“You got a puppy?” Ashlyn asks, and I fight back my smile.
“Your brother got Hope two puppies,” I mutter, holding up two fingers as Hope runs into the kitchen, followed by Chocolate Chip and Pancake.
“Wook at my puppies, Aunty Ashwyn!” Hope cries excitedly, and I notice she put her tutu on over her pajama bottoms.
“Oh, my God,” Ashlyn whispers, looking at me.
“I know.” I shake my head, watching her bend down to pick them up. “Careful, we need to take them out again. Last night that one peed on Jax,” I say, pointing to Chocolate Chip, who barks at me.
“No.” She laughs.
“Yes.” I nod, going to the backdoor, opening it for her, and following her down to the grass, where we watch as both puppies run around and play until finally handling their business. When we get back inside, I tell Hope what we’re going to be doing today, while Ashlyn goes to her car, coming back a few minutes later with her hands full of bags and a promise to be back at three.
Shutting the door behind her when she leaves, I turn to look at Hope and ask, “Are you ready to bake?”
“Yes!” She yells making me smile.
Looking down at the phone in my hand, I angrily type out the words: We are never having babies, to Jax before pressing send.
I don’t care if I’m being irrational. Taking care of Hope and two puppies has put things into prospective for me today. I’m completely exhausted, the house is messier than before I cleaned it this morning, and Jax’s birthday cake—which is sitting on the counter in the kitchen—is burnt and completely lopsided. I want to cry and sleep for a week, but I still have to attempt to decorate then cook for and host his surprise birthday party.
Feeling my phone vibrate in my hand, I look down and fight back the smile I feel creeping onto my face as I read his message: Babies are easier than puppies.
Hell no, they aren’t, I text back, pressing send as I walk into the living room, where I find Hope asleep in the crate with both puppies curled around her. Snapping a picture, I send it to him, saying: Okay, this is definitely cute, before taking a seat on the couch, needing to rest for a minute.
Blinking my eyes open when I hear Hope say, “She’s sleeping,” I come face-to-face with Ashlyn, July, and some guy I have never seen before.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, sitting up and looking around.
“I used my key and found you all asleep,” Ashlyn says as the guy picks up Pancake from the floor when she jumps up on his leg.
“Oh, what time is it?”
“Just after three. If you want to sleep, we can handle everything,” she offers gently, studying me.
“No, it’s okay,” I tell her, standing up from the couch and giving July a hug when she comes to my side.
“That’s Doctor Hottie,” July mutters into my ear before letting me go. She’s not wrong; the guy is good-looking. He’s tall with dirty blond hair that’s tied back away from his face in a man-bun, with a strong jaw covered in stubble, and green eyes that stand out against his tan skin.
“I’m Dillon,” he says, turning to look at me.
“Uh…nice to meet you,” I reply, looking at Ashlyn and wondering how he ended up here.
“Mom invited him,” she tells me, rolling her eyes.
“Oh…well, that’s nice.”
“Yeah…nice,” Ashlyn grumbles under her breath then looks around. “I’m going to start getting things set up.” Then she looks at Dillon, saying, “Why don’t you fill the balloons? You seem to have a thing for helium.”
Watching him, his eyes change as he looks at her muttering, “Sure, babe,” before dropping his gaze to Hope and asking, “Do you want to help me fill the balloons?”
“Are you Aunty Ashwyn’s boyfwiend?” Hope asks, tilting her head to the side and studying him.
“Hope,” I say, watching Dillon smile, showing off two dimples.