Page 110 of Clean Slade
“Of course.”
They started walking toward the big house, and Slade and I followed them.
“We’re also thinking, maybe we could adopt a dog,” I said.
Both Duke and Mac stopped and turned around.
“Shut the front door,” Duke said.
“Really, Daddy?”
I looked at Slade and smiled at my daughter.
“We think it’s time.”
Whoa. Hold your horses, King. We?
Where had that come from?
Mac ran to me and jumped in my arms while I tried to check on Slade.
Had he heard the we? Had it freaked him out? I needed to tell him it was a slip of the tongue and nothing else.
“We, huh?” Duke raised an eyebrow, and I glared at him.
“Shut up, Duke.”
He put his hands up and walked backward.
“Hey, you said it.”
“You did,” Slade agreed.
I bit the inside of my cheek and focused on my daughter.
“Let’s go look at the doggies,” I told her and took her hand.
We walked through the main house, a large mansion that always looked and smelled like trouble, and came out the other side into the large backyard that housed all sorts of creatures.
There was a big house with dogs, a stable with a few horses, a hutch with several rabbits, and more than a few roaming goats.
Already several volunteers were working the grounds. A few of them looked over as the animals they tended to noticed us.
Duke led Mac to the pajama-wearing baby goats, and she helped him prepare their milk bottles before letting them out of their pen. Each of them latched onto a teat.
“This place. It’s wonderful.” Slade looked around the sanctuary in all its glory.
And I had to admit I agreed. I didn’t know if I’d ever want to pay the price Duke was paying with his social life to run a place like this, but he for sure had a guaranteed place in heaven if such a thing even existed.
For his sake, I hope it does. And I hope it’s full of men.
“Sorry about the…the we,” I said.
Slade shrugged. “Don’t. I liked it. Is it okay to say that?”
“Well, I’m the one who took us miles ahead in an instant. You can like it all you want,” I answered.
After they were done with the feeding, Duke took Mac to the dog pen, but we stayed behind.
