AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My phone buzzes, and I check the screen.
Jocelin: Open the front door please?
Whatever he bought must be huge if he needs help with it. I open the door but Jocelin isn’t there or in the car. But I can hear him.
“Okay, boy! Let’s go!” There’s a short yip, and a small locomotive hurls itself through the door, knocking me backward. I’m suddenly flat on my back, with a very wiggly Norwegian Elkhound puppy standing on my chest, trying desperately to lick my face. I laugh and attempt to fend him off but fail spectacularly. The chill from outside makes my slobbery cheeks cold. Jocelin shuts the door and looks down at us. “Um... Merry Christmas?”
I clutch the puppy to my chest and struggle to sit up, grinning from ear to ear. “Joce!” I laugh and give up trying to fight the puppy kisses, letting the little guy have free access to my face and neck. “Joce, you got us a puppy!” Jesus, I want to cry. We’ve been talking about getting another pet ever since we moved in together two years ago. Jocelin insists he’s a cat person, and although he doesn’t hate dogs, he didn’t particularly want one as a pet. “You did get us a puppy, right? He’s ours? We’re not just borrowing him or watching him for someone? Wait. Is it a boy?” I lift him up and check.
“Yes, love.He’sours.“ Jocelin squats down next to us and scratches the pup behind his ears, sending him into little fits of warbling pleasure. I stare, fascinated, and when Jocelin stops, and the little guy whines pitifully, I gladly oblige with more scratching. The puppy leans heavily against my chest and continues to make rumbly sounds of happiness.
My vision is blurry with tears, and I have a huge grin on my face. “I thought you didn’t want a puppy.”
Jocelin sits next to us and sighs. “Well, I know how sad you were when I told you I was more of a cat person. At the time, I was still a bit worried things might not work out between us. We hadn’t even been living together a month at that point, and living with someone is very different from just dating them. But here we are, still together, and I’ve really been thinking a lot about it over the last few months, deciding if I want that kind of responsibility. And I could see how much it would mean to you.” Jocelin blushes and looks at his hands. “And I can’t help thinking it’s good practice.”
I stare at him, going very still, and even the puppy seems to sense something big just happened because he leans into me, licking my hand. I hold him a bit tighter, and when my voice comes out, it’s rough. “Practice?” My heart is thundering in my chest.
“Well, yeah. I mean, someday we’ll get married. Right? We’ve talked about it. A bit. And although neither of us is quite ready for that yet, I know we both want it. And you love kids, and I love kids, and so it would be the natural progression. Right? And so, to see if we were responsible enough to be parents, to practice, I thought a puppy would be a good start.” Jocelin makes the entire speech while staring at his hands, but when he finishes, he finally looks up at me. “What do you think?”
I gawp at him, my mouth hanging open, until the puppy tries to French kiss me. Ducking my face, I can’t help but laugh, so many emotions building in my chest. “Jocelin, I love you more than you’ll ever know.” I grab him by the back of the neck and kiss him soundly, relief, surprise, and excitement blending together, and all of it threatening to explode out of me. The puppy wiggles against me, and I reluctantly let Jocelin go. “Yes, Joce. Yes to all of that. Yes, I love dogs, and kids, and you, and I think a puppy is a wonderful place to start.”
There’s a tugging at the front of my sweatshirt, and I look down to find the puppy nipping at the drawstring. “Oh no, little guy, no chewing on that. That’s not for puppies.” I grin happily. “We’re gonna have to get him lots of stuff.” I turn to the wiggling ball of energy. “You’re gonna need a leash, and a collar, and food and water bowls, and chew toys, and lots of other stuff.” When I glance up, Jocelin is smiling softly at me. “What?”
“For all the scowling you do to strangers, and all the grumbling you do about people, you’re the sweetest man I’ve ever met. And this was the best idea I’ve ever had. Look how happy you are right now.” I smile and move closer as he leans in and kisses me again. “But that’s what took me so long,mon chéri. I stopped to get the basics. Shampoo, leash, collar, food that Bjorn recommended, a few treats, and toys. But I knew you’d want to take him shopping, so I didn’t get too much. It’s all in the car. But there’s one more thing he needs, and I couldn’t get that by myself.”
