I pulled out my phone and snapped several pictures of the happy duo. In one, Marlie’s eyes were closed because she was laughing so hard. But my favorite came a few minutes later, when Ranger laid down, and Marlie draped herself over his back. The dog peered up at me like, “yeah, whatever, this is fine” and Marlie was smiling sweetly. We’d have a talk about appropriate behavior around dogs, but for the moment, it was okay.
That was the one I sent to Oak.
His response came a few seconds later.
Looks like a match made in heaven.
It took me a few minutes to realize that Oak was the only one I’d sent the picture to. Because he’d been the one I thought of. The one I wanted to share this with. He was the one who’d jumped at the chance to entertain Harper and Tristan while I took Marlie on this secret mission. And he was the one I’d rambled to about my big plan. I shouldn’t have been surprised, really. Oak had taken up a lot of my thoughts lately.
I still didn’t know exactly where things were going. But he’d said he didn’t want strings, and I was going with it for now. Because he was adorable and sexy, sweet, and needy. And I enjoyed every second we spent together. I was just going to take it one day at a time until he was ready to move on to someone else.
“I love him already, Daddy.”
The daddy was nice. I didn’t hear it often enough anymore from my girls, and I missed it. Even Tris was starting to use Dad more than Daddy these days. But it was part of growing up, I supposed.
I smiled at my daughter. “Yeah? You want to look at anybody else?”
The gasp I got sounded like she thought I said something scandalous. Ranger pushed himself to a sit and leaned against Marlie’s side, letting out a big doggy sigh.
“No. You were right. He’s perfect for us.”
I thought so too. I took another picture and that was the one I sent to everyone else.
Dinner service was in full swing, so Dana was in the kitchen working. But the rest of us had commandeered the back corner of the dining room, pushing two tables together. Felix had been unable to make it, but Loreena was there. Sean, Mary, and Regan had arrived not ten minutes ago. Charlie and Teague had been waiting for us when we got home. And even though Caitlyn had been unable to make it in person, she was there in the iPad, the Facetime call live, so that she could be part of the festivities.
“Ranger has to have one last check up tomorrow, and Aunt Nic is gonna bring Cricket and Steve on Saturday when we go to pick him up. As long as the dogs all get along, we can bring Ranger home!” Marlie was telling her mom, but everyone else was listening in.
“That’s so exciting,” Caitlyn dutifully responded. I leaned a little closer to the screen, and I saw her micro expression. Caitand I had talked for a long time about my plan to get Marlie a dog. Cait wasn’t so excited about the dog himself; she wasn’t much of an animal person, but she was thrilled for our daughter.
And, if I wasn’t mistaken, a little sad about missing Marlie’s birthday. But at the same time, she couldn’t have made the trip. She’d had surgeries scheduled all day and had pulled rank to push one back an hour, just so she could call in and be part of this. I knew Caitlyn was happy and fulfilled with her new role, but that didn’t mean it was always easy.
Oak stole my attention when he collapsed into the seat next to me. Cora was serving the meal alone tonight, which wasn’t that big of a deal, but it had been the two of them most nights since he’d come to work at Black Dog Inn, and he was helping where he could. Mostly getting up every now and then to bus tables.
“You okay?” I asked softly and nudged him with a knee. He looked exhausted.
“Yes.” He slid his hand onto my thigh and squeezed, before trailing his fingers up my inseam toward my zipper. I sucked in a breath, and though he was purposefully not looking at me, there was no denying the smirk that crossed his lips. “Just tired.”
“Oh. Too bad.” I adjusted my seat, turning slightly. I dipped my head toward his ear. “Because I was going to sneak you into my house after I put the kids to bed tonight.”
Oak sucked in a breath so fast he started choking. He yanked his hand off my lap and covered his mouth while he coughed. I chuckled, glad to have turned the tables a little.
“Dad, are you telling secrets?” Tristan shouted, his tone a little accusatory. It drew the attention of several nearby patrons. An older couple laughed, but a man in a business suit looked perturbed. Too bad for him. Kids were kids.
“Inside voice, Tris,” I reminded him, because it was the right thing to do.
“I wanna know the secret.” At least he spoke at a regular volume this time.
“But then it wouldn’t be a secret,” I volleyed back.
His little face screwed up, mutinous expression morphing his happy smile. But Mary interceded, snagging his attention. “Come here and tell me what you want for your birthday, Tristan. You’re next. Only two more months.”
“I want a drone, Grams. And a skateboard. And a bike with only two wheels!”
I tuned him out because I already had a long list, most of which he wouldn’t be getting. Instead, I gave my attention back to Oak, who had thankfully recovered from his coughing fit. He wouldn’t look at me directly, but he kept glancing my way. There was no mistaking the heat in his eyes.
“Maybe I could be persuaded to stop by. For a few hours anyway.”
I grinned, happy to hear it. But there was a part of me that didn’t only want it to be for a few hours. A part of me wanted him in my bed all night long. There was something about cuddling the crap out of my partner while we slept that made me really happy. I didn’t even know if Oak was a sleep snuggler or if he preferred to have space. There was so much I didn’t know. So much I wasn’t sure I had the right to know.
