The young woman with a tattoo of an octopus on her forearm and multiple piercings not limited to her ears shot Gwen an incredulous look then refocused on me.
“Mr. Ashford, as I mentioned during our first meeting, I’ve been a vet tech for five years. I could administer insulin with my eyes closed. Please trust me, I’ll take excellent care of Monty while you’re at the concert.”
“But have you used an Apex needle? Because that’s the only type that?—”
“Harrison,” Gwen put her hand on my arm. “Did you forget that Kerri works at the same vet clinic that treats Monty?”
I nodded. “Right, of course. But I just want to be sure he’ll be okay while we’re gone. He’s only been with us for a few weeks now, and I don’t want to upset him during his acclimation period. My assistant fostered him while we were in the UK, sothis is his second home in just a couple of months, and I’m sure that’s stressful for him.”
“Of course, I get it. Poor guy has had plenty of upheaval,” Kerri agreed, thawing a little. Apparently, it was less annoying when I micromanaged people if they understood I was coming from a place of caring. An overprotective, hyper-detail-focused place of caring. Because that was definitely where I was when it came to the newest member of my family.
The decision to adopt Monty the shelter dog had happened during a casual conversation with Gwen during our weeks in London. She’d held out her phone to show me that he was still in the shelter, and logiced me into realizing that the two of us together could handle the responsibilities of a special needs dog.
We’d made arrangements for them to hold him until we returned, but when Susan heard, she’d stepped up to foster him so he wouldn’t have to wait for us in the shelter. She’d been so delighted with his company that she ended up adopting her own new best friend from the shelter after we’d stolen Monty back from her.
I glanced over at the handsome black dog staring up at us as we talked about him. Adopting him was one of the many things Gwen had been right about. We were meant to be together. Now I had two reasons to love being a homebody: my dog and my girl.
Although tonight was a big night out for a good reason. Scarlet had sent us VIP tickets to the final show of her tour. I’d become a huge, unapologetic Rushie, so this time around I’d be screaming the lyrics along with Gwen and the rest of the crowd.
Although this time around, there was a new song on her set list.
I dropped to my knees. “Monty, get over here and say goodbye. Come give me a kiss!”
He wiggled his way over to me with his body in a happy half-moon then slid onto his back. I scratched his belly, marveling that I’d almost let the chance to have this pass me by.
I’d almost let plenty pass me by, but somehow I’d gotten lucky.
“Awww, look how much he adores you,” Kerri said. “He’s so happy. And he looks so good compared to the first time he was at the clinic. His fur is like velvet now.”
“This dog is living a pretty incredible life,” Gwen said. “He’s got his own seat on the jet; how many dogs can claim that honor?”
“Hey, Monty, I’m happy to take your place if you ever opt to skip the jet,” Kerri laughed.
Monty already knew what laughter meant, so he wiggled harder in shared delight as I scratched him.
“Can you finish up the love fest so we’re not late?” Gwen smiled at us.
“Right, right, of course.”
Given a choice, I usually would’ve preferred to stay home on the couch with the two of them, but tonight was going to be averyspecial night.
Of course we hit traffic on the way, but for a change, I’d opted to let the Ashford driver take the wheel so I could enjoy every second with Gwen. By the time we got up to the VIP box, the opening act was just finishing up.
“The main event,” Gwen said, bouncing on her toes as she stared down at the stage.
I moved behind her and slid my arms around her waist. I breathed her in and still felt the tingle of excitement knowing that I could get a hit of Gwen any time I wanted.
“Did I tell you how stunning you look tonight?” I whispered in her ear.
She cocked her head to look back at me. “Hmm, I can’t remember.”
“Allow me to remind you,” I murmured, dropping my lips down to kiss her neck. “You’re the prototype for angels and goddesses in that dress. But you shouldn’t have worn white, because all I want to do is get it dirty.”
She giggled and pressed back against me. “Ohreally?”
I ran my hand up the back of her thigh. “Do you think anyone can tell that I’m doing this right now?”
Gwen shivered. “If they can, I don’t care.”
