Danika swallows hard. Love, in all its forms, is all around them this week, and Hugo is now a part of their family. She glances at Tess, who is looking at Cami and Hugo.
She must sense Danika’s gaze, as she meets her eyes. “I never get tired of this part. When an animal goes to a new home, and it’s so very obvious that animal is going to be loved and cared for. It’s not always the case, unfortunately.”
Cami puts on Hugo’s new harness and lead, and together they walk out of the run. There’s paperwork, of course,an appointment for a check in a month’s time, and the complimentary bag of dog food to be loaded into the RAV.
They forgot to buy a car harness for Hugo, but Tess lends them one and asks they drop it back when they’ve got one.
Danika looks at Cami and Hugo in the mirror. They’re sitting close together, Cami pointing out to him all the places they’ll go. Hugo leans against her, and the trust between them already makes Danika’s eyes go misty.
Kim and Bella arrive straight from school. Bella walks in and goes to sit by Cami on the couch, letting Hugo come up to greet her when he’s ready. It’s a mature response, and Danika realises Kim has told her what to do. But soon, the girls are out in the garden, throwing a ball for their dog, who looks at them with a WTF expression. He’s obviously not a retriever.
Kim comes up to Danika and wraps her arms around her. “It’s good to see you. Extra special, because it’s the middle of the week.”
Danika kisses her, a gentle kiss she pours her heart and soul into.Family. Kim is my family now.Even if their romantic relationship fizzles, she knows Kim will always be there for her, and Cami.
“And you’re staying over,” she says when they break the kiss. “In my bed, unless you want to sleep on the couch.”
“Nope. Start as we mean to go on,” Kim says. “Bella understands.”
Danika leans into her for a few moments more. Family. The word thrums in her heart again, and thoughts of things not said push into her mind. It’s too early to say them, but they are there,nebulous and tentative, but maybe soon, they will coalesce into something that can be spoken.
The girls and Hugo come in, and Danika kisses Kim once more then moves away. “Are you here for snacks?” she asks the girls.
Cami nods. “Can we have the hot chilli dip and crackers?”
“Sure.” She gets the dip out of the fridge.
“What’s for dinner?” Bella asks.
“Veggie fried rice.” She spies Bella about to offer Hugo a cracker and dip. “Please don’t give that to Hugo; it might make him sick.”
“And we’re not going to feed him people-food,” Cami adds. “Not unless it’s in his bowl.”
“Okay,” Bella says. “Sorry.”
Dinner goes quickly, and then the girls and Hugo go off to Cami’s room. Danika pours her and Kim a glass of wine, and they sit on the couch, which is already covered in dog hairs.
Danika picks them off, but it’s a losing battle.
They talk about their day, wrangle gently over what to watch on TV before settling on an older series with Gillian Anderson that neither of them has seen. They finish their wine and switch to water.
After two episodes of Gillian, Danika gets up to check on the girls. She returns with a smile and beckons Kim to follow her.
The door to Cami’s room is ajar. Bella and Cami lie face to face on Cami’s bed, Hugo sprawled between them. All three are sound asleep.
“Guess I could have saved the hundred bucks on a bed for that dog,” Danika says.
“We could do the same,” Kim says. She runs a hand down Danika’s side, brushing over the edge of her breast, the indent of her waist, to cup her hip.
“What, fall asleep with a dog between us? Some chaperone that would be.”
“Go to bed,” Kim says.
And instantly, the air between them charges like an electrical storm, and their eyes meet. Without a word, they go to Danika’s room, and undress in the dim light. On the bed, their mouths and bodies meet and merge, soft words are spoken, their gentle caresses become more demanding, until they both reach their peaks.
Danika drifts in the afterglow of lovemaking, spooning Kim, her arm around her waist.
This is my family. This is my love.
