I’ve never wanted an animal as much as I want this puppy.
“What are you staring at…?” Rose trails off and then connects all the dots really fast. She must spot desire shining through my eyes. She does have six children, so I’m sure she sees this look often. “Lily—”
“I’ll be right back.” I rush out of the café, Garth following behind me. It isn’t until I reach the fence that I realize Rose and Daisy have left Roasted Beans too and joined me.
The two Pet Paradise employees perk up at our arrival. The younger girl looks like she might faint. She has her hands to her mouth and freezes in place.
The older girl greets us, “Do you want to hold a puppy?”
Daisy gasps with a big smile. “You read my mind.”
The frozen employee unthaws at Daisy’s bright demeanor, her hands dropping to her side to reveal a giddy smile of her own. “Hi.” She waves at Daisy.
“Hey there.” Daisy asks, “Which one needs hugs?”
With her phone to her ear, Rose stands in front of the kitten window. Felines curled in little glass cubicles, some stretching awake.
While the younger employee lets Daisy into the golden retriever gate, I ask the older employee about the floppy-eared puppy. “Can I see this one?”
Crowds have congested the entire Pet Paradise area, and some fans even ask, “Are you looking for a pet?”
Yes. Yes, I am.
The employee lets the floppy-eared dog out of the gate, slipping a loose leash around his neck. “This little guy is a ten-month-old basset hound.” She pats his belly.
I bend down, and the puppy immediately licks my elbow and cheek.
I crumble with love.
“He only has today left to be adopted. The shelter is overcrowded this year, so all these animals need good homes.”
Poppy slips through the crowds, a shopping bag hooked on her arm. “What’s going on?”
“Lily wants a dog, and I’m giving free hugs.” Daisy smiles, petting all the golden retrievers while they jump on her lap.
Poppy’s maternal guidance bears down on me like a raincloud. “Lily, you can’t get a dog. You have a two-month-old at home.”
“So?” Daisy and I say in unison. She gives me a nod like we’re part of the same club. Maybe the Dog Lovers United. I’ve never been a part of this club before, but suddenly, it feels like the right one to join.
“I found the fierce one,” Rose says into her phone. In a glass cubicle, a black kitten with big yellow eyes stares fixatedly at Rose. Then she slinks closer and paws the glass right in front of Rose’s face. Rose snorts at the cat and then speaks to her phone. “If we do this, you have to remind her not to bring home strays.”
Jane.
She tries to corral stray kittens in the street and lure them to her house. Connor calls it inventive, but overall, Rose and Connor always tell her no to letting them inside. Most of the cats have flees and are extremely feral.
Think Sadie times a thousand.
Connor must say something else, and Rose agrees in French and then shuts off her phone. She says to the kitten, “You can eat a million birds, just not the bird. If you have any disagreements, tell me now.”
The kitten meows and rubs her cheek against the glass like scratch me. For a moment, I think: Rose Calloway Cobalt can communicate with felines.
Proof! Proof!
Rose is Catwoman to Connor’s Batman.
This is a historic moment. Let me digest.
“What do you mean by bird?” Poppy asks, the eldest of us. She also has no pets, but I think she’s mostly concerned about the hoopla behind us and all the craziness we let into our lives.
“Ben has wanted a bird.” Rose grips the door handle of Pet Paradise but pauses at Poppy’s confusion. “What?”
“You’re about to buy a bird and a cat right now?”
It’s an impulsive buy for Rose, but she’s done way more impulsive things in our lives. “I called Connor, we agreed on the purchase. I’d rather have a motherfucking bird than a snake.”
“Who asked for a snake?” Daisy wonders.
“Who do you think?”
“Eliot,” we all say.
“And he’s not getting it.” Rose yanks the door open. “I’ll meet you back here in a second.”
“Wait,” I call out before she disappears inside the store. “Sisterly advice?”
Those magic words lift up her lips. She sees me pet the basset hound. I know my four kids will love him as much as me.
“You can handle a dog,” Rose tells me so strongly. “The better question is if your annoying husband can.”
“Ooooh!” the crowds shout at Rose’s insult.
Rose only wears satisfaction as she enters the store.
My brows crinkle. Lo. I definitely have to ask him before I make this decision. I hurriedly take out my phone, snap a picture of the basset hound, and text Lo.
Puppy????????
Daisy steps out of the gate and says to Poppy and me, “I think I’m going to stick around and make sure all these dogs get adopted today. I might be able to attract more people over here.” Might is an understatement.
There are tons of people around Pet Paradise because we’re here. My little sister has a big heart that might not be noticed by all, but I feel Daisy’s kindness every time we’re together.
My phone vibrates.
:) – Lo A smiley face! I’ll take it.
*
“What the fuck, Lil?” Lo whispers heatedly, our bodies partially turned away from Luna, Moffy, and Xander across the living room. They play with the basset hound by the sofa, the dog licking their faces when they attack-hug him.
Cuteness levels in the Hale household just shot through the roof.
Which is why it’s so hard to surrender to Lo’s anger. “You texted me a smiley face. I thought that was a yes!”
Moffy glances over at us, and we both quickly angle more towards the kitchen door. Lo whispers back, “How was I supposed to know you were asking to get a goddamn dog? We”—he gestures from his chest to my chest—“don’t do animals. That’s not the Lo and Lily thing.”
“Lily and Lo thing,” I correct in a small voice.
He tilts his head and then cups my cheeks. “Lily Hale, we have no clue how to take care of a dog.”
“We didn’t know how to take care of a baby and now we have four,” I say proudly. “Didn’t just yesterday, you said, ‘you and me’”—I gesture from his chest to my chest—“‘we can do anything.’ Huh, huh?” I poke his abs.
He pinches my cheek.
I squint.
He almost smiles, but his sharp glare shadows the sliver of one. “You realize I said we can do anything in relation to fixing the toaster.”
“And that was a proud moment. We didn’t have to buy a new one, and we were able to save ourselves from cold Pop-Tarts.”
“That was a pretty great moment,” Lo says in a way that I hold my breath for the punch line. “It was so great I realize we should break the toaster every fucking day and fix it.” He mockingly opens the kitchen door for me. “You want to start, love?”
I realize I should’ve told him more clearly. “I’m sorry.” Guilt knots my stomach. “I’m really sorry, Lo. I should’ve actually called you like Rose called Connor. I fucked up.”
“No,” he immediately says. “It’s okay.” The guilt in my face reflects on his, and he wraps his arms around my shoulders and draws me to his chest.
I hold onto his waist. “I know a dog is an everyday chore, but it’s not unfeeling. It gives as much love as it receives.” His eyes sink downwards, so I add the truth, “I’ll find a new owner for the dog today. Rose will help.” She always does. “It’ll be like he was never here.”
Lo sets his chin on my head, and he watches our children chase the basset hound around the couch. He face-plants into the floorboards, and they all help him up and then he hop-skips after them. When he nears Kinney’s little rocker, she squeals in delight.
I look up at Lo.
He’s smiling.
Not a shadow of one. Not a partial one. A clear, whole smile.
His eyes drop to mine, and his acceptance washes me with light. “We know nothing about dogs,” he reminds me.