The Unbreakable (Ghost #3)

Chapter 28

Lia and I go to Hollywood, where we take a walk down the Walk of Fame, then go to the zoo. Lia doesn't really like flashy attractions or overly sophisticated places, so we chose to have a peaceful and casual date, which suits us the best. I used to like going to clubs and bars in my free time, but ever since I started dating my kitten, I don't enjoy it as much. I'd much rather take a walk with my girl than go to a crowded club and drink or dance. It feels so... normal to do that.

What I used to consider lame is now the most amazing experience. Just me and my kitten against the world.

I love watching Lia interact with animals through the windows. Right now she's playing with a jaguar. She gently taps the glass and the big cat eagerly jumps and tries to catch her hand. Even the caretaker was surprised at first at how responsive the jaguar is. Out of all animals, the cats are the ones that Lia likes playing with. It makes sense – she's a kitten.

When the caretaker tells us about the Animal Care Center nearby, we immediately know what our next stop is. When we get there, I'm surprised to see how empty it is. There are almost no people here, which is sad, considering the purpose of the place. I guess not many visitors want to see sick, weak animals.

As Lia fawns over a baby ocelot being fed by a bottle, I talk to one of the workers about making a donation. She explains that they're mostly done online and tells me where I can do that.

"Look, it's so cute!" Lia gushes with the baby cat in her arms, looking utterly adorable. I knew it was a good idea to take her here. She's so carefree and happy that my chest swells with love for her. It's been so long she last had so much fun without a care in the world.

"You're way cuter." I grin adoringly at my girl, hearing a chorus of quiet 'aww's' from the few girls around. The little ocelot sucks onto his bottle hungrily, clutching onto Lia's hand with his paws. "He's not scratching you?" I trail my finger over the baby cat's head, earning an angry hiss from him and an amused giggle from Lia.

"Nah, he's just holding my hand."

I go behind my girl and wrap my arms around her waist, leaning my chin on her shoulder as I watch the baby ocelot drink his milk. The image of us like this but with a baby in Lia's arms instead of a cat makes my heart race. Maybe in time it'll become a reality – I mean me and Lia having a baby.

After a while, one of the caretakers tries to take the little cat from Lia's arms, but is met with surprisingly strong resistance. The little guy hisses at the poor woman and digs his claws into Lia's shoulder, clutching onto her desperately. I keep laughing at the lost expression on my girl's face as she tries to pry the little guy away from her shirt.

It takes a few minutes, but the baby ocelot finally releases my poor girl. And he's not happy about it. I already pity his caretakers.

"You're really good with cats, kitten." I tease as I help Lia put on her hoodie, which she had wrapped around her waist the whole time.

Lia only chuckles quietly in response, her happy smile not faltering. "It's not my fault, is it? I love animals, you know that, and I guess they feel it." She shrugs. I take her hand before leading her to the exit. It's time to get some food in our stomachs after spending almost the whole day here.

We still have about two and a half hours before the game when we leave the bistro after our dinner, but we decide to stay at the hotel's bar with the rest of the team. As soon as they see the holes in Lia's shirt they assume we had some wild kinky sex and it was me who ruined it. I tell them that if it was me, then Lia wouldn't even have her shirt anymore, which causes them to laugh boisterously, getting a few dirty looks from the hotel's guests.

"Okay ladies! Settle down, will you?" The coach approaches us with quick strides, carrying his clipboards with him. Oh boy, the lecture's about to begin.