“Do you mind coming back with me to grab her? We can maybe take her for a walk together.”
I gave his hand a squeeze. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
We went for a walk near his apartment. Zoe was every bit as sweet as I remembered. Even with her hurting Pup-Pup, I couldn’t dislike her. She was huge and thought she was a teacup dog, wanting to be cuddled and snuggled. I imagined if I sat down, she’d be in my lap.
“Let me put her upstairs, and I’ll take you home,” he said.
“She can come with you when you drive me home. I don’t mind.”
“Are you sure? She’s a lot.”
I remembered our conversation earlier and how he didn’t want me overthinking things like hand-holding. And decided to go for it. “When you drop me off, I was hoping you could come in and stay longer. If she’s home, you can’t.”
“I’m not ready for tonight to be over, either.” His words were exactly what I longed to hear.
“If things go well, I don’t want you to have to rush back home.”
I met his eyes like he’d asked, and that must have been enough because he didn’t ask me to explain what I meant by “go well.”
That was good because I didn’t want to answer the question and tell him I wanted the night to include him stripping me naked and kissing every inch of my body.
I was pretty sure I’d die right on the spot if I had to say that out loud, and I’d waited too long for this date to go toes up before it ended.
Chapter Ten
Jovan
Zoe had never been in anyone’s house but mine since I had her. At least, not that I knew of. Possibly the dog walkers had brought her into another unit while picking up one of her friends. But she’d for sure never had a sleepover and, she’d never seen me go to bed with anyone. I hadn’t had many dates in her lifetime, and I’d always come home afterward well before morning.
But my dog was very much enamored with Ernie, and the moment his door was open, she ran inside and hopped on the couch as if she lived there. “Zoe!” I knew I shouldn’t have let her on the furniture. At least, that was what my mother said when she visited. But I thought she spent enough time alone that I was not going to lock her in a crate. When I checked the camera app on my phone, I wanted to see a happy doggy. Usually that meant on the couch, the bed, or my recliner. “I am so so sorry. I’ll get her down.”
“Don’t!” He ran over and plopped down next to the big dog, wrapping his arms around her neck. “Zoe is very welcome to sit on my sofa or any other piece of furniture in this house. In fact, I have something for her.” He went into the bedroom and came out with a stuffed dog. It looked nothing like Pup-Pup, and a whole lot like my pup. “Here you go, Zoe. A baby for you.”
When she took it from him, gently, the adoration in her eyes was everything. Zoe liked people and other dogs, but she’d never shown that kind of love to anyone but me. If it had been someone else, I probably would have been jealous, but with Ernie? I felt like my family was all together and loving each other. Warm, happiness…all the good things I’d been missing.
Chill, Daddy. We’ve just started dating, and don’t jump ahead.
But I felt like I’d known him forever.
“Zoe, you’re a very naughty girl.” I kissed her on the nose and stroked her silky ears. “And I think you’ve made a conquest.”
Ernie was already sitting next to her in the middle of the couch, and I sat down next to him, all of us in a row. He put on a movie, but neither of us were paying much attention, conversation flowing over Zoe’s soft doggy snores, my arm around Ernie’s shoulders.
“Do you think she’ll be upset if we leave her?” he asked.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Want to see my bedroom?”
My stomach did somersaults. “Very much.”
We stood up carefully, quietly, trying not to wake the dog because I had also made the mistake of letting her sleep with me every night, and as comfortable as she was in this apartment, I was concerned she might join us at an inopportune moment. Or, because I closed the door behind us, come barreling into it, demanding entrance at an inopportune moment.
In the soft dimness, Ernie turned to face me and I took him in my arms. “Can you stay all night?” he asked. A question that held more than practical concerns.
“Yes, if I’m invited.”
“You are.”
