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To her surprise, Roman ducked his head, looking a little embarrassed. “Well, one kitten. I, ah, thought I might keep one too.”
Her lips twitched. He wasn’t fooling her. He had fallen in love with one kitten—if not both. “I couldn’t possibly split them up,” she said.
“That’s just it—they don’t need to be split up. Not permanently anyway,” Roman said quickly. “When you have your twelve-hour shift, you could drop him off on the way, so he isn’t home alone all day. That way, he could visit with his brother. Or Abel or someone could pick him up and drop him off.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. “You’re going to send your second-in-command to my place almost every day so two kittens can have a playdate?”
Roman shrugged his broad shoulders. “Sure. If you want to look at it that way.”
Angela snickered a little, rubbing her chin over the top of the white kitten’s head. “What other way is there to look at it?”
“Shared custody.”
Angela let out a startled laugh, but her response was very firm. “No.”
“Yes,” Roman retorted. “Look at them. Just agree. They don’t want their parents to fight.”
“Roman...” Angela pursed her lips in exasperation. The man was damned hard to say no to.
“They’ve been here for two weeks. Claire wanted to make sure they were healthy and happy before they went anywhere. Which they are. They’re ready to spread their little kitty beans,” Roman said, tickling the kittens on their paws until they began to make biscuits on her sweater. “Well, what do you say?”
The tiny little paws with the tiny little claws were already comforting. And it had only been five minutes. She knew exactly what she was going to say. “I say, thank you, Roman. This could just be the best gift anyone has ever given me.”
Roman’s smile lit up his entire face. “Wonderful. Here, take a seat.” He helped her sit down on the couch, his knees touching hers so the kittens could move between them easier. “You don’t receive a lot of gifts?” he asked carefully.
Roman rarely asked her any personal questions. A few months ago, she would have balked, but that reaction was more muscle memory than anything else now. Still, she needed to take a breath before she was able to answer. “No, I don’t. I remember my grandmother used to spoil me on my birthday when I was little. She knew me—really listened to me when I spoke—so she knew just what to get me to make me smile. And when I was older, when I told her I wanted to be a doctor, she gave me this old-school medical bag. You know those leather ones with the top latch? She even had my name burned into it.”
She saw Roman look to the door where she placed her bag down. She never went anywhere without it, especially to Omertà. It didn’t matter if she was only there for a social visit, she invariably needed her bag for something. It was black leather and very functional, looking more like a thick briefcase than a medical bag. It did what it was supposed to do but lacked the charm of her old bag. Not to mention the good memories.
“How come I’ve never seen you use it?” he asked when he faced her again.
“I left it at my parents’ one day when I was visiting,” was all she said. It was the truth. But not the whole truth.
Roman nodded his head easily enough, but there was a slight frown on his face. “And you didn’t go back for it?”
“No,” she responded flatly. “I didn’t go back for anything. My grandmother would have understood.”
Thankfully, Roman didn’t press, even though he had to be curious. “Your grandmother sounds like a good person.”
Angela smiled a little, stroking the soft fur of the kittens. “She was. The best. I called her Grom because I couldn’t say grandma when I was little. It stuck. She died when I was fifteen,” she added sadly.
“Mi dispiaci. I am sorry,” Roman said, bowing his head respectfully. “Did she know you were going to be a doctor?”
“Yes.” Angela paused, then cleared her throat. “She was proud.”
“Naturally. You are a wonderful doctor,” he complimented her. “And what about your parents? Don’t they ever send you gifts? Christmas presents?”
She stiffened. She didn’t want to invite any more questions about her parents. But he didn’t seem to be fishing for information. It was just a friendly conversation. She unclenched her hands and responded evenly, “No. We’re estranged.”
“Fair enough,” Roman said, moving on quickly. “I don’t exactly receive gifts from my remaining family, either. Nothing that doesn’t tick, at least.”
“Roman!” she gasped. Here she was, thinking they were enjoying a nice conversation. She nudged him with her shoulder.
“What?” he said innocently. “It’s the truth.”
“That’s what bothers me,” she informed him. “Now, I assume the little midnight dude is staying with you?”
The black kitten had climbed his way to Roman’s shoulder and was draped around his neck like a furry scarf. Roman reached up, dislodging the kitten, who gave a cranky mewl, and he chuckled. “I guess so.”
