The Aussie Next Door
Page 29
“Does this mean I get a present?” He waggled his brows in a way that told her he wanted to unwrap something…and it wasn’t a gift.
“Yes.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him into a sitting position. “Come on. I have something to show you.”
He looked at her for a long moment. “Oh my God, I thought we were waiting.”
“I think we’ve waited long enough.”
Since Angie had recently been promoted to day manager at the retirement home, overseeing the learning program, event planning, and making sure the residents were happy and engaged, she’d been busy. And since Jace’s new comic, Big Adventures, Little Dogs, about a small Chihuahua and a black dog that looked a heck of a lot like a miniature version of Tilly had taken the internet by storm, he’d also been kept busy.
Angie grinned. “Out of bed. Now.”
She took Jace into the living room. Sure, she wanted to give him the birthday present he desired, but that would happen later. For now, she had an introduction to make.
Nestled in a small wicker basket padded with the softest of blankets was a tiny puppy. She yawned, and her long pink tongue curled out and over her nose. Then she blinked sleepily, and Angie was pretty sure she turned into a puddle on the spot.
“Oh my God.” Jace’s eyes lit up, and she’d never seen him so excited.
“I picked her up this morning. The litter came from an older woman who couldn’t care for all the puppies—and don’t even get me started on the fact that she didn’t spay her dog. So, Mira was trying to find homes for them.”
“How many more?” He looked up at her.
“There are six total. Three left when I went this morning.”
Jace’s eyes gleamed.
“No.” Angie shook her head, but Jace scooped the puppy up and cradled it to his chest so lovingly she knew there was no way she’d ever be able to deny him. “Seriously?”
“You want to break her up from her family?”
Angie laughed and shook her head. “You want four dogs? This from the guy who was determined to live alone.”
Jace leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Pretty please.”
“How are we going to take care of four dogs with us both working full-time?” She shot him a look. “And you practically begged Eugenie to let you go to her place once a week to see Tilly and Truffle.”
Tilly wasn’t able to leave the house too much these days, but her tail never failed to wag when Jace walked through the door. And Truffle…well, he was still humping anything he could throw his paws over.
“When we’re together, we can do anything. Isn’t that what you told me?” There was that crooked grin again—it got her every damn time. “Besides, I work from home. It’s the perfect situation.”
“And your routine?”
“I’ll schedule in dog time.” He stroked the puppy’s head gently. “What should we call her? How about Drew, after your favorite rom-com heroine?”
Angie leaned over. “Hello, Drew, welcome to our family.”
The puppy was fast asleep, so Jace set her back down into the basket, handling her as though he might a glass made of the finest crystal. “You make me so happy.”
“You make me so happy.”
Jace scooped Angie up and she stifled a squeak, not wanting to wake the slumbering puppy. He carried her back toward the bedroom, his light eyes burning into hers and his mouth shaped into a wicked smile.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a mock-stern tone. “What happened to surfing at seven and breakfast at eight and scheduling out every second of your day?”
“What can I say? I know how to take a break from my routine every once in a while. You must be a good influence on me.”
“I think I am.”
“But I still want porridge for breakfast.” He tossed her down onto the bed and crawled over her, his gaze burning a path from her thighs to her belly, to her breasts and then to her face. “Does that make me predictable?”
“It’s makes you…you.” Angie pulled her husband down on top of her, hanging on tightly because she never wanted to let him go. “And that’s makes you perfect for me.”
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Acknowledgments
A huge thank-you to Liz Pelletier for all the opportunities you’ve given me in my career, including the chance to tell this story and share more of the country I love so much with readers. Thank you for pushing me hard to make each story the best it can be and for helping me to bring these amazing characters to life.
Huge thanks to the rest of the Entangled Publishing team, including Heather Howland and Stacy Abrams for your insightful edits, Lydia Sharp for all the comments pointing out which bits made you laugh, to Jessica Turner for your assistance with all things marketing and promotion, Heather Riccio for always answering my questions, and Katie Clapsadl for making RAGT a blast! Thank you to everyone else whose hands touch my books. I appreciate you all.
Thank you to my agent, Jill Marsal, for going to bat for me and for always helping me wrangle my schedule, no matter how out of control it gets.
As always, huge thanks to my husband, Justin, who keeps me going, making sure I’m fed and plied with coffee during long revision sessions. For listening to me moan about how the book will never be finished and cheering me on when I’m writing a section that brings me joy. You’re my everything.
Thank you to my grandparents, who all immigrated to Australia, giving me a beautiful place to grow up. And thank you to my parents for not protesting too hard when I wanted to leave. I know the joy and turmoil of making a new country your home, of leaving things behind and embarking on new adventures. In all of that, thank you to the technology industry for allowing me to stay connected with my family, so it doesn’t feel like they’re quite so far away.
About the author
Stefanie London is the USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romances and romantic comedies. Her books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist and “Elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT magazine. Her stories have been nominated for multiple industry awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA® award.
Originally from Melbourne, Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero. You can find her at stefanie-london.com
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