Page 58 of Mommy

“Where are you?”

Shelly no longer sounds tired. Instead, there is alarm in her voice.

“In the car with Derek.” Ivory answers truthfully. Her hand absently reaching out to pet the dog to her feet.

“Okay.” There’s bustling on the other end of the line. “I can be at the shelter in 20 minutes. You can drop her off, and I’ll get her registered and into her own kennel.”

Ivory is nodding beside me, calm, but I feel anything but that.

“No.” I interrupt them loudly.

Neither of them speak, Ivy’s head just cocks to the side in question. Blond hair spills onto her chest and I have to refrain from tucking it behind her ear.

Taking the phone from her hand, I speak directly into the speaker.

“Thank you, Shelly, but there’s no need for that. I’ll take care of it.”

She doesn’t question me, and instead tells Ivory to call if we need any more help. And then I end the call.

Once the phone falls silent, I turn to look at Ivory.

The confusion in her eyes deepens the light blue of her iris, and though she isn’t asking with her mouth, she’s asking with her gaze.

“I don’t want her at the shelter.”

I don’t know why, but… I don’t want this dog to go to that place. Not because I think she wouldn’t be well cared for, it’s just…

The moms get left behind, and many of them die in the shelters after giving birth to their babies.

Ivory’s words from weeks ago still play in my head, and I don’t want to be responsible for that happening to this girl too. Not if I can help it.

I have the space so…

So?

Just because I have the space doesn’t mean I have anything else it takes to provide for a dog.

“Could you help me with that?”

Ivory has been working at the shelter for a while, and I can tell that she’s doing it with her heart and not for the money.

Slowly, she nods.

“Alright. We’ll figure it out.”

There’s a faint smile on her lips and I wish I had time to lean into her and taste it on my tongue. But the headlights coming down the street at max speed tell me, I don’t.

“That’s Ezekiel.” I murmur, my eyes still fixed on Ivory’s smile. “You should get her inside. Make her comfortable, and get yourself something to eat from the fridge.”

“I thought he was going to visit Gavin.”

“He will.” I say gently, reaching past my girl to open the door. “We will. We’ll go together.”

Ivory leans over, her lips pressing to mine for all but a heartbeat. It’s enough to let me feel her smile against my skin.

“Be safe.” She murmurs before getting out and I watch her guide the dog’s trembling steps towards the entry to my house.

On the threshold, she turns around once again, waving with one hand before she closes the door.