“If we get even half of that by some miracle, I’ll be the happiest man in the world,” he said quietly, but she heard him anyway.
“Life might surprise you. In any case, dear boy, I’m glad to see you found your home.”
She walked off to the bar, and her words hit Dev hard.
Home wasn’t Colorado. It was Seth and Leaf.
Chapter Seventeen
SETH LOOKEDup from his laptop screen and frowned.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Leaf, who had just come in from a walk, asked.
“I think I need a library for this. The internet is….”
“Less organized and palpable?”
“Yes!” Seth smiled.
“Ask if Dev wants to go. He’s been at his computer since eight, and it’s now… almost two. Go grab a late lunch while I figure out my schedule for the next week?” Leaf came to kiss him gently, knowing he felt a pang when they talked about his going away on a job again.
“Yeah, okay.” Seth grabbed Leaf’s ass, squeezed, and dodged past him before he could retaliate.
Seth found Dev in his office, with Weasley asleep in a small cardboard box on top of his desk by one of the three screens. “Honey?” He went to pet the cat and scratched Dev’s neck with the other hand, knowing he’d get goose bumps.
Dev shivered and tore his gaze off the screens. “Huh?” The dopey smile made Seth feel loved.
“I’m going on a field trip. Wanna go with me?”
“Interesting. Where?”
“Well, for lunch somewhere, but also to the library.”
Dev seemed to take stock of his body and winced as he straightened his back. “Yeah, I could use a break.”
“If you’re in a spot where you can quit, then now’s as good as ever?”
“Yeah, see you downstairs in five minutes,” Dev promised, and Seth leaned to give him a kiss.
“Make sure it’s that five minutes and you can pick where we go eat.”
“Deal!”
DEV MADEit in five, so he picked Martha’s. There was a weird full-circle feeling in sitting down—this time in the downstairs, though—and ordering the same exact things they had the first time.
“The rings should be here tomorrow,” Seth said when they were waiting for their lunches.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I like that they come in before Leaf leaves.” He couldn’t help the frown marring his features, and Dev reached a hand over to cover one of his.
“Love, you know he has to, right?” Dev spoke quietly, gently, like Seth was somehow fragile. Maybe, about this, he was. “It’s a massive puppy mill, and they need all hands on deck once they bust it.”
“Yeah, I know. It blows my mind that a place like that exists. It’s gonna be all over the news, too, now that the Feds are involved.”
“Yeah. Sounds more like a drug raid than a puppy raid, to be honest. But then again, if they do deal drugs too, the least the FBI can do is help with the dog part of the business as well.” Dev frowned.
The bust had been in the works for months now. Leaf had been called in after another trainer who knew his reputation had suggested him for the FBI. The dogs were mostly potentially aggressive bigger breeds, so they really needed help.
