“Shea, you overspent on a dog that doesn’t even live with you.”

“Hey, Adler is my bud, so if I want to spend money on him, I will. Plus, when you need to stay at the condo while I’m gone, Adler can come.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And you like me.”

“I do,” she said with a huff as they went to put Adler in his new car seat. She had been wanting one for him, but never got around to getting one. She was jealous that Shea was the one to buy it for Adler, and not her. The dog already adored him! Whenever Shea was around, Elli didn’t even matter. Damn traitor dog!

After loading everything up and going through the Taco Bell drive thru, they headed back to the condo, where Shea unloaded everything and played with Adler, leaving Elli on the couch to watch. After about 30 minutes of watching them play catch, Elli cleared her throat.

“What happened to playing with me?” she asked.

Shea laughed while petting Adler’s head.

“Aw, is your mommy jealous?” he asked Adler.

Adler let out a bark, and Shea nuzzled against Adler’s head, before crawling over to Elli, putting his head in her lap as he laid on the couch. She moved her fingers through his hair, as he looked up at her, smiling.

“I love your dog.”

“I know. He loves you, too.”

They sat for a moment watching Adler run back and forth bringing all his toys into the kitchen where his bed was.

“Were my Papa and Daddy really bad when I went to the bathroom?”

Shea shook his head.

“Not really. Bryan threatened to break my pretty face, but other than that nothing too bad.”

“He’s just overly protective of me, he never had kids.”

“I know, that’s why I’m not letting it bother me.”

“It means a lot to me that you went today and last night.”

He looked up at her, cupping her cheek.

“Elli, don’t you get that you mean a lot to me?”

She shrugged her shoulders, and he dropped his hand into his lap, he looked at her for a moment, and then asked, “Do I mean a lot to you?”

“Of course you do.”

“You never say I do, and like I’m bursting with feelings for you. I feel like a damn girl.”

Elli smiled.

“I just need to know if you feel what I feel.”

“I do, Shea, if I didn’t I wouldn’t be freaking out about you leaving, or, hello, I had sex with you.”

He smiled as he gave her a very naughty look.

“Yes you did, and for the first time ever I don’t want to leave for the road trip.”

“Really?” she asked with a small sad smile.

“Yeah, I wish I could take you with me.”

“I wish that, too,” she took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears at bay, “I’m gonna miss you so much.”

He cupped her face again, looking deep in her eyes, “Not as much as I’m gonna miss you.”

He then brought her down for a sweet kiss that curled her toes.

Elli was going to miss Shea something stupid and in a way she didn’t know how she was going to handle it.

For the first time ever, Shea was doing dishes by hand. He hated doing them that way, and wondered why Grace didn’t just use the damn dishwasher. But it was her house, so who was he to tell her how to wash her dishes?

“You need to use your dishwasher,” he complained as he handed her a plate for her to dry.

“You hush,” Grace said with a grin as she looked out the windows where the kids were running around the yard with Elli. James was in his office on a conference call.

“She’s so good with kids.”

“She is.”

“Everything okay with you guys?”

“Yeah, we had sex last night.”

After making a face, she tried to smile but it didn’t work and Shea just laughed.

“Sorry, but hearing about you having sex is still gross to me.”

“Stop being a baby,” he teased as he handed her another plate, “she went on birth control.”

“Wonderful,” she said sarcastically with another disgusted face.

“I’ve never done it without a condom.”

With that statement Grace dropped the plate she was holding, “I mean really, Shea?! Ew!”

“What?”

“I don’t want to know about your penis!”

“Shut up, I can’t talk to anyone else about this, so you’re the lucky contestant on ‘Shea is going to have sex without protection and it’s freaking him out’ show.”

“Oh my god, you named the show?”

“Shut up, what if I blow a minute after getting in her.”

“Oh, God. Please go talk to James.”

“No! He’ll laugh at me!”

“So you want to make me gag! Come on, Shea, I don’t care what you do in bed.”

“I’m worried, though, dad always told me ‘Don’t be a fool, cover your tool’ so I have.”

Grace just looked at Shea with nothing but disgust all over her face, “Are you kidding me right now? Come on, please.”

“No, really Grace, I’m really worried about this.”

“So talk to Elli about it! Not me!”

“Fine, you’re no damn help.”

“You should have known that when you started this damn conversation!” She spat back as she picked up a plate and started drying.