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“I’ll get you anything you want, within reason,” I said, and she smiled sleepily and curled her body around Vegas, like she was protecting him.

“Anything?” she asked.

“Within reason,” I repeated.

“Well that’s no fun,” she said around a yawn. I started to back out of the room.

“Sweet dreams, Em,” I said, before I closed the door.

Eight

“He’s going to be fine,” Emma said, as I clutched Vegas’s leash in my hands. “He’s going to be a good boy and have fun and make friends and then we’ll see him at the end of the day. You don’t want him all alone at home, do you?” I knew she was right, but I was having a hard time.

We’d toured the doggie daycare and I knew it was the right place to take Vegas and he’d have a great time, but actually leaving him here was a whole other story.

I had one more week at my hotel job before I started at the co-working space, and I didn’t know how I was going to get through the day. I’d signed up for text and video updates of what Vegas was up to, but I still wanted to pop over at lunch and see him, which they had said was fine.

“You don't want to be late,” Emma said gently.

I looked down at our baby and swallowed tears.

“Okay,” I said. We hadn’t even had him for a month, but he was such a huge part of our lives, and our lives together. Me and Emma and Vegas makes three.

Emma held the door for me and I walked in with Vegas to the reception area. The receptionist greeted us warmly and came over to take Vegas’s leash.

“Be a good boy,” I said, squatting down to rub his ears and kiss his head. Emma joined me and I watched as the receptionist took him back to the playroom.

“He’ll be okay,” Emma said, squeezing my shoulders.

“I know he will. I’m just being dramatic, as usual.” I wiped a few tears and hoped no one else saw me crying. A few other people had come in with their dogs and were dropping them off like it was no big deal. Well, their dogs weren’t Vegas.

“Come on,” Emma said, pulling me away.

“I don’t want to go to work,” I said, sniffing. “I hate that I’m making such a big deal of this, what the hell?” I wiped some more tears and Emma gave me a hug.

“He’ll be fine and you’re on your last week, right? You’re going to go to your new job and it’s going to be great and you’re going to get used to this and Vegas will blossom.” She probably should have told me just to snap out of it, but she didn’t because that wouldn’t have worked for me.