by RJ Moore
Once we are able to breathe again, she suddenly gets serious. “But in all honesty Eve, you are the first person I’ve seen Ian actually serious about—not that he dates a lot, he kind of buries himself in his work. I’ve just never seen him so happy like this.” She’s staring ahead at the road, chewing on her bottom lip, as if she’s battling the right words to say. “I don’t want to scare you off with anything I say, but I just hope you give Ian a chance—that is, if you actually like him. You do like him, don’t you?”
She looks so worried, I have no choice but to tell her the truth. I know if I try to play off how I really feel about Ian, it could end up coming back to bite me in the ass. “Yeah…yeah, I really do like him. A lot actually. But I’m kind of terrified to let him in. I mean, I have a baby on the way for heaven’s sake.”
Lacey sits up a little straighter. “Let me tell you something right now Eve: Ian loves with his whole heart, and he doesn’t give a rat’s ass if you’re carrying a baby.” I thought she was done talking, but after a few seconds she says, “Just do me a favor: go with what your heart says and forget everything your head is telling you.”
I haven’t seen Lacey so serious before, always being the friskiest in the group. I just nod my head. “I’ll try, Lacey. I really will.”
The pickup comes to a stop at a crosswalk when what looks like a bunch of high school kids are lollygagging as they cross. Lacey honks, sticking her head out her side window. “Hey! Move your asses!” As soon as they are on the other side of the road, she guns it forward, making Edgar backfire once again. I look back just in time to see the group of young people all looking around, presumably thinking someone was shooting at them. Suddenly, Lacey’s infectious laugh rings out through the cab, and I once again I find myself laughing along with her.
A dinging sound interrupts our laughter. “Oh, that’s my phone. It’s in my purse by your feet.”
I pull out her phone, pushing the bottom button to light up her screen. “Um, someone named Satan is texting you. He wants to know when you’re going to be at the shelter?” I raise my eyebrows at her as she rolls her eyes.
“Ugh, that would be Craig, the manager at the shelter. Just ignore him. He’s a douche.” A look of sheer disgust crosses her face. “He’s been trying to get me to go out with him since I first showed up there a few years ago, but that will never happen, even if he is the last guy on Earth!”
We finally pull up to the shelter, a plain-looking metal building. The welcome sign is so worn it’s barely legible. “Yeah, I’m sure Quinn wouldn’t like that.” I glance over at her, hoping she’ll slip up and say something at my sly comment. I swear I see a hint of pink on her cheeks.
“What? No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The grin that appears on her face says otherwise.
“So, you and him have never…?”
She parks the pickup and unbuckles. “No, he’s never played peekaboo with his vein cane in my flesh pipe.”
I burst out laughing, having no clue where she comes up with those ridiculous phrases. I absolutely love her quirkiness. I’m so glad I have her to confide in, even if it is her brother I’m talking about. As soon as we step out of the pickup and shut our doors, a tall brown-haired guy walks out of the shelter. He isn’t bad looking but not immensely attractive, however, the scowl he wears could be part of his problem.
“Ugh, here comes Satan,” Lacey mumbles.
“Lacey! You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. I have calls to go to and if you say you’re going to be here at a certain time, try showing up on time!” He looks over to me, finally noticing that I am standing next to Lacey. He looks me over, starting from my feet and landing on my chest. I feel like I need a bath right then and there. I cross my arms over my boobs, blocking his creepy stare.
He looks back to Lacey. “And who is this?”
“This is my friend who is volunteering with me today so you can take your bitching and kindly fuck off.” She grabs my wrist to lead me around Craig into the shelter, leaving him glaring at her back. She doesn’t let me go until we are in a storage room, filled with everything from animal food to leashes and shovels. The inside is vastly different from the outside, with everything looking new.
