Page 39 of Fur-Ever Home

Maybe my nephew wasn't the only brat in the family.

Connor returned with his bag and a huge grin on his face. "I can pay for ice cream, if you're still interested. I had a twenty tucked in my spare pants pocket."

"That sounds like a plan," Dad said.

Southern California was nicer than Las Vegas this time of year, but it was still too chilly, not to mention windy, to sit outside at the walk-up ice cream stand. We sat in the car, instead, and Connor saved the day with his wet wipes when our cones started to drip.

"You're ready for anything," Dad quipped as he wiped his hands and face. Both he and Connor finished their cones before I did. Connor spent half of the drive to my brother's house holding a napkin beneath my dripping cone while I leaned forward over the center console. The whole time, my dad laughed at me in the rear-view mirror.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Connor," Dad said as we pulled up to my brother's house.

"Why does that sound like goodbye?" Connor's shoulders slumped.

"If this party doesn't scare you away from our family, nothing will," Dad said. At the door, he pulled Connor in for a side hug and grabbed me with his other arm. Together, we rang the doorbell.

Jake's husband Matt answered the door for us. "Finally! Jake's been worried sick."

Jake didn't give two shits about me most of the time, so that was strange.

"Did you get it?" My brother asked as we walked into the living room.

"Get …" Shit. Jeffrey's present. The Wonderdog 3000 I'd forgotten all about. I bet I could have found one in Vegas, if I'd hit up the high-end shopping on the strip, but it had completely slipped my mind.

"Right." Connor slipped out from under my dad's arm. "Your present for Jeffrey is still in my bag. Let me go grab it."

Well, here it came. My whole family was about to make fun of me for giving my nephew a toy my boyfriend had gotten for free with the purchase of a pair of pants.

"Who was that dashing alpha?" Matt asked. "Benjamin, have you been holding out on us?"

"He's my boyfriend," I stammered.

"They just met this weekend," Dad shared while I tried not to melt into a puddle of anxiety.

"This weekend!" Jake and Matt shared a secret smile.

"When you know, you know," Matt whispered.

"Come on, fam!" Jake called. "Everyone get in here to meet Benjamin's new boyfriend!"

"Where's my present?" Jeffrey demanded as he blindsided me with a hug.

"Connor—"

"Hey!" Connor pulled the alpha brat from my side and held out his hand. "Jeff?"

My nephew frowned up at him but shook his hand with a nod.

"Hi Jeff. This is Wolfy." Connor shoved the stuffed animal in Jeff's face. "He'd love to be your friend."

"What is this?" Jeffrey asked. "Where's my Wonderdog 3000? Uncle Benjamin, you promised!"

"I said I would do my best." My voice was unheard as Jeffrey wailed loud enough to drown out the animated movie playing on the television.

"No! You said you would get it for me! You're the worst uncle ever!"

I accepted the title with my head bowed. Tears blurred my vision. I wanted to be anywhere but here, before my entire family, shrinking in on myself.

"That's no way to treat Wolfy," Connor said. He snatched the stuffed animal back from my nephew and tucked it beneath his chin with both arms wrapped around it. "I'll have you know, Benjamin searched high and low for your Wonderdog 3000. They've been sold out for almost a year now, but he checked at the airport, at the bed-and-breakfast, even at a roadside stand. We hit up game stores and checked souvenir kiosks, all looking for your dog."

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