Page 54 of With A Little Luck
If I could go back in time, I would do everything so much differently, but hindsight is twenty-twenty.
“This is King.” Ridge gestures to the adorable English bulldog on the couch. He’s lying on a throw pillow, and he truly does look like a king on a throne. “Just ignore him for now. He doesn’t like new people, but we will get him used to you before the baby comes.”
I nod, leaning deeper into Hartley’s chest.
I need to find a way to get a few minutes alone with Ridge, but he seems completely shut down.
Something similar happened to me when my gran died.
My system went numb, and everything felt hazy, like it wasn’t real. I spent several days just coasting through, making decisions that should have fallen to the entire family, but since no one else was around, I had to make those calls.
“Once Knox and Trigg bring in your bags, Knox can show you to the primary bedroom. It has an attached bathroom.” Ridge shoves his hands into his pockets. “I’m going to find a menu and order dinner. Anything the two of you need to avoid?”
Hartley’s head shakes.
“No seafood, please. Even the smell can make me sick sometimes,” I tell him truthfully.
“No fish, no shellfish, got it.” He nods and strides off while I’m still majorly confused if he even wants me here.
That might be all Trigg.
Chapter Seventeen
Trigg
Knox and I make it inside, and I’m shocked to see Quincy sitting next to King. That mutt can’t stand me, but thus far, I’ve been able to head him off before he successfully managed to piss in my shoes. That furry creature and I have a reckoning coming.
Animals are fine.
I’m generally indifferent to their existence, unless their presence makes my eyes water, my nose run, and that weird tickle of a dry cough appears in the back of my throat.
“You are the cutest little guy I’ve ever seen,” Quincy coos, scratching the mutt behind the ears.
His tongue hangs out of the side of his mouth, and the drooling almost makes me gag.
I can see the benefits of certain breeds, but that dog isn’t adding any protection value to the house. Perhaps an early warning alert if the security system was to go down in a power outage, but I know for a fact that Ridge has a backup system that comes on with the generator.
Also, the mutt failed to bark upon our arrival. Although he did growl at me for quite some time yesterday. He was simplytoo lazy to jump from the couch to do anything about his distaste.
Well, until Ridge served his dinner.
Then he promptly attempted to piss in my dress shoes.
“He’s got so many rolls,” Quincy laughs, bumping her shoulder against Hartley’s. “Do you like dogs?”
I believe I might be jealous of an animal that can hardly make it up the stairs on his own without needing to be carried.
“Yeah, they’re great for companionship, but I traveled so much, it didn’t seem fair to get a pet.” Hartley reaches around her, scratching under the beast’s jaw.
King doesn’t growl at the former football player.
I believe he has a personal vendetta against me.
It’s fine.
The feeling is mutual.
“Ridge texted me,” Knox says. “He wants me to show the two of you to the bedroom you’ll be staying in.”
