, you’re so getting lucky later.” I crossed to the shelf and whispered nonsense at the cat while gently scratching the top of her head. She was tense, but she didn’t hiss or take a swipe at me.
I petted her, loving the soft, silky feel of her coat. The more I stroked and whispered to her, the more she relaxed. But when I tried scooping her up, she retreated.
My shoulders sagged. “She doesn’t want to come down.”
Dane sighed at her. “You can’t hide up there. It’s