Page 31 of Taming Georgia

I stand and walk closer to the stool he’s sitting on. “Why did you kiss me if you hated me?”

He shuts the laptop and places it on the workbench beside him. “We were seventeen. That was a lifetime ago. Why does it matter?” His stare is cold, his face rigid, but I see warmth in his eyes. It’s not obvious, but it’s there.

“I want to know. Just tell me.”

“I didn’t hate you when I kissed you.”

My heart is beating uncontrollably in my chest. I can’t believe he’s actually talking to me. “What changed your mind?”

“The truth.”

“According to who?”

What truth is he talking about?

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he hops off of the stool and walks over toward Hope’s kennel.

“Is it time?” My voice comes out high-pitched.

He points toward Hope. A puppy inside a little mucous-looking sac is coming out of her.

I cover my mouth with my hands, watching. It’s disgusting and miraculous, all at once. The puppy falls onto the bedding, and Hope starts cleaning the baby and eating the placenta.

“Oh my God!” I cover my mouth for a different reason this time. “She’s eating it.” My stomach feels nauseous.

Wyatt chuckles, and it’s a beautiful sight. “Yeah, they eat it.”

“Why?” I whine, swallowing hard.

“It replenishes her nutrients. It’s just what animals do.”

I shake my head, and my body shivers as I think about chewing on placenta.

Yuck.

Hope licks and cleans the new puppy for a long time until, finally, another starts to come out. She repeats the process six times over. It takes more time than I thought it would, usually thirty to sixty minutes between puppies.

I lean my head against the back of her cage, my eyes heavy.

“You can go home,” Wyatt says, but this time, it isn’t cruel.

“No.” I yawn. “I’m committed now.”

“It’s not as thrilling anymore?” he asks, quirking up an eyebrow. His gorgeous blues smile even though his mouth doesn’t.

I stand, stretching my arms up over my head and yawn again, releasing a big, loud groan.

“No, it is. It’s amazing. I’m just tired. I didn’t realize how long it took.”

“There should just be one more.”

“How do you know?”

“We did an ultrasound on her when she first came to make sure all the puppies were still alive in there. She was pretty malnourished.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Though it was only a couple of weeks ago, it feels like so much longer. “That was my first day.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Wyatt says, his voice low.

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