Sitting in the car, Killian’s hand on my knee, Princess Buttercup wrapped around my shoulders, and Sally popping up every few minutes to “kiss” my arm—this was what I called a date. I had spent so much time fretting over what to wear, how to impress, how to not mess things up. I should’ve known better. Killian was unlike any alpha I ever met, so expecting the norm with him was foolishness incarnate.

Killian regaled me with stories of his work week. Working around people who are drinking and letting go when you were not led to some extremely hilarious observations, and our laughter left the atmosphere in the car happy and light. It was already one of the best dates I’d ever been on, and we’d yet to reach our destination.

I was itching to ask where we were going, refraining only because my asking only seemed to encourage him to amp up the anticipation with his little useless hints and overt denials. We were heading out of the city with our two fur babies. Shit, I needed to stop thinking of them like that. His two fur babies. His. Not mine. His.

“Any guesses?”

So it didn’t matter whether I asked or not. He was going to torture me; I might as well have fun with it.

“Swimming at the lake?”

“No suits.” Not that I thought for a second he would let that deter him. I knew I’d be game.

“Picnic at the state park?” It would be another two-hour drive, but plausible-ish.

“No, but I’m putting that on a list for the future.”

Future. I liked the sound of that a little bit too much. “That would be fun.” Or funnish. Nature was not my thing as a rule, but with Killian by my side, I ventured it would be amazing nonetheless. “Speaking of fun, how did you convince Princess Buttercup to allow this contraption?”

“It took work.”

Oh, I imagined it did. Cats were not generally fond of harnesses or being told what to do and when. “Still not sure he is convinced.”

“He is doing better than most cats would. Cats are, as a rule, assholes.” Which is probably why I had always been drawn to them. I liked how independent and don’t give a fuck they were, while at the same time being little balls of love.

“Not you, Princess.” Killian reached over, scratching him on the head, his arm brushing against mine, the cat purring loudly in response. “You know daddy wasn’t talking about you.”

Holy crap. I knew it was a slip of the tongue, but he had called me Princess Buttercup’s daddy, and it sent a message direct to my lower brain which was the very last thing I needed given where we were, in a car traveling down the highway.

“Oh, absolutely not, Princess Buttercup.” I turned my head, giving him a kiss on the head. “You are the most magnificent, non-assholish cat on this planet.”

As Killian engaged his turn signal, my anticipation amped up as I recognized where we were, a little town just outside the city. I still had no clue where we were going, even though I had worked at a Café Om in this town for a short while. There was not much to the town, although it was one of my favorite places.

It was here I met Oliver and his now husband Wyatt, the two of them becoming the first and currently only people to know my secrets. Well, most of them. A guy had to keep a little something to himself.

I’d planned to never tell anyone about my fortune, ever, but Chloe stole my heart with her huge smile when I added extra sprinkles to her whipped cream, and when it came time for them to raise money after the old shelter burned down, I had to help. While I probably could have done it all incognito, a part of me yearned to have someone I could just be me with, and it had been such a relief to unburden my secrets to a pair of people I trusted so fully.

“We’re here.” Killian pulled into the local park. The parking area was jam packed. Interesting.

“Park. Nailed it.” I claimed my victory.

“Sort of. You’ll see.”

It was when we pulled into the overflow parking area that I saw it. We were at a pet fair. Would wonders never cease.

“No way! Chloe’s Creatures! You’re getting another baby?”

“No.” He sounded perplexed at my comment as he found us a spot under a tree. “This is a pet fair.”

“Where people pick out new pets.”

“I thought—" I saw the pieces clicking together in his brain. “I’m not getting a pet.”

I’d heard that before about a certain little cat that was currently wrapped around my neck after being leash trained by the big alpha. Leash training. I still couldn’t get over that one.

“Whatever you say, Killer.” I pulled the cat begrudgingly from his perch and snuggled him close as I popped open the door. “I need to go find Chloe.”

“Chloe a friend of yours?” Killian asked as he closed the door behind Sally, all four of us now ready for the pet fair. Sally’s tail swished and Princess Buttercup batted at it like it was a toy. They were freaking adorable.

“Chloe is the precocious elementary school daughter of a friend—” I took Killian’s proffered hand. A guy could get used to that. I could get used to that. “—and she started a pet rescue placement service years before she was old enough to cross the street alone. Now it’s this.”

Killian gave me a skeptical sideways glance, not that I could blame him. Chloe’s accomplishments for her age defied all the societal norms.

“Come on.” I tugged his hand and skipped happily toward the entrance.

The place was abuzz with happy people meeting all of the animals. We weren’t the only ones with pets in tow, but we were the only ones who brought a cat.

I spotted Chloe almost immediately and she came running over. It was easy to forget she was such a young child until you saw her like this, running at you, about to pounce on you with the biggest bear hug ever.

“Chloe-bear!” Normally, I twirled her around, but I had a feeling Princess Buttercup wouldn’t love that.

