“Did you know he’s a pepper-holic?”
She smiles. “I did only because my uncle left a note about it in his ledger.”
I sneak Remy an extra chunk of pork, and she lies on top of my foot for the rest of the time we’re seated to eat, just to be sure I don’t move without her knowing about it.
When we’re all finished, Adley helps pack the leftovers, and the furry pack follows her inside when she puts them away. I go back to Pie and Gator, patting them and feeding them more snacks. Jasper and Adam follow.
“I’ve always loved horses,” Jasper says. “To look at, anyway. I don’t think I could handle riding one anymore.” He reachesdown to his left knee, and I realize he’s been limping a bit more than usual since he mated with Adley.
I didn’t need to hear them the other night to know they’d bonded, though I definitely had. Their scents mingle now, just like hers and mine do.
“This little guy has attitude. I like that.” Adam is crouched down and petting Gator through the fence. Gator seems to like the attention, which makes me happy. He’s been a bit standoffish in general.
Adley eventually joins us, reaching her hand out slowly to pat Pie on the side of his neck, then bending to scratch Gator on his fluffy head. When she looks at me, there’s something beautiful shining in her eyes. “I can’t wait until we can expand their little sanctuary. We need to work on a plan together for what you think will be best for them, since you’d know. I definitely don’t.” She laughs and Pie whinnies, shaking his head to get Adley’s attention. It works, of course, and she pets his forehead gently with a loving gaze.
“I have a lot of ideas, actually. When we get to the planning phase, we’ll go over it all together.”
After dark, Jasper and Adam leave, and I’m surprised at how strange it feels that they don’t stay on the property with us. We haven’t spent as much time together as I think we should, but I know we’re still finding our way, and soon enough, we’ll all be living together in the house once it’s finished.
“I have something for you.”
Adley sounds and looks shy as she says it, then extends an envelope to me. Confusion courses through me as I take it. Opening the flap, I pull out a gift certificate, old school style, handwritten and really fancy. It’s for the local craft and art supply store, Hobby Haunt.
Warmth overwhelms my entire body, my heart pounding in my chest.
No one has ever given me something to support my art. No one. But here’s Adley, doing just that.
Part of me feels like I don’t deserve it, but she’s given me this, knowing how I came to start painting in the first place, not caring that it was in jail.
My vision swims as I nod my head at her, voice hoarse as I whisper, “Thank you.”
She leans in and presses her lips to my cheek. “I didn’t know what you needed and didn’t want to get you something you didn’t, so I figured the gift certificate was a good call. The owner is really great. It seems like she knows a lot.”
I wrap my arms around Adley, holding her tight, running my fingers through her hair.
She may have given me a gift, but Adley’s the most precious gift of all.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Whoa, Crooze! Go, boy, go!”
The sun is bright, the air is clean, and the lake is surprisingly not as crowded as I’d expected.
Everything is green and lush around us, the water looks like crystal, rippling as it reflects the sunlight.
We brought the dogs with us to have fun, and I’m glad I stuffed a couple of canvas bags with a bunch of beach towels, because we’re definitely going to need them.
Crooze is especially pleased to be in the water. Adam has been throwing floating toys onto the water’s surface for him to fetch, but it’s a crap shoot if he actually retrieves the toys or just keeps them in his mouth and keeps swimming around like a game of keep-away.
Remy has been keeping to Ezra’s side on the shore, happily sunbathing in the grass, while Bat and Danko have been chasing Jasper around along the water’s edge. Nikki has been curled up in my lap almost the entire time we’ve been here, which is a couple of hours now. She shows no sign of wanting to explore the water.
“I wonder how cold the water is.”
“It can’t be too bad,” Ezra says. “It’s warm enough out today, and it looks like Crooze is having the time of his life.”
I laugh, but then my breath catches. Adam approaches, pulling his shirt over his head, revealing a sculpted physique above swim trunks. He folds the shirt and places it on top of his shoes in the grass, grins at me, and turns to run to the lake.
His naked back, to me for the first time ever, reveals a masterpiece tattoo on his back. All black and abstract, the design covers his spine, his shoulder blades, and even wraps around part of his ribs.