I drag my eyes away from the sweet puppy face. “What’s that?”
“Well, he needs a name tag with our contact information on it, but I don’t know what his name is.”
My heart squeezes in my chest, and I hold up the puppy, looking deeply into his eyes. “What’s your name, little guy? Huh? We have to give you something cool.”
“Um, I do have an idea, if you want to hear it.” Jocelin looks adorably sheepish. “You might think it’s corny. But I’ve been thinking about it since I put the down payment on him with Bjorn’s breeder.” He fidgets and scratches the pup’s flank. “How about Harley? Like your bike? I thought it was kind of a good pick.”
“Harley! That’s a badass name! I love it!” I set Harley down on the floor and lean in to kiss Jocelin properly. “All the cool puppies at the dog park are gonna be so jealous. They’ll want to hang out with him and be his little puppy friends.”
Jocelin laughs and watches Harley run around the living room, sniffing happily. “He’s going to pee on everything, isn’t he?”
“Every last thing we have. And what he doesn’t pee on, he’ll try to chew to bits. So we have to puppy proof everything.” I smile at Jocelin, my heart ready to burst. “He’s adorable, Joce. Thank you. It does slightly complicate the gift that I got you, but we’ll figure something out.”
Jocelin looks intrigued. “Well, I’ve given you your gift, so you should give me mine. That way we can uncomplicate things.”
I laugh at his hopeful look and groan playfully. “Oh! You know I can’t resist that beautiful face! Fine. You watch Harley for a second, and I’ll go get your gift.” I hurry to the bedroom, pulling a small envelope from the top drawer of my dresser. As I skip down the steps, I can hear the clicking of Harley’s little puppy claws on the kitchen floor.
“We’ve moved rooms. He’s checking out the place.” And Dracona is cautiously checking out her new brother, tail swishing as she perches on the kitchen island. I don’t have the heart to shoo her down.
I lean against the doorframe and observe Jocelin and Dracona watching Harley, and a warm contentment settles in my chest. I can see Jocelin’s enjoying him, probably more than he thought he would, and I’ve seen him play with Pita. I slip an arm around his waist. “He’s adorable. Thank you again.” I kiss his cheek. “And here you go, sweetheart. I hope you like it.”
Jocelin looks at the envelope and raises an eyebrow. I hold my breath as he carefully opens it, pulling out a packet of papers. I’m fairly certain he’ll like the gift, and it only takes a second before his hand flies to his mouth and his eyes widen. Then I have an armful of Jocelin, kissing me all over my face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it! My god, Gunnar, two weeks in the Mediterranean? Just you and me? Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy.Mon cœur, it’s my dream trip!”
I exhale, finally able to relax. “I know. That’s why we’re going there and not somewhere else.” Laughing, I shake my head and look at Harley. “But that’s why Harley is a challenge. Although I’m sure Bjorn would watch him for us. Harley can practice his doggie and human social skills while we’re gone.” I squeeze Jocelin tightly. “I can’t believe you got us a dog. I’m so excited!”
“I can’t believe you got us a trip to the Mediterranean!I’mso excited!“ He smiles and leans into me. “Hey, is everyone still coming over tonight? We should probably get Harley settled before they do.”
“No, I canceled. The roads are too bad, so it’s just the four of us. Which probably works out well. Dracona can get used to Harley, and Harley can get used to everything.”
“I suppose you’ll want him to sleep with us instead of in his crate.” I don’t miss how he’s not really put out by that idea.
“Well, heisour first son. We don’t want him to feel unloved.“ I grin and pull Jocelin fully into my arms. “Have I told you how much I love you? Because I do.”
“I love you too, you big goof. With all my heart. Merry Christmas,mon chéri.”
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
