Page 134 of Striking Range

We follow my parents into the living room, sitting on the floor by the tree as they sit on the couch. It’s obvious that most of the presents are mine, all things considered, but Everett gets handed a few, and my parents exchange the ones they bought each other.

It takes about thirty minutes to get through all of the gifts. I get clothes and shoes and scrubs for work. I have a few sets from my clinicals, but you can never have too many.

Everett gets some basics as well, alongside a few nice shirts for his future office job—though I have a feeling he won’t be venturing down that path after all. I’ve heard him on the phone with Ashley, debating the logistics of helping her with her bookstore or simply doing side hustles until he figures out what he wants from life.

It doesn’t matter what Everett decides to do; I’ll be there every step of the way.

We thank my parents for our gifts, and I gear up to give Everett mine. Originally, I was going to wait until we were alone. But Mom and Dad know about us now, so there’s no point in waiting.

But as I move to speak, Everett clears his throat, turning to give me a nervous look.

“I have a gift for you, pup. Would you wait right here for a moment?” he asks.

“Uh, sure.”

He leaps to his feet and heads for the front door. Mom gives me an excited look, her brows raised.

“What?” I question.

“What could it be?” She giggles.

“How would I know, Mom?”

Dad chuckles.

Faintly, in the distance, I think I hear Henry’s voice. I’m about to stand and go check when Everett reenters, holding a box. It’s large, unwrapped, and being carried with gentle, easy movements.

“Was Henry just here?” I ask, looking between Evie and the mystery box.

“Uh, y-yeah,” he stutters out, sitting next to me once more as he places the box before me. “He was holding onto this for me. Open it.”

The box, now untouched, shifts slightly. A small whine penetrates the air.

“What the fuck is in that box, Everett?” I blurt, inching away slowly.

Why the hell is my Christmas present whining?!

“Open it, Sky!” Mom squeals.

I send one last weary look toward Everett and reach out, knocking the lid off in one swift movement. Nothing happens. We all sit in silence, in anticipation, as I wait for a snake to lung out and bite me.

There is no snake, but something does eventually reveal itself. The head of a small, chocolate Labrador pokes out, panting over the lip of the box as its blue eyes find mine.

A puppy. A dog.

“For you,” Everett says nervously. “He looks like you, you know? Brown and blue, just like your hair and your eyes.”

He’s right. If I were an actual puppy, I think I’d look just like this little thing. But me? Taking care of another living thing? Terrifying.

“Evie…” I start, staring at the creature in shock.

“We can raise him together,” Evie continues. “I just thought… we’re becoming a family, you and me. It might be nice to have something that’s ours. Or, well, yours technically, but you get what I mean.”

A family. Everett got me a puppy that reminds him of me, because he wants to be a family.

Fuck it. I can raise a dog—how hard can it be?

I tear my gaze from the animal and find Everett’s, smiling softly. “Thank you. We’ll be great dog dads.”