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I paused to acknowledge how absolutely bonkers the situation was. I’d slept with two different men on consecutive nights. And they weren’t strangers: they were best friends. Not only that, they were cool with the situation. It was their idea!
I usually preferred sleeping alone. I was a light sleeper, so every time my partner rolled over or snored, it woke me up. Back when I was dating Trip, I took a lot of lunchtime naps because I was sleeping so poorly at night.
Yet I didn’t have that problem with Christian. I had slept through the night without waking once. Come to think of it, I got a great night’s sleep with Braden, too. Maybe I just needed to find the right partners to sleep with.
The Chow was still barking every few seconds, so I quietly exited the bed without disturbing Christian and got dressed. Heidi and Hank, who had been sleeping by the foot of the bed, got up and followed me outside. By the time I made it to the kennel, most of the dogs were up and stirring. I let them out into the field to do their business, then prepared to serve them all breakfast.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Christian said.
I grinned at the sight of him standing in the doorway, wearing sweatpants and a Colts hoodie. His dark hair was messy from sleep, and he looked socozywith his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. His presence gave me a warm, safe feeling.
I could get used to having him and Braden around.
“You’re a sexy sight yourself,” I said, giving him a kiss. “I was trying to let you sleep longer.”
“My body naturally wakes up at six every day.” He pulled me into a long hug. I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent.
“There’s a pot of coffee inside. You can relax and hang out while I take care of the dogs.”
“I could help.”
“That’s sweet, but I’ve got it taken care of. I don’t want you thinking you have to earn your keep whenever you stay over.”
There was a clipboard hanging from a nail on the wall with “TO-DO LIST” written in giant font. Christian leaned in to read the list, then retrieved the hose from the coil on the wall. Without another word, he began hosing down the kennels where some of the dogs had gone to the bathroom during the night. The floor was all cement, with drains positioned every ten feet, which made for easy cleaning.
I smiled as he quietly went to work. It was wonderful having a partner that helped without me needing to ask. I loved that take-charge attitude.
I thought about that more as I went outside to refill the outdoor watering trough. All my exes had required a lot of begging to do even the simplest of chores. One time, when Trip’s parents were visiting and I was making dinner for them, I asked Trip to chop a zucchini. The task should have taken three minutes, but he groaned and complained and did a poor job. By comparison, Christian and Braden seemed eager to help. I wanted to make sure I didn’t take advantage of that, but it was a stark contrast to the kind of men I usually dated.
I froze when I saw a truck pull onto my property.Speak of the devil…
All the dogs went running over to the fence to chase the truck as it drove up my driveway. When it stopped by the gate, all the dogs turned and sprinted back out into the field, except for Logan’s dog Loki, who remained at the fence barking at the truck.
“Good boy,” I said, reaching down to scratch the dog’s ear. “I like your instincts.”
Trip hopped out of the truck. He should have been on his way to work in a shirt and tie, but he was dressed more casually today. “Hello Elizabeth,” he said, scowling down at Loki on the other side of the fence.
He knew I hated being called Elizabeth, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me annoyed. “What do you want, Trip? I have a lot of work to do today, and zero time to deal with your bullshit.”
Trip raised his chin a little higher. “I’m here to collect the money you owe me.”
I sputtered a laugh. “For the hockey ticket?”
“That’s right,” he said stubbornly. “I told you I would give you a week, and it has been precisely seven days.”
“I don’t remember you saying that.”
“Then you have a poor memory.”
I allowed myself to smirk. “I remember you demanding money from me, then ran away the moment Logan Landry gave you a mean look.”
“That’s not at all what happened, so please do not try to gaslight me.”
In the past, Trip’s way of rewriting history would have infuriated me. But I was in such a good place now that I could only laugh.I won’t let his petty manipulation ever bother me again.
“What’s so funny?” he demanded.
“You. You’re funny. All the tricks you used on me? I see right through them, now.”
