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“You’ve just made her night. She’s lighting up for this puppy,” he said, trying to be quiet. I heard him anyway and bit back a smile. I always thought Everett was sappy as he watched me do the smallest things and beamed. Now Lake was doing the same and I wanted to soak it in. I’d never take that kind of attention for granted again.
“Good, you both need to find a reason to smile,” his mom said before ending the call.
I shifted the puppy and pulled out my phone to video call, Micah. It was his house, after all, I couldn’t just drop by with a puppy.
“Hey, beautiful,” he answered, his dimples flashing as he smiled at me. “What’s going on? I thought you were on a date.”
“Someone crashed it,” I said, keeping my face straight.
“Who?” He frowned and for the first time looked angry and a bit possessive. It was kind of sexy.
“Her name is Mia, and she’s way cuter than I could ever be,” I said with a dramatic sigh. Lake was biting back his laughter in front of me as Micah sputtered.
“That’s impossible, Shaye. You’re gorgeous, and Lake wouldn’t do that.”
“I’m glad he defends me,” Lake laughed. “Show him Mia.”
I shifted so the pup was visible, and Micah’s face lit up.
“Tell me I can keep her?” I asked, letting her cute little face do the talking.
There was no hesitation in his answer; the phone was bouncing as he got excited.
“At this point, I’ll be sad if you don’t,” he laughed. “Do it.”
“Bye,” I said, blowing him a kiss, then hanging up.
“See, that face is a weapon,” Lake sang out. I ignored him and turned back to the worker to get the boring part out of the way.
Thirty minutes later, I had the paperwork filled out with my address listed as Micah’s, and my sweet puppy happily walking ahead of us on her leash.
People let out little squeals of delight and a chorus of ‘aww’ as we passed and this time I didn’t mind the attention.
“Okay, plans changed. We need the pet store,” Lake said, leading us toward the store and away from the fair. Thankfully, every shop Lockwood had to offer was close to the square.
From the moment we stepped inside the store, Mia’s excitement had me spending every penny I could on her. The cart was overflowing in mere minutes and Lake was adding just as much as I was. This pup had us wrapped around her little paws already.
The worker offered a few bits of advice for new puppy owners as she scanned the items, giving Mia a treat for waiting like a good girl.
When she gave the total, Lake swiped his card before I could dig mine out of my bag and laughed at my protests.
“Hush, now she’sourpuppy,” he teased. Something in his eyes told me he needed to do this so my protests stopped.
“First, thank you. Second, don’t alpha me.”
“Shaye, I’m definitely going to alpha you anytime something makes you this happy.” He sounded so serious that I had to bite back the goofy smile spreading across my face.
It was hard to remember a time when I felt this happy.
He thought the date might be lame, but it was exactly what I needed.
With a car stuffed full of goodies and a puppy barking at the cars that passed, we made our way out of town to his childhood home. It was strange heading toward ‘home’ again. I hadn’t been back in so long.
Linda and Chad’s house looked just like I remembered. It was a cute ranch-style, and the decor was a bit of a hot mess. She bought things that brought her happiness, and that made the home cozy and chaotic in the best way.
The family room was always my favorite. It doubled as a dining room with a huge table for entertaining guests, along with the comfiest couches. There were sliding doors that led outside that they always kept open so fresh air blew in.
The large fireplace was lined with knick-knacks and family photos. It was familiar and peaceful there.