“Marcus! You got your kitten. Finally.” She had known of my longing for a cat, and while I blamed not getting one on my abode, there had been deeper reasons… I could have managed the apartment issue if I really wanted to, but I had latched on to the excuse. Now. Now I didn’t know anymore. I shook the serious thoughts from my head. Now was not the time to dissect the domestic feels I was having.

“No, Chloe-bear. Still no fur, no feathers, but I brought a friend and my guess is he will leave with at least one furry sweetheart.” I winked at Killian, who sighed and didn’t deny it. “Where is your Papa?”

“Daddy is here, but Papa had to stay home. He’s getting too big,” she added conspiratorially.

“You mean pregnant, not big,” I corrected. Oliver was all about having the babies. He and Wyatt were the epitome of the perfect couple and seeing them grow their family was a pretty awe-inspiring experience.

“That,” she conceded without actually saying I was right. I would bet the entirety of my fortune that this little girl was going to be an alpha. “Now come with me. I have the perfect pet for you and your friend.”

“Mr. Killian.” I wasn’t sure if he was okay with first names only with kids, and figured it the best bet.

“Hello, Mr. Killian. I think dog for you, because that cat looks they are going to be the ruler of your castle, so another cat is probably not a good idea. Mr. Jenkins might be a good fit.” She went on and on as she led us to the pen. The dogs were quite larger than I expected. Killian’s jaw dropped as we reached the pen, and Chloe’s eye’s sparkled. My money was on Chloe.

“You get acquainted.” I stepped up on my tiptoes and kissed Killian’s cheek before I realized what I’d done. My ears burning, I quickly turned to Chloe. “I see your Daddy and I want to ask him something. I’ll be right back.” I handed Princess Buttercup’s leash to Killian before scampering off.

“Wyatt!” I was glad he was standing in a quiet area. I had some things I wanted to chat with him about without others hearing.

“Marcus.” He gave me a man hug, complete with back pats.

“Event looks great. I didn’t know this was happening. My brain has been otherwise occupied.”

“I see that,” he teased with a nod to Killian, who was trying to wrangle Sally and Princess Buttercup while listening to Chloe. He had a point, though Parker’s re-entrance into my life took up a ton of headspace as well. “He yours?”

“No. Yes. I hope so.” Wasn’t that the truth of it.

“Ah, I remember those days.”

I couldn’t even fathom his early days with Oliver. They were living together as boss and employee at the time. At least in some ways, my situation was less complicated. Not that love was ever not complicated. Not that I was in love.

“How are finances going?” I asked. That was the real reason I wanted to see him. Wyatt was very accepting of the gifts I gave, but always shied away from allowing me to set up a foundation for Chloe’s Creatures. He was worried that if things came too easily to Chloe, it would set her up for failure in her adult life. Maybe so, but regardless, that girl was going to move mountains.

“Pretty solid, thanks to you. And if this goes as well as I think it is going to, our current overcrowding issue will be solved.”

“I’ll set up another grant for Chloe to apply to.”

“One day, she is going to figure out that it isn’t her mad grant writing skills getting her the funding for her project.”

That had been our way around letting her know I was giving her money. Or that anyone was, for that matter. She needed to feel like she earned it, and with each grant, we added more and more things she needed to complete to apply. She didn’t know she was the only applicant and Oliver always gave me a heads up on her effort level, letting me know if I should “reject” it initially. Chloe was going to be pissed when she found out. She’d forgive us. Probably after making us all adopt five more animals in penitence.

“And by then she will be a solid grant writer. Her last one was impressive. You are going to have your hands full when she figures out all she is capable of.” I did not envy him there. Once that girl set her mind to something…

“You’re telling me,” he scoffed, wearing his proud father smile before pointing to Killian, who was headed our way with Sally and Princess Buttercup… who was perched on a huge-ass dog. Mastiff maybe, probably a mixed breed. I whipped out my phone, snapping a photo. I knew Chloe would want that one.

“I got a dog,” Killian said in defeat, his eyes sparkling with joy. “Meet Mr. Jenkins.”

“Of course you did. Chloe is persuasive.” I reached over to pet Sally, Princess Buttercup, and Mr. Jenkins in order of seniority to keep the fascinating peace they currently held. “Killian, this is Wyatt, Chloe’s father.”

“Nice to meet you. This is quite the event.”

“Thank you, we were able to put it on thanks to a very generous grant my daughter managed to acquire.”

I wanted to kick Wyatt for his comment, not that Killian would figure out Wyatt meant me, but still. That was a secret I would share when I was ready. Not now. And not in public.

“You must be very proud.”

“You have no idea.” He looked past us and leaned in to whisper, “Oh no, Marcus, I probably should have warned you before but—”

“There you are, Marcus.” Chloe grabbed my hand, tugging me away, Killian cracking up. He so knew this was coming. “Come, you need to meet your new best friend.”