“I can’t stand that pot-licker. I’ve talked with Bill, the owner, so many times about firing him, but he doesn’t want to make his daughter-in-law mad—Craig’s her brother.” She starts taking down a big bag of cat food off the shelf, tossing it into a wheelbarrow. She then takes two scoopers, handing me one. “Ready?”
I take the scooper from her, following behind her as she goes through a set of doors. The first thing I see is a room that has glass walls so I am able to see through it, where rows of little kitty houses are held. We go into the room and I’m surprised at how much room all the cats have. I have never actually been inside an animal shelter but I’ve always pictured them all to be in small cages, barely able to turn around. These cages are three sections wide, with an opening between each. One side is a bathroom area, the middle is a bed, and the other side is filled with toys.
The first cage we stop at is filled with four tiny kittens. As soon as Lacey opens the door to feed them, they all come running out at once. We both scramble to grab them all, trying to put them back inside.
“They’re so fast!” I am only able to grab one orange kitten before another starts climbing up my shoulder. After about a full minute of chasing kittens, Lacey finally throws some cat food in their bowl and all four kittens race back inside themselves.
As I follow Lacey, feeding a cat here and there, I listen as she tells me about her time here. “I use to come here about three to four times a week to volunteer, but a year and a half ago, Bill’s son got married and then around six months later, Craig came along. Now I only come here about once a week.”
She feeds the last cat. “I’ve always wanted to have my own shelter, a no-kill shelter that accepts large animals as well.” Going back into the storage room, she switches the cat food with dog food. “One day, I’m going to buy this place and Craig will be the first thing to go.”
She walks through the door to the right where the sound of dogs loudly barking fills the room. I’m again speechless at the sight before me. The room is huge with kennels running down each side of both walls. In the middle is what looks like huge cement plant boxes that are filled with flowers. Even with all the barking going on, faint classical music can still be heard in the background.
Each kennel is large with a doggie door that leads to individual outside kennels. “Wow, this place is amazing.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t always like this. I’ve donated money throughout the years by organizing yearly fundraisers that helped pay for my dad’s construction company to rebuild everything you see.” She picks up a small dog that is bouncing at her feet, cuddling it. “This right here is my real passion.” She goes back to feeding each dog as I take the time to look around.
Some of my friends had dogs but they were always very small. They were always humping things and barking so much, I tended to be drawn more toward the larger breeds. As I walk down the rows, I come to a big black dog with brown on its legs and face. It isn’t eating like the rest of the dogs. He’s just sitting at the back of his cage, head hanging down, looking like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.
“What’s the matter with him?” He looks so sad that I want to go hug him. It reminds me of myself when my world turned upside down.
“That’s Duke, the Rottweiler. He’s a very sad case. His owner abandoned him and he’s been like that since he came here. If he doesn’t start eating and being sociable, then he’s going to have to be put down. Nothing we do has helped him.” She gives him a glum look before continuing on her way.
Seeing Duke sitting there so solemnly just tears at my heartstrings. Without even thinking, I open the gate and walk in, but stop when I hear him growl at me. “It’s okay boy.” I slowly slide down the side of the cage until I am sitting on the cement floor. He stares
at me with untrusting brown eyes. I’m not sure what I am doing or how I’m going to help him.
I look away from him and start talking—about my day, how I feel about Ian. This actually feels therapeutic, telling Duke about my feelings and troubles. I don’t have to worry about him judging my life. Unexpectedly, I feel a nuzzle on my stomach before a weight settles on my lap. I look down to see Duke laying his head on me. I tentatively bring my hand down on him, petting him.
“Jesus Eve. You scared the hell out of me when I didn’t see you anymore.” She looks at Duke lying on my lap and her mouth falls open. “How on Earth did you get him to do that? That’s amazing.” She grabs a handful of food, holding it out for me. “Here, see if you can get him to eat this.”
I hold the food under his nose and he sniffs it for a second before gently eating it out of my hand. I beam up at Lacey, only to see her eyes tear up. “I can’t believe you’ve gotten him to not only touch you but eat food.”
