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“Why is she here?” Tara asked slowly, praying for patience.
“Daddy said we could get a dog,” Marley stated, then giggled when the new Daisy gave a big lick to the side of her face.
Sam met Tara’s gaze and merely smiled. He had the audacity to smile like he was the one who should make all the decisions here. Really? Had the man not thought this moment through? Did he truly believe she’d let this fly? This was her house, not his—something he’d temporarily forgotten.
“Daddy didn’t think to ask—”
“But everything is fine,” Sam chimed in as he flashed a reassuring smile to Marley.
Tara narrowed her eyes and silently cursed him for lying yet again. Fine? What would happen when Marley remembered and he moved back out? Where would the dog go then?
She couldn’t handle this. All the deception from the past rolling into their present situation and making her relive all those times he’d lied so easily. Granted, the doctor had told them not to reveal the memories and let them come naturally, but this was proving to be more difficult than she’d realized. Who knew how long this would last?
If there hadn’t been so much dishonesty in their past, maybe Tara could have handled all of the tiny fibs a little better. But she had to deal with all of this—and likely more—for Marley’s well-being.
“So we can keep the new Daisy?” Marley asked, her attention turning to Tara.
The rejection was right on the tip of her tongue. How could she care for an animal so large? They didn’t have the necessary things like bowls, food, toys, a dog bed. Getting a dog and caring for a dog were two entirely different matters.
Apparently, Sam wasn’t completely reformed because he was still making rash decisions without talking to her.
“The new Daisy is staying,” Sam declared with a wide smile as if he’d saved the day. “She’s going to love it here.”
Here. As in her house. There was the biggest, slobberiest dog standing in her living room, coating her beautiful original oak flooring with who knew what. What cleaner took care of such a mess?
Lord, give me strength.
“Where will she sleep?” Tara asked. “Because my bed is off-limits.”
“Our bed is off-limits,” Sam amended, covering her slipup. “I figured we could keep her gated in the kitchen. That way, if there’s an accident, we can clean it up easy and the hardwood isn’t in there to ruin.”
“We have no gates, no dog bed, no dog food for this size of an animal...” Tara ticked off the list of needs, and that was all off the top of her head. What else would they need to get? Bib to catch the obvious drool issue?
“All taken care of and out in my truck.” Sam bent over and tapped on the thick, purple collar with a heart tag dangling. “That’s what took me so long. I found the dog, then I had to go get everything, then return to the shelter for her and do all the paperwork.”
And here she’d been thinking the worst. Guilt settled heavy in her gut. Clearly, this whole playing house situation was going to be one smack in the face after another. She honestly had no clue what to do or what would be thrown her way next. One thing was certain, though—she had to be prepared for the onslaught of emotions and feelings...and needs that would come with living with Sam again.
And they hadn’t even gotten to the sleeping arrangements.
* * *
Sam settled Daisy in the kitchen and left the light on over the stove. He made sure each door was locked, just like he always had when he’d lived here before. The little accent lamp they’d gotten as a wedding present sat in the corner of the living room and always remained on at night, casting a soft glow throughout.
The familiarity of the routine didn’t feel wrong at all...and that was a problem. He wasn’t staying; he couldn’t even let his mind think that way. This was no longer his home, but while he was here, he sure as hell would make sure his family was safe.
With a final glance around the first floor, Sam mounted the steps to his room.
No, not his room anymore. His pretend room where he would pretend to be happily married to Tara and pretend that none of this was awkward and one of the most difficult things he’d ever done in his life.
