walking up behind Lucy, but then my eyes are pinned on my daughter, whose own are wide with shock and pinned on the puppy squirming in my arms.
She stares mutely, frozen, as if she can’t decide what to do.
Finally, I say, “Surprise.”
Her gaze rises to meet mine. “I get the puppy today? But it’s not supposed to be until next week.”
I look over Lucy’s shoulder at Ella, who has a soft smile as she watches us. I give my attention to Lucy. “Well, your mother and I decided to callously lie to you so we could make it a surprise.”
Laughing, Lucy exclaims, “That’s a lie I can live with.”
Still, she makes no move forward, so I goad her. “Come get this damn dog before I start sneezing all over the place. His name is Brody.”
That’s all it takes for Lucy to scoop Brody into her arms, pressing her nose into his head and murmuring little endearments. He reacts to her voice by wiggling frantically and trying to lick her face. My daughter laughs in a delighted way I’ve never quite heard before.
Once again, I look at Ella, who is staring at our daughter and I can tell she’s as charmed by it as I am.
I move into the house, then shut the door. “He just peed outside, but you need to keep a close eye on him, Luce. If he starts sniffing around or circling, that probably means he has to use the bathroom. Scoop him up and hightail it out back. After he does his business, give him lots of praise and affirmation. It helps if your voice is on the higher side as he’ll respond better.”
“Got it,” she says while plopping on the living room floor and putting Brody down between her legs. The puppy jumps at her, and they start to play.
“There are a lot more things your mom and I need to go over with you, including some socialization, play techniques, and some light training.”
“Got it,” she replies again, not even paying attention to me because she’s so caught up in the little fur monster who is now chewing on the end of Lucy’s braid.
“Come on, Jim,” Ella says, and my gaze moves to her. She jerks her chin to the kitchen. “Dinner is almost done, and I have a cold beer for you.”
Lucy ignores us both as we move into the kitchen.
It would be natural for me to sit at the kitchen island while Ella gets the beer and checks on the baked ziti, but Lucy can see me from where she is in the living room. So I follow Ella behind the island. Before she can make it two steps, I move right into the back of her. Hands at her hips, I push her all the way forward until the counter catches her hips, then dip to put my lips to her neck.
Her head falls back and she utters the tiniest of sighs, one arm looping back to go around the side of my head so she can thread her fingers in my hair. It’s an intimate embrace, but not one to provoke lust. Just a message I missed her, and I love touching her in this gentle, loving way.
“Lucy might see us,” she murmurs.
“Oh, the tragedy,” I whisper dryly. “Our daughter seeing her parents hugging.”
Ella snickers and pulls away, glancing over her shoulder. “It would be shocking to her. And until we know what we are or where we’re going, she should probably be kept in the dark. I don’t want her getting her hopes up.”
“Makes sense,” I utter in a low voice before moving to the island. I glance back to see Lucy on her back, the puppy trying to climb up. “So, no touching while in her presence. Check.”
Ella snorts, then hands me a beer. She has one in hand, and we tap bottles. “Great job on the whole dog thing, Jim.”
“Back at you, hot stuff,” I reply and then immediately, I snap my head Lucy’s way to see if she heard that.
Too absorbed in the puppy, she’s paying us no mind.
Smirking, Ella moves to the oven, where she bends to take a peek through the window. Yes, I stare at her ass as she does so, even though it’s mostly covered. She’s wearing a pair of leggings with a slouchy t-shirt, and her feet are bare. While she can rock a business suit or a ball gown, this is how I prefer her. Just naturally Ella.
“It’s done,” she announces,