~ One Week Later ~
I made a mistake.
I know that. The sound of incessant yapping in the back of my car is proof of that.
I have no idea what I was thinking…
Aubrey’s going to kill me.
I left the house earlier this morning with the excuse that I had some last-minute shopping to do for the baby. When Aubrey asked me if she could come, I told her no because it was a surprise… Not entirely a lie. Our daughter will be more than happy with this gift. I’m just hoping Aubrey will be, too.
But the closer I get to home, the more I begin to doubt myself. I may have overdone it.
When I pass through the gates and reach our house, I park my trunk facing the front door and step out. Swiping my sweaty palms on my shorts, I pull out my phone and call up my girl.
“Hi, sweetie.” Her beautiful melodic voice comes through the speaker, and my heart skips a beat.
“Hi, Angel. Can you come out here for a sec? I have something I need to show you,” I tell her, swallowing past the ball of nerves. I can still hear them yapping in the back of my trunk, waiting to be let out.
“In the front?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“Um, okay. I’m coming.” She hangs up and I prepare myself mentally for her reaction, because this could go either way.
A few seconds later, the front door opens, and she stands in the threshold in a shorts and camisole PJ set with a lavender robe over it. She tightens the robe around her body, holding it in place with her arms.
“So… I may have done something,” I start, scratching the back of my head.Jesus, why am I so nervous?
She narrows her eyes at me and asks tentatively, “What did you do?”
“Originally, there was only supposed to be one… but then I saw the rest and well… I couldn’t say no.” I hold the car keys in my hand, positioning my finger over the open trunk button, but I don’t open it yet.
“Shane, open the trunk,” she orders me sternly.
“Whoever can hear me, please pray for me,” I mumble to myself and press the button. The trunk slowly opens, and the yapping and whining gets louder by the second.
Aubrey’s loud gasp tells me she is now aware of what’s been hiding in my car. “Surprise?” I give her an unsure smile because I really can’t tell if she’s happy or not.
“Shane…” Her eyes are wide as she lowers the hands covering her mouth. “There are five of them…”
“I know!” I quickly lean in toward the five golden retriever pups who are waiting to be let down from the car, scratching their heads and kissing their snouts. “But aren’t they the cutestthing you’ve ever seen?” I took the time to put a different color bow on each, so it would be easier for us to identify them at first.
“Yes, but Shane! There’s five! One would have been good, two acceptable. But five!? How are we supposed to raise five pups that will turn into huge dogs!? I thought we were supposed to ease my stress, not make it worse!” She comes down the steps slowly, unable to resist the cuteness.
“I know, but Ellis said therapy pets are good for anxiety. They helped him.” I hand her the one with the purple bow when she reaches me, and immediately, she buries her face in its fur. I knew the cuteness would win her over.
“You’re right. But they got one cat, not five dogs.” She laughs incredulously as the little one with the blue bow starts tugging on her robe. “How am I going to take care of five pups and a newborn when the season starts?”
“We’ll get a dog walker. And if they need to go out, you can just let them run in the backyard. They won’t be able to leave the property. We’ll get them chipped too, just in case.”
I pick up the one with the green bow, bringing it up to her face. “I think they’ll actually make you really happy. I promise I’ll deal with them, and we can get a trainer, too.”
She sighs but keeps smiling. “I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?” She shakes her head and laughs. “Now that I’ve seen them, I won’t be able to give them back. You knew what you were doing, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.” I grin, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
“Come on, let’s get these guys inside. We’ll need to get them food and bowls, doggie beds, toys so they don’t eat our stuff. Leashes, training pads. Have you thought about all of that?”
