"I'm glad," said Callie."And their ears don't look like regular Doberman ears, either."
He smiled."That's another thing.These two do have regular Doberman ears — natural ones.They're not cropped."
She cringed."Ouch!They crop their ears?I didn't know that.I thought they just had funny-shaped ears."
"No, they're only funny-shaped if they get cropped when they're puppies."
She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her."Well, I'm glad that you didn't do that to them.Go on — is there a story behind their names?I know you said that Reaves wanted to call them something like Fang and Killer.But how did you come up with Peanut and Butter?"
He leaned back so that he could see her face."You have to promise not to laugh at me."
"Why would I laugh?"
"You'll think I'm too soft."
She tapped her finger in the middle of his chest."And you think that's a bad thing?"
"Maybe not."
"So, go on — why Peanut and Butter?"
"Well, like I told you, I was only looking to get a dog.One."
She smiled."But you couldn't resist two."
"No.See, when I went to see the litter, Peanut was the tiniest of them all.She was the runt.And the breeder thought I'd like some of the others more.But she came to me and gnawed on the leg of my pants."He smiled at the memory."I picked her up and I was a goner."
"Aw, that's so sweet," said Callie.
He shrugged."Her name was easy.She was just this tiny little peanut.But the breeder still wanted to show me the others.I think he was concerned she might have health problems.But I told him that wouldn't be an issue for me."
"And Butter?"
"When we looked at the others, the breeder's wife came back in.With Butter.He was the biggest of the bunch."
"And you fell in love with him too?"
"Not at first.He growled at me.I thought he didn't like me.But then he went straight to Peanut.And it was obvious he was guarding her.She snuggled right up to him, and he was looking out for her.The breeder laughed and said he looked mean, but he was soft as butter."He smiled."The name stuck."
He was surprised by the way his throat tightened around the words as he continued."The breeder asked — just jokingly — if I'd consider taking the two of them.Since they were bonded.As soon as he said that, I knew I had to have them both."
Peanut went racing past them with Butter close on her tail.They watched them run and play for a while before Callie turned to him, looking more serious.
"It mattered to you that they were bonded, didn't it?"
He nodded.
She curled her arm around his waist."It's because you never had that, isn't it?"
He nodded again.He wasn't going to start bleating about how solitary his childhood had been.He was more fortunate than most, and he knew it.He'd grown up here, in this place, with everything that money could buy.And even if his only memories of his mom were fleeting glances of a woman who smelled good but felt cold—
He turned to her with a forced smile."I had Reaves, though.I still do.And Charles, and a whole bunch of good friends.And Rosa’s been like a mom to me.She and Luigi treat me like their own."
She leaned in, and he bent to meet her, resting his forehead against hers."I’m glad, but it’s not the same, is it?Not the same as having people of your own — family.I know you joke about being the poor little rich boy, but you kind of were, weren't you?"
He let out a short laugh."I guess.Kind of.But I have nothing to complain about."
"Maybe not," she agreed.
