Deep brown eyes glanced up at me from a foot off the ground, short, pudgy legs barely keeping the dog upright. Its orange coat gleamed beneath the overhead lighting, blending with a pop of white from its snout, chest, and belly.
“A corgi? Really?”
“Yes, a corgi!” he repeated, fitting his fingers through the loose bars to pet the overly excited dog. “He’s so cute.”
“Why, because it’s you if you had four legs?”
“I do have a great ass.”
“Oren, for fuck’s sake.” I ran a hand down my face, a laugh rolling from my chest. “This is why I can’t take you anywhere.”
“Really? But you took me in the middle of an alley?—”
“Fucking grab the slip.” Gesturing toward the paper attached to the kennel, I lifted a brow. “You want him. Don’t you?”
Snatching the paper without hesitation, he nodded. “Yes, but we also need to find you a dog, too.”
With a hum, he stood, idly strolling by the rest of the dogs with that slip resting between his fingers. Even the way he walked was lighter, his shoulders stretched back, because he didn’t have to carry the weight of his father anymore. He didn’t have burdens shoving him into the ground.
“What about her?” Oren asked, pointing to the lone dog near the back.
Pushing myself off the wall, I walked toward Oren, the steady drum of my boots reverberating through the cement walkway. As I came to a stop beside him, I glanced down, and my knees practically crumbled beneath me.
One blue and one chocolate brown eye glanced up at me with an unfathomable hopefulness. Her white coat contained a patchwork of scars, crosshatches of trauma, and a history I only wished she could tell me. Two black dots rested on her snout, two marks I wished to believe were reminiscent of where she’d been kissed and handled with care.
As I held her gaze, she moved off the bed in the back corner, approaching the kennel door with a subtle hesitance. With the gap between us ceasing to exist, I knelt, bringing my hand to rest against the bars. The movement caused her to pause briefly, but once she realized my intention, she continued until her snout met my palm.
“No one has taken the time to understand you, have they?” I whispered, looping one of my fingers between the gap to trace over the two dark spots gently. “You’re misunderstood. Unheard. Unseen. And God, I understand that all too well.”
She lifted her head as if she could understand me, her attentiveness growing the more I spoke to her. Peeling my focus from her for a second, I glanced over at the paper on her cage, spotting a name.
Mercy.
Smiling softly, I turned back to her, feeling the undeniable prodding of Oren’s gaze. “Would you like to join our family, Mercy?”
Her tail wagged, mouth opening into a smile as her stare moved from me to Oren and back to me again. At the sight of her excitement, I smiled, placing my hands on my thighs and pushing myself up. Once standing, I reached forward, tearing the paper from her kennel.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“He’s really just a big softie,” Oren added, nudging my side once. “A misunderstood, selfless, softie. I think you’ll fit right in, Mercy.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked down at him. “You just have to take every chance you can to remind me of such things. Don’t you?”
“Yes.” Not a single waver in his voice. “And I’ll continue to do it with every opportunity that arises so you never forget who you are at your core.”
“How kind?—”
“Wow, we’ve never seen her like this with anyone.” A female jutted in, looking between Oren and me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interfere. We’ve just had Mercy for five years now, and she’s never been this responsive with anyone before. Especially men.”
“That’s because most men avoid things that are delicate and intricate.” He held out his hand to the woman. “Oren, and this is Thorne. We’d love to have her and the cutie, Prince, to join our family.”
I dipped my chin out of respect, tucking one hand in my pocket and keeping the other pressed against the kennel, a part of me screaming never to step away from Mercy. “I would love to be given the opportunity to give her another chance at life.”
The corners of her lips turned upward before she gazed down at Mercy. “I think she would love for you to be her person.” Turning, she looked at Oren. “Lucky for you both, Prince and Mercy are actually great playmates, so I don’t see any issue with them both coming home with you today.”
Oren let out a small squeal, his happiness overriding his features. “Can… Can I go get Prince now?”
She nodded. “Feel free. Megan,” motioning to another one of the kennel attendees, she held Oren’s attention, “will help you with getting him leashed.”
