Page 53 of Stay With Me

Theanimalshelterisbusy for a Saturday and I hope Pepper is still there. I heard Elise crying over her again last night and she only met the dog a few days ago.

The doors are propped open, a couple in front of me asking about small dogs. Brynne is at the counter, but she sends them back to where Adeline must be working.

When she sees me, she grins. “Let me guess, Pepper?”

Laughing, I stride to the counter. “How’d you guess?”

“Just a hunch. I already put her as pending. You don’t look at a dog the way Elise looked at Pepper and not come back.” She motions for me to follow her. “I already pre-filled most of the paperwork. It’s a requirement for accounting otherwise I wouldn’t bother.”

We stop outside a cage and the smallest little fluffball comes scurrying over. “Elise wasn’t exaggerating. She is tiny.”

“She’s almost six weeks old, small for her breed because she lacked the nutrients she needed until she was found. But she has a clean bill of health.” Brynne opens the cage, gingerly lifting Pepper and handing her over to me.

“Isn’t she a little young to be adopted?” She barely weighs anything.

“She’s eating solid food and everything checks out. She will flourish in a home environment better than here.” Brynne gives Pepper’s nose a tiny boop and she tries to bite her finger.

Shoes echo on the concrete floor and we turn to see Adeline.

“Young Jae? This is a surprise.” She looks at Pepper, her eyes widening a little.

“I want to surprise Elise. You know she hasn’t been feeling well lately, and I thought snuggling with a puppy on each side would help. Kimchi would love a friend too.” Brynne excuses herself, her expression neutral.

Elise was right about that too—the woman is a vault. You would never guess she knows about the pregnancy.

“She’s going to love her.” Adeline gushes, leading me back to the front. “I know she hasn’t been well. She said she has a parasite.”

Coughing back a laugh, I cover my mouth and pretend I’m clearing my throat. “Oh yeah, she should feel better soon.”

Adeline takes the paperwork Brynne has ready and hands it over, pointing out where I need to fill out info and sign.

I pay the adoption fee and say goodbye before heading out.

Getting home, I carefully introduce Kimchi and Pepper. Kimchi looks huge compared to Pepper, but after a couple sniffs and Kimchi accidentally knocking Pepper over, they start playing.

I watch closely, but Kimchi tones her energy down, seeming to realize how delicate her new sister is.

When the front door opens, I’ve just settled the two of them down for a nap. Picking up Pepper, I tell Kimchi to come and we walk to greet Elise.

She doesn’t notice the small dog in my hands, bending to say hi to Kimchi. As she stands and catches sight of the gray bundle of fur, she gasps.

“Really?” Her words are choked, and I see her eyes glistening.

Hiding my smirk, I hand over the dog. “I could tell how much she imprinted on your heart and couldn’t imagine not bringing her home. Happy pregnancy gift. Is that a thing? If not, it should be.”

She tucks herself into me, snuggling Pepper, a wriggling bundle of fur, trying to lick Elise all over. “I’m so happy. Good thing we have like eight months to train her before the baby comes.”

We laugh and head into the living room to snuggle our fur babies.

“By the way, it would have been nice to get a warning that you told Rae and Adeline that you have a parasite. I almost choked on my tongue, which should be impossible when you’re conscious.” Giving her my best glare, I can’t hold it in when she starts laughing.

“I totally forgot I said that. It’s kind of true though. The baby is surviving on me and my nutrients. Including the calcium in my bones. I just read that today.” She shudders a bit. “I think I’m going to stop reading about it so much. Pregnancy is kind of gross when you really explore all it does to my body.”

Shaking my head, I chuckle. “I guess you’re right, but can we find some other name for the baby other than little parasite?”

“Aww, c’mon. LP is kind of funny. It could be an inside joke.” She smirks, her eyes dancing with humor.

“Fine. It seems wrong, but it’s funny.”

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