Page 15 of Promised Summer
“Let’s look and not touch, okay, baby? They might bite if we’re not careful,” I warned, walking closer to the wagging dogs who’d caught sight of us.
Karla nodded. Though, with how excited she was, I wasn’t certain she was listening, so I stood far enough so she couldn’t stick her little hands through the cage openings.
Jones called us over to follow one of the staff to the back, where they kept the larger dogs.
“If any furbabies catch your eye, we can bring themto the playpen for some one-on-one time to see if you’re a match. Take your time looking around,” the staff member, Jade, told us before giving us some space.
I let Karla down, but kept a firm grip on her hand to keep her from wandering. We walked past each of the cages first, mostly being guided by Karla. That was when I saw her.
“Puppy!” Karla called in a voice not loud enough to be considered a shout, but it was louder than I’d heard her speak in months.
She anxiously tugged at my hand to walk faster to the dog in question, who perked up at seeing us go over. The dog was identical to the dog plushie Karla gripped in her arms, only much bigger. And what little girl could resist a giant version of her favorite toy?
Jade heard the interest and came over. “This is Lily. She just came in today, but we can already tell she’s a sweetheart. Do you want to do a little meet and greet with her?”
I opened my mouth to reject the idea, since Jones was the one looking for a dog, not Karla. But Jones agreed before I could.
Karla could barely contain her excitement as we followed Jade to the playpen area. “I can keep her leash on if you want to introduce the little one to her?”
“That’ll be great, thank you,” Jones piped in again. He then turned to me and added, “I mean, if that’s okay with you?”
Faced with Karla’s excited wiggles and Jones’thoughtfulness, I could hardly say no. I sat beside Jones inside the playpen, and Karla stood between my legs. She was so brave and excited when she first saw Lily, but now that she was up close with her, Karla looked unsure and clung to me.
Lily looked at the three of us. Her eyes were soulful, a bit sad-looking, and cautious. She wagged her tail, but she kept her distance. Jones was the first to make contact and stretched out his hand to let Lily smell it. She took a couple of sniffs, then her tongue lolled out in a happy huff.
“You’re a good doggy, aren’t you?” Jones laughed and gave her head a good rub. Lily’s tail went into hyper-mode as she angled her head into his touch. I couldn’t blame her. I would do the same in her position.
As if knowing I was thinking naughty thoughts, Jones turned my way. My face burned, but he didn’t seem to notice as he asked Karla, “Would you like to meet her?”
Karla looked up at me, her eyes asking permission. I turned her around to face me. “Do you remember what I said last night? How we have to be gentle with our furry friends?”
Her grip on her dog plushie loosened, and she used her other hand to pat its head gently to show me she’d been listening. I smiled and guided her hand out with my own, still slightly worried the dog might bite.
Lily’s nose twitched as she sniffed us, then her tongue lolled again, as if giving her approval. I tookthat as a sign and slowly guided Karla to pet Lily’s head. I was so proud of how gentle my little girl was despite her excitement at getting to pet the doggy.
Her infectious giggles rang out in the room as I let her pet Lily without my hand guiding her, though I made sure to stay close and keep my eyes on her in case anything happened.
Jones soon joined in the mix and grabbed one of the toys inside the pen for them to play with.
“Labs are usually great with kids. She’ll be a perfect addition to your family,” Jade commented.
“Oh, we’re not…” I started, my words fading as my gaze shifted to them. They were playing tug-of-war with a rope toy. Lily tugged one end, while Karla used her entire body to pull the other. Jones was laughing while holding onto the middle of the rope, probably to keep the rope stable and everyone from harm.
Karla used her strength to pull once more, then, getting tired, flopped into Jones’ lap and leaned her body against him. Jones wrapped a protective arm around her as she giggled and petted Lily, who’d come to lay by their sides.
The scene was so domestic and cozy, and it made a long-forgotten feeling swell inside of me. And for a decade’s worth of summers that I could never get back with the man who’d stolen my first kiss.
Chapter Eight
RYAN
Jones ended up adopting Lily without even looking at the other dogs. I was worried Karla had swayed his decision, but it was clear by the way Lily followed the man around that a bond had already formed between the two.
It took another hour to finish all the paperwork to complete the adoption process. They were able to give Jones Lily’s complete medical history since her previous family had kept everything. It was sad to learn her previous family had to give her up due to some medical reasons, but it must have been fate for her and Jones to meet on the very same day.
Karla was enamored for the entire ride back to Kither Springs and kept trying to go around me to pet Lily. I sat in the back with them to keep an eye on things in case anything happened. Lily seemed like a good dog, but as a new dad, I could never be too careful.
The trouble came when Jones had pulled up into our driveway, and it was time to go. Karla flat out refused to get out of the truck, crossing her arms and huffing as she avoided my touch.
