“Which is why I don’t mind. Now go out there with your sister and nephew. I’ll be there in a minute.”
I hold his gaze for a moment, loving his demanding voice way too much and unable to believe that he’s just this perfect.
“Okay,” I say with a smile, giving him a quick kiss before going to sit on the couch with Noah and Audrey.
He already has the show on, eyes glued to the TV. It’s one of the few shows he’s watched that I can tolerate. I’m so glad he’s over his Peppa Pig obsession… that was rough.
JJ comes out a few minutes later and sits beside me on the couch, at an appropriate distance but still close enough I can smell him. He leans back and watches the television like he’s interested in the cartoon. If we were alone, I’d straddle him and show him how thankful I am for everything he’s done. But there are people here and that would not be okay.
“Did you know dogs can watch this show?” he asks.
“Well, yeah… dogs can watch TV,” I say.
“Yeah, but they can see this show better than others because of the colors. They don’t see the same colors we do.”
I look at the screen, then back at JJ. “Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“How do you know that?”
“Leo at the firehouse is full of useless knowledge.”
“I don’t think it’s useless,” I say. “That’s good to know for people who have dogs.”
“It’s kind of cute,” Audrey says.
“Mom, can we get a dog?” Noah asks, keeping his gaze on the TV.
“Yeah, when you’re old enough to take care of it.”
“I am old enough to take care of it. I can feed him and give him baths.”
“Are you going to pick up his poop?” I ask.
Noah makes a disgusted face, and we all laugh.
“That’s what I thought,” Audrey says.
“Maybe a nice hamster,” I say.
“Ew, no. They smell,” she says.
“A fish then?”
She rolls her eyes.
“We don’t need another thing to take care of.”
“A fish would teach Noah some responsibility,” I add. “What do you think?” I look at JJ.
“Oh, I don’t know anything about kids.” He lifts his hands.
“Yeah, but you said you wanted them. Would you get your kid a pet?”
He doesn’t move, holding his breath. It seems everything with him hits a nerve and goes much deeper than I intend it to. Finally, he lets out a breath and starts to blink normally.
“Yeah, probably. Fish are easy. I agree with the dog when he’s older, though. Dogs are good pets but they’re a lot of work.”
