That he was still willing to try made my chest tighten. Fuck, I really needed this to work out because I was pretty sure he was my future husband, and not even my expensively educated brain could deny it.
I pulled out my phone and sent him a funny text.
Me: Hey, hot stuff. I’m here with Judi.
Me: I see you over by the swings terrifying the under-five set.
Gideon: Shit. I really scare people, don’t I?
Me: Only the people who don’t know you.
He looked up and sent me a little half-wave. We started walking toward each other, and I laughed, thinking about what Andrea would call this. It definitely had a Tom Hanks meeting Meg Ryan at the bend in the sidewalk feel, except that we could actually see each other. Which, as I overthought about it, made the whole thing a little awkward and anticlimactic.
As we drew close to one another, Judi started her cute little hop, which meant that she was very,veryexcited. We got a little bit closer, and she started to do spins, yapping like a crazy person.
Gideon froze in the middle of the path.
“That just means she’s very happy to see you,” I yelled out. “I promise.”
I leaned down, and she jumped into my arms, licking my chin, barking and wiggling.
Maybe my excitement for Gideon was setting her off, though I couldn’t help it. He made my heart beat so fast every time I saw him.
“Be good for Daddy,” I whispered.
Gideon stopped about ten feet away from me.
“Hey,” I said, waving.
He eyed Judi. “Hey.”
The uncertainty in his deep-set eyes gutted me.
“It just occurred to me that I get really excited to see you, which might be what’s causing her to go off like this. Like, maybe she’s as excited as I am,” I explained, hoping that made sense.
A smile softened Gideon’s rough exterior. “Really?”
I nodded, stubborn hope firing up in my chest again. “Here’s the thing: I know she’s not going to hurt you. You can’t see her little nubbin from there, but she is wagging her tail so hard, you wouldn’t believe it. She really wants to love up on you, but I have a feeling that would not feel so good to you right now.”
He took a deep breath, then another one. “Not gonna lie, I was hoping she’d be a little calmer.”
“I promise, she usually is, but I don’t know how to calm her down for you. Maybe this is as far as we get today, and that’s okay,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.
Dammit. I really thought this would work.
He took another couple of deep breaths.
“Jackson says you use her with little kids.”
I nodded. “The kids love her right away because she’s so ugly, but then she is also so calm and still and accepting. And they whisper all their little secrets in her ears. They know she’s a good listener.”
“That’s…nice,” he said, and I saw the effort. “Bet they trust her.”
“She’s really, really good at it,” I confirmed as she tried to lunge toward Gideon.
Fuck.
“Seriously, I’ve never seen her like this. I swear, she is so happy to see you, even though she probably looks like Cujo right about now.”
