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“I’m just grumpy about going on my trip. You know how it is.” I stepped out of his embrace. “Wait right here. I need to make one more call.”

The last kennel on my list answered with a machine that said they were not taking any new bookings through the end of the year and that if we had a question about a currently scheduled appointment, to email them. I put them on the never list. If my fur baby were staying there, I wanted to be able to get hold of them and not through some email they might not check for two days.

“Ugh.” I put the phone down and walked straight back into Galan’s arms.

“What’s the matter?”

“I struck out on finding a dog sitter. Rico’s got a thing, so I called the vet. They gave me a list of places to contact, and they all suck.”

“Sweet boy, why didn’t you call me? Dog can come stay at my place. He’s been to my house before. He likes me. I like him.”

“Yeah, but you have really long days too.”

“And I can make adjustments to be sure Dog isn’t all alone.”

“Just don’t feel like you have to.” That was the main reason I hadn’t asked him. I didn’t want Galan to think he needed to take over dog duty simply because we got naked together.

“Trust me, sweet boy, it’s not because I have to. Let me do this. It’s my way of taking care of you.”

“Okay, Galan.”

Galan wasn’t able to stay long because his last meeting of the night, which was a meeting in the middle of the day for the other attendees, was still happening in a few hours. But I was glad to have the time with him that I had.

The next day, I packed all of Dog’s things into a milk crate. He had a bowl, a place to sleep, treats, and food at Galan’s, but I didn’t want Galan to have the responsibility for that. And if he was low on one of those, there would at least be some in the crate.

Of course, Dog was thrilled when he saw where we were. He absolutely loved the man who had stolen my heart. How could he not?

But then it was time for me to leave and hit the airport, where I stood in line forever to check my luggage then stood in another line to go through security because one of the scanners was broken. Then I hopped onto a plane where my seat had gone from a bulkhead with extra legroom to a middle seat in the back of the plane, thanks to a plane change. Sometimes I wondered if I would like traveling more if I didn’t have bad travel luck. I didn’t think so, especially not with Galan and home.

It was late when I arrived at my hotel. After I checked in, I typed Galan a text to let him know I’d arrived safely, just like I promised him I would. But when I went to send it, it didn’t go through. That was when I saw that I still had my phone on airplane mode. I fixed it quick enough, and all the messages started populating.

He had sent me pictures of Dog snuggling with him, Dog running around and having fun, and Dog chewing on a pig’s ear, his favorite new treat. Each one came with a little note from Dog.

Miss you.

Galan’s spoiling me.

Wanted to show you my new treat.

Those kinds of things. Cute little moments, including a video. It was adorable. And they didn’t stop that day. My entire trip, I got videos, funny messages, and pictures of Dog sleeping with his paws looking like he was doing the Flashdance routine or begging Galan for broccoli, which, to Galan’s amusement, Dog liked more than I did.

I didn’t expect or need to have Galan keep me that informed. I knew Dog was safe. I tried to remember if Rico ever sent me pictures, and I didn’t think he did.

At its root, this wasn’t about the pictures. This was about Galan showing me he was thinking of me. He might not be able to take care of me here, but he was taking care of Dog, which was sort of taking care of me, once removed.

The last meeting I just got out of was longer than long, and my head was spinning. It had been productive, but there was far too much on the agenda for the time allotted. Opening my phone, it was like Galan knew I needed a little bit of sunshine. He sent me a picture of both him and Dog together, looking up at me with the same pitiful expression.

Miss you.

I didn’t think twice before sending a message back with a picture of me looking just as pitiful, adding a little lip pout to it.

Miss you too. Thanks for the updates. They really are making my trip so much better.

I still wanted to be home.

Chapter Fifteen

Galan