THAT RING

by Dodd, Jillian

  “You look happy,” I say to Jennifer, who is gently rubbing our puppy’s ears as she sleeps.

  “I’m overcome with love and joy and happiness.”

  “’Cause you’re here with me?” I grin.

  She points down at the puppies and gives me a smirk. “I think I love them the mo—”

  I shut her up with my lips before she can finish.

  And although it was supposed to be a quick, fun kiss, it heats me up. I deepen the kiss and pull her closer.

  She pulls away. “Can’t do that with the kids right here. Plus, you didn’t let me finish my sentence. And it was important.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  “I was going to say that I think I love them the most but also that I can’t imagine how it must feel to hold your baby.”

  Our baby? I want to ask. I would love to make babies with this woman. “Saying it’s amazing doesn’t do it justice. It’s this fierce, unconditional, and mesmerizing love.”

  “Maybe, someday, I’ll get to experience it.”

  “I hope you do,” I say just as we land in Kansas City.

  “I just talked to Devaney,” I tell Jennifer. “My kids are over at the Mackenzies’ house, and everyone is home, so we’ll go straight there. And just so you know, Jadyn thinks we went to Dallas to see a Dream Wish child.”

  “You lied?” she teases. “And used sick children as your excuse?”

  “I want them to be surprised, and I didn’t want her to think it was callous of us to ditch them the day after their dog died, you know?”

  “And that was the one thing she couldn’t get mad at you about?” she asks.

  “Right.” I glance at my watch. “And I timed it about right. She told me she would feed the kids dinner but that she and Phillip would wait to eat with us.”

  “How are we going to do this?” Jennifer asks, apparently needing me to set the scene. “Just walk in with the kennels? Like, do you have a plan?”

  “I haven’t really thought about it. But, no, I say we leave the kennels in the car and just carry the pups in.”

  “So, we just walk in the front door, not ring the bell or anything?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hmm,” she says, seemingly not thrilled with my plan. “What if we sneak in, close the door, and then let the puppies go? I bet they will run around, playing with each other. We’ll just hide and wait to see what happens.” She turns to the kennels strapped into the backseat. “What do you think, girls? Will you be good and play along? Go racing into the room for the kids?”

  Winger responds with a yip, wanting out of her kennel.

  “I think that’s a yes,” she says, wrenching her arm into the backseat and putting her finger in between the kennel grates so that she can chew on it.

  A few minutes later, we pull into the drive, take the puppies out of their crates, let them pee in the yard, then sneak in the front door, and set the puppies down. At first, they just sniff around a little.

  “Go make your big entrance,” I whisper to them.

  About that moment, Winger nudges our yet-to-be-named puppy and drops her face to the floor, leaving her butt up in the air—a sure sign she wants to play. They take off, running across the room with Winger yipping the whole way.

  “What the heck?” I hear Chase say.

  “Puppies!” Haley yells. “Mom, look! Puppies!”

  Jennifer and I sneak around the corner to find Chase, Haley, and Devaney down on the floor, looking at the puppies play in awe.

  “Dad!” Devaney says when she sees me. “Did you bring puppies?”

  “Puppies?” Jadyn asks, coming up the stairs from the basement with Ryder and Madden in tow.

  “Puppies!” the little boys shrill and rush toward the dogs. “Puppies! Puppies!”

  “Danny Diamond, what did you do?” Jadyn asks, picking up the yellow puppy and then the black one and nuzzling their noses before setting them back down to play with the kids.

  “Where are Phillip and Damon?” I ask, not wanting to tell her the truth until everyone is here.

  “They’re out in the garage, working on a project for wood shop,” Chase replies.

  “I’ll go get them,” Jennifer offers.

  “Puppies!” Damon yells the second he sees them. “Why are there puppies here? Ohmigosh, they are so cute! Aren’t they so cute?”

  “Yes, Danny,” Phillip says to me. “Why are there puppies here?”

