An older silver-haired man entered at the rear carrying a few of those plastic children’s gates, which he set up around the puppies like it was a playground.With Madison inside.
Kyle continued to gape in shock as the woman unclipped their leashes. “What is this?” he finally asked.
Madison shook her leg from the black puppy chewing on her shoelace. “I wanted to get you a puppy, but I figure you should choose it yourself. So I brought them to you.”
He could only blink at her.“A puppy? For me?”
She gave a tight smile as she stepped over a couple of puppies and then hiked her legs over the gate, crossing to him. “You said you wanted one. You still do, right?”
The constriction in his chest was suffocating. He remembered telling her how he’d thought it would fill a void. “You don’t have to?—”
“I want to.” She touched his arm, her golden eyes filled with that wary warmth he’d gotten used to. She always had this expression when she was making a gesture with herwhole heart but was unsure of its reception. “This is Operation Kyle.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he turned to the side to give them privacy. Well, mostly him. He was losing his mind right now. “Do you have any idea how much I love you right now?”
“Probably enough to make us both feel a little weird,” she murmured, tightening her grip on him. “I’m glad I paid attention. You’re totally the kind of guy whose dog is his best friend.”
“No, that will always be you.” He leaned back and cupped her precious face, his heart pulsing with more love than he knew what to do with. “Thank you, Mad.”
“Sure thing. Now go pick your puppy. If you don’t find one, I’ll have Brooke arrange to bring more over.”
Brooke again. He’d have to send her a case of champagne. “I’m sure one of these puppies will be perfect. Do you want to pick one with me?”
She shook her head emphatically. “After Pierre, I figure I’m better with someone else picking the right animal. I’ve got no idea what to look for.”
He wasn’t so sure, so he took her hand as he walked to the makeshift fence before stepping over. Puppies immediately launched themselves at his feet, barking and yipping in delight. Leaning down, he petted the first three and then picked up a golden retriever with big brown eyes and a cute little bark. “Oh, aren’t you adorable?” The puppy gave an excited yip, trying to paw his way up his chest.
His wardrobe was going to be in tatters. Ask him if he cared. When the little guy rubbed his black nose against his cheek, licking his face, he laughed. Then he looked over as a thought occurred to him. “Madison, what about Pierre?”
Her smile was filled with more love than he’d ever imagined seeing from anyone. “I figured everything would work out. Pierre is with me much of the day at the restaurant andsleeps in his cage in your office when we come home. That only leaves the morning and when I’m not working. I’m sure Dean would be happy to take him if Pierre and the puppy don’t become best buds.”
God, his heart was raw now. “We’ll make sure they’re friends.”
She shrugged. “I can’t see anyone not loving Pierre, but dogs and birds have that natural wiring of predator and prey. Dean’s a great option. They’re opening Pairings by Pierre in about five weeks, so I’m going to have to share Pierre more anyway.”
The puppy was butting Kyle under the chin as he tried to hold him in place. “Are you sure?”
“Kyle,” she said softly, “if you could see the look on your face… Yes, absolutely.”
He went over to the edge of the playpen and leaned down to kiss her. She managed to evade the puppy trying to lick her face. When she smiled again, he was struck by her radiance. Had he said she was only beautiful and sexy?
That didn’t begin to cover it. She was magnetic, and he felt the pull of her all the way down to his soul. Sawyer philosophized about soulmates more than anyone he knew, and right now, everything his friend had said made sense. Soulmates lit up each other’s worlds. That was him and Madison.
He brought the cuddly little guy up to his shoulder as he settled himself in the middle of the pen to play with the others. God, they were fun and busy and so dear, he felt like he’d fallen into a childhood dream as they crawled over him, barking and yipping. Only this was no dream, and after twenty minutes, he knew who’d captured his heart.
The golden retriever he’d wanted to pick up first had fallen asleep on his shoulder, his little puppy snores absolutely the cutest sounds he’d ever heard. Equally important, the puppy had been the most eager to crawl up his body to see him. They were a match made in heaven.
But still he called, “What do you think, Mad?”
“He’s perfect—” Her soft smile said it all. “Oh, and his coat seems to be really healthy and glossy, so he fits our perfect hair image.”
That had Kyle laughing and the puppy stirred and gave an adorable yawn. Madison handled the arrangements, although the company had taken care of everything required, including providing him with a starter kit that included a pet bed, toys, food, and accompanying equipment. He imagined Brooke’s long hand in those considerations.
After Madison saw everyone out, Kyle brought the sleepy puppy over. “Madison, I want you to meet Spike. Spike, meet Madison, the woman I love with all my heart.”
Taking the puppy’s paw, he held it out to her to shake. “Why Spike?” she asked as the puppy stretched sweetly in his arms.
“Because that was the name I was going to give to the puppy I wanted when I was a kid, and you always need to keep your promises to yourself.”
