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“Clear.” He shrugged, tilting his head to the side. “Except the bathroom door is closed,” he said.
“Open it slowly,” I said, my heart beating a little faster.
Cautiously, he approached, turned the knob, and eased the door open. A chocolate ball of fur darted out.
“Puppy!” Gabriel shrieked, the dog going right to him.
Gabriel collapsed to the floor, the puppy climbing all over him and licking him in the face a few times. He giggled, trying to pet the wiggling dog and kissing his head once he caught him.
He turned to us, eyes wide and serious. “Is he mine?”
“All yours, baby,” Holly said hoarsely.
We’d discussed that the time was never right for most things. With Daniel’s and Donato's help, we'd found him the chocolate lab he'd always wanted.
“I love you,” Gabriel said into the dog's neck.
“I think he might have some toys, but we'll need to pick more out,” I said, squeezing Holly's hip.
Gabriel crawled to the bathroom and discovered the crate and toys. He tossed a ball to the dog, who snagged it as it rolled by.
“Can I call him Firecracker?”
“Your Aunt Mulaney would love that.” Holly was absolutely radiant. Nothing pleased her more than making Gabriel happy. “We should take him upstairs. Show Firecracker off,” I suggested.
“Do we have a collar and a leash?”
“Check the bathroom,” Holly said.
He obeyed, emerging a with a rope leash that didn't require a collar. “It's red.”
Holly showed him how to put the leash around Firecracker's neck. They practiced a few times, and then the pup was dragging the boy down the hall to the door, one letting out a few short barks, the other squealing with laughter.
“Better than you thought?” I asked Holly as we trailed behind.
“So much better,” she confirmed. She leaned into me, her arm around my waist. “I think we should go back and get the puppy’s sister.”
I froze, staring at her. She nodded, and I looked from her to Gabriel and back. I picked her up and spun her around.
“Me next. Me next,” Gabriel said, running back to us, this time the puppy behind him.
I scooped him up, whirled him around, and set him back on his feet, Firecracker running circles around our legs.
“Let's go get Aunt Mulaney and Uncle Easton. Then we're taking a field trip.”
“Where?”
“How do you feel about bringing Firecracker's sister home?” Holly asked.
“Two puppies?” The wonder in his eyes was one of the reasons I lived.
“Two,” Holly confirmed.
“Can they both sleep with me?”
“I don't see why not.”
“Then we should go get her. She probably misses Firecracker.”