  “Jennifer and I didn’t really go to Dallas today for work. We went because the breeder who I have always wanted to get a dog from is there. After Angel passed away, I called her to see if she had any litters coming up because I wanted to get you a puppy. Turns out, the yellow puppy was available, so I went down to meet her. Jennifer and I liked her, so we brought her home. She’s for you. She’s four and a half months old. And her name, if you want to keep it, is Winger.”

  “Winger?” Chase says, picking up the puppy. “That’s like my lovey toy, Wings.”

  “It is,” Jennifer replies. “Her full name is Lady Guinevere. Winnie was supposed to be what she was called, but when she was being trained to be a show dog, she failed. By the way, the trainers used to joke that she did everything on a wing and a prayer. Thus the name.”

  “I love it,” Chase says. “She looks like a show dog. I mean, just look at that face.”

  The puppies are having a ball. Ryder runs over to the basket that still holds Angel’s stash of tennis balls and grabs one. He tosses the ball toward the puppies. Both of them take off running after it. Winger powers her way through to it, takes it in her mouth, and returns it to Ryder.

  “She already knows how to play fetch!” Ryder screeches with happiness. “Can we keep her, Mom?”

  “Can we?” Madden, Haley, and Chase say in unison.

  “What about the black puppy?” Devaney asks.

  “What do you think, Jadyn?” I ask. “I don’t want to be disrespectful to your love for Angel, but I also believe that she wouldn’t want her family to be without a dog to love.”

  Jadyn stands across the room from me, and I watch as tears fill her eyes. She nods her head, wipes away a tear, and says, “I do think Angel would want that.”

  “But,” Phillip says to the kids.

  “We know, Dad,” Haley says. “Having a puppy is a big responsibility. We promise to take good care of her.”

  “Then, yes,” Phillip says, “we can keep her. However, I’m with Dani. I want to know about the black puppy.”

  “What do you think of her?” Jennifer asks Devaney, who is holding the dog up and talking to her.

  “I think she’s beautiful. She has the softest fur. And puppy breath. I love her.”

  “Good,” Danny says, “because she’s ours. We just have to name her.”

  “Ours?” Devaney asks. “Are you serious, Dad? We get a puppy, too? To, like, keep in our house?”

  “Dad, don’t joke about something like this,” Damon says. “It’s not nice.”

  “Your dad isn’t joking,” Jennifer says. “This puppy is twelve weeks old. Her mother and Winger’s mom were sisters, so the puppies are cousins. The breeder suggested that because Winger is older and is used to being around other dogs, it would be nice if she had a sister, so to speak. And since your backyards can open up as one, they can play together all the time. Just like you kids do. You just have to decide on a name.”

  I nod my head, agreeing with everything Jennifer just said and fighting back tears. The look of joy on my children’s faces is almost overwhelming. And I feel so bad for not standing up to Lori about this before.

  Damon scoots over by his sister and pets the black puppy. “What’s her full name?”

  “Austin Aurora,” Jennifer replies.

  “Aurora is the goddess of sunrise,” Devaney, who has been studying Greek literature this year in school, states.

  Haley slides on over next to them. “I’ve been researching puppy names all day.”

  “You have been?” Jadyn says in sur
prise.

  “Yes, I was going to petition for a new dog. But I wanted to come up with a name first. Something that honors Angel, but there can never be another Angel. So, I have a few ideas. Destiny.”

  Phillip, who is now standing next to me, gives me an elbow nudge and stifles a laugh, reminding me of the Thanksgiving when Lori was pregnant with Devaney. We were getting together with a bunch of friends at the bar. The guys were all a little tipsy after doing a few shots. Jadyn asked Lori if we had thought of any baby names yet, and it took a turn for the worse.

  “I think Damon is my favorite for a boy,” Lori said.

  “Damon Diamond. I like that,” Jadyn replied.

  “Another Big D,” Joey said, slapping me on the back.

  “Really, it should be Double D,” I joked.

  Which caused all the guys to hoot and holler.

