Page 7 of Dog Days

SEVEN

Alfie

I didn’t think I’d ever been more nervous about taking my dog on a walk. It was a crisp fall day, so I’d put Dame Judi in her favorite pink cardigan and matching bow, then had Andrea repaint her nails to match her cardigan for a little extra flair. Judi-girl looked like the world’s most adorable little alien, if I did say so myself.

Gideon and I had agreed to wait until the following weekend to give him a chance to settle into the idea and do whatever research and preparation he needed to meet my dog. That didn’t mean we didn’t keep in touch, though.

We’d been teasing each other back and forth via text, with a couple of sexting sessions to tide us over. I opened my messaging app, grinning at the last bit of back and forth.

Gideon: Fuck, Al. Look at how hard you made me come.

Gideon: pic.jpg

His cum made his tatted, furred belly look like a reverse ink blot, and my mouth watered at the site of it.

Me: God, you make me thirsty.

Gideon: results.pdf

Gideon: No pressure. Just letting you know that my tests are clear across the board.

Me: screencap.jpg

Me: Me, too.

God, was I really telling him that I wanted him raw?

Yes, yes I was.

Still, I worried—catastrophized, more like it—that all our spark was spent on that first night together, on these furtive little sexts that took place out of our reality. What if we were compatible as mud and floor cleaner the next time we saw each other in person? What if he and Judi could never be in the same room again?

I need more fire and gasoline, then shared snuggles on the couch with my dog, thankyouverymuch.

My cock wondered if maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I kept them separate, but my highly educated brain called bullshit.

Judi and I left my house and walked down the hill to my neighborhood park, enjoying the beautiful day. Kids, as usual, stopped us on the way, cooing and loving on Judi, and of course she was a perfect angel for them.

I spied Gideon at the far end of the park, hanging out by the swings. He appeared to be talking to himself. Probably hyping himself up to meet Judi. Jackson, his therapist, was someone I considered a friend, and Gideon let him share the salient details of why he was so afraid of dogs.

It had broken my heart, discovering how bad it had been for him. But then I looked over at the kind, scary-looking man who all the mothers were side-eyeing, and I was so proud. I didn’t even know him well enough to say that. It was silly for me to be proud of him, but I was. He’d been working on this for a long time, and had been really disappointed at himself when he couldn’t control his reaction.

That he was still willing to try made my chest tighten. Fuck, I really needed this to work out because I was pretty sure he was my future husband, and not even my expensively educated brain could deny it.

I pulled out my phone and sent him a funny text.

Me: Hey, hot stuff. I’m here with Judi.

Me: I see you over by the swings terrifying the under-five set.

Gideon: Shit. I really scare people, don’t I?

Me: Only the people who don’t know you.

He looked up and sent me a little half-wave. We started walking toward each other, and I laughed, thinking about what Andrea would call this. It definitely had a Tom Hanks meeting Meg Ryan at the bend in the sidewalk feel, except that we could actually see each other. Which, as I overthought about it, made the whole thing a little awkward and anticlimactic.

As we drew close to one another, Judi started her cute little hop, which meant that she was very, very excited. We got a little bit closer, and she started to do spins, yapping like a crazy person.

Gideon froze in the middle of the path.

“That just means she’s very happy to see you,” I yelled out. “I promise.”

I leaned down, and she jumped into my arms, licking my chin, barking and wiggling.

Maybe my excitement for Gideon was setting her off, though I couldn’t help it. He made my heart beat so fast every time I saw him.

“Be good for Daddy,” I whispered.

Gideon stopped about ten feet away from me.

“Hey,” I said, waving.

He eyed Judi. “Hey.”

The uncertainty in his deep-set eyes gutted me.

“It just occurred to me that I get really excited to see you, which might be what’s causing her to go off like this. Like, maybe she’s as excited as I am,” I explained, hoping that made sense.

A smile softened Gideon’s rough exterior. “Really?”

I nodded, stubborn hope firing up in my chest again. “Here’s the thing: I know she’s not going to hurt you. You can’t see her little nubbin from there, but she is wagging her tail so hard, you wouldn’t believe it. She really wants to love up on you, but I have a feeling that would not feel so good to you right now.”

