She took a shower in one of the guest bathrooms while Julian used the one in the master bathroom, right after she’d helped him out of his bloody clothing. It took her a while to clean and bandage up his hands, using antibiotic cream to prevent infection. The cuts were blessedly small, and none looked like they needed sutures. As she finished, she mused, “I thought you might have broken some bones. But I don’t think you did.”
There was some generalized swelling, but nothing to cause her to panic.
“I didn’t. The windows gave easily on the first punch. Damn cheap glass. I got the cuts from the holes in the door. They just kept breaking.”
Julian was pretty even-tempered, so the thought of him punching on a glass door until much of it was broken was something she couldn’t imagine.
“Done,” she pronounced. “Let’s get some ice packs.” She beckoned him toward the door.
He motioned for her to go first, and he followed her down in the elevator and into the kitchen.
She turned and pointed her finger at the living room. “Go sit. I’ll handle it.”
He grinned at her, then turned toward the living room, then he turned back again. “That’s weird. I could swear I heard somebody crying.”
Kristin set the readied ice pack on the counter and wandered over to the box. “I hope you won’t be upset. You said you never had time for a dog, and this one needed a home so badly. I saw the ad in the paper from the animal shelter. She was abused.”
She pulled the squirming mass of fur from the box and cradled the puppy to her chest. “She’s a Lab mix. I hope you don’t mind having a dog around the house.”
“For us?” Julian asked cautiously.
“Of course. I’ve always wanted a pet, and you said you really wanted a dog. I always thought about a cat, but when I saw the ad in the paper, I couldn’t turn away. She’s really still a puppy.”
She giggled as the female pup started to lick her face.
“She’s cute,” Julian said as he came forward and started stroking the puppy’s body. “Can I hold her?” he asked.
Kristin gently placed the dog in Julian’s arms, careful not to hurt his hands.
He froze as he was holding the animal, his gaze focused on her ring finger. “You’re wearing your band.”
She held out her hand, then pulled on the chain around her neck where his ring rested. Holding up the makeshift necklace with his ring, she said drily, “I don’t think you’re going to be wearing yours for a while.”
His hand would be too swollen to officially don his wedding band, but she didn’t mind. She’d hold on to it for as long as he needed.
Julian watched the chain swing for a moment before he said, “I’ll be wearing it just as soon as my hand heals. And I can get you a new band. Those were kind of cheap.”
“You will not. It’s the only thing I have from my wedding. We picked them out together, whether I remember doing it or not?”
He nodded.
“I’m keeping it,” she insisted.
Remembering her other stop, she went to grab her purse from the counter and brought it over as she explained, “One of the reasons I was late was because I was picking up the puppy. The other reason was this.” She held up the papers so he could see them.
He gaped at her, his eyes wide. “You filed to change your name?”
“I’m officially Kristin Sinclair now. Your wife.”
“Jesus! If I’m dreaming I hope to hell I never wake up.”
She palmed his jaw, then stretched up to kiss him tenderly. “Did that feel like a dream?”
“Maybe the very beginning of a wet dream,” he rumbled, absently stroking a bandaged hand over the puppy.
She put the papers on the counter and picked up the ice packs. “Go.”
He moved into the living room, and Kristin arranged the puppy between them and put his hands on ice. “Will she piss on the couch?”
“I hope not. But she has to go outside often. She’s smart. I think she’ll potty train pretty fast. You really don’t mind?” She’d desperately wanted to give the puppy a home, and had fallen in love with the fur ball almost immediately.
“Nope. As long as you come with the deal, I’m going to love having a dog. I can see a few scars on her. I feel better knowing she has a safe home.”
“They never gave her a name. I’d like to name her Haven,” Kristin suggested.
“Haven for ‘a safe place’? I like it.” He grinned as the puppy scrambled up into Kristin’s lap. “You’re right. She is smart. She’s exactly where I’d like to be right now.”
She looked to see the puppy planted between her thighs. Ignoring his suggestive comment, she looked at Julian earnestly. “The name Haven is actually for me, too. You’re my haven, Julian. This home is my haven because you’re here with me. I missed you.”
His eyes grew so dark they were nearly black. “I missed you, too, baby.”
Kristin fought back her tears. The words came so easily to him, his sincerity so clear whenever he was trying to express himself.
“Let me take Haven outside. She hasn’t been out for a while.” She rose, but Julian grabbed the puppy.
“She can go off the back patio.”