  Neil yelled, “Double D! Ah, yeah, baby. Gotta love those. You should definitely pick a D name for your daughter. Lori’s got big cans, so maybe your daughter will, too.”

  All the guys laughed and started coming up with D names. They threw out Darcy, Daisy, Daniella, and Dani.

  “We can’t give a girl the same name as me,” I argued. “That would be dumb. I do think Destiny would be kinda cute though.”

  Joey giggled. “Destiny Diamond. That totally sounds like a stripper name. That’d be so hot.”

  “You know, I’ve kinda been freaking out over being a father, but then I read in a men’s magazine somewhere that, as long as you can keep your son off the pipe and your daughter off the pole, then you’ve done a good job.”

  “We had no idea what life with kids would be like,” I say to Phillip. “We were blissfully clueless.”

  “And, now, we’re blissfully crazy.” He laughs as Haley continues the name game.

  “I looked up names that mean angel,” Haley says. “Some of my favorites are Angelica, Evangeline, Ariel, and Seraphina.”

  “Oh, Seraphina is really pretty,” Devaney says.

  “You know,” Haley says to her, “if we named our new puppy Angel, it would seem like we are trying to replace her. If you named your puppy Angel, it would be out of respect.”

  “And if we did that, we’d have angel and wings, just like our parents’ tattoos!” Damon says.

  “Yeah,” Chase says, looking emotional, “which is why Angel’s name meant so much to our family in the first place.”

  “I love it,” my daughter says, agreeing, “which is why it’s the best choice for our puppy. We loved Angel and would love to honor her in that way.”

  Haley picks up the little black puppy, holding it front of her face and talking, “You know, if you are going to be named after the best dog in the world, you have a lot to live up to. But Angel could be naughty. Actually, she could be naughty a lot, but she loved us so very much, and that’s what mattered. So, all you have to do to be like her is love us as much as we already love you.”

  The dog licks her on the nose and proceeds to piddle on her lap.

  “I’d say she qualifies,” Chase says with a laugh while Jadyn throws her a dish towel.

  “Let’s all take Angel and Winger out to show them their new backyards,” Phillip suggests, which causes all the kids to jump up, excited to do just that.

  November 16th

  Jennifer

  I sleep in late, and when I go downstairs for coffee, I find Jadyn baking up a storm. And based on the disaster that is her kitchen, I’d say she’s been at it for a while. There are three pans filled with homemade, iced cinnamon rolls. Trays full of cookies. What I assume will be a layered cake is cooling on racks. Flour, sugar, and chocolate chips share the island with mixing bowls and spatulas. The microwave door is open. The room hot from the oven being on, but it smells incredible.

  I take a seat at the bar, remembering how Danny said this is what Jadyn does when she’s stressed or trying to solve a problem.

  “Can I help?” I ask her.

  “Yes, actually, you can. Go grab a couple of beers and sit at the bar and talk to me while I bake.”

  “Uh, it’s only nine a.m.”

  She shakes her head. “Really? Sorry, I’ve been baking since, like, four this morning. It feels like noon. Phillip took the kids to school and both the puppies to the office with him. He couldn’t wait to show them off. Danny is at practice but said to tell you he’d be home in time for lunch.”

  “So, what’s wrong?” I ask her. “Danny said you cook when you’re trying to work out a problem.”

  She smiles at me. “Yes, I do. I’ve already solved a couple of them. One had to do with elevators. Because Tripp was in such a hurry to start and because you never know what you’re going to find when you start ripping walls out, we knew basic space requirements, but I’m having to adjust minor details on the fly. For example, some of the baseboards in one section were rotted. We looked for days, trying to find a match, finally gave up, and are having custom millwork done. Expensive, but no big deal compared to the scale of the project. The marble distributor that I’ve used for over ten years just folded their business. Apparently, the owner’s wife and his accountant were having an affair; the accountant embezzled a lot of money and then quit and took off with his wife. They left a few months ago, and he just now discovered the money side of it. He’s going to have a court battle on his hands, and it will be really messy. He suggested that I fly to Argentina and source it myself through his distributor. Tripp is so enthusiastic about this project that he’s already bought another historical hotel. Luckily, this new one is in Fort Worth, so a little closer to travel to. But the real question is, how would I feel about letting my company go? It should be an easy decision. Stay home with my kids more. See Phillip more.”

