He reached over the side of the bed for the sheet and settled it on them, then pulled up the quilt so she wouldn’t be chilled in the air-conditioning.
Tomorrow they’d bring home the dogs. He’d have Maybelline, he’d have Skye. The future looked so bright.
With one last hug, he kissed her bare shoulder, enjoying the faint way she murmured to him, then closed his eyes in extreme contentment.
This was meant to be.
* * *
Skye flopped down onto the couch, utterly exhausted. She’d been so excited about adopting the dogs, but after only two days, she knew she needed to reevaluate.
“How was your party?” Laylee asked, settling beside her and handing her a bottle of water.
Wearily, Skye turned her head to face her sister. “The party was fine, but the dogs trashed Ford’s house.”
“Ugh. How bad?” Without giving Skye a chance to answer, she said, “It was the monstrous dog, right? She probably ate everything in sight and broke everything she sat on.”
Skye locked her teeth until she could speak reasonably. “Actually, no. Maybelline is a gentle sweetheart, and the worst damage she did was to dig around on Ford’s bed, rearranging all his bedding to create a nest.”
Laylee choked. “I specifically remember you two buying a massive bed for her.”
“I think she wanted Ford’s scent. When he leaves for work tomorrow, he’s going to try leaving a T-shirt in her bed to see if that helps.”
“Well, he does smell nice.”
“Right?” Skye agreed. Ford was absolutely delicious. Secretly, she wanted one of his shirts to sleep with, too. “It seems my little rascal did most of the damage.” She wrinkled her nose. “He peed. On everything.”
“OMG.”
“Ford said he was marking his territory. If so, he owns the whole house now.”
Laylee burst out laughing.
“Luckily, he couldn’t get on the bed, the rascal.” Aggrieved, she gave a long sigh. “When I tried to bring him home with me, you’d have thought I was taking Maybelline’s heart, the way the two of them carried on. Ford suggested they just stay the night with him.” Which made her feel as if she’d abandoned him to deal with everything.
“So let’s see.” Laylee eyed her critically. “Knowing my sis like I do, I bet you helped to clean up everything before you left?”
“Of course, I did. My dog made the messes. Believe me, we’d be able to tell the difference between him piddling and Maybelline.” Groaning, she put her head back on the couch. It was after midnight, and she’d hoped to have some private time with Ford, but there was no way either of them would have closed the dogs out of the bedroom, not after they’d just spent all that time alone, and sleeping with both dogs basically meant not sleeping.
So Ford had kissed her, then insisted she go home to get some rest. Tomorrow was another day.
“I think we can still make this work,” Skye said, trying to infuse some optimism into the words. “It’s just that the dogs don’t do very well being alone for so long.”
Laylee raised her hand. “So maybe I can offer a solution.”
Barely keeping her eyes open, Skye said, “Let’s hear it.”
“I’ll be your dog sitter.”
Skye got one eye open. “Come again?”
“Your pup is adorable, and he loves me.”
“I can’t take him from Maybelline.” The little scoundrel might tolerate it, with Laylee to love him, but Maybelline would be miserable. Never would she do that.
With less enthusiasm and conviction, Laylee promised, “I’ll watch Maybelline, too.”
That got both of Skye’s eyes open. “You’re scared of Maybelline.”
