“That!” I snapped. “How can you stand here eating homemade potpie while your best friend is upstairs acting like a house pet?”

He shrugged, swallowed, then stated matter-of-factly, “Really good potpie, babe.”

“That’s …” I lowered my hand and joined it with the other, knotting my fingers together. “Really?” I asked softly, leaning closer.

Brian nodded through a smile.

I inhaled sharply and curled my toes against the wood floor.

The urge to do another celebratory dance was stronger than ever, but I kept myself composed.

I’d wait until he went to the bathroom or something.

Brian dropped the fork in the dish, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and reached for mine, tugging me to follow behind him as he led us out of the kitchen.

“Come on. I’ll show you the house pet,” he said, heading up the stairs.

Panic tingled up my spine.

As if the weird, freaky bastard could hear me, he barked again.

I pointed up the stairs, then turned that finger on Brian and waved it in his face. “No thank you.”

Brian shook his head through a laugh, grabbed the hand I had suspended in the air, and resumed tugging me behind him as he continued climbing.

“I’m not sure why I gotta keep saying this but you seem to keep forgetting, don’t care what the fuck Jamie is doing or who, not my business and I never want it to be my business, which eliminates the possibility of me ever wanting to show you anything he’s doing in there.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” I commented on a sigh, reaching the top of the stairs and being led to the right, down the hallway where Brian’s room was located, not Jamie’s.

Thank God.

Brian stopped in front of his door, turned the handle, and pushed it open.

“Good thing this guy here’s keeping guard, ’cause you even thinking that makes me wanna throw you on the bed and spank the shit out of you.”

My eyes widened for two reasons.

One, I was turned on. Immediately. Really turned on and absolutely wishing he’d go through with his threat. The way Brian spanked had me begging for it and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that.

He was really really good at it.

And two, I didn’t miss the first part of his sentence, which led to me investigating with searching eyes what guy he was referring to that was keeping guard, leading me to spot only a second later the metal crate in the corner of the room next to the dresser and the puppy leaping around inside of it.

Not just any puppy. A boxer puppy.

No …fucking …way …

“Oh, my God!” I shrieked with more excitement than I’d ever felt in my entire life, jumping into the air repeatedly with my hands covering my mouth while the puppy shared in my enthusiasm, barking and whining for attention.

I bolted across the room and fell to my knees in front of the crate.

“Look at you, you sweet thing. Were you the one making all that noise up here?”

The puppy pushed his nose through a slot and started sniffing and licking the air while his paws kicked out and slid along the metal floor.

“It’s a boy,” Brian said behind me as I offered up my fingers for playful nibbles. “Hope you don’t mind but I named him already. He seems to like Sir.”

I turned my head with my eyes stinging.

Brian was leaning against the frame, arms crossed, watching me intently. He tipped his chin at the crate.

“He’s yours, Wild.”

Oh, God …

Brian bought me a puppy. That’s where he went today and why he didn’t inform or include me in it, but not just any puppy. The puppy I’d wanted most of my life.

I was going to start bawling. I knew it.

This was too much and too perfect all at once.

Nodding, I wiped wetness off my face with the hand not being licked and nibbled.

“He’s ours,” I whispered, and Brian’s eyes melted into warmth hearing that. “And he’s beautiful,” I added, turning my head back around.

He was beautiful. Fawn, with an all-black nose and white markings on his chest, big paws, and a docked tail.

Regal.

I giggled through my tears and stuck more fingers through the metal slots, allowing for even more playful nibbles.

“Thought about it,” Brian began. “Figured I can take him to work with me so he doesn’t need to be crated all day if we’re both gone. Let him hang out at Wax.”

“One of the boys,” I murmured, smiling and stroking Sir’s nose.

“Breeder gave me a bag of puppy food for him but it’ll only last a couple of days. We need to go out and get him some more.”

“Absolutely. We can go after dinner,” I suggested. “We need other stuff, too. Collar, leash, bowls, comfy bed for when he doesn’t want to sleep with us. Chew toys. A brush for his coat.”

“Syd …”

“Maybe one of those training books. And he absolutely needs teething sticks. Dental health is very important.” I leaned closer to the crate. “Right, Sir? We need to keep that smile pretty. Don’t we?”

Sir shook out his coat and went back to biting at my fingers. “Wild.”

“Hmm?”

“You gonna let him out or are you just gonna keep torturing him?” Brian asked with a smile in his voice. “Had to crate him so it could be a surprise when you got here. I’m sure he wants to play.”

Sir’s little tail started wagging like crazy.

Of course. What was I doing?

“I’m sorry. Do you want to play, sugar bear? Let’s get you out, okay?” I whispered anxiously, then sat up tall on my knees and scooted back a little, unlocked the two latches on the crate, one high and one low, pulled the door open, and fell back with a squeal when Sir barreled out and slammed straight into my chest, pawing his way up my body so he could lick all over my face.

“Sir!” I laughed, tilting my head back and laughing harder.

He had that fantastic puppy smell I thought came in the top five of best scents ever, and the softest coat.

I didn’t know what Brian’s plans were but I’d already decided Sir wasn’t sleeping in the crate tonight.

His place was at the foot of the bed, or sharing my pillow if he preferred.

Scrunching up my nose, I turned so he could nip and lap at my ear.

My eyes locked with Brian’s.

My boy did this for me. He was making sure I was living that life we talked about weeks ago.

He didn’t know just by having him, I was already living it.

It was ours.

Thank you, I mouthed, feeling so happy I feared my heart would pop.

Love you, he mouthed back.

I closed my eyes, dropped my head back, and kept on laughing.

And that life? It was perfect.

Chapter Seventeen

BRIAN

Two Weeks Later

Standing outside of the emergency entrance at NHC, back pressed against the door of my Jeep and arms crossed, I turned my head toward the driver’s side window where Sir was hanging out and let him sniff and lick the side of my face when he started whining.

“Getting impatient myself,” I told him, then reached up, scratched behind his ear, and turned back to look at the sliding doors.