Page 91 of The Wounded Warrior

“She, Momma. She’s amazing.” Luke had taken to his cats like a house afire.

“That would be Miss Maleficent. She hates missing out. Come on and I’ll introduce you. She thinks Luke was invented just for her.” He led her through the front room and opened the door to the game-slash-media room for her to see. “We spend a lot of time in here.”

“Do you? It’s amazing!”

“We’ll have to watch something. It’s very comfortable.” They did the rest of the house—up to and including the bathroom of joy with its rain bath and the sauna. Then he opened the door to the office, the cats right there in a row.

“Goodness, look at them!”

The Persians all sat staring, offended. Maleficent stalked over to sniff Miz Bonnie’s sock, then leaped into Luke’s lap to yowl at him accusingly.

“I know, baby girl. He’s a bastard, locking you in.”

Rory hooted. “She sure thinks so. Who wants a treat?”

He found the little bag of kitty treats and passed them out to Luke and Bonnie. Merida decided that Bonnie was going to be her best friend, Ariel and Esme hid behind him while Maleficent told Luke, in no uncertain terms, that he was in trouble.

God, he was happy.

Bonnie winked at him, and he thought he’d also made a friend. He liked her a lot, not least because he could see where Luke’s resilience and humor came from.

“Y’all want to watch a movie? We have a sh-lot of choices.”

“How long has it been since I just got to sit and watch a movie?” Miss Bonnie asked. “Yes, please. Let me text your daddy, Luke, and tell him I’m having so much fun I’ll stay a while.”

“Sounds good. I’ll pick a movie and Rory can refill coffees?”

He nodded. That plan worked. Luke would know what his Momma liked to watch and the cats were keeping Miss Bonnie busy.

That way he could toss the dishes in the dishwasher, too, keep things neat. Was that too much? Worrying about the dishes?

‘Clean as you go’, his mom would tell him. He would do the dishes.

Then he would take coffees in and watch a movie with Luke and Bonnie and the cats. Right on.

Not weird. Not weird at all.

Especially when you thought about how the day had started…

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Luke sat in the Mustang, trying to decide. Arm crutches or chair? They’d brought both, and the crutches made him look less handicapped, but the chair made him way more steady.

He didn’t want to bust his ass in front of Rory’s folks and teenaged sister.

“Dad is an orthopedist, Luke. He’s seen it all. Bring both.”

“Oh, right.” He’d completely forgotten. “Sorry, I’m stupidly nervous.”

“I get it. Do you want me to have someone pull a gun so it’s more like when we lunched with your mother? Harris is lying low, but I’m sure someone will. Rowenna maybe?”

He snorted, reaching over to pinch Rory’s nipple. “Be good.”

“You know I’d do anything for you, but they’re all standing at the kitchen window, pretending not to stare.”

“And I just gave you a titty twister.” Luke sighed. “I’ll start on the arm crutches and use the chair to take a break. Can you bring it in with us?”

“Of course.” Rory’s smile faded. “They’re good people, Luke. I swear to you. They’re good.”

---