Page 40

CHAPTER 40

A Dog Named Waffles

KELLEN

Friday, January 17

I t’s the first night Lucy is staying over at my house. The fact that we get to do this thing between us in the open now is an incredible feeling. Never in a million years did I imagine that fake dating Lucy would end up like this. I didn’t think it was in the cards for me to feel this way about someone.

There’s a knock at the front door and Ava comes bursting in a second later.

“Daddy!” She throws herself into my arms. I’m ready for her, squatting down and lifting her up for a quick twirl, love and affection bursting from my chest.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“You took forever at dinner. Did you bring me chicken nuggets?”

“Obviously.” I nod toward Lucy who’s holding a paper bag with chicken nuggets and french fries inside. Lucy’s dog runs circles around us, desperate to get to Ava.

“Yes! I already had dinner, but I can have this for snack time, right, Mom? ”

“Sure, Aves.” Bri steps inside. “Lucy, are you sure we can borrow MBM overnight? Ava’s been desperate for a doggy sleepover.”

“He will love it. He loves Ava. And you, too, Bri.” Lucy smiles warmly at Bri, then down at my daughter.

Bri laughs and shakes her head. “I don’t need him to love me. But he’s pretty cute.”

Lucy is the only woman I’ve dated that Bri has enthusiastically approved of. The only one she’s smiled at, supported, welcomed into our lives. That’s gotta mean something.

“No, Mommy, that’s not right.” Ava wiggles out of my arms and looks at Lucy.

“What’s not right?” Bri asks.

“Lucy? I had an idea.” Ava clasps her hands together.

“What’s your idea, sweet girl?” Lucy cocks her head and waits for my daughter to continue.

MBM jumps up on Ava, and she wraps her arms around his body, kissing his head and giggling.

“I was thinking about all the names you gave Mister Barky McBarkface.”

“Well, you gave him his latest name, although I shortened it to MBM.”

“What were all the names again?”

Lucy scrunches her face as if she’s thinking really hard. “He started out as Max, but he is definitely not a Max. Then he was Oscar, and by the time I got here he was Waffles. Then Zeus, Taco, Harry, Prince Harry, Bear, and now Mister Barky McBarkface. MBM.”

Bri and I both chuckle. Lucy gives us a stern look as Ava is tapping her chin dramatically, clearly thinking hard.

“Yeah, but I think it’s too long. It’s hard to say. And I don’t really like MBM as a nickname.” She shakes her head.

“Ava.” Bri crosses her arms .

“It’s okay. She’s right.” Lucy nods, her face completely serious. “Do you have a recommendation?”

I groan and laugh. “Careful what you ask for, Lucy.”

“I think it should be Waffles,” Ava says.

“Really?” Lucy bursts out laughing just as her dog barks wildly.

“See, he likes it!” Ava gets on her knees and lets Mister Bark—Waffles—lick her face in a way that grosses me out just a little.

“Hmmm. Maybe he likes it.” Lucy appears to consider the idea of renaming her dog, but I already know she’s going to do it.

“You really don’t have to.” Bri shakes her head.

“It’s perfect. I think it was always my favorite name,” Lucy says. Ava cheers. “But this has to be it. His name is permanently Waffles.”

“Yes!” Ava squeals.

“I can finally get an engraved nametag. I knew I was waiting for a reason.”

“Do it!” Ava jumps up and lets Waffles lick her hand. Lucy clicks the leash on Waffles’s collar and hands it to Bri.

Once they’re gone, Lucy settles on the couch in my family room while I grab a bottle of Merlot and two wine glasses from the kitchen. I can hear her sigh happily from the other room.

“That restaurant was amazing,” she says when I return and hand her a glass. “I didn’t even know I loved French food, but apparently, I do.”

“I’m guessing you meant our dinner, not our chicken nugget stop.” I settle next to her and rest my arm on the back of the couch to let her snuggle right next to me.

“I’m pretty sure that fast food place isn’t French.”

I laugh. I must be the luckiest man on earth.

“There are a lot of good restaurants in Fort Collins. I can’t believe your brother hasn’t recommended any of them to you.”

“Since when does Atticus eat at nice restaurants? He’s more of the pints and hitting on women at a sports bar kind of guy. ”

“True. And he and Lachlan are always the most likely to take those women back to the hotel when we’re traveling. Found at sports bars, usually.”

“Ew. I didn’t need to know that.” Lucy makes a face.

“Sorry.”

We clink glasses and take a sip, then she puts her drink down. I want to see if she comments on the wine, and I don’t have to wait long.

“This is so good, what kind is it?”

“A Merlot. From your mom’s vineyard.”

“What??” Lucy’s mouth drops open.

“I really enjoyed the wine while we were there for Thanksgiving, so I ordered a case and shipped it here.”

“Oh my god, you didn’t.”

“I did.”

“I didn’t even know she shipped wine. Or sold cases.” Lucy smiles. “This is amazing.” Lucy leans in and presses her lips against mine. “Thank you.”

“For what? I get to drink it too.”

“For everything.” She settles back against my arm and shoves a loose curl out of her eye.

I swear, this woman doesn’t know how incredibly hot she is.

Lucy’s effortlessly gorgeous tonight. Her red curls cascade down her shoulders, and she’s done up her green eyes so they pop. She’s wearing a mid-length gray dress, and I haven’t been able to keep my hands off her all night.

“Thanks for letting me take you out.”

