Page 14 of Love in Training
“You’re the last person who should have this dog.”
My lips part.
“Now let me take him, and let’s be done with this.” Drew moves toward the kennel, but I manage to find my voice before he gets there.
“Why?” The question comes out dry and cracked. I don’t even know why I’m asking. I don’t care what he thinks of me. I don’t actuallywanta dog. But maybe deep down I harbor some faded loyalty to a man I wasn’t enough for.
He gives me a sidelong look as he speaks, voice dripping with disdain. “You won’t know how to handle him. You said yourself you’ve never had a dog.”
I can’t argue with that. But I get the sense there’s more to it. And the condescension in his tone gets under my skin. So I push.
“I have a houseplant. How hard could it be?”
Drew snorts, eyeing me up and down. I can’t tell what judgment he’s making, but I have a feeling it has more to do with the past than anything happening right now. “Ican give Rufus what he needs,” he says.
I take a step forward, invading his space. “If Kyle thought you could do that, then why did he give him to me?”
Theo steps between us. “You know, I’d like to keep this simple.” He turns to me, lowering his voice. “Areyou gonna keep him?”
His deep tenor hits a less keyed-up, more rational part of my brain, bringing my kicking feet firmly back to the ground. I glance inside the kennel again, and a pair of golden-brown eyes stare back at me. The dog whines and paws at the door.
“Um . . .”
It’s difficult to imagine bringing ananimalhome to my apartment. Permanently. Will he make the place smell? Where will he sleep? How much does he eat? How often will I have to walk him? Suddenly, I’m not sure I can handle this. I was lying to Drew—I don’t actually have a plant.
“I bet Lydia would be a big help,” Theo says, reading my face. His voice drops further. “And Reece, this dog is a protector. If you take him, he’ll keep yousafe.”
I soften, looking at my brother. At my transparent, loyal, badass sibling, who clearly jumped through at least a hundred hoops to deliver this “gift” from my ex in the name of loyalty. And because he knows what I’ve been through this year.
I could kill him.
“Yeah, okay. Lydia will help,” I say quietly, in part to convince myself. I glance at Drew, standing with his arms crossed and a haughty glare. I might have zero interest in the dog, but I really don’t want to give him what he wants. I raise my voice. “Come on. Let’s get him home, Theo.”
My brother goes to find the airline guy who’d made himself scarce during our exchange. But as soon as he steps away, a firm hand wraps around my wrist. Suddenly, Kyle's older, sharper-edged, almost-clone is pulling me close to him. Too close. Our eyes meet, mere inches from each other, and I swear my skin burns where we touch. By the way his jaw drops and he abruptly lets go, I wonder if he felt it too.
“What is your problem?” I hiss, clutching my wrist to my chest.
He gestures to the dog watching with interest from the kennel. “That is a military dog. If you take him home and treat him like a pet, you’ll be in over your head in less than twenty-four hours.”
“Okay. That would be my problem, not yours.” I turn away.
He growls. “God, what did Kyle even . . .”
I stop in my tracks, close enough to guess the words that disappeared under his breath. I steel myself and face him again.
“You know what I always thought was odd? No one in your family ever had an issue with Kyle and Theo spending all their time together. They were thick as thieves, got into all kinds oftrouble...” I swallow. “Maybe Kyle should’ve fallen for Theo instead. Because as soon as he started kissingme, you’d think I’d fed him a poisoned apple.”
I don’t see so much as feel the ripple of agitation from the surviving Forbes brother. “I only care about the dog.”
I give him a smile that’s all teeth. “Well, I didn’t ask for him, and I wouldn’t have. But if Kyle wanted me to have him, I’m taking him home with me.”
Something cold flashes in Drew’s eyes. “You don’t deserve him.”
I look at him dead-eyed, ready to walk away and never breathe the same air as him again. But morbid curiosity makes me ask, “And why is that?”
A shadow falls over his face, his words hitting like shrapnel. “Because you’re the reason my brother killed himself.”
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