head to the side and placed her hand on his arm. “Joseph, I don’t know what Zac is referring to, but I’d hate for you to miss out on the chance to love someone because you’re uncertain of the future.” She offered a sweet smile and a wave goodbye before walking out with Zac.
Love someone. A chance to love someone. Those words should have scared him or sent him scrambling to his bike to get the hell out of town. But instead, the image of Samantha filled his mind. Her smile. Her warm eyes. Her laughter as she called out to Frodo loping along the dune. Placing her hand on the deceased goats, taking a moment to deal with grief over a lost animal. The way she talked about her family. The feel of her hands clutching him as they connected in the most intimate way possible. The sound of her voice as she whispered, “Whatever this is, whatever we have, I’m here for right now.”
I’m here for right now. Fuck, that should have thrilled him, but the truth was he wanted more. But to ask her for more, I’ve got to be willing to give more. To ask her to take a chance on me, I’ve got to be worth that chance.
His thoughts were interrupted as Doneeta brought his breakfast, but as he ate alone, his thoughts turned over Zac and Jason’s advice. The last bites of his breakfast tasted like cardboard, and he pushed his plate away. Tossing down a wad of cash, he headed back to his place before work. Rounding the corner, he jogged past his bike to the bottom of the outside stairs. A tiny sound caused his feet to stumble on the bottom step as he jerked around to look down. Not seeing anything, he held perfectly still, wondering if he would hear it again. A movement by the front tire caught his attention and he sucked in a hasty breath as eyes from two miniature balls of fur looked up at him.
Two kittens, smaller than anything he’d ever seen, cried out, their meows barely more than little squeaks. His head swung back and forth, looking up and down the alley as though he expected to see someone there, searching for their lost kittens. His next thought was wondering if there were more. He scooped the two into his large hands and searched the area, not discovering any others nor finding a mama cat. He had no idea how old they were or what had happened. Did their mama have them in the alley and then die? He knew little about cats but could tell they weren’t newborns. Did someone abandon them here? That thought made his blood boil, but as their tiny claws dug into his wrist, he knew he needed to take care of their needs first. And while he might not know what their needs were, he knew who would.
He looked down at the two bundles of mewling fur. Ever since he’d woken alone he wanted to go to Samantha but was afraid of what she thought after their night together. Holding the kittens up directly in front of his face, he grinned as one reached out their paw and swiped at him. “You, little tigers, are exactly the excuse I need.”
He shot a look at his motorcycle before turning and jogging back toward Jason’s Garage. Jason was just opening the front door, and he called out, “Hey, can I take the tow truck?”
Jason turned around with a smile on his face, then his gaze dropped to what Joseph had in his hands. “What the hell have you got there?”
“Kittens.” He held them up for Jason to see.
“You got kittens?”
“They were in the alley, hiding near my bike. Someone must’ve dumped them in the alley.”
A dark look crossed Jason’s face as he reached out and rubbed the kittens’ heads. “Some people are assholes.” He lifted his gaze to Joseph and said, “You can take the tow truck if you need it.”
“I don’t know how old they are or what I need to do for them, so I thought I’d take them to Samantha. I sure as hell can’t take them on my bike.”
A slow smile curved Jason’s lips, and Joseph looked down at the kittens in his hands, trying to avoid making eye contact. Hell, I was doing the same thing this morning with Zac.
“So, the man who always has one foot out the door went on a date that didn’t