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“You’re impossible.” Luna lets me keep her hand as she drifts the car forward as the minivan moves. “Do you think you can hold off long enough to order what you want?”
No matter how much she tries to scold me, I can pick up the breathless note in her voice. Reluctantly, I pause tasting her in order to lean toward the driver’s side window.
“What can I get for you today?” the voice crackles out of a speaker.
“One small black coffee with cream, and one puppucino, please.”
“Puppucino?” Luna mutters, her hot breath brushing against my ear because of my position.
I tilt my chin to press a quick kiss to her mouth. She gasps in a breath, tempting me to sneak my tongue past her lips. But the worker asks for confirmation of my order. Finished, I settle back in my seat.
Luna glares at me, but there’s no heat in her eyes. At least, none from anger.
As Luna pulls the car toward the window, our pittie starts wiggling and whining in excitement.
“Check this out. Can’t drive down this stretch of road without getting Pig a puppucino.”
When the window opens, I spy a vaguely familiar face.
“It’s Pig!” the coffee shop employee crows. The girl peers through Luna’s window and spots me. “Charlie! Hey!”
“Hi!” I wave, remembering I saw her last time Pig and I came through here, which was only a couple of days ago.
We’re becoming regulars.
“Here’s your drinks!” The girl passes Luna a cardboard cup carrier holding a normal-sized coffee and a smaller cup filled to the brim with whipped cream.
“This is a puppucino.” To demonstrate, I pick up the smaller cup and hold it tight as Pig attempts to stuff her entire brick-shaped muzzle into the minuscule cup. Her wildly wagging tail practically shakes the car.
“Oh my god.” At Luna’s exclamation, I shoot her a grin, enjoying the baffled delight in her slack-jawed face. “How often do you get her one?”
I shrug. “Whenever we happen to be driving by.”
Which may or may not be multiple times a week.
Luna shakes her head as she pulls us back out onto the road, but I can see the wry curve of her lips. “You’re spoiling our dog. I think you treat her better than most people treat their children.”
My chest nearly explodes with happiness at the “our dog” comment. Does Luna see Pig that way? As belonging to both of us?
A guy can dream.
A few minutes later, we pull into the parking lot of the dog park. Pig has her head fully out the window, whimpering at the delay to her fun.
“Calm down, piggy puppy.” I try soothing our pup by reaching back to scratch her behind, but she only lets out an excited yelp.
“Yeah, yeah.” Luna parks the car, and we unload. The moment we’re in the fenced enclosure, Pig lumbers off toward a yellow lab, and the two quickly start up a race around the park. Our short-legged hound has no chance, but she tries her best.
“She’s going to pass out tonight.” Luna makes the observation as she scoops up my hand and pulls me toward a picnic table. And like Pig, I follow along joyfully, ready to be led wherever she wants to go. We sit side by side on the sun-stained wooden bench, and I relax, trying to ignore the eager thrumming in my veins encouraging me to tell Luna how deeply I feel about her.
What’s the rush?I reason. We haven’t even reached her birthday. I’ve got more than a year to work up to telling her I fell in love almost immediately.
What if she doesn’t want a husband in love with her?The worry resounds in my head like the painful note of an untuned guitar string. In that case, I should tell her how I feel so she can end things with me and find another man to marry before she turns thirty.
Could I survive the split?
A vulnerability scrapes through me, and I snake my arm around Luna’s waist, pulling her into my side so I can bury my face in her short hair and smell the mandarin shampoo scent I’ll forever associate with happiness.
“I don’t know who’s more affectionate. You or Pig.” Luna laughs through her words, unaware of the worry plaguing my mind.
