Page 15 of Merry with a Single Dad

“I take it this wasn’t planned?”

I sputtered a laugh. “Not in the slightest.”

“So? Do you know who the father is?”

“It’s Chris’s dog, Luke—the golden retriever. Him and his damn dog!”

“Oh!” she crooned. “I know Luke. He’s so sweet.”

“I thought the same thing. Now all I can think is that he’s a scoundrel and a manwhore!” Gigi laid her head on my knee. I stroked her fur as she looked at me with nervous eyes.

The corner of Dr. Gray’s mouth twitched. “I assume we’re talking about Luke and not your boyfriend?”

As crazy as the situation was, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks,” I said. “I needed that.”

“Celine is going to kill me for letting this happen.” Anxiety surged through me as the words left my mouth. My palms started sweating, and my forehead broke out with beads of perspiration.

“Gigi had a litter a couple of years ago. Celine didn’t fix her because she wanted the option to breed her.”

“You know how I feel about that, though,” I said.

“I know you prefer to rescue, but some people still like their pooches to be purebred.”

“To each their own.”

“She warned me that Gigi might go into heat while she was with me. I kept a careful eye on her. I know the signs. I just didn’t see them.”

“Well,”—Dr. Gray sighed.

“I know.” I couldn’t believe it. Gigi was pregnant. Luke was the father. I would have been better off if she’d had a mild parasite. At least that could be cured with an antibiotic. Gigi seemed to listen intently as I did as Dr. Gray went through what to expect when your dog is expecting.

The weight of the world pressed down on my shoulders as I walked Gigi back to my truck. I went into this trying to do a nice thing for a wonderful woman. The only thing I managed to do successfully was screw over her and her precious pooch.

“Yeah,” I said, looking at Gigi. “You definitely are the one who got screwed in this whole scenario.”

Gigi woofed in agreement. I laughed like a cackling madman as we rounded the bend to my street.

“We’re totally screwed,” I told Chris when he asked how it went at the vet’s.

We both looked toward Hudson’s room to make sure he wouldn’t hear us.

“Why?” he asked.

“More like Gigi is totally screwed. Or got totally screwed.”

“I need a little more detail, honey,” he said as I swallowed the last of my wine.

I promptly refilled my glass and took another large gulp. “Gigi’s pregnant.”

“Excuse me?” he sputtered.

“You heard me correctly,” I said. “Your fucking devil dog knocked her up.”

Chris’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates in his handsome head. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope.” Swallowing two more huge sips of wine, I narrowed my eyes at Luke. He was crouched in the corner like the bad boy he was. “Your dog is a manwhore.”

Chris erupted in laughter. “I’m sorry, babe,” he said when I shot him a death stare. “But for the first time ever, you’re calling Luke names you forbid me to use on him.”

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