Chapter 21
“Do you think he’ll be mad?” I fretted, not for the first time, as Sam and Danny helped me wrangle the mangy puppy into the bathtub.
It was three days later, after yoga, and I’d invited them back to the house to hang out. Sid had tailed us, and Caden would be along shortly with the kids.
Travis was still at work, and for the first time, I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to him coming home.
I’d discovered the puppy a block from our house, shivering and clearly underfed. I’d made Sam pull over and had pulled him into my lap and taken him home.
“Mad? I don’t know about mad. I also don’t think he’ll be pleased,” Sam replied with a grunt as the slippery puppy wriggled under her hands.
Sid let out an amused chuckle as he watched our ministrations from the doorway.
“You could help, you know.” Sam shot him a glare as she leaned over the tub.
“I could,” he allowed. “But I’m enjoying the view too much from here.” He grinned, his eyes lingering on her backside.
“Typical,” Sam huffed, though her cheeks reddened with a pleased blush.
“What kind do you think he is?” Danny asked as we gave him a final rinse, and I wrapped him in a towel.
“Hard to tell,” I mused, looking him over. “Maybe some sort of lab mix?”
Able gave him a lick as I dried him off. He’d been watching the activity with curiosity ever since we’d brought the puppy home. Buster, on the other hand, couldn’t get farther away.
“All right, you look much better,” I murmured to the puppy, who wriggled in my arms, trying to lick my face.
“Hello?” Travis’s call sounded from downstairs. “Em?”
Sam and Danny stood up immediately. “See ya.” Sam waved as she and Danny made a beeline for the door. “We’ll make you a cocktail!”
“Good luck.” Sid chortled as the three of them left the room.
“Gee, thanks guys!” I called after them.
“Hey, man,” I heard Sid greet Travis as they passed on the stairs.
“Uh, hey,” Travis replied in clear confusion. “Babe, what’s everyone doing up….” He broke off when he saw me sitting in our bathroom with a wriggling puppy and very excited Able.
“Hi, honey,” I offered with a hesitant grin. “How was your day?”
He lifted a brow. “Clearly not as eventful as yours.”
“We don’t have to keep him,” I blathered. “I found him a block from the house, and he’s so skinny and was shaking… I couldn’t not bring him home.”
“Of course not,” Travis replied dryly, but his eyes were lit with humor.
The puppy squirmed out of my lap and went straight to Travis, his tail wagging so hard it wriggled his entire little body. It was as though he knew this was his moment to campaign for his forever home.
“He’s cute,” Travis admitted begrudgingly as he bent to pick him up, getting kisses of gratitude all over his chin.
“He is,” I agreed readily.
He looked down at me. “You want to keep him.” It wasn’t a question.
“I do,” I answered.
“He could belong to somebody, baby.” He sighed. “We should at least post some notes around the neighborhood. He could be some kid’s puppy.”