Page 59 of Claim Me

“What are you saying?” Indigo demands in a dark, detached voice.

“If you want to prove to me that you can be part of this family, you can’t send your dogs away at the first sign of trouble.”

“They aren’t happy,” he says as if I missed the first two times he said the same thing.

“They weren’t originally happy at Tack’s house, either. He had to leave them outside because they barked at the doors, wanting to go out. Then, they barked because they were outside. But they now like his place enough for you to consider taking them over there tonight.”

Indigo frowns at the dogs who have chosen this moment to ruin his “unhappy dogs” argument by chasing each other around the yard.

“We know they’ll need time to adjust,” I say, shuffling closer to Indigo.

My hands reach for his chest. Though I sense he wants to back away, his feet don’t move.

“They’re like babies,” I murmur, offering him tenderness. “We know we won’t get a good night’s rest for the first week or two. We’ll need to get a routine going. The girls will whine about the barking. The cat will hide. The dogs will act like they’re suffering. But in the end, they will get to know this house in the same way they did Tack’s.”

Unable to settle down, Indigo asks, “What if they hurt the baby?”

Refusing to fall for his negativity, I reply, “We’ll worry about that in eight months.”

Indigo doesn’t want to back down. He feels like the dogs need something he can’t give them. I have no doubt they’d be happier if he took them to Tack’s place. Of course, they’d be happiest at the farm.

However, if he takes them tonight, he’ll take them tomorrow. Soon, Indigo will talk himself into not bringing them over at all. Eventually, he won’t view them as his dogs anymore.

“I love you,” I say and wrap my arms around his waist. “I know you’re willing to suffer for those who matter to you, but we can suffer for you, too. Those dogs love you. They belong with you, and you live here now. They’ll adjust for you like they did for Tack.”

Indigo hugs me tighter and sighs. “I thought they’d settle down more, but they’re restless.”

We watch the dogs roughhouse with each other as the minutes tick by.

“What would my dad do when you boys would get like that?” I ask Indigo while resting my head against his chest.

“Take us for runs.”

“Well, maybe you can run them back and forth for a while. Wear them out and then bring them inside. If they can’t handle all night in the house, we’ll let them outside. The weather’s not bad, and they have their houses. If they bark too much, we’ll bring them back in. Sure, we won’t get much sleep while dealing with their drama. But we’ll just view this as practice for when we bring home the baby.”

Indigo’s rigid stance goes soft, and he breathes normally again. After we share a lingering kiss, I head back inside.

While I wash dishes, Indigo gets the dogs to chase him around the yard for nearly an hour. They’re dragging like old men by the time they come inside. He takes them into the office, where water and food are set up. Shutting the door, Indigo joins me in the bedroom.

“You’re sweaty. Let me help you undress,” I say as he checks the security footage from the office and finds the dogs curling up in their beds.

I peel off his sweaty shirt while he stares at the image on his phone. I want to shake some sense into Indigo about his damn dogs. They’re not fragile flowers in need of babysitting. The dogs spent entire days roaming the woods out at the farm. They can handle a few hours in my office.

Even if Indigo’s behaving like a helicopter parent with his two rowdy dogs, I don’t hassle him. The man’s brain went wrong long ago, and he often takes mental detours to get to where most people end up much quicker.

That’s who Indigo is, and I can’t change him. To enjoy the qualities I love, I’ll need to be patient with his unappealing ones.

“Let’s get you in the shower,” I say, taking away the phone and gently shoving his ass into my bathroom. “We’ll wash up, make love, and try to sleep before the dogs need to be let out.”

“They stay inside all night at the farm.”

“Yeah, but we know they won’t be so calm tonight. That’s okay. Like I said, we need to practice for the baby.”

Indigo frowns when he realizes I’m naked. “This house isn’t big enough for us all.”

“Look, if you have fancy taste and need more living space, we’ll find a bigger house. For now, we’re all staying in my tiny five-bedroom house.”

Indigo’s expression darkens when he thinks I’m angry. Once I step under the water and smile at him, his frown flips upside down.

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