Revealing Annie - Freya Barker Page 0,29
you,” I tell him, wiping my hands on a towel.
It’s not necessarily that I don’t trust Bryce—he seems to genuinely care about the dog—but I have no idea how she will react to other people or other dogs they might encounter.
“I’m not gonna run off,” Bryce says a little put out.
“Didn’t think you were.” I grab my sneakers and sit down on the stairs to pull them on. “But we’re all still getting to know each other. If we both go, maybe she’ll get used to us faster. Besides, it’s been a long time since I took a dog for a walk, I’ve been looking forward to it.”
He doesn’t say anything when I open the front door, wait for him to clip the leash to Daisy’s collar, and lead her outside. Not until we get to the riverside.
“You used to have a dog?” he finally asks.
“Yeah, growing up. His name was Kiko, a German shepherd mix. He lived to be almost sixteen years old; I think I have some pictures somewhere. If not, my parents probably do.”
I take a few more steps before I realize Bryce stopped walking. I look over my shoulder and see him rooted in place, shock on his face.
“Bryce?”
“Parents?”
Well, shit. I’ve been so focused on keeping things casual, not wanting to overwhelm him, I realize I failed to tell him he didn’t just find a father; he found a set of grandparents too.
“Yeah, my mom and dad live in New Mexico,” I inform him gently. “They were as surprised as you are to find out they had more of a family than they thought. Mom was ready to get in the car when I told her about you, but I told them to hold off until next weekend. Give us a chance to get to know each other first. I hope that’s okay?”
I watch him swallow hard and he seems to force his feet moving again.
“It’s fine,” he says, his voice sounding a little rough.
God, I feel for the kid. As much as it was a shock for me to discover I have a son, I can’t even imagine what it’s like for him, discovering he has a family he didn’t know he had.
“My mom is bubbly, always in a good mood, always looking at the positive side of things. Dad is quiet, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s not paying attention, because he is.” We’ve fallen back into step as I fill him in. “He’s got a wicked sense of humor and will say something unexpected in the middle of a serious conversation that’ll have everyone cracking up.”
“I never had a dog. Or a grandpa,” he mumbles.
“Right. You had a grandma, correct?” I prod carefully.
“Yeah, she died.” He falls silent after that and I follow suit, giving him time to digest, but it’s not long before he asks, “Do you have a brother or sister?”
“No. I was an only child, but the people I work with—my crew at the fire station—they’re like family to me too. Blue is my partner on the ambulance, and she’s like a sister to me.” At least she is now, but I don’t bother mentioning that.
“Your partner’s a girl?”
“Yup. She’s pretty awesome too. You’ll meet her and her family soon enough.” I feel a little guilty for not having called her already, something I’m hoping to rectify today before Annie comes over for dinner. Heck, there’s a lot Blue doesn’t know yet. “Maybe one day this week we can stop in at the fire station and you can have a look around, meet the guys.”
“Sure, whatever.” He shrugs his shoulders in an attempt to come off indifferent, but the small smile he tries to hide betrays him.
The rest of the walk is quiet, each of us lost in thought. I’m curious to know more about what his life was like, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to barrage him with questions. Much like I did with Daisy, I’ll just be patient until he comes to me.
“Hey, baby,” Annie coos when she walks in the door, sinking right down to her knees to receive an excited greeting from the dog.
“Guess that wasn’t for me?”
She looks up with a grin and I’m happy to see those gorgeous blue eyes staring up at me.
“Har-de-har-har.”
The moment she gets to her feet, I hook a hand behind her head and lower my face to hers.
“Now those eyes, I know those are for me,” I mumble a second, before covering her