“How could I forget? Myla, this is one of your nurses from the ICU. She saved me the first night you were in there, took my number and made sure I had some shred of sanity through it.”
I shook her hand. “It’s so great to meet you.”
Karla came out from behind the table, wrapping me in a huge hug. “You have no idea how amazing it is to meet you and see how amazing you’re doing.” Her unadulterated joy was palpable as we held each other for a few seconds. It felt like I was hugging a long-lost friend.
When she pulled away, Karla looked over to Brayden. “What brings you two to the park today?”
Brayden rubbed the back of his neck, fixing his Yankees hat. “We’re here to get Myla a puppy. Do you work for the ASPCA or something now?”
Shaking her head, Karla started to walk us over to the husky puppies. “No, I just volunteer with them when they do events on my days off. I love helping people but I have a soft spot for puppies in need for sure.”
“Oh God, Bray! Look how cute that one is!” I started bouncing on my heels.
Karla pointed to the same one that had caught my eye earlier. “She’s a cutie and a handful, definitely needs to go to a home where someone will have tons of time to play with her. Want me to take her out so you can get to know her a bit?”
Brayden
Watching Myla run around in the grass and fallen leaves with the puppy I was sure what we were about to bring home was absolutely amazing. I had been so worried about leaving her for long periods during the season, I knew this was what both of us needed—me, for peace of mind, and her, for a real companion to focus on. It was perfect.
“So, how has it been going for you two? It’s been what, a few years now?” Karla was even prettier than I remembered. Her natural dirty blonde hair was longer now, she had bright red lipstick on, and her ass looked amazing in her skintight jeans. I couldn’t help but notice how stunning she was even in a t-shirt that had a few dog butts on it and saidMoney can buy lots of things, but it doesn’t wiggle its butt every time you come home.
“Yeah, just about. We’re still getting back to normal, but we’re doing great for the most part. How’s everything at Flushing?”
Karla was filling up the water bowl in the playpen. “Same shit, different day, I guess. I’m not working nights anymore, so that’s a plus.”
I scrolled through my contacts. “You know; I still have your number. Maybe I could call you sometime? Take you out for coffee or something. I never properly thanked you for saving me that night.”
Sweetly, she looked up at me. “You don’t have anything to thank me for, but I would love to hang out with you sometime.”
Myla started to jog back over to us with the puppy in her arms. “Bray! She’s perfect.”
“Awesome, sis. This was way easier than I thought it was going to be.”
Karla started to go over the adoption paperwork with us and within twenty minutes, our new puppy was ready to head home.
“Thanks!” Myla grabbed both Karla and me, squeezing the ever-loving shit out of us. “This is going to be the best ever.”
I glanced down at Myla; the spark that had reignited in her had been long missed. “I’m glad you’re happy, sis. Now let’s get this little girl some fun stuff!”
Karla was beaming, helping Myla put a new collar and leash on our puppy. “This will do just fine until you can get her something special. Do you know what you’re going to name her?”
Biting her lip, Myla stood in thought for a second, tapping her finger to her chapped lips. “Oh, I know! Seven! After Seven James.”
I furrowed my brow. “From a book?” It was the only explanation I could think of.
Myla nodded. “From theHersseries by Dawn Robertson. Seven is a total badass with a huge heart. It’s perfect.”
Karla nodded. “I can totally see Seven’s spunk in this little pup! Perfect name!”
“You’ve read the series?”
Karla’s smile widened. “Dawn Robertson opened my eyes to how awesome erotic romance can actually be!”
Myla practically jumped with joy. “Oh man, me too! Did you hear thatRykeris coming out soon?”
I let the girls chat about their smutty book obsession while I played tug of war with Seven using a rope toy Karla was going to let us take home. It was refreshing seeing Myla get excited about so many things in such a short period of time. I missed that side of my sister; usually she was excited twenty-four-seven, and hopefully this was the start of getting all that back.
Chapter 10