  “Danny said Phillip is going to take Tripp’s deal. That Tripp agreed to let him promote someone within the company to CEO and that Phillip would stay on as chairman of the board.”

  “He also wanted a spot on the board of Tripp’s holding company. Are you saying that Tripp agreed?”

  “That’s what Danny said. But he also said you would know because you and Phillip tell each other everything.”

  “We do.” She nods her head. “But after getting the kids calmed down and to bed after the excitement with the puppies last night, I think I kissed Phillip, laid my head on his shoulder, and was out—which is very unusual for me.”

  “Does it make a difference in what you’re baking?” I ask.

  “Actually, it does.” She smiles and drops her whisk. “Will you stay here and take that batch out of the oven in six minutes?”

  “Uh, sure,” I say as she goes racing to her office.

  I wait six minutes, take the cookies out of the oven, and then pour myself a glass of milk. When in Rome. I pile a plate with three cookies, sit back down at the bar, and bite into the warm goodness—the melted chocolate and peanut butter combination tasting like heaven. After enjoying the treats, I figure I might as well make myself useful and clean up the kitchen.

  I’m just wiping the counters off an hour later when Jadyn comes back.

  “Jennifer, you didn’t have to do all this!” she exclaims.

  “I know, but I figured it’s the least I could do. I’m really sorry about Angel.”

  “Thank you. And I really appreciate it. Did you at least eat some cookies?”

  “Three. With some milk. I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do with everything.”

  “I think I’ll let Devaney frost the cake when she gets home from school. I taught her how to use a bag and tip, and she’s pretty good at it. We can have it tonight for dessert. The cookies will fill up the after-school jar, and then I’ll send some home with Danny and the kids and freeze the rest. With the holidays coming up, it will be nice to have them ready to go.”

  “It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is almost here. Troy and I usually traveled during that time. What do you do?”

  “Our Thanksgivings are basically filled with friends, family, food, and football. Will you be here
for the holidays?”

  “Um, is that okay?” I ask. “I didn’t even think about that. You probably will need your guest room back.”

  “Phillip’s parents will be over for Thanksgiving dinner, but his sister and her family won’t be down. So, you’re cleared to stay through the divorce. Or however long you feel comfortable with it.”

  “When is the divorce final?” I realize I don’t even know.

  “December the sixth. Providing…”

  “Providing what?”

  “That Lori doesn’t change her mind about anything.”

  “Can she do that? I thought they signed, and everything is official.”

  “Yes, but they still have to go in front of a judge and tell him that they agree to it in person. If one of them doesn’t say they agree, the court recesses, and they have to get another date and try to come to a new agreement. Since Danny surprised Lori by giving her the Ferrari instead of more money like she had hoped, it’s hard to say what she’ll do. She’s a wild card. Erratic. You just never know. Hopefully, she is crazy happy with Dickrash and can’t wait to marry him, so she’ll be anxious to say yes.”

  November 18th

  Danny

  We’re standing in the kitchen because the only furniture in this part of the house is the TV mounted to the wall and a couple of beanbags Damon brought down from his bedroom for the time being.

  Devaney and Damon give me their sweetest grins, causing me to immediately wonder what’s up, and ask if they can throw a party.

  “What kind of party?” I ask, my mind immediately thinking of the ones I went to in high school that involved beer and cheer(leaders).

  “Could we make ornaments and decorate a real tree this year? Have hot chocolate and eat Christmas cookies and play Christmas music?”

  The puppy is licking Jennifer’s face as she nods at me.

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” I say, feeling relieved.

  My kids are so much better than I was.