Page 66 of Olivia's Only Pretending
My fiancé.I could hear Victor howling with laughter in the back of my mind.
My ring finger felt cold and bare as we wrapped up Watson’s intake form.
Why did I tell a lie that could be so easily disproven by one glance at my finger?I followed the nurse to an exam room, chastising myself for being dishonest.
But, as I rubbed behind Watson’s furry golden ear while he nervously nuzzled his nose against me, I did feel like his dog mom.
And I felt like more than Victor’s best friend.
I felt this even stronger while I discussed Watson with the vet and comforted him during the exam. I was so much more than Victor’s pal or renovation buddy. I discovered I knew more about their little life than I’d realized as I answered the vet’s questions.
We were about to discuss his recovery plans when there was a knock at the door. Quickly, it swung open.
“Mr. Hernandez, here’s your fiancée and Watson with Dr. Sanders,” Joanna said, her polka-dot scrubs rustling as she gestured toward us.
“My fiancée.” Victor’s eyebrow shot up, a grin spreading. Then his eyes fell on Watson. He hurried over to him as he said, “And my poor injured boy!”
“It looks like he found a garter snake by the river that bit him. It’s non-venomous, but I’ve cleaned it up and was talking through antibiotic cream options to ensure it doesn’t get infected,” Dr. Sanderson said from his spot on the silver rolling chair, his glasses sliding down his nose as he looked up at Victor.
Victor ran a hand through his messy curls. He had on his construction work clothes—a white T-shirt and baggy, torn jeans. “Is there anything we should look out for over the next few days?”
Theweinstead ofIwasn’t lost on me.
“Yeah, I shared a list there in Miss Rhodes’s hands.” He gestured to the typed list I was holding. “Monitor any swelling, redness, limping. You two can call us if you have any questions at all.”
“Can we still walk him or play with him? Does he need to rest?” he asked.
“Let him rest today and then watch him over the next couple days. You can let him take the lead. I gave him a painkiller that might make him drowsy tonight,” Dr. Sanderson said. “If you’d like, I can order a prescription for you to give him if he starts to show signs of pain again over the next couple days?”
Victor looked at me, his brow furrowed, head cocked. “What do you think, Liv?”
I’d expected to be brushed aside once Victor arrived, but instead, it appeared we were making these decisions together.
I glanced down at Watson. His paw was still up against his chest as he sat on the exam bed, nervously panting. “He did seem to be in a lot of pain. Couldn’t hurt to have them on hand just in case. If he’s fine, we just won’t use them.”
Victor nodded. “Yeah, that’s the right idea. We don’t want you in pain, do we, bud?”
I reached my hand toward Victor’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze, but then I remembered I was trying to refrain from touching. My hand dropped back to my side.
I tried to focus back on the appointment as we wrapped up, but the way my heart pulled to Victor like he was a crackling fire and I was just so dang cold without him was all too apparent with these new boundaries in place.
The door swung closed behind us as we exited the veterinary clinic with a sleepy, drugged Watson in Victor’s arms.
“Well,fiancée, you may have taken this charade a bit far now.”
“I did have Joanne add my information to Watson’s account,” I admitted with a wince. The parking lot was still pretty empty and quiet. The air was cool with the sky darkening.
“I mean, it’s not a bad idea,” he said.
We exchanged a glance before bursting out laughing as we approached his truck. He tucked Watson into the backseat of his truck.
“How’ve you been, Rhodes?” Victor asked.
A couple days had passed since our last check-in. I felt filled to the brim with things to share with him.
“Give me the work update?”
“Well, I’m still stuck on my new class. I’ve been daydreaming about basing it around something a student said to me during office hours—about the romance book club.”
