It was hard to contain the giggles as he wrapped his arms around me, shouting so loudly, I was surprised he didn’t rupture my ear drums.
“Hailey loves me!”
The rest of the pack descended into fits of laughter, all while Nolan couldn’t take his eyes off me.
Dentist-drunk Nolan was pretty fun.
Chapter 46
Hailey
“Idon’t know how you roped me into this.” Merrick laughed as we pulled up outside of Melody’s shelter. It was a lovely afternoon, and everyone was home, so we had decided on a little family outing.
“It was a group effort, but mainly, you just can’t say no to me.” I giggled. It also helped that I’d asked Nolan when he was still a little loopy.
“Yeah, I don’t thinkanyof us can say no to her,” Preston said from the back seat.
Merrick thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “True.”
We’d decided as a pack that an incoming baby wasn’t enough stress, so we werealsoconsidering adding a furry friend into the mix.
It took me a considerable amount of time to get out of the car, even with Merrick’s help, but eventually, I was waddling into the building, slow as molasses.
“Hailey, it’s so good to see you. How are you doing?” Melody embraced me warmly, then stepped back to take a look at my ever-growing stomach. “You look ready to pop.”
“I’ve still got a few weeks yet.” I sighed, rubbing my stomach.
Discomfort was a constant thing now, and I was more than ready to give birth. Actually, I was inno wayready to give birth—I was slightly terrified of the whole experience—but I was ready to have the babynotin me anymore and for my back to stop aching every day.
Oh, and to sleep on my stomach. Ugh.
Behind us, Nolan and Wilder got out of the car and made their way over, listening in on what Melody and I were saying.
“And you guys decided that now is the time to look for a pet?” she asked.
“Yeah. I think we all want to make a decision together as a pack, considering how messed up everything’s been.”
Melody nodded. “Actually, that makes sense. Do you want to come in? I’ll show you what we have available. Do you have anything specific in mind?”
“Anything other than a ferret.” Preston smirked.
While the others giggled, Nolan shot him a pained glare.
“I feel like there’s a story there, but I don’t want to ask.” Melody giggled. “Luckily for you, I don’t have any ferrets at the moment. Just cats, dogs, and rabbits. Do you have any preference out of those?”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “We just wanted to see who needs help and who might be a good fit. We have no preference one way or another.”
She clapped her hands together. “Oh, perfect. You guys are the best kind of adopters. Let me show you around.”
First, she took us to the cattery. Several little cubicles housed adorable cats playing with various toys or sleeping in little circular beds. Each pen was clearly thought out with love, and you could tell that Melody careddeeplyabout all the animals.
“This little guy is a cutie,” I said, pointing to a tiny fluffy kitten that was a mix of orange, brown, and gray. He was lyingon his back, looking utterly blissed out with his belly up while sleeping.
“That little boy was brought in a few weeks ago because his owner couldn’t look after him anymore. He’s about a year old and quite the energetic little baby.”
“He seems sweet,” Merrick said, leaning forward to get a better look at him.
“Here, let me open the door so you guys can say hello to him.” Melody opened the clear panel so we could pet him.
