will,” I assured him.
“Well, who’s going to take Kona on our hikes? She needs the exercise, you know.”
“I don’t hike, Sutton, but I will make sure she’s properly exercised. I’ll even make her wear a headband and some spandex like we’re in an old-school Jane Fonda video.” I did a couple of stretching moves. “You’d betta work.”
“That was not Jane Fonda’s catchphrase, you weirdo.” He sent me a superior look as he refolded a shirt to make it flatter. He carefully rolled it into a tube shape, making it about the size of a pair of rolled socks. No one could out pack Journey—no one.
“Are you sure?”
“She wanted you to feel the burn.”
I squinted at him. “Like Bernie Sanders?”
“That’s feel the Bern, Foss.”
“Well, who said you’d betta work?”
“RuPaul, mostly, and every drag queen since the beginning of time.”
I watched him as he finished packing his last-minute items in his trusty duffel. He slung his charger in the bag a little harder than necessary. I bit my lip to keep from smiling as I looked at his pouty face. A grown man. Pouting. It was adorable and ridiculous all at the same time.
Kona gave a soft whine as she brushed against me. I wasn’t sure who was being a bigger baby at the moment, him or Kona. She could always tell when Journey was leaving, and she became super clingy and made sure to stay underfoot.
She wasn’t sure which of us she liked better, even though I’d saved her ungrateful furry hide. I mean, let’s put all this “dog” business aside and get real—I’d opened my home to a goddamned wolf. I wouldn’t be surprised to find Red Riding Hood’s coat in her kennel. I expected a little fucking gratitude. But alas, while my name might be on her Barkbox subscription, Journey had his own way to Kona’s fickle little heart.
He always took her with him when he was off doing his photography thing. They would disappear for hours at a time, him in his battered jeans and faded shirt with his precious Cannon around his neck, and Kona in Doggles and rubber-soled shoes. I always had to try not to laugh when I saw her in them. He’d bought them to protect her paws from rough terrain, but they made her look like she was seconds away from breaking out into a tap-dance routine.
Off they would go, doing their Journey-Kona thing. They’d come back hours later, dusty and sweaty, and one particularly memorable time, completely muddy and wet. I didn’t ask, and they certainly didn’t tell. I had my suspicions, of course. My top theory was that someone had bounded into someone, and they’d both fallen into the river. I only wished I had video.
I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his chest. He stiffened briefly until I kissed the side of his scruffy jaw, and then he melted against me. “I can’t believe I got so addicted to having you with me,” he complained.
“I know.”
“It’s not the same when you’re not there.”
I smiled against his skin. “I know, but your dad is coming with you.”
“You say that like it’s a good thing. We’re probably going to wind up killing each other. Dead, right there in the airport.” He shook his head as he finished zipping his duffel. “I’ll admit that when I offered to take him with me, I never really expected him to accept.”
“Are you sad he did?”
He turned around in my arms and linked his hands behind my neck, then stretched up to plant a kiss on my mouth. “No. He’s finally starting to check things off in our dream journal.”
“Don’t you mean his dream journal?”
“I found it,” he said stubbornly. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law. And he’ll get it back when I’m dead.”
“He’s older.”
“Exactly.” He nodded. “A smart man would draw conclusions from that and start a new fucking journal.”
I chuckled. “Real nice, JJ.” Realizing he was looking at me, his cheeks a little pink, I tilted my head. “What? And it’d better not be something dirty that we don’t have time to do.”
“It’s just that… I miss you already.” He looked a little embarrassed. “How can you miss someone before you’ve even left?”
I gave a self-deprecating laugh. “God, we’re disgusting. We’re just going to get worse over time, you know.”
“Good.” He cupped my face and kissed me again. “I love kissing you. What if I forget how you taste?”
“That’s impossible.”
“You can forget the taste of something you haven’t eaten in a