A protective hand went immediately to her bump as Silva nodded internally. No. This couldn’t be home. She had loved it here once and loved it here still, if she were honest — the creature comforts she was used to, the indulgence . . . but this couldn’t be home anymore. She had considered, more than once, what she might do if the baby looked like Tate after all, where she might go. She was no closer to an answer than she’d been the day she’d left.
Which is why you need to find him. She had paid the cost for her key, and she could not go back. Not when she knew he was out there. Not when she was so close to getting everything she wanted.
Not now. Not yet, at least.
Ris
Ris was the first to admit that she hadn’t completely understood all that a puppy would entail. She’d never had a dog at all, let alone a brand new one, but Ainsley had insisted that they would need to puppy-proof the apartment.
“He’s gonna want to chew all of our shoes. Our days of having the shoes lined up at the door are finished, Nanaya.”
“And you know thatyouused to chew shoes as a pup?” she asked, laughing when he pitched her slides over his shoulder. “I thought you said you’ve never had a dog?”
Ainsley waved a hand, dismissing her words. “Between the two of us, I’m willing to bet I’ve banked more viewing hours of both nature documentaries and movies about puppy detectives. So, unless you’re here to report with your credentials, get a box for these flippy floppies.”
Compromise was found, once again, at the furniture superstore.
“I honestly can’t believe I’ve lived my whole life without these meatballs,” he hummed as they left the cafeteria area, holdingher hand as they walked through the long hallway that led back to the showroom floor.
The corridor was a hall of mirrors, mirrors of every shape and size in frames of various styles. It gave Ris a strange feeling, and she tugged his hand a little faster, urging him along.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the meatballs, but I don’t understand why they make you take a trip through the Otherworld’s waiting room to get there,” she mumbled, pulling him along.
They bought a shoe rack, sleeves for all their electrical cords, and heavier pots for the plants with higher sides. They spent an inordinate amount of time comparing two gates, choosing, in the end, a white model with an easy swing-open latch that required drilling into the wall. They prepped the apartment with the seriousness of preparing for dragon storms, she thought, as he fired up the drill with too much glee.
The gate had come in an almost hilarious amount of pieces.
“The meatballs arenotworth this,” he’d grumbled as she lay curled in a ball of uncontrollable laughter, the third time he was forced to disassemble what he’d already done, turning the directions over as if reading them upside down might help. When he was finished at last, Ris watched from the kitchen as Ainsley carefully measured, measured again, drilling with all the precision of a surgeon. The gate fit perfectly, cutting off access to the front hallway.
“I love how seriously you’re taking nesting.”
He looked up in surprise at her words, face splitting into one of those searing grins, laughing in response. A genuine laugh, anAinsleylaugh, and it split open something inside her. His bright laughter had been kept in a room for too long, a door he never opened anymore, and hearing it now . . .
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He scrambled up on his knees from where he’d sat on the floor, wrapping his long arms around her waist. “Nanaya, if you’re—”
“I’m not,” she wheezed, laughing through her sudden rush of tears, wrapping her own arms around his neck, kissing the side of his stubble-covered head. “I’m not changing my mind. I just love you so much. And I love seeing you happy.” Ris was happy to be pulled down to the ground as he lowered himself back to a sitting position, crossing his legs and putting her in the center. “This is never going to grow out if you keep shaving it, you know. Like, one sort of precludes the other, just so you’re aware.”
“I know! I’m well aware, but I can’t help it. It’s like an addiction. I touch the stubble. I like the stubble. The stubble gets too long. I don’t like touching the stubble anymore. It’s got to go. But then, oh no, my hair.”
Her shoulders shook as she pulled his head down, drawing his mouth down to hers. His skin was warm, and the heat of his mouth was safe and familiar.We’re going to be okay, she reminded herself.
“Thenmaybeit’s time for a hat. This looks great, by the way. Professional installation.”
“Too bad there’s nothing to keep out of the hallway,” he grumbled. “I can’t believe we have to wait ten stupid long weeks. You know, I can’t help but notice that they omitthatfrom movies. You never see anyone saying, ‘Hey, let’s get a dog!’ And then they’re stuck waiting around for two and a half months.”
Choosing a breed had been a process of several weeks of deliberation.
“Something energetic and playful, like me,” Ainsley had suggested.
“That’s fine, if you’re going to be taking it outside to be energetic and playful seven days a week. But what happens when you work late, or I get stuck in traffic? What about winter? I’m not saying we should rule anything out yet, but wedohave to remember that we’re in an apartment with no yard.”
He’d scrunched his nose, but nodded his agreement.
“What about this one?” She tilted the laptop screen in his direction, laughing at the face he pulled.
“Nanaya, that’s not a dog. That’s a puffball! And it’s going to expect us to carry it everywhere, look at that fur! If you just want a stuffed animal, we can take care of that this afternoon.”
“I don’t want some huge beast that will overpower me!” Ris protested, still laughing.
