“I’m sorry, but y’all are distracting the customers,” the salon owner said and Kacey turned, her breathing labored as she glared.

“I have salt and sugar at home, but I’m paying eighty bucks to have y’all rub it on my feet. If I want to yell at my sister-in-law about that fact that I just found out I am pregnant, and how my boyfriend, the recovering alcoholic, is still fragile and I don’t know if he’ll make it, whether I’m going to miscarry like I did before, and a whole other list of shit, like, hell, I don’t know, what I’m gonna be when I grow up, then I will! And maybe, just maybe, for the eighty bucks you’re charging me, I can yell a bit.”

The woman only blinked as Lacey snickered beside her. “Keep it down and congratulations.”

“Thanks, and I’ll try,” Kacey said as the woman walked away. She then turned to Lacey, who was fully laughing at this point. “Really? This is not funny.”

“Oh, I’m cracking up because if you’re already this emotional and bitchy, God help us all once you reach the third trimester.”

“If I get to that,” she muttered and Lacey smacked her hard in the arm. “Ow!”

“Stop talking like that. You’re gonna keep this baby. Our children will grow up a year apart, and Jordie is gonna be fine. I just know it.”

But Kacey shook her head. “Doesn’t it seem unreal though?”

“No,” Lacey answered automatically. “It sounds right. It sounds like what is going to happen.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am,” she said confidently. “It’s going to be fine.”

But as much as Kacey wanted to believe her, she couldn’t find it in her to do that.

It all just seemed so impossible.

And unreal.

But man, how badly she wanted it all to be true.

“Are you sure about this?”

Jordie looked over his shoulder at Karson and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Don’t you think you should ask Kacey first?”

“I’m getting it for her.”

“I understand that, but that’s a big commitment.”

“I know that,” he said, giving him an annoyed look. “I’m not a dumbass.”

“That’s debatable,” Karson muttered while Jordie glared. “I don’t know, maybe she’d want to be here?”

“No, I want her to be surprised. She’s gonna flip.”

Karson nodded. “She sure is.”

They both looked down at where the little beagle puppy was looking up at them, his tail wagging with a little happy dog smile. Jordie knew that Kacey would have liked to be there, but like he had told Karson, he really wanted to surprise her. She had been so lonely lately, and he had plenty of road trips coming up, so it was the perfect idea to get her a little furry companion. He remembered way back when, before Christmas, when she lay in bed with him and told him that she wanted a white picket fence that would hold in a bunch of kids and a couple of beagle dogs. He may have acted like he wasn’t listening, but he’d heard her loud and clear.

She wanted to settle down.

At the time, he wasn’t there yet, but now was a different story. Reaching out, he petted the dog’s head as the lady got the paperwork together. When his phone sounded, he pulled it out to see that it was the woman who was always on his mind.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey, where are you? I thought you’d be home now,” she asked, and she sounded a bit frustrated.

“Karson had some stops to make. I’m on my way in a bit. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just want you home. You promised me sex.”

“Ew, Jesus,” Karson groaned and Jordie laughed.

“Your brother heard that.”

She scoffed. “Don’t care, hurry up. I want you.”

Turning from Karson, he held the phone closer as he whispered, “Oh, baby, believe me, I want you more.”

“I can still hear you.” Karson’s tone was salty and Jordie grinned.

“So bad,” he said, his voice rough. “But I’ll be home soon.”

“Fine, hurry.”

Letting out a long breath, he hung up the phone and said, “Sorry, but are we almost ready?”

The shelter lady looked over at him and nodded. “Yes, but you know it’s not a full beagle. They think it’s mixed with pug. We called it a puggle.”

Karson scoffed. “Puggle?”

Jordie shrugged. “She won’t care. She’ll like that I came here for a dog.”

“Well, we like it, that’s for sure,” she said, handing Jordie some paperwork to sign.

When she turned, Karson said, “I’m still not cool knowing you are doing my sister.”

Jordie scoffed, his lips curving. “Well, know it, bro, that’s my hot little—”

“Stop,” he demanded and Jordie grinned.

“Just saying.”

“No, please stop,” Karson said, shaking his head. “It still doesn’t sit well.”

Jordie only rolled his eyes, and after getting everything filled out and paying her, Jordie walked out of the shelter with a beagle-pug mixed puppy, also known as a puggle, that was still unnamed.

“I think you should name him Ugly,” Karson said as he looked sideways at the dog that sat between them. They were on their way to the pet store for Kacey’s new little friend.