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The closest pet store is a twenty five minute drive from the house. We spend double that amount of time walking up and down the aisles, stopping so Henry can smell everything in sight. I can only anticipate how Trigger is going to be with the boys when they become a certain age for toys. He has thrown every single toy and treat in the cart that Henry has sniffed for longer than a second.
When we get to the food aisle, he throws a fifty pound bag on the top, informing me that the only thing the lady with the Camaro gave him was a tiny ten pound bag of food with only a handful of kernels left in it.
I pick out a large fluffy bed for him, and we head towards the check out.
“What if, instead of dinner in the bath, we take Henry to Porky’s and sit on the patio?” Trigger suggests as he loads our loot in the back, referencing the barbecue restaurant that has a large outdoor patio where animals are welcome. “You can take a bath as soon as we get home?”
“I could go for some ribs,” I agree, buckling my seatbelt.
I laugh as Henry licks the back of my arm. He’s probably trying to rush me as I work the tag off of his new toy racoon.
We’re seated as soon as we walk in the restaurant, already having received quite a few comments on how pretty and well behaved Henry is. The waiter drops off two ice waters for Trigger and me, then leans down to place a bowl of water where Henry can reach it.
While we look over our menus, Trigger’s phone pings with text messages multiple times, and I can feel myself getting irritated. I know being a part of the club means he has to be available at all times, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
We spend the course of our dinner talking about what all we want to do with the boys’ nursery and feeding Henry small pieces of plain chicken Trigger ordered for him.
When we’re waiting for the check, I finally break when the incessant dinging from Trigger’s phone drives me to my breaking point. “Are you going to keep ignoring that?” I bark.
He smiles sheepishly. “It’s the group text. If it was important enough, they would call.”
“Well with how many times that thing has gone off in the last hour, it seems pretty fucking important,” I mutter and roll my eyes.
Trigger’s frown as he looks at the screen has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I think Henry can already sense my emotions because he lays his head on my thigh, sniffing at my belly.
“What’s going on?” I ask Trigger, running my fingers along Henry’s head.
Trigger continues to frown as he scrolls through the messages on his phone. “You mind if we run by the clubhouse on the way home?”
“Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. I’m gonna find the waitress and pay really quick.”
I look down to Henry and can’t help but already fall in love with the not so little guy. “Are we going to be buddy’s?” I ask him, scratching behind his ear. I take the way he nuzzles my thigh as a yes.
“Let’s go, babe,” Trigger says from behind me, grabbing Henry’s leash and unwrapping it from the table.
I push my chair back, annoyed at the fact that I can’t jump right up like I used to. Trigger holds his free hand out so I can pull myself up. “Thank you,” I huff.
He chuckles. “Not too much longer, Red.”
When we’re back in the car, Trigger drives in silence and it starts to freak me out. Trigger usually isn’t the silent type with me. I know a lot of people think he’s quiet, but that’s never been the issue with us. The silence irks my nerves. “Is everything okay?”
“It will be,” he states matter-of-factly.
So much for conversation.
I pull my phone out and open the Tik Tok app, scrolling through different videos. I swear it’s like the CIA lives inside my phone. I’ve never once seen any videos about huskies, but I have now seen two on myFor Youfeed in the five minutes since scrolling.
I laugh and double tap one about a husky that refuses to come inside when it’s snowing outside. Living in the north central part of Arizona, we get quite a bit of snow. I can only picture myself trying to get Henry to come in from the snow when we get a heavy snowfall.
Trigger pulls the SUV into the parking lot, parking near the front doors. He rounds the hood, helping me out before grabbing Henry from the back. Guiding us both through the front, I’m surprised to see Brenna and Maria sitting on a large sectional near the back rooms. I take Henry’s leash from Trigger, whose attention is already focused on the few brothers sitting at the bar.
“Who is this beautiful baby!” Brenna cheers as Henry pads over to them.
“This is Henry,” I say as I introduce him and stop in front of the sofa.
“Hello, Henry!” Brenna laughs as he licks her cheeks.
