Page 78 of Grumpy Billionaire Seeking Wife

"Of course, darling. I love you, and I'm so sorry that we can't go to your graduation. I'm so sorry that we couldn't afford the cap and gown. I..."

"Mom, it's okay. I'm still going to get the degree whether or not I walk." I smile at her. "Let's just figure out paying your rent and keeping food on the table."

"How did I get so lucky to have a daughter like you?" she says, grasping my face. "I know I'm not always the best mom in the world, but I want to tell you that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Sabrina. Even after everything, I'd do it all again just to have you."

My heart melts at her words. "But Dad was a jerk."

She shrugs. “A lot of men are. But you? You’re good, and you're kind. And I did something right with you." She kisses meon the cheek. "You're one of the good ones, Sabrina. You're an angel on Earth."

Chapter Twenty-Two

Wes

It's been four days since I've seen Sabrina, and I'm excited to see her pretty face. I hope that she's home. I'm pretty confident that she is because it's 8:00 a.m., and she doesn't normally leave the house this early. I resisted the urge to call her the last couple of days, and aside from two brief texts, we didn't correspond in any way. I missed her. I missed seeing her beautiful face. I missed hearing her laugh. I missed the way that she tucked her hair behind her ears and the way that her ponytail swung back and forth as she walked. I even missed hearing her hum and singing the dreadful opera that seemed to delight her. I’m not sure she really loves it or if she delights in driving me crazy, but it is starting to grow on me.

In fact, I even looked up Broadway shows and operas to see if I could find a couple to take her to. I want to take her on a real date. I want to woo her, treat her, yet we weren't in that place yet. We've slept together and we have had conversations that have felt real and alive, and I know her almost better than I knowmyself, but we haven't been on a real first date, which I want to change, but I can tell that she isn't quite in that place yet.

I open the front door to my apartment and immediately notice a small heap of poop on the doormat in front of me. "What the fuck?" I say, blinking, wondering if somehow I've been infested with rats.But do rats even poop this big?I think to myself.

I step inside and close the door. I can hear the sound of snoring coming from the living room. I smile to myself. I didn't realize that Sabrina snored. She must've fallen asleep watching TV. I tread lightly past the kitchen and into the living room, and my jaw drops. There, on my very expensive couch, lies a big black dog on its back with its legs in the air. Its face is tilted to the side, its tongue is hanging out, and I watch as drool drops onto the fabric. I stare for a couple of seconds and blink. There's the snoring. It isn't Sabrina, but this dog, which, on closer inspection, looks like it is possibly a black lab. I can feel myself starting to seethe. It is the dog that pooped. A dog. A dog in my expensive apartment.What the hell is going on here?I think.

I take another step forward, and the floorboard creaks beneath me. Immediately, the dog looks at me, narrows its eyes, and starts growling and barking. "Whoa," I say loudly as the dog jumps off the couch and heads towards me. I hear footsteps running down the corridor.

"Bruno? What's going on?" Sabrina cries out and then stops dead in her tracks as she sees Bruno jumping up on me. "Oh, Wes, you're back," she says, with a beautiful smile. "Good to see you."

"Erm, you too." I take in her appearance, her messy hair, her long, bare legs. She's wearing an oversized T-shirt, and I can tell she doesn't have on a bra as her breasts bounce as she heads over to me. "Who is this?" I look down at the dog with the dopey smile and the big brown eyes.

"This is Bruno, my new dog, or should I sayournew dog." She reaches over and gives me a kiss on the cheek. "Bruno, this is Wes, your new daddy."

"What?" I stare at her, and she giggles.

"Isn't he so, so amazing?" She bends down and starts rubbing the top of his head. "It's okay, Bruno. Are you okay? Did the big, scary man wake you up?"

"What is going on?" I stare at her. This is not how I thought this conversation would go. I thought she'd be apologizing to me. I thought she'd be begging me to forgive her for bringing this smelly, stinky animal into my apartment, yet she's comforting the dog. "Sabrina?"

"Yes, Wes?" She looks up at me, her eyes shining.

"Isn't he so cute? I love him. I had to keep him. His name's Bruno. Well, I guess you know that now. Bruno, this is Wes."

Sabrina, we need to talk. What is this dog doing in my apartment?"

"Oh, I mean, I live here, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he's my dog, so he lives here now, too."

"Sabrina."

"What?" She starts pouting. "This is our new roommate. Don't you think he's so cute?" She grins. "Isn't he adorable? I mean, I had to take him. I was at my mom's place, and her neighbor got a dog, but he wasn't allowed to have a dog, and the landlord said that the dog had to go. Jacobo couldn't find anyone to take him, so I said, I'll take him because I live here now, and I know you're allowed pets. So I decided to bring him, and now he lives with us, and he's just amazing."

"Sabrina, you did not even ask me."

"I didn't want to bother you. I knew you were on a work trip, and well, you are the one who wanted me to live here with you, right?" She stares at me. "Or are you now telling me that youthink I need to leave?" She blinks. "Is that what you're trying to say to me? Are you trying to tell me that you think Bruno and I should leave?" Bruno looks up at me with big brown eyes.

"Sabrina, your dog pooped on my doormat." I blink at her. "Poop. Fresh poop. Stinky poop."

"Oh, my gosh. He must've done it in the night. He must've been scared. You have to remember, this is a new place for him."

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