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I end up picking him up by the scruff of his neck, which calms him down, and he hangs there like a tiny gray sack of potatoes, blinking as my men reach the door.
“Is that… a cat?” Kyrian growls.
I grin. “Guys… meet Potato.”
Potato meows.
“Give him to me,” Roman says, beckoning. “Here.”
“Are you sure? You’re not too attached to your limbs, I hope.”
Roman hesitates, dark eyes widening. “Really? He looks so small…”
“Don’t be fooled by his size.”
Archer chuckles. “Haven’t you learned your lesson yet, Ro? I mean, look at Sawyer and Brinlee. Great power often comes in small packages.”
“I didn’t realize when you said you had a cat what that implied,” Kyrian mutters, glaring at my kitty who wiggles. “Is he going to kill us in our sleep?”
But when Roman finally reaches for Potato, my cat only gives a tiny meow and allows himself to be manhandled and cuddled in Roman’s strong arms.
I blink. “Really? You let a total stranger cuddle you? Didn’t I tell you not to trust strangers, Taters?”
He meows again, casting me a look as if to say, “This is your fault anyway.”
And then Roman goes, “Whoz ze little kitteh, huh? Whoozza tiny boopy kitteh?”
Potato blinks.
The rest of us dissolve into guffaws.
“Really?” Kyrian wipes tears from his eyes. “You’re gonna baby-talk to the cat?”
“Hey, that’s how you talk to cats.” Roman doesn’t even bother to glare at us. “It’s kitty talk, right, kitty?” He nuzzles Potato’s nose, and Potato allows himself to be nose-booped.
“I’ll be damned.” I shake my head. “He hates strangers normally.”
“It’s as if he knows us already.” Archer reaches out to stroke Potato’s head. “Do you know us, little cat?”
Potato twists his head to sniff at Archer’s fingers and purrs.
“Wait a minute. I think… he’s kind of used to your scent,” I say. “Because it’s been on me for a while now.”
“There you go.” Roman rocks Potato a bit. “Our first child. Potato McGraw, welcome to the family.”
It makes me laugh, but Kyrian bumps his hip against mine, and Archer grins, and Potato is still purring like a little car engine. Everything is fine with the world.
Everything will be fine, because we’re doing it together.
“It’s a tablet,” I say.
“I know it’s a tablet,” Kyrian growls softly, holding it as if it’s about to sprout fangs and bite him. “But why are you giving it to me? If it’s for playing videogames, I’m not supposed to, not at work. At home, we have computers.”
“Yeah, but a tablet can read books for you. Well, a computer, too, but this one is easier to carry around. Anyway, the app can read them. Until you’re ready to start your reading classes.”
He studies it, color rising to his high cheekbones. “I never even thought to do that.”
“You kept away from books in general.” I nod. “I get it.”
