One of my lab techs, Sally Watson, knocked on my open door. "Hey, Dr. Wyatt, what time are Chloe and Oliver coming over to play with the kittens?" Sally was a short, curvy woman with even curlier hair. Her cats' eye glasses were perfectly representative of both her quirky personality and love of cats.

I looked at the time. "I think Oliver said they were planning on coming around eleven, so just before lunch. Do you need me to tell him you need to reschedule?"

"Oh no, not at all. I just wanted to make sure the visiting room was free when they got here." She smiled and left my office.

Oliver had made it part of Chloe's routine to come over three days out of the week to play with some of the animals. Sometimes they took dogs for walks, others they played with the adoptable cats, socializing them. I wasn't running a shelter, but every vet seemed to end up with a few strays needing a home at some point. I worked with a couple of fostering programs and shelters when I could, but sometimes they were already full and sometimes the animals needed more attention before they left the clinic.

Chloe had always been a favorite among my employees, and now Oliver had joined her in their estimation. Everyone took at least a couple minutes out of their day to watch them when they could, me included. They were an adorable pair, and I was never going to argue with seeing my little girl more during the day.

Now that Sally had drawn my attention to the time, I couldn't help but check the time every few minutes. I told myself it was because I was excited to see my beautiful girl’s smile. And I was. But there was another smile I couldn’t stop thinking about as well. I had several patients in between then and when Chloe and Oliver arrived, and that helped the morning pass quickly.

Chloe and Oliver always came in the back door, right by my office, so I was guaranteed a moment with my little girl before anyone else. I didn't know if Oliver planned it that way on purpose, but I wouldn't put it past him. He always seemed one step ahead of our needs. Not only Chloe's, but mine as well.

As usual, I smelled Oliver approaching before there was any other sign. I had been trying to work on paperwork and then I heard the small squelch of the door and Chloe's tiny giggle that meant she was trying to be sneaky. I kept my eyes on my desk, giving her the chance to "scare" me, I saw a pink movement out of my peripheral vision and the scuffle of tiny feet coming around my desk to the right.

I flicked my eyes up to catch Oliver's smile, but tried to keep my return smile suppressed.

"Boo, Daddy!" Chloe jumped up from a crouch next to me and I pretended to jump.

"You scared me, Chloe bug! How did you sneak in so quietly?"

"I been practicin' wiv Oliver."

I pulled her up on my lap as Oliver stepped into the room. "Are you trying to teach my girl to be a super spy?" I asked, and Chloe giggled.

"Daddy, I not a spy!"

"I don't know, sweetheart," Oliver said. "I think you might make a really good spy someday."

Chloe narrowed her eyes in thought. "Maybe I be a spy later."

"You can be whatever you want to be, Chloe bug. You're a very smart little girl."

Chloe tilted her head back and forth, leaning over my desk to grab a pen. I lifted her off my lap and back to the floor before she could grab it. "Not right now, bug. Aren't you and Oliver going to play with the kitties?"

She started bouncing in my grip so that I couldn't let go of her without letting her fall to the ground. "Kitties!"

"Yes, kitties." I laughed and stood, picking her up and carrying her on my hip.

Oliver reached out. "Want me to carry her?"

"Nah, I'll come drop you both off with Sally. She's been looking forward to this all day."

Sally was waiting with three kittens. They were almost old enough to be adopted. Some places would adopt kittens out as young as eight weeks, but I liked to wait until ten.

"Hey, Chloe! I brought Harry, Hermione, and Ron to meet you today!"

I raised my eyebrows. "Really, Sally?"

"What else are you going to name a litter of two boys and a girl?"

"Han, Luke, and Leia?" I suggested.

Sally opened and closed her mouth. "Okay, fair point. Next time."

"Okay, enough of your nerd wars," Oliver said. "I have some kittens to play with."

He scooted past us to join Chloe. I watched them for a few minutes before turning to leave, giving Oliver a good-bye wave. Chloe was too focused on the kittens to realize I was leaving.

Tammy, another one of my vet techs, stopped me in the hallway. "Are Oliver and Chloe here?" she asked.

"Yes, I just left them with the little wizards." At Tammy's look of confusion, I added, "The kittens. Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

Tammy giggled at that. "I don't know how I'll handle the sight of Oliver with a kid and a kitten. He's too adorable with just Chloe! Damn, Doc, where did you find a gem like Oliver? He's hot, good with kids, and available." She sighed. "Too bad he swings more your way than mine."

"Pardon me?"

"Alpha and male, Doc. Not beta and female."

Huh. I hadn't thought about Oliver's tendencies beyond what he'd shared with me about his former alpha.

"I've been wracking my brain, trying to think of an alpha I know who would be the perfect fit for him. Most of the alphas I know are decent, but Oliver needs more than decent. And pretty much all the unattached and more than decent alphas I know are either attached or straight, yourself included, Doc."

I bristled at the thought of Tammy trying to set Oliver up. From what he said, he wasn't really interested after his last bad experience. But that was his story to share, not mine. "Just make sure he's willing to be you matchmaking experiment before you go setting him up on any dates," was all I said. Oliver was a grown man, and he seemed confident in himself. If Tammy went too far, he would put his foot down.

All the same, it wouldn't hurt to let him know I could step in if need be.