Duke ends up eating the entire bowl of food and when I try to leave, he’s swiftly at my side like super glue. “Maybe I should take him on a walk?” I’m not sure if I am allowed to take them out of their kennels.
“Are you sure? I’ve never walked him before so I’m not certain how he walks on a leash.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to leave him just yet.” She leaves then returns quickly with a leash.
“I’m going to finish cleaning out the pens. Can you just stick close please?”
Duke does amazingly on the leash, never pulling me around, sticking right by side. When I stop to rest at a bench, he licks my hand before sitting at my feet like a valiant guard dog. I know right then that I am taking him home with me. No way am I going to let him be put to sleep. As soon as we walk back inside, I go straight to Lacey. “I want to take him home with me today.”
“Are you sure?” She looks at Duke, who is literally sitting on my feet. Smiling, she shakes her head. “Well I don’t think he’d let you walk out of here without him anyway.”
I fill out the paperwork and Duke is officially mine. I give him a hug as I tell him how happy and excited I am that he is coming home with me. My phone goes off in my back pocket, so I release Duke to see who is texting me.
Honey Bunches: Hey beautiful. Are you home yet?
Who the hell is this? “Um, Lacey…someone named Honey Bunches just texted me.” I raise my brows at her, for only she could have done this. I remember giving her my phone a while back.
“Oh yeah, that’s Ian.” She laughs, slapping my butt as she walks away.
All I can do is shake my head at her. She’s absolutely loony at times, but I wouldn’t have her any other way.
Me: Not yet, I’m still at the shelter. Good news though…
Honey Bunches: What’s the good news?
Me: I found a new roommate. He’s super sweet!
Honey Bunches: He?
Me: Yup, I’ll introduce you to him later. We’re getting ready to leave.
I put my phone in my back pocket. I have to smile to myself. Is Ian jealous or just curious? I definitely need to have that talk with him to see where we stand with one another. Is he going to stay in the friend-zone or is he going to really be my honey bunches?
Lacey and I stop at a store to get a large bag of dog food and some toys. I make sure to get a few bones as well when Lacey mentions that Duke might chew on my high-heeled shoes. I’m not sure if she is joking or not, but I don’t want to risk it either way.
“Will he really chew on my shoes?”
“You and your shoes.” Lacey chuckles, shaking her head. “Some dogs do when you leave them alone, but seeing as how you’re home all day, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
I forgot all about telling her Quinn hired me on. Will she be upset? I know she denies liking him, but I can see right through that.
“Um, actually, I forgot to tell you, Quinn hired me to do his bookkeeping.” I peek a glance at her, biting my lip at her surprised look. “You’re not mad are you?”
“Why would I be mad? That’s great. Really. Quinn and I are not an item, never have been.”
I tilt my head at her, wanting to know if she really likes him, but not wanting to push too far. “But you want to be?”
We both get in Edgar, buckling up after checking on Duke since he’s still in the crate in the back. “I used to have the biggest crush on him growing up.” She sighs. “But I was always and will always be Ian’s little sister. I don’t know if he could ever get over that fact. Even if he could, Ian would probably kill him. Quinn’s a player, always has been and always will be. I’m not that experienced when it comes to guys. I tend to just avoid them all together.”
I really want to know her story, but I don’t want to push her either.
“Why’s that? You’re beautiful; I would have thought you had tons of experience.” Oh geez, that sounded like I’m calling her a slut or something. I try to backtrack. “I mean, not that you sleep around or anything. I was only trying to say, um…”
Lacey laughs. “Eve, I know what you’re saying. It takes a lot to offend me; I’m pretty thick skinned.” Her smile fades as a guarded look come across her face. “High school was brutal for me. Long story short, I somehow ended up going on a date with this guy I liked. While we were on our date, I overheard him on the phone talking to his friend about some bet and how he was going to win with me. I, of course, ended the date, but come Monday morning, the whole school got wind of it and I became the butt of many jokes. I learned how to be tough and not care what anyone thought. I don’t trust guys as far as I can throw them.”
