Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

a small dark cat. "This one, don't you think?"
    Jacob looked at the chubby tortoiseshell Daniel had chosen. "Sure, if you like her. You don't want the tabby? I think he's in love with you."
    "He's a cat slut. He loves everyone. And he's too needy. I'm betting I'd never have a painting without cat hair rubbed all over it if we get him."
    "True."
    "This girl is perfect." Daniel waved the shelter worker over and she agreed to bring the round little cat into a viewing room for them. Inside the room she put the cat into Daniel's arms and left them there. Daniel rocked the cat gently, and she put up a soft paw to pat at his cheek.
    Jacob watched them. He had a sudden flash of memory– Daniel holding Hannah for the first time in Lily's hospital room. There had been that same look on Daniel's face. Instant connection. Instant love and wonder and joy. Hard to realize Hannah was all grown up now. Hell, her daughter Lori was a teenager now. Life went by too fast. But Lily had given them the chance to be involved with her girls so generously, letting the two of them into Hannah and Briana's lives. And Daniel was the one who never forgot a birthday, never missed a concert or dance recital. He blinked hard as Daniel stroked the little cat in his arms.
    "We should have done this a long time ago. Or even gotten you a dog. Are you sure you don't want a dog? You're a man of leisure now, you would have time for it."
    "Nope." Daniel rubbed his cheek against the cat's head and laughed as she butted him back. "This is good. We were both busy before. And I couldn't have a dog. Not after watching Snap go downhill and just die when we lost Morris."
    Jacob sighed and carefully put away memories of their friend Morris, his long slow painful decline, and the few weeks they had fostered his elderly and half-blind Yorkie, before the dog followed its master into the dark. "Yeah. I get that. So this is the one?"
    "Yep. Although I'm going to change her name."
    "She's an adult cat. Isn't it a little late for that?"
    Daniel grinned at him. "Trip, she's a cat. She doesn't care. She's never, ever going to answer to it anyway, even if we call her Your Highness. But Bambi is seriously too girly for her. She's a little tomboy kitty. I'm going to call her Gage."
    "Isn't that a boy's name? Not that it matters, like you said."
    "It's her name. For the Gageway . Because somehow when I looked at her I remembered that first month with you on the ship. You made me want things I never figured I'd have. Like one forever guy, in a house with a garden and a little cat in the window. And now look at us."
    "Yeah." Jacob had a moment of pure unadulterated satisfaction. Here they were. The house was paid for. Daniel was retired and finally had time to paint the way Jacob had always thought he should. Lily's girls were all healthy. He and Daniel had even gone to California for Maria's first grandchild's high school graduation and at least six of the relatives had been kind to them.
    Sure the Segal stores were scrambling a bit to compete with the big chains. As company president he was working longer hours than ever now, when he'd hoped to be easing out of the business. And his hip wasn't great. Just thinking about it made him wince and lean on his cane a bit more. But if he thought back to those hours in the foul debris-strewn waters of the Pacific, drifting in and out of consciousness and aware of nothing but Daniel's steady rasping voice in his ear, then yeah, life was just about perfect.
    "Next you're going to tell me we should get two cats," he said, trying to sound annoyed. "So they can entertain each other."
    "Let's not get carried away." Daniel put the little tortoiseshell down on the ground, where she wound herself in and out of his legs, and then began patting at his shoelace. "Why don't you go find the attendant and tell her we've made a decision, while I hang out here with Gage."
    "Bossy man." Jacob moved in to claim a kiss in the privacy of the room. Not that it mattered so much these days, but old habits die hard. Daniel turned to him eagerly, responsive as ever. Yeah, that was good. Jacob stepped back. "I'll tell you what. Why don't I go check out the paperwork while you stay here and keep our girl company?"
    Daniel opened his mouth to protest, parsed the wording again, and laughed. "Good plan."
    "Only kind I have. She'll actually be your cat, after all. You can feed her and brush her and clean up after her. And wipe it up when she pukes, because all cats