Page 122 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

“I’d say next time tread gently with the calming chews,” I muttered once he finally finished.

“Doyouneed a calming chew?”

“Do you have ones for humans? If so, I’ll try it after today.”

He approached and held up the puppy that now had a pink bow clipped to her collar. “Have a puppy hug. Better than any drug.”

I was about to take hold of her when I cocked my head. “Where’s Berry?”

“She’s helping Tracy at the door. She’s being well-supervised.”

“Oh. Okay. Whew. Hi, sweetheart.” As soon as I traded with Dex—Bob’s leash for the puppy—the puppy’s wet pink tongue swiped over my chin, making me laugh. “Aren’t you the cutest?”

“Her name is Gumdrop. According to Berry,” he added, holding up his hands. “I’m not usurping my authority.”

“No, you did that when you announced we were going to be married.”

His eyes softened. “Aren’t we?”

I did not know how this man hadn’t been snapped up approximately fifteen times before now. I pointed at him, and Gumdrop nipped my fingertip. “You do not even play a little bit fair.”

He shrugged. “I’m not playing.”

I gave up. I didn’t know if this was one of his lawyering techniques or part of ADHD or some other quality of his, but he was impossible to argue with.

I didn’t even want to.

I walked forward and pressed my forehead to his chest while Gumdrop chewed on my hair and Bob probably peed more. “I love you. I should just surrender to it.”

“Yes.” He sounded inordinately pleased as he kissed the top of my hair. “You should. Also, I love you too.”

DEX

My house was never goingto be fucking done. Like…ever. I’d made my peace with that and with living in chaos.

There were far worse things than a chaotic home. Because you know what living in chaos meant? That I wasliving. I had a family that was occasionally too noisy. And I was so fucking happy with my chaos.

I’d basically prayed for it and through some lucky stroke of karma, the universe had delivered.

I was so grateful.

Every morning, when Bob—and now Gumdrop—dragged me outside at five-fifteen to pee, I kissed both of their noses before I kissed Shelby, where she’d usually face-planted on the pillow beside me. Then I hurried to brush a kiss over Berry’s hair where she was sprawled in her room of rainbows down the hall.

Toys were littered all over her rug, and I usually ended up nearly breaking a foot on one of the Legos that seemed to multiply like rodents. But I loved them. I loved every book scattered on the rug. Every stuffed animal, every random pencil.

I loved all the squeaky dog toys determined to kill me, even more now that we had two dogs.

I even loved all the various construction minutiae all over my house and the rooms still in obvious disarray from all the changes. This was the process to shift my house intoourhome for our family and every step was worth it.

And when Bob had been too raucous in the bathroom and pulled almost every sheet of TP off the roll, thereby encouraging his young charge as well? I loved that too.

However, when he rolled in some dead carcass of questionable origin in the backyard and I had to carry in his squirming, rotund body to dump him in the shower before the sun was even up, even my love was tested.

At least Gumdrop paid little attention to his antics once I dispensed her treats.

My dogs always knew where their buns were buttered, and nothing mattered more than snack time.

Once Bob smellednotlike dead things and his tongue was lolling out and his now-clean brown fur was sticking up in every direction, the love returned.

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