“Me too,” I say, watching her slip through the sliding doors.
“My granddaughter tells me your spirit animal is a dog.” Gwen puts her hand in the crook of my arm.
“It’s true.” Heather walks up to hold my other arm as we enter the house. “She saw it on a psilocybin trip.”
Gwen leans closer, her upper lip curled. “Did you barf?”
“I did the first time, but not this last time.”
“Good.” She nods. “Now tell me about the dog. A dog is a very good spirit animal. It means you’re surrounded by protective love. It also represents loyalty.”
“It was a Bichon Frisé.”
“Very good,” Gwen pats my arm. “A companionable, good-natured breed.”
“It really is.” I smile. “My mom said the dog that helped her go into labor when she was overdue with me looked like a Bichon.”
“It’s a full circle. A very good sign.”
“What’s a very good sign?” Owen joins us, smiling down as he takes me from his mystical gran.
“All of this, dear.” Gwen holds up her hands, and he leans down to kiss her cheek. “It was all destined to be, the two of you finding your way to each other, led by your faithful dogs. Now I have to go. Bender’s probably waiting up for me.”
“Tell him I said Merry Christmas,” Alex calls from the kitchen.
She waves, making her way to the door, and I lean my head against Owen as he pulls my back to his chest. I wonder what she would say about her grandson’s psilocybin trip.
That one would probably blow her mind.
“Merry Christmas, Gina.” His dad steps over, leaning down to give me a hug. “I’m really glad to meet you. You sure had this one all shook up.”
“Thank you, sir,” I say, feeling a bit shy. “The feeling is mutual.”
Owen’s dad is very handsome. He looks a lot like his son, only with the fine lines around his eyes and sprinkles of gray at his temples. He’s not like my sheriff-dad, who is boisterous and huge, but I think they’d be good friends. My dad has a big personality, but I’ve never met a person who didn’t like him.
After saying our goodnights, we walk down a short gravel path to an adorable little cottage with flower boxes on the windows.
Inside, it has a one-bedroom suite on the first floor off the kitchen, and another bedroom with a small bathroom is up a narrow flight of stairs.
Owen told me it’s where his aunt Piper lived with his friend Ryan before she married his uncle Adam, and they all moved into his home.
“It’s funny to stay here as an adult,” he says, leading me to the first-floor suite. “Growing up, it was always Ryan’s house.”
“Eureka reminds me so much of Newhope,” I sigh as he sits on the edge of the bed, pulling me between his legs. “All we needed was a dash of magic.”
“From what I’ve seen and heard, you had your own kind of magic.”
“We had hot peppers andbigpersonalities,” I laugh, threading my fingers in the sides of his hair.
“Are you sorry to be here instead of there?” His brow furrows, and I smooth the lines away with my fingertips, shaking my head no.
“We’ll be with them next year, and we’ve got plenty of time to go back and forth.”
His warm hands find the skin beneath my shirt, and heslides them higher. “Speaking of back and forth…” He lifts the garment over my head, leaving me in only my lace bra. “How would you like to go back and forth on my dick?”
I lean forward, snorting a laugh. “That was terrible!”
“I think it was pretty good,” he shrugs, laughing. “We don’t have to worry about keeping it down with Maddie at her grandparents.”
