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“Because you wanted her, but couldn’t have her at your place, so now you can have her here. And … I figured you were right, that no one would take a deaf, mute cat. So Jacob and I went back to get her right after we dropped you off.”
Paige swallowed hard, feeling ridiculously close to tears. “I just can’t believe you did that.”
“I sort of can’t, either,” he replied with a chuckle. “But she and Trick-or-Treat are doing great so far.”
She sniffed. “Thank you for getting her.”
“You’re welcome. So, what’s her name going to be?”
“You don’t like Angel? That’s actually not bad.”
“‘Not bad’ isn’t good enough.”
She laughed.
“Jacob said we should ask you,” David added.
Paige blinked, the threat of tears hitting her again. Why couldn’t she stop with the waterworks, already? “He did?”
David nodded. “He insisted. He said my names were ‘dumb’. He actually got a time out for that.”
“He did not.”
“Well, he came close.”
“What were your name suggestions?”
“I’m not telling you. You’ll say they’re dumb, too.”
Jacob came over and a moment later all Paige can see was part of his nose and one eye as he crowded in. David adjusted his phone until more of his face was in view.
She began throwing out some silly names, mostly revolving around the color black, which drew mixed reviews, with Jacob being generally supportive and David booing, until they were both booing her suggestions. Making a face at them as if she were annoyed, she decided to get serious, because there was still laundry to be done and she had to be at work early in the morning. So, given the luck she’d had with the Halloween theme earlier, Paige went back to it, coming up with Casper, but disregarding it since Jacob probably didn’t know who that was, and also because Casper was a boy. She then thought of the generic ‘Ghost’, but decided it wasn’t really fitting for the shy, sweet cat.
On the verge of admitting defeat she paused to re-group for a moment, and as she did, her eyes fell on the box of Moon Pies on her counter. She quickly pulled one out, opened it, then took a satisfying bite, feeling her spirits immediately rise as she savored the crunch of chocolate-covered graham crackers, with a fluffy marshmallow center—
“All right. I’ve got it,” she announced after swallowing the bite she’d just taken. “Marshmallow. And that’s my final offer.”
“Marshmallow!” Jacob’s shout made her cringe and smile at the same time.
David took his phone back. “The Name Whisperer strikes again. Marshmallow it is.”
Shortly after they get off the phone, David sent her a twenty second video of Jacob laughing as he played with the cats, getting them to chase a toy mouse on a string. She replayed the video over and over, smiling until her face hurt.
She’d definitely passed the point of no return.
And … it felt pretty fucking fantastic.
Chapter 73
In the two weeks leading up to Jacob’s 4th birthday, Paige spent most of her free time with him and David. Sometimes it was just for dinner and sometimes for several hours. She’d asked David if it would be okay to get a gift for Jacob’s birthday, and had been told, “Absolutely.”
So, after giving it a lot of thought, in the end she bought a child-sized easel, along with a giant pad of paper to hang on it, plus a bunch of art supplies like water color paints, brushes, and some colored charcoal sticks. It was probably a little much, but she told herself it’s what she would’ve gotten her own son, if her son had been artistically inclined.
David had planned a little party at an indoor recreation center, that catered to young children with various games, trampolines, ball pits, big slides, a bounce house, and even a beginner’s rock wall with an instructor.
All twenty kids from Jacob’s preschool class had been invited, and about half of them showed up, including his best friend, Patrick, and two girls named Kelsey and Emma, who David said had mad crushes on Jacob. It didn’t take long for Paige to agree.
The ‘play’ portion of the party lasted an hour, and David spent most of that time making small talk with the parents while they all kept an eye on the kids. He found himself watching Paige almost as much as he watched Jacob, because at his urging, she’d joined him on a trampoline, then gone into the bounce house, her laughter mingling with Jacob’s. When she came out, her hair was a little wild and her cheeks were flushed, making David shake his head in amusement.
