She growled playfully and reached over to paw his leg.
Alex shook his head. “You’re a little traitor,” he teased, reaching over to scratch her ears instead.
I chuckled and started to lift her, but he stopped me. “No, don’t. She’s okay. Her snuggles are the best kind of magic. Trust me.”
I grinned down at her. “Yeah, they kind of are.”
None of us moved for the next two and a half hours.
7
On Saturday, I didn’t wake up until well after the sun was casting warm rays through the curtains in my windows. I’d slept soundly, yet I was still beat from the long week at work. When I finally ventured out to the living room, I was surprised to see that Noel wasn’t in her bed. She hadn’t been in my bedroom either. Confused, I peeked out back, just in time to see Alex scratch his ass. I bit back a laugh, admiring how the flannel bottoms I’d loaned him fit so well. He yawned as he held the tug of war toy for Noel. Roxy, who still wasn’t healed enough to play, was lying on the lawn swing, basking in the early morning’s rays.
There was something peaceful in seeing them all together like that, and I thought I could’ve watched them all morning. But instinctively, I knew Alex wouldn’t like me spying on him, so I slipped some shoes and a coat on and stepped outside to join them.
Alex jumped when I opened the door, eyes going wide and face paling a little. Even though he relaxed as soon as he saw me, I still wondered what would have caused him to have that kind of reaction.
“Morning,” I said.
He gave a tired smile. “Hey. Um, sorry. We didn’t wake you, did we?”
“No,” I quickly reassured him.
“Good.”
He freed the rope from Noel’s mouth and chucked it across the yard. To my surprise, Noel halfheartedly chased after it.
“You must have magic in your fingers because that dog never plays fetch.”
“Well, I was playing with Roxy first, and I think she got a little jealous.”
“Roxy was playing?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah. Nothing too aggressive, just tugging the rope from her spot on the swing. She loves rope toys. They’ve been her favorite ever since she was a puppy.”
Roxy barked at us, ears and tail at full attention. Clearly, she knew we were talking about her. I went to her and scooped her up, laughing when she reached up to lick my chin. “You love being the center of attention, don’t you?” I asked, chuckling at her antics.
After a moment, Alex tucked his hands into his pockets. “Well, I already had breakfast, so I’d better get to work.”
I blinked. “Work?”
“Yeah. I wanted to trim the shrubs along the driveway today.”
I turned my full attention to him. “Um, no. You’re not.”
“Sorry?”
“You’re not working today. It’s Saturday. You need a break.”
His confusion turned to disbelief. “Vaughn, I—”
“Alex, you’ve already done way more than I expected of you this week. If you keep going at this rate, you’ll burn out, and I’ll feel like I’m taking advantage of you. So, no working today. Or tomorrow, for that matter.”
He turned away, annoyed.
“Actually, I was thinking you might want to come with me today. There’s a new fishing supply store a few miles away. I wanted to go check it out and maybe stop at the lake.”
“Fishing?” he asked.
