We couldn’t believe anyone would dump them, Australian Shepherds are extremely smart dogs. They could have at least taken them to the shelter.
His siblings died, but after a night at the vet and IV drugs for the parvo in him, he pulled through. She’s never said it, but I think that was when Breanna decided she wanted to be a vet, she was so disappointed when the other two pups died she cried most of the day.
“Hey, boy. Lainey Rai in bed?” I scratch him between his ears, and he gives me a little whine before his tongue lolls out of his mouth. He wouldn’t be down here looking for me if she were up still. He knows his job is to stay close to her, she’s never known a day without him.
I glance at the clock on the wall over the breakfast nook table; I got so wrapped up in trying to work out my frustrations outside that I lost track of the time. Dad walks in behind me, pulling his coat off.
“I tucked Lainey Rai in about a half an hour ago. She askedwhere you were, I told her you were making sure the generators were hooked up.” He keeps walking, his coat in his hand.
Guilt squeezes my chest. I try to always tuck her in and give her a goodnight kiss. I need to get my fucking head on straight.
Just as dad is about to go around the corner, he stops and turns around, “By the way, I moved our guest to Breanna’s room for the time being, she didn’t want to take your room.”
I bow my head and squeeze the bridge of my nose, I forgot I put her in there. “Okay. Thanks.”
As I pass by the family room on the way to the stairs, the TV is on, and Mason and Sloane are cuddled on the couch under a crocheted throw mom made when I was little. I have a vague memory of her working on it in the evenings as I curled into her while I watched TV.
The fire in the fireplace is crackling, and I smell popcorn. I sigh and remember what it felt like to have the woman you love next to you and start my ascent on the stairs.
Lainey Rai’s door is cracked open, she doesn’t like for her door to be closed all the way before she goes to sleep. I quietly walk to the edge of her bed, but she’s already softly snoring, she sleeps like a starfish and her covers are already half off her. I grab the edge of her star covered pink and purple comforter to pull it up over her and bend over to kiss her forehead.
“G’night, pumpkin.” I whisper.
She stirs enough to turn on her side away from me and mumbles, “Night, daddy. Love you.”
I’m daddy, again. A slight smile tips my lips up.
That’s what I needed. Hearing her sweet voice telling me she loves me is the grounding I need to bring everything into focus. I whisper back, “Love you, too, sweetheart.”
Her long dark-brown hair fans over her pillow, the samecolor as her mama’s hair, and she tucks her hands under her cheek. I listen to her soft breathing for a minute as all the stress across my shoulders unravels.
As I quietly pull her door closed, my bedroom door next to it opens. Elly steps out and crashes into me, I grab her arms to hold her steady. A warm buzz travels up my arms as I look down into her brown eyes.
“Hells bells!” she whispers and slaps her hand over her heart. “I didn’t know you were out here.” Her eyes volley between mine for a moment, her head tipped back to look up at me.
The bandage over her eye is gone and the small gash over her eyebrow is angry in red and purple colors. Her smile is back, and she looks nothing like the little spitfire that was in my face earlier. She looks friendly, like someone I would go out of my way to talk to under different circumstances. Her phone is in her hand, and I put my finger over my lips and point at Lainey Rai’s door.
Her eyes dart to the door in surprise and she nods her head as she holds her hand up in front of her in surrender as she takes a step away, taking the warm smell of peaches with her. My hands fall to my sides, and I miss the contact.
“Sorry.” She mouths in a soft whisper. “I left my phone on your nightstand.” She holds it up in front of her like she needs to prove why she was in my room. “Would you happen to have a charger?”
Her eyes search my face as I look down at her, the voice of reason in my head is telling me to apologize for my behavior earlier, but I don’t want to be friendly with her, there’s no sense in being friendly with someone who'll use it against me and be gone in a few days.
Nodding my head, I keep my voice low and my face slack, “There are chargers in the kitchen you can use if they fit your phone.”
“Great, thanks.” She clears her throat and those amber eyes soften beautifully. “I want to apologize for my outburst earlier, I was out of line.”
Here’s my chance. I could take this olive branch and be nice, try to be the person I was raised to be. Instead, I look over her face and say, “Don’t worry about it.”
The small glimmer of hope in her eyes flickers out and her eyebrows pinch ever so slightly before she nods. “Okay.” She hesitates for a second like she is going to say something else but decides against it, “Well, goodnight.”
I nod once, “Night.”
She turns and pulls the sweater tight around her, the damn potato sack hugs her curves and round little ass as she pads down the hall to Breanna’s room in Marley’s fluffy socks. I step to my door but watch until she gets to her door. I expect her to walk right in, but she looks over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine as she turns the knob and offers a tight smile before she disappears into the room.
The sigh that escapes my chest is a silent wish for different circumstances and I go into my room. I’m suddenly exhausted from the day’s events and trudging around on the ice, and all I want to do is get into my bed.
When my head hits the pillow and I pull my blankets over me, the soft smell of peaches floats into my nose. Every nerve in my body wakes up and my cock instantly gets hard.
