As she suspected he would, Alex presented her with a fluffy white kitten with bright green eyes less than two weeks after Sam gave her the puppy. There was no reason to pretend she liked the choice. It was absolutely adorable. She hugged the cat and then hugged Alex.
"Where on earth did you find such a beautiful kitten?"
He looked uncomfortable and then shrugged.
Being a veterinarian gives you connections other people might not have."
In other words, he bought it. Of course, it probably had a pedigree longer than her arm and a name she'd never be able to pronounce. Why was he so obsessed with pedigrees? Unless you were breeding them, what difference did it make?
His gaze penetrated hers. "Are you sure you like it?"
She smiled and said with the utmost sincerity, "I love it." Never had she seen such a beautiful cat. "Does she have a name?"
He opened his mouth to answer and then hesitated. "Why don't you name her?"
Carmen eyed the cat. "I suppose Snowball would be a common name, and she's certainly an uncommon cat.
Destiny reached up and touched the cat. "Why don't we call her Ghost?"
Alex laughed. "I don't think I've ever heard of a cat named Ghost."
Carmen lowered the kitten so that Destiny could reach her. "No, but we do have a horse named Casper, don't we? How about Jewel, or Emerald? Her eyes do look like green gems."
The kitten pushed her head into Destiny's hand and began a loud purr.
Destiny giggled. "She sounds like one of those motorcycles with four wheels."
Alex winked at Carmen and shifted his attention to Destiny. "A Yamaha, or a Honda."
"A Polaris!" Jonathan said.
Carmen tipped her head to the side, contemplating the name. "Polaris - that kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? It sounds kind of noble."
Destiny hopped up and down. "Polaris! Let's name her Polaris."
It was only fair that she let the children name the kitten, since Alex had named the puppy for them. He named it Sentinel, which was probably a good indication of his expectations.
Later, after the children had gone to bed and they were enjoying a little time reading, he closed his book and looked at her.
"Do you mind that everyone else named your animals?" he asked.
"Of course not," she said, closing her book and placing it on the table beside her chair. "I think it's great that the entire family is together with this new experience."