“I needed it after the calls I had to make today, so thank you .”

Lucy had a conversation earlier today with Winchester FC to tell them she was turning down their job offer, and I know it’s been weighing on her.

“Are you sad?”

She looks at me and shakes her head. “Not sad. I know I made the right decision. The job with the Blizzard is just as good as the England one. I love working here. And I no longer feel the need to run so far away from my life.”

“This is far enough?”

“This is the perfect distance.” Lucy sips her wine and runs her hand down my thigh.

“You’ve had more than your share of rough conversations today.”

She shrugs. After she called to tell Winchester FC she was staying here, she called her father. He didn’t take the rejection well. He’s not used to any kind of rejection.

“My favorite part was when I told my father to let Ron know I’m doing fine.” Lucy chuckles. “And he admitted he will probably come back to DC FC if the NHL team purchase falls through. There were just so very many things wrong with that whole conversation.” She growls and shakes her head.

“Asshole.” I shake my head.

“Yup. I told him I need space from him. A break. At first Dad thought I was talking about Ron. My father does not live in the same reality that I do.” She shakes her head.

“I think space from Richard is a good idea.”

“I’m gonna go full no contact for six months. Then I’ll reevaluate what role he gets to play in my life.”

“Our life.”

“Our life.” Lucy nods.

“Well.” I lean forward and kiss her, breathing in her scent, tasting the deep red wine on her lips. “I’m thrilled you chose here. Me. Us.”

She smiles against my mouth.

“Hey, I have something for you. Don’t go anywhere.” I stand and leave my wine glass on the coffee table.

“Where would I go?” she calls after me.

I smile and dart into the study to grab Lucy’s wrapped Christmas gift from where I left it on the desk.

“Here.” I hand her the present and sink back beside her .

“What’s this?”

“A Christmas gift I never got to give you. It’s not a big deal, I promise.”

Lucy rips the abominable snowman wrapping paper off and chuckles when she reads the title of the book.

“ A Guide to Hiking in Colorado ?”

“Yeah. I put a few notes in there, like around what to do when you encounter wildlife. There’s a whole chapter on rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and bears.”

“I am never going hiking without you.” She flips through the pages, fingering the sticky notes with my scribbles.

“Deal.”

“Thank you.” She lays the book on her lap and kisses me. “I don’t have anything for you.”

“I don’t need presents. I much prefer to give them than get them.”

“That’s sweet.” Lucy sighs and rests her head on my shoulder.

“I had another idea, but didn’t want to do it until I talked to you first.”

“What is it?” Lucy tilts her head up.

“This summer, do you want to go on vacation with me? I’m thinking England. We can visit January in London, then tour around the countryside. Maybe go up to Scotland and see Edinburgh and the Highlands.”

Lucy doesn’t respond, so I rush through the next part of my speech.

“Maybe we can check some boxes off so you don’t have any regrets about not moving to England.”

Lucy stands and launches herself onto my lap and into my arms, one knee on either side of my hips, her dress gathered around her thighs. The weight of her on me feels like a heavy blanket keeping me warm on a cold Colorado night. Lucy’s the first sip of an ice-cold beer on a hot day, the best dessert after a perfect meal, the sweetest sight for sore eyes after being away with the team .

I can’t wait to come home to her again and again.

“That’s perfect.” There are tears in her eyes. Lucy slides her hands on either side of my jaw and presses her lips to mine.

“So you’ll go with me?”

“I’d go anywhere with you, but definitely to England and Scotland.” She kisses me again.

“I know you were looking forward to living there.” I say when she leans back to take a breath.

“Being here is my choice.” Lucy presses her forehead to mine. “It’s partially about you, but it’s also about me. Atticus. Waffles. The career opportunity.”

“I totally get it. The world does not revolve around me.” I let Lucy kiss me again, and again.

“Don’t expect me to marry you or give everything up,” she says when she takes a break from kissing me. “And if we break up, I’m not going anywhere. My life is here now.”

“We’re never going to break up, Lucy.” I could kiss her on this couch forever. “Remember how much I love you? I’ll take whatever you’ll give me.”

I lean back and breathe in, not moving my eyes from her, soaking in every bit of Lucy Knox.

I would truly do anything for her.

“I love you, Lucy.”

“And I love you.”

It’s only been a few days since I confessed my love to her at the press conference. A few days of bliss and happiness and pure joy.

I know it won’t be easy with my job and Ava, and Lucy building her own life here as well. But we will make this work. Because I’m in love with her. And she’s in love with me.

I deserve to be able to trust someone like her with my heart.

And she deserves to know she’s more than good enough for me.

“What do you want to do now?” she asks as I lean forward to kiss her neck, breathing in her scent, wishing for this night to never end.

“I’ll do whatever you want, my red-hot chili pepper.”

She laughs, her head tilting back.

“It’s not fair, you have better options for names. I keep getting stuck on farm animals.”

“You can call me sloth or hedgehog or duck, for all I care. I’ll answer to anything that comes out of your mouth.”

Her eyes light up. “Okay, my blue-footed booby.”

I burst out laughing, lifting my face from Lucy’s collarbone, which is at my eye level since she’s still nestled on my lap.

“What? It’s a funny blue bird that lives in Mexico. I saw it in a video.”

“Whatever you want.”

I intend on making the rest of our lives whatever Lucy wants. I’m all in. This woman who saved my job and my family by fake dating me has also now stolen my whole heart.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.