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All our friends were seated in comfy chairs around a circular table on the back deck. The deck above it ended short, so we were open to the sky, and above us, an amazing fireworks display began.
According to Jax and Ward, we weren’t terribly far offshore. The show was being set off from a few barges off the coast of Boca Grande, which was part of the barrier islands around the coast of Florida near Fort Myers. It was an area they cruised often.
Soon, a couple of staff came by with trays of snacks and more drinks. Jax nodded to the food. “Eat up. I have one of the best chefs in Florida aboard. I’ll have to pay him extra to cheer him up if you don’t eat.”
“You will not.” Ward nudged his side. “But trust me. He’s worth every penny. This is good.” He helped himself to a few snacks, and everyone followed his example.
They weren’t wrong. The food was great. The drinks were strong but not overly done. And the company was fantastic. Royce lit up when talking with the others. I was happy that they’d all been invited. My first instinct was for it to be just me and Royce, but my pup needed this. Needed time with his friends. It warmed my heart to see him so happy. I’d made the right decision.
I woke and sat bolt upright. Dreaming. It was only a dream. I covered my pounding chest with my hand, willing it to calm down.
Royce’s uptight dad grabbed him by the arm and ripped him away from me. No matter how fast I ran, they were always out of reach. And I knew—in that weird way you do in dreams—that Royce had lost the appeal.
I took a deep breath. None of it was true. Royce won and his father had backed off. At least as far as we could tell. They certainly couldn’t spy on us way out here in the Gulf. I reassured myself that we were cruising around on one of Jax’s yachts.
But Royce was still missing. His side of the bed was cold. That would not do.
I grabbed a pair of shorts and went in search of my wayward pup. I made my way around to a private deck space we’d found the night before. A couple of chairs were tucked away on a side deck, but he wasn’t there. He hadn’t used the coffee maker in our room, as far as I could tell, so he may have gone in search of coffee and breakfast. I headed toward the stairs so I could search the lower decks.
As I rounded the corner, there he was, sitting on the top step, holding a coffee mug between his hands.
“Scoot.” I sat beside him on the step and grabbed his coffee, taking a sip. “Mmm…needed that.”
Royce huffed, “Yeah? You could get your own.”
“Nope. I’m sure yours is better.”
He leaned over and kissed the side of my head. “Silly, daddy.” We sat in silence for a few minutes. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but I was letting the warmth of his thigh, where it was touching mine, burn away the last remnants of my bad dream while drinking most of his coffee. “We’re going to have a play session on the lower deck in about an hour.” He stole his mug back. “Hey. We need more coffee.” He drank the remains. “Come on.”
We headed down and grabbed a couple fresh mugs and even ate breakfast. Royce’s was light, knowing he was about to rough house with the others. “I’ll eat a bigger lunch. Don’t worry, but I don’t want whatever I’m eating now to come back on me.” He used the last of his one piece of toast to sop up the remaining yolk from his one egg.
“I’m not sacrificing. This is good.” I had double his order, plus hashbrowns and orange juice.
Afterward, we joined the others on the lower level. Jax had combined two bunk areas into a bonus room for a larger, more flexible recreation room that also happened to be perfect for pup-play.
Benches were around one side of the room where the pups were all getting ready. Royce bounced over to them with his gear bag so he could change as well. I helped him with his gloves and mask, and then, with a quick “thanks” barked out, he jumped to the mats and practically landed on top of Jax. Or Jay-jay, as he was called while being a pup.
It was as much a joy to me to watch Jay-Jay, my Boone, and Sunshine playing happily together as it would be if it were Royce watching them. The pup-brothers were back together, and I vowed to keep this happening as much as possible in the near future.
“Quinn.” Ward beckoned me to where he stood beside a refreshment table in the back of the room. “Pup snacks for later.” He nodded at the table and the peanut butter pretzel packages stacked in a basket. “But also coffee for us.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.” I poured a cup and leaned against the wall to watch the shenanigans. “They need more of this in their lives.”
“Especially your Boone. He’s been missed at the moshes.”
“I expect he’ll be there now, since he won the appeal. He’s nervous about it, but I think it’s important for his mental health.”
“Spoken like a true pup-handler.” He held his cup up. “To pups.” Ward smiled, transforming not only his face but his whole being into something lighter. He was normally so serious, but as he watched our pups play, I could easily see he found as much joy in it as I did.
“To pups,” I echoed.
Chapter fifteen
Epilogue
Royce
Nearly a year later - Christmas
