Lily had been sneaking out here!

I pressed my hand to my chest, overwhelmed by a surge of something deeper than grief. It was love — the echo of my daughter’s love, still pulsing in this forgotten shed, wrapped up in every stitch of those old sweaters.

The mother cat lifted her head slowly. Her green eyes met mine, calm and watchful. She didn’t flinch or hiss; she just stared, like she knew exactly who I was.

I looked at Baxter. He wagged his tail once, then stepped forward to lick the kittens.

Bringing me there was as if he were finishing something Lily had started.

The mother cat

lifted her head slowly.

“I didn’t know,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I didn’t know any of this.”

Baxter let out a soft whine and nudged my elbow.

I reached out slowly, gently, and the mother cat didn’t resist. I stroked her fur. She was warm, her heartbeat fast and steady under my hand.

“You trusted her, didn’t you?” I murmured. “And she took care of you.”

I stayed like that for a long time, just watching them breathe. The silence wasn’t heavy like it had been back at the house. It wasn’t haunted — it was peaceful and full.

“You trusted her, didn’t you?”

Eventually, I scooped the kittens up one by one and placed them in my arms. The mother cat followed, not a sound from her as she climbed into the cradle of my elbow.

Baxter stayed close, almost proud. His tail wagged faster the closer we got to the fence, as if he had done his job and now needed me to finish it.

I carried them all home.

Inside, I made a nest in a laundry basket with soft towels. I placed it in the corner of the living room, right next to the old armchair Lily used to curl up in. I set out a bowl of water and some tuna, and Baxter lay down beside the basket like a sentry on duty.