Page 3 of Better Than Baby

I’d love to claim that I’d been strong and offered comfort like a fucking hero, but I’d been equally wrecked. My throat had ached, and my eyes had stung with pent-up emotion. This was supposed to have been the second-best day of our lives after our wedding, and now…well, it had sucked.

We were doing better now. Much better.

Aaron still had heavy moments of silence, mourning something that never was. I supposed I did too. But we’d leaned on each other and slowly, we’d begun to heal.

We started seeing a family therapist regularly, and that helped also. She was the one who’d asked if we’d thought about adopting a pet. And yeah…we definitely had. We’d both grown up with animals, and we loved the idea of having a furry friend around. Our schedules were busy, though, and we traveled forour jobs. We figured we’d think more seriously about getting a dog or cat after we had kids.

“Maybe considernotwaiting,” our therapist suggested gently. “I wouldn’t normally recommend taking a trip to an animal shelter or talking to a breeder, but in your case…it could be a matter of mixing up the order of your family plan and giving yourselves a new, positive focus. Of course, adopting a pet is a big decision too. An animal isn’t magically going to erase your pain. They’re a lot of work. They’re demanding, and they need your time and energy. Weigh the pros and cons, and think about it.”

We’d taken her advice and here we were, idling outside of Yearwood Kennel—“considering” adopting a puppy.

“Ready?”

Aaron rubbed his palms together and wiggled in his seat. “Yes! Let’s meet Lola BridgeLabrada or Marilyn MonLabrada or…maybe we should keep things easy and just name him Chris Pine. Thoughts?”

He was out of the car and halfway up the path before I had a chance to respond.

An apple-cheeked middle-aged woman with short ash-blond hair greeted us with a sunny smile. “The name’s Margo. Nice to meet you both. A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours. Two more pups found their forever home, which leaves us with one left in the litter. He won’t be free for long, so I’m glad you stopped in to meet him. Come this way.”

Aaron nudged my elbow and mouthed,Chris Pine, then followed Margo outside to a small unit attached to the main building. She continued to a fenced-in grassy area where a docile Lab sat in the shade surrounded by five bouncing, yipping red furballs.

I was pretty sure I’d never seen anything cuter in my life. They were stubby and goofy with adorable ears, and a lot ofpersonality. Margo explained that the litter was seven and a half weeks old. Three puppies had already been picked up, and the four with yellow stars on their ribboned collars were spoken for. Which left the smallest of the bunch…a chubby little fellow with curious eyebrows.

Margo opened the gate. “Come on in and say hi to the little rascals.”

“Oh. My. God! Are you the cutest cutie pies in the entire universe?” Aaron gasped in delight, sinking to his knees to greet the friendly pups. He zeroed in on the unspoken-for puppy, scratching the top of his head and snickering when the pup nipped his finger. “Someone’s feisty.”

“Careful,” Margo warned. “He’s got sharp teeth.”

“Me too, honey. Can I hold you? I’ll be gentle, I promise.” Aaron scooped up the little fox red Lab and cradled him in his arms. “How are you, little friend? Tell me all about you.”

The puppy stared at my husband, his expressive brows lifting from one eye to the other. His ears perked up as he cocked his head, and damn it…cute wasn’t a strong enough word.

I crouched next to Aaron and rubbed the puppy’s belly. He sniffed my hand and licked it. “Hey, there, little guy.”

“I think he likes us, Matty.” Aaron set the puppy down and pet one of his siblings. “Introduce us to your brothers and sisters, CP. Something tells me you can handle this crew. Are they cool? Do they play nice?”

“His name, should we decide to adopt him, will never be Chris Pine,” I grumbled good-naturedly.

Aaron tossed a teasing wink over his shoulder and followed the band of energetic pups.

“Chris Pine?” Margo asked.

“Inside joke. Don’t worry…it won’t stick.” I brushed my hands on my jeans and changed the subject. We’d done our homework and knew the kennel had a great reputation, but Iwas curious about their operation. And to be perfectly honest, I’d had no idea there was such a thing as a fox red Lab.

“They’re genetically yellow Labs with a reddish coat,” Margo explained. “Wonderful dogs—playful, friendly, sociable. And they’re loyal companions.”

“High-energy too.” I grinned at the puppies nipping at the buckles on Aaron’s designer boots.

“True. They’re active, and they like to be near their people as often as possible. You mentioned that you work from home?”

“Not me.” I inclined my head toward Aaron. “My husband does, though.”

Margo studied the grown-ass man frolicking with the puppies. “He’s good with dogs.”

“Yeah, he is.” I dug my hands into my pockets as I pivoted to face her. “We didn’t come prepared to take a puppy home. We need to talk and—well, that should be a quick conversation. So, my question is…how long can you hold the puppy for us?”

“How long do you need?”