He took a deep breath, then another one. “Not gonna lie, I was hoping she’d be a little calmer.”

“I promise, she usually is, but I don’t know how to calm her down for you. Maybe this is as far as we get today, and that’s okay,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

Dammit. I really thought this would work.

He took another couple of deep breaths.

“Jackson says you use her with little kids.”

I nodded. “The kids love her right away because she’s so ugly, but then she is also so calm and still and accepting. And they whisper all their little secrets in her ears. They know she’s a good listener.”

“That’s…nice,” he said, and I saw the effort. “Bet they trust her.”

“She’s really, really good at it,” I confirmed as she tried to lunge toward Gideon.

Fuck .

“Seriously, I’ve never seen her like this. I swear, she is so happy to see you, even though she probably looks like Cujo right about now.”

He held up a hand. “No, I can see it. I watched lots of videos about dogs this past week. I’ve started figuring out what they look like when they’re happy and when they’re about to bite. I just need to give my amygdala a second to catch up, you know?”

I nodded. “Actually, I do. I’m happy to hang here for a bit if you are.”

Despite my encouraging words, I knew that any moment now, he was going to look at me and decide I was so not worth it.

Something sad crossed his face.

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing at his expression.

“I’m worried you’re going to think this isn’t worth it,” he admitted.

I cackled. Then remembered that I was prone to laughing at the wrong time and quickly explained, “I literally just had the same thought. That there’s no way you’ll want to be patient with this squirmy little hellion.”

He shook his head with absolute determination. “No fucking way. I’ve had plenty of one-night stands, and this was not that. I can promise you. Here, gimme the damn dog.”

I rocked back, holding Judi closer to me. “What are you going to do with her?”

“I’m going to introduce myself,” he grumped.

God, he looked so deliciously angry right now, even though I knew he wasn’t.

Grrr.

“What are you doing?” he asked, looking at me sideways.

There is a not-small chance that I just growled in public.

“I like it when you look all disgruntled and mean,” I explained. “Murderous is a good look for you.”

He rolled his eyes upward. “Just give me the damn dog.”

I nodded and slowly walked toward him. Judi truly felt like she was going out of her skin to get to him. Right as I reached him, she launched herself from my arms into his. The panic was visible on his face, but he reached out and grabbed her, ensuring she didn’t fall. Wiggling like all get out, she nuzzled him, licking his chin, yipping with excitement.

And then I heard the sound I’d been waiting for this whole time.

Gideon laughing. Loud, long, and just plain happy.

He knelt, then sat with his legs crossed. Judi, scamp that she was, jumped and squeaked, spinning around in his lap until her one good eye glazed over. She bumped him under the chin, nudged her head under his hand, and then rolled onto her back, exposing her belly.

“Did she fall asleep?” he asked, the laughter still in his voice.

I shook my head. “She’s in listening mode.”

“Is this what she looks like when she’s helping you with kids?”

I nodded.

Maintaining eye contact with me, Gideon leaned down, whispering, “Hey, Judi, I want to let you know that I think your dad is amazing. And I don’t want to terrify him, but I really want to make him my boyfriend.”

Judi licked his hand.

“That means she approves,” I said, dropping down on the grass beside him.

“Yeah? And what’s your take?” he asked.

“My take is the truly terrifying one, so I will hold on to that for a few more dates, but if you want to be exclusive and call me your boyfriend, there is literally not one complaint coming from me.”

He chuckled, then leaned over and kissed me.

Judi popped her head up and barked.

“Shush. I’m trying to secure your new daddy,” I whispered.

I grimaced at Gideon, hoping I didn’t go too far. He popped his brows and brought me in for another kiss, one that lingered.

“Thank you for giving her a chance. I knew you’d like her if you did.”

He scratched under her chin, running a hand over her back. “Well, she has pretty good taste in humans.”

“What are the odds you’d like to come to my house and celebrate becoming boyfriends?”

Gideon chuckled. “I’d say they are pretty damn good odds.”