My heart goes out to her. I think what brings me down the most is that I was part of the group that would have tormented her. I was in the popular crowd, not necessarily the most popular, but the one that wouldn’t lift a finger to help anyone the group chose to pick on.
It isn’t until this moment that who I was before really slaps me in the face. How many people did I hurt this way? I don’t know what to say to her, so when she pulls up to my house, I reach over, giving her a hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through something like that.”
“It was a long time ago. Don’t worry about it.”
“Honestly though, you’re not mad about Quinn hiring me?” Lacey’s friendship has come to mean so much to me and the thought of that going away makes my heart ache.
She shakes her head. “No, not at all. Actually, we work closely together, so it’ll be fun having another girl around. I’m excited for you.”
As soon as Lacey drops me and Duke off at my house, I decide I will call Ian over to have some dinner so we can finish our little discussion. I feed Duke, showing him his new bed before texting Ian.
Me: Hey, I’m home now. Want to come over for dinner?
Honey Bunches: On my way now.
I quickly start to cook my awesome spaghetti, since it’s the only thing I know how to cook. Not ten minutes go by before I hear a knock at the door. Duke jumps out of his bed, bolting to the door. I’m able to grab him by the collar right as Ian opens the door.
“Is this your new roommate?” He bends down to bring the back of his hand up for Duke to smell. He waits patiently, and about ten seconds later, Duke gives in as he smells his hand then gives it a little lick. I breathe out a sigh of relief that Duke doesn’t want to eat my new boyfriend.
Boyfriend?
Hmm, I like the sound of that.
Duke walks over to me and I give him a pat on the head before I watch him saunter back over to his bed.
I feel fingertips on my cheek and turn my head to lean into his warm palm. He cups my face before he leans down, kissing me softly. The softness turns into passion, our tongues clashing. I have to pull back before I become lost in his intoxicating kiss.
He smiles down at me. “Hi.”
I smile back, whispering, “Hi.”
I was so wrapped up in his kiss I forgot I was cooking. “Crap, the spaghetti!” I spin away, rushing to the kitchen. Thankfully nothing is on fi
re so I continue where I left off.
“Smells great. I can’t wait to taste it.” Grabbing two plates, Ian takes over filling them with spaghetti while I grab the bread out of the oven. Sitting down, I wait for Ian to take a bite. He scoops a mouthful, moaning. “This is wonderful.”
The most gleeful smile breaks through onto my face. I want to start bouncing up and down. I actually did it. I shovel everything in my mouth after I take a small bite, realizing how good it tastes. Being pregnant, I go from feeling satisfied to being so hungry that I feel like I haven’t eaten in days. It doesn’t take long before we’re both finished. Ian gives two meatballs to Duke, who instead of gulping them down, nibbles at them delicately.
I start to wash the dishes, stalling the much-needed conversation I know is inevitable. Arms wrap around me from behind, softly holding the slight swell of my stomach that is slowly growing. Ian kisses the top of my head, creeping lower to my neck. Goose bumps instantly cover my skin, my knees wanting to buckle.
“How were my girls today?” I smile. I am so completely happy right now. He starts to sway as if dancing to music. I lay my head back on his chest, swaying with him. He makes it so hard to shield my heart. I want this so much. I don’t think I could find a more perfect guy if I looked for a hundred years. My only hope is that he isn’t going to turn out to be too good to be true.
I turn in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. I kiss his chin. “Girls? You can predict the gender of babies now?”
He smiles. “I just picture you with a girl. When I see you and feel this”—he puts a hand to the small bump on my stomach—“the first thing that comes to mind is ‘my girls’.”
I shake my head, chuckling at him. “We were good. We hung out with Lacey at the animal shelter. Apparently I’m a sucker because I came home with Duke on the first day.”
