Lemon, and he apparently didn’t think to tell me. I park at his place in Wailea and run all the way to the door. I take a second to catch my breath before knocking. The door opens before I can even raise my arm. And just like that, with one look at his face, I’m breathless yet again.
His blank expression turns into a frown when he sees me. “Come on in.”
Inside, I’m one giant stress knot. Now that I’m actually here with him, I’m on the spot. I don’t know what the right thing to do or say is. So I just quietly follow him.
He, too, seems to be taking the silent route as he leads me to the bathroom down the hall. When he steps aside to let me look through the doorway, I’m speechless, but for an entirely different reason.
Next to the wall lies a cardboard box with a fluffy blanket stuffed in it. Lemon sits curled in a ball, three tiny fuzzballs pressed up against her stomach.
“She had her kittens?” I practically squeal.
I dart over to her, careful to kneel down slowly to avoid spooking her. She looks up at me with sleepy eyes, blinking every few seconds. When I scratch under her chin, she purrs instantly.
“Last night while we were asleep,” Callum says behind me.
“Lemon, you’re a mama,” I whisper to her. “Congratulations, my girl.”
I turn back to Callum, who sports a gentle smile. Seeing Lemon with her babies is like a reboot to our dynamic. It’s easy to put all of our nonsense on hold when there’s an adorable litter of newborn kittens to focus on.
“Finn woke up to use the loo this morning and saw her in the middle of the bathroom floor with these three little ones.”
“No way.” I let out a laugh of disbelief.
Callum nods to the box. “That was the best makeshift nursery cat bed we could come up with.”
“You guys did a great job. She looks really happy.”
I bend down again to pet Lemon and take in her litter. One is white with gray spots like her, one is all gray, and one is all white. With my index finger, I take a moment to give them all gentle pats.
“They are so cute it hurts,” I say.
Callum lets out a soft chuckle, the sound like a hug to my heart. A dam inside of me breaks, and all of the old feelings come rushing back. Even though I’m facing away from him, I have to close my eyes while I let the ache inside of me pass.
When I turn back to him, he’s standing in the open doorway with his hands in his pockets. “I thought you’d want to see them. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know sooner. It was a bit chaotic dealing with everything at first, but I called you straightaway once I got everything sorted.”
“Totally understand.” I cross my arms, my gaze falling to the tile floor.
Now that the cuteness of the kittens has been discussed, we’re back to this awkward shuffling of not knowing how to act around each other post-split.
I look up at him. “I’d like to help take care of the kittens, if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely. They are just as much yours as they are mine.”
I nod, the pressure in my chest easing at the flow of our conversation.
We agree that they’ll stay with Callum the next couple of weeks, then I’ll take them to stay with me for a few weeks. We also agree to get Lemon spayed.
I reach into my pocket to grab some cash. “Here, let me pay for some of Lemon’s food. She’s nursing three little ones now.”
But before I can even slip my hand out of my pocket, Callum takes a step forward and puts his hand over mine. I look up and we lock stares. He’s just a few inches from me now, so close I can hear him breathe.
“You know I’m not going to take that.” His voice is low, steady, kind, perfect. I miss hearing it; I miss being next to him so much.
I nod, tucking the money back into my pocket. He lets go of me and steps back to the open doorway. I take a seat on the edge of the tub and focus on the cats to steady myself. The cold porcelain against the backs of my legs is a welcome reset . . . until I remember that Callum and I shared countless naked sessions in this bathtub. When I glance up