Page 48 of Beyond Perfect

“Really?” Tears formed in his eyes. “I can keep him?” That he spoke with such awe drove home how much he’d missed in life. Did he ever even get a present?

“Yes, we can keep him.”

“What’s his name?”

“You get to decide.”

She stood when Caleb approached them and whispered to her, “We need to talk.”

“I know. But first I should get the dog things I bought out of my car.”

“I’ll do it. Stay and keep an eye on these two. Especially the puppy. He…”

The dog peed on the floor.

“Uh-oh.” Freddie’s face fell. “You aren’t going to take him away because he did that, are you?”

Maisy hunkered down. “No, never. We have to keep taking him out. Or maybe, periodically, we set him on a pee pad.”

When Caleb returned with several packages and set the small crate with open bars down, Freddie frowned. “You’re gonna put him in prison?”

“What?”

He pointed to the crate.

Caleb squelched a grin before he left to get the rest of the things. “A crate isn’t prison. It’s his home.”

“Yeah?”

“Dogs like their own space,” Maisy said. “He’s so little, though, we might want to put the bumper around the bars. And a pee pad for the bottom.”

After Freddie cuddled the dog, played a bit with him, Caleb came back. “I cleared a cupboard for the puppy stuff. Now, let’s put him in the crate so he can take a nap.”

“Can I lay down with him?”

Maisy got him a pillow and blanket from the couch. “Outside of the crate, of course.”

After they finished settling the two of them, Caleb pulled her back into the kitchen. “This is so not you. Buying a dog at all, but the fact that you didn’t consult me.”

“Oh, Caleb, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I love dogs. But this is about something else.”

Maisy shrugged. “I guess I thought this would be fun for us all. Everything’s been so grim lately.”

“Freddie might not get adopted by anyone because of the animal.”

“We’ll see.”

He slid his arm around her. “I think this is about Jackson.”

“How?”

“It’s a distraction from missing him. Honey, that’s not a good way to deal with your grief.”

“What do you mean, grief?”

“You’re mourning the end of your relationship with Jackson.”

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