“It’s a girl,” Taylor said.
“And she’s almost solid black.” I took Taylor’s hand as tears glazed my vision.
“Guess we might need a tie breaker for our bet.”
“I can’t believe you saved her.” I swiped at my eyes with my free hand, and Taylor turned toward me.
“Sometimes, they just need a little kickstart,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do that for her. You saved her life.” I wrapped my arms around her in an impulsive hug.
Taylor’s arms came around me, hugging me back. Her heart thumped against my right breast, as fast and frantic as my own. She’d been scared too. My cheek was pressed against hers, and when I started to pull away, her arms tightened, drawing me back in, but this time, my mouth met hers. I sucked in a startled breath. Taylor did too.
Her eyes widened, honeyed brown swimming with flecks of green and gold. I used to tell her that she had the whole universe in her eyes. They were so beautiful, maybe the most beautiful thing about her, but it was a toss-up, because I had loved every inch of her.
I hadn’t meant to kiss her, but now that I had, I wanted more. My tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she moaned, parting them for me. I deepened the kiss, tasting apple cider in the hot depths of her mouth. Her fingers grasped the fabric of my top, yanking me closer. Our breasts collided, and a warm tingle spread through my belly.
I cupped her face in my hands, and the familiar contour of her cheekbones beneath my fingertips felt like a homecoming. And then, just as quickly as it had started, she pushed me away. I sat back on my heels, staring at her in surprise. Taylor’s cheeks were rosy, and she pressed one hand against her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured.
“No,” I said, breathing hard. “It’s okay. That was… We shouldn’t…”
“No, we shouldn’t,” she repeated firmly. “And not just because we should be watching Violet and her puppies right now.”
“You’re right.” I swallowed, disappointment squelching the fire in my belly.
“I can’t do this with you.” A muscle in her jaw flexed. She turned away, facing Violet and the puppies. “It’s a terrible idea for a lot of reasons.”
“I know.”
“You aren’t staying,” she said quietly.
“Right.” Which meant if wedidstart anything, I’d have to leave her all over again. She was right. That was a terrible idea.
“The puppy’s nursing well,” she said, refocusing the conversation as if our kiss had never happened.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“Probably,” she said. “The cord might have gotten compressed while she was being born, in which case, she’s out of danger, but we’ll keep an eye on her just in case it’s something more serious. She’s smaller than the others.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, chilled by the absence of Taylor’s embrace. “How will I know? I’m going to worry about her all night.”
“I’ll stay until everyone’s settled,” Taylor said, but the look she gave me was wary. She hadn’t forgotten about our kiss any more than I had.
We moved to sit on the bed again, giving Violet some room now that the newest puppy was out of immediate danger. The dynamic between us was different now, though. Taylor left several feet of space between us, and she wasn’t looking at me. An awkward silence enveloped the bedroom.
I hugged my knees against my chest, watching as Violet licked and nuzzled her puppies. Hopefully, she was finished, and there were only four. The littlest one’s dramatic arrival hadn’t made me any more confident about fostering them. In fact, I was terrified, but I wasn’t about to cause any extra tension between me and Taylor by voicing my concerns out loud.
The newest puppy seemed to be nursing well, but every time I looked at her, I just saw her limp body in Taylor’s hand. It sent a shiver over my skin. I reached for my cider and polished it off. After a few minutes, the puppies had all fallen asleep, and Violet looked pretty relaxed too, head down and eyes closed.
Taylor stood. “I think she’s finished, so I’m going to get her cleaned up.”
“Okay.”
Taylor created a little nest out of clean towels on the floor and carefully placed the sleeping puppies inside it. They mewled and squirmed, crawling against each other for warmth. Violet stood, walking over to check them. “They’re fine, sweet girl,” Taylor told her. “Let me just get you and your bed cleaned up, and you can have them right back. Phoebe, can you wet this towel for me? I need it warm, but not hot.” She held a towel in my direction.
I slid off the bed and took the towel from her. I went into the master bathroom and ran my fingers under the water until it was comfortably warm. Then I wet the towel and brought it back to Taylor. She’d already stripped all the bedding out of the playpen. The absorbent pads she’d refreshed throughout Violet’s labor had caught most of the mess, but even so, the bedding needed a wash.
