Page 114 of Getting Lucky

“They do,” she said, “but there are plenty of people who buy dogs from fancy breeders and end up with buyer’s remorse. They abandon them like they’re nothing. Ein had a microchip, so I was able to contact his owners. They weren’t even looking for him. I think they were relieved he ran off.”

“That’s why you started the shelter,” he said. “It happened after you found Ein out here.”

He was a good listener. It was one of the things that had endeared him to her from the beginning—the way he really listened to a person, both what they were saying and what they weren’t. “Yes. I saved him, and he saved me. He gave me another purpose. Of course, I had a massive assist from Beatrice, plus my inheritance from my parents. But I knew from the beginning Einstein and I were soul companions, and he was going to change my life. It was what you could call a pivotal moment.”

Something glimmered in his eyes, almost as if a string of twinkle lights had lit up inside him.

“I didn’t think beyond one night when I took you home from Dottie’s party. But it was another pivotal moment, Jack. Just like when Einstein found me.” She smiled up at him, feeling tears in her eyes. “Dottie always told me I needed to find a human soul companion, and I did. I found you.” A tear trickled down her cheek, and he traced it and wiped it away. “But I can tell you that I love you every day, and you might still wonder if I have feelings for River…because he’s my friend and Georgie’s your sister, and they’ll be in our lives. I get that. I just don’t know what to do about it. That’s why I didn’t say anything before I did. I was worried you’d push me away.”

He was silent for a long time after that, and her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She could offer to give up her Bro Club dinners with River and Finn, or to avoid hanging out with River alone, but that was the kind of thing she’d end up resenting Jack for. She didn’t want that for them.

“Did you just say you love me?” he asked, staring into her eyes. He took her hands, and the warmth of his fingers, the familiarity of them, grounded her. His eyes weren’t expressionless, the way they got sometimes when he was overwhelmed. They were wells of raw emotion.

“I guess I did,” she said with some amount of sass, and then she said it again, her tone completely serious this time. “I love you. And Jack, I know what you thought earlier, but you were wrong. River is my friend, and he’ll always be special to me, but I’ve never wanted him the way I want you. He’s not my soul companion.Youare.”

One moment he was looking into her eyes, and then he was pulling her onto his lap, claiming her mouth. His kiss was fierce and insistent, and it touched something deep at her core. When he pulled away, she was panting, no longer chilled by the cool air.

“I love you,” he said. “I shouldn’t have run away from you—I should havelistened—but I let my past get between us.” His brow furrowed with anger she knew wasn’t for her. “That’s how I always dealt with Genevieve, by taking off, but I don’t want to do it anymore. That’s not who I want to be.”

She smiled at him, running a hand through his thick hair. “Well, you’re in luck, because I can give you plenty of lessons about snapping at people until they quail in submission. Except I’ve been told that doesn’t work out too well either.”

“I’ll hold you to it, Red.” He reached up to caress her face and wiped away another tear that had escaped her eye. They were silent for a moment, just taking each other in, like they had in the car. Then he said softly, “I didn’t know what I was looking for when I came here, not really, but I never imagined I’d find this. I always felt like I had to do everything alone, but you made me realize that I don’t want that anymore. I wantyou. And if you really feel the same way, then the River thing isn’t an issue.”

She kissed him, a slow, sweet kiss meant to tell him that he was the one in her heart and he didn’t have to be alone anymore. He had her, and they had each other, and that was enough to get them through this crazy life.

Then she pulled back and grinned at him, letting her sassiness roll out again. “Is this a good time to tell you that I think you should adopt Ruby?”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Jack woke to the warmth of Maisie’s soft body next to him. The sun hadn’t risen yet, and she was still asleep. He told himself not to wake her. They were up late the night before, professing their love with both words and their bodies.

She rolled over and released a contented sigh as one eyelid cracked open. “You’re not watching me sleep like a crazy stalker, are you?”

He grinned, his heart warming. “And if I said I was?”

Laughing, she pushed him onto his back and crawled on top of him.

“Merry Christmas,” he said, staring into her eyes. The happiness he saw there made his chest puff with pride that he’d put it there.

Her smile softened into contentment. She lifted a hand to his face, and gently cupped his cheek. “Merry Christmas.”

He kissed her then, because his lips hadn’t covered hers for nearly six hours, and that was five hours and fifty-nine minutes too long.

She lifted her head a few inches and smiled. “What about morning breath?”

He wrapped his arms around her back. “Worth it.”

He glanced over to the bedroom door and saw Einstein and Chaco watching them.

“Question,” Jack said, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. “Can dogs be taken from their owners for being exposed to live porn?”

Maisie laughed and lifted up on her elbow to check them out. “They probably have to pee.”

When she started to get up, he pulled her back down. “I’ll take them out. You go shower, and I’ll join you when I’m done.”

“Okay,” she said hesitantly. “But maybe put them on leashes. In case they decide to bolt.”

They didn’t run off for her, but he knew her dogs were her babies, and he’d follow whatever rules made her feel comfortable. He put on his dress pants and shirt while she ogled him. Grinning, he slipped his feet into his dress shoes.

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