Page 134 of Love Unlimited

Dustin rolled onto Zhong’s body, straddling him so he had to look up at him. We’re not going swimming without you. And you’re not packing up the tent on your own. We’ll pack up quickly, take a dip, and if anything happens that you’re not interested in, you can swim more laps.

Zhong beamed up at Dustin, and he let himself lean down for a quick kiss.

Thank you. I’d like that.

I know. Now let’s get ready. The faster we clean up, the more time we have to swim.

Dustin still wasn’t looking forward to the work that awaited him. He was so over this stupid project, that even a week seemed like too much. But when he thought about everything that he had to look forward to, his life was just where he wanted it to be.

Chapter 23

Landon

Landon surveyed the backyard. He and Zhong had been working every spare moment on it for the past three weeks. It was the perfect escape from the pressures of transitioning to a new school—which had turned out to be a blessing as he liked his new principal much better than the old one—and gave him a lot more special time with Zhong. The summer movie series was over, and he’d fretted for a moment that they wouldn’t have anything special to do together. But he shouldn’t have.

Now that they were all living together, not just staying over all the time and calling it something else, it was like something inside of him had eased. Zhong made time for him each day, brushing his hair in the evening if there wasn’t time in the morning, usually while Ash cuddled against their legs.

Landon still hadn’t moved the rest of his stuff over, but that didn’t seem as pressing as the project in the backyard. He couldn’t wait for Ash to see it. They’d been asking about it every chance that they got, but he and Zhong had been keeping it a secret. Not that it was possible to keep everything a secret, since Ash’s new art studio looked right over the area. But the tarps gave them the pretense, and Ash loved surprises.

Landon saw movement on the porch, and then Zhong came out, arms full with a water bottle, a container of fruit, and what looked like a few toys. All that Landon could see of Ash was an adorable pair of ears and a pointy black tail moving rapidly around the small, enclosed space. It was a different tail than Ash usually wore. The only one they’d seen before was a fluffy curl of black and teal fur to match their Pomeranian identity. But this one was smooth silicone.

Landon forgot all about it, though, when he could see how much trouble Zhong was having getting across the porch with an exuberant pup at his feet. Landon ran up the three steps and opened the door for him. Ash tumbled out first, climbing awkwardly down the three steps on their hands and knees, but clearly too excited to wait. Zhong came after and set his supplies down on the picnic table.

Ash raced back and forth across the lawn, their black-and-teal snout darting around as they ran up first to Zhong, then to Landon, and then over to the little platform that was the first part of the puppy playground.

They wore a tight black t-shirt and a matching pair of black shorts, their hands encased in leather paws, while their knees were padded and their feet were encased in flexible black shoes. Their eyes were bright in happiness, and just looking at them made something warm pulse through Landon’s whole body.

Ash was unbridled joy, and he had been a part of creating that. He and Zhong and Dustin, because they were a family together.

When Ash came back to Landon, they nipped at his athletic shorts, trying to pull them toward the wooden structure. They nearly pulled down his shorts instead, which was just the impish kind of thing they might be trying to do on purpose.

Wait, Landon signed with one hand, laughing as he held up his shorts with the other. Not that he was expecting the command to do any good.

Ash bounced over to Zhong and repeated the maneuver.

Ready? Zhong asked. Want to go see your obstacle course?

Ash butted their head against him, then took off, only to come back and circle around him. Ash’s curls shot out from the sides of their hood, their little black foam ears and dark eyes both perky with interest.

They went over to the first “obstacle,” a wooden platform with a ramp leading up and down. The middle held a railing that Landon had dangled a few ribbons from. Today, they had a plan to tie one of the ribbons around a chocolate-frosted mini donut.

Zhong got down on his knees, trying to hold Ash’s attention. Walk up… Treat! Jump.

Ash looked at him adoringly, but with little sign of comprehension on their expressive face. Landon was getting more of a sense of “I love my humans and I’ll try, but you are making crazy words!”

God, Landon loved the little goofball. That was the only way to describe that pulse of warmth in their chest, the way Ash made all of Landon’s emotions get soft and fuzzy. Just like Zhong had described it. Landon didn’t know why he’d been denying it, but he was just so in love with the two of them that he felt like he was going to burst.

Zhong tried again. Walk up… Treat! Jump.

Ash licked his face, tail wagging.

I’ll go get the treats, Landon told Zhong. He came back and made short work of tying the ribbon through the hole in one of the donuts. Now he had Ash’s attention.

Zhong was holding onto the little whirl of energy, trying to keep them contained. They were just… exactly like a puppy but twice as adorable.

Walk up… Zhong signed, holding on to Ash’s neck as they bounded up the ramp.

Treat! Ash was ready for that one, hilariously trying to get under and around the donut to get it into their mouth, while their neoprene snout got in the way.